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iaacek

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    Alberta, Canada
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    2008 Legacy wagon 2.5i Touring

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  1. Hi, so here is the story: When I am driving my 2008 Legacy 2.5i 5MT (almost 250kkm on odometer) I hear a whining noise. It starts to be audible at around 50-60km/h and get progresively louder as the speed goes up. It is like a wheel bearing noise but maybe little bit higher pitch. It is speed related. No matter what RPM or what gear is shifted in the sound does not change. It also doesn't really change while accelerating or decelerating except for the level. It is always there just louder or quitter. Also the steering wheel was shaking a bit at 110km/h and shifting in the 5th gear was making the hissing sound - not sure how else to describe it. The gear goes in smooth but as soon as I move the stick right it starts hissing. When I finish the shift by moving it forward it gets quitter but it is still present. First I suspected wheel bearing, I am familiar with that sound but this was little bit higher. Also while installing new summer tires I noticed that the axle nut on driver side was a bit loose so I though it's the driver side bearing. I've raised the car on 4 jacks and asked a friend to go all the way to 90km/h. The noise from driver side and passenger side was the same. I wasn't able to tell the difference. I've also noticed that the driver side wheel was shaking up and down while the car was "driven on jacks". It was also noticeable on the axle shaft. I checked the wheel play after but there was none on either side. Anyway, I've changed the driver's hub anyway as I had a SKF one on hand. Result: all noises are the same but little less shaking in the steering wheel at high speed (BTW the shaking was there with the old tires as well). The old bearing (Timken) didn't have any play but it wasn't smooth, definitely contributed to the overall noise. I've also changed the transmission oil to Motul Gear 300 75W-90. No change in noise levels. I've also change the read diff oil. While the car was jacked I noticed that the rear bushings on the front LCAs are in bad shape and one of the front sway bar endlinks is shot. So I've changed the rear LCA bushings (energy suspension polyurethane) and sway bar bushings (again Energy suspension) + Moog links. All good but no change is sound. Maybe a bit less vibration at high speeds but that seems to be dependent on the road as well, doesn't happen every time. So now I've read a ton of posts about diff problems - front and center. To me it still sounds like some bearing going bad. Today on a parking lot I've tried to do slow circles in first gear on both sides with full lock on steering wheels. As far as I can tell no rattling on clunking. All I could hear was the tires crunching little rocks. Here is what I am thinking: - bad axle on drivers side? That could cause the vibrations but the whinning and hissing (while shifting in and in fifth gear) probably not - axle carrier bearings? Do they ever go bad? I once had to replace the drivers side axle seal but I've counted the revolutions on the retainer and put it back exactly as it was. - front diff? The sound is consistent when accelerating or decelerating and from what I've read it is typically audible only while accelerating - center diff? Probably no because driving in circles on parking lot was smooth, no binding. - some other bearings in the transmission? Who knows... So I have 4 problems: - slight irregular steering wheel shake at high speeds - strange hissing sound when I move the stick from neutral to right or left but it only stays when I shift in fifth. Other gears seem uneffected - some whining sound from the front of the car (not engine) likely from transmission itself - fact that I live in Canada, have no garage and I am gone for the next 4 weeks on a trip. When I get back it might be too cold to work on a car outside.... Would it be same to drive it over winter lets say another 3000km? Any feedback is appreciated, I am not sure what to try next or how to diagnose the root of the problem... Thanks
  2. Update 250km later: engine runs great and no leaks =). I can hear some bearing whining on the drivetrain but that is to be expected on a car this old. I'll investigate what it is and change it if necessary. But first I plan on changing the rear diff oil and possibly the trans oil as well, new summer tires and change the cracked windshield.
