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idosubaru

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Posts posted by idosubaru

  1. On 4/13/2024 at 3:12 PM, 93Nubski said:

    I got a vacuum leak on my 93 Impreza EJ18.. plastic tab broke off what looks like a solenoid maybe and the hose routes back to the air intake. Sorry bout the quality, had to whack the iPhone photo down so it would upload. Any idea on the name/part number? Or a way to fix this one? Think it’s making my car

     


    Intake hose.  Air cleaner hose.

    Valve. Solenoid. Intake solenoid.

    The EJ18 has some wildly confusing intake contraptions. The blow out on the intake hose you posted looks too big for a small solenoid hose - it’s more like egr Recirc size. But the broken solenoid is definitely a solenoid.

    Subaru online parts diagrams are fairly decent. I’d look those up for part names and number. Then search google or eBay or junk yards using those names and numbers. 
     

    This is just an example and not necessarily what you need but first thing I pulled up for example of a 1993 intake hose diagram  

    this may include the valve or solenoid you need:

    https://parts.wheelingsubaru.com/showAssembly.aspx?ukey_product=49227167&ukey_assembly=6021290

     

    https://parts.wheelingsubaru.com/showAssembly.aspx?ukey_product=49287214&ukey_assembly=6021122

     

  2. Turn very sharply on sweeping turns at 40+ mph both to the left and right. If noise goes away under that side loading it’s the bearing.  Not just during the sweeping turn. But even do a quick 1 second extra few degree turn while doing the sweeping turn to the right or left while turning. Noise will disappear during that momentary sharp turn at speed.  This is the most consistent test I’ve seen on ones that are relatively loud. 

    havw someone else drive and sit in the rear seat or hatch area and front passenger seat  it should be obvious which corner it is  

    An infrared temp gun on each rotor will tell you if one is much hotter than the other side. Take lots of readings at same point on rotor as the heat dissipation and readings aren’t consistent. But you’ll see a pattern and 30-100 degree difference. This doesn’t always work either but catches some that pass the “play” and typical bearing tests

    Moog bearing has a very good chance of failing again. I avoid aftermarket bearings and I’ve still seen numerous failures. Moog, Timken…even the “good” ones you just never know. I’ve never seen an OEM Subaru bearing repeat failure. And I use them far more often and on any car that’s likely to see a lot more years/miles  

    If you use after market bearings they have a lower failure rate if properly torqued.  The Subaru bearings can be zipped on and abused with an air gun and not torqued and walked in back forth to a rusty hub and never fail. I don’t use a torque wrench on Subaru bearings. Not one failure. Aftermarket will fail if they’re treated roughly, not installed straight and torqued properly.  Which speaks to their quality and all the more reason to avoid. But they are cheap so if you use aftermarket again clean everything up, install it straight and clean and torque it properly.

  3. On 3/27/2024 at 7:53 PM, GRNGBLN said:

    Hey guys, new to posting here and searched for threads but can't find my exact same problem.

    I have a 2004 impreza 2.5 ts that I swapped a motor from a 2000 impreza L. Mounted the exhaust manifold from the 2.2L and the intake manifold from the 2.5L. Only part not installed yet is the air box, so it's open from the throttle body. 

    Got all the wiring hooked up, engine cranks and there is a noticeable smell of fuel, but it won't run. Haven't tried much as I went home for the day right after this. I'm just curious if anyone has done this and experienced similar issues or knows a possible solution.

     

    Thanks :)


    If it’s not an installation error, it’s the sprockets. Check the timing marks? Fuel lines didn’t get mixed up?  
     

    Swap the crank and drivers side timing sprockets. 

  4. On 3/18/2024 at 10:19 PM, Juan H said:

    Transmission is on the car now, we only encounter that the rear differential it’s different where the axle inserts into the differential. Do we need to change anything on the rear differential?

    Well shoot, I'm unsure about the SVX

    The SVX has a rear LSD, I wonder if those axles are different. 

    My guess is you swap the rear diff guts. Which isn't hard nor does it take long...but I've never done it with an SVX so I'm unsure on what can be done or best approach.

