What have you done to your SVX (or other Subaru) today?

[Noriyasu]

Today I cleaned the engine bay, removed the rust, and repaint it. With the engine out I can check every nook and cranny.

I found some rust on the battery tray and strut towers.

Tomorrow I plan to put the rebuilt engine to the engine bay.

[Noriyasu]

First thing I did today was replace the injector connector that had a broken hook.

Fortunately it is possible to buy a copy of the DENSO connector.

I put in an engine, transmission mount, subframe, stabilizer bar, steering rack, heater hose, fuel hose, exhaust manifold & heat shield, air cleaner box and wire harness.

I had a hard time fitting the stabilizer (anti-roll bar) after attaching the subframe first. In the end, I had to remove the subframe again. It seems the correct order is to attach the stabilizer after assembling it to the subframe.
The steering rack can be fitted later.

[SVX_MY_BABY]

Great weather today. Bright and dry and warm (+8c). It's been -8 to 14c icy, snowy. It rained cats & dogs last night and washed the salt from the winter roads.
So I took the SVX out for a nice spin and enjoyed the good weather.

[Noriyasu]

Originally Posted by SVX_MY_BABY

Great weather today. Bright and dry and warm (+8c). It's been -8 to 14c icy, snowy. It rained cats & dogs last night and washed the salt from the winter roads.
So I took the SVX out for a nice spin and enjoyed the good weather.

The maximum temperature today was 20°C. It has been warm for the past few days. The minimum temperature last week was around -10°C. It looks like it will get cold again next week, and there is still a lot of salt on the roads. I plan to take my mother to the hospital in Yokohama in SVX in two weeks, but I hope it will rain a few times before then.

About a week ago, I had to get the rebuilt spare engine from the R1 out of the warehouse. It was in the back of the SVX, so I had to move all the cars. The SVX's engine is running fine for the first time in months and seems fine. I can't wait for spring.

[Blacky]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/5HG4sJM494TCjudTA

Here's my poor SVX. It's the large bump to the left of the tempo garage.. Today we got another 20cm of snow on top of this.

[Noriyasu]

Today, the propylene glycol coolant I had ordered arrived, so I put it in the radiator and started the engine.

Propylene glycol seems to heat up and cool down more easily than regular ethylene glycol. The engine will be able to warm up in a short time, and it cools down easily if the air is blown on the radiator.

I just had my engine overhauled, so there is no ethylene glycol left in the engine. I thought it would be a good chance to try a new coolant. I'll use it for a while, and if there are no drawbacks, I'll try it on my SVX.

I hope that this will be good news, as the SVX has not enough adequate cooling capacity margin.

Perhaps the biggest drawback is the price, which is three times the price of typical coolant.

The overhauled engine sounds more powerful than quiet and smooth.

The manifold pressure at idle is lower than before the engine replacement, and it feels like the more sealed engine craves more air.

Since I replaced the CVT with a newer used one, I plan on changing the fluid and strainer before driving the car.

[Mike621]

Originally Posted by Noriyasu

The maximum temperature today was 20°C. It has been warm for the past few days. The minimum temperature last week was around -10°C. It looks like it will get cold again next week, and there is still a lot of salt on the roads. I plan to take my mother to the hospital in Yokohama in SVX in two weeks, but I hope it will rain a few times before then.

About a week ago, I had to get the rebuilt spare engine from the R1 out of the warehouse. It was in the back of the SVX, so I had to move all the cars. The SVX's engine is running fine for the first time in months and seems fine. I can't wait for spring.

I love those wheels on your SVX!

[Noriyasu]

Originally Posted by Blacky

https://photos.app.goo.gl/5HG4sJM494TCjudTA

Here's my poor SVX. It's the large bump to the left of the tempo garage.. Today we got another 20cm of snow on top of this.

Today it snowed about 15cm. The snow turned to rain and snow on the my cars got heavier and heavier. I cleared the snow from about 50m of the driveway in front of my house and on 3 cars.

The SVX is kept indoors during the winter so it doesn't get covered in snow.

I'm tired today, so I'm going to cancel all my other plans and go to the hot springs to sleep.

[Blacky]

Originally Posted by Noriyasu

Today it snowed about 15cm. The snow turned to rain and snow on the my cars got heavier and heavier. I cleared the snow from about 50m of the driveway in front of my house and on 3 cars.

The SVX is kept indoors during the winter so it doesn't get covered in snow.

I'm tired today, so I'm going to cancel all my other plans and go to the hot springs to sleep.

Does the rule still apply at traditional hot springs, no tatoos and no clothes? I have a friend with a lot of authentic Japanese tatoos. I was discussing the "rules of Japanese tatooing". None above the collar line, none down the middle of the chest, none on the hands etc.

[Noriyasu]

Originally Posted by Blacky

Does the rule still apply at traditional hot springs, no tatoos and no clothes? I have a friend with a lot of authentic Japanese tatoos. I was discussing the "rules of Japanese tatooing". None above the collar line, none down the middle of the chest, none on the hands etc.

