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Nicole _ Another swap story

117K views 563 replies 49 participants last post by  SleepySubie 
#1 · (Edited)
Most Current Photos;


(already missing the rg345's..)


Table of Contents:

History and old Images
- Post 3
Noob swap Story.. Donor acquired and finally brainstorming - Post 38
Old lug pulled - Post 42
New heart transplanted - Post 110
First start since swap - Post 151
Feet back on the ground - Post 166
First test drive - Post 183
TEN years owned post - Post 400
Crusty quarters repaired! - Post 436-441

Full Length Swap Time Lapse;



Modifications

Engine: 2004 WRX EJ205 _ iWire Merge #459(I think)

_Mileage on engine was 155,455 when swapped over with 189,923 on chassis
= Perrin SR Intake
= Perrin Inlet
= Mishimoto Intercooler Y Hose
= Grimmspeed Lightweight Crank Pulley
= OEM headers/up
= Thermal Zero turbo blanket
= Invidia Catted Downpipe w/ Perrin blanket
= M2 Catless catback(COBB rep) with Kartboy XL hangers
= DeatschWerks DW200 Pump
= NGK BKR6EIX Plugs
= Grimmspeed EBCS
= COBB v3 Accessport _ IA Performance protune 19ish PSI (really squeezing the
= GrounN Motor Mounts

Cooling:
= Koyo Radiator (ej253 style), Fans, and Gutted Cap
= In-Fender Coolant Overflow Tank

Drivetrain: Complete 04 WRX(5 speed/rear diff, hubs, axles, xmembers, and steering rack
= GroupN Trans Mounts
= L&E gc->gd Steering Adapter
= Short Throw Shifter
= Superpro Trans cradle bushings
= Superpro Steering Rack Bushings
= Whiteline Outrigger Bushings

Suspension:
= KYB struts / H&R springs
= New Group-n top hats
= Whiteline 24mm Front and Rear Sway Bars
= Whiteline HD RSB Mounts
= Kartboy Front and Rear Endlinks
= New bushings all around; Energy Suspension Front Shifter/Front LCA bushings, Kartboy Rear Shifter Bushing, Superpro lateral link/trailing arm bushings
= Whiteline Anti Lift and Roll Center Kits

Bracing:
= GTspec Gacchiri Fender Supports
= Beatrush Diff Mount Bar
= GroupN Diff Bar
= Kartboy Pitch Stop
= Kartboy Rear Subframe Lockdown Bolts

Interior:
= 02 wrx seats front and rear
= v6 Cluster with IAP kph->mph Converter Cord
= OEM navi pack
= mAd JDM Red Hazard switch y0!1!
= WRX Pedals on RS Pedal Box Bracket
= WRX Dead Pedal
= Momo Steering
= Blue STI Carpet
= AEM 2-in-1 AFR/Boost and Oil Pressure gauges in Ortiz Custom Gauge Pod Bezel

Audio/Video:
= Kenwood Double Din(ddx512) - bluetooth, hands free, navigation, and reverse cam.
= 6.5" Infinity Rear Speakers

Exterior:
= MRT mini induction scoop
= 22b drivers side vent
= Bakemono-Imports V6 sti replica lip
= Rear spats
= Fog covers
= JDM tails
= Ebay Black Housing Lights (headlights, corners, blinkers, and sidemarkers)
= Rainbow fogs
= Hella supertones - needs reinstalled
= v6 Grill with GD series I badge
= Flat Fuel Door

Stoppers:
= Fresh-er WRX calipers
= New Pads, Rotors, and Ebrakes all around _ Can't Remember the Brands.. Nothing Special, yet!

Planned for Phase 2 - Suspension/Brakes/Wheels
Planned for Phase 3 - Engine Rebuild
Planned for Phase 4 - Body/Paint Overhaul
 

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#216 · (Edited)
Haha, glad I'm not the only one who messed up their steering wheel alignment when replacing/moving the steering rack. For years I just thought there was damage to the rack, causing the uneven turning radius and errant wheel rub at low speed/full lock.

When I showed up to get an alignment after fixing it (and many other things) I told the tech "the wheel is centered, I need you to adjust the tie rods to make it straight." Sure got some funny look for that one.

I had the same problem with the squeak. What worked for me (stock RS pedal box) was to lube the cotter pin/fulcrum point with some high-temp grease. This has resolved the squeakyness for years.