  3. Who makes them and where can you get them? Just for future reference...
  4. I thought I'll add a list of everything I've changed and how much it cost me. This is everything I've changed + the HG (not in the picture). Here is cost breakdown, all prices are in Canadian dollars. Parts: MAHLE HS55016B Cylinder Head Gasket / Set ($241) - most of it made in Japan. I still have a couple of gaskets left from that set (plenum, EGR, valve stems, injectors). Time will tell but I was confident in the quality + I wanted to give them a try. I think Mahle belongs to Victor Reinz and they are the OEM HG supplier for Subaru but I might be wrong. I've seen some video on how they improved the design of the gaskets so why not =) CONTITECH PP307LK2 Timing Kit ($295) - really great kit. Made in Japan including the fully made in Japan tensioner (not just the pulley like the Gates kit but the body as well). Includes camshaft seals (I've used Mahle) and the belt is made in US. AISIN water pump (there was a small ding on the thermostat housing surface but not that big so it wouldn't seal - that would be the only negative thing I can say about this kit). From now on I sold on Contitech kits. MAHLE JV5199 Front Crankshaft Seal ($8.68) - wasn't part of the head gasket kit (made in Japan) MAHLE JV1666 Rear Crankshaft Seal ($9.10) - after pulling the engine the rear main seal I was that the rear main seal is sweating so I've orderer new from Rockauto (made in Japan) MAHLE OS32153 Oil Pan Gasket ($6.49) - I've only bought it for the o-ring, I've used permatex 599 to make the gasket STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS V497 PCV Valve ($15.54) - made in Japan NGK 5463 4xSpark Plugs ($26.48) SUBARU OEM 10991AA001 Engine Cylinder Block Seal Ring ($3) - Oil pump to block o-ring - has a special flange SUBARU OEM 30502AA051 Clutch Release Bearing ($57.5) - Centaur Subaru Calgary SUBARU OEM Valve cover bolt ($2.26) - I had to saw one off and use bolt extractors to get it out - it was rusted in place SUBARU OEM A0910AS100 Engine Block Heater ($69) - will use this a lot in the cold Canadian winters. WIX 46914 Air Filter ($12.64) WIX 57712XP Oil Filter ($8.76) STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS PS160 Oil Pressure Sender / Switch ($4.43) Third party work: Head Machining (D&W Custom Engine Specialties Calgary) ($294) - this included machining, cleaning and vacuum testing both heads. Overall the service was great, I can recommend these guys. Supplies: Permatex 599 Ultra Grey ($10) Loctite 242 ($9) Gasket Remover spray ($9) - total rubbish, I was so mad with it that I threw it in the garbage =) Permatex 81950 Ultra Slick Engine Assembly Lube, 4 oz. ($18) OEM brand Premix 50/50 Coolant ($20) Valvoline Synthetic 5W-30 ($27) Valvoline Special Moly Grease 400g ($4.50) - to lube the transmission snout and fork Tools I didn't have yet: NAPA 12point socket set: ($47) - I only needed 14mm but it was $13 alone and the set was on sale (10 to 24mm sockets=)) - might be handy one day OTC 6180 9 Piece TORX Plus Socket Set ($45) - who the heck is inventing all those different bolt types. I only had Torx and I didn't want to mess up the heads on the cam cap plate bolts Precision Instruments PREC2FR100F Wrench (3/8" Dr. Split Beam Torque w/Flex Head (20-100 Ft./Lbs)) ($179) - I do have 1/4 NAPA digital and 1/2 Precision Instruments Split Beam so I got this one to complete the set. I used it a lot during this job Engine crane and stand ($275) (used on Kijiji) - used but worked well. I might keep it or start renting it or sell it again. I could have rented it but because the job took me 20 days (mostly 2 hour evenings after the kids went to sleep) it would cost me about $210 for the crane alone and $50 for the gas + 6 hours of my time - I live in a small town. Total for parts: $759.88 Machining: $294 Supplies: $97.5 Tools: $546 ---------------------------------- Grand total: $1697.38 To put that number into perspective: It's kind of my sport now that every time before any repair I call the dealership and ask them how much would they charge me for the job. I asked about a head gasket service - changing the head gaskets + timing kit. There answer was +- $5500 (this includes head machining). Good thing I was sitting when they told me the price. On a car that is worth like $6000 maybe? To pay $5500 does not make sense to me. I own most of the tools needed, I have the FSM, I enjoy working on cars and I am sure as hell not paying $5500 for this. I reasoned that even if I mess up real bad, I can still get a new engine for ~ $4K (or cheaper if it's only a short block). So why not give it a try?=)
