Pleides

Might is just be worth buying another auto LGT? Plenty out there that just had a motor rebuild.

The VF40/46 that come with these cars are smaller but the low end boost response isn't much better, maybe 100 or 200 RPM difference down low when the power starts to kick in, and the VF52 holds power for a wider RPM range than the VF46. You aren't going to get boost at 1500 RPM like a modern turbo car. No twin scroll turbos with trick exhaust setups and direct injection on these old cars.

Upgrading the fuel system will only really help at the top end. I might be able to dig around for a dyno chart on the home PC somewhere but I don't recall there being any torque gains when I went from STi topfeeds to ID1050X.

The trick is to spend time in the range of 3000-3500 RPM driving around town a lot more than you're probably used to. Avoid lugging the engine by downshifting. These cars are pretty easy to heel-toe! 

36 minutes ago, Febreze Mee said:

Yessir! I'm coming down to Deer Island, hopefully tomorrow, to grab a custom exhaust manifold I had. I was going to reach out tomorrow once it's confirmed I'm coming down, to see if you wanted to grab something to eat. I'll keep you posted!

I work tomorrow, so as long as it's after 6 PM we should be good!

On 6/11/2023 at 9:06 AM, Febreze Mee said:

Round 2 complete! Had a bunch of scares upon start-up! All is resolved. My hormone levels are still stabilizing from the situation. All is well. 20mi and counting!

 

See ya in Portland in a few hundred miles!

4 hours ago, NORULZleggy said:

Cmon Amsoil is not that bad price wise if you know a few people on here wink wink. lol FYI I ran the Ea 20k filter on my old 08 for 21k miles and had not problems, that was a test to see if it would hold up and it did. I run my LGT amsoil filter for 15k miles but change the oil every 5k. Just got to eat tune for a week.  

I'm gonna push for a 7K oil change. Max Capacity told me about how he did 9K oil changes with Amsoil 5W40 Euro and had no issues. I'm thinking with my driving it'll have to be shorter than his changes since he did all freeway driving and mine is more mixed but I'm definitely not interested in changing the oil every 3K anymore, especially with how expensive Amsoil was for me. Free oil from the Audi dealer I work for is definitely the way to go, though. Even if my car burns it... well it's still free. It's also 5W40 which I should probably be running anyways. 

I might try running the FRAM Ultra Synthetic filter for a couple oil changes though. Gonna be nice with the Fumoto valve.

I've never DIY'd an oil change on this car (well... except for when the motor blew... that did happen, but it happened on a lift with a blown motor). Decided that I now live in a place with no HOA and a flat driveway I'll finally do it myself. Always can trust Surgeline to do it but I'm a bit of a ways from them now and these 3000 miles oil changes are killing the wallet with their pricey Amsoil. 

Picked up 5 quarts of VW OE 5W-40 from the Audi dealer I work for and got a nice FRAM filter for 9 bucks. Gonna do the oil change at 4K and send the results to Blackstone Labs and see what they think about extending my OCIs. I figure if Audi recommends 10K oil changes on their oil and Amsoil recommends 20K with their oil and filters that I'm surely safe to go 6-7K... right? Guess I'll let the guys in labcoats figure that out for me.

1 hour ago, pleiadesfella said:

gotta get me a set of these on my next tire change 

Hey you stole a vowel from my username

3 minutes ago, m sprank said:

My summer tire recommendations are as follows:

 

 

 

Even includes weight reduction "speed holes!"

11 hours ago, Jolbaru_LGT said:

I’m still deciding. I know PS4S’s are pretty top of the line. But, I’m not sure I can justify the price. I see those tires on Porsches and other high end cars and SUVs and idk, they could be overkill… I’d feel SOL if something happened to my car. 
Guess I’m leaning towards another set of Indy 500s or General GMax RS.

I would not have purchased my Michelins if it weren't for the steep discount at the time, however I do like them for the just over a grand I spent on them after installation. They are noisier than my Falken FK510s, for what that's worth. The grip is absolutely insane on them for a street car with a chassis that was likely engineered on software older than I am, so make of that what you will. I have never been capable of pushing these tires past their limit and I did manage that with the Falkens being the novice that I am. G-MAX RS are decent tires and often have rebates and stuff and I don't think you would regret purchasing them. The Michelins might wear slower and grip harder, but the slower wear is still not worth the hundreds of dollars more. 

If the difference is a hundred bucks I'd get the Michelins but if you're staring down the barrel of $400 less and you're torn then I'd skip the Michelins, Contis, or whatever else are sky high in price. Life is expensive right now!

42 minutes ago, xt2005bonbon said:

You're probably right. Interesting that AEM is also providing two orings in their kit, but I can't find any AEM instructions online.. Pump is a 50-1215 btw.

53 minutes ago, Dillon said:

Perfect example! Too bad it took me over 5 years to learn this myself. I've dealt with a stumble for far too long. Alot of stock and replacement pump assemblies only come with one! So everyone can be effected by this.

