The CA BAR EJ207 6-Speed DCCD Build
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I'm sure you'll be happy with a low mileage JDM unit, rather than a super high mileage USDM unit with syncro noises. My 2004 USDM 6mt was behind a legit 500whp built forester before I owned it, no wierd noises or funniness going into gears, but it's always in the back of my mind...
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Is that, new? That's sooo clean!
I found the front left and right axle seals were shot, along with the output shaft seal. So I ordered replacements, along with fluids.
The only thing left keeping me from getting to this is a giant fire raging in my area of California, and my fiance's car needing some attention.
So basically I'm full of excuses and forgot how to work on Subarus.
-TC
The only thing left keeping me from getting to this is a giant fire raging in my area of California, and my fiance's car needing some attention.
So basically I'm full of excuses and forgot how to work on Subarus.
-TC
As the GC has been down since December, and the MR2 since March, the 135i became my daily driver. In the 9 months where it's been, ostensibly, my only means of transportation, I've learned that I kind of hate the car. Sidewalls are too thin, suspension is too rough, not enough cargo space, and it lacks any kind of personality but remains temperamental. It's not a bad car by any means, but I've gotten my use out of it and can move on.
So I bought this to replace it :
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At 144k mi, it definitely needs some love before it'll be what I'm looking for. Already ordered : brakes, struts and springs, lower control arms (primarily for pre-installed bushings and ball joints), filters, oil change, etc. It's going to remain stock (suspension is replacement struts, springs, top hats, etc. for instance) but will get some small changes here and there. Already swapped in a short-throw shifter and will slap on a spare TD04 I've got lying around as this one looks to be leaking. I feel stupid for waiting this long to get one - I have a cache of parts I can slap on, and I had more previously that I sold, like an idiot.
/slaps hood, "This thing can fit so much shit in it."
However, I've decided that the GC transmission swap comes first, as does the shifter cables and new fluid for the MR2s transmission to try and get 3rd gear back. The SG6 runs OK for now, so I want to expedite the GC since it's been sitting for so long, I think it hates me.
In other news, my Fiancé's E60 broke spectacularly - ECU went out as did the Mechatronics controller, so the car wouldn't start because it can't talk to the transmission. I attempted to fix it but after digging in more I noped out and we got her a 2009 Subaru Impreza hatch. Basically the same car she got t-boned in, only this one is in better condition.
-TC
So I bought this to replace it :
At 144k mi, it definitely needs some love before it'll be what I'm looking for. Already ordered : brakes, struts and springs, lower control arms (primarily for pre-installed bushings and ball joints), filters, oil change, etc. It's going to remain stock (suspension is replacement struts, springs, top hats, etc. for instance) but will get some small changes here and there. Already swapped in a short-throw shifter and will slap on a spare TD04 I've got lying around as this one looks to be leaking. I feel stupid for waiting this long to get one - I have a cache of parts I can slap on, and I had more previously that I sold, like an idiot.
/slaps hood, "This thing can fit so much shit in it."
However, I've decided that the GC transmission swap comes first, as does the shifter cables and new fluid for the MR2s transmission to try and get 3rd gear back. The SG6 runs OK for now, so I want to expedite the GC since it's been sitting for so long, I think it hates me.
In other news, my Fiancé's E60 broke spectacularly - ECU went out as did the Mechatronics controller, so the car wouldn't start because it can't talk to the transmission. I attempted to fix it but after digging in more I noped out and we got her a 2009 Subaru Impreza hatch. Basically the same car she got t-boned in, only this one is in better condition.
-TC
New transmission, who dis?
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So after a literal year of hiccups, delays, false starts, etc. I finally got the replacement transmission in. I took it out for a 30 minute drive last night with zero issues (aside from a fender liner falling and rubbing on a tire at full lock and the bottom bell housing cover hitting the flywheel which just needed bending), and even got it on the freeway doing 80+.
I had to find a new, incredibly sketchy way to get the transmission, while on a transmission jack, out from under the car. I didn't install it like this, but I did use it as a way to get the transmission onto and off of the trans jack without having to do it under the car. I've done that before, it sucks. My old man back hurts just thinking about it. I should really just buy those truck adapters...
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So I'm all set! I'll need to re-SMOG it as my last sticker came from 2019, and I'll need to make some small adjustments (the new radio is still in Demo mode because why fix it if the car can't drive?) but otherwise there's nothing keeping me from driving it.
And honestly? Sitting in the driver's seat, on the freeway, with this car... it was like being hugged by an old friend you hadn't seen in a year. I'm annoyed it took this long but at least it's working. I also get the joy of breaking in a new clutch and tires, both of which went on right before the transmission went in, December of 2019!
-TC
So after a literal year of hiccups, delays, false starts, etc. I finally got the replacement transmission in. I took it out for a 30 minute drive last night with zero issues (aside from a fender liner falling and rubbing on a tire at full lock and the bottom bell housing cover hitting the flywheel which just needed bending), and even got it on the freeway doing 80+.
I had to find a new, incredibly sketchy way to get the transmission, while on a transmission jack, out from under the car. I didn't install it like this, but I did use it as a way to get the transmission onto and off of the trans jack without having to do it under the car. I've done that before, it sucks. My old man back hurts just thinking about it. I should really just buy those truck adapters...
So I'm all set! I'll need to re-SMOG it as my last sticker came from 2019, and I'll need to make some small adjustments (the new radio is still in Demo mode because why fix it if the car can't drive?) but otherwise there's nothing keeping me from driving it.
