'02 Forester Rig-Lite

[itsrikka]

- Update Index -
[Cost Spreadsheet]
[08/09/2019 - New Engine]
[08/12/2019 - The Issues]
[08/14/2019 - Issues fixed! (?)]
[08/15/2019 - Really fixed? Maybe? No?]
[08/17/2019 - Automotive stethoscopes are cool / Fixed]
[09/30/2019 - Mild Update]

Hi all. I'm glad to say I've started the build of my little trail/camping/daily rig. It's a 2002 Subaru Forester with a 2.5L (EJ251) and a 4+1 auto (4EAT). It's AWD (90F/10R) and can go up to 50/50.

I still haven't driven this thing yet, but I have been dailying my other foz (98 model) since February. I haven't driven this one yet as there's a rod hammering on the crank. I've got the engine pulled already but I'm still waiting on the local yard to get my new engine pulled. Sadly, it's the only EJ251 within about 200 miles. While I'm waiting for the new engine, I've been disassembling the one I pulled from it to both verify that it was indeed a rod and to see if it would be possible to rebuild and swap back in. I also plan to rebuild the alternator while I've got some down-time.

Unfortunately, I don't have much more info for you right now. I'll try to be as detailed as possible for all future mods/updates. I like to follow jcardona1's method of a build blog [here: Builds - Evolution of a Land Cruiser: My 80's build thread] so hopefully I can keep this one half as neat.

Photos below.

 

[oldmopars]

Those are great little cars. My daughter has one and it is just under 200K miles and going like a champ. This last winter we got a lot of snow and my driveway is steep gravel. Her car was the only one that could make it up. My big K30 service truck did too, but no 2wd cars could get up.
A little lift and some aggressive tires and that thing will take you almost anywhere.

 

[itsrikka]

Thanks for checking it out. I'm thinking a 2" ADF with trailing arm spacers and some BFG KO2. I've ran BFG on all my trucks before and never had problems so I figure this one should be no different.

I had a 99 Legacy this last winter. Even on crappy, half-bald Chinese no-name tires it handled itself really well in the snow and ice. I can only imagine how well the Foz will handle with good tires.

 

[itsrikka]

[Update 1: The New Engine]

Yesterday, I spent some time cleaning up the alternator, starter, AC comp and PS pump. I brushed down the brackets on the AC and PS and decided to paint the Alt and Starter. [NB: Duplicolor Hyper Silver wheel paint is a great match for the aluminum on these things.]

Photos:

Before


After


So, last night I went down to Evansville (about 70 miles each way) to pick up my new engine. They say it has 130k on it. I couldn't check due to the cluster being sold already. This engine is a little crusty. Definitely spent its life up here. But thankfully, so far, all the bolts/nuts have spun free.

Right now I'm in the process of freshening up this engine (filter, VC gaskets, plugs, wires, etc) and I hope to have it in this evening. Running by tomorrow. Hopefully. [NB: An 18" tyre fits the engine pretty well. These are 325/60r18 off my old truck. I think it's hilarious that this one tyre is as big as the whole engine.]

Photos:

Picked up


Before wash


After wash


Painting VCs red (+15whp)

 

[firemedicmeyer]

Have fun with your new toy and I wouldn't worry about doing an engine rebuild on these by yourself. I've done a bunch of 2.5's in my garage. Have the heads checked for flatness and machined at any reputable machine shop. The crank should be able to be turned and new oversized bearings replaced. It's all "relatively" inexpensive. Then just get a free download of a factory service manual and follow it step by step for reassembly. During disassembly I usually bag and tag all my bolts in groups using zip lock bags. It makes assembly time much more efficient!

 

[itsrikka]

Have fun with your new toy and I wouldn't worry about doing an engine rebuild on these by yourself. I've done a bunch of 2.5's in my garage. Have the heads checked for flatness and machined at any reputable machine shop. The crank should be able to be turned and new oversized bearings replaced. It's all "relatively" inexpensive. Then just get a free download of a factory service manual and follow it step by step for reassembly. During disassembly I usually bag and tag all my bolts in groups using zip lock bags. It makes assembly time much more efficient!

I’m no stranger to rebuilding motors. My concern was wether or not the cylinder wall would be fubar. I may yet end up keeping the old one instead of turning it in for the core. Would be nice to do an NA build on it.

