New '05 LGT 5MT Wagon Owner With a Plan

[xt2005bonbon]

On 8/12/2023 at 12:32 PM, TMBLKDG said:

No doubt a smaller turbo like the VF40 would be even more responsive at lower RPMs, but check the dyno graph I posted. I was pretty happy with the VF52 and it was making 75-80 ft-lbs *more* torque from 3000-3500 RPM which is a big difference.  

3k is still too high for me . I don't like waiting lol.

Edited August 13, 2023 by xt2005bonbon

[tysparks81]

Below 350whp the stock airbox proven to work better than the aftermarket ones.  so the sf intake is for the sound.  It is helpful above the 350 mark as that is where the stock one becomes restrictive.

Your header uppipe combo might be making less noise/sound then before if you had an uppipe with a flex section before and now are using a solid one.  But I suspect the change in sound is due to the design of those UEL that you installed.

Your turbo is definitely less responsive than the JMP VF52 you had, it just made less uptop than your current turbo.   But if you are missing the quicker spool you definitely need to go down in size on your turbo.

You could swap to an oem header with just a grimmspeed cross pipe which should move the powerband slightly to lower RPM, maybe from 3,7k to 3,5k but ultimately imo it looks like your turbo is happier in the upper rpm range

 

[TMBLKDG]

Been awhile since I've been around.  Work consumes my weekdays and the "honey-do" list is neverending on the weekends we're home.

But, I'm going to have to find some time for the car.  Of course, it's problems that bring me snooping around again so I just want to say that since getting the new 6MT installed and the header and intake, I've been thoroughly enjoying my commutes.

But, issues are creeping in.

First - the transmission.  I might be making too much power/driving with too heavy a foot for a 5/6MT.  I probably should've just bit the bullet and done the STi swap or seen if I could find a Spec B trans.  This "new" 6MT which was supposed to have only 50K on it when installed and which I've put about 10K on so far is sending signals that it's not happy.  It pops out of first gear when coasting unless I keep my hand on the shifter and even more problematic is that it's "crunchy" going into 4th gear unless you're driving very tamely.  Any higher RPM/spirited shifts from 3-4 result in a solid crunch.  I'm exploring my options and need to read up on the Spec b swap though I imagine finding one of those transmissions could be a challenge.

Next problem which I just discovered today is that coolant is disappearing from the engine.  No signs of leaks anywhere and the oil looks fine but today I noticed the temp gauge fluctuating and reading just a little hotter than it's ever read before, so I checked and the coolant level is low.  Any car I've ever owned that's had coolant disappearing without a trace has had a bad head gasket.  Time to pull the spark plugs and see what they tell me. This engine only has ~30K on it since the rebuild and even with the noisy forged pistons in it, doesn't use a drop of oil.

And one last issue that just recently cropped up - the Cruise Control has stopped working.  I had a wheel speed sensor go bad, resulting in "Err 55" appearing in my odometer and the ABS light coming on but not seeing any lights since the sensor was replaced.  I also had the clutch/brake pedal assembly replaced at the same time the sensor was fixed as the clutch pedal was making a very annoying cracking/creaking noise.  Don't know if that's related, but it's the only thing that's changed lately that could affect the cruise control. Not sure how to proceed with troubleshooting.  The "CRUISE" light turns on and off as it should when I push the button on the stalk but it won't engage and hold the car at speed.

Yeah, I'd really rather be writing about installing the new stereo, or the JDM headlights, or the new tinted taillights but that will all have to wait a little longer.  Guess that's what I get for flogging a hot-rod Subaru 80 miles a day. 

Edited May 4 by TMBLKDG

[Pleides]

That's a bummer, man. I'm hoping your trans is OK? Sounds like you might have been given a unit that was loved a little more than let on...

[Infosecdad]

Some of the popping out of gear might be fixed with adjustment of the shifter and cables.  I had that at the very beginning with mine, until I got it aligned correctly.

[rhino6303]

I agree with the linkage needing adjustment.