2005 GT Limited. I need help!

[Serb Legacy GT]

OP, BarManBean is giving you some sound advice and if I were you I would take the time to research on here. Building Lightnings and Z-28's is far different than the EJ255/257 in your Legacy GT. DO NOT neglect ANY maintenance on this motor. The issues are well documented, including in one of my threads which you can see with pictures of what happens when you don't take care of the car (just search my thread history). Especially when modding it. Also, this is not a car to mod and beat on without proper care, and I would highly suggest not running it hard until it's properly warmed up. Get an oil pressure, afr, and boost gauge and allow oil to be properly warmed up before running it hard. It can be a reliable car, but you need to treat it right. You can run it hard, but you don't want to abuse it.

 

As for upgrades, I have a BNR 16g and am very happy with the car. The power is awesome for a daily driver, I made 300 whp and 307 wtq on a dynojet. It just flies and hits boost very fast. It throws you back in the seat and is a blast to drive. I upgraded the intercooler, found a slightly used STi up pipe for $60, bought a catted CNT down pipe, and did exhaust (found a Stromung on here). People say you can run it on stock injectors, but honestly, get some 740cc injectors. Stock injector duty cycle is going to be into the 90%+ range, and with you having 135k+ miles on the car, you're better off just getting new injectors and upgrading them to 740cc's. Get a DW65c fuel pump too.

 

I don't know what area of the country you're in, but be very careful about who tunes your car. Subarus are not the easiest for aftermarket tunes and you want to go to someone who knows what they are doing. Otherwise you will end up with a car that has knock and will pop a ringland on you. Every tuner will claim it's no problem, but few will get it right. There are options from a couple of vendors on here, choose your tune wisely if you want reliability.

 

Most importantly, fix any and all outstanding issues with your car. Throwing a 16g on there and putting out roughly 300 whp will expose any issues you're trying to 'push out further'. Change your oil every 3k miles, I do mine at 2500 miles (Rotella T6 5w40 in my car). Oil is cheap ($21 for a gallon jug at Walmart and $6 for a Subaru filter), so why push it. Check your oil every fuel fill up, they can burn oil. These cars have bit plenty of people in the wallet by doing long oil change intervals.

[hobo2701]

glad im not a new member but i do understand the frustration with dealing with new members but if i read correctly he said " The dealers price on a replacement is $971. I would like to spend a little more and get more power." he wasnt trying to be cheaper but spend more so everyone shuld play nice some ppl are sensitive and obviously OP you should be doing research there are tons of build threads and information out there and will proly end up saving u the frustrations of dealing with ppl giving u a hard time. but if u only want 50-80hp i would first see if e85 is available as that opens more options but basically there is more than one way to skin a cat and its mostly gonna be based on your wallet and skills in a garage. GL with your new addiction

[iNVAR]

Problem is he's not going to just spend a little more. He needs to replace his turbo already, and he needs to do his timing belt. Those are two items he HAS to do. So at the very bare minimum, he's looking at $1300+. THEN he needs to either buy an Accessport ($450+) OR he needs to get a Tactrix cable ($150+) and connect it to his laptop (IF he has one.... If not, then he needs to buy that too) AND he needs to pay for a tune (if using the Tactrix cable) so another $150-200 for e-tune.

 

And that's just Stage 1, which isn't going to yield him 50-80 WHP more.

 

He said 50-80WHP which is why I spoke about Stage 2 and what's required... but really, that's clearly way over his budget.

[kzr750r1]

Willing to do all the elbow grease it's going to run in the hood of the following. There’s way more than this if you start replacing hoses and bushings ect ect...

Budget HW numbers ish +/-

1000 turbo

250 up pipe

500 down pipe

200 oil line filter kit

150 materials

300 belt kit

200 Oil pump

150 Oil Cooler

600 labor

Not to mention choice of how to tune.

Edit: sorry and yeah I forgot you need all new HW supporting or behind the belt if none of these items have been replaced.

Water pump given

Oil pump given based on potential turbo damage sending crap into the motor.

Yeah it can go down like this...tough pill sometimes.

[Serb Legacy GT]

glad im not a new member but i do understand the frustration with dealing with new members but if i read correctly he said " The dealers price on a replacement is $971. I would like to spend a little more and get more power." he wasnt trying to be cheaper but spend more so everyone shuld play nice some ppl are sensitive and obviously OP you should be doing research there are tons of build threads and information out there and will proly end up saving u the frustrations of dealing with ppl giving u a hard time. but if u only want 50-80hp i would first see if e85 is available as that opens more options but basically there is more than one way to skin a cat and its mostly gonna be based on your wallet and skills in a garage. GL with your new addiction

 

It would really help if you used some sort of sentence structure. It doesn't have to be perfect, but at least make an effort because your post is difficult to read. That aside, nobody said he was being cheap. OP himself admitted to stretching certain maintenance items that should have been done. We can all agree that doing that is foolish, and if you are going to spend money for power upgrades you should first square your car away. He can get a VF40 stock turbo from the dealer and then look at stage 2, or get a bnr 16g. Either way, he will need tuning, up pipe, and down pipe at the minimum.

