Level 10 update?

[svxistentialist]

Hey Phil, hi Belha,

Any news on your tranny? Is it away in the US? When will you have it back?

Joe

[b3lha]

Hi Joe,

Kind of you to ask!

Level 10 made us a very good offer to rebuild the box. About half what we would expect to pay over here. Unfortunately when we added on the cost of shipping it to the US, plus paying someone to do the removal/refitting etc. it was still too much.

I explained this to Pat, boss of level 10, and he offered to send me a "PTS3 kit" free of charge. This supposedly contains all the parts necessary to rebuild the box.

So currently we are waiting for a large parcel from Level 10 - it's been a week so far. The next step is to find someone local to do the work.

How's your new Legacy?

Phil.

[Andy]

Originally posted by b3lha
How's your new Legacy?

.............and the new Forester?

[svxistentialist]

Originally posted by Andy


.............and the new Forester?

I replied to this earlier today, but the post is missing.

Got my Legacy GT last week, good news, bad news. It is driving like a pig. They promised me in Japan they fixed a misfire by the installation of new plugs. Not so. It's not picking up, seems to be running on three. I suspect a coil pack, going to the garage tomorrow to fix.

Also, and worse, it seems to have no power in the lower rev range, the technician suspects a wastegate stuck open. He may be right, there are no codes showing.

On the plus side, it is in great condition, lovely interior, nice wheels, really huge exhaust with a lovely rumble from it. Hope to have it sorted soon. And cheap!!

Henry has his Forester in also. Really lovely car. Black, with a huge glass sunroof. Smashing seats, and the JDM ones make 215 hp or so. Goes really well.

Let you know when I get the GT up to speed, as it were.

Joe

[svxistentialist]

Originally posted by b3lha
Hi Joe,

Kind of you to ask!

Level 10 made us a very good offer to rebuild the box. About half what we would expect to pay over here. Unfortunately when we added on the cost of shipping it to the US, plus paying someone to do the removal/refitting etc. it was still too much.

I explained this to Pat, boss of level 10, and he offered to send me a "PTS3 kit" free of charge. This supposedly contains all the parts necessary to rebuild the box.

So currently we are waiting for a large parcel from Level 10 - it's been a week so far. The next step is to find someone local to do the work.

How's your new Legacy?

Phil.

Replied earlier Phil, but the post has disappeared.

Glad he is sorting you out. Would you mind making a note of the contents of the pack when you get it, and the code and any other relevant info? If it's a good fix, I will send away for a pack when my next tranny needs upgrading.

Joe

[svxistentialist]

Just been on their website. It was unavailable today.

You are doing well here, I note the Stage 3 kit you are getting is over $500 worth.

Next tranny I get fixed, I am going to send for this kit.

Joe

[Andy]

Originally posted by svxistentialist


Henry has his Forester in also. Really lovely car. Black, with a huge glass sunroof. Smashing seats, and the JDM ones make 215 hp or so. Goes really well.


Joe

The black is really nice, but has to be spotlessly clean. I picked a 'dirty' colour.

The best tips that I have picked up for the Forester are:

1. Increase the tyre pressures to 34/36 front and 32/34 rear. The handling improves dramatically on road. The stock pressures are more for gravel.

2. Change the headlights for Philps Vision +50s (eBay)

[svxistentialist]

Thanks Andy,

I'll pass those tips along.

With the SVX I run 35/31. Better comfort & ride, steering a tad lighter at car park speeds, tyres wear evenly.

Joe

[Arthur-UK]

Hi, just passing !

Andy, my local breaker has a 2000MY Forester with moderate external damage all round. I have the heated front seats from it in mine now and a few other bits. Do you need anything ?
My original front seats are available if anyone wants to make an offer. They are like new, no marks.

I have also put Xenon bulbs in (not the geezer blue tinge) they are the best improvement for £12 I can think of.

Joe, was the Black one the same I had the details of ?

I will eventually get a Forester T25, just a matter of time and then I will sell the current '99 Forester and '97 SVX.
I am getting recurring lower back pain and sometimes I have a struggle to get out the SVX, the Forester is more Ford Transit like !

Have you seen the "CrossSport" Forester with the 250BHP WRX engine and Tiptronic gearchange ?

[svxistentialist]

Originally posted by Arthur-UK
Hi, just passing !


Joe, was the Black one the same I had the details of ?

No Arthur. Henry deliberated on many before settling on this one. Nice seats, huge sunroof, black with tungsten coloured bumpers, 215hp turbo. Goes bloody quicker than my SVX, the lucky b'stard.


Have you seen the "CrossSport" Forester with the 250BHP WRX engine and Tiptronic gearchange ?

Yes. Very lovely. There is also an Sti variant, which I think has 265 hp. Trick suspension. Nice yoke all right. Hard to find I would say. You still looking an S25 then? Didn't buy the white one? Want me to keep an eye out??

Joe

[Andy]

Originally posted by Arthur-UK
Hi, just passing !

Andy, my local breaker has a 2000MY Forester with moderate external damage all round. I have the heated front seats from it in mine now and a few other bits. Do you need anything ?
My original front seats are available if anyone wants to make an offer. They are like new, no marks.

Hi Arthur.

Our Forester was new in April and Sandra hasn't managed to wreck anything yet. (fingers crossed) Also the 2000 model was a different beast so not much will fit.

I tried out a new 2.5XT yesterday, unfortunately only a bum test, but it would be nice to move up to one in a couple of years time. I wish that the '04 model had the steering wheel controls for the audio, about the only shortcoming.

[b3lha]

Received a parcel from Level 10 on Saturday. Haven't had a chance to open it yet. But I'm very excited about it.

Oddly enough, it's labelled NIS350Z. I wonder if that means the Nissan 350Z shares our beloved AW 4EAT?

Phil.

[svxistentialist]

Nah, they just sent you the wrong pack.

[svxistentialist]

Joking, Phil, only joking......

On a more serious note, unlikely they use the same box as the SVX for it. By this I mean the older variant we have with the crappy brake bands.

The twin turbo legacy I just got has the very same box as ours. Warts and all.

Pat, my transmission guy, was saying maybe it has the newer all-clutch box, but no. Mine is the run-out of the older BG5s in '97. The newer version of the Legacy '98 ->with the stacked lights is called BH5. This one has the newer tranny.

If the 350 Z has the 4EAT, it is sure to be the newer type. Subaru uses the terminology VTD for the newer automatic, as in GTB-VTD for the Legacy models.

Often wondered if the newer version would bolt up to the SVX without major surgery on the electronics, like new looms and new TCU. Hope to be going in to Pat to get the black SVX sorted soon, will ask him if he thinks a swap is on.


Joe

[b3lha]

I was under the impression that our JDM SVX transmission was known as VTD. Certainly the Japanese TV advert for the SVX clearly shows the letters VTD-4WD at the end.

You're certainly right that the new 350Z is not equiped with a 13 year old gearbox. If it does have a 4EAT then it must be a newer version. But surely it's possible that this particular set of parts is common to both?

Anyway, I'll report on the contents of the parcel in a couple of days once I get the time to inspect it properly.

Is your Legacy fixed now? I'm interested to hear your latest thoughts having spent a little more quality time with it.

Phil.