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VF52 swap in my 2005 LGT with 105k, Questions...


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Whatsup Everyone? Just looking for some helpful input!

 

I have an 05 Legacy GT with just over 105k on it.

 

Went stage 2 about 20,000 miles ago (Invidia Catless UP/ERZ Catted DP/Cobb OTS Stage 2 91 Map)

 

Turbo inspected at the time of the exhaust upgrades and appeared to be in near perfect shape given the mileage, with very little to no shaft play.

 

Two days ago i left my house and about 10 miles from my house got the infamous "CEL and Flashing Cruise Control lights" you know the P0011 Code.

 

Although my car remained to drive perfect, i turned around right away and headed home(staying out of boost), parked my car in my driveway where it has now sat for 3 days.

 

To Start off i know i need to inspect my Oil Control Valves. From what i have read many of you have had luck using wd40 to bring them back to life. So that is first.

 

Next, from what i know my banjo bolts still have the filters in them :eek::eek::eek: and they will be pulled, inspected, filters removed, bolts replaced, as soon as this snow storm passes.

 

After that i will of course drop the DP and remove everything else needed to reinspect my VF40 to see what has changed in the last 20,000 miles.

 

Now I completely understand that in the last 20,000 miles or so my VF40 could have been starved of oil, shit the bed, and my engine could possibly be completely f***ed and may have very limited time left on it. And if that is the case I understand what my options are.

 

I have already ordered a kit from Blackstone Labs and will be sending out my oil sample ASAP ;).

 

Because i am a positive person, I have gone ahead and purchased a VF52 Turbo from a 2013 WRX with 18,000 miles. (If my oil report comes back with bad news this turbo will be for sale...)

 

Like i said I am positive person, I really take great care of my vehicles (particularly my 05 legacy), and I am confident that whatever issue my car is having I have caught it before any real damage has been done. So my main question to all of you out there is... What hoses/gaskets/bolts/etc. should be replaced/added while swapping my VF40 for my VF52?

 

Now assuming all goes well I will need a tune asap. I only have experience with Cobb's OTS Maps preloaded onto my AP. I plan on purchasing an E-Tune to upload to my AP then to my car. My only issue is I know data logging is necessary for someone to create a Map for my car. So would i just install the VF52 and data log with this new turbo installed? Or do i need to bring my car somewhere to have this taken care of?

 

I have done a lot of research through out this forum and others hoping to not post any questions that have already been answered.

 

Any input or recommendations for anything involving this swap is highly appreciated. Thank you everyone!!:)

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If you're buying a e-tune they should be able to send you a tune that is setup for you car - ie 05 lgt, VF52 plus whatever other mods you have. When you install the VF52 you can install that map and then data log to dial the tune in. Keep in mind the injectors on your 05 will limit what you can get out of the VF52. Good luck with you oil analysis.
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If you're buying a e-tune they should be able to send you a tune that is setup for you car - ie 05 lgt, VF52 plus whatever other mods you have. When you install the VF52 you can install that map and then data log to dial the tune in. Keep in mind the injectors on your 05 will limit what you can get out of the VF52. Good luck with you oil analysis.

 

I sort of use Max Capacity's car as a baseline for what a VF52 can get you on OEM fueling. Overall pretty decent.

 

OP - look at the lines that connect to your turbo. See if any are brittle. I think the OEM turbo inlet and the oil return line are the popular ones to develop holes with age.

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If you're buying a e-tune they should be able to send you a tune that is setup for you car - ie 05 lgt, VF52 plus whatever other mods you have. When you install the VF52 you can install that map and then data log to dial the tune in. Keep in mind the injectors on your 05 will limit what you can get out of the VF52. Good luck with you oil analysis.

 

Ok cool, so it would be a little bit of a process, but i will get the tune first than with logging it will be able to be dialed in. I realize additional upgrades will be needed to get full potential out of the VF52 but i think i will be satisfied for now assuming all goes well with oil report, Thanks!!:)

 

I sort of use Max Capacity's car as a baseline for what a VF52 can get you on OEM fueling. Overall pretty decent.

 

OP - look at the lines that connect to your turbo. See if any are brittle. I think the OEM turbo inlet and the oil return line are the popular ones to develop holes with age.