And honestly? Sitting in the driver's seat, on the freeway, with this car... it was like being hugged by an old friend you hadn't seen in a year. I'm annoyed it took this long but at least it's working. I also get the joy of breaking in a new clutch and tires, both of which went on right before the transmission went in, December of 2019!
-TC
I passed SMOG on the first go, now I'm just waiting on my sticker to come in.
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I think it's also fair to say that 225/45/17 don't look too great on a stock-height FXT. Awaiting some more reasonably sized tires, and I'm about to crack in to replace many/most/all of the vacuum lines, struts and springs, lower control arms, clutch, flywheel, spark plugs, 100w headlights... a general tuneup on a car hitting 150k.
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-TC
I think it's also fair to say that 225/45/17 don't look too great on a stock-height FXT. Awaiting some more reasonably sized tires, and I'm about to crack in to replace many/most/all of the vacuum lines, struts and springs, lower control arms, clutch, flywheel, spark plugs, 100w headlights... a general tuneup on a car hitting 150k.
-TC
Forester is also back on the ground, I'm just waiting on that dingy looking gold set of BRZ/FRS wheels (shown above) to be powder coated bronze before I throw on new tires and get it aligned. In the small trips around my neighborhood, it feels so much better - it was clearly starved for air as the turbo was old and the bearings were worn out, and it must have had a couple of vacuum leaks. Same goes for suspension, it's nice being on new struts and springs, even when they're just OEM Sachs replacements.
Once the Forester is completed I'll be getting the 135i ready for sale, and then moving on to finishing the garage (sub panel, insulation, improvements to storage) and then stripping the GC for paint. I also need to give some attention to my Fiancé's '09 Impreza hatch (new suspension, steam clean engine bay, hunt down some different oil leaks) and the MR2 (all 4 calipers, tighten an accessory belt, minor maintenance. It's running just fine, but the brakes are leaving a lot to be desired).
-TC
You know? I’m torn. And I’ve been torn for the entire 10 years that I’ve owned it.
Originally it was SRP, and I wouldn’t mind it being the same color it left the factory in. But SRP just isn’t the best color for this body, and I already have my red car, the MR2.
the previous owner painted it the same color as an EVO 9 but had sold off the fenders and hood before I bought it so I never bothered to paint match. Kind of wish I had instead of the grey.
BRP looks fantastic on these, but then I’m just like everyone else. That’s not a bad thing, but this car is unequivocally “me” so I want to keep it different from the norm.
A pearl white was my goal for a long time, then it became the norm for boring economy cars, and I’ve lost interest in having anything in greyscale. There’s enough white/black/silver/grey cars on the road, I’d rather some color.
so I don’t know is the real answer. The best I can say is ‘Porsche Minerva Blue Pearl’ - same color as Bisimoto’s nutty Porsche. But even that I’ve gone back and forth on.
-TC
Originally it was SRP, and I wouldn’t mind it being the same color it left the factory in. But SRP just isn’t the best color for this body, and I already have my red car, the MR2.
the previous owner painted it the same color as an EVO 9 but had sold off the fenders and hood before I bought it so I never bothered to paint match. Kind of wish I had instead of the grey.
BRP looks fantastic on these, but then I’m just like everyone else. That’s not a bad thing, but this car is unequivocally “me” so I want to keep it different from the norm.
A pearl white was my goal for a long time, then it became the norm for boring economy cars, and I’ve lost interest in having anything in greyscale. There’s enough white/black/silver/grey cars on the road, I’d rather some color.
so I don’t know is the real answer. The best I can say is ‘Porsche Minerva Blue Pearl’ - same color as Bisimoto’s nutty Porsche. But even that I’ve gone back and forth on.
-TC
Right there with you. My car needs a new paint job (SRP), and I keep going back and forth with SRP, Blue Steel Metallic, Aspen White or RBP. Problem with changing the color is my OCD wouldn't allow me to do it unless I paint the interior as well. That always leads me back to keeping it SRP, but I love aspen white and Blue Steel Metallic.
Hell yeah mang! Glad to see this one back in action. I'm hoping I don't regret my choice to get a high mileage udsm 6 speed swap instead of going low mileage JDM.. Only time will tell! How's it feel to finally get to shift around w/o an grinding issues?
FXT looks great, but agreed needs more tar on with the stock ride height.. Guess it's time to lift and meaty tires right??
FXT looks great, but agreed needs more tar on with the stock ride height.. Guess it's time to lift and meaty tires right??
Thanks bud!
It feels much “newer” than the 5 speed did. I heard someone on YouTube say that Subaru transmissions feel like pushing a stick through a bag of rocks in search for a gear. The 5 speed has this feeling in spades, the 6 speed does too, but less.
I’m still turning 3500rpms at roughly 85mph, so not huge savings there as I think it was ~4,000 before. I haven’t seen any material gain in MPG but that’s due to two things - that I’m driving it hard-ish as I missed it, and it broke.
After throwing a P0230, I talked to Brian at iWire and bought their fuel pump controller bypass wiring harness with fuel pump leads to pass through the OEM hanger. He seems to point to the aero motive pump pulling too much power for the OEM in-tank connection which throws the fuel pump controller into a state where it thinks the pump has shorted and kills power. This is here and now just needs to be wired in.
Then the FXT decided to spray unburnt fuel from the injectors when in boost - I’m guessing decayed o-rings, literally the only piece of rubber I didn’t replace on the intake manifold in January…. Now I’m back to the 135i as a daily till I fix these issues.
At least the FXT looks better with proper rubber.
-TC
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