Subaru/Flannel chat: Bardmans Artisanal Oxygen Sensor Emporium & Bespoke Headgasketry

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Subaru/Flannel chat: Bardmans Artisanal Oxygen Sensor Emporium & Bespoke Headgasketry

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bull3964: Nov 18, 2000; DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.

Took the driver's side wheel off and tracked the brake fluid leak down to the lower piston.

That reman Duralast Autozone caliper lasted all of 6 months. Oh well, at least it's an easy swap and was a free replacement. Hopefully this one will last longer.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 00:00

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# ? May 13, 2024 04:46

MrZig: Aug 13, 2005; I exist onl because of Parias'
LEGENDARY GENEROSITY.

Got the car looking like a Subaru! 25 bucks for the pair of lights, plus some angled aluminum and wiring. All in under 60 bucks, I couldn't be happier. I may pick up two more.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 07:56

Slow is Fast: Dec 25, 2006

Looks great. Subaru's always need more lights.

If you find they bounce too much at speed, I suggest copying my design of 1/4 inch steel from the radiator brackets down through the grill. The honeycomb is perfect for getting brackets through.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 14:14

Seat Safety Switch: May 27, 2008; MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.; Pillbug

You can also isolate them pretty handily from the bar bouncing around by way of a strategically placed thick rubber grommet.

I've seen guys use the big thick firewall ones, for instance.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 15:25

Viking Blood: Jun 17, 2005; The hammer of the Gods will drive our riffs to new lands

How does 1 car simultaneously get the 3 worst cup holder designs in history?? (yes, I've owned an E39)

So I'm working toward getting my daughter's Foz up to my own maintenance standards. Trying to get rid of the unknowns, especially since it's a 13 year old car with 120k miles and with a dubious past and no maintenance history.

So far:
Brake job
New clutch
New timing belt/water pump/ idlers
New VC gaskets and tube seals

My next service will be a set of plugs and wires.

Is there anything else, unique to Subaru, that I should be looking to add to the agenda? Is the outrigger bushing upgrade a must? Will she turn gay from all the extra attention the Jeep girls are giving her now??

# ? Jan 14, 2013 19:04

daslog: Dec 10, 2008; #essereFerrari

Viking Blood posted:

How does 1 car simultaneously get the 3 worst cup holder designs in history?? (yes, I've owned an E39)

So I'm working toward getting my daughter's Foz up to my own maintenance standards. Trying to get rid of the unknowns, especially since it's a 13 year old car with 120k miles and with a dubious past and no maintenance history.

So far:
Brake job
New clutch
New timing belt/water pump/ idlers
New VC gaskets and tube seals

My next service will be a set of plugs and wires.

Is there anything else, unique to Subaru, that I should be looking to add to the agenda? Is the outrigger bushing upgrade a must? Will she turn gay from all the extra attention the Jeep girls are giving her now??

What is the year, model, and engine?

# ? Jan 14, 2013 19:07

Viking Blood: Jun 17, 2005; The hammer of the Gods will drive our riffs to new lands

Sorry, 2000 L with the NA EJ25 5MT

# ? Jan 14, 2013 19:14

FAT32 SHAMER: Aug 16, 2012

So in the next year or two I'm hoping to buy a Saab 9-2X Aero and have lots of fun with that. I know a lot of Subaru purists and Saab purists hate the car, however the primary reason for getting the Saab over the Subaru is that they are significantly cheaper and usually are maintained better, also it has a nicer interior, which is something that my girlfriend really cares about and therefore is something that I have to consider for half a second.

Anyways, can someone explain to me the pros and cons of the EJ207 versus the EJ255? My friend in Canada has an EJ207 with 20,000km on it, and while I know that it's the high-revving Spec-C JDM engine and the wank material of a good chunk of Subaru fanatics, compared to the EJ255, is it worth the effort that it'll take to drop into a 9-2X?

