Wrenchin... Adventures under the hood... Put em here.

[anotherVTskibum]

Who makes real rock sliders for a fullsize truck?

https://www.rocky-road.com/ford-f150-rock-sliders.html

If I'd found a set of Raptor steps first, I probably would've just gone that way. And no, a 21' long, 7'+ wide truck isn't really an off-road rig, but it's close enough for what I do. With a 157" wheelbase, it's also got serious break over issue potential, and having something that functions as a step without giving up a bunch of clearance or having a significant chance of bending into the body is good for peace of mind.

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[El Chupacabra]

https://www.rocky-road.com/ford-f150-rock-sliders.html

If I'd found a set of Raptor steps first, I probably would've just gone that way. And no, a 21' long, 7'+ wide truck isn't really an off-road rig, but it's close enough for what I do. With a 157" wheelbase, it's also got serious break over issue potential, and having something that functions as a step without giving up a bunch of clearance or having a significant chance of bending into the body is good for peace of mind.

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Those look like they just attach to the same body-mounted factory studs that the OEM steps attach to. Do they? The description on the website hints at that, by mentioning the two or three sets of bracket bolts per side.

Funny thing is that one of the first products Glen came up with (starting Rocky Road) was a rock slider for the XJ Cherokee. He took measurements off the Tomken Machine sliders I had on my XJ...

[anotherVTskibum]

Those look like they just attach to the same body-mounted factory studs that the OEM steps attach to. Do they? The description on the website hints at that, by mentioning the two or three sets of bracket bolts per side.

Funny thing is that one of the first products Glen came up with (starting Rocky Road) was a rock slider for the XJ Cherokee. He took measurements off the Tomken Machine sliders I had on my XJ...

They do mount to those factory locations. My hope is that between being stronger themselves and closer to the body of the truck, that will allow them to take more force and distribute it enough not to push in the body. He reported some of the testing they'd done and it was sufficiently convincing for me.

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[waveshello]

I had an XJ that came with the factory off-road package, which later turned into the up country one. Don't expect any lift from those leaf packs - other than that new packs will not be sagged like the old ones.

FWIW, a long add-a-leaf works quite well on a stock XJ leaf pack, gives around 2" lift. Alternatively (or in combination with whatever leaf modification you do), a moderately longer shackle will give a small lift - I had MJ Comanche shackles on mine. They are 1" longer, so provide approx 1/2" lift. If you can find a junkyard Comanche, the shackles will be cheap.

Do not use polyurethane leaf spring bushings. They will squeak, a lot.

If your XJ has a rear sway bar, remove and discard it, unless you tow. Front swaybar quick disconnects are well worth it if you do any offroading.

If you don't have any skid plates, get the factory ones from a junkyard. The gas tank one is quite good, but not easy to install. The transfer case skid is minimal, but it's very easy to install. There is a front end skid that doesn't do a lot, but doesn't hurt either.

Get rock sliders.

Good stuff! I'm ok with no lift, if these don't settle past stock height for a few years I'll be very happy. This is mostly a to-and-from the ski hill rig + forest service roads in the summer. Big ruts are about the only obstacle I need to overcome.

I went with rubber bushings, I am pulling the sway bar. I have all the skids minus the t-case skid, I would like to add that one. Probably don't need rock sliders where I'm going though.

Driver's side spring replacement is complete... On to the other! Ended up having to cut both bolts out + the spring eye on one end because of the seized bushings. I am very glad (and a little surprised) that I did not break off the weld nuts in the frame rail.

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[basinbeater]

Welp, my buddy decided he was ready to sell the E34 540i i sold him several years ago, and i said i would help. Bring me the car, I'll give it a tuneup and sell it. It dies en route up in Spokane (buddy lent it to his buddy). So my buddy rents a trailer, goes and recovers the car, and brings it down to me tonight. While he is driving, i take the Porsche 944 turbo out for a spin, having fun zipping around. And... Stop. No more ignition. No start no go. Fuuuugggghhhhh.
Well buddy with the busted e34 shows up, we move the car into he garage, and take the trailer down and recover the 944. Guess i got some wrenching to do this coming week.
On a side note, he rented an enclosed trailer for $75 a day. Seems like a good deal to me. KSL classifieds. Good thinkin.

[Timberridge]

With a couch and a toaster oven, that trailer would make a nice camper setup for the parking lot at Alta.

[bendtheski]

I bought a '21 WRX last year after my '08 Impreza's motor took a dump. High School auto shop (1979) was the full extent of my mechanical knowledge; oil changes, tune-up (pre-electronic ignition, tire changes/balance and brake pad replacement (disc and drum) and radiator service. Oh yeah, I re-did the valve cover gaskets on my '69 Polara once.