-TC
 
#217 · (Edited)
Come to think about it I didn't grease the pins themselves. Good call Razor, I'll check that!

Even with the squeaky clutch... I'm enjoying this thing and am grateful for everything I put into it! Got my alignment done today and it's night/day difference. I wasn't too terribly off from assembly, but definitely far from right. Only thing I had to stomach was my rear camber. Too steep on both sides, and for some reason my passenger rear hub I replaced has about -0.5* more negative camber. At any rate I'll likely get adjustable lateral links to be able to bring my camber back in for daily duties. Noticed some more drippage after driving in the rain. Not from the firewall, but this time the door/window weatherstripping :boxer: Drivers side was from the very front around the mirror's triangle, passenger was from the top arch of the window, but seemed to be coming from in between the car and weatherstripping. Almost like it was running in behind the weatherstripping.

Felt weird letting someone else behind the wheel, but she seemed trustworthy. Until I noticed she didn't fully latch the door hehe


Then my friend Justin took over and started in on her


First shoot was too far off to even get all the measurements haha. So he did a little tweaking and went for a second shoot








hahah yeah.... my late night assemble and eyeball alignment. not so accurate.


Final numbers.


Definitely a vast improvement over what it was. Reminds me of how it use to drive, but there is this newness to it for sure. Very compliant, planted and tight like a tiger! Finally felt confident and was able to enjoy it a bit more on the old country roads. Grinning from ear to ear. The improvements are apparent, but still lots of room to grow. After getting it dialed in it really makes me want to find an autoX here soon!! Dropped by a friends to catch up.



Was checking his wrx out and think I'm going to find a cobb intake box like he has. May have to modify it a little, but that will get me closer to what I've imagined for my final intake setup. I've always pictured a box of some sort with my mrt scoop sealed to it's top.

Today I also got my base map from IAP, hoping to get the first round of data back to them by the end of the weekend. Got the final call from Stephen that I need to get the AFR gauge hooked up before we do my 2nd aggressive map. So I'll be getting a couple things on the list.

A true project never ends.. My re-consolidated ToDo List:
-Hardware- Screw for sideskirt, dots for navi pack,
-Adjustable laterial links Thinking top plates? Don't want to reduce track width via link to get more control on camber. Don't really want camber bolts so researching top plates more
-Switch out RSB for non sti width bar
-Oil drip showing on oil filter
-Cruise control bracket
-Hook up ARF and Oil pressure gauge and buy matching bezels(non chamfered version)
-Window/door weatherstripping dripping(ugh..). Seems it's settled itself, but will keep an eye on it.
-Tighten Ebrake
-New airbag
-Reverse cam
-Front door speakers
-Another full round of torquing at 1000 miles. No shortcuts.
-Boost leak test, compression test too?
-Find where random interior plate goes
-Put on Yakima rack and basket
-Install threaded rivet for the ebcs bracket and replace broken clip on harness plug
-Record ric3r vids
-Clean floormat Need rubbers for winter for sure
-Intercooler splitter install
-Adjust hood gap
-Look at a/c leak
-Paint; 22b vent, fog covers, and respray all clear that's peeling(spoiler and scoop?)
-Installed fog covers
-Clean/grind passenger rear dust shield a bit more
-Front fender liners. May need new, definitely new clips.
-Roll fenders
-Clutch pedal squeak..
-RUST!
-Replace o2 sensor -> finish protune
-Hood struts
 
#223 ·
Makes sense bue! We'll see how it works out once installed.

Was feeling lazy this weekend and didn't get much of anything done on the car. I did get to enjoy it though! Hung out with some friends Friday night. Took one of them for a ride before leaving out Saturday morning. First morning driving with a bit of hangover in the air. One pull of boost and I'm wide awake and feeling fiiine haha. Car felt great, dropped him back off at his brothers place and head on home. Decided to pull through an old familiar road to have a bit of fun.. I was car sick by the end of the ride! Car is handling great, and I have zero complaints on the ride. I'm itching for an autoX to test the limits of the new setup.

After getting some driving in after the alignment - the passenger rear dust shield no longer rubs on heavy turns(still going to test it with someone sitting in the pass rear seat. Also I think my RSB setup is fine. I'm going to find someone to measure out the width of a GD non sti bar and try to confirm if my current is a sti or non sti width. Either way though my worries about it have subsided as I've clicked down some more aggressive miles.

