[huck_this]

Yes, replace all sensors while you are at it. Once the intake manifold is on, it will be more difficult to get to them. Change the PCV valve also. I am sure it's all full of junk.

Can't wait to see some pics of this swap!!!:icon_wink::icon_cool:

 

[1-3-2-4]

Yeah, that is the plan. Not all sensors, but I'll do the knock and whatever else looks like it might cause trouble in the future. I'm putting together a list of other parts now to order...

 

[888]

If you get a chance, upload a photo of the other green Forester that likes to knock when cold. The PDF from the dealer where I bought mine is attached.

 

[1-3-2-4]

See here: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbull...f151/hello-forester-newb-needs-input-purchasing-decision-used-83033/#post918201

 

[1-3-2-4]

Figured I'd keep this thread updated on what's been going on.

Since I'm going to spend the time doing all of this, I'm going to do it right. Been ordering a bunch of stuff, so I want to keep this list going to show others who might reach this crossroads in the future what was done.

1. Rebuilt long block - includes new pistons, rings, bearings, oil pump, re-ground or new crank, rebuilt heads, freeze plugs, upgraded MLS head gaskets, and a complete gasket set. $2180 shipped. Will get $215 back if I return the core.
2. Exedy Clutch kit - includes disc, pressure plate, bearings, and tool. $141.36 shipped.
3. Group N Transmission mount to match my group N engine mounts I have laying around. $75.53 shipped.
4. Gates upper/lower radiator hoses. $19.61 shipped.
5. Timing Belt kit - includes Aisin water pump, Mitsuboshi belt, and all NTN bearings/idlers. $227 shipped.
6. Spark plugs and fuel filter. $35 locally.

Prices are adding up, but I'm moderately OK with this considering the car only cost me $2650 and this project should set me up for a few more years. I've done the shopping around for other cars, and the Forester just fits my needs perfectly. The costs to upgrade to an XT are too great given my other vehicles, and any other N/A Forester may very well run into these same issues.

I still need to pick up a good manual (suggestions?), thermostat, t-stat o-ring, and knock sensor. Of course, I'm also going to need coolant (will use OEM), oil, and miscellaneous hardware.

I have a line of a cheap used Horror Freight engine hoist. Not my first choice, but for the asking price, I can't argue.

Things are progressing nicely...

 

[1-3-2-4]

Replacement parts are starting to trickle in...and I'm PUMPED. Not because of the fact I like working on my cars, but because I bought the lowest price/free shipping parts and received:

-knock sensor MADE IN USA
-Purolator oil filters MADE IN USA
-Stant thermostat MADE IN USA
-Gates radiator hoses MADE IN USA
-Odyssey dry cell battery (for the STi) MADE IN USA

and still cool:
-Exedy clutch kit MADE IN JAPAN, and assembled in USA
-Felpro gaskets MADE IN JAPAN

I'm pleasantly surprised to find that you can still shop for the lowest price (or close to it) and buy domestically. I always like to keep my money here when possible. We'll see how the rest of parts shake out.

Oh, and I'm planning to pull the old engine tomorrow:Banane29:

 

[1-3-2-4]

Well, I finally got around to pulling the engine. Overall, working on these cars is a dream. With the exception of the exhaust, engine mounts, and a couple bolts on the bottom of the bellhousing, everything you need to work with is right on top in good reach. Much better than some of the other cars I've owned.

Here she is, the last time she'll be together in her broken state (I hope):

Cooling system removed (it really is as easy as it looks). Drain coolant, pull hoses, disconnect fans, undo top fasteners, pull up and out. Done.

Power steering pump and A/C compressor moved out of the way. All other wiring harnesses, fuel lines, etc. are disconnected.

Removing the exhaust proved to be challenging due to it's age (rust), but nothing my angle grinder couldn't handle. Now to buy more spring bolts... The only other hitch was separating the engine and transmission. Hands down, the worst time I've ever had pulling an engine. I tried heat, putty knives, shaking, wiggling, jarring, etc. Nothing worked...until I put some of the bolts back in bellhousing holes and tapped around the circumference. It took a while, but I eventually opened up a VERY tiny gap. From there, my painter's tool took over and pryed things apart easy. I definitely spent more time pondering how to separate the two than I needed to. Next time around (hopefully not on THIS car), I should make good time of this part.