I also follow the bag-n-tag method. Any time I’m unsure of how long things will be apart, they go into a ziplock and I write whatever they go to and the socket size. Sometimes I’ll zip tie them to the part but not usually.

Hopefully the fun begins tomorrow. Should have the engine in by the end of today.

 

[itsrikka]

[Update 2: The Issues]

Spent about 13 hours yesterday with the engine. Real quick rundown: Started at 7am, new timing belt, water pump, thermostat, ignition coil, plugs, wires, and filters all around. Cleaned up gasket surfaces and put on new intake and throttle body gaskets. Got the engine sat in and partially bolted up around 1p. Short break, then continue bolting in the engine (half of the damn bolts are behind the front CV axles and a total pain.)

Get to bolting on accessories, find out that 2/4 AC compressor bracket bolt holes are cross-threaded or stretched. Same goes for 1/3 of the PS pump holes. Great. Some careful maneuvering with oil, tiny screwdriver, and good bolt later, the bolts go in alright. Start bolting up the alternator (tensioner adjustment) and it decides to strip the threads. Why? I have no idea. So by now it's too late to get to the store (7p) because it's Sunday and the hardware store closed at noon. Wait for tomorrow.

Finish bolting up the air box and radiator, get the fan in place, fill up the radiator. Squeeze upper hose to sort of pressurize the system. Pinhole leak. Coolant bypass pipe. Under the intake. No. Fuck this. Go to sleep.

Today, 8am. Go to store, buy a bolt for the alternator and some quick-steel. Clean up the metal pipe, throw on quick-steel. Hurray, pinhole (possibly) fixed. Bolt alternator in and set belt tension. Throw battery in. Put in oil.

Ready to fire it up! And ...

No crank. Check fuses. Good. Check cables. Good. Check starter stud. Loose. Tighten in back in and re-check everything. All good. Start? No. No crank.

Buzzing noise coming from the starter area? Definitely either starter or under dash. Can't really tell.

So here I sit. Typing this up. It decided to rain today. 10% chance. And it rains. I'll have to pull the starter off tonight or tomorrow and get it checked. Not sure what to do if it's good.

/rant

 

[oldmopars]

While not the same level of frustration, I had the same thing happen to me yesterday.
I took the headliner out of the Suburban and redid it, got it back in then replaced the heater core. I had to put a barbed fitting in the water pump because it had been bypassed.
I was in a bit of a rush because I needed to drive it today.
We, I fired it up and found out the water pump cracked where I put the new fitting in.
So, I had to ride my motorcycle the 200 miles over the pass to work.
Things never go right on Sunday afternoon when it involves a car or truck.
Good luck getting your car going.

 

[itsrikka]

Hey, I could think of worse ways to spend your Sunday.

Quick update: Bad engine ground caused the starter issue. Engine didn't get up to temp because I didn't have the fan in yet but did get warm and t-stat opened up. QuickSteel fix holding so far. Will give it a thorough test tomorrow.

 

[itsrikka]

[Update 2a: Issues fixed! (?)]

Fixed the starter issue. I know I said I fixed it before but now it is 100% fixed. I painted the starter (stupidly) without thinking about the body of the starter needing to be grounded. Pulled the starter, sanded down all contact points with the engine and bolts, put it back on. Starts every time now.

The QuikSteel pinhole fix is holding up. Had it running (idling) for an hour earlier. It got up to 205F before the fans kicked in (normal, apparently) and the patch held up. It cycled from 190F to 205F multiple times within that hour and not so much as a drop is out. However, I noticed a leak from my thermostat housing. Odd, but whatever. I pull the housing, sand down the mating surfaces, and stick a nice bead of RTV around the water outlet. The thermostat o-ring is supposed to seal this unit so there is not gasket for the housing. This fix is also holding up so far.

After all that this morning, I went and titled and plated the rig. Another $100 out the window, but hey it's legal now. I'm letting it cool off for about an hour before I drive it just so I can re-check all the fluids. If everything is good, I will be happy and I can start working towards overland mods.

If not? I burn it.

Edit: I burn it. Power Steering pressure line blew. Everything is covered in ATF.

 

[itsrikka]

[Update 2b: Really fixed? Maybe? No?]

On the underside of the drivers side cylinder head, there are 2 bolts that hold the trans cooler lines to the engine. Be sure to put these bolts back in. If you don't, the short rubber lines that connect between the block and the trans will fall into your steering shaft joint. It will feel like a weak power steering pump. It will rub through the rubber and cause a massive pressurized leak. You will fear that it's the torque converter seal. It will most likely be this line.



Oh, and you can't get to the rear bolt without unbolting the motor and lifting it up some because the bolt is directly above the cross-member with no room to work in. So, get a good metal zip tie and strap the metal trans cooler line to the coolant bypass pipe that's above it.

ATF leak fixed.

Onto the engine. Heard a slight rattle last night when it was started cold. Changed the oil today. Rattle. When it warms up, rattle goes away. The engine has been sitting for 6 years. Best guess is the pickup screen is slightly clogged/coated in old oil. Will have to do a little further testing of cold/hot starts and I'll probably end up replacing the pickup tube.

Fun times. Nearly $2k into this project already. Should have been done about $600 ago.

 

[itsrikka]

[Update 3: Automotive stethoscopes are cool]

Yesterday, I borrowed an automotive stethoscope from a buddy of mine. Not something I ever thought about owning. The rattle was coming from the front of the engine. With the steth, I was able to find out that it wasn't actually internal. It was coming from the timing cover. Did a little research and apparently the hydraulic tensioners on Subaru engines can sound like a rod knock when they start failing. So, I decided to check the idlers from the original engine. They're all in great shape; NSK bearings, no play, and a genuine Subaru tensioner. Throw all that on yesterday morning and let it sit for an hour (apparently the hydraulic tensioner can take a while to fully extend when re-used.) No noise. Wow. Awesome!

Took the car for its first actual trip. I had taken it up and down the highway (2-3 miles) before the trans line burst open. Yesterday I took it into town for a night out with some friends. Total trip was 58.7mi according to the trip odometer. The QuikSteel bypass pipe patch is holding up nicely. The zip tie holding the trans line off the steering joint is still there. And the car handled itself really well. Only bad thing is, the guy I bought it from lied to me. He said the AC and cruise both worked. "AC works great" he told me. But no. Neither of them work. Those were two of the biggest reasons I decided to put money into this car instead of just using it for parts for my 98. I'm not mad though. The car handles great. Steering is a little stiff but maybe that's because the rack isn't worn out. The tint keeps the car nice and cool. The seats feel 10 years newer than the ones in my 98. Everything works, too. Not the AC or cruise, mind, but all the windows work. All the wipers work. Power mirrors work, fog lights, interior lights. It's nice. It's unmolested. The only "mod" is the factory stereo was swapped out for a nice Panasonic unit. And it sounds great.

All together, I love this little car. I hope it lasts me many years. I plan to give it the best I can as far as maintenance/repairs.

The mods will begin soon.

 

[itsrikka]

[ Mild Mods / Small Update]

So this past week or so I’ve done a few upgrades to the forester. First and foremost: a roof rack. It’s a cheapie from Walmart but it’s holding up and works fine so far.



I also put up a cargo net ($8) for the rear. It works great for storing the window screen, wallet, phones, shoes, and a lot of other little things.



Last would be the seat bridge. It was cheap to make ($20) and works. It’s just 2 2x2x5/8 MDF that are somewhat screwed together with some d-rings and bungee straps. The straps go around the upper portion of the seat when in use.



Onto the rest of the update. The wife and I actually spent a night in this over the weekend. It was a bit uncomfortable but that’s due to our lack of layers.



We had the floor and bridge, a mattress topper, and a sleeping bag. That was our bed. Since that night I’ve come to realize most people use 2-3 toppers. We’ll definitely be getting a thicker one or at the very least another one.



Honestly though, it was fun even though it was boring, hot, and uncomfortable. I blame that on bad planning. We were actually parked up under a bridge/overpass in a pretty rural area. Apparently it’s used a lot especially at night.



We’re heading out again this weekend. I might have a new mod by that time, we’ll see.

I’ve also started a blog over on tumblr if anyone’s interested. It’ll be outlining car camping in general and specifically doing it on a budget. If you wanna check it out: Roo Camp