2005 Legacy GT Back to Life Thread

Hey all!

I recently picked up a 2005 LGT 5 speed with bad rod knock. I haven't torn into the motor as of yet, but starting a build thread and looking for some pointers/ thoughts as to which direction to go.

I recently found a local seller with a full running long block (minus turbo) from an 06' wrx (EJ255) with a new gates timing belt and water pump with roughly 80k on the motor (good compression etc).

From researching (correct me if I'm wrong here) but engine wise 05-06 LGT and 04-06 WRX/STI are identical except intercooler and turbo. Yes, same long block, but slightly different heads? Or is the only difference just the intercooler and turbo? From reading people have done cross referencing on part numbers between the LGT and STI of these years. and they appear to be the same.

So my main question here is...Would it be worth picking up that motor from the 06' wrx, and adding a vf52, with supporting mods, intercooler, tune, etc and swapping it into the 05' LGT or would just rebuilding the current motor that is in it be a better idea? Since Subaru's are basically Legos as far as swapping parts around is it safe to assume that the current ecu in the car should work with the 06' wrx motor, it will need a retune, because the wrx motor has different injectors, heads, and the cast, vs plastic intake manifold, and turbo?

The thing that is really tempting with wrx motor is the fact that it is a running motor, that has the potential of being directly swapped into the car so it could be back on the road in a shorter time frame. I'm a firm believer in doing things right and not cutting corners. Just looking for some thoughts on this potential swap if it would be an pain in the *** or fairly simple once the supporting mods are done.

Another thought would be if the motor swap as mentioned above would work I would plan to tear down the current motor and rebuild it and sell it on the side or find another Subaru in need of work and swap it into that.

Sorry if this is confusing, just tossing a couple different ideas around...

Or for a third option is I have an 08' STI short block (with a spun bearing on #3) that I was planning on rebuilding for a forged build for my 13' STI, but it could be utilized in this project too...

Link to a NASIOC thread where I found the LGT/STI info.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1594587

You'll want to read my click here link in my sig, I love my vf52 on stock fueling. BTW, I'm still on stock pistons almost 75,000 miles later.

Subscribed! Are you running the LGT heads or STI heads on your build?

Sent while redlining all of the gears

The legacy GT heads that came on my car.

The STi heads are dual ACVS and you have to do block off plates and a few other things, IMO not worth the hassle.

The legacy GT heads that came on my car.

 

The STi heads are dual ACVS and you have to do block off plates and a few other things, IMO not worth the hassle.

Thanks for the info! What is your opinion on that wrx motor? Think it would be a good idea to go that route or build the 08 short block with the lgt heads and sell the lgt short block.

Sent while redlining all of the gears

I think it should work.

PM Jmp6889928, He may know.

Other good sources are Underdog PM him,

Mike at www.AZPinstalls.com

Mike at www.infamousperformance.net

Mike at www.tuningalliance.com

Mike, who is BarManBean PM him

Yea I know its a lot of Mikes....

Hey all! Made some decent progress on the lgt disassembly over the past few days! Good news is the oil and coolant were still seperate, so no holes in the block! Currently have the intake manifold, tgvs, fuel rails, wiring harness and all of the other accessories off of the motor (ac compressor, etc.) All that is really left to remove is the downpipe off of the turbo and hook the engine to the hoist and pull the pitch stop and motor mounts and it should be out!

Also the turbo doesnt have any shaft play in any direction and the car has B25 heads.

I also pulled the drivers side timing belt cover and the belt is still good and tight and not broken so thats a plus too....So at this point I'm still pretty sure at this point the motor has a spun bearing, not sure what cylinder but time will tell I guess...

On a side note, adding a few photos of the progress from the phone so hopefully they will work!

Sent while redlining all of the gears

Tell me you lifted the intake system as a unit and didn't take it all apart ?

you can see mine here,

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x40/92Si/DSCN4741.jpg

Yea I pulled the tgvs, fuel rail, and intake manifold as one piece.

Sent while redlining all of the gears

Definitely will make sure. I'll have to find some new hard lines that cross under the intake manifold, the current ones are pretty rusty.

Sent while redlining all of the gears

Hey All!

Been doing a lot of research the last few weeks on what direction to go with the motor build and turbo upgrade.

After looking at other members builds, I'm leaning towards around a 400hp/400tq setup for an autox and road course machine. After reading a few threads (correct me if I'm wrong) but the 05' LGT shares very similar transmission gears as the 04'-06' STi. Is it safe to assume that the transmission could handle 400tq without munching itself? Say adding the moore performance blast plates as a preventative measure. I don't plan to launch the car but as mentioned above I plan to autox and road course the car. Just seeing many threads of people running over 400hp on a stock transmission without and modifications (besides transmission mounts).

Just looking for someones input with running a similar setup.

For the guts of the motor build I'm looking into the following:

New OEM 2.5 Forged Crank

Weisco Pistons

Manley Rods

New ACL Crank / Rod Bearings

ARP Head Studs ~ Would ARP Case Half Bolts be needed for a 400hp setup or would new OEM work?

New Gaskets, Oil pump, etc...

Tumbler deletes? Is it really necessary?

The plan with the motor is to "overbuild" it slightly to allow for some future growth, ex safe to handle 450hp/450tq.

