Project: AWD TURBO Family Hauler (04 Forester 2.5XT)

[JustinG]

Dropped it off today.....hope all goes smoothly. Fingers crossed.

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[Kaan]

hopefully DV has gotten better with their work... 4-5 years ago i wouldnt have taken my stuff there.

[JustinG]

New ownership. They have their shit together.

[V1GiLaNtE]

SOOOO... What's the word on the Lesbaru?

[JustinG]

Dropped off last Friday (4/11) after hours
They had some jobs that took longer than expected so didn't get started til Wednesday.
Tried some stuff (Tstat, rad caps, system flush) hoping it wasn't the HG.
Picked it up Friday and I drove it around for the day, it wasnt displaying symptoms for them, but they just werent driving it around long enough. 15-20 up the street no issues. Drive for 30-40 stop and go/interstate, issues are present. So that didnt fix it.
Dropped it off last night, they are replacing the HG.
Hopefully have it back this week with fresh gaskets, DP and Up-pipe installed unless they find something crazy when they get in there.

[JustinG]

Motor is out, heads pulled. Checking to see if they need to be machined in the morning, if not they will start reassembly. Glenn, the owner, wasn't able to ask the mechanic what the headgaskets looked like, hope to hear about them in the morning.

[JustinG]

Heads need to be sent to the machine shop, waiting on further details, this was just a quick text from the owner. "signs of wear/erosion" and apparently a few other seals they noticed need replacing. Waiting on a phone call for more indepth info.

Maybe I will have the car back by next years car show?

[navin]

Why would u not replace the headgasket when the head is already off..?

[JustinG]

They are....thats why its in the shop. I was just curious how bad the HGs were broken.

[JustinG]

Should have the car back Thursday barring any reassembly issues.

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[JustinG]

Picking up the car this afternoon!!! Finally. DP and Catless Up-Pipe installed. Probably would have had it back sooner if the Subaru dealership actually stocked parts for the motor that is practically in everything they have built since 2004.

Also, forgot that I even ordered this....the Black on Black shift knob was on backorder so it was delayed.

COBB Adjustable Shifter, can adjust throw and height of knob.
Black on Black Shift knob
Poly Shifter bushings.




Can I just say how obsessed I am with the products these guys produce. They are competitively priced, everything is high quality, and the shit works as advertised. Looking forward to throwing this stuff in, the stock shifter is sloppy and too long for my liking.

[V1GiLaNtE]

Do you even rally..bro?

[JustinG]

Got the car back Friday afternoon, was only able to drive it back to the house before we had to leave for the track. Checked out the headgaskets when I picked it up. One side had 3-4 hairline cracks on one cylinder, when the engine heated up the cracks expanded causing the leak.

Waiting on a full breakdown on everything done to the car during its vacation at DeltaV.

But from memory they replaced:
Tstat
Rad Caps (Rad and Turbo Reservoir)
Head gaskets
Spark Plugs (wasn't sure when the last time these were done)
Valve Cover Gaskets
Spark Plug gaskets
All exhaust gaskets
Intake Gaskets
Random Vac line that broke
I think my throw out bearing
Fresh Rotella T6
Coolant w/ Subaru conditioner
Catless no name 2 piece DP installed
STi Catless Upipe Installed

This was my first time ever having anything done by a shop aside from mount/balance tires and an Alignment, I am glad. I don't know how people can afford to do anything to their cars if they are paying someone $100/hr. This bill hurt, but I wasn't taking on the job, and I got some cool stuff thrown on in the process. Also they said the engine looked good, no signs of issues in the bottom end or the heads. Clutch/pressure plate looked fresh, must of been done by Original Owner at some point.

Car feels good, just in my limited driving to work this morning. I haven't been able to give it a good thrashing yet, I want to take it easy for a few hundred miles to let everything settle back in. But I can tell the stage 2 tune gave it a little more oompf in the top end. Should be an est 20hp increase over Stage 1, similar cars are 230-240 awhp / 240-250 awtq with these mods on Stage 2.

Pretty much done with power unless I need a turbo, then I will just snag a turbo off a STi and add a STi TMIC.

Installed the shifter, and it is amazing. Throws are way shorter, just need to adjust it some, the knob is a bit of a stretch now to get it into 5th since I didnt raise the top high enough. I didn't get around the throwing in the shifter bushings, curious to see how it will feel then.

[WRXtranceformed]

Sucks for the big bill bro but hopefully that will be all of the big stuff for a while.

[JustinG]

here is hoping...*Knock on wood*

[JustinG]

Installed Short shifter....feels awesome. I don't feel like I am rowing a boat anymore. I like the adjustability. I need to do a slight modification with the dremel to a metal plate that holds the rubber insulation boot to the shift linkage. If I cut it I can shorten the throw to its max setting. If I try to max it out now the linkage hits on the plate.

Just need to remove the portion below.


I like the adjustment to raise the shift knob as well. Most short shifters sink the shift knob into the shifter boot. I was able to adjust this up to stock height or taller. My hand naturally falls off the steering wheel onto the shifter instead of having to fumble around looking for it.

