Bobby's WRB '07 FSXT
('06-'08)
1181 - 1200 of 1782 Posts
HAHAHAHA. touche. nicely played sir. :Banane17::Banane35:
Sports grille to Limited grille swap!
This may seem odd to you, but I've never liked the Sports grille from the first day I saw it. I disliked it even more when the pollen started to fall & it settled into all those crevices!
I purchased the Limited grille from Jackie, SubaruPartsGirl, a supporting vendor here on the forum. Her direct number at Annapolis Subaru is (866) 509-3019. I live on the West coast & I buy my Subaru parts from her!
Subaru calls it a GRILLE ASSY
Here's a last picture for an overall view. IMO the Limited grille brightens up the front of the Forester & the cleaning the grille is so much easier!
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The Table of Contents for my Member Journal can be found :icon_arrow: here. (post #124)
This may seem odd to you, but I've never liked the Sports grille from the first day I saw it. I disliked it even more when the pollen started to fall & it settled into all those crevices!
I purchased the Limited grille from Jackie, SubaruPartsGirl, a supporting vendor here on the forum. Her direct number at Annapolis Subaru is (866) 509-3019. I live on the West coast & I buy my Subaru parts from her!
Subaru calls it a GRILLE ASSY
- Forester Sports - GRILLE ASSY FSG - 91121SA140 ($225)
- Forester Limited - GRILLE ASSY A - 91121SA082 ($225)
► Update! ◄
Bobby...
Here's a comparison of the Sports & the Limited grille.
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The upper picture shows the Sports grille on the Forester & the lower picture shows the Limited grille installed.
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The upper picture shows the Sports grille on the Forester & the lower picture shows the Limited grille installed.
Here's a last picture for an overall view. IMO the Limited grille brightens up the front of the Forester & the cleaning the grille is so much easier!
The Table of Contents for my Member Journal can be found :icon_arrow: here. (post #124)
Attachments
That's the fun of MODding, making the Forester the way we want it. :wink:
You must not get much pollen where you live. Here, it gets "BAD"! I had to use a bottle brush & toothbrush to clean the pollen out of the Sports grille crevices! :icon_eek:
I'm trying to cut back on my Hoarding... still... :icon_eek:
I have to admit I still have the tail lights off the '03 X, but I kinda of like them. I did sell the chrome ones off this Forester. :wink:
As to the Sports grille, I'm going to hold on to it for awhile. :wink:
Bobby...
The Table of Contents for my Member Journal can be found :icon_arrow: here. (post #124)
Detailed & waxed! - Summer 2010
Here's my retirement project freshly waxed with Mother's California Gold Carnauba wax. The plastic & rubber parts have been treated with Mother's Back-to-Black. :biggrin:
Bobby...
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The Table of Contents for my Member Journal can be found :icon_arrow: here. (post #124)
Here's my retirement project freshly waxed with Mother's California Gold Carnauba wax. The plastic & rubber parts have been treated with Mother's Back-to-Black. :biggrin:
Bobby...
The Table of Contents for my Member Journal can be found :icon_arrow: here. (post #124)
I hate to say it but I'm with tuned.
Good work as always your journal thread is awesome and helpful for the rest of us.
dm
I like the look of the new grill.
I appreciate the feedback, both pro & con!
We all have different tastes & that's why we MOD our rides. :wink:Bobby...
The upper picture shows the Sports grille on the Forester & the lower picture shows the Limited grille installed.
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The Table of Contents for my Member Journal can be found :icon_arrow: here. (post #124)
I'll apologize in advance if you are the wrong person.
I glanced through both of your journals and couldn't find what I was looking for. Are you the one that painted the rear drums on one of your Foresters? I'm pretty sure I saw it in one of your threads, but I can't seem to find it anymore.
I'm about to paint mine on my next day off. I just wanted to read through the post to see if there were any tips. Thanks.
I glanced through both of your journals and couldn't find what I was looking for. Are you the one that painted the rear drums on one of your Foresters? I'm pretty sure I saw it in one of your threads, but I can't seem to find it anymore.
I'm about to paint mine on my next day off. I just wanted to read through the post to see if there were any tips. Thanks.
Brake disc/rotor & drum painting.
I may have mentioned doing that on our '03 X when I painted the disc & rotors on this Forester. You can view my post here. :wink:
It's pretty easy to do.