Whether or not tattoos are prohibited depends on the hot spring facility.

Tattoos are usually not visible when wearing clothes, so you will rarely be turned away at the reception desk. You may occasionally see people with tattoos in the baths, but they are tolerated. Foreigners in particular are more likely to be tolerated.

Originally, tattoos were given to criminals in Japan to mark their criminal records. This happened during the Edo period, when there were still samurai. Criminals were detained on an island called Sado Island, which is like Alcatraz Island. The first time they were detained there they got one tattoo line on their arm, the second time a second one.

In later times, tattoos were popular among the Japanese mafia, the Yakuza, who liked to have their favorite images of dragons or Buddhas inked on their backs.

Since they often did not have a family, they often did not have a bath at their house and often used public baths, so I think people had many opportunities to see them in public baths. People tend to prohibit tattoos in public baths because everyone are afraid of the Yakuza. Onsen are part of public hot springs, but there are also baths that are not hot springs but just heated tap water. Nowadays, most homes have a bath, so public baths other than hot springs are decreasing. These are called sento.

Regarding clothing, people (especially women) with scars from surgery may be allowed to wear clothes. There are special clothes to wear when entering an onsen. It's called Yuamigi.

https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/pluralphot...16-OYT1I50091/

Another thing is that in mixed-gender hot springs, bathing suits may be allowed. Due to legal issues, no new mixed-gender hot springs are currently approved. Hot springs that have been mixed-gender for a long time remain mixed-gender due to vested interests. Many mixed-gender hot springs are found in northern regions.

The area where I live has many villas and many foreigners live there. They also come to the hot springs, but they don't wear clothes as per Japanese rules.

FYI

[LetItSnow]

Not today, but around last week... I got the Facebook memory of sharing the wreck photos of my erstwhile Pearly. As much as I've appreciated and enjoyed my winter-free cars since I sold it, it will always be the one that got away. It's sad in mourning one of these machines; they really are special.

I did take the WRX to the car wash today. It was probably double its stock weight in added salt, sand and dirt from Central NY's wintry mess.

I hope you've all been well!

[Noriyasu]

The R1 which engine replaced, but while working on it we found a small rust hole inside the wheel arch.

As I cut out the rusted parts, the holes get bigger and bigger, so it's going to be a big job. There's very little rust on the outer panels, but the problem is the inner panels, which are almost completely rusted away. Luckily I can get a new panel, so I'll cut out the rusted parts and replace them with the new ones. I think I did a good job of welding them.

The left side is done. I think it's been welded well. I'll do the right side next week. There's very little rust on the outside, but the inside is just as rusty.

It will probably be a more week before I can try out the overhauled engine.

[Noriyasu]

Although it was unfortunately raining yesterday, I drove my SVX about 600km to the hospital in Yokohama.

I've been driving small, light cars lately, so this car feels very heavy. The SVX feels very stable on the highway.

I think I hear a noise coming from around the rear tires, so I'll lift the R1 up and check it out after the repairs are done. It could just be tire noise, or it could be the sound of brake discs that haven't been used for a while.
I hope it's not the hub bearing...

Anyway, I'm going to wash the car today and store it in the garage again for a while.

[Noriyasu]

Originally Posted by Noriyasu

The R1 which engine replaced, but while working on it we found a small rust hole inside the wheel arch.

As I cut out the rusted parts, the holes get bigger and bigger, so it's going to be a big job. There's very little rust on the outer panels, but the problem is the inner panels, which are almost completely rusted away. Luckily I can get a new panel, so I'll cut out the rusted parts and replace them with the new ones. I think I did a good job of welding them.

The left side is done. I think it's been welded well. I'll do the right side next week. There's very little rust on the outside, but the inside is just as rusty.

It will probably be a more week before I can try out the overhauled engine.

I was able to get a panel, so I repaired the right side as well. Only the inside panel was rusted, the outside was mostly fine, but I couldn't replace the inside without cutting out the outside.

I painted it with rubberized paint E-140, which is scratch-resistant from pebbles, absorbs shocks when something hits the inside of the wheel arch, and is quieter.

[Noriyasu]

Today, I replaced the strainer of the CVT. This CVT is a used one with about 40,000 km on it. I hope it will be much better than the one I'm using now with 230,000 km on it.

When I removed the drain, no CVT fluid came out. In other words, it was empty. I removed the oil pan, replaced the strainer, and put the cleaned oil pan and magnet back in.

I started the engine without any CVT fluid, so I'm a little worried about any negative effects. When I put in 3.5L of new fluid, it overflowed from the inlet. It means full. When I put the lid back on and started the engine, the fluid spread to every corner, so I'll put in some more fluid. Even when I put in the entire 4.0L can, it still doesn't seem to be enough. I'll go to the dealer to buy another can.

The specified amount seems to be 5.8L for AWD. It is a little more than FF because of the transfer case.