Out with the old...

In with the new! Day 1 at the dealership.

I started small last summer with a Cobb accessport and Big SF intake/Stage 1+SF tune (Warranty? Pshaw!). There was an immediate improvement in throttle response and torque to redline, which were two of the biggest gripes with this generation WRX. I think Subaru had already addressed the rev-hang issues, but it's definitely not an issue after the tune. The install was pretty straight-forward and built my confidence to take on bigger projects.













I changed to an A-pillar mount for the accessport, but you get the idea.

The next common gripe I addressed was body roll. I installed Whiteline sway bars 26mm front, 22 rear +end links. Then I took the stock WRX (20mm?) rear sway bar and replaced the puny stock (18mm?) rear in my wife's Outback. 1 day to install, half of another day to re-tighten/torque. I would rate this install challenging but not unpossible for a hack like myself, and improves handling significantly (for both vehicles).

The next, and so far least successful project was a Radium AOS install. This was a lot to take on for a n00b, and cost myself some extra time and trouble upgrading the pcv breather plate from plastic to CNC aluminum. Stripped holes and helicoils were the order of the day(s), and I'm still short about 3-4 psi of boost (19.5 from 22) below factory. I suspect the rubber gaskets connecting either side of the intercooler may be compromised, and they're relatively inexpensive, so that will likely be next up. I ended up upgrading the PVC breather plate, but without draining coolant, so some coolant made it into the crank case, and eventually got burned off, but not before silicates contaminated the O2 sensors, triggering CELs for catalyst performing below threshold. I replaced O2 sensors, and haven't had a CEL in about 4000miles, so hopefully that crap is behind me now. I don't really like how the pcv hose connects to the turbo inlet, and the plastic OEM inlet, which is prone to cracking is on my short list of next upgrades. Cobb and Grimmspeed both make cast versions that replaces the factory hose connector, so win/win.








CEL/FML.

I bought the car with a short-throw shifter kit from Subaru, which is great, but I probably should have waited and upgraded to Kartboy or similar aftermarket. I bought a 2nd set of wheels that sit 15mm further outboard than factory. I need to pick up some 15mm hub-centric spacers and longer lugs before the snows go back on this winter. I did splash guards, amber laminates on fog lights, JDM rear fog light, Cobb shift knob, Nameless strut tower brace, fire extinguisher because car is HAWT!, engine bay dress-up along with some re-badging, but wouldn’t really consider them mechanical projects. OK, maybe the fog light.








Turns out I get more toys if I get one for wifey too!
Attachment 424180




My honey getting into my baby (that didn't come out right).

The next project was brakes. The car came with 2-piston front, single rear which I just didn't think were up to the task, but also, I have a thing for red Brembos. I found a complete refurb set (re-brandedPowerstop) 4-piston front/2-piston rear calipers, slotted/drilled rotors, pads and stainless hoses for $1400. I had just replaced rotors and pads on the wife's car, so had some idea what I was doing. I didn't have a partner to help bleed, and was told I should be using a brake scan tool anyway, so brought it to Brakes Plus for the bleed. The rear dust covers needed to be trimmed back to accommodate the larger rotors, and needed different thread pitch for front calipers, but otherwise went off without a hitch. I was happy to part with the $70 for the bleed to put this project to bed! Braking performance is noticeably better, and those big red calipers put a smile on my face every time I see them.




Yep, I butchered it.


A little rotor conceals everything...


Finished product after a "spirited" drive up Berthoud.

I joined a few Subaru and WRX/STI fb groups, but JFC people do a lot of dumb shit to these cars (self included), buy them with zero knowledge, and then come on facebook to ask random strangers how to fix their shit? I must have skipped right over this thread before today, but have been thinking for months that those facebook WRX/STI groups could really use some TGR style honesty and blunt force delivery. Really the entire internet could.


Parting shot; I drove underpowered Imprezas for 20 years, and swore I would get a WRX when the '08 died. I've learned a ton in just a year, and have even been able to help a bud with his sway bar install (and he helped with my brakes). I've literally never done any work beyond oil changes on anything I've owned since high school (1980), but am pretty happy about my new car/hobby. Stay tuned for random "how do I fix my shit?" posts.

[ghosthop]

Welp, my buddy decided he was ready to sell the E34 540i i sold him several years ago, and i said i would help. Bring me the car, I'll give it a tuneup and sell it.

What's the going rate for a broken down 540i?