One last comment. This paint does a great job on exhaust pipes & mufflers to prevent rusting or to hide what you don't want seen.
Bobby...
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The Table of Contents for my Member Journal can be found :icon_arrow: here. (post #124)
I may have mentioned doing that on our '03 X when I painted the disc & rotors on this Forester. You can view my post here. :wink:
It's pretty easy to do.
- Remove any loose dirt & rust. You can use a wire brush, but no need to spend too much time on the prep.
- Next wipe the drum with an old rag & some degreaser like alcohol, or whatever you have on hand.
- Mask off the wheel studs, since you don't want to paint them. If the studs are a bit rusty on the bottoms, you can leave that area exposed to be painted, but no more than an 1/8" & no paint on the top, or where the lug nuts attach (thread on).
One last comment. This paint does a great job on exhaust pipes & mufflers to prevent rusting or to hide what you don't want seen.
Bobby...
The Table of Contents for my Member Journal can be found :icon_arrow: here. (post #124)
Attachments
Great. Thanks for all of the advice.
I actually have a couple of cans of the BBQ paint out in my garage. I used it to paint my grill and a few other pieces.
I just had my front rotors machined, and it really made the ugly rear drums stick out. I plan on painting the drums on one of my days off. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again for all of the tips!
I actually have a couple of cans of the BBQ paint out in my garage. I used it to paint my grill and a few other pieces.
I just had my front rotors machined, and it really made the ugly rear drums stick out. I plan on painting the drums on one of my days off. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again for all of the tips!
You say that like we arent buddies:Banane35: LOL
Glad I could be of help!
I always have a couple cans of Rust-Oleum BBQ black on hand! That stuff is good for so may things! You'll be surprised how good the drums will look once they're painted. The rear drums on our '03 X don't look as cool as discs, but they look pretty good painted. :wink:
Bobby...
The Table of Contents for my Member Journal can be found :icon_arrow: here. (post #124)
Oil temperature sender installed in the rear oil galley!
The oil temperature sender started out installed in an oil drain plug adapter. I wasn't sure reading the oil temperature at the oil pan was accurate, as in reading low. I decided the best place for this sender was in a block adapter, installed in the rear oil galley port. This oil galley comes plugged from the factory, so a 10mm hex bit is required to remove the plug. More on this later in this write up.
Bobby…
The upper picture shows the VDO oil temperature sender, standard 1/8-27 NPT thread. The lower picture is the WRXtra ACC-1011 block adapter as pictured on their website.
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I purchased the block adapter from WRXtra.com, which is now Deerfield Precision... some legal issue forced the change from WRXtra.com. This is the 4th one of these I've installed, so I can tell you they will rust if they're not painted. It's made from high-nickel steel & is untreated, so some corrosion (rusting) is to be expected. The rusting is cosmetic & won't affect its functionality. Still... I have a low tolerance for rusting of any kind! This block adapter also fits on the front oil galley.
The upper picture shows how the block adapter comes. The copper washer comes installed on the fitting, held in place with an O-ring. The lower picture shows the block adapter painted with Rust-Oleum B-B-Q black high temperature paint. You don't want to paint the thread sealant that comes preapplied to the threads.
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It's a major PITA to get to the rear oil galley plug & the intercooler needs to be removed first. To remove the intercooler on the '07 FSXT:
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This picture shows the hose on the right side of the intercooler removed.
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While my son pulled on the orange strap, I moved the intercooler around until the stinking hose popped off the turbo outlet!
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The red arrow is pointing to the oil galley plug that needs to be removed. #1 is the coolant return line from the throttle body. This has to be held aside while the oil galley plug is removed with a 10mm hex bit & extension. I had to use a 18" flex handle to break the plug loose! Once the plug is removed, use sticky tape to remove any loose thread sealant. I also used a Q-tip to get what had fallen into the gallery. #2 is the hose that attaches to the BPV. To my surprise, it's very soft & flexible, which is a plus, since it has to be pulled back out of the way to get to what you see in the picture! The plastic bags are covering the opening from the turbo & the throttle body.
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Here's something I thought was odd. On the picture below, the left rear oil gallery plug is from the '07 FSXT & the right oil galley plug is from our '03 X. Note that the left galley plug is longer & there is no aluminum washer. Yes, I double checked to see if it was stuck to the block & there was no washer.