My first map arrived from IAP/Stephen Thursday. Got it flashed on the ECU yesterday. Turned the car on and my CEL was gone!! Then it came right back on :unamused: Checked what popped back up and whoop whoooop! My 1446 1491 codes aren't showing, but I got my 0130 front o2 code back. I bought a new o2 sensor few weeks ago, will get it installed now that it seems the 0130 is here to stay. Went ahead and ran my logs for Stephen, but I'm going to run them again after swapping in the new o2. I'm impressed with the new map so far. Idle is still a little rough, but car feels like it breathes better in the low rpm. Even with just some revs it seems like it gets up and off idle better. Boost feels less peaky, before driving interstate speeds it was either in the boost or out as it climbed the bigger hills. More friendly drive now, at least until you get into it :devil: Boost is a bit stronger than I was hoping for on this conservative map(19psi), but damn it feels smooth, quick, and stout!!

I was giddy to have the RS on the alignment rack. Not sure if I took enough photos :rolleyes: so I snatched some vids too




 
#225 ·
She woke me up this morning, but not how I was expecting. Dead battery, or so I thought. It's a tough choice what to haul to work in each morning. Subaru, Durango, c90, or ns50. I been meaning to register one of the running peds to check off a mechanical bucket lister - Ride a different mechanical creature to work each day of the week.

Decided on the subaru today. Climbed in and turned the key this morning only to hear a pop and no starter. Immediately you get the list of things that could go wrong through your head. Tried it another time and same result.. All power seems fine, hit the starter, click and nothing. No spare time, I jump in the durango and get to work. On lunch I tried to jump the subaru only to have it act even more dead. Pulled the battery out and ran to my oreilly's to have it check it over. His tester wasn't even picking it up, he hit something and the damn thing arced on the positive terminal. After some cleaner and a terminal brush the post was looking much better. Retested and all was good to go! Ran back home, dropped it in and started right up.

Dedicating this weekend to getting some of these loose ends tied up!
 
#228 · (Edited)
Haha without a doubt! I'll be playing with her parts this weekend. I'll have to remember to draw her a bath and get some good boy points. Remember what they say though, "A million good boy points are canceled out by a single you fug'd up."

New airbag came in yesterday. Not much difference, except momo badge is a bit cleaner and there's no thrashed screw stuck in it's mount. I'll likely extract the screw out of the old one to keep as a spare

Old


New


Ready to see my aem gauges glow!

Edit - Forgot to drop this one here as well. Wednesdays = Soccer and Subarus
 
#231 ·
Thanks gents! Devil is definitely in the details. Starting and stopping is the hardest part of any project. Working on the whole car made me focus in to get it road worthy. Now it's running these little parts/details are starting to dig at me.

Took the car out to a local car club meet. Club is with VA tech, so a younger crowd, but I have some older friends that are still active with the club. Was good to catch up with them for sure. The RS got plenty of attention while out. I was pleased with the comments. A coupe guys in the club are swapping an old L so they have some questions that I may help them along with. Didn't get a photo with my friends hawkeye that came with me. Snapped one of the rs with a bunch of sharks circling.


Didn't get as much time in the garage over the weekend. I did swap out my front o2 with the new denso unit I had. Unfortunately my p0130 is still hanging around. I reflashed to my Cobb ots map to insure it wasn't tied to my map. No go.. Called Amazon and they are shipping me a new unit, it'll be here Wednesday and will get installed asap. Hopefully then I'll be ready to move forward with my tune
 
#232 ·
^ something to consider in regards to your O2 sensor. i went through 3 in my hawkeye and i could not figure out what was wrong them....until Ron told me something i never thought of. The engine mounts were so worn out, and i was making so much more tq than stock that the O2 sensor was actually hitting the subframe under load.

I ended up getting new harder engine mounts and a new O2 sensor and no more issues. This may or may not be part of your problem but something to consider.

Also i see they are still hosting the car clubs on the same parking garage. i recognize that place immediately!
 
#233 ·
Good looks Ian. I think my original one met a similar fate when I dropping the engine back in. Unfortunately after putting the either of the new sensors in I'm not even driving before the p0130 pops back up.

Some buuuullsheet.. Just replaced the o2 again last night with another new unit. Yet still the p0130 rears it's ugly head!! Miffed with this as it's causing delays with IAP and I hate holding people/being held up..

