[pmatulew]

Just bought a used 2008 OBXT with 80,000 miles. The first order of business is to assess the turbo.

Is this normal? Or is this end-of-life? I suspect the latter.

What do you think? There is a little bit of slop on the cold side and only a barely perceptible amount of end-to-end movement.

--> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2up-QFLe28

If its' due then now is the time. I won't have the option of riding the motorcycle when winter arrives.

Right now I'm not interested in upgrading or tuning. All I'm after is a drop in replacement and family truckster reliability.

Suggestions on current sources of VSR balanced cores at a reasonable price? Nearly new take-outs languishing on a shelf and looking for a good home?

 

[idosubaru]

i think you're on the right track, though my opinion on the turbo play itself isn't worth anything due to limited turbo experience. but failed turbo's can quickly take out the motor with them, and that's a very, very expensive motor.

check the banjo bolts/screen issues while you're digging into it.

 

[devilzdriver]

Just bought a used 2008 OBXT with 80,000 miles. The first order of business is to assess the turbo.

Is this normal? Or is this end-of-life? I suspect the latter.

What do you think? There is a little bit of slop on the cold side and only a barely perceptible amount of end-to-end movement.

--> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2up-QFLe28

If its' due then now is the time. I won't have the option of riding the motorcycle when winter arrives.

Right now I'm not interested in upgrading or tuning. All I'm after is a drop in replacement and family truckster reliability.

Suggestions on current sources of VSR balanced cores at a reasonable price? Nearly new take-outs languishing on a shelf and looking for a good home?

Honestly it looks fine, you gotta think oil fills the bearing and it kinda "Floats" my WRX's turbo is way worse then that, and i got no issues at races lol. I will say because i have replaced about 8 myself CHANGE THE BANJO BOLT! I am not sure if the outback has the same issues as the Legacy's but the filter in the bolt gets clogged and good bye turbo.

 

[tdelker]

2008 banjo bolt filters are not the same issue as 05-06. I'm not even sure where they are. I was considering an 08-09 legacy gt, so I searched and searched to find a thread on how to replace them and couldn't find anything. Which tells you there are a lot fewer failures than the 05-06 which has tons of posts. The turbo is also different 07-09.

Tom

 

[rasterman]

Don't think I'd be worried. The '08 is an improved design as noted.

I've got 146k on my '06, no boom yet. Most of the risk in either design is mitigated by dipstick vigilance.

 

[pmatulew]

Banjo Country

The banjos were definitely on the list. I just ran out of time the first night.

They re-arranged the plumbing a little bit. Instead of the banjo being on the back of the head, it's now on top of the block. Tucked in under the end of the intake tube. Yup, there's still a screen in there. Didn't look bad at all. I rinsed it off and put it back in.

I've been researching these turbos pretty heavily the last few days and as best as I can fathom, The changes between the VF40 and the VF46 were very slight. Externally they bolt up the same. Internally they changed the housing and the fan wheel on one side. Supposed to make it spool up a little faster. Otherwise the guts of the center core are the same. All the more reason too approach the beast with caution.

 

[cdc]

I don't get a lot of subaru turbo problems in my shop so can't claim to be an expert in this department but I have replaced a couple that did fail. The new ones that showed up had about the same amount of play in them as yours. The old ones that failed showed scrape marks from the fins coming in to contact with the housing.

 

[pmatulew]

Well, the opinions I got locally and online were two to one in favor of leaving it be, so I put it back in. I'm not out anything except a couple nights of sitting on the couch, so no harm in being extra cautious. Now that I've done it once, (and replaced those miserable little heat shield bolts with stainless), it should be quicker and easier next time I get a nagging worry.

Notes from the process: Lots of PB Blaster and patience. Pull the down pipe to get it out of the way. Drain down the antifreeze part way or it will be gushing out when you pull the lower coolant connection from the turbo. When re-installing put the oil return hose on the engine side first and leave it a little long so that you can get it started on the bottom of the turbo before mating it to the exhaust manifolds. Don't go crazy with the hose clamps because there is no clearance at all to get in there. It has to be able to wiggle on without assistance. The turbo has to be placed almost straight down because of the studs and the lack of clearance against the bell housing. This is the biggest hassle because you can't get your fingers in there to work the inlet hose around the opening as you push down. You can gain a little bit of clearance by detaching the inlet hose mounts and pulling it forward, but you don't get much. The top section of oil inlet tubing has a very small orifice at the end where it connects to the turbo. Be sure to flush that section of tubing and be absolutely certain that it is clear.

