CovertRussian's 05 LGT Build Thread

[boxman]

I don't think that they're meant to be water tight....

[covertrussian]

Ha agreed, but mine seems to have a little more rust then I've seen another LGT with more miles. Not too happy with it dripping right on injectors pretty much.

[boxman]

Coastal salt air? Lack of the normal fine covering of oil? Bad luck?

 

I've always looked at the scoop and wondered what kind long term issues I'd get with sucking in rain and road mist for 9 months of the year...but you're right, I don't have as much rust as yours shows. Did/does it sit for long periods of time between being used?

[covertrussian]

I got the car in November, and have been driving it very often (my other 4 cars got neglected majorly ha). We don't have too much salt/snow where I live, but from what I go the car spent some time in IL. To the point where I got the recall notice in the mail about the brake lines even though VA is not on the list.

 

I might sprinkle some oil though to help prevent future rust

[BoostedSubie]

I get a slight ammount of water in the same areas you are. I was concerned at first but it really doesnt seem to be hurting anything. Chalk it up to subie engineering haha

[covertrussian]

Roger that, sadly adding another thing to the Common Issues in the first post. I love this car but compared to my 04 Forester XT, I feel like Subaru really forgot about quality in a lot of parts.

[Merc6]

Any of you have issues with leaking hood scoop? Every time it rains I find water in two main spots of the engine. Not sure if hoodscoop needs resealing or what

 

Reason I ditched my AEM and ran the Blitx modded airbox. if it rained hard enough or I went into a car wash, water leaked down those diamonds and soaked the filter causing maf voltage cels till it dried out. Someone said search a thread where a flower pot was modified but I couldn't find it.

 

Roger that, sadly adding another thing to the Common Issues in the first post. I love this car but compared to my 04 Forester XT, I feel like Subaru really forgot about quality in a lot of parts.

 

yep, I was disappointed when i went to swap the cabin filter in 09 to find out there wasn't one in there for the 1st 50K miles of the cars life between the 2 owners.

Edited August 19, 2014 by Merc6

[covertrussian]

That's sad and bad at the same time. These cars are just a pain . Yesterday I went to remove the grill and another bolt broke, after an hour of drilling it out, replacement bolt broke too . It's like Subaru learned from the Germans to use the thinnest/weakest bolts.

 

Does your 09 at least make it easy to replace it? I have to take half of the dash apart on an 05 .

[Max Capacity]

I wouldn't worry about the missing cabin air filter. Think of how we all made it this far in life without one.

 

Gee, back in the mid 1950's my parents cars never had one...I was born in 1954.

 

All that thing does is block air flow. Hey, how's that thing work when you have the windows open ?

 

Oh your one of those people that leave the HVAC in Auto and drive's with the window's rolled up all the time. I laugh at the idiots that I see water from the AC drain under there cars in the parking lot here at work when its 50F this AM. Like you really need to have the AC running...

[Max Capacity]

That's sad and bad at the same time. These cars are just a pain . Yesterday I went to remove the grill and another bolt broke, after an hour of drilling it out, replacement bolt broke too . It's like Subaru learned from the Germans to use the thinnest/weakest bolts.

 

Does your 09 at least make it easy to replace it? I have to take half of the dash apart on an 05 .

 

 

I still have not replaced the filter in my wagon. 10+ years, still blows air.

 

I think the 06's is when the stupid Subaru engineers, (if you can call them that) figured out that was a bad idea and made the panel behind the glove box. There is a retro fit kit for earlier cars.

[covertrussian]

05 is when they started, but they didn't put filters in them until 06 (I remember seeing a bragging poster at the dealership).

 

I'm not against cabin filters, I have severe spring allergies, usually will resort to inside air (even not ACed) just so that I don't sneeze my brains out all day.

[FJuan]

My '05 had the tray, but no filter. Easy fix for me, just placed a filter in there.

[kzr750r1]

Curious if I have a filter... Never bothered to look.

[silen7guardian]

I laugh at the idiots that I see water from the AC drain under there cars in the parking lot here at work when its 50F this AM. Like you really need to have the AC running...