 

Stick with the stock turbo and you'll be in the $900-$1,000 range plus labor for a up, dp, and accessport for stage 2. That's on top of a new turbo, timing belt, and whatever other maintenance items are needed. You can get a bnr 16g for about the same price as a VF40, but OP will need a tune (e-tune or dyno tune) along with an up and dp. I would recommend 740cc injectors, a new pump, and possibly a new tmic (bulletproof the stock at minimum) and that could run him $3,000 plus labor on top of whatever mainenance he needs.

 

OP, the car is a blast with the 16g. It will cost you more and require a few more things so if you want to minimize costs I would imagine going with the stock VF40 and stage 2 would also be very fun. About 85% of the fun.

[Markbo]

The timing belt was delayed due to medical issues. If you guys choose to nail me for not doing routine maintenance because I am cheap you are missing the point entirely, just like I NEVER said I was trying to cheaper on the dealer price. The timing belt was done yesterday while I get my facts and parts together on the turbo.

 

Thank you to everyone who provided valuable and appreciated information. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

[kzr750r1]

Been happy with the BNR 16G so far still working on my tune with Cryo. Good luck with the restore on your car.

BTW one item I forgot and would be good to swap out is the OCVS solinoids. 1000% worth it to ensure the ACVS are working and not fighting you.

 

I'm pretty much listing stuff I just finished with so I feel the wallet pain but the car has been transformed in the process.

[thatericguy]

Markbo, which place did you decide to get work done at? Just saw this thread and I'm in the Houston area. My experience is a bit limited with Subaru tuners/shops, but I've worked with Engine Logics near SW Houston, and Brad has done quite a few Subarus in the area. If you are still on the fence, let him know Eric sent you..best of luck!

[iNVAR]

just like I NEVER said I was trying to cheaper on the dealer price.

 

What I need to know is, what else should I do while I'm at it and can anyone recommend a turbo upgrade that is affordable? The dealers price on a replacement is $971. I would like to spend a little more and get more power. 50-80HP would be fine... I am not building it up to hot rod, just to get a little more power if I can.

You are not going to be spending a little more for 50-80WHP more. You will be spending 2x as much EASILY. Unless you decide to go the much much cheaper method of properly gutting your DP and UP (or get a used STi UP), and Bulletproofing your TMIC. Then you still need a way to tune the car (I broke that down for you earlier, including cots.)

 

You could get a larger turbo too instead of the same VF40, but what would be the point with a bottleneck in the DP, even if you gutted the DP? A gutted DP is still not the same as a full 3" with bellmouth. You will have boost control issues and still experience significant backpressure. If you get a larger turbo, the right way to do things is to get a high flow catted DP or a catless DP.

[Markbo]

Done. New Up and STI 3" Down found/ordered. Found an adapter and local Subaru dealership will be supplying both Oil Control Valves, oil return line & coolant hoses. I am also going to go ahead and replace the turbo inlet elbow with a new silicone unit.

 

The only thing I have not gotten that I am aware of is a new oil supply line. Infamous Performance is back ordered for over a month. I will just have to keep shopping for that. Have a local tuner that the Subaru guys recommend. Found some Subaru hot rodders working at a local Subaru Dealership. Go figure.

[iNVAR]

Err, I hope you misspoke about the DP being STi. You need one that is LGT fitment, and for the right type of transmission (auto vs stick). What turbo are you going with? Stock VF40 or something larger? What tuning options are you looking at?

[BarManBean]

If the LGT is a 5mt and the DP is for an 08+ STi/WRX, fitment will be the same. If 5EAT, then not so much.

[iNVAR]

I stand corrected then!

[hobo2701]

Problem is he's not going to just spend a little more. He needs to replace his turbo already, and he needs to do his timing belt. Those are two items he HAS to do. So at the very bare minimum, he's looking at $1300+. THEN he needs to either buy an Accessport ($450+) OR he needs to get a Tactrix cable ($150+) and connect it to his laptop (IF he has one.... If not, then he needs to buy that too) AND he needs to pay for a tune (if using the Tactrix cable) so another $150-200 for e-tune.

 

And that's just Stage 1, which isn't going to yield him 50-80 WHP more.

 

He said 50-80WHP which is why I spoke about Stage 2 and what's required... but really, that's clearly way over his budget.

