pontoontodd

Got the other ABS connector for the Impreza and have both fuel pumps working on the switch now, seems to empty and fill the main tank as desired. Finally took the center diff back out of the 6MT from the black Outback. Does just appear to be the faces of those shafts that were rubbing together, planetary seems fine. Have done a little PID tuning on the cams in the EZ36. For quite a while now they've been very unstable at low engine temperatures. It's been a tough problem to solve because you can only really try a few things before the engine's warm enough to smooth things out. Fortunately (?) it's been very cold here lately so I've been able to get them tuned in better. I did add another row to the table to lower the PID values before the coolant gets up to temp but I think it's mainly just been changing the values to make it more stable in general that helped. Still a few things to improve on that front but at least progress was made.

Have driven the Impreza a bit more and the bottom radiator temp sensor continues to be at ambient temperature the majority of the time. One time after I was only stopped for ten or fifteen minutes it and the intake air temp had soaked up to about 50F and stayed there for the short drive home. It seems that the ultimate temperature it reaches is in the 190sF at the top of the radiator and 220sF at the top of the engine. That sensor on the engine is probably less accurately calibrated and generally just reads 10F or so higher than the ones in the radiator even when the car's been parked overnight. I bumped up the temps the fans are coming on at so they're not running all the time once the car warms up. 220F on the engine temp sensor is basically when the temp gauge just starts to creep up above the middle. Have now seen a temperature drop of 180F across the radiator (it's been cold here lately), so I think the radiator is doing its job. I rebuilt the rear struts in B's Forester. No major issues, mainly changed the dirty shock oil, replaced a couple little things. B replaced the rear suspension bushing that was shot and went over a few other things on his car.

We finally got the secondary fuel tank project finished. Added one fitting to each cover plate of the stock fuel tank. Ran a fuel resistant hose down the side with the main pickup. Mounted, plumbed, and wired the fuel pumps in the spare tire well. It will probably take about ten minutes to fill or empty the tank. Seems to work in both directions by watching the clear fuel filters, listening, and watching the fuel gauge. Definitely looking forward to putting the extended range to use. I rewired the fans. Two small puller fans are on the main circuit. Two pusher fans are on the sub fan circuit on a larger fuse and relay. Main goal here is to push less debris into the condenser and radiator. Another potential benefit is not blowing the fan fuse when driving in deep water. I also wired in the temp sensors we added to the radiator earlier this year. Only drove it to the grocery store and back, which is maybe a ten minute drive, but I found the results interesting. The bottom radiator temperature is basically always around 20F higher than ambient, similar to the intake air temperature. It did read much lower when unplugged and does vary a bit so I'm pretty sure that sensor is working. The top radiator temperature kept slowly increasing but was generally 40F lower than the coolant temp sensor on the engine (by the top engine water neck maybe 6" from the radiator sensor). The ones on the radiator are probably a more accurate calibration. The top ones did get within about 20F by the end and after sitting for a bit. Also means the radiator is producing up to a 120F temperature drop even parked at idle with the fans off which I found impressive. Also we worked on B's Forester a bit. Narrowed down which rear bushing needs to be replaced, replaced a wheel stud, and adjusted the parking brake.

Plumbed a tee into the top line feeding the steering brake and put a bleeder on that, after bleeding that spot and the calipers a bit more it seems fine now. B replaced a front wheel bearing on his Forester which seemed to help his on/off throttle steering issue. I edited and posted two videos from our last trip to the UP, one long, one short:

Yes except I have mine plumbed the opposite from your example. It sort of works as a locker but mainly it's used as a steering brake. It's my favorite kind of steering brake. This shows how we ran the lines and how close the brake is to the center console compartment. Center console reinstalled, handle lines up perfectly with one of the coin holders. Mirror adjustment switch doesn't go all the way back in. Ran the lines under the carpet and through the stock grommet under the back seat. Connected them to the bulkhead under the seat. I tried a different bleeding procedure which ultimately didn't seem to be an improvement.