Now on to the business of getting familiar with the vehicle.

 

[rasterman]

Well, the opinions I got locally and online were two to one in favor of leaving it be, so I put it back in. I'm not out anything except a couple nights of sitting on the couch, so no harm in being extra cautious. Now that I've done it once, (and replaced those miserable little heat shield bolts with stainless), it should be quicker and easier next time I get a nagging worry.

Now on to the business of getting familiar with the vehicle.

Enjoy! I suggest reading the 3rd generation subforum. You may want to shift your attention to the rear suspension- In my opinion it's probably the next most problematic aspect of that car. Fortunately not difficult or expensive to correct.

 

[pmatulew]

Bingo! 30 seconds of searching and I found exactly the info I needed to fix the Buick feeling in the rear end.

Checking things off the list. Just ordered a hitch and wiring from e-trailer and a cubbymount for the GPS.

I'm gonna like it around here.

 

[ETC]

So, save me 39 seconds and link me to that thread

Is it the suspension thread that I never fully read ?

So, I'm going to be Mr dark cloud now and tell you my story.

Bought an 07 XT late last year. Knowing the history of the failures on these and the legacies, I planned to pull the turbo and send it off to be rebuilt. I had sketchy maintenance records on the car.

Decided I'd take it to mammoth snowboarding (about 300miles) instead of the 2000 OB I have. Made it there and ....halfway back. Grenaded the turbo.

Core was shot but, they gave me a break on a rebuildable core.

Dropped the pan, cleaned it all out, replaced the lines, pulled the intake, intercooler, cleaned all that out.

$1000 and a huge pita later, the motor seems to have survived.

If you decide to rebuild it. I've had two done at pure turbos, they do a really nice job (that's all they do) and have a high speed balancing setup.

I had the right idea,just didn't act on it quick enough.

 

[pmatulew]

suspension thread

There were multiple threads on suspension modifications.

The gist of the issue is that the Gen 3 chassis is a bit lighter so the factory spec'd lighter damping in the rear shocks and may have overshot the mark.

Replace the rear struts with items spec'd for a 2004 (Gen 2). Same dimensions but they're a little stiffer. Much better seat of the pants feel. Relatively inexpensive fix. My rear struts appear to have been in there for quite a while and the car definitely suffers from barge butt. They'll be getting replaced shortly.

The first time my wife drove the car her comment was "that it doesn't feel connected to the road". Yup. My thoughts exactly.

 

[ETC]

Sounds about right.

Does feel a bit mushy... Especially since my 2000 has Baja springs and Rallitec swaybars on it.

Have to go back and read that suspension FAQ. Again ( all the way) and see what I can swap over from 2000 to 2007 XT.

 

[pmatulew]

Not knowing is the hardest part. We had to drive our new acquisition 140 miles of highway just to get home. Trust me when I say I gingerly feather footed it the whole way. Then parked it until I could have a good look see. I sleep much better now.

Here are the links to the pertinent suspension threads-->

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/109-gen-3-2005-2009/49801-2005-xt-suspension-upgrade.html

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums...-modifying-rear-suspension-08-2-5i-print.html

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/109-gen-3-2005-2009/80641-2008-3-0r-suspension-work.html

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums...75-super-soft-suspension-06-xt-ltd-print.html

 

[Noodle]

Bingo! 30 seconds of searching and I found exactly the info I needed to fix the Buick feeling in the rear end.

Checking things off the list. Just ordered a hitch and wiring from e-trailer and a cubbymount for the GPS.

I'm gonna like it around here.

Oh where did you find a cubby mount for a GPS?

 

[rasterman]

Try cubbymounts.com

I got one a while ago, it's a pretty decent way to set up my GPS. I'm thinking about scrapping that and mounting an ipad up there instead though.