# ? Jan 14, 2013 19:16

Seat Safety Switch: May 27, 2008; MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.; Pillbug

You're asking a few things at once there, buddy. I'll share what I know but my only direct experience with an Aero is tearing a crashed one apart to provide for a swap.

Check the insurance on the 9-2X Aero. When I considered getting one to save money over a WRX wagon I found that some insurers didn't appear to have enough data on them and quoted me insane prices. I never bothered to progress far enough with them to see what their final prices would be as a result.

Body parts are going to be harder to come by than a normal Impreza as time goes on, though you can always swap in the normal Impreza parts (I've seen a few Imprezas with Saab 9-2X rear ends, even).

There are some pieces for the 9-2X Aero that the normal WRX wagon didn't get (STI steering rack with faster ratio, active head restraints, and something else that I now forget) but it's not a big deal.

Having been around for three EJ207 swaps into cars with dead engines (two EJ205s, one EJ253) they seem OK. The swap is harder than you think it will be; primary complaints that I've seen coming up again and again involve:

the air conditioning hard lines (interference with the larger STI top mount intercooler, though that's the case with any STI top mount swap and can be worked around),
wiring (which is somewhat lessened if you're going from an EJ205 to an EJ207, though you need to build a harness for AVCS),
alternator pulley/radiator hose/radiator fan clearance,
beeeeecause it has AVCS and (depending on generation) a VF30 you're gonna want to get all of those oil filter meshes out of there,
block heaters. Japan ain't got 'em.
the tune. Japanese gasoline just ain't the same as our gas, so you need to take things down a notch or two. Expect to get someone with a dyno and a copy of RomRaider to look over your tune and clean it up before you do AWD donuts out of the garage.

Fetishism for the EJ207 is probably originating from its super high redline, twin scroll turbocharger setup and general JDMness including wrinkle red intake manifold and lack of things like the TGVs. In Canada, it's available and easier to swap into a 2L car than a 2.5L engine would be. "Hybrid" builds (2.5L shortblock with 2.0L heads) are also common after someone has grenaded an EJ205.

Swapping an EJ207 into a car that formerly had an EJ255 is more difficult (wiring-wise) than swapping into an EJ205 car.

Every consumable and semi-consumable needs replacement when you're doing a JDM swap. Belts, plugs, clutch, flywheel, often hoses, engine grounds, do it all.

Considering that the problem with the EJ205 is often oil starvation leading to a spun bearing I would consider something to mitigate that risk before beating the absolute poo poo out of your brand-new (to you) engine. Oil starvation is even worse with an AVCS motor.

Additionally if you're running an STI top mount on a GD WRX you usually have to swap at least the splitter (if you're lucky and have an 06-07) or the entire scoop (for 02-05) in order to make sure air reaches the entire surface area of the TMIC and, you know, cools the inters. I have no idea what the deal is with the Aero scoop.

EJ207s are not necessarily Spec-C. They are almost all going to be coming out of v7-v8 STI sedans and wagons, which are fine.

My advice would be to not do a swap until you completely kill the EJ205 that's in the 2004-2005 Aero, or to not do a swap at all if you luck out and get an 06 Aero with the EJ255.

I would do these things if someone dropped an EJ205 Subaru in front of me right now:

Change the oil.
Replace the oil pan with a baffled one (such as a Killer B), maybe upgrade the pickup too while I'm in there.
Beat the living hell out of it until the neighbors call the cops.

Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Jan 14, 2013

# ? Jan 14, 2013 19:36

daslog: Dec 10, 2008; #essereFerrari

Viking Blood posted:

Sorry, 2000 L with the NA EJ25 5MT

I would do the head gaskets.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 19:52

FAT32 SHAMER: Aug 16, 2012

Seat Safety Switch posted:

You're asking a few things at once there, buddy. I'll share what I know but my only direct experience with an Aero is tearing a crashed one apart to provide for a swap.

