presslab

Not taking sides, but this is an insightful statement. It's a chicken and egg thing though; if they don't understand the perils they likely won't expect anything invalid about their conclusions. To further detail this thread (I'm bad, I know) this is an interesting read: http://www.amazon.com/Three-Laws-Performance-Rewriting-Organization/dp/111804312X

Yes, to be clear I use ultra grey on the OUTSIDE of the seals, and not the part that touches the camshaft. The o-ring on the cam support is also a problem area. Some ultra grey used sparingly here is a good thing, but too much and you'll have a heck of a time removing the cam support later, if needed.

Above I noted the distinction of SPFI vs MPFI. With multiple injectors, it's quite possible that one cylinder is running leaner than the rest, and as there is only one O2 sensor the computer can't fix it. On a turbo motor it's not just mileage at stake, you can melt your motor. So in this case a dirty injector can be a big problem. I know the OP has SPFI, so in this case the atomization can be a problem, as mentioned by NorthWet. This is the stuff I use to clean injectors. It requires a special tool/regulator to connect it to the engine. http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/BWD0/CSF56/N0043.oap

Yes I use ultra grey on seals as well. It also acts as a lubricant to help the seal go in. Make sure you clean the seal and the metal with acetone really good first.

Yep, you run it for about a half hour on the stuff. It combusts but just well enough to idle. Basically they engraved numbers right where the lower o-ring is, which caused it to leak and flood the cylinders when turned off. I was very polite about it but I just got the run-around and flat denial that it could cause any problems. Eventually he wouldn't return phone calls and emails. My car was down so I had to buy a full set of replacement injectors.

Don't use Witchhunter, they royally screwed me over. With MPFI, if you have a lopey idle, cleaning the injectors will likely help, and get better mileage. With SPFI it's not as critical. I now clean my injectors using a special pressurized bottle. To use this you remove the fuel line and unplug the pump. It's not as good as a professional service, but once you have the fittings, the cleaner itself is cheap.

The pan is perfect, as far as I can tell. I ran a straightedge across it and it was flat. I received the WRX converter, it looks like it will work. I'd like to get the WRX turbine shaft too but I might have to settle for a normal one. The WRX one is supposedly shot-peened for added strength. I'm on vacation for a month so this will have to wait until I return.

These guys make a shift kit: http://www.transgoonline.com/ https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2fvkpmNXeMwR3N4eHlGcnNKY0E/edit?usp=sharing I have played around with the TCU to firm up the shifts. This is another option, but pretty complicated. edit: NorthWet beat me to it by seconds.

The trans guy listened to it and he wasn't sure what it was either. He said it was possibly the torque converter, but it wasn't consistent which made him wonder. He said the oil pumps rarely fail. He didn't think it was any kind of air getting sucked into the pump, as he said the inlet screen and valve body would normally be submerged anyway. If I rev the engine in neutral and then shift to reverse with the RPMs around 2500, the trans is very loud and I can even feel vibration in the shift lever that coincides with the noise. This also makes me think that it's not just sucking air. I'm not sure why reverse is louder than drive, probably has something to do with the line pressure. Anyway I guess I'll take out the trans and have a look at the torque converter first. If I see anything obviously wrong I will just move forward with upgrading to the WRX torque converter. Otherwise I'll dig deeper into the trans to see what's going on.

I was hoping there would be more information out there, but it seems this is an uncommon problem. I'm going to have someone I know who owns a transmission shop listen to it today.

Nevermind

The duty-C is modulated according to throttle position, inhibitor switch, gear, and VSS. And then if a slip is detected it will add more pressure. So if you want to compare apples to apples, the signal should be measured under the same conditions, and not just in park. I imagine the function was inverted hydraulically somehow, and simply inverting the electrical signal will not be ideal because the hydraulic response is non-linear.

Do you have torque bind if you unplug your TCU? If not, that would be a final confirmation it's backward.

The urethane will increase road noise somewhat and transfer more high frequency vibration, but I've never felt it made bumps any harsher as those are relatively low frequency. My car doesn't have any soft floaty feel like yours, but I feel it handles fantastic both on pavement as well as off-road. A few weeks ago I was on this dirt road with large holes all over it, about 6" deep on average. I was pleased with how fast I was able to go while maintaining complete control and no harshness. Then I finished out the drive on smooth curvy tarmac pushing well over the ton. Opposedforces shows the front trailing link bushing on the STi as 20254FE000, and it's unique to the STi. The link below shows the same part number as a Group-N part. http://www.sti.jp/e/competitor/parts/e2.html

I've had Group-N motor mounts, and yes they are harsh! But when I replaced the trailing arm bushings in my GL-10 (yes, different design) with urethane I didn't notice any more NVH. The distance from the bushing to the wheel is pretty far in both cases. I don't think the Group-N bushing NVH will be a big deal. You could also do the zerk fitting with urethane (like I did) if you're worried about wear. I do agree though that urethane is not ideal for a lot of applications.