 

Doesn't the AC dry the air, too? It's not always about the temperature, right?

[Max Capacity]

Correct. You can have the AC running putting out 75F dry air. That why the AC will cycle when the defroster is on.

 

It hasn't rained here in 4 day's.

[covertrussian]

Where I live it barely rains once a week, but humidity will stay at 90% at those times. Like yesterday as I was replacing my AC condensor, ~75*F but I was sweating/complaining due to the humidity, and sadly couldn't efficiently vacuum out the system/refill it due to the low temperatures.

[Merc6]

Doesn't the AC dry the air, too? It's not always about the temperature, right?

 

Correct. You can have the AC running putting out 75F dry air. That why the AC will cycle when the defroster is on.

 

It hasn't rained here in 4 day's.

 

 

Yep, A/C is the conditioning of air. Once you get to about 40*F the compressor in most cars is disabled and you are using outside air for a/c purposes. Home A/C and other equipment cuts the compressor somewhere in the 50*F range. In this case it's chemically removing moisture/humidity out of the air with refrigerant. Defrost uses A/C to remove moisture out of the air that is fogging up the windows. Most people don't know it's on when they run defrost their entire trip and complain why the MPG took a hit. In older cars the A/C button would light up letting you know it's on with defrost but after about 97 or so it's a hidden feature. My Cruze will show the defrost icon on the touchscreen but at the same time show A/C off when it's really on. If you are driving in like 89*F weather and somehow thought defrost is somehow colder than regular bi lever air, that is why. I had people tell me they found a real life hack to get A/C without turning it on not knowing the it's already on. Luckily my DD has variable A/C compressor so it steals less MPG when it's on lowest setting.

[covertrussian]

I accidentally punctured the stock condenser while drilling out the broken hood stick holder. Since Subaru decided to weld the dryer to the condenser, a used condenser is out of the question (dryer needs to be replaced every time the system is opened because moisture gets in).

 

I went with an aftermarket one since TYC stuff is generally very good. I picked up TYC 3314 for $50 shipped on eBay (usually they are around $100)..

 

Need to pull the grill to get to the condenser mounts.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1214.jpg~original

 

The bigger hose is a pain to get to with it in place, raised it up for easier access

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1217.jpg~original

 

Here's my carnage

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1218.jpg~original

 

TYC vs stock one

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1219.jpg~original

 

TYC one has bolt on legs while stock one are cast

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1221.jpg~original

 

Stock one on top, TYC one is almost better quality then stock.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1222.jpg~original

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1223.jpg~original

 

It's a good idea to replace the oring's while your in there

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1225.jpg~original

 

I removed the old condenser without removing the radiator or fans, this doesn't give you much room, so gotta be careful when installing the new core.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1226.jpg~original

 

Bolting the bigger hose while it's out.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1227.jpg~original

 

The little line can only be bolted up while it's in place (aluminum line that doesn't have any flexible sections).

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1230.jpg~original

 

TYC is nice to provide new brackets, mine were rusty so this is welcome

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1233.jpg~original

 

Finished with the install, now you need to vacuum the system.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1234.jpg~original

 

 

Since you had to have the condenser open for a few seconds moisture and air got in, thus you want to vacuum the system out as soon as possible before the dryer absorbs the moisture. This is where you either have to take it to a shop or spend the money on the right tools.

 

You need a AC manifold that lets you open the low and high pressure sides and a vacuum pump. They are about $100 each depends on how high quality you want to go, for me it's long paid for itself.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1238.jpg~original

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1241.jpg~original

 

Hook up the high and low pressure hoses

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1239.jpg~original

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1240.jpg~original

 

Vacuum out the system to -29 inHg for at least 30 minutes. Since it was a cooler (70*f) night I vacuumed it out for couple hours. At such high vacuum water boils at room temperature, and the vacuum pump sucks the vapor out. You can actually see the vapor coming from the vacuum pump for the first few minutes.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1243.jpg~original

 

Then all you have to do is refill the system with refrigerant and oil. Here is a little approx pressures you should have based on ambient temperatures. My best suggestion is, fill on a hot day (90*F or hotter), use a vent temp gauge, and use the least amount of PSI on high side to get you to your desired temp. The higher the pressure the harder your compressor works = more drag on crank. Usually most R134 cars don't get below 50*F vent temps, once you hit that temp don't try to add more refrigerant thinking it will get colder. Always go by the oz amount found on a sticker in the bay, don't add more then maximum oz.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Exterior/General/AC%20Condenser/CIMG1245.jpg~original

 

Enjoy your ice cold AC!