[Norseman]

The next, and so far least successful project was a Radium AOS install. This was a lot to take on for a n00b, and cost myself some extra time and trouble upgrading the pcv breather plate from plastic to CNC aluminum. Stripped holes and helicoils were the order of the day(s), and I'm still short about 3-4 psi of boost (19.5 from 22) below factory. I suspect the rubber gaskets connecting either side of the intercooler may be compromised, and they're relatively inexpensive, so that will likely be next up. I ended up upgrading the PVC breather plate, but without draining coolant, so some coolant made it into the crank case, and eventually got burned off, but not before silicates contaminated the O2 sensors, triggering CELs for catalyst performing below threshold. I replaced O2 sensors, and haven't had a CEL in about 4000miles, so hopefully that crap is behind me now. I don't really like how the pcv hose connects to the turbo inlet, and the plastic OEM inlet, which is prone to cracking is on my short list of next upgrades.

The water in your oil might not be cooked out. Suggest changing the oil to be sure, if you haven't already, else risk main bearings, etc. And don't delay in getting the intake leak via PCV figured out. The gaskets will erode and worsen the leak under continued leakage, compounding the rich/lean conditions. I question the necessity of the oil separator with the newness of your rig, as the rings are new and blow-by should be minimal. But if you're running at 20+psi, that's ripe shit for knock so maybe it's worth the preventive. Oil management in these horizontally-opposed motors is the biggest drawback, imo.

Speaking of oil, I'd also suggest looking into maybe pulling the little in-line filters from the oil lines at the turbo inlet and maybe the head supply lines. These are known to easily clog with tiny particulates and cause oil starvation for the turbo, etc.

Congrats on the rig. I have a dark blue LGT wagon. These aren't as nice as euro bougiemobiles but they go just as good in the mtns and will outlast them by double.

[bendtheski]

The water in your oil might not be cooked out. Suggest changing the oil to be sure, if you haven't already, else risk main bearings, etc. And don't delay in getting the intake leak via PCV figured out. The gaskets will erode and worsen the leak under continued leakage, compounding the rich/lean conditions. I question the necessity of the oil separator with the newness of your rig, as the rings are new and blow-by should be minimal. But if you're running at 20+psi, that's ripe shit for knock so maybe it's worth the preventive. Oil management in these horizontally-opposed motors is the biggest drawback, imo.

Speaking of oil, I'd also suggest looking into maybe pulling the little in-line filters from the oil lines at the turbo inlet and maybe the head supply lines. These are known to easily clog with tiny particulates and cause oil starvation for the turbo, etc.

Congrats on the rig. I have a dark blue LGT wagon. These aren't as nice as euro bougiemobiles but they go just as good in the mtns and will outlast them by double.

See, this is already better info than most fb groups. I drove 12 miles to home and changed the oil immediately, and again in under 3k miles.

The Cobb/Grimmspeed inlets aren’t that much ($225), so I’ll probably do that in the next month or so. Eventually I plan to upgrade the TMIC and plumbing and cat back, but that’s probably at least a year off. I’ll be replacing the intercooler gaskets in probably the next couple of weeks.

I know the AOS is kind of overkill at this point, but I drove my last Impreza 14 years/150k, and the one before that for 11 years/250k. I plan on owning this thing a long time, maybe get to 325whp, and preserve the pristineness for as long as possible, and hey, it’s only money.

I’m lucky enough to be able to walk to work, so it’s pretty much all pleasure driving, which is a first in my vehicle ownership lifetime. This comes in handy when a project runs over, and pretty easy to keep the mileage under 10k a year. My wife works from home, so her 2017 OB 3.6 is all paid off with only 55k, and I’m kind of hoping to have even less on mine when the loan is done. This is quite a departure from the 3k a month I used to put on commuting in north Jersey and driving to killington every weekend all through my 30’s.

Anyway, Subaru marketing does some weird shit. Why don’t we get a WRX wagon like they give the Aussies? We won’t discuss the ‘22 WRX except to say I’m not real sorry my Impreza chose last year to take a shit.

Thanks for the recs, will definitely be taking a proactive approach, I’m losing precious boost!!!


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[basinbeater]

What's the going rate for a broken down 540i?

Depends how much tread is left on the tires.

[basinbeater]

I support the air oil separator, however, you need to determine if you are going to empty a catch can every xxxx amount of miles, (and don't forget!) Or if you want to route back into oil pan, at which point you need a heated unit to burn off the water. I think... I got that right...