Check the insurance on the 9-2X Aero. When I considered getting one to save money over a WRX wagon I found that some insurers didn't appear to have enough data on them and quoted me insane prices. I never bothered to progress far enough with them to see what their final prices would be as a result.

Body parts are going to be harder to come by than a normal Impreza as time goes on, though you can always swap in the normal Impreza parts (I've seen a few Imprezas with Saab 9-2X rear ends, even).

There are some pieces for the 9-2X Aero that the normal WRX wagon didn't get (STI steering rack with faster ratio, active head restraints, and something else that I now forget) but it's not a big deal.

Having been around for three EJ207 swaps into cars with dead engines (two EJ205s, one EJ253) they seem OK. The swap is harder than you think it will be; primary complaints that I've seen coming up again and again involve:

the air conditioning hard lines (interference with the larger STI top mount intercooler, though that's the case with any STI top mount swap and can be worked around),

wiring (which is somewhat lessened if you're going from an EJ205 to an EJ207, though you need to build a harness for AVCS),

alternator pulley/radiator hose/radiator fan clearance,

beeeeecause it has AVCS and (depending on generation) a VF30 you're gonna want to get all of those oil filter meshes out of there,

block heaters. Japan ain't got 'em.

the tune. Japanese gasoline just ain't the same as our gas, so you need to take things down a notch or two. Expect to get someone with a dyno and a copy of RomRaider to look over your tune and clean it up before you do AWD donuts out of the garage.

Fetishism for the EJ207 is probably originating from its super high redline, twin scroll turbocharger setup and general JDMness including wrinkle red intake manifold and lack of things like the TGVs. In Canada, it's available and easier to swap into a 2L car than a 2.5L engine would be. "Hybrid" builds (2.5L shortblock with 2.0L heads) are also common after someone has grenaded an EJ205.

Every consumable and semi-consumable needs replacement when you're doing a JDM swap. Belts, plugs, clutch, flywheel, often hoses, engine grounds, do it all.

Considering that the problem with the EJ205 is often oil starvation leading to a spun bearing I would consider something to mitigate that risk before beating the absolute poo poo out of your brand-new (to you) engine. Oil starvation is even worse with an AVCS motor.

Additionally if you're running an STI top mount on a GD WRX you usually have to swap at least the splitter (if you're lucky and have an 06-07) or the entire scoop (for 02-05) in order to make sure air reaches the entire surface area of the TMIC and, you know, cools the inters.

EJ207s are not necessarily Spec-C. They are almost all going to be coming out of v7-v8 STI sedans and wagons, which are fine.

My advice would be to not do a swap until you completely kill the EJ205 that's in the 2004-2005 Aero, or to not do a swap at all if you luck out and get an 06 Aero with the EJ255.

I would do these things if someone dropped an EJ205 Subaru in front of me right now:

Change the oil.

Replace the oil pan with a baffled one (such as a Killer B), maybe upgrade the pickup too while I'm in there.

Beat the living hell out of it until the neighbors call the cops.

The insurance for me would be $115/month compared to a WRX's $200/month and STi's $140/month(then compared to $90/month for my IRL). I guess since there are less of them on the road and they all seem to be driven by mild mannered suburbanites with no idea what they're really driving, I would reckon that they'll be cheaper to insure than Subarus.

What's the difference between the EJ205 and the EJ255? I assume that the EJ255 makes more power and is newer, and I'm shooting for an '06, you can get em for about $10,000 or less with less than 100,000 miles on em at the moment; a similar WRX or STi would run for at least $15,000-$18,000.

Another project that I thought would be cool (since we all know I love the JDM Forester STi) is getting a Forester and copying UF's friend's Fozzy, except not put an RB in it and ironically slap Chevy badges on it to see how many confused looks I get.

Cheers for the info man, I've been browsing the NASIOC forums for info on this since my probation and couldn't find much in the way of "useful" information

# ? Jan 14, 2013 19:56

Seat Safety Switch: May 27, 2008; MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.; Pillbug

Tusen Takk posted:

What's the difference between the EJ205 and the EJ255? I assume that the EJ255 makes more power and is newer, and I'm shooting for an '06, you can get em for about $10,000 or less with less than 100,000 miles on em at the moment; a similar WRX or STi would run for at least $15,000-$18,000.

