Aquiniano Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Hey guys! I ended up selling the old Bk9 Wagon (95 LS Wagon) that I had for 3 years, to buy something newer, faster, and more "reliable" so I ended up finding and buying this 06 LGT Wagon in beautiful OBP. The car was from Hawaii, and it's just gorgeous. So I financed it and thought it's time to start being a bit responsible. http://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b452/Anthony_Quiniano/2016-12-05%2016.30.51-3_zpsyqw5ck3h.jpghttp://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b452/Anthony_Quiniano/2016-12-05%2016.30.17_zpsgq6unqx1.jpg I bought it from a dealer in Huntington Beach, CA, and drove it for about ten days (less than 1k miles) , until Christmas Morning, then my world flipped upside down. BTW... never buy a used car without a warranty or as-is. (I'm done F@$!ed) It started on the 73 toll road, as I was going uphill, the car down shifted and we started speeding up, until the CEL light shown bright and started blinking crazy, and then the cabin filled with smoke. I pulled over immediately, and popped the hood to find an oil explosion from the oil dipstick reader tube. Fast forward to yesterday, at the dealers shop, where he wanted to help out, but checked compression to read 0 compression period on the drivers side, which I assume is either Cylinder 1 or 4. I'm pointing to Ringland failure. Unfortunately for a 23 year old, that wanted to start his life out with a nice car, and finally start building his credit, learned the hard way, and now am getting really scary estimates for fixing, and all I can do now is cry myself to sleep. ( I haven't been sleeping well as of late) I can't write any songs right now, I can't concentrate at work anymore, I feel like everything is just falling apart. Not to mention my Christmas day was full of tears and worries. Thought I'd share my woes.... :'( I've only had the car for 10 days!!!! http://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b452/Anthony_Quiniano/2016-12-15%2022.57.42_zpsjwd5kijn.jpghttp://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b452/Anthony_Quiniano/2016-12-15%2022.55.37_zpsi6fkijru.jpghttp://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b452/Anthony_Quiniano/2016-12-15%2022.54.12_zpslutohnmj.jpghttp://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b452/Anthony_Quiniano/1_zpsdbfvjdji.jpghttp://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b452/Anthony_Quiniano/2_zpsdklfm4qg.jpghttp://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b452/Anthony_Quiniano/3_zpse7ic0zhf.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhitter Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 I know this isn't what you want to hear....but, this is unfortunately a really common story for these cars. Subaru built a reputation on reliability, but the 2.5 turbos, just aren't as bullet proof as we would hope. Cylinder 4 went on my car at 120k and cost me $6k to rebuild the engine. Never buy these cars without a compression and leakdown test in advance. Just look at the post below yours about "spec.b nightmare" http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2008-specb-nightmare-258769.html You have a couple of good shops near you (Infamous Performance and tuning- where I got my rebuild done. AQ Motorsports - where Rebourne got his rebuild done), but unfortunately it's about 1/3rd to 2/3rd the value of the car to get it rebuilt. I would keep pushing on the dealer, with it breaking so soon after buying it from them, I feel like they should have known more if they had done their due diligence. Was it a Subaru dealer? My OBXT build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJr Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 I talked to the owner of the car dealer that sold this car when it popped up on car gurus 3 weeks ago, he said he bought it from auction and could not give me any history on it. I was searching for a friend. Thank God he didn't fly from Nocal to Socal to check it out, he would have had it checked out 1st though. Sorry to hear this OP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigs Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 It feels like there is more to this story. If you have a shop nearby that is subaru savvy you could swap in an EJ20X/Y engine for rather cheap as they can be found from importers for under $2000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Rhitter has the info you need, Mike at Infamous is someone your going to want to talk with. See my click here link for the right way to do it. 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhitter Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 It feels like there is more to this story. If you have a shop nearby that is subaru savvy you could swap in an EJ20X/Y engine for rather cheap as they can be found from importers for under $2000. Unsure how easy that is to do in California with our carb requirements for smog. But, I have honestly never looked into it. Don't you need JDM ECU, wiring harness, and engine for it all to work out? My OBXT build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquiniano Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 Hey Everyone, thanks for the response Rhitter, JJr,Gigs, and Max Cap. So, the car was bought at a private dealership? The dealer Mike bought it from Manheim car auctions, in Anaheim. The Car fax couldn't be any cleaner, and everything seemed to check out. The only thing I remember constantly bugging me, was every time I turned the car off, I'd hear gurgling underneath the dash as if there were