[bendtheski]

I support the air oil separator, however, you need to determine if you are going to empty a catch can every xxxx amount of miles, (and don't forget!) Or if you want to route back into oil pan, at which point you need a heated unit to burn off the water. I think... I got that right...

That’s why I got the Radium. It’s plumbed into the cooling system, and drains into a PCV delete under the intercooler. It’s also got a dipstick but so far it comes out spotless every time. I live at 8500 feet in CO, and Radium recommended hose insulation to prevent condensation freezing in colder temps, so all hoses have Jegs hose insulation. Honestly it’s a really sweet setup, but not simple to install by any means. Kind of interesting that the car picked up 2-3 psi of boost at sea level, and hoping the new gaskets will help me recover what I lost.

As I said before, I’m in this for the long haul. I fully expect to have to rebuild at some point, hopefully after it’s paid off, and then the options are unlimited depending on budget. People complain a lot about lack of reliability with Subaru and the WRX in particular, but I kind of expect that it will hold up well with routine maintenance. I was a slacker when it came to maintaining the Imprezas beyond oil changes/timing belts, and want to be better about doing routine maintenance on the whole car, and doing as much as possible myself. It’s a lot easier when you’re not putting on 25-30k a year.


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[Norseman]

Meh, reliability is fine (far beyond anything euro, imho) unless you're a dumbass wannabe racerboi running it out of oil and generally beating on it.

My last EJ motor had 305k mi on it and probably wouldve gone to a half mil if I hadnt given it away. Blue wagon above has 220k on the 2.5t

Honestly I'd turn down the boost pressure a tad if you're wanting longevity, and mind the dipstick cause once in a while it'll just eat a quart.

[bendtheski]

Meh, reliability is fine (far beyond anything euro, imho) unless you're a dumbass wannabe racerboi running it out of oil and generally beating on it.

I think you just described at least half the WRX owners posting in fb groups. The other half are the poor suckers who bought used from a wannabe racerboi.

If I can recover the lost boost, I’ll probably go to the normal waste gate setting (currently running high waste gate at Cobb’s recommendation) which should keep it under 20psi, which is still plenty quick. I may never track the car, and definitely don’t street race, check oil every other gas up, etc. so that might help extend longevity a bit.



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[Pinned]

Speaking as someone who has blown up a few EJs... the cars are fine until you start modifying them. Subaru isn't building them to put down 400whp or more, they're building them to make 250whp (aka stock) and be reliable. The ECUs are also very simplistic and have little error correction / adaptation - a poor tune is what kills most of them. But even so, the second you modify those cars you're doing so with some knowledge that you're shortening the life span. But they make fun noises and go sideways nicely in the snow so - tradeoffs.

It's the goobers strapping on cold air intakes and bigger intercoolers / exhausts and not tuning for them that blow the cars up.

[MontuckyFried]

Speaking as someone who has blown up a few EJs... the cars are fine until you start modifying them. Subaru isn't building them to put down 400whp or more, they're building them to make 250whp (aka stock) and be reliable. The ECUs are also very simplistic and have little error correction / adaptation - a poor tune is what kills most of them. But even so, the second you modify those cars you're doing so with some knowledge that you're shortening the life span. But they make fun noises and go sideways nicely in the snow so - tradeoffs.

It's the goobers strapping on cold air intakes and bigger intercoolers / exhausts and not tuning for them that blow the cars up.

Lol. Lack of proper tuning must be why I hear so many of them crackling and backfiring all the way down the street all the time. That CAN'T be good for your car. Haha.

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[jamal]

I think an AOS is a really good addition to any turbo car, but especially the new direct injected ones, because you don't have fuel washing the intake ports and backs of the valves. They get so gunked up in such a short period of time. I remember a bmw 335 we had the intake off after only like 15-20k miles and all the valves and ports were covered in thick, chunky sludge.

I don't think the current engines use those little oil feed like filter screens either but I guess I can't say for sure. I know the ejs phased them out in the later years after those issues.

[bendtheski]

It's the goobers strapping on cold air intakes and bigger intercoolers / exhausts and not tuning for them that blow the cars up.

Truth. I think this is one of the things Cobb does well; CAI and matching tune through the accessport. Of course it's an OTS, so still probably not as good as custom which is where I'll be headed when I get around to upgrading intercooler and cat-back, but I'll factor in an extra $500-800 for the whole job before even ordering parts. 50% of the posts I see on fb are from some jong who just modded without a tune and can't figure out why their car runs like crap. The other 50% are the bigger jongs who bought an improperly modded car without the seller disclosing, and now their shit won't run. Then there are the jongs who care about nothing but wings, lips, lowering kits and fender flairs.