I'm so slammed with work/school right now but my stutter has been an issue for the life of the car and the AEM pump was only installed to ensure proper fueling for a tuned car. Wondering if Surgeline skipped an o-ring on the AEM pump install. The stutter was there both before and after, but it's worth a check.

22 hours ago, Dillon said:

Make sure you don't have a post MAF, Pre-turbo air leak. I suggest replacing at least the damaged o-ring, if not both. Unless, you only have one at this time, then I would suggest adding a second. I used silicone lubricant during install. Making sure damage wasn't going to be caused during install.

Sorry if I'm just missing something from your post, but is the second o-ring just installed stacked next to the other one where it's supposed to be?

On 5/16/2023 at 3:16 PM, SubOperator said:

No today but on Saturday. The morning looked like this:

 

and then like this:

 

 

Got eh front SS brake lines installed fairly quickly and painlessly:

 

 

Then went to shocks. Got the two bolts out and they were in no shape to be put back in with the new shocks.It's been only 13 years since I put them back in, Subaru quality is not good (/sarcasm).

While trying to put the left assembly back on temporarily with old bolts, pulled the CV axle out of the inner joint, and it would not go back no matter what we did. it is Mike HAMMERDOWN's old CV axle and it was already a reman from NAPA at that. Was loose when I got Mike's car and I only put it in "for now" while I was going to reboot my original CV axle. I think that should have been 5-6 years ago.

Ordered new strut bolts for front and rear, new boots (inner/outer) for my CV axle. Rocking Tribeca and my son's 2012 Crosstrek in the meantime.

 

 

Man, thought I was going crazy cuz your car looks basically identical to mine! How ya liking the Bilsteins? My Konis have had some issues and I'm not sure I wanna replace the one that's squeaking after already having replaced another one under warranty 

1 hour ago, rhino6303 said:

I can attest to this as well. Much quieter than the 5MT. I think the direct linkage is the buggest culprit. I actually like the cable linkage more. With a short shifter kit it is a much more solid feel than my 5MT ever was (5MT had upgraded shifter everything too). 

Darnit. This makes me want to pull my engine for the quick rebuild and get it back on the road!

2 hours ago, Infosecdad said:

Sound-wise it's nothing like the 5MT, I was really surprised when I first drove it. So much noise that I was used to was apparently tranny noise, and the vast majority was gone.  I can't promise that'll be the same for everyone, but that's what I'm experiencing. I have Group N bushings all over and the beatrush solid bushings on the driveshaft and drivetrain noises are still notably quieter than with the stock 5MT. 

Is takeoff from a stop and the drivetrain jerk in stop-and-go traffic still an issue with the split case? I recall it happening a smidge less in STIs I've driven, but never totally gone. I believe the two-piece driveshaft is the culprit but I'm uncertain.

1 hour ago, Infosecdad said:

I was probably one of the threads you found for the cable-shifted split-case 6mt that the 2010-2012 LGT and 2015+ WRX use now. It was based on the 6mt Subaru built for the diesel in EU. Honestly, installation of the WRX version is simple as replacing a 5mt.  Almost everything is the same for the WRX variant (not the case for the LGT version, but that's a different story).  Mounts, clutch, plugs, driveshaft, etc.  The only modification you need is to slightly widen the opening for the cable shifter, and drill a couple of holes.  A shorter shift boot is nice, I modified my 5sp boot to fit. 

Two major benefits of the split-case 6mt.

1. Lower RPMs = better gas mileage and less noise

2. The cable shifter is much quieter than the direct linkage. 

I had my 5mt with all the bushings to make it tight and smooth and the cable shifter isn't quite there; but it's close enough that the reduced cabin noise and 6th gear/lower RPMs are 100% worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I love that I can take a 2023 6mt transmission and install it in my '05 wagon as a direct swap if I needed to.

Do you notice that the car makes all the same funky transmission noises that the 5MT does on decel and that sort of thing? It's the one thing that makes me apprehensive about the 6MT split case. 

1 hour ago, TMBLKDG said:

Thanks for the info!

 

If you're interested in boxkita's spec B trans,  go for it.   I need to get my car back on the road asap for the least amount of money.  I really don't have any time to be running around gathering parts, etc. Plus,  I have an Exedy stage 1 clutch in the car that only has 15k on it. I'd hate to have to replace that too. 

 

I'm just going to proceed with the WRX swap as that will get me back on the road the soonest without me having to do anything but wave my credit card at the shop. I'd rather do it myself but I just don't have the time or a good place to work on it right now. 

Your shop, unless they've done the VA chassis 6-speed swap before, may prefer the Spec B trans. It's totally fine if you buy it - it's a road trip for me to drive from Forest Grove to Seattle and you are much closer and if ya got the funds then you can have at it. If not, I'll see when Boxkita wants me to stop on by. 