    Here is what you need to end up with from swapping the guts between the two differentials:
    1. The ring and pinion from the forester (for the proper 4.44 gear ratio to match the transmission)
    2. the rear diff chunk from the LSD (because it'll properly receive your axles). 

    I'm just not sure which housing to use, either:
    A. install the Forester ring and pinion into the SVX housing.  The pinion bolts to the housing and the ring bolts to the (SVX) diff chunk. In this case you'd want new pinion seals and side seals.
    or
    B. install the SVX guts into the forester housing with it's original Forester ring and pinion. If you do this - you keep all the side caps, shims, everything identical in the SVX and swap them to the forester. In this case you'd want new side seals.

    B would be easier because you don't have to mess with the pinion which is kind of beastly and then you probably need to replace the pinion seal and maybe that messes with preload on the R&P? It might be better to keep the R&P within it's own housing....just a wild guess but that's also what I've always done. 

    The non-LSD housings (the forester) have little bumps inside you grind down so the larger SVX LSD chunk can clear the housing.  It's not as hard as it sounds.  Try to install the LSD chunk and you'll see it hits the bumps inside.  Knock that down with a grinder until the LSD fits.  It's not much and doesn't take long. 

    Another option might be some kind of axle swap or frankenstein axle, but I'm unsure if that's even possible.

    I've done these types of rear diff gut swaps to change gear ratios or swap LSD chunks, but I've never done it with an SVX or due to axle problems, so that's why I'm unsure. 

  5. 7 hours ago, Juan H said:

    My mechanic is pulling the bad transmission out of the SVX today so we can compare with the forester tranny, anything we need to keep from the SVX  to use on forester tranny? Thank you in advance 

    hold onto the bad trans until you know the donor trans pan isn’t dented and it doesn’t have toque bind. And it’s not missing the torque converter, stubby shafts, or shift switch on the passengers side. Usualky they just come with all that stuff but I’ve seen all of those missing or damaged before too. 


    but in general, Nope. They’re basically the same trans with slightly different guts inside and all that stuff usually stays with the trans  

    Torque bind isn’t uncommon so if you wanted you could save the rear extension housing (it’s like 6 or 8 easy bolts and it pops right off). It has the 4WD clutches and solenoid.

    Or just hold onto the trans At least until you drive it and verify the donor trans doesn’t have torque bind. Then throw it away or keep the rear housing if you have room. 

    make sure he knows how to properly seat the torque converter, if you don’t the oil pump will crack inside the trans. The torque converter and flex plate should not touch when the trans is bolted up to the engine and installed. The flex plate bolts will draw them together. 

    • Like 1
  6. On 3/10/2024 at 9:31 AM, nelstomlinson said:

    Well, I went looking for OEM boots and found this: GSP NCV66037XD Xtreme Duty CV Axle. They claim it's good down to -50F, and it is rarely colder than that here, just a few days a year. We'll see, I guess.

    It's good to know that the '96 and '01 axles interchange, thanks.


    -50F  haha, wow. The first question is - There’s lots of Subarus in Alaska I doubt they’re all replacing boots annually. Maybe they’re coastal and more moderated temps?

    I’d upgrade to OEM 00-04 OBW axles and new Subaru boots. No need to reinvent the wheel if those work. You can feel a difference between the 00-04 outer boots and 90s boots as soon as you remove them from the box. The material is way different and very robust.

    If yours is lifted,colder, both, or otherwise stressing the boots more than other Alaskans, I’ve seen a company years ago that made silicone boots from dimensions you send them. Don’t recall the name.

    The linked heavy duty axle is not a good axle. Might get lucky but They aren’t the first company that tried to sell a Subaru axle marketed like this and they won’t be the last. 

  7. On 3/8/2024 at 4:15 PM, db***** said:

    Thanks for the replies. Would be sweet if it worked. Might have to dig around and do more research. 