I drive a Subaru because I've had great success with reliability/longevity, and because getting to the mountain and home on storm days is a high priority. Stock height and body trim are as low as I'll go. I knew I was voiding my warranty with the tune and intake, so kind of a leap of faith, but one of my brothers has a stable of WRX/STI and even a '14 Impreza he basically turned into a WRX, and his kid is a mechanic. My brother assured me he and the kid will assist with whatever comes up, and he made a special trip from CT to CO to help me with my wife's brake job, which then allowed me to install my upgrade. I'm just going to start referring to them as my pit crew.

FWIW, my brother has always had cars I wished I could have owned, from his 1980 Scirraco, to the Audi 4000 CS Quattro to his turbo Legacy. It's kind of nice that we're close to being on the same page with the WRX and his STI. Both his kids and his wife drive Subies (crosstrek for her, WRX for one, and heavily modified LGT for the other). It's another thing we can geek out about to drive my wife crazy when he visits.

[gravitylover]

I'm getting a shake out of the rear at hwy speeds (over~65) and it's more significant on some pavement surfaces than others. I had the tires balanced at 2 shops so I don't think it's that. The rear shocks are looking pretty tired, may be oe for all I know. Replacing them should stop what I think is wheel hopping, right? I do occasionally have real loads back there so I'm thinking the Monroe heavy duty load adjusting (coilovers) shocks, will the ride get unnecessarily firm with those? And what if I also go with the RT struts up front rather than the stock mush? Between those firmer dampers, new sway links and sway bar bushings and it should feel mostly refreshed, right?

[bendtheski]

Lol. Lack of proper tuning must be why I hear so many of them crackling and backfiring all the way down the street all the time. That CAN'T be good for your car. Haha.

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No doubt. I probably shouldn't judge, but people seem to own these cars for the dumbest reasons to do the dumbest thing to them, then they post vids of them pwning angry Karens who don't appreciate all the rumble and backfiring in their quiet neighborhoods. I'll eventually do cat-back to improve low end torque, not to annoy the neighbors.

I will say that even the stock exhaust has a pretty robust low frequency rumble, but it's not obnoxious. When the car is warming up in the driveway, and RPMs drop from 1500 to 700, I can hear/feel the drop in pitch from the other side of the house. I doubt it's loud enough for neighbors to hear, but it's a kind of fun way the car tells me it's ready to be driven.

[Norseman]

I think an AOS is a really good addition to any turbo car, but especially the new direct injected ones, because you don't have fuel washing the intake ports and backs of the valves.

great point

I don't think the current engines use those little oil feed like filter screens either but I guess I can't say for sure. I know the ejs phased them out in the later years after those issues.

Yeah, I probably shouldn't have mentioned them. I don't know for sure either, but if they were phased out of the EJ's then I'd be surprised to find them in the F series newer motors.

BTW, bendtheski, jamal is absolutely a wealth of knowledge as he runs (ran?) a shop and worked race crews iirc. He helped me with a big parts order for an ej22t build a few years ago and I was glad to have his informed opinions.

[skaredshtles]

Audi 4000 CS Quattro .

I had one of these for about 4 years, and goddam was that a fun car... doubly so in snow.

[bendtheski]

great point



Yeah, I probably shouldn't have mentioned them. I don't know for sure either, but if they were phased out of the EJ's then I'd be surprised to find them in the F series newer motors.

BTW, bendtheski, jamal is absolutely a wealth of knowledge as he runs (ran?) a shop and worked race crews iirc. He helped me with a big parts order for an ej22t build a few years ago and I was glad to have his informed opinions.

Thanks Norseman, and also Jamal. The DIT valve washing issue was among the main reasons I went with an AOS, but it was all the way back in December when I had more brain cells so kind of forgot that piece. Almost guaranteed I will have additional questions. I also forgot to mention that I sidelined as a bicycle mechanic (and occasionally raced road and mountain) for about 20 years, was a broadcast engineer for the same 20, and am technical enough to be dangerous. This is actually the most fun I've had wrenching since learning to work on bikes in the late 80's/early 90's!

[Pinned]

Lol. Lack of proper tuning must be why I hear so many of them crackling and backfiring all the way down the street all the time. That CAN'T be good for your car. Haha.

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They definitely shouldn't be backfiring, but a little bit of overrun isn't going to destroy the car. It became a little too easy to setup makeshift antilag in the open source software and I remember a few people blowing stuff up because of that. Poorly setup (or not at all setup) atmospheric BOVs definitely prematurely end the life of many EJ205s in the older WRXs though.