Engine ready to come out:

Engine on the way out. NICE.

Ummm, looks like we're, ummm, missing some parts:

You'll notice I uncovered one of my oil leaks. I haven't pulled the throw out bearing or the clutch yet to see what seal was leaking. However, since I'm getting new seals on the engine AND I'm in here, it'd be foolish not to buy the $9 input shaft seal from the dealer. Leaving to go pick this up as soon as I make this post...

Now's a good time to pull the clutch assembly. I was tired and not thinking straight so I stupidly left it on and bolted the engine to my stand. Doh!

On the stand, ready to come back OFF because I need to remove the clutch assembly. Damn it again!

More to come. My plan is to get the clutch off today so I can inspect the flywheel, install the new input shaft seal and t/o bearing, clean the gunk out of the bellhousing, and install the new transmission mount. From there, I'll probably fill my day with riding the motorcycle since we don't many 60 degree sunny days in NEPA in mid-November. If any lurkers have any questions on any of the steps needed above, post or PM me. I didn't approach this like a how-to because I've seen many of those threads out there; this is more a chronicle of what I'm doing. Oh, and for those who are wondering how long this took...maybe 5-6 hours taking my time over 2 days. I'm working quite leisurely and feel I could probably do it in 2-3 hours if rushed. Faster if you account for the learning curve. Stay tuned...

 

[dougr]

Nice. Thanks for chronicling.

 

[jgrote]

That's a pretty clean motor considering it's now a doorstop. Was the rear main or plastic plate thing leaking in the back? Mine is leaking pretty good.

 

[1-3-2-4]

That's a pretty clean motor considering it's now a doorstop. Was the rear main or plastic plate thing leaking in the back? Mine is leaking pretty good.

Rear main seal is good; the plastic window is leaking pretty good (or at least, it looks like it's leaking to me). I've never seen a window on the back side of an engine like this. I'm assuming this was an after thought to gain breather capability that the original designers couldn't fit internally??? I'd love to know...

Some pretty good wear on the diaphragm spring:

My 'tool' for removing flywheel:

With the clutch disassembled, it turns out it was NOT the original clutch. According to the markings, the disc was an Exedy, which is what I'm putting back in there. Friction material wear looks OK, but I can't say for sure without knowing how long it was in there. It looks OK in some spots and less so in others; cleaning up the flywheel outta help out with even wear. Can't tell if the pressure plate was original or not, but based on the wear on the spring, I sure hope so. T/O bearing has no play, but the pilot bearing is gritty feeling. Based on the machine marks on the flywheel, I'm betting this is original and has not been resurfaced. I'm taking this to the machine shop tomorrow for clean up and to have the new bearing pressed in. Times like this I wish I at least had my own press...

While I was looking around in here, I noticed this:

The best theory on hand right now is that it is there to serve as an alternate leak path in the event of a blown front seal. It looks too nice to be a defect, and as best I can tell, the hole is blocked. Spraying brake cleaner in the hole shoots out the nose (input shaft). I'm going to assume this is normal until I confirm. By the way, that oily greasy mess is definitely NOT gear oil. Smells like engine oil and the gear oil level is good.

Nicely cleaned up, complete with new t/o bearing. I'm entirely sick of grease and don't want to clean any more. Ever.

Another casualty that needs replacing. It completely hardened and literally chipped out. Looks like it's time for another order to Suby for a fork boot:

While I was under there, I also put in the Group N transmission mount. I put one of these on my WRX and my STi has a Cusco mount on it, so I understand the benefit. But good God, I can't believe how soft the factory mount gets after 12 years of 150k miles and salt/grit/grease! It literally feels like one of those super soft artist's erasers. Talk about the opposite of that clutch fork boot. Good bye!

 

[1-3-2-4]

The best theory on hand right now is that it is there to serve as an alternate leak path in the event of a blown front seal. It looks too nice to be a defect, and as best I can tell, the hole is blocked. Spraying brake cleaner in the hole shoots out the nose (input shaft). I'm going to assume this is normal until I confirm. By the way, that oily greasy mess is definitely NOT gear oil. Smells like engine oil and the gear oil level is good.

