Author Topic: Mason's 2003 STI swapped forester (Read 9174 times)

Mason · « **Reply #50 on:** August 18, 2018, 09:34:35 am »

Picked up a new Greddy FV Bov from Kijiji for a decent price. It cost close to what repairing the old one would have been, and apparently the floating valve is better than the previous styles. I've hate BOV and unfortunately I am stuck with one since the flange I have on the piping doesn't fit OEM BPV. The Greddy FV is set up to only blows to atmosphere. I was almost about to hit the road to pick up a duck call as per my promise when i discovered that I can swap the old flange and run it to recirculate.

MVIMG_20180817_182443 by mason rice, on Flickr

I have been having issues keeping coolant in the system and this has put a huge damped on progress.

DaDuke99 · « **Reply #51 on:** August 19, 2018, 05:33:50 am »

Quote from: Mason on August 18, 2018, 09:34:35 am

I have been having issues keeping coolant in the system and this has put a huge damped on progress.

#ripjusty #metoo

Mason · « **Reply #52 on:** August 24, 2018, 11:52:45 am »

Snapchat-1436608306 by mason rice, on Flickr

This Picture sums up my feelings right now about the car.

After finding out that both rads I have leak I decided to buy a brand new one. AFR again saving my assay and getting me this replacement OEM Koyo rad in a few hours at a good price

MVIMG_20180821_201135 by mason rice, on Flickr

Installed, Burped and ready to go.

MVIMG_20180823_172937 by mason rice, on Flickr

Took it for a rip down the block and back. Hit 13psi of boost and it would instantly drop down to about 10psi. getting better, but still leaking some valuable boost. I rigged up a boost leak tester with a PVC cap, a valve stem (free thanks to the local Kal Tire

) and a bike tire pump.

MVIMG_20180824_110804 by mason rice, on Flickr

MVIMG_20180823_172935 by mason rice, on Flickr

First leak! Lower clamp was on the bend preventing a good seal. slide it up and it stopped leaking

MVIMG_20180823_165310 by mason rice, on Flickr

Second leak! the crank breaking hose (

?). looks to be an after market hose at tee. shortly after this picture was taking a broke that connection.

MVIMG_20180823_165316 by mason rice, on Flickr

Went to home depot and they didn't have any plastic ones in the proper size. tossed some bling on there and hopefully a fix forever

MVIMG_20180824_110747 by mason rice, on Flickr

While digging around in that area I found that the turbo inlet had started to slide off. I slid it back on and tightened the hose clamp. Turns out the worm gear was toast. Spent more time than I would like to admit putting a new clamp on, but it got done. The system will now hold a but of pressure, but slowly bleed off. the leak is coming from the other end of the crank case breather hose (

). This requires another tear down to fix. Hoping I can put a hose clamp on and tighten it down.

Mason · « **Reply #53 on:** August 28, 2018, 02:05:47 pm »

tracking more leaks. The IACV was leaking. pulled it apart and the gasket was ready to retire

MVIMG_20180826_200036 by mason rice, on Flickr

New gasket was stocked and 8.50 at scott subaru

IMG_20180827_163138 by mason rice, on Flickr

Took the time to clean up the passages and senor.

Before:

MVIMG_20180827_162108 by mason rice, on Flickr

After:

IMG_20180827_163028 by mason rice, on Flickr

The last large leak is coming from a hose connection for the pcv system. This leak has actually been helpful by keeping the crank case from pressuring up, once it has been fixed I will need to replan my pressure test system to prevent blowing any seals. Hoping to get this fixed in the next couple days.

jellynuts · « **Reply #54 on:** August 28, 2018, 05:26:51 pm »

That's as stretched and flabby as Rath's butt hole.

Rathburn · « **Reply #55 on:** August 30, 2018, 07:59:07 am »

Quote from: jellynuts on August 28, 2018, 05:26:51 pm

That's as stretched and flabby as Rath's butt hole.

This is the internet, man. You can't just go around saying stuff like that.

It's more like Asstunas used up prison wallet. It's OK to day that because he's working down in the States right now.

jellynuts · « **Reply #56 on:** August 30, 2018, 09:07:08 am »

Quote from: Rathburn on August 30, 2018, 07:59:07 am

This is the internet, man. You can't just go around saying stuff like that.

