'200k service' (re)build thread

[willisdaye]

Welp, at 199.5k she needs some real work done. Head gaskets and center diff bearings are going out, and I'm gonna log the progress here while I do the work in my sort of cramped garage. I'm kinda peeved about the HG, as I got the car with a new shortblock and it only has about 30k on it. PO must have not had the heads machined. Not likely I could get them to pay for anything at this point, I got the car almost 3 years ago now. My 5MT has been making some noises for a while now and I was gonna do a sti 6MT swap... but now with the HG too it seems like a lot (money and effort) to do all at once. Tempted to just fix this one up and run it till it *really* goes. I could probably be talked into doing the swap though, 6mt would be pretty sweet lol. I also need rear wheel bearings.

Here were the symptoms in case anyone's wondering / is in a similar boat.

• Temp gauge climbed above normal, so I parked and inspected. Heat blew hot but overflow tank was full.
• Bled the system and replaced both radiator caps with OEM. Seems to drive fine (with stable temp and coolant level) if babied. Boost causes the overflow tank to fill after even just a short but spirited drive.
• Transmission: Whirring/whining sound similar to reverse gear whine, but fainter. Only happens when under any load above ~30mph, pitch is proportional to car speed, and irrespective of RPM or current gear. Thought it was input shaft bearing at first.

The plan:

• Remove and rebuild engine, machine (probably rebuild) heads, perhaps do a couple of upgrades
• Replace clutch and clutch hydraulics
• Replace center diff bearings. I do have access to a press
• Replace rear wheel bearings

Opens / stuff I'm debating:

• Deciding if I want to upgrade to a VF52. stock vf46 is pretty old, will assess shaft play once DP is dropped.
• Water pump/timing kit only has 30k. I want to assess current condition and manufacturer before I drop $400 on a new kit.
• oil pickup and perhaps other minor upgrades

Currently getting an essential parts list together. This is unfortunately my daily but I will mostly have access to a second car for the time being.

[seanyb505]

I was in a very similar boat when I rebuilt my engine. I didn't have drivetrain issues to replace at the time, but all the same. 

At the age of these cars, "while I'm in there" needs to be a very significant line item in your budget. 

I say depending on how long you like to keep cars would drive a lot of your minor upgrades. I wouldn't invest dollars above getting it back on the road if I was going to be unloading the car soon. 

 

Check the Engine Rebuild Threads section of the Technical forums. Lots of good stuff there. 

Edited Saturday at 02:42 PM by seanyb505

[Febreze Mee]

How much of "The Plan" are you willing to do yourself? Big costs can be saved there at the expense of your time, but the investment in your knowledge. 

Determining if you want to keep the car or sell it should be your north star for how much time/money you put into it. What will it be? Keep for the next 10yrs? Or sell within the next 5yrs?

[willisdaye]

I definitely won't be going crazy with upgrades, the only thing I'm definitely doing is the oil pickup. I don't plan on selling any time soon, the car just ticks all the boxes for my use case and I've been enjoying it a lot. I'm gonna do basically everything myself except having the heads decked. We'll see how morale is at the end of it, might get someone to do the rear WBs... Luckily I did the fronts last summer so they should be good for a while.

[Febreze Mee]

If the engine only has 30K miles, and it passes a compression/leak down test, skip the "rebuild part." And focus on the heads. How many miles are on the turbo? How long will it last? Does it make sense to rebuild or replace?

If you are planning to rebuild the engine yourself, meaning cracking the case halves, inspecting/servicing your crankshaft, inspecting/servicing connecting rods and rod caps, sending everything off for cleaning, gapping/installing new rings, new bearings, new oil pump, new AVCS solenoids, new gaskets/seals, new vacuum lines ON TOP of the price to deck and rebuild the heads which will likely include valves + lapping, valve guides potentially, springs, and cams —it goes downhill quickly. 

In just parts, tools, machine work and cleaning alone, you'll be spending over half of a brand new, dressed long block with a warranty, ready-to-go from Sunwest Automotive. 

To account for time: putting together a plan of action for conducting all this work, disassembly, logistics (shipping, machine work, 2nd car access, etc., measuring, remeasuring, reassembly, a little more disassembly, re-remeasuring, then final reassembly, installation, and the scary first-start, hoping that it will last you another lifetime, maybe some tuning —all this is what makes it almost not worth the chore of rebuilding these motors, unless you have an open wallet, can burn vocation time doing so, and/or have gone through this process several times. And that's just getting the engine back to 100% health, not solving your transmission issues, or fulfilling your modification desires. 