Cat Terrist will be by to throw a bottle at my head for saying so, but the EJ255 is a better engine than the EJ205.

It has a bunch more emissions crap (air pump, etc), drive by wire throttle (which is quite nice once you've remapped it), standard AVCS, and some other features. The primary feature is more displacement (which really helps off-boost - my stock exhaust 06 with a basic protune reliably puts down more hp and torque than some bugeyes with a downpipe).

It also has a better oilpan (and a worse oil pickup - I would still, and have, installed a baffle and oil pickup in an EJ255 car) so you're slightly less likely to have EJ205 oil starvation issues. Still though, you want to keep an eye on it.

quote:

Another project that I thought would be cool (since we all know I love the JDM Forester STi) is getting a Forester and copying UF's friend's Fozzy, except not put an RB in it and ironically slap Chevy badges on it to see how many confused looks I get.

Chevy beat you to it.

Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 20:09 on Jan 14, 2013

# ? Jan 14, 2013 20:07

FAT32 SHAMER: Aug 16, 2012

Yeah, I believe they were only sold in India and they're only RHD. My dad had a company one for a weekend in Australia for some reason and really liked how it handled.

He dreams of building a 600hp Impreza after messing around with the Subaru based cars for a while haha.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 20:14

blindjoe: Jan 10, 2001

Ive done the 207 swap, but it doesn't matter because you aren't going to do anything anyways. Maybe you should ask some more about swapping a JDM forester into your saturn and a panel van. Sort of a 2 cars 1 engine swap.avi.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 20:59

FAT32 SHAMER: Aug 16, 2012

Curiously, not actually putting money into and working on a Saturn has given me a reputation of not actually doing any projects ever! :downs:

How do you like your 207 vs the other engines? Does the high rev limit allow for as much if not more power than a higher displacement engine can provide?

# ? Jan 14, 2013 21:07

Viking Blood: Jun 17, 2005; The hammer of the Gods will drive our riffs to new lands

daslog posted:

I would do the head gaskets.

Trying to avoid it, but yeah.

# ? Jan 14, 2013 22:07

CAT INTERCEPTOR: Nov 9, 2004; Basically a male Margaret Thatcher

Seat Safety Switch posted:

Cat Terrist will be by to throw a bottle at my head for saying so, but the EJ255 is a better engine than the EJ205.

Meh, 205 I can take or leave. 207? Now we are talking!

# ? Jan 14, 2013 22:16

blindjoe: Jan 10, 2001

Tusen Takk posted:

Curiously, not actually putting money into and working on a Saturn has given me a reputation of not actually doing any projects ever!

How do you like your 207 vs the other engines? Does the high rev limit allow for as much if not more power than a higher displacement engine can provide?

Power until 7500 rpm.

Also the AVCS gives a fair bit of low end just driving around. I noticed a huge difference when I had to switch to the USDM ecu with no AVCS.

Note that if you get a 06 car I don't think the swap is plug and play. It only swaps easily between the 205 cars. I think with the later cars you have to swap all the wiring (which is largly cut when you buy the swap).

blindjoe fucked around with this message at 23:07 on Jan 14, 2013

# ? Jan 14, 2013 22:42

jamal: Apr 15, 2003; I'll set the building on fire

You need to rev that to like 8500.

jamal fucked around with this message at 02:52 on Jan 15, 2013

# ? Jan 15, 2013 02:49

Neptr: Mar 1, 2011

Seat Safety Switch posted:

I would do these things if someone dropped an EJ205 Subaru in front of me right now:

Change the oil.

Replace the oil pan with a baffled one (such as a Killer B), maybe upgrade the pickup too while I'm in there.

Beat the living hell out of it until the neighbors call the cops.

