Whenever I get a car I tend to change all the oils early on so I know it’s all fresh and decent quality stuff. The Forester was no different so I got myself some Millers oils for the engine, gearbox and differentials and a genuine Subaru engine oil filter and sump washer. For the engine […]
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S1 Elise – Final Fit of the Exhaust, and Heat Shields
Having test fitted all the parts I fabricated to be sure I was happy with them (see here, here and here). The exhaust, exhaust heat shield and alternator heat shield could all be fitted for the last time with new gaskets and fixings. Everything ready to fit. New exhaust manifold gasket in place. Engine mount […]
S1 Elise – Making an Exhaust Heat Shield
As I’ve said previously, it got a bit hot in the Elise drivers seat on the hottest summer days and I wanted to do what I could to keep heat from the exhaust at bay. One thing being heat wrapping the exhaust which you can see here and the other being fitting a more effective […]
Forester STI – Front Anti Roll / Sway Bar Whiteline Drop Links
I bought these drop links when I bought all the Whiteline parts for the rear anti roll bar upgrade. All info on that here. These are the same Whiteline KLC32 drop links as I used on the rear as they are also the correct part to replace the front drop links on the Forester. They […]
S1 Elise – 160 VVC / S2 Exhaust Manifold and MG ZR160 Downpipe
When I first got the Elise I found a number of exhaust leaks so spent some time replacing gaskets to sort them out. More about that here and here. While doing this I noticed the outer braiding of the flex section had started to break and the lambda sensor didn’t look great. Clearly someone had […]
Forester STI – Fitting Double Din Touch Screen Android Head Unit
The forester still had the original double din radio, CD and cassette player fitted. It worked OK though the FM radio had the wrong range for the UK as it was a JDM item. It’s possible to fix the FM radio problem with a little gadget that plugs into the antenna but I really wanted […]
S1 Elise – Fitting Side Air Scoops
After one of the side scoops fitted by a previous owner fell off and I removed the other, see here, I thought I’d fit some new ones. This time they would be clear gel coat carbon fibre though which makes them ten times cooler or something like that. 😉 As they arrived, very nicely finished. […]
S1 Elise – Fitting Poly Lower Rear Engine Mount Bushes
Having found the exhaust to be leaking at the join between the manifold and downpipe, when I first got the Elise, and noticed the flexi section underneath the sump had occasionally been touching the undertray. I figured the engine mounts might have got a bit tired after 20 years causing a bit more engine movement […]
S1 Elise – Diffuser Spacers
Spacing out the diffuser where it mounts to the rear of the clam is not an uncommon modification to an S1 Elise or Exige. It’s usually done as an aid to keeping engine bay temperatures down. Engine bay temperatures aren’t much of a concern with my Elise though as I’m not tracking or racing it […]
S1 Elise – Gearbox Oil Change
While I had the Elise up on the lift and was working in the area with the induction setup and clutch slave cylinder bracket I thought it was a good opportunity to do a quick gearbox oil change. Apparently this is the stuff to use in the PG1 gearbox. Motul Gear 300 75W90. The drain […]