My ‘05 OBXT journal

[KZJonny]

4 minutes ago, xt2005bonbon said:

I was able to find some front hub bearing assembly a while back with the NTN stamp on them. They've been on the car for about 40K I believe. Still good. Just changed the rear. I think I put some Moog on them that lasted 100k! I replaced one of them with a Timken and the other one with an SKF... Lots of brands on my car, so I can confuse you more...

IMO, if I see 'NTN' on a bearing, I believe it is high quality. If I can't find that, then I would go SKF. After that, not sure anymore. Got my rear SKF one from Napa. Everything else from..... ebay

+1 for Timken too.

Have some of those on the OBW that regularly hauls a pile of stuff in the trunk. Couple years of rust belt winter driving on them and no noise yet.

[RumblyXT]

Ok.. NTN (Japan) or SKF(USA)  it is then.. I think they're both great quality bearings.

By the way, the Part# for the Hub Assy should be 28373AG01A.. I'm guessing the original OEM Subaru bearing were KOYO.

[RumblyXT]

1 hour ago, KZJonny said:

my first thought when a noise like that happens is always that that the dust shield is rubbing on the rotor. Maybe look for that. Super common. I’ve found bad bearings tend to hum while they are failing, not so much make cyclical noises.

Hmm good point. Yes, the noise is definitely cyclical (that's the word I was looking for lol) you can hear it less and less as the car goes faster, but way louder at low speed. I'll check for that, it's possible I might have bent the dust plate.

Before it made this cyclical noise, it always made a horrid metal scraping noise at full Left turns (just like scraping/dragging a metal pipe on the floor), embarrassing haha

I just pray to God it's not a bad Rack.. 

Edited August 30, 2023 by RumblyXT

[RumblyXT]

Ok guys.. I must admit I made a stupid mistake. I left the left wheel nuts kind of lose after installing the motor .. Thankfully they still had a bit of torque and the wheel didn’t fall off.. no wonder it had the cyclical noise I hadn’t heard before. I torqued all wheels just in case.

Goes to show, double & triple check your work, especially when it comes to safety parts like brakes and suspension. I also re-tightened the axle nut and re-staked it. (re-stake? Lol)

Wheel/s no longer have the cyclical noise, but the left full lock turn noise still remains, indicating more than likely a worn out bearing.

Definitely needs attention here..

Cheap torque wrench won’t go over 134 ft/lb.. you get what you paid for.

Love seeing no malfunctioning lights

Edited August 30, 2023 by RumblyXT

[xt2005bonbon]

I recall the noise at full turn, for me, came from worn out outer cv axle, not the wheel bearing. I can see your outer cv axle boot is leaking too. Failing wheel bearing will hum when you drive and be quite loud. You can check it at speed: while turning to the right, the sound should get louder (if left front or rear wheel bearing is failing). Turning to the left at speed will make it quieter (i.e. less load on it).

[RumblyXT]

My guess is the previous owner replaced the front axles with some crappy Chinese knock offs.. not good.

I did the shake test and didn’t feel the bearing lose on X/Y axles.. However, from my previous older Forester experience, a normal results tire shake test, doesn’t always indicate the bearing is ok. Kinda hoping it’s not the Hub Assy, the good ones aren’t cheap ($80-$150 good aftermarket) and over $200 for OEM ones.. When I do replace them, I’d like to do both sides..

 

[blackobxt]

My cv axles were replaced long before I got the car with non oem. I keep a spare bad unit on hand so when I need to use the lifetime warranty at autozone I just bring it in and swap it out. I repeat this once or twice a year which is not ideal but part of the Subaru game unless you want to spring for oem axles. 

[RumblyXT]

I do have a set of oem axles I sorted from eBay and overhauled them with Beck & Arnley boots, grease and new clamps.

They’ll be going in next, along with a few other suspension components.

 

[xt2005bonbon]

 

 

4 hours ago, RumblyXT said:

My guess is the previous owner replaced the front axles with some crappy Chinese knock offs.. not good.

I did the shake test and didn’t feel the bearing lose on X/Y axles.. However, from my previous older Forester experience, a normal results tire shake test, doesn’t always indicate the bearing is ok. Kinda hoping it’s not the Hub Assy, the good ones aren’t cheap ($80-$150 good aftermarket) and over $200 for OEM ones.. When I do replace them, I’d like to do both sides..

 

 

That may solve your noise on hard turns.

[RumblyXT]

I was driving the car around town yesterday doing errands (110 miles so far, out of boost of course), and got stock in some heavy stop & go traffic. Suddenly, the temp started climbing slightly.. Oh no.. here we go again..

Anyways, I immediately stopped at a nearby gas station, popped the hood and noticed the Right radiator fan was not On (both should have been On with how hot it was, felt like 90+ degrees). I also noticed I got only one speaker working. I’m thinking I might have created a lose connection/short to the fan when I was installing the motor..

I thought if I’d take the car on the highway so it’d get more airflow to the engine, the temperature gauge would drop. In effect it did. Looks like I don’t have a big cooling system issue, just a bad rad fan connection/relay, etc..

Also my A/C, even though it works, it has not been blowing hard/cooling properly. I tested the freon pressure on the Low side line and it’s full. Found out through a video if one of the fans is not working, it can also affect the A/C freon at the condenser not being cooled?

On a side note, I also went to replace the cabin air filter (which might be very dirt and blocking the blower fan) and realized I have to remove part of the center dash to get to it.. Got some work to do.

Edited September 2, 2023 by RumblyXT

[xt2005bonbon]

Might be a failed relay for the fan problem.

