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dxrflyboy

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Posts posted by dxrflyboy

  1. But thats what people forget hen they think about the impreza. Many people think "impreza = sports car". But thats not true. The impreza is also available with sport options and sporty engines, but basically the impreza is a reliable compact 4 wheel drive vehicle. Nothing more, and nothing less. Its like the Leone/Loyale, but only nowadays.

     

    Think about that... ;)

     

    Lukas

    Unfortunately, the USDM Impreza only weighs about 400 lbs. less than the Legacy and is less aerodynamic, giving it a highway mileage rating that is, at best, the same as a Legacy. Granted, with a few luxury options stripped out of it, the car may weigh less elsewhere, but I think the Impreza's aging platform is due for a more compact, economical redesign.

  2. The 1.5R isnt an EJ, its called EL15.

    Hmmm.....Subaru calls it an EL15, but it sure looks like an EJ. That has my curiosity up. I wonder what's different about it. If the block dimensions are the same and parts are interchangeable with an EJ (I'm not saying they are, just speculating here), then maybe Subaru is getting creative with engine designations. In any case, I now want to know more about this engine.

  3. One of my biggest concerns is the integrity of the transmission. Punks are trashing their 5-speeds by dumping the clutch in their EJ20T WRXs. Add the torque of the EJ25T to it and the strength of the trans. becomes even more questionable. I would not want to boost the output of the engine to STI specs without adding the 6-speed STI trans. behind it. The 6-speed is said to handle twice the horsepower of the 5-speed and it should - it's a monster! That said, the Legacy GT is more my style, and the Spec. B comes with the 6-speed for '07. That would be MY choice.

  4. Known in the USA,to myself:

    2 wagons both in Connecticut

    1 2door in Oregon

    1 4door also in Oregon

     

    We expect there's at least a couple others out there.

     

    Andrew's wagon is much more rough than I'd thought it would be but it's a start.The body is mostly there.Going to be impossible for a straight resto but he'll keep the body style going,which is all you can do in our case with these cars.

     

    Charlie's wagon is in a garage,and we couldn't get close to it to get a look that night I was there.

     

    The guy in OR has kind of disappeared.He has a neighbor who is a lady doctor who has that 4door.She told him she just wanted it gone,so somebody got a freebie.We suspect that the doctor's car was rather well maintained,so that should be a real candidate for a true resto.

    Could you post some pics please?

  5. I get the sarcasm, I've heard the FRAM horror stories, but I haven't had any problems.

     

    Thanks for all your help, looks like the subie is gonna get some TLC this week.

    Wix (Napa, Carquest) & Purolator (Motorcraft + other lookalike brands) = GOOD

     

    Champ (STP, AC, + other lookalike brands) = CHEAP

     

    FRAM (Pennzoil + other lookalike brands) = NOT CHEAP & NO GOOD

     

    Recommended filters = ABF (Anything But Fram)

  6. The internal sleeve of the control arm bushings are bolted tightly to the chassis. The outer sleeve swivels with the arm. The rubber in between the sleeves flexes to allow movement. The bushing bolts should be tightened with the suspension loaded in the "at rest" ride height to minimize stress on the rubber. Tire wear on the inner edge is caused by either negative camber, toe out, or a combination of the two. Toe is the most critical tire wear angle, and if the inner edge wear is the same on both tires, toe out is the most likely problem.

  7. If it's pulling hard to the LEFT, your problem might be in the RIGHT brake. Did the rotor separate from the hub? If it did, the caliper will squeeze the pads against a stationary rotor, making the pedal feel normal, but with no braking on the RH side, the car will pull hard to the left. You may not even be able to see the problem without taking everything apart, unless part of the rotor is gone.

  8. Do you have to add a BOV when installing an intercooler???

    A BOV is a performance enhancer that prevents backpressure between the turbo and throttle body from slowing the turbo down, which creates excessive lag. The blowoff valve is a simple, quick, cheap, dirty alternative to a bypass valve, which recirculates the pressurized air back to the turbo inlet. I often see WRXs with the BPVs removed and replaced with BOVs. Aside from making a whoosh noise when you shift, all this does is waste the air that the turbo just pressurized by dumping it and create more lag.

  9. Most 2005 Outbacks had 16" wheels. Exceptions would be XTs, Limiteds, LL Bean, and H6s. I'm not aware of all the brake hardware differences between them. All 2006 Outbacks had 17" wheels, but a more basic version of the Outback is available for '07 with the Forester 16" steel wheels. In all likelihood, the 16s will bolt onto your car with no problem, but you should try a 16 on the front and back to be sure before you buy a set.

  10. You can count on the Impreza 1.5R being geared quite a bit lower than the 2.5s here in the US. Anyone who as ever driven a Scion xB knows how low gears affect acceleration for a small engine. The xB moves out just fine at low speeds, but when cruising @70 in the top gear, the engine is revving in the mid 3K's. Combine that with a few hundred pounds of hardware removed for the euro version, and you have a car with a small engine that gets the job done without a problem. One thing I am curious about: Does Subaru sell non-AWD versions of the Legacy and Impreza outside the US? Or is non-AWD limited to other non-US models?

  11. My 1963 CORVAIR never had a knock sensor, and ran for years cheaply. These are "designed in" expenses the buyer isnt aware of until after the purchase.:-\

    1963 was many years before the Clean Air Act, the Arab Oil Embargo, CAFE standards, etc, etc, etc. Automakers are fighting an ongoing battle to build vehicles that meet increasingly stringent US safety, mileage, and emissions requirements and still perform reasonably well. As a result, cost and complexity are constantly increasing.

  12. The construction of the 2.2L gets a little fuzzy in the late '90s. The general consensus is that it became an interference engine in 1997, but was still a phase I engine. It still had the same lower profile cylinder heads and the deep cam covers as before, but it had single exhaust ports, unlike the dual ports used previously. The phase II engine came out in 1999, with the same style heads as the phase II 2.5L, but with single exhaust ports. This engine was last used in USDM cars in 2000.

  13. I woulld buy any 2.5L in a heartbeat. in fact i have. i like the torquyness of the engine. Also i would rather buy a car that if it is going to have a problem, is very well documented, as opposed to a mystery problem no one can solve.

     

    nipper

    Older Legacy GTs, Outbacks, and '98 Foresters can be a gold mine if you don't mind pulling the engine and putting in new head gaskets. Sometimes you can pick them up for a song, replace head gaskets and seals, and then make a few bucks selling them.

  14. As you all must know by now, in FEB 2004 SOA announced a campaign that addressed the HG issue in the 2.5 engines.

     

    1. I was all set to possibly buy an 03 Outback assuming that by 03 SOA must have addressed the HG issue in their new cars. But I have heard some owners of 03's have experienced HG problems. At what year is it safe to buy a 2.5L engine Subaru and not have to worry about the HG issue: 03, 04, and 05?

    We're changing headgaskets on '03s and '04s. I HOPE the problem is fixed on '05 and newer cars. At least SOA publicly recognized the problem in early '04, so one can only hope that the updated HGs were used in engines thereafter.

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