What did you do to your 4th gen. Legacy today? Vol - 10

[alex0856]

Today I ordered some misc vacuum system parts and extra gaskets since I blew through my stash last month. I really need to build a parts shelf in my garage. I have no clue if I'll see any benefits from replacing my EVAP purge valve but I figure it's a 20 year old plastic moving part that lives on top of an engine block, so you'd think it wouldn't be performing like it used to. I also bit the bullet on a new OE o2 sensor since I'm sure mine is fried.

Has anyone used the Torque Solutions boost leak tester? I'll be purchasing a boost leak tester and possibly a smoke tester soon just to rule out the easy stuff before I start throwing parts at it. I haven't ordered it yet though because I keep forgetting to send a whiny email to RSD to complain about my crappy throttle body hose that I gave up on trying to fit. My mishimoto doesn't appear to have holes in it but the outside layer is flaking off and I can see the webbing under the silicon. The next thing will probably be a BPV because again, 20 year old plastic moving part.

Tomorrow I'll hit the private race track that I definitely have for some data logging and make a post. I'd like to get other's opinions on if this is a fuel issue or an air issue. I'm highly confused by the beautiful LV but random huge fuel and timing corrections. And the psst noise.

[TMBLKDG]

It's a silly little thing, but it'll improve my enjoyment of the car.

I've been bemoaning the lack of bluetooth or any other way to connect my phone to the car for music and making calls.  then I stumbled across a reference to bluetooth FM transmitters in a conversation on facebook so poked around on Amazon and found they're cheap and people are, generally, happy with them so I ordered three different ones to try out.  None of them fit in the power port in front of the shifter since it's buried so far down inside that cubby, so that ruled out one that had a stalk attached to the plug that put the controls up in front of the dash.  No big deal, I wasn't wild about that design anyway but people were happy with it's performance.

The other two just look like giant USB chargers with a knob and digital display and fit just fine in the power port inside the console storage compartment which I like better anyway because you can't see them.  Some of the reviews mentioned units that only broadcast in mono and sure enough, the first one I tried was mono but the second one is true stereo.  So now with the radio tuned to 87.7 FM (an unused frequency in these parts) I can finally listen to the music on my phone or stream and make hands free phone calls with the stock stereo, all for $18.  The other two units will be returned.

This is the one I kept.  Hopefully it'll continue to work well but for $18 in Chinese electronics, we'll see.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CLY87PY8?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

[alex0856]

The car is finally home. There's still much to do so for now it's being limited to grocery store trips (its favorite activity).

The intermittent FKC is driving me crazy. From my limited knowledge on knock corrections, the inconsistency of it is why I haven't taken any hits to FLKC and IAM. It's difficult to replicate the problem and I find I can only do it in situations where you wouldn't expect the car to be yelling "woah there partner" at me. WOT though? Happy as a clam.

My smoke tester is showing up today so I'll give that a shot. Once the boost leak tester arrives and I can rule that out as well (assuming there are any problems), I'll move to the parts dartboard. The high pitched "sp sp sp" noise I hear under heavy boost has to be some form of malfunction.

I should really try to find my missing 8mm socket. I couldn't find it on top of the block but maybe it's just hiding.

Edited May 5 by alex0856

[killjoy323232]

Well, I got off my rear to check a couple things out on the never-ending pile of woe that is my XT. Drove it to my dad's work, where they've got an inspection pit, to try to change the plugs and swap the coils (chasing a got-dang misfire that I can't seem to catch in the act - it'll either occasionally miss, or drop a cylinder entirely for a bit, then catch up).

I ended up changing the driver's side coils with some used OEM ones (connector on the front one was RTV'd in, and the no-name, third party coil fell apart in my hands as I was removing it - good thing I had spares!). Left the plugs alone, because the "14mm" swivel spark plug socket I bought wasn't even close to fitting the new plugs (unless the NGKs are actually 5/8ths - that'd be my luck). It seemed to miss less, but I had the A/C on and was driving into the wind. I'll keep an eye on it and see if there's an improvement. If not, I'll swap the other coils and install plugs at the same time.