air pockets in the cooling system. I was getting ready to bring the car in after the holidays to Rally Sport Engineering in Costa Mesa (my go to shop). But it already destroyed itself, I assumed it may have been the turbo at first, because it did seem to be a bit louder the day the engine blew. Then I saw the mass amounts of threads created because of glorious Ringlands. So I stuck with that. Regarding JDM Engines, the only time I've ever seen an X/Y engine used was in that SuperStreet issue with that one guys 1997 Legacy GT, I've looked around, but that seems like a whole wiring nightmare and a legal issue too, not to mention the $$$. Also found this car on CarGurus I hit up the dealer about 10 minutes after he posted it. Told him to hold it. The rest is history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigs Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Unsure how easy that is to do in California with our carb requirements for smog. But, I have honestly never looked into it. Don't you need JDM ECU, wiring harness, and engine for it all to work out? Nope Its essentially like swapping an EJ207 into a Bugeye which I did two years ago but with an added step. You will need to wire in AVCS and OCV lines for the exhaust AVCS then repin them on the JDM ecu which is identical to the usdm ecu except it has wiring going to pins for the exhaust side avcs. Then you will need the jdm ecu married to your immobilizer at a dealership or have someone with the correct skills do it for you. Alternatively people have had their usdm immobilizer chip soldered onto the jdm ecu as well but that requires a special set of skills. When comparing say a 2005 JDM Legacy 2.0GT to a 2005 USDM Legacy GT oem tune the tables are all the same with the addition of exhaust AVCS tables from what I am seeing so far. Obviously the data in the tables is very different as you are comparing two very different engines that essentially run on the same type of ECU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquiniano Posted January 12, 2017 Author Share Posted January 12, 2017 Thanks man, definitely looking down this route, was actually thinking about doing the 207 swap in my old Legacy. I saw this thread too and it gave me hope. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/ej20x-swapi-224284.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquiniano Posted January 12, 2017 Author Share Posted January 12, 2017 Gigs, have any leads on anyone else that has done this swap? We're most likely looking at the EJ20X. This path is the only realistic one I can see myself going down, due to funds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquiniano Posted January 12, 2017 Author Share Posted January 12, 2017 And that's a wrap. I just found this.... & His plates and the comments say it all. This is it! I cannot contain my happiness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquiniano Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 http://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b452/Anthony_Quiniano/1_zps5mhcj7pt.jpg Well the swap is done, and the car runs so smooth, quieter too, and although I haven't pushed it hard yet, it doesn't take much for this car to go fast, actually the turbo spools up so quick, I can hear it engage at about 2,000 rpm's - 2,100 Rpm's and after that it's just full turbo! So fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquiniano Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 http://i1045.photobucket.com/albums/b452/Anthony_Quiniano/2_zps8pdfpwzg.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJr Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 Congrats!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated Too sigmafour Posted February 6, 2017 I Donated Too Share Posted February 6, 2017 Good to see you back up and running so soon! Congratulations and I hope you get to enjoy the car now with no more major drama! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustCallMeNick Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 Man that's a great looking wagon! I takes myself into buying s newer car for reliability too and sold my third gen Legacy which had leaky head gaskets for the second time around. Somehow I ended up down this rabbit hole haha.... mine hasn't blown up yet but after spending so much time on this forum I won't flinch when it does haha. Glad your swap worked out. Come back and visit us soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhitter Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 Did you end up going with the EJ20x swap? My OBXT build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquiniano Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 I did indeed do the EJ20X Swap, plug n play, per say, the USDM ECU doesn't speak Japanese, so I've got about 11 different codes on the CEL. My OBD-II scanner freaked out lol. It's ok though, the engine runs amazing, I'll be taking the car to i-Wire down in Lake Forest to wire up the D-AVCS, and then take the car to a tuner to tune the JDM ECU. I'll be swapping immobilizer chips too. After that, it should be good to go, and the CEL should cease. I talked to a guy here in CA, that had done the same swap on his sedan and used the JDM ECU, he said the car passed fine, it's only a Visual check here. My last car I smogged was a 2001 Ford Escape, and the place I took the car, the dude literally looked at the car, and said "Ok! That'll be 25 bucks!" So I'll be taking this bad boy over there when the time comes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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