Edited January 22, 2018 by covertrussian

[Markbo]

Covert I am certainly no A/C guy... what did that sticker come off of? Do those numbers apply to all vehicles or Subaru only? Reason I ask is every time I asked out A/C guy at the last shop I worked what was the ideal pressure in whatever car he was working on, his response was always "It depends". According to your graph here it is cut and dry.

[covertrussian]

That game with my AC manifold set, your AC guy is correct though. The proper answer is "it depends". I used to rely on pressures only and I've overfilled systems (to where overpressure valve would engage). I honestly try to go by OZ, but since my cans are 12oz each, it's really hard to properly measure after the first can haha.

 

My best suggestion is, fill on a hot day (90*F or hotter), use a vent temp gauge, and use the least amount of PSI on high side to get you to your desired temp. The higher the pressure the harder your compressor works = more drag on crank. I personally like R12 for that reason or Propane, propane runs at low pressures like R12 ,but it's Not legal in a lot of states since it's flammable.

[covertrussian]

Update on the inlet, I wanted to patch it up temporarily, since I do have a silicon inlet that I will use eventually.

 

Looked like a small rip at first

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Engine/Intake/Stock%20Inlet/CIMG1261.jpg~original

 

But then saw that it's ripped a good 1", but it's hard to see in this image

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Engine/Intake/Stock%20Inlet/CIMG1264.jpg~original

 

Did my best, had to rotate the clamp

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Engine/Intake/Stock%20Inlet/CIMG1269.jpg~original

 

Added some window weld to help it stay closed ha.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Engine/Intake/Stock%20Inlet/CIMG1270.jpg~original

 

Like I said this is just a temp fix, I wanted to see if I can lower the learning A. I will be replacing it as a whole soon, just not ready yet (I try not to change too many variables between highway MPG tests).

 

Anyway here is a learning view from 130 mile trip. Looks like I screwed up installing the TB gasket because I definitely felt tq loss and much slower boost buildup after doing the TB gasket, maybe I left a hose unplugged? I still got 28.6mpg, even with learning A indicating an airleak.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t188/covertrussian/Cars/05%20LGT/Engine/General/Throttle%20Body/0821_130mHwayv245.jpg~original

[kzr750r1]

It's just a shame they use that garbage material... Just add a little dripped coolant and heat and it turns to mush pretty quick.

[Silinc3r]

This thread has so much win. Happy I found it!

[Rhitter]

Thank you so much for taking such detailed pictures / writing instructions. It's super helpful.

 

Edit:

 

How do you gain access to the Turbo inlet? Whenever my intercooler is removed the Turbo inlet still just seems super buried. What direction are you coming at it from?

 

Sort of afraid what mine will look like - spilled power steering fluid over it last week.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Rhitter

[MrTris]

Thank you so much for taking such detailed pictures / writing instructions. It's super helpful.

 

Edit:

 

How do you gain access to the Turbo inlet? Whenever my intercooler is removed the Turbo inlet still just seems super buried. What direction are you coming at it from?

 

Sort of afraid what mine will look like - spilled power steering fluid over it last week.

 

That funny allen-hex-type gold bolt on the front of your manifold above the PS pump/alt is the first step to taking it off. Then it's under the mani and has about 4 other connections, one of which, is the super long/formed recirc hose.

 

If you're going to do any work on it, you're better off cutting the fuel and taking the whole manifold off (TGVs and all) and replacing the gaskets with the new orange o-rings, as well as a new inlet and any other hoses/stuff you'd like to replace.

 

It looks more daunting than it really is -- just make sure that once you take off the mani, you immediately tape off the intake ports on the heads to avoid any major catastrophes.