Boost leak testing part 2 - sealing the IACV leak

In part 1 of boost leak testing, I erroneously thought it normal for the idle air valve (IACV) to leak boost when the car was off. As it turns out, I was wrong, and the IACV is a common and rather large leak that needs to be addressed. The part in question is pictured below.

Testing for boost leaks

Having a leak in your turbocharged car’s intake is like having a small hole in a balloon that you’re trying to inflate. Every turbocharged car seems to have a leak or two, and the only way to find it is to pump it full of air and see where it’s escaping.

For that we need some pipe caps to fit the various intake pipes.

Replacing a very sad Subaru antenna

One of the few problems with my Subaru when it came from Japan was a broken roof antenna. This antenna got even more broken after an unfortunate incident with a low garage door. Ebay provided a replacement, but the replacement needed some modification to get it to fit on the car.

Full disclosure: this is definitely a KLUDGE. As I started this project, I had the best of intentions and a sketchy plan. It works, but… just!

I'm so sick of looking at my neighbours

I live in one of those neighbourhoods where every house was built with a very similar plan, with only minor changes from house to house. My next-door neighbour’s place was built by taking the floor plan or our house and mirroring it. This had the consequence of lining up our big kitchen window with their big kitchen window, with a few small feet of space in between.

At first this wasn’t a problem. They kept their blinds closed 24/7, and we enjoyed the sunlight through our window. Suddenly, that changed. Their blinds were open, and we had a war on our hands. We couldn’t close our blinds or we would lose. They apparently felt the same.

The final blow in this war was dealt by my neighbour, or more specifically, his exposed buttocks. They were all skinny and hairy and poking out from under a hockey jersey. War over. You win, Lorne. You win.

Wiring the trailer harness

In the last installment, I put a Curt trailer hitch on my Subaru. To finish that up I would need to add a wiring harness to operate the trailer lights.

Getting hitched... or... My car can do anything!

Since picking up my Subaru in August, it has proven that it is perfect for:

• long road trips
• daily driving
• autocrossing
• rallycrossing
• carrying lots of stuff

To increase that incredible utility just a little bit more, I decided to also turn it into a pickup truck.

Let's try this again: Subaru mud flaps, Ver 2.0

As I discovered at the start of the snowy season, $18 Ikea mud flaps don’t hold up to cold and gravel:

I set out to re-make them in something a bit more durable.