New '05 LGT 5MT Wagon Owner With a Plan

Greetings all. I recently purchased a decently clean OBP Limited '05 LGT 5MT wagon. I've been spending a LOT of time reading everything I can in these forums since then and figure I've learned enough to be dangerous. Always wanted one of these since I had an '06 WRX for awhile and while I loved that car, the Legacy GT just seemed like a better car to me and the wagon is the ultimate in fun + utility.

 

I'll try to keep this as brief as possible. Car has 176K on the clock and drives like a car with less. Everything is tight, no clunks or weird noises, trans is silent (but notchy/finicky shifter, of course). I think it has the factory short shifter. It has a Momo shift knob at any rate but the leather's peeling off so I'm replacing it. Pretty much no rust, decent paint but lots of dings & a couple small dents that I'm hoping a PDR place can take care of. In short, it should be a good foundation for a daily driver.

 

The engine was replaced at 101K miles. The PO said it started knocking a week after he bought it. He gave me paperwork from the shop he took it to. They bought a Subaru shortblock, a pair of heads, and a set of valves then assembled that and put it back in with a new clutch and timing belt. I have to assume then that the turbo, fuel injectors, and pretty much everything else has 176K on it.

 

Engine leaks oil from multiple places - valvecovers and crank or cam seals as it's coming from under the timing cover. The clutch feels weird - it isn't fully disengaged until it's mashed to the floor then not full engaged 'til close to the top of the pedal travel.

 

The goal is a fun and reliable daily driver and my budget is currently maxed out from the following: I have a friend who owns a shop that works on a fair number of Subarus and after talking to him about what I want to do and the shape of the car currently we've decided to pull the engine and go through it from top to bottom. Leakdown check, all new gaskets & seals, PCV system check (he says he's seen a lot of these cars get the PCV system clogged which forces oil out everywhere), timing belt, fuel injectors cleaned & flowed, new spark plugs and put it back together with the following upgraded parts & mods:

 

Invidia catless UP

VF52 turbo

Cobb catted DP

Borla CBE

AVO silicone turbo inlet & throttle body hoses

Bulletproof TMIC mod

Grimmspeed 3 port EBCS

Gutted TGVs

Remove filters from banjo fittings

AEM fuel pump

Exedy Stage 1 clutch

SMFW

TSK kit

 

I'm doing other stuff to the interior and suspension also, but let's start with the big stuff.

 

What am I missing or forgetting? I'm considering the IAG braided oil line kit for the turbo & passenger AVCS.

 

Will I need a new fuel pressure regulator?

 

I'm hoping I'm pretty much done spending money at this point, but if there's anything missing that will make the difference between dependable driver and troublesome albatross around my neck, I'm all ears.

 

I've been talking with a tuner I got hooked up with through these forums and the goal is a safe tune that I can drive anywhere. We have 93 octane here but I might drive to CA of somewhere where only 91 is available. I don't have a particular HP goal in mind, just want it to be faster than my (all stock) WRX was and reliable enough to drive anywhere at any time.

 

Should this be in the turbo powertrain forum?

 

Thanks!

Welcome to the Forum. Sounds like a good plan. except, your stock oil feed line should be fine, my vf52 has been very happy with the OEM oil feed line.

 

Your FPR will be fine, mine is with the AEM 320 and stock injectors.

 

I would do a stage 2 clutch I have great service out of Spec Clutches 2+ clutch.

 

I would do a Invidia catted DP as they are less money.

 

My wagon has the OEM STS and MOMO steering wheel and knob. They were put in by the dealership when I ordered the car.

 

For the 91 octane, just drive the car easy until you can put 93 back in it. It's really not the big thing you think it is. The car will drive ok on 91 for the short time.

Welcome aboard. It appears you have done your homework, which is good. Best of luck with the re-build and all the new goodies.

I know invidia and Cobb downpipes have different outlet diameters. Not sure what the borla catback inlet is, would be nice to have the two pieces match. There are adapters, but it's one less piece of the puzzle to need.

I use the Grimmspeed 2X thick 3" exhaust gasket and red RTV on the gasket to mate the Invidia DP to the stock midpipe.

 

I also use 3/8 nut's bolts and washers at the flange.

 

Also, use anti-seize compound on all threads.

Thanks for the welcome, folks!

 

Max Capacity - I've read a lot of your posts since you have quite a bit of experience with the VF52. Hoping to emulate your success!

 

I decided on the Cobb DP for several reasons. Originally I was going to go with the Invidia because it's cheaper and is a straight-through 3" design then use an adapter to mate it to the Borla CBE as it's designed to mate to a stock DP (2.5" I think).

 

But, the Cobb has some advantages. According to my tuner, and confirmed by Import Image from whom I ordered most of this stuff, the Cobb has a better catalyst that will last longer and perform better. It also has two O2 sensor bungs where the Invidia only has 1, and I need 2 for the wideband I'm installing and the factory 2nd O2 which my tuner wants to keep. And finally, the Cobb necks down to the stock size right at the outlet so will mate to the Borla exhaust without any adapters. Longer cat life, no need to weld in another bung and no need to purchase a separate adapter made that decision for me. It will also be easier to replace the cat in the Cobb when it eventually goes since it's way down under the car and most any exhaust shop could cut it out and weld a new one in pretty easily.