One of the two main projects I wanted to do this winter on the Impreza (other being the gas tank) is installing the cutting brake from the black Outback. I made this bracket to bolt it next to the parking brake. B replaced the ABS unit with a couple of tee fittings. The one for the fronts is our solution for those lines. B rerouted the braided stainless line we had in the black Outback from the master to the cutting brake, it was still in good shape. Bolted to the cutting brake. Bolts down using two stock fasteners on the top of the driveshaft tunnel. It backed right up to the storage compartment in the center console so I plugged the normal feed location and plumbed the line from the master to the top (former bleeder location). This lines the handle up with the coin holder in the center console (haven't cut that out yet). Handle will be bent too. I made and ran new braided stainless lines from the cutting brake to the bulkhead fitting under the back seat that feeds the stock rear brake lines. We spent quite a bit of time and brake fluid trying to bleed it. I eventually got it to the point that it was driveable and I could lock up the left rear tire but the brake pedal and cutting brake are definitely spongy. Related to this mod was adding another heater core under the one I've been using. Hoping it will give me a little more insurance against overheating. Plan is still to put the two small puller fans on the main circuit in hopes that the pusher fans don't have to run much. They seem to shred plant matter and jam it into the condenser and radiator. B and I did some mockup and made a couple brackets to bolt the second one on underneath the original. That hose linking the two is definitely not ideal but I don't think it's closed off and will probably open up under pressure. I do plan to put a barbed elbow in there to help though. Should make sure the one closer to the fan is getting coolant first too. Still gathering a few connectors for rewiring the fans and extra fuel pumps.

I think it was too long but I should check.

Last weekend we did some work on B's Forester. His carpeting has been getting wet on the driver's side so he pulled off the fender, wipers, carpeting, etc to investigate. Eventually noticed part of the floor had some small cracks in it. After a little tar removal and poking he discovered about a 2-3" square section was basically rusted to nothing. So he cleaned up the sheet metal around that and welded in a fresh piece. Meanwhile I went through his front struts. Main task was replacing the bushings in the strut bodies. This pair of struts may have been on the black Outback, regardless they have seen a lot of abuse and the bushings were badly worn. Replaced the shock oil in one and replaced a few shims that were maybe slightly cracked. Verified our notes on the valving were accurate. Replaced some other boots/seals, repacked steering bearings with grease, etc. He says it's noticeably more solid now. Yesterday we worked on my Impreza. Still seemed like the radiator and condenser were pretty dirty so I got a long nozzle air gun and tried a few different modifications, this seemed to work the best. Plugged the end (M6x1) and drilled a .15" hole in the side. Then you can get that between the radiator and condenser and blast out one or the other. We got quite a bit more debris out. Replaced the steering rack. It was leaking badly from the driver's side. This would then quickly degrade the boot which would split open. I was refilling the reservoir about once a week by the end of the summer. Fortunately M had put a rebuilt rack in his (my old) blue Impreza a couple years before we parted it out so that one is (hopefully) still pretty fresh. We pulled the skidplate and replaced the rack. In the course of swapping that out I discovered that the bottom U joint on the steering shaft is nearly locked up in one direction. After putting everything back together, you can feel the tight spots in the U joint when turning the steering wheel with the front end off the ground. So I'll have to replace that. A bit disappointed, it's only been in there a couple years, new from Subaru (and extended by me). We had a bit more time and the front end was already off the ground and wheels and tires were off so we decided to go through my front struts. Didn't take too long, verified the valving mainly, added a bit of oil, replaced a wiper, regreased the steering bearings. We intend to go through our rear struts sometime this winter too. Still working on getting material for all the 6MT low range parts so we have a couple complete assemblies (including one for B). We should really tear down the one that was in the black Outback sometime and confirm the failure mode there. I think I have all the plumbing bits I need for the extra fuel tank. Need to get some electrical bits for that and the fan rewiring. We did take a peek at the ABS sensor wires and they're not super small, maybe 20 gauge, we think two of those will be adequate to power a fuel pump.

In case you hadn't noticed we have a lot more options for vehicle modifications than Australia. These pumps are 255lph. Assuming this extra tank is 10 gallons that would take about nine minutes. Could have it going before you even start filling the main tank. Worst case you fill up the main tank, pull off to the side for ten minutes, then go back to the pump. Guess I'll find out. I think this will be the simplest way. One hose connecting the tops of the tanks for venting. One hose connecting the bottom of the secondary tank going down through one of the access panels and down to the bottom of the main tank. Have two fuel pumps side by side teed into that bottom hose one pointing each direction. One of those pumps could run the engine in a pinch. Definitely looking forward to the magically increased range.

Thanks for all the advice on this. Good to have someone else looking over my shoulder making sure to at least warn me when I'm doing something I shouldn't. Yes, we're just using these as transfer pumps. One for each direction since they all seem to have a check valve built in, the only reversible ones I can find are pretty expensive. 14ga seems overkill for 5A. I use 16ga for almost everything. Will take a closer look at the ABS wires for sure, I like the idea of just using them for power and then grounding the other terminal of the pumps. Will probably see what other wires are running back there we're no longer using too. On the topic of wiring, any suggestions on a relay/fuse good for 80+ amps? Want to put both the pusher fans on the secondary fan circuit. Figure I'll switch the big relay I add with the stock wiring/relay. Those fans pull almost 30A each (over 30A when submerged in water apparently). Planning on putting both the puller fans on the primary fan circuit, they are small and don't draw as much so I should be good there. Currently have one of each on each circuit on 30A fuses.

