Digitizedsoul's - 04 Forester // STI // JDM

Digitizedsoul's 04 Forester // STI Shortblock​

Well, it happened. I'm now the proud new owner of Lance's 04 Forester that many of you have seen at All pro the last few months. I'll set this thread up proper later, but wanted to get it started and throw a few pic's up.

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Current status:

4EAT Auto
2.5 STI Shortblock (EJ257, stock forged rods / crank / single AVCS)
CP drop in pistons
Stock TD04 turbo
QED Tuning tune
Perrin inlet tube
Cobb catted downpipe
STI catback w/3" midpipe
My tigwerks equal length manifold (from STI)
Invidia catless uppipe
STI BBS wheels
RCE yellow springs
Tokito Adjustable shocks
Impreza limited seats
JDM hood scoop (taller one)
06 tail lights
TRAIN HORN (move, bish FTW)



Planned mods:


BNA solutions triple pod for dash storage lid
06 SPORT (blacked out) tail lights
HID retrofit / blacked out headlights
FP Green or 20g or Dom1.5 eventually
Maddad whisper catback that actually fits the car
Leave it alone and drive it :wiggle:

 

Reserved #1

 

Reserved #2

 

Reserved #3

 

Glad you haven't left the family!

 

congrats...major jelly...call me to detail it..now.. lol

 

Woohoo welcome to Team Fozzy James! That's a nice clean Foz!

 

Congratulations, looks like a great find!

 

Nice Foz! Enjoy the best of all worlds!

 

I'm just happy you're still in the Subaru family

 

Congrats....that one looks a lot like the 04 XT I owned.

 

Didn't know you had one! Sweet!

And yeah Toua, I really scared myself there for a bit with "going BMW" LOL

 

Just couldn't see myself in one honestly. It would be like putting on skinny jeans. Fine for some, but not for me HEH.

 

Zing, you are correct... hmm. I know it still has the single AVCS heads from the forester setup, but from what I understand it's an STI short block with CP pistons.
Definitely has the 2.5 EJ257 oil pan and oil cooler because we put my tigwerks equal length manifold on it last night and it would have not fit otherwise.

 

Sweet fxt man! Congrats

 

Installed my tigwerks ELH this past friday after wrapping it with DEI and also discovered it has an invidia catless uppipe already on it.
Had to modify a couple small areas for the header to fit (all chassis) and it sits right up against the bottom of the little radiator support piece but not hard just barely.

Sounds kinda funny with the stock STI catback and the ELH. Kinda like a really angry civic with a cam and stock muffler LOL

I wouldn't mind getting some different type of exhaust eventually. Might even see if my SPT from the STI will fit under it unless someone buys it. That probably won't work though and it's quad outlet anyway i'd rather do a single exit.

Going to let Joel remap some things next week since it has a perrin inlet tube, downpipe and now header but still has the stock tune lolz. I don't expect much out of the TD04-13t with 160k miles on it, but with like 11psi stock i'm sure there is something left. Also the requested torque table (which feeds the TCU, which dictates shift behavior) is pretty much garbage in stock form.

 

Sick I'm jealous

 

Well one of my exhaust hangers broke lol, STI catback barely hanging on! Gonna ride back up to all pro today to find another one.

Joel and I put it on the dyno yesterday to discover it was only making ~5psi of boost, and 200ft/lb 200hp. Honestly that's pretty amazing considering a stock FXT on his dyno which runs around 11psi only makes 175lb/ft and 180hp.
I guess opening up the exhaust and and ELH really makes a difference on this car.
We tried a different boost control solenoid with no change, did a boost leak test which only confirmed that it's absolutely leak free so I suggested we unplug the wastegate boost reference and try a pull.

Sure enough, ~15psi-ish and 260ft/lb / 240hp but it tapered off to around 8psi which it should have held at least 14, probably even more since the wastegate was never opening.
To infiniboost, and beyond!

I think it's safe to say that two things are evident. The wastegate diaphragm probably has a crack or hole in it (checked arm movement and spring crush, all seemed normal) and also that this td04 is definitely on it's way out with 160k miles on it. With the wastegate shut I was expecting to see it spike way higher but oh well.

King has a 20g that I might rebuild instead of buying a new turbo like an FP green or something. I kept my aeromotive fuel system from the STI (rails, lines, FPR) and also my bosch 1000cc top feed's so all i'd need really is a fuel pump to make use of something like the 20g.

Has anyone heard of turbolabamerica.com ? This austin kid has lots of youtube videos up and seems pretty legit. Seems like he only charges 80$ to rebuild a turbo plus the cost of necessary parts / gaskets. That's amazing considering the next cheapest I found was 380$.

 

I've got a couple of stock hangers laying around if you need/want them

 

So the STI catback that was on it got cracked / messed up at two weld points, probably when the hanger broke, so we found this "silverline" can-style laying around up there and put that on but it's UNGODLY LOUD and absolutely not a long term solution.