More infuriating, though, is it gave me a chance to look at my turbo oil drain, because I suspected a leak there. The "new" hose (that I paid a shop an insane amount of money to replace) is twisted and damn near torn to shreds, so now, I have to find a creative way to replace that.

[KZJonny]

2 hours ago, killjoy323232 said:

The "new" hose (that I paid a shop an insane amount of money to replace) is twisted and damn near torn to shreds, so now, I have to find a creative way to replace that.

Ugh. Oh man, when I did a complete header to exhaust tip ‘replace everything’ job, that stupid drain hose was the worst part.

Any chance you can go back with some photos and lodge a complaint at the shop that did the work?

It’s an annoying part of the job, but selling a botched job as done for high dollars is not okay.

[rhino6303]

2 hours ago, killjoy323232 said:

Well, I got off my rear to check a couple things out on the never-ending pile of woe that is my XT. Drove it to my dad's work, where they've got an inspection pit, to try to change the plugs and swap the coils (chasing a got-dang misfire that I can't seem to catch in the act - it'll either occasionally miss, or drop a cylinder entirely for a bit, then catch up).

I ended up changing the driver's side coils with some used OEM ones (connector on the front one was RTV'd in, and the no-name, third party coil fell apart in my hands as I was removing it - good thing I had spares!). Left the plugs alone, because the "14mm" swivel spark plug socket I bought wasn't even close to fitting the new plugs (unless the NGKs are actually 5/8ths - that'd be my luck). It seemed to miss less, but I had the A/C on and was driving into the wind. I'll keep an eye on it and see if there's an improvement. If not, I'll swap the other coils and install plugs at the same time.

More infuriating, though, is it gave me a chance to look at my turbo oil drain, because I suspected a leak there. The "new" hose (that I paid a shop an insane amount of money to replace) is twisted and damn near torn to shreds, so now, I have to find a creative way to replace that.

The spark plugs are normal 5/8 socket plugs.

[alex0856]

3 hours ago, KZJonny said:

Ugh. Oh man, when I did a complete header to exhaust tip ‘replace everything’ job, that stupid drain hose was the worst part.

Any chance you can go back with some photos and lodge a complaint at the shop that did the work?

It’s an annoying part of the job, but selling a botched job as done for high dollars is not okay.

I'm glad I replaced mine when I did my clutch - turns out it's not so bad when there's no transmission in the car. In fact, I think I'll just go ahead and pull the trans next time I need to replace that hose. It'll be less of a headache.

I have a couple of the OEM hoses on hand and I swap a new one in every time the turbo comes out. If I'm replacing it with the turbo still bolted down, I'll pull the downpipe as that only takes a few minutes and gives you a lot more room. I have found that the best approach is to cut the old hose out, heat gun the new one a bit to make it softer, apply a tiny bit of grease to both ends, then slide it on to the turbo. Drop your clamps over the crankcase drain, then grab your trusty hose clamp pliers and twist it back and forth until it makes contact with the lower drain. Then I use my industrial grade persuasion tool (big ass screwdriver) to push on the hose while I continue to twist until it slides fully over the drain. Lastly, I take the hose clamp pliers and pull down on the hose from the top, being careful not to marr up the hard line.

@killjoy323232 sounds to me like they used a generic hose that wasn't rated to both carry oil and live in the hottest part of the engine bay. Bums me out when "professionals" can't figure out those simple things.

[alex0856]

Found the problem

When I pulled my trans I opted for the Neanderthal method - position a cart with wooden blocks to support the trans, then use the lift to bring the car and trans to the blocks. Works fine for getting it off, I guess, but I went and bought a transmission jack after this experience because I'm an adult.

I very brilliantly forgot to support the engine when we did this, and found it being held up by the main wiring harness and fuel lines - awesome!

The delivery and return lines moved a good inch, but appeared to survive. I just noticed today though that the return hard line has a nice kink in it. This is after I bent it back a bit.

I guess my problem could be other things, but I can't imagine that it's very happy with me for doing this.