 

Thank you I will def inspect all the lines before re attachment. I think there is a common one everyone replaces just not sure which one yet. I will be working on this through out the next couple weeks so i have some time to do a little more research, thanks!!! :)

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If you haven't done the timing belt / water pump / Thermostat. It's probably time.

 

The etune process is all about revisions. Usually takes about a month to get everything dialed in.

 

Timing Belt was done recently, i will def consider replacing these.

 

Ok so it's something i would go back and forth with the tuner until we are satisfied. Thanks for the info !

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OP - if you haven't seen this thread:

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/turbo-failure-wiki-173358.html

 

Preventative measures after failure. The turbo failing is very often not the end of the story. A great many people have suffered a second turbo failure shortly after the first and almost as many have reported an engine failure after the initial turbo dying. Chances are that if you have bearing particles in your oil you are going to have a bearing failure. You can try to prevent further problems with the following steps. Whether you take these steps or not you can still experience a second turbo or complete engine failure after the first, but it's cheaper and easier to try prevention than cure.

 

Banjo inspection / cleaning / removal. If one turbo has failed it’s wise to look for the cause before installing another and just driving the car. You should at the minimum check the banjo filter is present and see if it’s dirty. A dirty filter is a sign that the turbo may have been running on a restricted supply of oil and failed from starvation. You may decide if you want to wash and replace it or ditch it or choose another oil supply solution altogether.

Drain oil and check for contamination. A failed turbo bearing will probably leave contaminants in your oil. Left unchecked they will start to clog your oil filter and could pass either through or around it to cause more engine damage. Drain the oil and inspect it for bearing metal or steel leftovers from the turbine shaft.

Pan inspection / cleaning. A really caring owner might want to drop the oil pan to see if there is any bearing material lurking in there, which didn’t drain out with the oil. Normally you’d expect if there is bearing metal in the oil, the pan is also contaminated. It's been reported that the shape of the oil pan is so complex and there are so many places for metal particles to get stuck, that it's really impossible to clean properly even with ultrasonic cleaning, and only replacement will guarantee no contamination re-enters the lubrication system.

Engine flush. Whether the oil appears to be dirty or not, bearing debris can be present in the block and oil passages that didn’t drain out with the oil. A flush is a cheap way to help any such contamination to make it out of the engine.

Oil cooler replacement. The oil cooler module which sits above the filter is reported to have such complex and narrow passages inside that contamination can easily build up inside and while impossible to clean properly, that contamination can escape slowly over time. You might have flushed the engine and cleaned the pan, but still have contaminants coming out of the oil cooler between oil changes. Only replacement will fix this, and it’s a $230 or so part here or here.

Intercooler / intake manifold cleanup. If the compressor wheel has lost any vanes or parts of, take a look into the intercooler to see if they are loose in there. Nothing is likely to make it through the intercooler but better clean out any metal shards in there just in case. Anything that did make it through has either damaged something or not on it’s way into the exhaust. Either it did or it didn’t cause any damage.

Debris in downpipe. If you have a catted exhaust there may be metal shards in front of the first one. Shake them out before reinstallation.

Catted uppipe. Unrelated but well-documented issues with early cars having the cat in the uppipe come apart and destroy the turbine. While you have the turbo out for replacement, either gut the OEM pipe, fit a catless OEM pipe ('06~ WRX / '07~'09 LGT / any FXT or STi) or an aftermarket item. Note the stock cat is not ceramic and not as easy to hack out as the ones in the downpipes. Some owners have had a hard time removing it.

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You can run a VF52 on the stock map and be perfectly fine. I know two people that have done it. 05 LGT. And 07 LGT. If I were you, I'd just bolt up that turbo and drive it. If you want full potential go get a few more bolt ons then get a real protune on a dyno.
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You can run a VF52 on the stock map and be perfectly fine. I know two people that have done it. 05 LGT. And 07 LGT. If I were you, I'd just bolt up that turbo and drive it. If you want full potential go get a few more bolt ons then get a real protune on a dyno.

 

If you don't want to get a tune why go with an upgraded Turbo? Just stick with a rebuilt VF40 / 46. That's like putting on a downpipe and not getting a tune : waste of money and potentially harmful.