Looks like the theory stands correct:

Whew! Makes sense, but when you see that much gunk from a leak, and there is a HOLE staring at you, you start to wonder!

 

[huck_this]

Did you check the snout on the tranny casing? Where the thrust bearing is, it is usually worn out!!!

 

[1-3-2-4]

Did you check the snout on the tranny casing? Where the thrust bearing is, it is usually worn out!!!

I checked the snout, and while there is some wear, I couldn't find anything in the manual as far as limit dimensions. Do you have these dimensions?

Where is the best place to get the snout kit?

 

[1-3-2-4]

I checked the snout, and while there is some wear, I couldn't find anything in the manual as far as limit dimensions. Do you have these dimensions?

Where is the best place to get the snout kit?

After some web searching, I decided it was wise to spend the money and fix this now. My clutch did stutter a bit, and I can't be sure if it was oil or snout related. It would suck to put it back together and still have the grabby clutch. So, I ponied up and bought the kit (notice a theme here?).

While I was on the line with the dealer ordering the snout kit, I ordered a new clutch fork retainer clip (mine was worn on contact points), a new fork boot, exhaust gaskets, spring bolts, heater hoses, etc. Bottom line is the budget is creeping up - fast! I'll wait till I'm running to post my total $ spent to date, but doing this for under $3k is looking very doubtful. Unfortunately, there is just no turning back when you're this far into it...

 

[1-3-2-4]

Flywheel resurfaced today. Took about 0.015" off and it should be better than what was on there. New bearing pressed in and ready to go. All I need now is the engine to mate it to.

 

[1-3-2-4]

The snout nose kit came in today. While I still wince at the price tag, the stainless steel sleeve IS very nicely machined. Throw out bearing is of nice quality and everything fits very well. There is definitely less slop than I had before and it feels better based on the hand slide. I'm curious to see how it feels when everything is back together. As you can see from the pictures of the aluminum snout, there is some definite wear you can see and feel. Is it terrible? Not in my opinion. But, the new setup is definitely smoother as far as I can tell thus far.

I also took the engine down to the long block in preparation of the engine, which should be here in about a week or so (I hope before Thanksgiving!). Everything came apart very easily with the exception of the cam sprockets. Don't even attempt to do this unless you have either an air impact wrench or the special tools! Anything else you try is a waste of time. I should have just went with air from the get go. Oh well, live and learn.

Turns out the PO didn't lie to me when he said the timing drive was changed 10k ago. Everything looks brand new, including the OE belt, idlers, and metal impeller water pump. If anybody wants them, PM me. Also, it turns out that 12 years is about the useful life you can expect out of any of the rubber on these engines. The torque converter access panel/plug crumbled in my hands, as did the crank breathers coming off the crankcase. Time to replace ALL rubber. Yet another nickle and dime. I'm also planning on replacing the water temp sensor due to it's location and life. That is one I don't feel like digging to get at in the future. Plus, it is cheap. All the other sensors are fairly accessible and don't require draining fluids.

Cyl 1 Intake:

Cyl 2 Intake:

Cyl 3 Intake:

Cyl 4 Intake:

Cyl 1 Exhaust:

Cyl 2 Exhaust:

Cyl 3 Exhaust:

Cyl 4 Exhaust:

Cyl 2-4 Head valvetrain:

Undershot:

So aside from taking care of some small things, I sit and wait. And clean. Just at about the halfway point...

 

[souz4402]

great pictures so far, thanks for so much info

Ill eventually go the same route as yourself...

 

[1-3-2-4]

great pictures so far, thanks for so much info

Ill eventually go the same route as yourself...

Happy to help. I wish I had the time to tear the engine down fully, but that isn't in my cards right now. However, I'll keep as much information flowing as possible.

 

[huck_this]

Pull off the oil pan and check the slop in the connecting rods!!!:icon_wink: Wait until you take out piston #4. JUNK!!!:icon_cool:

 

[1-3-2-4]

I'm pulling the oil pan tonight, but not the heads. I don't have the socket for the head bolts, and don't feel like blowing more money on this project....even on tools.