It's more like Asstunas used up prison wallet. It's OK to day that because he's working down in the States right now.

Is he part of the prison strike going on right now?

Mason · « **Reply #57 on:** September 01, 2018, 02:59:01 pm »

This 90 hose was the last and largest leak it had. At this point I can completely tear all the FMIC piping and throttle body off in <5mins. It was a pretty big PITA to get at in the tight space, but it got done.

IMG_20180831_131440 by mason rice, on Flickr

The old hose felt like hard plastic and this is how it ended up coming out. I would grab it with pliers and it would just rip/break apart.

IMG_20180829_203037 by mason rice, on Flickr

The OEM post MAF tube started to cave in on itself so I grabbed a perrin silicone hose. This makes tearing down 100X easier since the entire hose has a bit of flex VS. the oem with just the flex joint.

MVIMG_20180831_194022 by mason rice, on Flickr

Was 2 Clamps away from firing it up when my daughter woke up from her nap. That was the last bit of time I had to work on the car before getting sent up north for a week for work.

She sits ready to roll for when I am home

Mason · « **Reply #58 on:** September 10, 2018, 03:37:27 pm »

17.5 PSI BABY

Got Everything finished up, and finally hit peak boost. I am super stoked that it is finally running better. Picked up this 2007 STI exhaust (top). Notice that the N/A Forester exhaust (bottom) still has a cat, which makes it about 6 inches longer!

MVIMG_20180909_155256 by mason rice, on Flickr

MVIMG_20180909_160151 by mason rice, on Flickr

MVIMG_20180910_140444 by mason rice, on Flickr

MVIMG_20180910_140455 by mason rice, on Flickr
Finally got the hood and bumper cover on for the first time since I brought it home!

jellynuts · « **Reply #59 on:** September 10, 2018, 10:12:18 pm »

Quote from: Mason on September 10, 2018, 03:37:27 pm

which makes it about 6 inches longer!

STI jokes are old, but, it also has STI stamped all over it. Congrats on getting everything running. I've always wanted an STI exhaust on my old SF Forester.

Mason · « **Reply #60 on:** September 17, 2018, 08:05:53 pm »

The other day I was lifting the car up and noticed this gaping hole in the subframe. don't really know how I missed this all the other times I was under the car. Apparently it is relatively unimportant for the structure of the car.

MVIMG_20180911_135425 by mason rice, on Flickr

I ended up scooping a used on in pretty good condition for next to nothing while I was grabbing a clock spring and a couple other parts.

MVIMG_20180917_115750 by mason rice, on Flickr

MVIMG_20180917_115728 by mason rice, on Flickr

Super easy swap that took 30 minutes at most. next was the clock spring. The First clock spring I bought didn't work because at some point the wheel was spun too many times in one direction which rips the connections out. I ended up picked up another clock spring locally from the Subaru graveyard in lynn valley for quite a bit more that I wanted to spend. It wasn't all bad because Mike had preset the spring in the middle and also gave me a couple tips for installing. Nothing exciting happened here so lack of pictures, but I finally have a horn and the airbag light is out

. Praying that cruise control works.

Mason · « **Reply #61 on:** September 26, 2018, 10:13:15 am »

Ordered some parts so next week or 2 there will be a big install day

I decided to try figuring out what to do about the tailgate. There was zero power to it and the handle had to be manually returned to latch. The wiring harness from the Impreza doesn't match at all to the Forester back there.

Issue 1) Sedan doesn't have rear wiper. Solution: Delete Which came at a cost of zero dollars thanks to Red Deer fasteners!

MVIMG_20180925_151635 by mason rice, on Flickr

Issue 2) Sedan didn't have power locking hatch. Forester doesnt have manual locking tail gate. Solution: I ran 2 wires from the rear door lock to the tailgate wiring harness and we have power locks

Issue 3) The gummed up tailgate handle

MVIMG_20180925_135152 by mason rice, on Flickr

This was my least favorite issue. I cleaned it nearly spotless and lubed it generously (Insert jelly caption here) and it still wont return. This actually has put a damper on the locking system because pushing the handle back into place doesn't fully push the latch closed. The rear door will lock and unlock no problems until you try to open the gate while locked. When manually returned the slider isn't fully out of the way which causes binding. I am hoping that replacing the handle will resolve this.