 

he saaid "hp"

[iNVAR]

he saaid "hp"

I saw that but decided to assume he meant WHP since....you know, there's no way to actually measure crank HP.

[hobo2701]

I saw that but decided to assume he meant WHP since....you know, there's no way to actually measure crank HP.

 

no doubt on that but i think everyones been a little hard on him sure he should have done more research but he said he was in a hurry an needed sound advice and i was told as a kid if u have nothing nice to say then say nothing at all so i think that should be a moto for everyone. if u dont have some positive information to giv e the man then move on to another thread. no reason for bashing a new member as we were all there at one point and inst the point of forum is to help not ridicule others.

[iNVAR]

I wouldn't say hard. His original post and subsequent reaction to BMB sort of demanded it. I think he's gotten plenty of useful advice here, despite the criticisms, even from me. In fact, BMB's first post was VERY useful and had very sound advice.

 

I think what people (like the OP) forget is that we don't know the posters, so we can only dole out advice based on the OPs' post. The impression the OP's first post gave off is that he neglects his car, and he's cheap, or wants to do things cheaply. So of course the advice is going to be given with that in mind.

 

On the flipside, someone like you or he might argue that because we don't know a person, we shouldn't read into his post and try to figure out what type of person he is... And instead, just give straight answers.

 

And you both would be right, except that 1) We do this for free. This is a forum, not a paid help service. The help people provide here is done voluntarily out of kindness. 2) We're humans. If people just want straight answers to their questions without any of the guff that may go with it, they should learn how to use Google to more effectively search, or pay someone for the answers.

 

OP went from want to pay a little more over the $971, to paying a LOT more for stuff so in fairness, we were misled by his post.

 

Anyway, very glad to see OP is (hopefully) on the right track and is doing things properly.

[BarManBean]

I don't understand exactly what I *should've* done. I replied to the original post in 7 minutes, answered all questions asked, gave additional info on checking for possible short block issues as a result of the blown turbo, and gave a recommendation based on the maintenance information provided.

 

The situation / information has now changed a bit and folks should move on from the first page of this thread. Just carry on. Ugh.

 

Merry Christmas, fcukers.

[thefultonhow]

Merry Christmas, fcukers.

 

[firehawk618]

I must say, OP surely didn't follow proper forum "etiquette".

 

Word of advice OP. When you're new on a forum read the response, then look at the length of time the responder has been registered and also look at their post count.

 

After that make your decision to take or leave their advice but DO NOT write a post dismissing them or discounting what they're telling you. If you don't agree then the best thing is DON'T post a response. Give it more time, others will post. Put it all together then decide what you want to do.

 

That said, EVERY person who responded with advice to your car is right on the money.

 

Also, it's best if you don't broadcast that you've grossly neglected a critical maintenance point. Why broadcast it if you already know it's a huge no no?

[Markbo]

Lesson learned. Other forums I belong to and am one of you guys, i.e. bazillion posts and years of experience, are not as tough as some of the guys here. I've apologized, I've clarified and I've given thanks and am still catching Shiite. BUT... I have gotten some great advice and have all parts lined up except the correct downpipe (thanks for that INVAR - mine is an automatic) and the upgraded oil supply. Still looking.

[zenfamily]

So what turbo did you go with? If it's any of the VF series, you should be fine without the Infamous performance oil line.

 

BTW, we have some blunt people, but they do mean well.

[iNVAR]

FWIW, I don't have an upgraded oil supply line and am running the stock VF40 fine at stage 2 levels and have been for 30K miles. I'm tempted to say that most people at my modification level don't have upgraded supply lines. What turbo option have you decided on? And what about tuning? (OS vs AP)

[Markbo]

BNR 16G. He requires the upgraded oil line (which, again - is NOT available from IP - it is back ordered since Mid November) for the 1 year warranty to be valid. As far as tuning, there is one company locally named Engine Logics that has been recommended by several Subaru hot rodders. I have no idea if it is OS or AP, nor do I know what those stand for.

 

I have found the up pipe (and some heat wrap) so if I can just get my hands on the correct down pipe all the parts except the oil line will be ordered.

[iNVAR]

Yeah, if you're getting the BNR, you have to get the line.

 

You need to find out what that tuner's options are. COBB AP = AccessPort. OS = Open Source.

 

If it is an AP, you have to purchase that, which is another $500 or so. If it's OS, if you have no desire to do logging, then you can just have the tuner tune it and flash the map.

 

I recommend ANYONE that has a modified car have the ability to LOG their car... The AP will log. If you are doing OS, you will need a Tactrix cable for about $150, or the hard to find VAGCOM cable based on FT232BL chipset (very rare now, and sellers lie/misadvertise about the chipset too.)

 

It's important both to the performance AND health of the car to learn how to log and interpret them somewhat.