How about just adding the Killer B windage tray? There's a few hundred $$ separating the two and I'm looking to do my first auto-x and HPDE in my new bugeye, so I've already got a laundry list of expensive things like a helmet, tires, brake pads...

# ? Jan 15, 2013 06:54

Seat Safety Switch: May 27, 2008; MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.; Pillbug

Neptr posted:

How about just adding the Killer B windage tray? There's a few hundred $$ separating the two and I'm looking to do my first auto-x and HPDE in my new bugeye, so I've already got a laundry list of expensive things like a helmet, tires, brake pads...

The windage tray might necessitate swapping to an EJ255/EJ257 pan, or at least that's what was supposed to be happening when I did my windage tray install. I don't know if that would be cheaper than the Killer B "ultimate oil pan" (but it probably would be).

# ? Jan 15, 2013 06:59

Slow is Fast: Dec 25, 2006

I did an oem STi pan and windage tray on my RS for relatively cheap monies

# ? Jan 15, 2013 17:18

THE BLACK NINJA: Mar 9, 2010

How much does power steering fluid volume get affected by temperature? On my 2011 STi with 15 k miles, it's reading low when "hot" and cold. I don't check it often enough, but it's always been full. Thing is, it's been less than 20f here for a while. So would the very cold ambient temps cause the fluid to read "hot min" even after a commute?

In other news I did some ice racing last weekend. Don't buy Michelin pilot alpins if you want to ice race.

# ? Jan 15, 2013 19:46

Farking Bastage: Sep 22, 2007; Who dey think gonna beat dem Bengos!

I saw this on reddit and it intrigued me.

It's a Lexus PCM with a blown cap. What I find interesting about it is, about 2003 pretty much every Dell pc on the market had motherboard failures due to someone in china installing a shitlaod of bad caps from a dumpster somewhere on new boards. I wonder how many automotive computers and thousands of dollars went down the shitter to replace control modules affected by that.

# ? Jan 15, 2013 22:42

Viggen: Sep 10, 2010; by XyloJW

Farking Bastage posted:

It's a Lexus PCM with a blown cap. What I find interesting about it is, about 2003 pretty much every Dell pc on the market had motherboard failures due to someone in china installing a shitlaod of bad caps from a dumpster somewhere on new boards. I wonder how many automotive computers and thousands of dollars went down the shitter to replace control modules affected by that.

That one isn't bulging - at least it doesn't appear to be. This is a different sort of failure.

# ? Jan 15, 2013 22:46

blk: Dec 19, 2009; .

Has anyone noticed wind noise coming specifically from the front door handle/lock area in their Impreza? I had to have a my driver's side door replaced and the wind noise is a lot higher than I remember. It seems to be coming from around the door handle/lock area, or where the b-pillar, glass and door all meet. The shop put new stripping on the replacement door but not on the body side, I don't think, so it could be that.

# ? Jan 15, 2013 23:55

Farking Bastage: Sep 22, 2007; Who dey think gonna beat dem Bengos!

I totally put that in the wrong thread. Oops

# ? Jan 16, 2013 17:49

Seat Safety Switch: May 27, 2008; MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.; Pillbug

It's okay, we're all friends here. Being a Subaru owner is more of a lifestyle than a strict affiliation.

# ? Jan 16, 2013 18:20

mulligan: Jul 4, 2008; I typed random avatar and this happened.

Subaru/Flannel chat: What was that noise? Did anyone hear that?

# ? Jan 16, 2013 19:33

Holdbrooks: Jan 1, 2005; NEAI 2015
RIDE ETERNAL SHINY AND CHROME
ONWARD TO THE HALLS OF RUSTHALLA

mulligan posted:

Subaru/Flannel chat: What was that noise? Did anyone hear that?

Nah, that's normal. When it stops is you should worry.

# ? Jan 16, 2013 21:11

stevobob: Nov 16, 2008; Alchemy - the study of how to turn LS1's into a 20B.