The soft lines ("dampers" as subaru calls them) are either $87 or discontinued. Fortunately I dug up a helpful comment by some guy named Infosecdad from 2017 with Dorman part numbers to build my own.

[killjoy323232]

@KZJonny I should have grabbed some pics while I was under the car. I know that hose is a biznatch to line up on the best of days (sure was on the Forester - the entire reason I had a shop do it this time), and these dudes charged me for OEM parts. Last I checked, Subaru doesn’t use worm clamps on that damn hose, which’ll be a new, fresh kind of hell to remove.

@alex0856  Thanks for the tips. I had considered pulling/swapping the up-pipe, too (since ‘06s allegedly still have cats for some reason) which will give relative acres to replace that damned hose. If not, I’ll just remove the DP, buy some comically long screwdrivers and pliers, and go to town.

My city is big enough to have most amenities, but the nearest competent shop that’s willing to work on a Subaru (and the dealership here is useless) is like 6 hours Northwest OR Southeast.

[alex0856]

1 hour ago, killjoy323232 said:

@KZJonny I should have grabbed some pics while I was under the car. I know that hose is a biznatch to line up on the best of days (sure was on the Forester - the entire reason I had a shop do it this time), and these dudes charged me for OEM parts. Last I checked, Subaru doesn’t use worm clamps on that damn hose, which’ll be a new, fresh kind of hell to remove.

@alex0856  Thanks for the tips. I had considered pulling/swapping the up-pipe, too (since ‘06s allegedly still have cats for some reason) which will give relative acres to replace that damned hose. If not, I’ll just remove the DP, buy some comically long screwdrivers and pliers, and go to town.

My city is big enough to have most amenities, but the nearest competent shop that’s willing to work on a Subaru (and the dealership here is useless) is like 6 hours Northwest OR Southeast.

These are a godsend

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-long-reach-hose-grip-pliers-37909.html

Makes me think that the tech fought and fought and fought the hose, chewed it up in the process, then said "oh well".

 

Edited May 6 by alex0856

[KZJonny]

+1 to that. I don't know how I got anything done before having hose pliers.

Equally:

https://www.amazon.ca/Powerbuilt-Multi-Directional-Hose-Clamp-Pliers/dp/B08TH864JL/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N2I3O3NGPLRV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hBtp0LzpyuOSd5W4wKkrKw.WoGW_2vKjsx_vfWy5ForDzCu1u8KH_U156aF9wUbNqY&dib_tag=se&keywords=647868M&qid=1715005835&sprefix=647868m%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-1

Ridiculously better than normal pliers for constant tensions clamps. Far fewer of them get either mangled or flung across the room when applying and removing.

 

I also picked up some Clic-R clamp pliers while doing the refresh, and while they are super helpful (practically necassary) to reinstall clic-r clamps, I wouldn't say you have to have them, by any means.

Edited May 6 by KZJonny

[killjoy323232]

2 hours ago, KZJonny said:

Ridiculously better than normal pliers for constant tensions clamps. Far fewer of them get either mangled or flung across the room when applying and removing.

For me, if they don’t go flying across the room of their own volition, it’s because I threw it after mangling it taking it off the car 

I know what tools I’m buying next…

[KZJonny]

1 hour ago, killjoy323232 said:

For me, if they don’t go flying across the room of their own volition, it’s because I threw it after mangling it taking it off the car 

I know what tools I’m buying next…

It's posted elsewhere but as good a time as any to mention it here if you haven't been through the thread of "Places to get useful stuff"

If, like me, you've gone from hating CT clamps because they get mangled and fling themselves recklessly into your eyes, or the farthest corner of the garage, to using worm clamps, to hating worm clamps becuase they suck, then back around to CT clamps.....

www.belmetric.com

Has a great selection of metric CT clamps. Just got an order in from them to replace a pile of the tired, rusty ones in my engine bay. Prices are FAR better than dealer, and quality is great. Lots of flashy SS metric thread bolts as well if you have gnarly, tired old fasteners everywhere too.

