TovarishGruzin Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Hello my fellow Subaru owners. This is one of my first posts after years of inactivity. My '05 LGT has been sitting idle in a drive way for 2.5 years. I got it back on the road couple of weeks ago. Obviously first thing I did was drive to the closest shop at 5mph to get an oil change and get four new rotors and brakes as the old ones were rusted to hell and the car felt like I was driving a locomotive on gravel. I also changed a bad o2 sensor and an alternator belt which flew off after a week. Now I probably need a major tune up but not sure what exactly that would entail. Any specific recommendations on what should be changed, inspected, flushed out etc. would be greatly appreciated. One mechanic told me that the timing belt probably dried up and to change it ASAP before it snaps. Car has only 51k miles but given the risks of a timing belt failure I'd rather be safe than sorry. I would like to know if anyone else has had any experience with this situation. As a side note, the mechanic that I used to go to for years has moved on to a different career so I'm stuck w/o an experienced mechanic that I can really trust. Any recommendations around Brooklyn or LI would be much appreciated. Dealerships are a bit too pricey and impersonal for my liking but I'm willing to go out of my way and pay a bit more for a good Subaru specialist. Thank you all in advance!
Merc6 Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Off top of my head 10 year old belt needs to be changed, possibly water pump too since you already there. Banjo bolt filters inspected/removed Turbo inspected for shaft play Not sure of the OCV's but kinda remember them being a 45K item. Bleed brakes if haven't already Possibly flush power steering and get new o ring Gonna also say change trans fluid/s as well. 2005 Satin White Pearl Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Unlimited 5EAT (Project Car) 2019 Agate Black Ford Explorer XLT 4WD (DD)
Max Capacity Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 http://www.AZPinstalls.com Mikes shop is in northern NJ. spark plugs should be all that's needed on the tune up side. make sure the air filter is clean and no mouse stuff in there. X2 for the timing belt. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here
Holla Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Did you park the car by choice or has it been sitting because of a maintenance issue? 2005 LGT 6MT Limited Wagon
TovarishGruzin Posted March 31, 2015 Author Posted March 31, 2015 I got in touch with Mike from AZP and although they are out of the way I'm planning to go to them. They recommend 60k + timing belt service which includes most of the items you guys mentioned here. Not sure what OCV stands for but it's not mentioned on their site. Only thing that worries me is that Mike mentioned they use Gates timing belt kit. I'm wary of putting aftermarket parts which are crucial to the engine especially since I normally push the car to it's limits. Anyone have experience with that kit or think I should get the parts from Subaru.
TovarishGruzin Posted March 31, 2015 Author Posted March 31, 2015 Did you park the car by choice or has it been sitting because of a maintenance issue? I stopped driving because I couldn't afford to pay ridiculous insurance in Brooklyn. I used to drive or at least start it once a week until I got arrested and my battery died.
MrTris Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Gates belts are fine, they're better than OEM quality. You need the TCK328 kit. Can be had for ~$150 on Amazon. Don't get the included water pump; buy an oem water pump and t-stat. As for anything else you might need -- I suggest the new updated intake manifold o-rings, which are orange. EDIT, look at the bottom of the intake manifold -- see the orange tab hanging out? If yours is black (original), it needs to be replaced with the orange ones. Set of four is about ~$10 from the dealership/online. See my Shopping List for a PN.
Holla Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Some other things to consider are to replace the up-pipe with an oem non-catted version. Also, check or remove the filters in the banjo bolts on the turbo. You may want to consider getting off the factory tune as well. 2005 LGT 6MT Limited Wagon
TovarishGruzin Posted March 31, 2015 Author Posted March 31, 2015 I can't afford any upgrades until I get the car running smoothly unless I'm upgrading broken parts. On top of my wish list are aux audio jack, suspension and a louder exhaust. Thanks for all the replies. I'll look into the water pump and rings.
MrTris Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 I can't afford any upgrades until I get the car running smoothly unless I'm upgrading broken parts. On top of my wish list are aux audio jack, suspension and a louder exhaust. Thanks for all the replies. I'll look into the water pump and rings. You should focus on maintenance before you spend $350 for the JDM Double-DIN kit, plus whatever you're gonna pay for a nice screen to shove in there, or how loud your exhaust is. (What are you, like, 19? C'mon, man!)
Enlight Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 I can't afford any upgrades until I get the car running smoothly unless I'm upgrading broken parts. On top of my wish list are aux audio jack, suspension and a louder exhaust. Thanks for all the replies. I'll look into the water pump and rings. The uppipe's cat is known to get loose and tango with your turbo and skeet into your engine. It's more a preventative measure that has a happy performance upside. muFreight.co A JDM Container Sharing Service from Japan to NYC Website | Instagram | Email Bessie II's Thread
TovarishGruzin Posted March 31, 2015 Author Posted March 31, 2015 You should focus on maintenance before you spend $350 for the JDM Double-DIN kit, plus whatever you're gonna pay for a nice screen to shove in there, or how loud your exhaust is. (What are you, like, 19? C'mon, man!) Haha not what I meant at all lol. I want a louder exhaust so I can hear and feel the engine better when the music is playing.
