Need advice on turbo/head gasket work

[JeremyB123]

Hey guys,

 

My 05 Legacy GT Limited is all stock and is running bad. I've had it a few years and it's always had a really occasional misfire, sometimes on the freeway with a load coming up a hill and sometimes sitting at a stoplight.

 

Lately though the turbo is making some noise and leaking so it needs to be replaced.

 

Head gaskets are leaking and the valves need adjustment--crazy tapping noise.

I should mention I recently (last 400 miles) drained the oil and didn't find any metal particulates.

 

I'm mechanically inclined and will be working on it with a very mechanically inclined friend. We're hoping to pull the engine, remove heads, have the heads checked and valves adjusted. I'll need to figure out something with the turbo as well. I'm not looking to spend a lot of money on mods and such--wouldn't hate it if I ended up with some more HP . I've read a million threads and spent countless hours researching and mining for info. I also noticed that there isn't a lot in the last 5 years so it seems some suppliers aren't around anymore.

 

So my questions for those who have gone before me:

 

1. What should I expect during this? What am I missing?

I'm planning to order this headgasket kit:

 

 

2. Turbo thoughts? Pavel (http://pretuning.com/services/) can rebuild my turbo for $300-$600 depending on the extent of the damage.

Whereas I can get the EVO 16g turbo (http://bnrsupercars.com/) for $765 but it requires a tune at $150. I selfishly want the 16g because of the added power I'll get but am weighing the cost vs. power. Anyone have any experience with how much difference they actually felt in the car? Or other turbo suppliers I'm missing?

 

 

3. It looks like Forced Performance may be the only place to get an inline filter but this seems like $150 worth of cheap insurance to prevent future problems. Anyone know of any others? Infamous Performance doesn't make theirs anymore.

 

 

4. Heads? Take them to a machine shop? What have you done in this situation?

 

5. What would you do to your stock Legacy if you were pulling the engine? What would you do with this opportunity?

 

 

Thanks. This forum is great, it's a huge resource and I appreciate your help.

[200kSpecB]

Hey guys,

 

My 05 Legacy GT Limited is all stock and is running bad. I've had it a few years and it's always had a really occasional misfire, sometimes on the freeway with a load coming up a hill and sometimes sitting at a stoplight.

 

Lately though the turbo is making some noise and leaking so it needs to be replaced.

 

Head gaskets are leaking and the valves need adjustment--crazy tapping noise.

I should mention I recently (last 400 miles) drained the oil and didn't find any metal particulates.

 

I'm mechanically inclined and will be working on it with a very mechanically inclined friend. We're hoping to pull the engine, remove heads, have the heads checked and valves adjusted. I'll need to figure out something with the turbo as well. I'm not looking to spend a lot of money on mods and such--wouldn't hate it if I ended up with some more HP . I've read a million threads and spent countless hours researching and mining for info. I also noticed that there isn't a lot in the last 5 years so it seems some suppliers aren't around anymore.

 

So my questions for those who have gone before me:

 

1. What should I expect during this? What am I missing?

I'm planning to order this headgasket kit:

 

 

2. Turbo thoughts? Pavel (http://pretuning.com/services/) can rebuild my turbo for $300-$600 depending on the extent of the damage.

Whereas I can get the EVO 16g turbo (http://bnrsupercars.com/) for $765 but it requires a tune at $150. I selfishly want the 16g because of the added power I'll get but am weighing the cost vs. power. Anyone have any experience with how much difference they actually felt in the car? Or other turbo suppliers I'm missing?

 

 

3. It looks like Forced Performance may be the only place to get an inline filter but this seems like $150 worth of cheap insurance to prevent future problems. Anyone know of any others? Infamous Performance doesn't make theirs anymore.

 

 

4. Heads? Take them to a machine shop? What have you done in this situation?

 

5. What would you do to your stock Legacy if you were pulling the engine? What would you do with this opportunity?

 

 

Thanks. This forum is great, it's a huge resource and I appreciate your help.

 

2. It doesn't seem to be a popular opinion on here but you can replace your turbo CHRA with a new one for fairly cheap, I think around $250ish. Just make sure to mark how the compressor housing is clocked with the old CHRA before taking the old turbo apart (and try to be as accurate as possible, I had to re-do mine after it was twisted a tiny bit).

 

4. I took my heads to a machinist I found through a local subaru mechanic. He cleaned and inspected the valves, replaced the valve stem guides and seals, set the valve lash, lapped and planed them. I think I payed around $300 CAD per head which was worth it to me. Otherwise, valve adjustment is definitely something you can DIY it's just a very tedious process.

 

5. My biggest regret after finishing my rebuild is not going with forged internals. I doubt I'll ever reach levels where forged internals are necessary but it would've been nice to have just in case.

 

Hope this helps you out a bit!

[Max Capacity]

ARP head studs.

 

tuningalliance@gmail.com to have your turbo rebuilt better.

 

http://people.csail.mit.edu/ilh/vacation/

 

I'm short on time now...

[Merc6]

If engine is still in, compression test?

[Betelgeuse]

2. Turbo thoughts? Pavel (http://pretuning.com/services/) can rebuild my turbo for $300-$600 depending on the extent of the damage.

Whereas I can get the EVO 16g turbo (http://bnrsupercars.com/) for $765 but it requires a tune at $150. I selfishly want the 16g because of the added power I'll get but am weighing the cost vs. power. Anyone have any experience with how much difference they actually felt in the car? Or other turbo suppliers I'm missing?

 

When I ordered my 20g from BNR a couple months ago it was only $785.

[Max Capacity]

Read the sticky's at the tops of the forum's lot's of good info there.

if you want an inline oil filter, any race supply house like Summit Racing, or https://behrents.com/ will have them. Had our car in their catalog back in the day.

 

Earl's High Performance Plumbing is another place.