I will say, the VA WRX 6-speed does have good gear spacing as well. When I drove a 2018 WRX awhile back I had to hit 80 MPH to get to 3K RPM on the freeway in 6th. I'm at that at 70 MPH on the 5-speed. If that is the avenue you go and you're not concerned about launching the car or making tons of power then it's absolutely fine.

Ah shucks, it's May already huh? I was supposed to message ya about the Spec B trans.

If someone else gets to it first then fair game. What do you want for it?

10 hours ago, TMBLKDG said:

I'm out near Woodinville.  The Spec b trans interests me as it's my understanding I don't need to change anything else (axles, hubs, etc.) to install it.  Is that correct? What about the clutch?

only thing is, if it needs a rebuild it could end up being more expensive than the WRX trans.  But, it is stronger.... Hmmm...

You use the clutch for a Spec B/STi 6-speed. Pretty straightforward swap but you don't get the DCCD and the front diff is open rather than limited slip. You also have much taller freeway gearing for both 5th and 6th gear than an STi trans.

Has a vacuum leak been ruled out?

5 minutes ago, 05LGT25 said:

As far as the injectors, even if I removed them, would I be able to find a part number on them to know for sure what size they are? I agree with you in regards to the HP. I did about every mod under the sun on my last Subaru including a larger turbo (not a rotated turbo setup) and this car puts me back in the seat way more. I was quite surprised when I test drove it because I expected less. If this car was modded safely and properly and I just have a couple of driveability bugs to work out, then I'm thrilled to have it. 

If I end up taking this into a tuner, would the shop have that Tactrix cord? Or would I buy the tune kit and take it in with me? I'm new to the tune stuff. My last one used EcuTune and the shop did everything for me (this was 15 years ago or so).

Here's the cord that was in the car (draped around the steering column under the dash trim) :

For the part number? Hard to say. I believe Cobb maps show notes from the tuner in them so maybe the tuner would have noted the injector size - not sure about open source. You either have 740 or 850cc sidefeed injectors - I refuse to believe you're running the bone stock injectors to power levels that high as you'd be at like 150% IDC. 850cc is really pushing it for drivability and flow control for sidefeeds and you may just never have a smooth car. Most people skip the upgraded sidefeeds for a whole topfeed conversion. It's kind of odd that the prior owner went through the hassle of upgrading to an STI fitment turbo and left the fuel system mostly alone.

Nowadays it's much harder to do topfeed conversions with these cars due to the Cobb Green Speed changes because of EPA pressure - so no TGV deletes are allowed (which are basically a requirement to do a proper topfeed conversion on these cars), no emissions check engine lights can be deleted, CARB-friendly catalytic converters only, etc on Cobb tunes after April 2022. Opensource tunes are the way to go nowadays for these cars since they're still old enough that some tuners will open source tune them - ya just have to find one who will do it. If your car was married to an Accessport it may not be easy-peasy to just switch to an open source tune - some others might be able to speak there. I went reverse of that and now my car is stuck with the tune I got back just before the Green Speed changes went through.

If you take a to a tuner... well good luck. Yes, many will have a Tactrix cable and can read the tune info but many will not be able to re-tune the car as many shops are beholden to Cobb and Accessport tuning. My shop here in Portland, Surgeline, exclusively tunes cars on the Accessport and have nearly no tuning clientele now. And yes, that cord is for an Accessport. 

As others have said, those look like factory injectors, however it's not uncommon to find Deatschwerks injectors that are modified in the OE injector housing. There is a snowball's chance in hell that you're making that much power on stock injectors (most aren't getting more than 300 WHP on the most optimistic of dynos). More likely, you have these: https://deatschwerks.com/products/02j-00-0740-4

Your turbo is an STI location turbo. This car has very much been messed with as that's an overhaul on these. 

As Infosecdad mentioned, if your car is open source tuned then those with the chops can take a look at the map on the car and see what all is messed with. A Tactrix cable is what you want. Can you take a picture of the cable you mentioned you have that you assume is for an Accessport?

It sounds like this is your first car and you want to make it louder for the sake of being louder. For the betterment of your resale value (and your hearing), just leave this car stock and do basic maintenance on it. 

Still on sidefeed injectors? They might need replacing.

On 5/1/2023 at 2:06 PM, kaitanium said:

Matt??

He better hurry. Got an interested party coming this Saturday.

Yessir, Matt visited me in August last year and seemed to miss having a turbo Subaru in his life. I hope if he does actually act on it the Outback wouldn't suffer the same fate his last one did - death by deer...

Saw this on Instagram. Good luck with your sale! My friend in Denver seemed pretty serious about buying it

1 hour ago, Febreze Mee said:

I went for a drive, in between studying, with a friend this weekend. Grabbed a couple shots while over Mayfield Lake.

 

Ugh, a Cayman GT4. I want a Porsche so badly with every passing day. Not helping me with the road trip drives and good shots! You stayed behind him so you could hear it, right?

Pardon my silly Instagram caption, but the car got cleaned on the first sunny, nice day I've had off for an eternity and it looks great! I can see all the door dings so clearly now!