I also threw in those bushings........This should have taken 30 minutes...4hrs later they are in.

Removal was cake, installing the rear shifter bushing per the instructions was not working. The holes wouldnt line up. I finally just unbolted the shifter, and just put the bushing onto the car, and was able to squeeze the linkage rod into the rear shifter bushing. It took alot of play out of the shifter, I would recommend.

I don't see many other big mods happening to this car. I am pretty happy with where it is. Handles ok, rides nice, sounds good, and it is pretty quick.

Probably only see maintenance posts from now on.

[Jake]

Nice! Bummer about the bushings... I've had new ones for the M3 for like, four months and just ignored the box because I know they're a pain to swap out. But they definitely improve the shift feel and remove a ton of slop, so it's good you did 'em.

[ScottyB]

I like the adjustment to raise the shift knob as well. Most short shifters sink the shift knob into the shifter boot. I was able to adjust this up to stock height or taller. My hand naturally falls off the steering wheel onto the shifter instead of having to fumble around looking for it.

that's awesome yours is height adjustable. mine sunk down (Kartboy) and i had to lean over to reach 5th. ended up buying a 2 inch riser off ebay to go between the shifter and knob.

don't feel bad about the bushings, those are never easy. i love 'em though.

[JustinG]

My love of this car continues to waiver.....

Cut and paste from my NASIOC post last night.

04 XT Manual 112k, Original turbo
Cobb OTS Stage 2 - Cobb Intake, Catless DP, Catless Up-pipe, STI Catback

Symptoms:
Temps in the upper 90s, city driving, pull into restaurant go in for dinner, sit about an hour. Crank the car up, 2-3 good puffs of blue smoke, and a slight trail of blueish white smoke out of the parking lot. Stopped before I was even out of the lot.

Next morning, crank up the car, idles for 1-2 minutes, get a small but steady stream of whiteish/grey possibly blue smoke, back down my driveway and by the time I am on the road, no smoke. Not billowing smoke like a diesel.

next morning......nothing.

Skip ahead 2-3 weeks.

Monday - Today, same symptoms, idles for 1-2 minutes and then I get a small but steady stream of whiteish grey smoke that stinks to high hell. Not sweet, maybe a hint of oil smell. This has happened 3 days in a row. This morning less than Monday and Tuesday.

No noticeable smoke while driving/accelerating/idling at a stoplight.

Smoke only appears after sitting overnight. Park at work for 6-8 hours and no smoke. Run into a store for an hour, come out, no smoke. The car has to completely cool down overnight.

2004 Forester XT, smoke at idle: http://youtu.be/0WXrHaagV_A

What I have Checked:
HG replaced 4k miles ago
No smoke from oil filler, normal air pulsating from oil filler, air smells of oil not exhaust.
No bubbles in overflow (previously had this symptom, hence HG replacement)
No abnormal oil consumption, a qt give or take between changes. Change around 5k (Rotella T6)
Oil level is currently at the full mark, topped off prior to these issues
Slight loss in coolant since HG repair, maybe 4-5 ounces.
Oil and Coolant appear normal, no mixture
Have smelled coolant/oil when exiting the car on occasion.
Target boost for Stage 2 is about 14psi - I only hit 11-12 psi.
No abnormal noises that I have heard
No CELs
Need to confirm PCV was replaced during HG install, but 99% sure it was.

Next Steps:
How sensitive are XTs to overfilled oil levels. Oil was just below the hashmarks and I added 1Qt. I need to change the oil anyway.

Should I perform Comp and Leak down tests?

Skip straight to pulling IC, DP and check for fluid?

During the 2 week hiatus of the smoke the temp was in the upper 80s, doubt that has anything to do with it? Bad rad caps (Stant caps installed at HG replacement), allowing too much pressure, causing coolant to leak past turbo seals? Doubt that is even possible, coolant pressure would probably bleed off faster than the turbo cooling down and the seals shrinking to allow the coolant to pass through. (thinking aloud here)

I have found a couple of others with similar symptoms and it all seems to point towards a dieing turbo and given the known issues with a TD04 I am leaning that direction.

I know everyone wants to jump on the ringland bandwagon, but it exhibits no other symptoms of a ringland issue.

Thoughts?

So upon further diagnosis I will more than likely be grabbing a VF39 from a buddy and finding a larger TMIC or a STI TMIC.

If the Comp and Leak Down tests come back with negative results....more than likely will drive it til it worsens while building a short block with forged internals.

[SlimKlim]

I'm just parroting what I saw on a VW forum while trying to educate myself about catch cans, and I still have a very foggy concept of exactly how a turbo system functions, so forgive me for being no help whatsoever.

Is it a direct injection motor? Is it possible you're getting some blow-by which is pooling overnight then getting sucked into the turbo when you first start it? I was reading a thread where people were trying to redesign their PCV systems to dump the oil to the ground or run it through a catch can, and someone who sounded much smarter than me explained how that would mess with the vacuum and still cause oil to collect in certain situations. :dunno: