JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Got the 3" lift blocks for the rear. Haven't put those on yet, but I did smear some Ultra Grey on the stud threads and stuck those in.
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The Scoob
- Thread starter JNHEscher
- Start date
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
While looking for something else, I finally came across my Viair compressor. Might stick the Gabriel air shocks back and test them out once more with more than 120psi.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
No pics, but I got the passenger side extended-travel axle in. And holy fuck - I chauffer my wife to and from her double shifts at least once a week. I was so dead tired, trying not to nod off at the wheel, nuts on too much caffeine trying to stay awake. Trying to put that axle in, I I couldn't remember that the roll pin holes line up one way. I destroyed one roll pin trying to hammer it in with the axle slipped on 180 off.
I was going to try working on the house to get a ledger board up, but I was shaking badly, couldn't remember what the fuck I was doing, and my new boots were way too slick on the snow. Figure I'd screw something up and end up falling off a ladder.
Any I did get it in and stared to shave some more of the cradle to clear the slip yoke.
I was going to try working on the house to get a ledger board up, but I was shaking badly, couldn't remember what the fuck I was doing, and my new boots were way too slick on the snow. Figure I'd screw something up and end up falling off a ladder.
Any I did get it in and stared to shave some more of the cradle to clear the slip yoke.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Tore down the passenger side strut so I could get a new top hat on and cycle the suspension. This was done the same day as the new axle.
Also got the passenger side minor arm mounted back on with nylon washers and Zerk fittings. The washer fit perfectly to stop the wobble that the o-rings don't stop. Can't have and suspension parts wobbling much at all during a state inspection in this state.
A look at what little I had shaved off of the cradle that day. Slip yoke didn't clear yet.
Also got the passenger side minor arm mounted back on with nylon washers and Zerk fittings. The washer fit perfectly to stop the wobble that the o-rings don't stop. Can't have and suspension parts wobbling much at all during a state inspection in this state.
A look at what little I had shaved off of the cradle that day. Slip yoke didn't clear yet.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Spent the last of hour of my time at the property today shaving more of the cradle. Didn't have to remove as much as I thought I would, but definitely have to weld more than I thought. Thinking I'll check for some reasonably thick steel to clean up, shape, and tig in to reinforce the area because removing that much starts to make the mount arm a little flimsy.
I manage the shave enough out today to clear the slip yoke just right. I will probably turn the rear control arm joints one more half turn forward just to keep the tires from rubbing at all.
I was doing the shaving with my flashlight pointed at my workspace and dusk approaching. Might be hard to see what's going on here.
I manage the shave enough out today to clear the slip yoke just right. I will probably turn the rear control arm joints one more half turn forward just to keep the tires from rubbing at all.
I was doing the shaving with my flashlight pointed at my workspace and dusk approaching. Might be hard to see what's going on here.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Got back to it this afternoon.
Showing the o-rings that the Rock Krawler Anti-Wobble joints come with. They're hardly anti-wobble at all, though I'm not sure what they really mean.
Stuck the nylon washers on the driver's side in between the tabs and the joint body. No more wobble.
And while reassembling the passenger side, a shot of the space between the tire and lower spring seat. Bassett wheels with 4" backspace. Could probably get away with 3" backspace.
Stared shaving the driver's side of the cradle to clear the extended-length axle slip yoke. When I pulled the standard axle off, the tripod felt and sounded like a box of marbles. The exended-length axles and Rzeppa 6-ball joints inboard and out. Subaru axles gotta be the weakest shit out there
Showing the o-rings that the Rock Krawler Anti-Wobble joints come with. They're hardly anti-wobble at all, though I'm not sure what they really mean.
Stuck the nylon washers on the driver's side in between the tabs and the joint body. No more wobble.
And while reassembling the passenger side, a shot of the space between the tire and lower spring seat. Bassett wheels with 4" backspace. Could probably get away with 3" backspace.
Stared shaving the driver's side of the cradle to clear the extended-length axle slip yoke. When I pulled the standard axle off, the tripod felt and sounded like a box of marbles. The exended-length axles and Rzeppa 6-ball joints inboard and out. Subaru axles gotta be the weakest shit out there
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Shaved the driver's side to clear the slip yoke. About to stick strut spring back on and set it back on all fours. Might work on getting the 3" rear lift blocks on before I have to leave.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Back on all four and then proceeded with the rear.
Swapped to 3" blocks and got Zerk fittings on most of the joints.
Stopped and considered putting the air shocks back on the rear to test out. Maybe next week. Dunno. Rear barely sits up any higher with and extra inch of lift.
Swapped to 3" blocks and got Zerk fittings on most of the joints.
Stopped and considered putting the air shocks back on the rear to test out. Maybe next week. Dunno. Rear barely sits up any higher with and extra inch of lift.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Typical of every EJ I've worked on. This and the passenger side radiator fan rubbing on the upper rad hose.
Found that the timing belt and water pump were fairly new. Incorrect belt tracking had been causing wear and the water pump was leaking because none on the bolts were torqued.
Pump a new pump on anyway. Just grabbed rad hoses, thermostat and acc belts at Oh Really's.
Should be sticking the new timing belt on tomorrow.
Found that the timing belt and water pump were fairly new. Incorrect belt tracking had been causing wear and the water pump was leaking because none on the bolts were torqued.
Pump a new pump on anyway. Just grabbed rad hoses, thermostat and acc belts at Oh Really's.
Should be sticking the new timing belt on tomorrow.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Synchronized.
Assembled and filled. Sounds and runs better now. The left-hand cam gear was one tooth off before.
And just an angled shot for shits and grins.
Paid for a 2018 Crosstrek 6MT from 43 Auto Salvage today. Might be able to pick it up in a couple weeks.
Far better gear ratios and a direct bolt up to my Outback 2.5
Still need to get a 4.44 LSD for the rear to match.
The newer Subaru MT's are cable shift, so I'll measure the shift arm joints to see about fitting rods end and possible set it up with hydraulic cylinders to hook up with my current shifter. TBD.
Assembled and filled. Sounds and runs better now. The left-hand cam gear was one tooth off before.
And just an angled shot for shits and grins.
Paid for a 2018 Crosstrek 6MT from 43 Auto Salvage today. Might be able to pick it up in a couple weeks.
Far better gear ratios and a direct bolt up to my Outback 2.5
Still need to get a 4.44 LSD for the rear to match.
The newer Subaru MT's are cable shift, so I'll measure the shift arm joints to see about fitting rods end and possible set it up with hydraulic cylinders to hook up with my current shifter. TBD.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Got that new Kenwood head unit in today, too. Maybe I can work on hooking it up tomorrow.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Really happy with this head unit. Super clean display and color transitions. Amazing sound and I haven't made any audio adjustments yet.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Waiting. Put the offer in last night. Matching diff ratio to the Crosstrek trans, retains limited slip and bolts right to my Outback. I'll eventually go Torq Locker in the rear once I figure out what diff housing I want to use for the locker.
Edit: Seller accepted and I paid right after I posted this.
Edit: Seller accepted and I paid right after I posted this.
Last edited:
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Working on getting my ducks in a row for the trans swap. Can't get any info on 2018 Crosstrek cv axle specs, so I gotta go by pictures until I have everything in hand.
Word was that axles were a fit and the clutch wasn't. I confirmed that clutches match and am finding that the male Crosstrek inboards have the lip seal shoulder. The 5MT stubs might spline and snap right in, but sealing will take some research.
Stub that plugs into the 5MT front diff. Pic stolen from here - 38415AA100 - Subaru Shaft Axle Drive. 2WD-TURBO & 4WD(EXC | Subaru Parts Superstore, Jacksonville FL
Inboard male type of a 2018 Crosstrek. Pic stolen from a fleabay listing.
Shafts look otherwise identical. But, as Subaru tends to do, they change spline specs all over the place. TBD.
Word was that axles were a fit and the clutch wasn't. I confirmed that clutches match and am finding that the male Crosstrek inboards have the lip seal shoulder. The 5MT stubs might spline and snap right in, but sealing will take some research.
Stub that plugs into the 5MT front diff. Pic stolen from here - 38415AA100 - Subaru Shaft Axle Drive. 2WD-TURBO & 4WD(EXC | Subaru Parts Superstore, Jacksonville FL
Inboard male type of a 2018 Crosstrek. Pic stolen from a fleabay listing.
Shafts look otherwise identical. But, as Subaru tends to do, they change spline specs all over the place. TBD.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Picking up my Crosstrek 6 speed tomorrow. Been ponder a low range gear for a few years (including swapping all my Toyota driveline in place of the Subaru driveline). Found out today that Subaru actually made a dual-range version of the 5MT.
The OE version isn't what I thought it would be and doesn't appear to be all that stout. Do believe I'll be tearing down both my 5MT and 6MT to contemplate the possibility of a low range gear selection somewhere around where the main shaft and driven shaft mesh.
The OE version isn't what I thought it would be and doesn't appear to be all that stout. Do believe I'll be tearing down both my 5MT and 6MT to contemplate the possibility of a low range gear selection somewhere around where the main shaft and driven shaft mesh.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Picked up the 6MT and the Forester 4.44 LSD got delivered today. Played around with the trans to figure out the shifting order. Pretty easy setup.
Been fighting and failing at pulling the driver's side front inboard stub for a while. I need to pull it out so I can test fit it on the Crosstrek diff.
Been fighting and failing at pulling the driver's side front inboard stub for a while. I need to pull it out so I can test fit it on the Crosstrek diff.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Still won't pop. Thinking I may as well go ahead and drop the trans so I can really get hateful with this.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Also -
4.44 rear LSD. Bolts right in.
4.44 rear LSD. Bolts right in.
Leadfoot21
Red Skull Member
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2021
- Member Number
- 3723
- Messages
- 501
Are you only trying to pull out straight like in this photo ? You get a BFH and you wack it from the side while pulling and after a few hits you’ll find the right spot where the circlip isn’t hanging up and it should pop right out .Still won't pop. Thinking I may as well go ahead and drop the trans so I can really get hateful with this.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Essentially, yes. I never really have a problem with the pry bar pair method on most inboards with a snap ring that I have to pop out. This particular cv stub is giving me hell. I've even hammered a wedge block on either side and smacked it with a hammer. Slammed on the slide hammer as hard as I could for a while and it wouldn't budge. Going to try putting some pulling force on it and smacking it around next.
Leadfoot21
Red Skull Member
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2021
- Member Number
- 3723
- Messages
- 501
Pry bar and a pissed off sledge has always gotten them out for me , keep trying different angles and varying amounts of anger 😂 eventually I usually win cause I’m more stubborn than the part I’m fighting 🤣
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Exactly. Tried that for most of the day and got nowhere. I have to drop the trans anyway, so I'm at the point of just dropping it and going ham on yanking the stubs. I'm hoping they're at least the same diameter and spline of the 6MT diff. I can probably find some lip seals to work.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Well shit. I forgot about this and relearned it this morning. The case has to split and the diff taken out in order to remove circlips that retain the stubs.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Hopefully starting to drop the 5MT out tomorrow. Still need to see if the 5MT cv stubs will fit the 6MT diff.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
5MT driveshaft fits the 6MT without issue. Figured it would, but I didn't look for any supporting data on that prior to purchasing the 6MT.
Not much in the way of glitter in the 5MT. For a Subaru, that's not too shabby.
Not much in the way of glitter in the 5MT. For a Subaru, that's not too shabby.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Got the inboard cv's off. Heat shield dropped. Started working on dropping the exhaust so I can get the trans dropped.
Seems my head gaskets are indeed leaking coolant and oil from the outer passages. Suppose I could just ride it out and top of the fluids for a while. No idea if this engine has ever been opened up. OE original gaskets were failures. Think I'll get around to better gaskets and some ARP's later on.
Pics of the 5MT stubs and 6MT diff hole. Thinking I may be able to measure seals specs of both and find a lip seal to fit. Kinda need a Crosstrek axle to measure for correct ID lip spec.
5MT
6MT
Seems my head gaskets are indeed leaking coolant and oil from the outer passages. Suppose I could just ride it out and top of the fluids for a while. No idea if this engine has ever been opened up. OE original gaskets were failures. Think I'll get around to better gaskets and some ARP's later on.
Pics of the 5MT stubs and 6MT diff hole. Thinking I may be able to measure seals specs of both and find a lip seal to fit. Kinda need a Crosstrek axle to measure for correct ID lip spec.
5MT
6MT
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Came back to this thread and saw the above post never posted. That was yesterday.
Just ordered a used Crosstrek front axle off fleabay. I need at least one on hand to figure out the easiest way to fit the Outback axles to the Crosstrek trans. Moving right along.
Just ordered a used Crosstrek front axle off fleabay. I need at least one on hand to figure out the easiest way to fit the Outback axles to the Crosstrek trans. Moving right along.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Provided the 5MT stub shafts fit the 6MT front diff, it's a direct swap.
Either diff output seal fits either trans.
Either diff output seal fits either trans.
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Exhaust is out. This "window" has given my car a bit if that EJ oversized exhaust rumble for a while
JNHEscher
Red Skull Member
Started on unbolting everything from the trans. Reached for the speed sensor and it fell right apart. The Crosstrek 6-speed doesn't use one, so that's off the list. The sensor on the 5-speed only sends signal for the speedo, which I'll have to figure out an alternative for later on.
Kinda looked like some anti-seize had been smeared on the throwout bearing sleeve and the pilot bearing. I guess that works. The throwout bearing sleeve on the 6-speed looks and sounds terrible.
Side by side, they share quite a bit. I measured the starter motor register - same size. Only have to shave a wee bit off the starter for it to clear the 6-speed bell. The pic I took looks like some part of an elephant, but I can assure you, it is me holding the started in line with the bolt holes, showing where the started flange overlaps the flat on the bellhousing ever so slightly.
Oldest has been incredibly interested in helping me works on vehicles. I'm guessing he wants to follow my footsteps on working on vehicles just as I did when being side-by-side with my dad working on vehicles. I'm not too sure I want him doing this, considering the future of cars and the economy, but hey, maybe there's some cooler stuff coming.
Youngest even got interested in helping us tear down the 5-speed. I started showing them how the power is transmitted as they were asking.
Got the tailhousing off, output shaft and center diff out, along the with the extension housing off. Doing my best to show how the rails and forks move with input from the shifter. This is easier said than done when you have a Subaru transmission in front of you.
Kinda looked like some anti-seize had been smeared on the throwout bearing sleeve and the pilot bearing. I guess that works. The throwout bearing sleeve on the 6-speed looks and sounds terrible.
Side by side, they share quite a bit. I measured the starter motor register - same size. Only have to shave a wee bit off the starter for it to clear the 6-speed bell. The pic I took looks like some part of an elephant, but I can assure you, it is me holding the started in line with the bolt holes, showing where the started flange overlaps the flat on the bellhousing ever so slightly.
Oldest has been incredibly interested in helping me works on vehicles. I'm guessing he wants to follow my footsteps on working on vehicles just as I did when being side-by-side with my dad working on vehicles. I'm not too sure I want him doing this, considering the future of cars and the economy, but hey, maybe there's some cooler stuff coming.
Youngest even got interested in helping us tear down the 5-speed. I started showing them how the power is transmitted as they were asking.
Got the tailhousing off, output shaft and center diff out, along the with the extension housing off. Doing my best to show how the rails and forks move with input from the shifter. This is easier said than done when you have a Subaru transmission in front of you.