 

As for the clutch- I read every thread I could find about clutches on here, and that's a lot of reading. What I came away with is the feeling that people either have great success or no success with their aftermarket clutch installs. The Exedy seemed to have the least amount of negative feedback towards it, and since they are an OEM manufacturer I figured they had the best chance of producing something I wouldn't hate. Not too worried about it holding the power, I'm very easy on clutches and never do clutch dumps. My WRX still had the stock clutch in it when I sold it at 168k miles and the clutches in my other vehicles all last a good long time. Learned to drive in a 1970 SS350 Camaro with an M-21 way back in '84 and have owned manual trans cars & trucks the majority of the time since then.

 

The car is scheduled to go into my friend's shop next Tuesday and I'm supposed to get it back on the 24th. I'll be out of town from this evening 'til Sunday, so have a great weekend everyone.

Post up pics?

I really need to get some!

 

All I have at the moment are these from my crappy cell phone the night I brought it home.

 

That dent is in the driver's side front fender. The picture makes it look worse than it is, but it's still pretty noticeable. If a PDR guy can't fix it I'll be wanting to get a new fender. Probably a dumb question: Are the Sedan & wagon fenders the same?

Yes, the front fenders and doors are the same.

 

 

 

Read the sticky's at the tops of the Forums lots of good info and links there.

 

They can get most of that dent out, but its on a crease, that will be hard.

Thanks Max Capacity. I've read quite a few of the stickies but must have missed the one with body panel interchange info.

 

I really need to find an OBP car with a straight driver's door and fender and just do a swap.

 

Dropped the car off at my buddy's shop this evening. I'll get some pics once they pull the engine. I'm going to get the TGVs and intercooler from them, modify them at home then give them back.

Edited May 15, 2019 by TMBLKDG

No sticky about body panels. I just know they are the same panels and doors.

 

http://www.car-part.com is the junkyard web site to search for what you need.

Well crap. My buddy texted me earlier and my compression readings are not good.

 

115, 125, 125, 140.

 

What the hell, this engine only has 75k on it. Is Subaru manufacturing junk replacement shortblocks?

 

I've asked him to research further to see if he can determine why the comp is low. He said valve problems usually result in much lower readings, which of course is making me think cracked ring or somesuch in that one cylinder.

This is turning into a real hassle. One of the reasons I bought this particular car is the paperwork the PO had that showed a rebuilt engine was installed about 75K ago. I figured a car with a relatively fresh engine would be the best foundation for my plans. Now it looks like I need a new shortblock.

 

The biggest issue at this point is that my buddy's shop doesn't really do custom work. It's a very busy, successful shop and they stay busy and successful by sticking to a particular business plan, which is repairs, not customization. He'd already stepped outside his comfort zone by agreeing to install aftermarket exhaust parts and modified parts and ordering a non-stock replacement clutch and flywheel, etc.

 

If a customer comes in with a borked engine they would normally replace the whole engine. Disassembling an engine to replace just the shortblock, which is what my engine needs, isn't the kind of thing they normally do. It's not that they couldn't do it, but his crew isn't used to this kind of thing and as mentioned, it doesn't fit their normal business model. I'm hesitant to ask him to step too far beyond what he's already agreed to. But, I'm waiting to hear what he says. We talked yesterday afternoon and he said he'd research what options he can offer me today.

 

I wasn't counting on having to replace the damned engine and I don't have the room or the time to do it at my house currently.

 

Bleh.

Get a leakdown test done to really know what is wrong. Was the compression test done on a warm or cold engine?

Test was done warm.

 

I've asked for a leakdown on that cylinder, but the bottom line is it's not likely a valve problem unless it's *just* starting to go bad - burned valves generally produce lower numbers than that. A headgasket issue would have to be really bad to get a number that low and there would be other signs and symptoms of a bad head gasket if it was that bad (and there aren't), so that leaves rings as really the only thing that would cause something like that without any other symptoms.

 

The engine burns a lot of oil and there is a lot of blowby which is likely why it's leaking from just about everywhere, which also points to rings.

It sounds like you need to find a different mechanic for the engine.

It sounds like you need to find a different mechanic for the engine.

 

 

I might. I'm waiting to see what he can cook up for me. He's a good, longtime friend and he's been going out of his way to help me with this so I owe him a chance to put a plan together.

 

Should know more by end of day today.

The mystery deepens. Wet compression test didn't change numbers significantly. Leakdown test showing 10%, 6%, 6%, 4%. So, maybe it is valves after all. Heads have been sent to machine shop for evaluation and leak testing.

Bit of good luck today. Found a guy selling a VF52 on Craigslist. The price was a bit high for a core but not terrible so went for it. When I got to his place it turns out he also had the complete intake/TGVs/fueling parts from a '13 Forester XT. I got all of the fueling parts (TGVs, injectors, rails, pipes & hoses & mounting hardware, FPR, dampeners, etc) thrown into the deal for $80.

Good deal, sounds like that trip was worth it.

Ok so what did u find out? Cracked ring lands? That would explain low compression and high oil consumption and the motivation of the previous owner to sell

Haven't found anything out yet. The project kind of got put on a back burner as my buddy and I were out of town all last week. Should have some info this week, I hope.

Looks like we found the compression problem. Shortblock appears to be good. One rebuilt set of heads coming up.

Is that a hole in that valve intake ?

looks like it, doesn't it?!? I don't think so though, that would be the weirdest thing I've ever seen in side an engine and the machine shop didn't say anything about that. Probably just a bit of carbon that flaked off.

 

The problem is the exhaust valves. The one at the bottom of the pic is obviously the worst but the other cylinders all have problems with exhaust valves that aren't seating properly.