What have you done to your car today?

Replaced the front anti-swaybar links in the Outback. Old ones had about a mm of slope in the rubber and were making quite a racket of noise. All clunks and clicks from the front end appear to be gone now!

All up it took about 15 minutes to replace.
I got these off eBay for $32 delivered!

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After a fantastic day out on the skidpan, the WRX has done it's last skidpan in it's current spec. Tonight I have taken it off the road (as opposed to off road) and will begin another upgrade. A new, bigger turbo with billet compressor wheel and new ID injectors have been ordered. New fuel rails and fueling system and regulator and silicon turbo inlet pipe will also be installed. Looking at around a 15% increase in performance- even if it has no trouble spinning all 4 at a motorkhana now. The old turbo has served me well but it is now time to move on.
 
12 Volt wiring to rear of Outback.

Finally got around to taking some photos of the 12 volt wiring I installed in the rear of the Outback early last year - a bit slack I know!:iconwink:

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Negative busbar and 6B&S wire is under the left luggage floor lining, as well as the 50 Amp Anderson plug to connect to the removable battery box, and the wiring to the 12 pin flat trailer plug, via the spare tyre well.

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Power for 39 litre Autofridge and a rechargeable battery starter is routed to two 30 Amp Anderson 'power poles' in the rear left quarter pocket, just above the location of the optional accessory (ciggy) power socket. The reason I have fitted the power poles here is that they are relatively easily damaged, so didn't want them sticking out of the side wall, as with the cigy socket.
The fridge connection also runs via a 12 volt timer clock at the top of the accessory pocket. This allows for the eutectic (phase change) cold panels in the walls of the fridge to be automatically frozen then the fridge turned off. Timer was a bit $$$ and needed help sorting how to connect it up, but it is much better than to risk losing the contents of the fridge by forgetting to swith back on if operating manually! But for the timer, I would've worked out a way to install the fuses without bringing the wires outside of the pocket wall.



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Photo showing location of fuses and connections to the timer. I will use the accessory pocket to carry my spare fuses etc.

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Detail of the power pole connection, showing wires running to the fuses.

I have ordered some power pole accessories from the US, this includes a 'plug' which will lock on to the lip of the power pole connector.

I will have all my accessories running via 30 amp power poles or the larger 50 Amp Anderson plugs.

Will get more pics up once I have the bits and get the modifications done.


I will also be modifying the fridge transformer - it is a Waeco unit - to take a weatherproof (i.e. rubber covered) power pole connector, rather than the cigy plug, which is a b!tch to keep tight anyway.
 
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Oil change - Penrite 10W70 & filter, replacement air filter & Iridium plugs. Clocked over 288,000 km on the way home, so I recon the plugs should get me to ~400,000 km, at which time, new belts, water pump, etc as well. That will probably be about mid 2013.
 
Long story short, I clipped a tree stump, bashed in the engine sump and pickup and bent the front tie bar. Boohoo huh.

So pulled the engine and doing a rebuild and turbo install and while the engine is out, going to cut out the tie bar and weld in a new one. I'm considering swapping out the steering rack for something better and need to do the front wheel bearings.

As for the turbo install, the engine is the NA EJ20 SF5 motor with comp of 10:1. I'm keeping this and running low boost (6-7psi), with a RRFPR to make the fuel system capable enough with a upgraded fuel pump. Building a custom parralel fuel rail system to reduce fuel starvation and I'll probably use a FMIC to keep intake temps down. There will be some EM issues to sort out too, but should be a fun project to keep me away from University lectures :lol: Should make decent fun power with high compression, low boost and a fast spooling turbo. When the motor eventually goes boom then I'll be scrapping the car all together.
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Been there and done that with smashing the engine sump in my 01 Foz :lol: I just took the sump off and smashed the bloody dent out. Luckily there was no damage to pickup. It did smash up the sump guard and I just recently got a Subaxtreme one :biggrin:
Wish I could turbo my motor like that :raspberry: The EJ20 N/A is ok but somewhat gutless.

Taza
 
Its more than gutless. Non turbo Subaru motors are just terrible. Reliable, yes...but utterly powerless.
I've basically had it with the Forester. Average offroad and average onroad. Once I blow this engine up I'll be ditching the whole lot and buying a impreza to be stripped, caged and converted to a track car...then I'll get a LandRover again for offroad duties.
 
Fair enough. Will it cost you much to turbo the EJ20 N/A? If not I might consider doing it too mine. Also doyou think it will last long?
Im very happy with my Forester except the lack of power does let it down both on and offroad. The 2.5 N/A is better and the 3.0l H6 is an excellent motor but a 2.0l for a car this size is useless.
Is yours manual or auto? I would of thought the auto would be really gutless eith such high gearing.
 
taza said:
Fair enough. Will it cost you much to turbo the EJ20 N/A? If not I might consider doing it too mine. Also doyou think it will last long?
Im very happy with my Forester except the lack of power does let it down both on and offroad. The 2.5 N/A is better and the 3.0l H6 is an excellent motor but a 2.0l for a car this size is useless.
Is yours manual or auto? I would of thought the auto would be really gutless eith such high gearing.
Click to expand...