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I hate to admit it, but I missed some pictures. This can happen when one gets too involved in a MOD! The yellow arrow shows the wire attached to the oil temperature sender. Of course the block adapter was installed, no sealant required, since it comes precoated, & sender was screwed into the block adapter, again, no sealant is required. The block adapter is torqued to 30 ft-lbs & the sender to a very snug fit, since it has a tapered pipe thread. Note how cramp the space is! The coolant hose presses up against the sender connection, so I provided some extra protection by sliding a piece of split clear hose over the connector. I routed the wire under the intake manifold, protected with 1/8" split tubing (not visible in the picture), also called convoluted tubing to protect the wire. Once the hose for the BPV is placed back in position, the sender is very difficult to see!
![]()
Here's a shot just before I reinstalled the intercooler. If you look closely, you can see I took the time to dress things up a bit. :wink:
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I'm not going to step thru the reinstallation of the intercooler, since if you remove it, you'll know how it goes back on. I can tell you it was a PIA to get the hose back onto the turbo! On the positive side, it does go back on… eventually & getting the intercooler onto the throttle body coupling hose is a piece-of-cake!
Lastly, any hose clamp that wasn't 100% stainless steel... that would be all of them, were replaced. I hate corrosion, especially rust!
The Table of Contents for my Member Journal can be found :icon_arrow: here. (post #124)
The oil temperature sender started out installed in an oil drain plug adapter. I wasn't sure reading the oil temperature at the oil pan was accurate, as in reading low. I decided the best place for this sender was in a block adapter, installed in the rear oil galley port. This oil galley comes plugged from the factory, so a 10mm hex bit is required to remove the plug. More on this later in this write up.
Bobby…
The upper picture shows the VDO oil temperature sender, standard 1/8-27 NPT thread. The lower picture is the WRXtra ACC-1011 block adapter as pictured on their website.
I purchased the block adapter from WRXtra.com, which is now Deerfield Precision... some legal issue forced the change from WRXtra.com. This is the 4th one of these I've installed, so I can tell you they will rust if they're not painted. It's made from high-nickel steel & is untreated, so some corrosion (rusting) is to be expected. The rusting is cosmetic & won't affect its functionality. Still... I have a low tolerance for rusting of any kind! This block adapter also fits on the front oil galley.
The upper picture shows how the block adapter comes. The copper washer comes installed on the fitting, held in place with an O-ring. The lower picture shows the block adapter painted with Rust-Oleum B-B-Q black high temperature paint. You don't want to paint the thread sealant that comes preapplied to the threads.
It's a major PITA to get to the rear oil galley plug & the intercooler needs to be removed first. To remove the intercooler on the '07 FSXT:
- Loosen & remove the 2 bolts securing the BOV to the intercooler. The hose will be removed from the BOV, but the spring clamp can't be removed with it attached to the intercooler.
- Pull off the 3 hoses on the pipe attached to the intercooler.
- Loosen & remove the 2 bolts (one on either side) that secure the intercooler to the support brackets.
- Loosen the hose clamp on the throttle body to the intercooler coupling hose. The one nearest the intercooler, the other one doesn't need to be loosened.
- Loosen the hose clamp on the hose attached to the turbo oulet.
- The instructions say to pull the intercooler off the throttle body hose & off the turbo. Sounds easy, but not as easy as it sounds! The factory/OEM hose on the turbo is a very hard plastic & it wouldn't pull off. I finally had to place a strap around the hose (see the picture) & had my son pull on the strap as I worked the intercooler around. It finally pulled off. What a PIA! I hate to say it, but putting this hose back on turned out to be just as difficult, specifically the hose to the turbo!
This picture shows the hose on the right side of the intercooler removed.
While my son pulled on the orange strap, I moved the intercooler around until the stinking hose popped off the turbo outlet!
The red arrow is pointing to the oil galley plug that needs to be removed. #1 is the coolant return line from the throttle body. This has to be held aside while the oil galley plug is removed with a 10mm hex bit & extension. I had to use a 18" flex handle to break the plug loose! Once the plug is removed, use sticky tape to remove any loose thread sealant. I also used a Q-tip to get what had fallen into the gallery. #2 is the hose that attaches to the BPV. To my surprise, it's very soft & flexible, which is a plus, since it has to be pulled back out of the way to get to what you see in the picture! The plastic bags are covering the opening from the turbo & the throttle body.