    Yeah it’s been awhile but 99 Outback/Legacy SUS is odd. The 95-99 Outback legacy engines all swap.  
     

    so it’s hard to imagine the trans doesn’t swap. But - I think those 99s have the Phase II trans.  If the trans has a spin on filter then it’s phase II. 95-98 didn’t have that.  
     

    also 95-99 all EJ25s swap except the 99 Forester and Impreza RS. And all 95-98 EJ22s swap electotncialky but the 99 EJ22 doesn’t for any of them even though the 99 EJ25 does swap with esrkier models for legacy/Outback. Just the 2.2 doesn’t in 99. 

    thoroughly confusing year. 
     

  8. Subaru OEM boots?  They’re way better than standard aftermarket. They don’t break in a year.  I reboot my Subarus when I get them and never have to do it again even after 100,000 miles. That never happens with aftermarket.

    if you’re using 90s axles upgrade to 00-04 Outback style axles. the boot material is better, particularly the outer boot, it’s “stiffer” and the outer boot has more convolutions. They have the tone ring on them, just tap it off with a hammer  it just sits on the ridge. They can even be left on but I remove them. They’re a direct swap into 90s EJ vehicles.  

    I’ve seen silicon boots for sale but I forget where. Google should find some. 

    • Like 1
  9. 3 hours ago, Mugwamp said:

    I see discussions about the known Subaru excessive oil consumption problem but I don’t see advice on what to do about it.  It spans 2011 to 2015 on Outback, Legacy, Forester, Impreza and Crosstrek models.    We bought a used Outback with only 61,000 miles and we have to add a quart of oil every month.   The low oil alarm always comes on at the worst times when my wife is somewhere far from home.  It’s a major pain!   There was nothing on the Carfax or Edmunds reviews.   My mechanic looked it up and gave me the “Service Bulletin.”  I think Subaru figured out they could hide it as “Service Bulletin” warranty extension rather than it being a recall that potential buyers would discover.   I called Subaru of America and they made me pay $200 for them to do an Oil Consumption Test.    They verified that the car is indeed consuming excessive oil, but then told me that they won’t help me.  Even though my mileage is well below the 100,000, the car is over 8 years old, so outside the warranty.   Pretty crappy.   The Subaru dealership wants like $5,000 for an engine rebuild to fix the problem.     

     

    Does anyone know what the actual problem is and how to fix it?   Is this something I can get repaired by a local mechanic at a reasonable price rather than the crazy expensive Subaru dealership?   Any other advice?  

    Piston rings. Not ideal to have another shop do it for a litany of reasons. Unless they’re very experienced in Subarus  

    subaru doesn’t even fix it, they just replace the entire short block  $2000 new block and $3,000 for new headgasket and reassembly. Costly but at least you get a good warranty out of the new block instead of just 12,000 miles and 1 year from a typical shop repair  

    the good news is they come with a 36 month unlimited mile warranty. Used to be 36,000 miles now I think it’s just 3 years no mileage limit.  That’s just the block, everything else, which practically speaking is just the headgaskets, would have the standard 1 year 12,000 mile warranty  

    Best fit solution: schedule a reasonable check and top off schedule you do routinely, don’t keep using the dash light. Top it off every Sunday or night you’re home or gas fill up, I see people checking oil at gas stations (I travel a lot), you’re already waiting for the pump anyway.

    When you change the oil, overfill it a 1/2 quart. The top fill line is extremely forgiving - if it wasn’t then every mountain, curve, steep boat ramp, hard braking causing the oil to rise on one side or slosh around would damage the engine. Pro tip: none of those damage the engine.

    Use thicker 40weight oil.  10w40.  Shoot as a test I’d run 20w-50 and see what happens.  But that freaks out the inexperienced oil nazis.  Either way - don’t use the recommended 0W-20 garbage  

     

  10. On 3/3/2024 at 2:39 PM, db***** said:

    Will a 4eat with sportshift from an 05 Legacy 2.5i swap into a 99 SUS if the diff, axles, and tcu are swapped with the transmission? 

    If it does work, the rear transfer solenoid bits are different and need swapped over. Those changed in 03/04

    The TCU won’t need swapped if the trans swap works  

    99 is an odd year. Outback engines are the same as 95-98 Outback engines. But I think the trans may have went to phase II in 99. 