I checked the torque converter bolts' tightness through the top access hole and I didn't see anything wrong. I did do an engine conversion a year and 10k miles ago, but I never removed the torque converter and the engine mated perfectly with no force. It's quite possible that the added power of the new engine has caused something to fail, but I can't think how more power would cause the oil pump to fail. The surprising thing to me is how sudden this noise has shown up.

Something else that makes me think it's the pump is that when I pulled and replaced the filter, there was some air in the lines. When I started it in park, the noise became very loud for a second, the loudest ever, as I would imagine the air pocket reaching the pump. I suppose it could be the flex plate or the torque converter. In any case I'm pretty sure the trans needs to be pulled to solve the problem. It looks like I need to remove the pinion gear to get at the oil pump, which means removing the tail housing too. Has anyone ever replaced their oil pump?

I have a lead on a WRX torque converter. Sounds like I can use that one with the WRX input shaft. I'd guess a N/A phase-II input shaft would work too, but I think the WRX one is stronger.

Yesterday my 4EAT ('88 GL-10, but figured best to post in new gen) trans went from perfect to sounding like a bad power steering pump (it's not the PS pump). It will make an engine speed related whirring sound that comes and goes. I thought it may be the torque converter but it still does it somewhat when I rev the engine in neutral, and also when the TC locks up on the freeway I can still hear it. So that leaves the oil pump, as it's engine speed and not road speed or gear dependent. I removed my inline filter and looked inside, it was just fine. Checked the fluid (it's a few months old) and it's fine. It looks like I can get to the pump after removing the diff housing. I'll probably upgrade to the newer housing as I currently have an adapter plate for my EJ20G, and it would be nice to get the newer torque converter. My questions are thus: Why would the pump fail? Do I need a certain diff housing to use a Legacy SS torque converter?

I had a problem in the past where if the car sat for a while (overnight) it started fine, or if it sat for a few minutes it was fine. Between those two times it would be hard to start. The fuel injectors were leaking around their seals and it would flood the cylinders. Does your car start okay if you shut it off and start it 30 seconds later?

Your engine uses a "wasted spark" type system. These will wear both the center electrode as well as the lateral electrode. The Iridium plug you listed will only protect against wear of the center electrode. So these plugs won't really last any longer, and you won't get any benefit from the increased cost. The correct Iridium option would be a double Iridium electrode, like the NGK Laser Iridium. http://www.amazon.com/NGK-IFR5E-11-Laser-Iridium-Spark/dp/B000GZAUG8/ http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/pdf/dyk_waste_spark_ignitions.pdf http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/pdf/DYK_LaserIridium_vs_Iridium%20IX.pdf Some Subaru turbo engines use a "coil on plug" system. These can use the plugs with only an Iridium center electrode. If your engine does not burn oil and runs clean, you can probably extend the service interval with the Laser Iridium plugs. Otherwise just use the factory recommended NGK ones.

Hmm, the car looks pretty level to me... The front fender arch is higher than the rear one so the wheels can turn without hitting.

You got the gist of it, I'm impressed. The halogen cycle does work over a pretty large range, and below that it doesn't matter as much. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halogen_lamp#Halogen_cycle That's precisely why DRL circuits add resistance or PWM the bulbs, to extend their lifetime, but as mentioned above there are many factors.

I have this same trailer, it's a great value. I also built the sides for it, and using the corner brackets it's sturdy and easy to assemble. I also tow it with my Subaru sometimes. I have a similar hitch to the one pictured, but I also tied it in further up toward the gas tank. My hitch bike rack would bounce a lot before I did this. When not in use I fold the trailer up and it takes very little space!

13:1 AFR @ WOT is just about right for a naturally aspirated motor, maybe a touch rich. Your funky torque curve is likely due to timing. The ECU is probably pulling a ton of timing due to knock, but only the turbo ECUs are smart enough to pull timing only where it need it, and not across the board. http://www.perfectpower.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=180&Itemid=65#AFR,%20POWER%20AND%20FUEL%20ECONOMY