Here's something I thought was odd. On the picture below, the left rear oil gallery plug is from the '07 FSXT & the right oil galley plug is from our '03 X. Note that the left galley plug is longer & there is no aluminum washer. Yes, I double checked to see if it was stuck to the block & there was no washer.
I hate to admit it, but I missed some pictures. This can happen when one gets too involved in a MOD! The yellow arrow shows the wire attached to the oil temperature sender. Of course the block adapter was installed, no sealant required, since it comes precoated, & sender was screwed into the block adapter, again, no sealant is required. The block adapter is torqued to 30 ft-lbs & the sender to a very snug fit, since it has a tapered pipe thread. Note how cramp the space is! The coolant hose presses up against the sender connection, so I provided some extra protection by sliding a piece of split clear hose over the connector. I routed the wire under the intake manifold, protected with 1/8" split tubing (not visible in the picture), also called convoluted tubing to protect the wire. Once the hose for the BPV is placed back in position, the sender is very difficult to see!
Here's a shot just before I reinstalled the intercooler. If you look closely, you can see I took the time to dress things up a bit. :wink:
I'm not going to step thru the reinstallation of the intercooler, since if you remove it, you'll know how it goes back on. I can tell you it was a PIA to get the hose back onto the turbo! On the positive side, it does go back on… eventually & getting the intercooler onto the throttle body coupling hose is a piece-of-cake!
Lastly, any hose clamp that wasn't 100% stainless steel... that would be all of them, were replaced. I hate corrosion, especially rust!
The Table of Contents for my Member Journal can be found :icon_arrow: here. (post #124)
Attachments
Good job! I don't think intercooler removal/reinstallation is that hard, though:biggrin: Just takes patience.
I don't think intercooler removal/reinstallation is that hard, though:biggrin: Just takes patience.
looks good!
fyi, I just redid my WRXrta hose in their fitting with real thread sealant. The red stuff started leaking after a few thousand miles. It would be a lot easier to get the oil sender tighter than the hose, since you can use a socket on it so I don't think you will necessarily have any issues. The red stuff was still working fine between the plug and block. I don't have rust (yet) anyways.
I have the hose in the rear that mounts the stock pressure switch and new pressure sender on the passenger strut tower. I have my oil temp sender in the front. Mine is not turbo. It usually runs just under 200 around town with easy driving. I've seen it up to 230 (I think) going 70+ while towing. (It was vertical on the VDO gage at hottest). I think it is accurate but slower to heat up and respond to changes than I expected. I would have liked less of a temp range on the gage but they say water instead of oil on the face.
Pressure gage has showed me that I like the Euro German Castrol 0W30 better than Mobil 1 0W30. It seems to have both slightly lower pressure at startup (maybe about 70 vs 80) and higher running pressure at a given rpm when hot (maybe 5 psi higher).
fyi, I just redid my WRXrta hose in their fitting with real thread sealant. The red stuff started leaking after a few thousand miles. It would be a lot easier to get the oil sender tighter than the hose, since you can use a socket on it so I don't think you will necessarily have any issues. The red stuff was still working fine between the plug and block. I don't have rust (yet) anyways.
I have the hose in the rear that mounts the stock pressure switch and new pressure sender on the passenger strut tower. I have my oil temp sender in the front. Mine is not turbo. It usually runs just under 200 around town with easy driving. I've seen it up to 230 (I think) going 70+ while towing. (It was vertical on the VDO gage at hottest). I think it is accurate but slower to heat up and respond to changes than I expected. I would have liked less of a temp range on the gage but they say water instead of oil on the face.
Pressure gage has showed me that I like the Euro German Castrol 0W30 better than Mobil 1 0W30. It seems to have both slightly lower pressure at startup (maybe about 70 vs 80) and higher running pressure at a given rpm when hot (maybe 5 psi higher).
The problem I ran into was with the rigid, almost hard factory/OEM hose that has to be pulled off & then back onto the tubo. Mine had little give, so it was a PIA to get it past the spot that had set into the hose from being clamped. On the reinstallation, I could feel the hose snap back into position. A silicone hose would have made the task so much easier. :wink:Good job!
Bobby...
The Table of Contents for my Member Journal can be found :icon_arrow: here. (post #124)
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