SubieRoo · « **Reply #62 on:** September 27, 2018, 08:17:49 pm »

Jesus that handle looks terrible. I remember it not returning, thought it was a lack of a spring - that's disgusting.

seat safety switch · « **Reply #63 on:** September 28, 2018, 09:25:22 am »

Huh, I wonder if my Saab's door handle has the same problem. It stopped returning and got worse after I greased the lock cable.

Is that mud in there, or what?

Mason · « **Reply #64 on:** October 05, 2018, 03:51:49 pm »

It was grease and grime. The rust was what prevented it from returning once it was clean. New handle went in and everything works swimmingly back there now! Power locks and returning handles!!!

Ordered some parts from GNP and they are on the counter waiting for engine and transmission mounts to arrive for install. The mounts are coming from Japan and have a very disappointing arrival date of -we don't really know
MVIMG_20181001_114844 by mason rice, on Flickr

MVIMG_20181001_133738 by mason rice, on Flickr

Here is something big that fell into my hands at a deal I couldn't say no to. Anyone guess what's under that cover?url=https://flic.kr/p/PBpJXQ]

[/url]MVIMG_20181005_120447 by mason rice, on Flickr

Yep, a stand alone with everything I need to tune speed density.

MVIMG_20181005_120634 by mason rice, on Flickr

Heres how she's sitting right now. Have an AEM wideband guage to install and wire into the standalone.

MVIMG_20180928_185331 by mason rice, on Flickr

seat safety switch · « **Reply #65 on:** October 06, 2018, 10:55:28 am »

Quote from: Mason on October 05, 2018, 03:51:49 pm

It was grease and grime. The rust was what prevented it from returning once it was clean. New handle went in and everything works swimmingly back there now! Power locks and returning handles!!!

Neat!! Apparently my 9-2X can use 62150AA211, which replaces 62150AA210, which is the handle used in like every Legacy wagon from 1990 to 2004. Really relieved it isn't a one-off part.

DaDuke99 · « **Reply #66 on:** October 06, 2018, 12:22:27 pm »

We're there any tricks to pulling that handle? I suspect my 03 is having similar issues, it doesn't unlatch at all and I'm gonna have to replace the whole thing it seems

Mason · « **Reply #67 on:** October 06, 2018, 01:01:15 pm »

Quote from: DaDuke99 on October 06, 2018, 12:22:27 pm

We're there any tricks to pulling that handle? I suspect my 03 is having similar issues, it doesn't unlatch at all and I'm gonna have to replace the whole thing it seems

Yea man, Remove everything. All basically all the trim on the inside has to pop off, then you have to remove the trim on the outside just under the glass.

Only took 20 minutes of disassembling and assembling. Was pretty cheap for OEM replacement and it is like butter now. Proper latch reduced road noise emensly

Mason · « **Reply #68 on:** October 31, 2018, 01:00:32 pm »

Limped my Forester to AFR Autoworks last week on 3 cylinders. During the injector install I did a ittshay job wiring the plugs for the ID1000cc Injectors and one of the pins pulled out. After they got it running they suspected something else might be causing to run not so well. They pulled the spark plugs to do a cylinder leakage test and found this in cylinder 1.

received_298252360779554 by mason rice, on Flickr

These plugs have less than 1000km on them and were swapped before I purchased. Noticed the crush was had failed to be crushed. The cylinder leakage came back between 1-3psi on all cylinders. Adam suggested to swap with one step colder plugs down the road eventually and this turned out to be the perfect time for that. Old plugs out, and one step colder were installed. Time to hit the dyno! I requested that the tune be conservative and to stop around 300WHP or 20PSI.

FB_IMG_1541006738916 by mason rice, on Flickr

received_798930857119056 by mason rice, on Flickr

Adam ran a 310WHP and 280Tq at just shy of 18psi on Shell 91 Fuel. I am super happy with those numbers and not having the push the car very hard to achieve it! First impression is deceiving, the power isn't slam you back in chaos. Instead the power builds slowly and all of a sudden you are flying.