  5. I've used assembly lube on the bearings and cams but I've also added some fresh oil on the springs, rocker arms etc to help with the first start. After that I've set the valve clearances. They were pretty tight but there was still a bit of slack. FSM says check every 24kkm. Well I think this is the first time anybody touched that in 243kkm. One thing that was confusing to me was the description in the FSM. Set the cam on LH side so the arrow points to the mark on the block (12 o'clock). Set the clearances for cylinder #1. Then rotate crankshaft 180° and set #3, rotate again and set #2, rotate again and set #4. For some reason I've thought that the camshaft has to rotate 180° each time which made no sense to me. After I've reread the steps couple times and used spark plug tubes to inspect the piston position I realized where I misunderstood. You rotate the crankshaft by 180° but the cam only rotates 90°. By holding a hand over the spark plug tube (with the spark plug removed) you can feel the compression stroke - and the valve clearances are set when each piston is at the TDC of the compression stroke. After setting the clearances it was time to clean the valve covers and put new gasket in. Engine is in one piece again The old release bearing had 50kkm on it and it wasn't as smooth as a new one any more so I've decided to change it because I had access to it. Clutch plate was still in brand new condition, it will outlive the release bearing big time. But I guess it comes down to every driver and how he "rides" the clutch. Now it was time to pull the crane and get the engine back where it belongs Transferring the engine from the stand to the crane: Flywheel, clutch plate and pressure plate in place: Engine touchdown. I had a friend to help me with that. Given that my driveway is sloping a fair bit I didn't feel confident doing in just by myself and risk the crane moving and damaging the transmission shaft. In two people it was ok. A bit of going back and forth but one we matched the angle of the transmission and got the bottom bolts on the engine housing into the transmission housing the engine was in quickly. Once the gap was only 1" or less I've put in the rest of the bolts and used those to evenly pull the engine and transmission together. Everything reconnected: And now came the most interesting (and stressful) part of the job. Will it start? The answer: it did. No problem. It actually sounded really good and I think it was due to setting the valve clearances. One thing to note: After about a minute or two of idling my friend noticed some smoke coming from the area of the oil dipstick, no crazy smell, white/greyish smoke (it was already dark so the flashlight might have affected our perception of the color). I panicked a bit, turned off the engine and started looking where it could be coming from. There are no wires is that area and it was coming from where the exhaust manifold is. I've checked whether I've bolted it correctly but it was fine. Also if it wasn't bolted it would probably be super loud. I've started the engine again and after a minute we saw the smoke again for couple of seconds and then in disappeared. I think what happened is that there might have been water condensation inside the exhaust manifold splash guards that evaporated. Or maybe some coolant - when I was pulling the engine I spilled some for sure. I'll keep watching it. Anyway, so far after 50km no leaks at all. I'll keep watching it closely. The goal was to drive this car till it has 500kkm but I am no longer commuting that far (used to do about 55kkm a year) so the chassis will probably rust and fall apart before the engine will say goodbye... And that's the end. First time doing this job so it took me a lot of time but it was actually fun and I learned a ton about the EJ253 engine. I like it more than before=)
  6. I've just finished this job on my '08 Legacy 2.5i. I used Mahle MLS head gaskets. The procedure is the same as for single layer gasket.