Clutch: Still Researching this.... ACT, Spec, South bend...

Brakes:

Stainless Lines

Hawk Hp plus pads

StopTech Rotors, Or Brembo Rotors

Fueling:

E85

Top Feed Fuel Rail Conversion

FIC 1100 CC Injectors

Either AEM 320lp or DW65c Fuel Pump

Turbo:

This is another part of not sure which direction to go....As of now I plan to stay stock location, and no go rotated.

I read a lot into the SteamSpeed STX-71. Seems to be a very nice upgrade and from what I've read other members are happy with it. It appears that with proper modifications, tune, fueling etc, 400hp is very attainable with this turbo.

The BNR-20G is also very tempting. I know a lot of people in the Mazdaspeed community running the BNR S4 turbo and they like it a lot. ~ Had an 07' speed3 prior to the sti. Such a derpy, fun car, but fail wheel drive..

Another turbo that is interesting is the Garret gt3082. A good friend of mine mentioned this turbo as a nice median between a gt3071 and a gt35r. More research on this one as far as going rotated or if it would fit stock location.

As of now this is the direction I hope to go towards. There still is a lot of stuff to research, but I thought I'd post a little update.

I wouldn't worry about the ARP case bolts personally. The higher strength case bolts which require higher preload can distort the main bearing bores and their alignment, neither of which is a good thing for engine longevity. On the flip side of that, anything you can do to stabilize the engine case will help with longevity and help the engine withstand higher power output. If you install the high strength case bolts, and the main bearing bore distort, then you need to have the main bearing bores line bored which is a pretty risky operation unless the machinst is very competent in the operation on these engines.

Just my $0.02, and others with more direct experience with these engines may chime in and disagree.

I wouldn't worry about the ARP case bolts personally. The higher strength case bolts which require higher preload can distort the main bearing bores and their alignment, neither of which is a good thing for engine longevity. On the flip side of that, anything you can do to stabilize the engine case will help with longevity and help the engine withstand higher power output. If you install the high strength case bolts, and the main bearing bore distort, then you need to have the main bearing bores line bored which is a pretty risky operation unless the machinst is very competent in the operation on these engines.

 

Just my $0.02, and others with more direct experience with these engines may chime in and disagree.

Thanks for the input!

Sent while redlining all of the gears

Have you built a motor by yourself from the ground up before? Maybe I missed it earlier in the thread. Also, you normally pull these motors as a package rather than stripping down in the engine bay -- one of the easiest pulls you will find.

Given where you are at, you may not have looked at the factory service manual yet. Suggest you do. It explains all this. A few places we do things a little differently, but mostly it is reliable.

Have you built a motor by yourself from the ground up before? Maybe I missed it earlier in the thread. Also, you normally pull these motors as a package rather than stripping down in the engine bay -- one of the easiest pulls you will find.

 

Given where you are at, you may not have looked at the factory service manual yet. Suggest you do. It explains all this. A few places we do things a little differently, but mostly it is reliable.

This will be the first Subaru motor I've built from the ground up, but I have helped/ built mzr motors from mazdaspeeds. Thanks for the input on the factory service manual. As far as pulling the motor. I wanted to take the accessories off to make room to pull it, but I guess I didn't really need to is what you're saying.

Sent while redlining all of the gears

About the only thing we do different from the factory manual is to not open up the AC circuit. You can bend the hoses and strap it to the LHS firewall. Ditto the PS pump and associated hoses. Don't forget the ground straps under the engine -- one on each side. Sometimes separating the block from the belhousing goes hard if the engine has not been out before.

Once you have it out, if it is going to be a long time out (and rebuilds ALWAYS take longer than you expect) untangle the PS and AC hoses to take the kinks out and hang the accessories safely in the engine bay. Also, pick up a new red o-ring at the dealer for the low pressure feed line to the PS pump. They almost always leak when you manhandle them like that. Simple insurance against a messy and sometimes hard to diagnose leak later. Nobody has yet found a generic replacement.

Good luck. There are at least 3 rebuilds going on here at any time so lots of experience.

Ditto on leaving the PS pump and AC compressor connected and in the engone bay. Totally do-able with just those things off.

The transmission will put up a fight when you try to separate it from the motor if it's never been apart, but a sharp chisel and a few good whacks with a hammer will get them apart. The engine/tranny mating surface isn't super critical so a few scratches or even missing material won't jeopardize your motor.

Sent from inner space.

Ditto on leaving the PS pump and AC compressor connected and in the engone bay. Totally do-able with just those things off.

 

The transmission will put up a fight when you try to separate it from the motor if it's never been apart, but a sharp chisel and a few good whacks with a hammer will get them apart. The engine/tranny mating surface isn't super critical so a few scratches or even missing material won't jeopardize your motor.

 

Sent from inner space.

Yea I left the ac and power steering pumps connected and slung them aside.

Sent while redlining all of the gears

any updates Max.. I'm in about the same exact boat you are..

Just bought Mechanics Special ( I'm a drafter not a mechanic ) Trying to split the engine trans now.

any updates Max.. I'm in about the same exact boat you are..

Just bought Mechanics Special ( I'm a drafter not a mechanic ) Trying to split the engine trans now.

Pretty common issue the first time. There is a small spot up by where the starter came off that you can get a pry bar in and work your way around from there.