[snow05gtRI]

Anyone interested in buying a 2005.5 OBP LGT 5EAT?  It's been sitting for a long time.  Has JDM front end swap.  Tons of upgrades, rebuilt short block, ClimberD VB mod, and have a bunch of OEM parts and other aftermarket to go with it.  Gets started occasionally.  Exterior in decent-ish shape given how long it's been inactive.  Brake line on passenger side ruptured so brakes are out.  Looking to move it and want to let it go.  It was running fine before i stopped driving it, barely burned oil, but I bought something new and couldn't keep it where I lived.

Going to put together a FS post elsewhere but this thread gets good traction.  If anyone has heartburn about this entry I'll take it down.  Really just want it to go someone who will put good use to everything on it.

I can give the full mod list to whoever wants to see it.

Edited May 6 by snow05gtRI

[killjoy323232]

At the rate mine’s going, that’s compelling, but then I remembered I’m broke and can’t afford another car, and I still have a Forester XT that needs new head gaskets, on top of my leaky, smoky, misfiring (50/50 shot of replacing the right pair of coils, and I got it wrong), badly-tuned-because-the-knock-sensor-took-a-crap OBXT…these Subarus keep me busy at least! LOL

[tehspud]

Dropped the wagon off at a local subaru/tuning shop to get the fuel lines done, and throw a new PCV valve and turbo inlet on (parts I've had sitting in the garage for a bit) while they're in there. Figured I'll eat the cost and it'll make it more palatable for me to sell. Probably going to throw up on facebook once I have it back. 

[SubOperator]

I'll just leave this here 

https://www.thedrive.com/news/subaru-is-finally-making-a-manual-wrx-wagon-for-mexico

 

[KZJonny]

20 minutes ago, SubOperator said:

I'll just leave this here 

https://www.thedrive.com/news/subaru-is-finally-making-a-manual-wrx-wagon-for-mexico

 

Dang. That is compelling.

Guess in a few years I'll have to start looking in Mexico for used cars. One of those (kept stock) + my 4th Gen would cover all my car needs.

Is there something keeping the average American from just going and buying on in Mexico and importing it into the country?

I am 98% sure I can do that in Canada because of NAFTA, but I know you guys have different rules about these things.

[SubOperator]

3 hours ago, KZJonny said:

Dang. That is compelling.

Guess in a few years I'll have to start looking in Mexico for used cars. One of those (kept stock) + my 4th Gen would cover all my car needs.

Is there something keeping the average American from just going and buying on in Mexico and importing it into the country?

I am 98% sure I can do that in Canada because of NAFTA, but I know you guys have different rules about these things.

NAFTA only applies to cars (and other goods) manufactured in USA, Canada or Mexico. Everything else gets to go though custom rules and fees as ROW goods.

What that means is that you can buy my LGT and just have it cleared through customs without paying any custom fees as the car was made in IN, USA. I can buy your LGT wagon and have it go through similar process here but again there will be no custom fees.

But if I decide to import EDM or JDM made car from Canada, Mexico or anywhere else the car will be subject to all US custom rules and regulations. Meaning that most likely that car will never see US shores.

[KZJonny]

6 minutes ago, SubOperator said:

NAFTA only applies to cars (and other goods) manufactured in USA, Canada or Mexico. Everything else gets to go though custom rules and fees as ROW goods.

What that means is that you can buy my LGT and just have it cleared through customs without paying any custom fees as the car was made in IN, USA. I can buy your LGT wagon and have it go through similar process here but again there will be no custom fees.

But if I decide to import EDM or JDM made car from Canada, Mexico or anywhere else the car will be subject to all US custom rules and regulations. Meaning that most likely that car will never see US shores.

Gotcha, so it would be the equivalent of importing a car from Japan, for example.

Which means in a few years (I think Canada has a 5 year limit on importing vehicles from abroad...) buying one of these out of Mexico would be markedly easier than getting a Levorg from Japan into the country. And it would already be LHD which is a big win in my books. Plus, I could more than likely just fly down, and drive it back up, the paperwork for this stuff is remarkably easy. The guy I am working with for another car charged something like $100 to do all the licenceing/import and send it to the computer people at Customs Canada. Hm....