Also why do you want/need an STi 6MT? Why not a Spec B 6MT? Or a WRX/BRZ/Crosstrek 6MT?

[seanyb505]

I think you'll have time to do the wheel bearings when some part of the engine build is inevitably delayed 

[willisdaye]

I will do a compression test to confirm, but yes I should have stated that I tentatively have no plans to split the case.

I don't have a lot of info on the turbo besides that it's a genuine IHI VF46. When I got the car it had a new shortblock and the PO's ebay exhaust on it... combined with 175k on the odo at the time, I would imagine the turbo on it now was either rebuilt or swapped from another car before I bought it. Last time I checked shaft play (20k miles ago) it was acceptable.

For the 6MT: From what I've read, it's hard to source a USDM spec B 6MT and the gearing on the (more abundant) JDM units isn't all that much of an improvement in 6th gear on US highways over the 5MT. I admit I haven't seen a lot of info on doing a WRX 6MT swap. It would almost certainly be the better financial choice for getting a 6 speed in these cars, but still pretty steep, as I'd guess you'd still need new rear axles, diff, and drive shaft. Could be wrong about that, please let me know if that's the case.

Edit: from this thread it looks like WRX 6MT is purely a trans/rear diff swap and doesn't require much else. Gonna look into this

Edited yesterday at 05:19 PM by willisdaye

[Febreze Mee]

Here's another thread for the WRX/BRZ/Crosstrek 6MT:

https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/6mt-swap-from-2018-crosstrek.546642/
 

 

[Infosecdad]

4 hours ago, willisdaye said:

I will do a compression test to confirm, but yes I should have stated that I tentatively have no plans to split the case.

I don't have a lot of info on the turbo besides that it's a genuine IHI VF46. When I got the car it had a new shortblock and the PO's ebay exhaust on it... combined with 175k on the odo at the time, I would imagine the turbo on it now was either rebuilt or swapped from another car before I bought it. Last time I checked shaft play (20k miles ago) it was acceptable.

For the 6MT: From what I've read, it's hard to source a USDM spec B 6MT and the gearing on the (more abundant) JDM units isn't all that much of an improvement in 6th gear on US highways over the 5MT. I admit I haven't seen a lot of info on doing a WRX 6MT swap. It would almost certainly be the better financial choice for getting a 6 speed in these cars, but still pretty steep, as I'd guess you'd still need new rear axles, diff, and drive shaft. Could be wrong about that, please let me know if that's the case.

Edit: from this thread it looks like WRX 6MT is purely a trans/rear diff swap and doesn't require much else. Gonna look into this

It may not even require a rear diff, depending on the model you choose (I think some are 3.9FD and some are 4.11FD).

Since it is a 6mt in a 5mt case, everything can switch over, including axles, clutch, fork, driveshaft, diff, etc.

I'm running a 2012 LGT 6mt (you'd need to cut/shave the bell housing to install it), and there's also a WRX 6mt thread that you found.

Since I have it all set up, I could drop a 2023 WRX 6mt in now, and it's tempting...

[NORULZleggy]

Do all the miner stuff yourself that you can, and maybe some major things. I would get the STI 6MT and add DCCD control. Yes it will cost you but if you plan on keeping it do it right. You can do split case 6MT or other versions but a Solid 04-05 STI 6MT is strong. Yes it will cost but it's worth it. Save you money and search around and you can still find deals.

[willisdaye]

I've come to learn that the newer non-STI 6MTs have cable driven shifters. Not the end of the world but I've never been a fan of the feel. I guess that's another point for STI 6MT. 

The cost comes in around 5-6K if I am gonna do it. If you guys have any recs let me know. Most of mine are in PNW/Portland metro so I could save a bit by picking up instead of paying for shipping

Breakdown:

• STI 6MT (04 to 17) - $2500 to $3500
• R180 diff to match 6MT - $500 to $900
• Drive shaft from 05-09 leggy/outback 4EAT - $150
• 2x Spec B rear axles - $730
• Diff mount - $50
• DCCD controller - $400

Edited 4 hours ago by willisdaye