Another late night head lamp wrenching


I don't think my sensor is incorrect, but I'm a bit stuck with a few different possibilities of what could be causing the issue. I did pull the rear o2 sensor to see if that was causing a hiccup as I got Stephen to turn off my rear o2 codes so I can run my wideband in the rear bung. Negative, but I didn't think it was the issue since the p0130 was still present after reflashing back to the OTS map.

With the code showing up on first start, then going away, now back and new sensor didn't solve it - I'm leaning towards a short in the circuit somewhere.. Hopefully I can get more than half an hour soon to diagnose and figure this out soon. For now I'm holding off on driving
 
#236 ·
Did a thing last night. Figured I might as well since I'm not driving until I get that damned p0130 cleared and everything button back up.



Basket sits ok as-is, was fearing it was going to sit up and off the roof too much. Will look closer to see if I can get it to sit a couple inches lower. Can't decide if I like it.. Need to get a better look once it's out of the driveway and I can see it from a distance. Really pleased with the Q stretch kit on the couple though!! Fits like a glove and will play much nicer with my board rack for the winter setup

Last night I picked up some electrical contact cleaner. Cleaned up the front o2 connections with no changes. Got the wheel moving with Brian(Iwire). Tested my yellow/red has a nice 12v with key on, got 11.84v. Tested with a ground strap from IM to chassis to insure it wasn't ground related, still 0130 pops back ~5 seconds after car is started with cleared ecu. Next test from Brian was to take the MAF out of the equation and see if the o2 still throws a code. It did immediately so that's leading us closer to the root of my issue(hopefully). Will get some more time tonight to chase each wire to insure there isn't any shorts in the mix.

Very grateful for all the help from y'all, chatbox and Iwire. Electronics are definitely my weakness, so I'm somewhat glad I do have this small issue. Would be overwhelmed if I did the merge myself and was chasing gremlins in every system. Smaller issues that require some thinking is healthy for me to push further out of my comfort zone. Getting a taste of troubleshooting, wiring diagrams, thinking through the connections and some practice with the multimeter. All fun, but ready to get ride of the sniffles, slap on my AFR gauge and get back into da boost
 
#239 ·
The depo headlights have served me very well. For cheapo's they have held up to everything that's been thrown at them. Light output pattern isn't the cleanest though.. Old style black corner lights sucked, I had pulled them apart and painted the white outline. The newer style chinee black corners look 100% better. I plan to go HID retro fits during my phase 2 changes

I bought my q towers used off my brother when he moved to his new fozzy. Here's the stretch kit I'm running. Fits nicely, I'll report back after I test fit my board, bike, and will likely get some J bars for the kayak. Don't know if I'd ever really hoist the yak on the subaru instead of the durango though. Sunroof will vent, but not open fully. Could gain a bit more room if I scooched back a bit.

Vented;


As far open as it'll go;


No real updates though.. Visited my nana for hew 93 birthday saturday, cleaned the shop and reassmbled the RG last night. Should get to testing my wires for the front o2 after this rain clears out.
 
#240 ·
Slayed with overtime lately.. Still haven't dug in to trace my front o2 wires to determine if there's a short..

AND This is still lit up and these aren't..


Lent my Durango/trailer to a friend so I slapped the loose ends together on the RS and drove it around a bit. Don't like clicking over miles with the front o2 acting up, but I try to stay out of it as much as I can. Terribly tough not to crack open the throttle! Basket is growing on me, running it for one tank of gas to get an idea of MPG's
 
#242 ·
Still sorting.. Was at a friends over the weekend and he had a decent meter with longer leads. ECU plug looked to have a little dust/dirt on it when I uncovered it, but he didn't have any contact cleaner.. --Remember to pull and clean that up just to rule out another dirty plug.

I managed to test all wires and received good conductivity from everything plug to plug(1->D4&D5, 3->D29, 4->D19). Found the SB wire and learned something new about sheilded braids and their function. Next is double check I don't get any continuity to ground from plugs. Rain is back in so I'm hoping to troubleshoot more next week. Going to see if I can work up another ecu to test and eliminate one more variable as well

Side note my leaks have seemed(knock on wood) to dry up! Had a serious flash flood roll through. Double checked - floorboard bone dry and even my door/window seals are looking good!
 
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