Good point I'll take a look at the gauge of those wires. Won't be under much pressure so according to the internet it'll draw 4-5 amps and even 22 gauge wire should be adequate. Definitely not getting any relays involved. Thanks again for the cabin air filter tip. We were discussing how full of junk the evaporator would be without it. Like the one on the black Outback was.

B and I worked on the secondary fuel tank for the Impreza. I pressure tested it and flushed it out, seems like it doesn't have any leaks even at 30psi. I got the mounting flaps carved up so it fits and matched up the bumper mount holes. We had to do a little more hammering in the spare tire well. We came up with a plan on how we want to mount the fuel pumps and run the hoses. I need to get another pump, some hoses and fittings. Going to try to get wire connectors for the ABS wires so we can use those for the fuel pumps since they're already running front to back and will never be used for ABS again. B replaced the cabin air filter and cleaned out the airbox and blower fan, they were all loaded with debris. He also traced the brake lines under the hood and we came up with a plan on eliminating the ABS module and plumbing the left/right steering brake from the black Outback.

Impreza has still been wandering a bit so I wanted to replace a couple of the lateral link bushings and CV boots. Got a bunch of Group N bushings so I'd have some on the shelf for future repairs. With the billet knuckles and dog leg trailing arms and the stainless studs in place of the long bolts it's a much easier job than it used to be, didn't take me long to get both axles out. One thing I've been wanting to address almost from the beginning of this swap is the slop in the rear diff stubs. The combination of slop in the diff splines and the splines for the female axles allows the inner CVs to move around more and have more backlash than normal. The splines for the inner CV were worn on the stubs that have been in the car for a couple years now. I peened a pair of them like the one in the bottom of this picture. I tried pressing them first to squish the splines but that did nothing. This may not last long as a means of reducing the slop but I figured it was worth a try. B swapped out a couple of the lateral link bushings and cleaned up the long studs. He also shorted a couple of the inner bolts that were rubbing on the inner CV boots. I regreased and rebooted a couple CVs and replaced one axle. Once we got it all back together one CV had basically no slop on the splines, the other one still had some but less than before. While we were under there I decided to refab the section of exhaust that hangs under the subframe. Cut out that flattened section and replaced with 2.5" x .095" 4130. Actually has clearance to the CV joint now. We also came up with an initial plan for mounting the extra fuel tank. Can't wait to get that hooked up. B unbolted the top of the radiator and pulled it back the little it can move with the radiator hoses on it, then he blasted a bunch of crap out from between the radiator and condenser with compressed air. I want to get/make some different nozzles for doing that more effectively, should probably at least check that regularly. Still hoping that getting the puller fans on the primary fan circuit and the pusher fans on the secondary fan circuit will help.

Posted videos from our trip back in June, one long, one short, maybe the best mix of mud/sand/rocks from the UP yet

Took five wheel and tire assemblies to Discount for their road hazard warranty. Only one leaked, others had big cuts in sidewalls etc. They'd ordered five new tires as replacements and then swapped them on to my wheels. When I pulled in to pick them up the manager recognized me and came out of the building and met me in the parking lot to tell me where they had them stacked. He asked about how the car did off road, how far we go, etc. Not necessarily a good sign when the tire shop manager instantly recognizes you. Drove the white Outback to the machine shop last Monday and the trans broke on the way there. Shifted hard (which it does the first few shifts when cold sometimes) then no forward or reverse propulsion. Faint grinding noise when in gear. C picked me up and gave me a ride to my house. Drove the Impreza to the scene and we hooked up the tow bar and lights. Towed it back to my house. Drove Impreza in garage, unhooked tow bar, jacked up rear of Impreza, pushed sideways, drove Impreza out, pushed Outback in. That week I disconnected everything from the trans and on Saturday B helped me swap it out. I refabbed the exhaust to get some driveshaft clearance. Used a steel cone to make the muffler rounder, replaced the most bent/crushed piece of tubing, relocated one of the hangers for more CV clearance. While I was doing that B disassembled the auto and confirmed that the input shaft broke. There were also a couple of chipped gear teeth on the center diff (?) planetary but I don't think that was a problem. I found one of them on the drain pan magnet. After driving it a bit I am still getting used to how much smoother it is. I knew the old trans was shifting hard sometimes especially when cold but I still find myself bracing for a hard upshift or downshift that is now super smooth. Perhaps smoother shifting than ever in my ownership. Sunday my wife and I went kayaking with the Impreza.