  11. 23 minutes ago, DV-523 said:

    I have some sad news. Unfortunately, my wagon is being taken off the road.😔

    I moved out east to Ohio, and the amount of salt they dump on the road has dealt a killing blow to the GL. The rear wheel well as well as unibody frame that runs along the pinch weld is thin enough you can push holes in it with your fingers so I'm going to be retiring the car.

    On a happier note, I bought another White Loyale! This one's a 92 instead of an 89, and has a pushbutton instead of the dual range transmission, and a few other minor differences. It had been wrecked, but the damage was minor. It's originally a California car, so there is next to no rust on the car anywhere which I am VERY excited about and it's even had an underbody spray done to it. I'm making sure the paint is perfect top to bottom before I go anywhere in this car out here.

    one big drawback is that this car did not come with a title. looks like it's not been registered for some time, so I'm going to be trying to re-title it, but I'm not looking forward to all that paperwork. I've never done anything like that before, so any advice from someone who has gone through that process would be appreciated.

     

    Anyway, I'll try to get pictures here soon.

    I’ve rebuilt a ton of totaled cars which many people claim is hard, terrible, and fraught with danger and potential rejection or unknown problems and the state is out to get you. I’m an untrained DIY guy, never had shop classes or been in auto business. Never had a problem rebuilding a totaled car and getting a real title for it. It’s not a big deal. I haven’t done a title-less car but after the rebuilding process I wouldn’t be deterred if the right situation presented itself. I’ve seen the process listed looking at potential buys and other car protocols. The state tells you what to do - go do what they say. In my experience the inspectors and people involved aren’t as bad to deal with as many claim. They just want to see the I’s crossed and T’s dotted and nothing sketchy and you’re good. 

    • Like 2
  12. 20 hours ago, BruceyWV said:

    So since this thread I have swapped a 2008 CANBUS 5EAT 3.0 Outback final drive ratio. 

    I've also recently successfully swapped a 2013 Outback TR580 from 3.9 to 4.11 final drive without issue. 

    Planning out the 3.6 TR690 now and using the previous two as proof of concept for it. 

    I have a write up on the recent TR580 swap if anyone is interested. 

    https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/diy-outback-wilderness-or-cheaper-cvt-repair.564652/

     

    Hope this helps! 

    Nice work Brucey.  That's cool trying things. Keep it up. The guys at Hartsells on University got a kick out of inspecting the legacy I converted to FWD automatic just to do it.  You did the hard work but hindsight being 20/20 It seems risky to have an unforgiving data point downstream of the final drive output.

    I've got a 14 Forester parts car I was wondering if I could swap the trans into an outback....looks like it would work on what you're doing.   

    I ran into a police officer at the local highschool a week or two ago and he said "Dude I saw an XT6 just like yours, look at this picture".....it was mine.  Lol.

    • Haha 1
  13. 18 hours ago, carfreak85 said:

    What do you recommend for EAs?  I think ideally, one should run an oil with high ZDDP additives, or an oil designed for flat tappet engines.  The viscosity is more about temperature, but the additive package is important to consider as modern engines generally have a lot less friction than a 40-year-old design.

    run whatever you want, they're dead men walking anyway? 

     

    and hey I get it, it's not like it's easier to daily drive my XT6 than our 2016 outback. 

  14. On 3/1/2024 at 8:28 PM, BlueRidge said:

    Thank you both for the feedback. I'm pulling the intake manifold to create working room and going to try to repair before considering replace.


    I’ve repaired a few rodent damaged harnesses. Besides diagnosing and tracing them to under carpet wiring, or hidden areas, they were all easy repairs, never had repeat issues. One or three are broken completely, another is abraded, splice them all, wrap, and on your way.  Good luck!

  15. Is it covered under your insurance policy?

    That's in a very bad area and good chance it's causing the codes. 

    Splice the broken wires to repair or replace the entire harness, Subaru will have those in stock (i think). 

    Subaru will only replace the entire wiring harness, they will not repair the current harness.  At least all the dealers I know won't, maybe there's a few willing to "break the rules". 

     

    • Like 1
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