  7. I've found that the Mahle gasket set does not include oil pump o-ring (the one between the block and the pump) so while I was waiting for it I did the intake manifold. Finally I have the o-ring Oil and water pump mounted Contitech timing kit Timing marks
  8. All the parts lubed and ready to be assembled Cam cap sealing - Permatex 599 Block heater installed to help with the cold starts Oil pan gasket Oil pan mounted Cam seal front Cam rear seal
  9. Old oil pressure switch was leaking so I replaced it. I would like to get a proper oil pressure gauge but I'll do it next time. Access to this sensor location is fairly quick Is it normal that the cylinder honing is still visible after 243kkm? Driver side first: head gasket Bolts dropped, well oiled Halfway through the sequence, heads marked before angle torquing Head torqued Passenger side: Torqued:
  10. No I haven't. I reused the bolts. The sequence I used: - oil the bolts really well including the head and washer - I skipped the initial tightening and reversing, in alphabetical order: 1. tighten all bolts to 11 ft-lb 2. tighten all bolts to 21 ft-lb 3. tighten all bolts to 31 ft-lb 4. tighten all bolts by 90° 5. tighten all bolts by 45° 6. tighten A and B by 45° We'll see how it works out =)
  11. Final stage of cleaning up the parts... Oil pump Cam cap Oil Pan Heads are back from the machine shop Bottom side Intake ports Exhaust ports with the bolts reinstalled 2 out of 3 came out of the heads. I've cleaned them with wire wheel and reinstalled using Loctite 242.
  12. For the head gaskets I've bought the MAHLE HS55016B Kit: And this is everything that will go in: MAHLE HS55016B Head gasket kit CONTITECH PP307LK2 Timing kit with water pump STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS V497 PCV valve - made in Japan AISIN THF003 (THF-003) Thermostat - made in Japan MAHLE JV5199 Front crankshaft seal - made in Japan MAHLE JV1666 Rear crankshaft seal - made in Japan NGK 5463 spark plugs - FR5AP11 - Subaru OEM spec Now I have to clean everything and reseal what needs to be resealed... I've started with the block, just a reminder how the it looked before: And after: For pistons I've used: old credit card as scrapper, small round punch to scrape/pry bigger carbon pieces and brass wire brush for the final clean up. For head gasket surface: old credit card and 400 grit wet sand paper. I've used water as lubricant and also to clean the sand paper often and wipe the surfaces with shop towel. I've check the surface after with the straight edge and 0.002" feeler gauge and it didn't fit so I think I'm good here =)
  13. The work is continuing but a bit slower now... Shortblock: Oil Pan is down: it took some convincing to get it down: Oil Pan surface on the block PCV is down - had to use impact to get it off. As expected the old is dirty and it is sticking. It's not stuck but it takes considerable force while shaking to get it to move. The new one is smooth. The old one was on the car for 243kkm, given that it's still probably "decent". Rear main seal - it is OEM but it was sweating a bit I bought a MAHLE rear main seal - made in Japan: Cleaned and installed: Water crosspipe surfaces before: And after:
  14. 1. I plan on using the Permatex Ultra Grey 2. Since I have another AISIN pump, I'll change it. What does it mean when coolant is coming out of the weep hole? 3. I'll reuse them. Should follow all the steps in the torque sequence or just the second part? 4. I bought MAHLE head gasket kit. The head gaskets are MLS. I'll add some pictures later....
  15. Yeah, you're quite far away. I'd like to check some LGT. Wouldn't mind upgrading to it one day but 2.5i is a good daily driver. Head bolts: I know that a lot of people use ARP bolts here but I don't know. I've read a ton of forum posts and the FSM and I've decided to reuse the bolts. Looking at the installation steps: From what I've read when reusing bolts people are skipping steps 2, 3 and 4. So I'll just oil them, tighten the bolts (in order) to 31 ft-lb, followed by 80-90deg, followed by 40-45 deg, followed by 40-45deg on (a) and (b) only. With ARP bolts: do you have to buy new ones every time you take the head off and reinstall it?
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