I loving love when it snows now, because the province runs the plows and in typical government fashion they take forever to get moving. My 8-minute commute turned into almost half an hour today. Business parks are lots of fun after-hours :toot:

edit: Not because of traffic, but because of wicked sick doriftu.

stevobob fucked around with this message at 01:39 on Jan 17, 2013

# ? Jan 17, 2013 01:33

Naked Bear: Apr 15, 2007; Boners was recorded before a studio audience that was alive!

Is there anything specific I need to look out for with relatively high-mileage Imprezas? I took a look at this one today, and it seemed to be in pretty good shape and drove well, no funny noises or anything. The battery was shot, but, eh.

I used to have a NA '02 wagon, but I only had it up to around 132k, so I don't really know what starts to pop up past 150.

# ? Jan 18, 2013 10:43

kaws!: May 25, 2008

Friggin "steelmate" alarm remote for the SVX died last night, no combination of charging or cursing it seems to work. But as I found out the stupid useless thing was connected badly and just pulling out the alarm control unit bypasses it completely and leaves me a spaghetti mess of wires under the dash and no working interior lights. gently caress yeah.

# ? Jan 18, 2013 12:17

daslog: Dec 10, 2008; #essereFerrari

Has anyone ever wired in some high quality USB charging ports on their Subaru? I'm not talking one of those crappy inverters, but something that can actually charge 2 devices just as well as if they were plugged in at the house.

# ? Jan 18, 2013 18:37

THE BLACK NINJA: Mar 9, 2010

A while ago I asked about tranny and rear diff fluids for my 2011 STi. I have some follow up questions.

I will use Subaru Extra-S for the tranny/front diff/center diff assembly. As I understand those use a common sump.

It was recommended in this thread that I use LSD oil for the rear diff. This is also what the dealer told me. However, I am reading that the 07+ STis have a Torsen rear diff as opposed to a clutch type. As a result, any GL-5 gear oil will do, namely Extra-S. the argument is that the friction modifiers in the LSD oil will lead to excessive slippage and the diff won't work as well. So my question is, which is best to use in the diff, and why? My dealer sells Extra-S and also the LSD oil so availability isn't an issue. I like the guy at the dealer and trust him mostly, but still... dealer meatball.

What I would really like to know is what the factory fill is. One person on another board claims that what came out of his diff before he put extra-s in it was NOT LSD oil. I personally wouldn't know the difference.

# ? Jan 18, 2013 18:43

DJ Commie: Feb 29, 2004; Stupid drivers always breaking car, Gronk fix car...

Torsen differentials don't need an anti-slip LSD additive.

# ? Jan 18, 2013 18:44

jamal: Apr 15, 2003; I'll set the building on fire

Yeah the only cars that need the Subaru LSD oil are the 04-07 STI and anything else with a clutch type diff. It's not going to hurt anything to use it though.

# ? Jan 18, 2013 19:19

FogHelmut: Dec 18, 2003

daslog posted:

Has anyone ever wired in some high quality USB charging ports on their Subaru? I'm not talking one of those crappy inverters, but something that can actually charge 2 devices just as well as if they were plugged in at the house.

This works pretty well for me.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005XRFRNU/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M3T1_SC_dp_1

# ? Jan 18, 2013 19:26

THE BLACK NINJA: Mar 9, 2010

Thanks to jamal and DJ (non grzy). I'm just going to with Extra-S for both tranny and rear diff then. Does anyone know if I need any special tools? I recall seeing a ridiculously sized Torx bolt on the tranny last time I was under there that looked like the drain plug. Anyone know what size that sucker is?

# ? Jan 18, 2013 21:03

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# ? May 13, 2024 04:46

Seat Safety Switch: May 27, 2008; MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.; Pillbug

Probably T70.

# ? Jan 18, 2013 21:15

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Subaru/Flannel chat: Bardmans Artisanal Oxygen Sensor Emporium & Bespoke Headgasketry

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