Mine is manual, duel range. The 2.5 is definitely better and the H6 would be nice but it throws off the balance of the car too much and I'm note sure I'd like the way it handles...then again, a little extra weight over the front wheels might prevent the typical Subaru understeer.

As for turboing a NA motor. It's easy to do, cheap and reliable providing you don't over boost, you make sure the car delivers enough fuel and you have a knock sensor system to retard ignition if required...either that or use good fuel...or both :)

I've toyed with the idea for a long time and finally decided to do it. The car wont be used offroad or in the outback anymore so don't care about reliability. Just going to flog the crap out of it until it dies a painful death and then move on :raz:

Foresters are okay offroad and if you have something like the H6 Fozzy that Scott built then it's certainly even better...still, my stock 1973 Land Rover blows any Subaru away offroad and it cost almost nothing and I didn't have to modify it. Horses for courses, for sure...I'm just over fixing the Forester because I'm trying to do what it wasn't designed for :p
 
I only got a Subaru coz I didn't want a big expensive 4x4. But the monoey ive poured into it would probably be the same as the cost of one. But it is a nice road car and does good offroad now with the lift, tyres, sump guard, spotties, etc... Enough for what I want. I really would just like a front bullbar and more power.
Also my gearbox is on its last legs and the car has only done 154,000km. So thats gonna cost me somewhere between $1500-3000 to repaire or replace :( Looking at just getting a used one from a wreckers and replacing it myself with the help of another Subaru enthusiast in town :D

Could you put together abit of a guide to turboing your 2.0l N/A? Also how much roughly its going to cost you. I really could consider this. Or send me a PM please.
 
Read this:
https://www.rs25.com/forums/f7/t107798-phase-ii-2-2l-map-turbo-conversion-parts-list.html

Read the entire thread...twice...then read through as much as you can on that forum :p
Very good source of info from guys who've been there done that.

Maybe I'll do a build thread here on ORS

I'll be documenting my build but don't know how long it will take. As I haven't yet done it, I'm probably not the best source of info :)

But feel free to shoot many any questions mate :)
 
Obtained a replacement piece of sub-frame that bolts on to the front steering rack cross member. This is the piece that the bashplate is attached to.

While at the wreckers, picked up a replacement window switch assembly for the left hand window: that one was loose as a result of a broken lug.

Then removed the gauges assembly and clipped off the front to clear dust out of it then reassembled.

Also while at the wreckers obtained a replacement jack handle since the one I had was bent and twisted.

Little things, but they all add up.
 
Davidov nose dived the front of my Foz into a 1m hole some f**ker had dug out in the middle of a track, Took us an hour to get out in the dark :raspberry: All good now though.
Crappy phones pics to come.
 
Did the headgaskets yesterday on the motor. Now to do the seals and timing belt, rebuild the fuel system from scratch and reinstall her :)
 
my04tone said:
Thanks for all your help mate :cool:
Click to expand...

No worries.

In other news, took the Dulagarl to TruTrack in Nth Melbourne for the 5000km follow up visit from the wheel alignment. This visit is covered in your payment for a wheel alignment.

Vehicle only needed a minor tweak, and rides beuatifully.

Strongly recommend these blokes.

https://www.trutrack.com.au/index.html
 
Yesterday I was in the upper Hunter, and on the way there while stopped at road works I noticed the temp rising. When I took off it came straight down again so I suspected a blown fuse for the fans. I was on my way home- and for those in Sydney I was coming down the Putty Rd on the speed limit and temp gauge started going back up again, so it obviously was not the fans. I lifted the bonnet and found I had to add water- I stopped at what would have been the last house before the national park I think. It only needed a ver small amount and I immediately thought thermostat. But should I risk going down the Putty- which has almost no help for 160km. or back track through Singleton and take the freeway where if something happened there was more chance of getting help, but would be nightmare with traffic at the Sydney end?

Traffic of course would be bad for a car with cooling issues. So figuring it was the thermostat I took the Putty and for the next 100km or so it was fine. The n the needle started going back up again. I figures the thermostat was stuck, and thought back to when I stopped and it had righted itself. So I turned off the engine and coasted down the hills, and re-started it again at the bottom. I did this a few times and the thermostat become unstuck and off I went. I had to do this a couple more times but I made it home. Today I replaced the thermostat and top and bottom hoses, flushed the cooling system and added new coolant. Prior to doing that a TK test revealed all was ok, as did a pressure test.

Yesterday was one of those days. It started with a flat battery, and then I headed off. The gale force wind was blowing top soil across the road and created a dust storm you drove into and could not see anything until you emerged. Branches and small trees were blown over. The Putty Rd became an obstacle course but you could not miss everything. Eventually one of the branches I ran over ripped out part of the inner guard in front of the drivers front wheel. First I knew of it was when I re-fueled at Singleton.

I guess it could have been worse. I was concerned I might have done a head gasket, so a thermostat is a lot better problem to have. I only hope I caught everything in time- and I think I did. Time will tell.
 
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