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You can run a VF52 on the stock map and be perfectly fine. I know two people that have done it. 05 LGT. And 07 LGT. If I were you, I'd just bolt up that turbo and drive it. If you want full potential go get a few more bolt ons then get a real protune on a dyno.

 

This is terrible advice, and will almost certainly lead to needing a new engine in the near future.

 

Larger than stock turbos REQUIRE a tune. Period.

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If you don't want to get a tune why go with an upgraded Turbo? Just stick with a rebuilt VF40 / 46. That's like putting on a downpipe and not getting a tune : waste of money and potentially harmful.

I will definitely be getting a tune

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This is terrible advice, and will almost certainly lead to needing a new engine in the near future.

 

Larger than stock turbos REQUIRE a tune. Period.

I completely agree, a tune will be loaded before my car even turns back on

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if the turbo shit itself-

 

Pull the oil pan and inspect for metal

Pull valve covers and inspect for metal

Pull oil pump and inspect oil galleys for metal.

 

Recommended to replace the oil cooler, oil pump, and your choice on the intake cam gears and the ocv's.

 

Depending on if the compressor wheel hit the housing, inspect, clean or replace intercooler.

 

When the turbo is off, pull any studs in that mount the turbo to the uppipe and replace with regular bolts. Makes installing easier.

 

Also, consider grimmspeed extra thick exhaust gasket set

 

recommended reading

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/p0011-p0022-and-blown-turbo-139013.html

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if the turbo shit itself-

 

Pull the oil pan and inspect for metal

Pull valve covers and inspect for metal

Pull oil pump and inspect oil galleys for metal.

 

Recommended to replace the oil cooler, oil pump, and your choice on the intake cam gears and the ocv's.

 

Depending on if the compressor wheel hit the housing, inspect, clean or replace intercooler.

 

When the turbo is off, pull any studs in that mount the turbo to the uppipe and replace with regular bolts. Makes installing easier.

 

Also, consider grimmspeed extra thick exhaust gasket set

 

recommended reading

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/p0011-p0022-and-blown-turbo-139013.html

 

I will make sure to do all of those as well, What gasket are you referring to from grimmspeed?

 

And I read through that thread and see that possibly his main problem was just low oil pressure, but what was it caused by? and the OP never returned to tell what happened. The OP also drove around for thousands of miles after first getting the code, my car hasn't been driven no more than 15 miles.

 

Thanks for all of your recommendations!!

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For the gaskets he means for the uppipe/downpipe connections. grimspeed makes a double thick gasket (twice as thick as OEM) which seal really well and hold together better

 

found here

 

Should I replace all the gaskets even if they were replaced 20,000 miles ago?

 

I don't see a double thick uppipe to turbo gasket or downpipe to turbo gasket...

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Should I replace all the gaskets even if they were replaced 20,000 miles ago?

 

I don't see a double thick uppipe to turbo gasket or downpipe to turbo gasket...

 

I would only replace the gaskets you need to. if you arent separating the joint where the gasket is, dont replace it. but if you are separating something, you will need a new one, so i would get the grimspeed ones. never reuse a gasket.

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BTW - The VF52 requires a different restrictor pill so make sure you got the right size. Can't recall which one off the top of my head.

 

if anyone can help me out with some info on this it would be greatly appreciated... Really don't know much about restrictor pills and what they do...

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I will make sure to do all of those as well, What gasket are you referring to from grimmspeed?

 

And I read through that thread and see that possibly his main problem was just low oil pressure, but what was it caused by? and the OP never returned to tell what happened. The OP also drove around for thousands of miles after first getting the code, my car hasn't been driven no more than 15 miles.

 

Thanks for all of your recommendations!!

 

Banjo Bolt filters clogged from what I remember in the 05-06 model years.

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Banjo Bolt filters clogged from what I remember in the 05-06 model years.

 

yes they will be pulled, inspected, removed, and the bolts will be replaced, from what I have read many people just remove the filter and re install and have had good luck.

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yes they will be pulled, inspected, removed, and the bolts will be replaced, from what I have read many people just remove the filter and re install and have had good luck.

 

That's what i'm hoping to have happen when i get my car back up and running.

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