And yeah, a clogged cabin air filter will definitely affect AC performance. I just changed mine and it made a big diff. 

[rhino6303]

Check the fan connections and relay. The connection can sometimes look clipped but not be seated fully. Easy relay check is to swap with another relay. Turn the a/c on coldest setting and as soon as the compressor kicks on the fan should too.

[RumblyXT]

Yeah, it happened to our Chrysler Pacifica, soon as I replaced the CAF the A/C fan was back to normal again.

I may modify the plastic in front of the Outback CAF, as of now I have to remove part of the center console to get to it; not difficult, but tedious.

btw, I did some research on the TIMKEN wheel bearings, contacted an eBay seller asking him if the bearings had the 'made in Japan' engraving. Seller stated the TIMKEN factory had moved to China, no longer made in Japan.

SKF would be great, but for the price would just rather get the oem ones.

[RumblyXT]

5 minutes ago, rhino6303 said:

Check the fan connections and relay. The connection can sometimes look clipped but not be seated fully. Easy relay check is to swap with another relay. Turn the a/c on coldest setting and as soon as the compressor kicks on the fan should too.

Yes, I was doing that this morning. Only one fan turns on (Left), the Right one however never does..

[xt2005bonbon]

But right now, your problem is cv axle right? Not wheel bearing.

[RumblyXT]

2 minutes ago, xt2005bonbon said:

But right now, your problem is cv axle right? Not wheel bearing.

Correct, hopefully just the axles. I just wanted to give some info on the bearings since we were discussing aftermarket options the other day.

[RumblyXT]

Looks like the sub fan motor is kinda stuck from seating for 4 months.. It starts working after I help it move.. but then it stops again after cycling. Thankfully not a wiring/current issue.. 

[KZJonny]

1 hour ago, RumblyXT said:

Yeah, it happened to our Chrysler Pacifica, soon as I replaced the CAF the A/C fan was back to normal again.

I may modify the plastic in front of the Outback CAF, as of now I have to remove part of the center console to get to it; not difficult, but tedious.

btw, I did some research on the TIMKEN wheel bearings, contacted an eBay seller asking him if the bearings had the 'made in Japan' engraving. Seller stated the TIMKEN factory had moved to China, no longer made in Japan.

SKF would be great, but for the price would just rather get the oem ones.

I’m not getting on a soapbox or anything, but it’s sometimes worth remembering that the Chinese are manufacturing some really top tier parts as well. (Not always)

It’s often more the QA and the specs demanded by the client. We buy process equipment from China, and what we get is excellent because the North American engineers that design and spec it demand that it is so, and fail it when it doesn’t comply.

If you don’t buy from China becauae of the feels, I fully understand, and also often prefer to see Japan/Tiawan as place of origin for parts. Just saying, with reputable manufacturers, a move to China (happening all the time now….) doesn’t necassarily condemn a product on the grounds of quality.

Edited September 2, 2023 by KZJonny

[RumblyXT]

I hear you.. mostly everything we buy today is Chinese anyways, nothing we can do about it. They can fabricate the same item in 5 different quality/prices.

It is true Chinese products quality standards have gotten way better and the fact they provide 3 years warranty on those TIMKEN bearings is great.

Might just give a try to the bearings whenever they go bad, just would hate  to have to do it all over again in say a year or so..

[RumblyXT]

Can’t believe I had to go through all this for a simple cabin filter..

I’m thinking of modifying the plastic drawer roof for the next time I have to replace the filter.

 

[subisubisu]

I went through all that too.  I couldn't produce a "before" pic because my '05 OBXT had no filter in place when I finally dug far enough.  It does now, though.

I expect to be seeing it again soon, though, since now that the engine runs I am able to observed that I am getting nothing but hot air from the passenger side ducts.  Good luck to you that your problem is solved.

[RumblyXT]

4 hours ago, subisubisu said:

I went through all that too.  I couldn't produce a "before" pic because my '05 OBXT had no filter in place when I finally dug far enough.  It does now, though.

I expect to be seeing it again soon, though, since now that the engine runs I am able to observed that I am getting nothing but hot air from the passenger side ducts.  Good luck to you that your problem is solved.

I was trying to copy a video from another ‘05 OBXT, but it didn’t work for me. In the video the guy didn’t take apart any of the dash, he just pulled the filter tray from the cutout below..

I figured out what it didn’t work for me though, I have to also modify the bottom ribs of the plastic tray that holds the filter, otherwise the tray still won’t come out. Next time.. everything is back in place now.

Edited September 4, 2023 by RumblyXT

[RumblyXT]

I forgot to mention the car shakes a bit when coming to a stop. It's as if it was going to stall, but it doesn't shut off. I see the RPMs lowering below 500, and once the car is no longer moving, it goes up again to normal, 700 or so..

This only happens when driving and coming to a stop.. I also have a mild fuel smell in the cabin, I thought it would go away when I replaced the motor. I need to address where that's coming from. It can't be the fuel rails by the motor since those were tighten when the engine was installed.

Oh, and yes I had to order an A/C, Condenser fan. It turned out to be the fan motor that is operating intermittently, it's stuck. Father in law who used to reminds electric motors for a living says the carbon brushes are worn out. Thankfully an easy fix!

Edited September 6, 2023 by RumblyXT

[Febreze Mee]

I'm thinking the RPM drop when coming to a stop is a vacuum leak. Replacing gaskets/seals and hoses solved this issue for me. Did you skip replacing any of these on the new EJ20?

[blackobxt]

Second a vac leak if rpm’s are dipping like that.