Holla Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 The items that I mentioned are more preventive maintenance than they are upgrades. Check out the reliability thread. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/reliability-modifications-178342.html 2005 LGT 6MT Limited Wagon
SubyFirstTimer Posted April 1, 2015 Posted April 1, 2015 That is a long time for a car to sit idle. I am new to Subarus, so my comments are general to all cars. I would personally replace all the fluids in the car, but that is your call. Anything rubber will tend to dry rot sitting around like that (i.e. O-rings, seals, etc.), which would explain you throwing the alternator belt. Hopefully you had the battery disconnected, otherwise I would recommend replacing the battery cables. On a side note, if your car has A/C you may likely find yourself having to replace all the seals in it before you bother having it charged.
TovarishGruzin Posted April 1, 2015 Author Posted April 1, 2015 That is a long time for a car to sit idle. I am new to Subarus, so my comments are general to all cars. I would personally replace all the fluids in the car, but that is your call. Anything rubber will tend to dry rot sitting around like that (i.e. O-rings, seals, etc.), which would explain you throwing the alternator belt. Hopefully you had the battery disconnected, otherwise I would recommend replacing the battery cables. On a side note, if your car has A/C you may likely find yourself having to replace all the seals in it before you bother having it charged. I didn't disconnect the battery but seems fine for now. A/C belt was actually in my trunk all bent and twisted. Don't remember how it got there. Mechanic told me that I need a new compressor but I'm not too worried for now as I almost never use the AC. Right now my priority is to make sure the car doesn't fall apart as it's my only ride to work (60m / day).
MrTris Posted April 1, 2015 Posted April 1, 2015 I didn't disconnect the battery but seems fine for now. A/C belt was actually in my trunk all bent and twisted. Don't remember how it got there. Mechanic told me that I need a new compressor but I'm not too worried for now as I almost never use the AC. Right now my priority is to make sure the car doesn't fall apart as it's my only ride to work (60m / day). At 60/mi a day, your second priority should be ensuring that your only ride to work is in top shape -- Take care to make a list of the things we told you to do, unless getting stranded on the side of the road, 36miles from either destination is something you'd like to be. Oh, and then you get to pay about $7k to get the car running again.
TovarishGruzin Posted April 2, 2015 Author Posted April 2, 2015 At 60/mi a day, your second priority should be ensuring that your only ride to work is in top shape -- Take care to make a list of the things we told you to do, unless getting stranded on the side of the road, 36miles from either destination is something you'd like to be. Oh, and then you get to pay about $7k to get the car running again. I saw your post on the subject matter, you're one crazy guy. Unfortunately as much as I try I am mechanically retarded. Whenever I try to work on the car myself I end up breaking more stuff than fixing. Most of the suggestions are included in the service. I will mention the rest when I'm there (banjo bolt, banjo bolt, banjo bolt.) I'll look into the up-pipe in the near future, hopefully before it's too late. I'm wondering though isn't removing the catalyst illegal, bad for emissions and will cause the check engine light? I'm afraid we're going to have a lot of bad surprises which will take the priority over it. We'll see what the AZP crew tells me next week. Thank you all for awesome feedback and I'm learning a lot about my LGT from browsing the forums. You guys have built up a great and helpful community.
TovarishGruzin Posted April 2, 2015 Author Posted April 2, 2015 You should focus on maintenance before you spend $350 for the JDM Double-DIN kit, plus whatever you're gonna pay for a nice screen to shove in there, or how loud your exhaust is. (What are you, like, 19? C'mon, man!) Perfect example: Normally I can switch pretty smoothly with my eyes closed but today I had a couple of instances where I jerked while manuevering. I couldn't hear the engine and didn't have the opportunity to look at the tachometer. And I wasn't even playing anything on the stereo, just an open window with very noisy traffic outside. I really hate the electronic throttles...
Merc6 Posted April 2, 2015 Posted April 2, 2015 Cat is after the o2 sensor but before the turbo. Only issue you have is the EGT sensor where a resistor or tune will stop the CEL 2005 Satin White Pearl Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Unlimited 5EAT (Project Car) 2019 Agate Black Ford Explorer XLT 4WD (DD)
TovarishGruzin Posted April 3, 2015 Author Posted April 3, 2015 Ugh... I guess I gotta add a new crank pulley to that list: Any suggestions for a good performance pulley?
boxman Posted April 5, 2015 Posted April 5, 2015 I have the GrimmSpeed LWCP because it's one of the heavier lightweight one's on the market. I don't need it to be light, I need it to be one piece.
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