The reason I more or less gave up on the JDM import thing for my next car was the cost and annoyance of having to LHD swap it....

[SubOperator]

21 minutes ago, KZJonny said:

Gotcha, so it would be the equivalent of importing a car from Japan, for example.

Which means in a few years (I think Canada has a 5 year limit on importing vehicles from abroad...) buying one of these out of Mexico would be markedly easier than getting a Levorg from Japan into the country. And it would already be LHD which is a big win in my books. Plus, I could more than likely just fly down, and drive it back up, the paperwork for this stuff is remarkably easy. The guy I am working with for another car charged something like $100 to do all the licenceing/import and send it to the computer people at Customs Canada. Hm....

The reason I more or less gave up on the JDM import thing for my next car was the cost and annoyance of having to LHD swap it....

Yes, exactly. I do think that Canada has 15 years rule on car imports though. If that made you feel sad, know that US has 25 years rule.

All because of rich pucks importing grey market Mercedes from Germany decades ago.

[KZJonny]

43 minutes ago, SubOperator said:

Yes, exactly. I do think that Canada has 15 years rule on car imports though. If that made you feel sad, know that US has 25 years rule.

All because of rich pucks importing grey market Mercedes from Germany decades ago.

Yup, 15 years old or you have to pay a fee to the Registrar of Imported Vehicles. Which, for vehicles originally BUILT FOR, but not necassarily BUILT IN the USDM, is only $325 CAD. So, we can get all the odd vehicles that you get that we do not. They just come with a freedom speedometer and no daytime lights.

Mexico is in a different category, apparently. I'll need to dig more, but one would assume it is more expensive. They've set things up for it to easy to buy vehicles from the US up here in Canada..... I don't think there are many people trying to export from Mexico. Information isn't readily available on the gov't website.

Edited May 8 by KZJonny

[socalsleeper]

1 hour ago, KZJonny said:

Yup, 15 years old or you have to pay a fee to the Registrar of Imported Vehicles. Which, for vehicles originally BUILT FOR, but not necessarily BUILT IN the USDM, is only $325 CAD. So, we can get all the odd vehicles that you get that we do not. They just come with a freedom speedometer and no daytime lights.

Mexico is in a different category, apparently. I'll need to dig more, but one would assume it is more expensive. They've set things up for it to easy to buy vehicles from the US up here in Canada..... I don't think there are many people trying to export from Mexico. Information isn't readily available on the gov't website.

When I was working in the dealerships we had a Cayenne come in. The owner wanted to import the car into California, the problem was it was a Rest of World car and did not have some of the equipment for US market. Meaning there was no way to have it pass emissions with any realistic budget. The Computer, sensors, hard parts would have to be replaced, and there was no OEM sponsored way to do this. It may have well passed from a tailpipe test, but that is different from a DMV, and US standards perspective. 

 

[Turbomister2]

On 5/6/2024 at 5:03 PM, snow05gtRI said:

Anyone interested in buying a 2005.5 OBP LGT 5EAT?  It's been sitting for a long time.  Has JDM front end swap.  Tons of upgrades, rebuilt short block, ClimberD VB mod, and have a bunch of OEM parts and other aftermarket to go with it.  Gets started occasionally.  Exterior in decent-ish shape given how long it's been inactive.  Brake line on passenger side ruptured so brakes are out.  Looking to move it and want to let it go.  It was running fine before i stopped driving it, barely burned oil, but I bought something new and couldn't keep it where I lived.

Going to put together a FS post elsewhere but this thread gets good traction.  If anyone has heartburn about this entry I'll take it down.  Really just want it to go someone who will put good use to everything on it.

I can give the full mod list to whoever wants to see it.

Sent you a pm 

[Code]

My DD 2018 F150 is a Canadian truck.  I always thought it was odd but the dealership where I found it had a ton of Canadian trucks for good prices.  Mine has an odd combo of options for whatever reason. (3.31 fd w/ max tow/payload)