Does anyone have a really quiet 3" forester XT exhaust laying around? I don't even know which ones are quiet. The STI catback honestly was perfect and I guess I could get another one but I just hated the 2.5" drop-down at the junction point.

Some say borla hush (can't find a forester specific one so it will likely be short like all the STI ones are on the forester) other say HKS Hi Power Silent (w/resonator) but I have no idea. Any forester guys please chime in.

 

Forester guy chiming in,

The Mad Dad whisper setup seems to be a popular choice. I personally had a g200 catback but it was a bit too loud for me and the 4eat.

http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f94/maddad-exhaust-products-59516/

 

Yeah the G200 would probably be too loud from the videos i've seen.
That mad dad sounds amazing honestly. It would probably be a little louder on my setup with ELH then the guy in that thread, but still it sounds almost stock and is 3"!

I also found this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JDM-SUBARU-.../121840646224?fits=Model:Forester|Submodel:XT

Don't know if it's 3" though. I figure even though it's JDM, if it's stock, it can't be that loud?

 

Doesn't seem to melon shooter like so it should be tame. Is your catback fixable? Might be able to just get by with a replacement midpipe or axle back for the time being.

 

Yeah the muffler / axleback is fine, it's the two welds on either side of the resonator that are shot. I guess I could possibly use the midpipe from this "silverline" of mine and just weld on the STI muffler?

 

Yeah personally I would do that just to get by and save up for the Mad Dad or Cobb. Cobb being the louder of the two. However from what I read, they discontinued the Forester-specific version a few years back.

 

STI muffler is 2.5" though, would have to make some adapter or something at the muffler shop.
I wish I could find a video with the maddad and an equal length header. Only one I could find was some dude with an external wastegate and his sunroof open you can't hear crap.

 

Had meineke weld the STI muffler on at the end of the 3" midpipe / axleback from the "silverline" (just hacked off the can at the end)
Might need some hanger adjustments because it hangs a bit low (he re-welded the hangers too) but it sounds pretty much perfect honestly.
Not having a resonator like it did stock in the mid pipe does make a slight difference, but it's LOADS better then the stupid can lol.

 

Awesome! Bet that was a lot cheaper than buying a new catback. Plus you got the benefit of having s 3 inch midpipe. The loss of the taper to the muffler should be negitable at your current power level. Interested in hearing an exhaust clip with the ELH and STI muffler.

 

Finally found a video of the maddad whisper with an equal length

[youtube]M9sN2QY0I1A[/youtube]

 

Doesn't sound half bad to be honest, of course you know how internet exhaust videos can be. What I have now will suite me for a while but it just looks like crap the way its hanging and there are some rattles I need to address.

 

But what you don't have is an official cleaning of the new ride!!! You know we are ready!!!! Would love to see it.

 

Also need to cop these tails:

 

Those look 90s Altezza/ebay'ish, the clean red and white look better IMO

 

I have these on it now



Only difference is the ones I want are blacked out which IMO look 101% better then "chrome"

 

I can vouch for the MadDad Whisper. It sounds great and not loud. If you can find a Greddy Evo2 Exhaust for the WRX and have it welded on it's quiet too.

 

These are awesome!

[youtube]J06nj5-B_AE[/youtube]

 

Went ahead and installed my grimmspeed 3 port EBCS to get ready for possibly a 20g or some other type of turbo upgrade.

The stock td04 is definitely high mileage and also the wastegate diaphragm leaks or something because with it plugged in to a boost source at all it only makes ~6psi but unplugged it will make 17-18psi (infiniboost)

 

Is that 4EAT gonna handle the extra power ok?

 

I have another one if it doesn't LOL

No really though I do have a spare 4eat from the previous owner, just need to pick it up from him.
Also using FreeSSM I can edit the line pressures used by the TCU and get some more hydraulic pressure going on the individual lines. Just some trial and error. By no means does that replace doing an upgrade to your valve body physically, but it certainly helps.

 

Lol sounds like you may be going a similar path the STi was and just not as much power.

 

Nah not really the STI had a ~70lb/min turbo, full fuel system and was nuts to drive, and open dump tube.

Lance did a lot of tasteful stuff to the car already, i'm just making it mine ya know?

 

For anyone with a 4EAT interested in what I was talking about, modifying the line pressures, check this out:

 

Also:

 

Almost forgot my shameless plug for Justin!

Trusted him with the STI, wifes impreza, and now the foz:



Waterless detail that comes to you FTW! Eco auto clean babyyy

 

Hey hey! Much appreciated having us out!! Thanks again for having us detail a car I love!!!

 

Looks so good cleaned up and detailed at night. Really like the lines on this car.

 

wheels look tiny, any plans?

 

lol! they are 04 STI BBS 17", and actually look a little better on the car then they do in this picture because the tires are really dark and so is the background.

I probably wouldn't do anything with them unless I switched subframes / axles or something but don't really think i'd be doing that.