FB_IMG_1541006743542 by mason rice, on Flickr

SubieRoo · « **Reply #69 on:** November 02, 2018, 08:06:08 pm »

I want a ride.

Mason · « **Reply #70 on:** December 10, 2018, 08:55:10 pm »

Found a pretty good deal on this package from Kijiji and decided to spend some of the Christmas bonus.

Aluminium Skid plate - seems pretty thick and has a rally armor decal on it? Unsure if the fitment for the forester, but i'm sure I can make it work
2004 STI Aluminium control arms - looks to be in great shape, still has the endlinks attached and should be a nice addition to the Foz
2004 Sti Steering wheel - Amazing shape, no noticeable wear. I plan on Blacking out grey before installing.
2004 Sti (5x100) suspension - This was the original item I was after. They look to be in good shape, but buying used suspension with little details has me a bit worried that they could have issues. Didn't notice anything abnormal about them and with the condition of the other parts they should be okay. Hoping they fix the clunking and squeaking from the rear end.

MVIMG_20181210_160207 by mason rice, on Flickr

Mason · « **Reply #71 on:** December 14, 2018, 03:19:36 pm »

Started today off with the steering wheel paint.

url=https://flic.kr/p/2dyUz9a]

[/url]Screenshot_20181214-145626 by mason rice, on Flickr

MVIMG_20181214_100118 by mason rice, on Flickr

IMG_20181214_143002_873 by mason rice, on Flickr

Turned out pretty good. I was nervous using the Matte Clear coat, but I think the paint matches very good.

I moved on to installing the pitch stop mount next. I quickly learned that the forester actually uses a bit longer of a pitch stop and it didn't want to fit. I put a jack on the oil pan to tilt the engine a bit to get the extra 5-10mm I needed. Hopefully this doesn't cause issues down the road.

MVIMG_20181214_090239 by mason rice, on Flickr

MVIMG_20181214_090244 by mason rice, on Flickr

MVIMG_20181214_095500 by mason rice, on Flickr

Then to install the GNP Smooth shift kit. Tearing down was easy, putting it back together was incredibly difficult. The rear shifter bushing is VERY stiff. almost zero give to it. I tried for about an hour under the car to install it before I gave up and Pulled the entire shifter linkage. Even with the linkage off it took several hit with a large hammer to get it back together. If anyone reads this and plans to install these bushings you absolutely need to pull the linkage.

MVIMG_20181214_105606 by mason rice, on Flickr

MVIMG_20181214_105624 by mason rice, on Flickr

although I give the install a 1/10 for these parts, I give their performance a 20/10 bringing the average to a nice 10/10. That stiff rear bushing make and incredible difference in how the throw feels. Everything feels much tighter and it shifts pretty good now. I still have a bit of side to side play, but I will need to replace the u-joint to tighten that up. For the price 100% support GNP

MVIMG_20181214_083503 by mason rice, on Flickr

jellynuts · « **Reply #72 on:** December 14, 2018, 03:21:09 pm »

Wow, well done on the airbag. I always thought the 04 steering wheels looked dated with the grey.

DaDuke99 · « **Reply #73 on:** December 14, 2018, 03:37:12 pm »

Haha, we were trying to install the rear shifter bushing on thedudes car a while back and were having a hell of a time with that one too... it was still all on the car though. Eventually we decided to save it for a later date... dunno if he ever actually got it in there...

I've been waiting to do my bushings until I have the rear one as well, but maybe I'll just throw them in now knowing it's gonna be a hassle regardless.

Mason · « **Reply #74 on:** December 14, 2018, 04:47:03 pm »

Thanks jelly! Really takes the 1997 look out of it.

If I had to do it again it would be 80 times easier. Undo everything in the cabin, Drop the transmission supports, drop the shifter link out and deal with it on a work bench. Working hungry and then tired from fighting bushing while laying on my back helped Pay a toll on the difficulty.

The perrin ones seem to slide on a bit better, but that defeats the purpose of stiff bushings