Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

elwood91

Members
  • Posts

    19
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by elwood91

  1. While it is a very common conversion, there are some drawbacks. Ground clearance is the major issue even with a shortened oilpan, the engine sticks down pretty low. I went with a rebuilt that has more displacement, cam to match, forged rods, and coated pistons. It is now 2.4 L and gets out of it's own way on the highway. The power is similar to a 2.2 L subaru and enough for the almost 20 yr old transmission. If I was going to do alot of highway miles with it I would have looked into a sohc 2.5 or svx 6cylinder.

    This van sees a lot of back roads, and the occasional run down the Columbia Gorge. After replacing the engine I am now trying to update the FI system, which is one of the main advantages to converting to subaru. Maybe " the next van" .

    I wish they made the BFG's to fit 205/55/16

  2. Try finding a Syncro Doublecab

    Quite a few of these in Pacific NW now, most have been imported through Canada. Yahoo even has a "syncro double cab" group. I've seen a few of the 16" around Portland and at the NW Mogfest.

    Classifieds on The Samba has some rare vanagons for sale, usually in Europe but some have been imported already.

  3. Again original question was about new 5mt vs new 5eat sportshift in 2.5 XT or 5mt vs 4eat sportshift in base model 2.5i. The sportshift is nice for a lot of traffic while still fun and the awd is a little more complicated with computer controlled power distribution. I personally prefer the manual for hilly terrain where downshifting is smoother with a clutch than by autostick.

  4. Since you are looking at an 2.5 XT most comparisons to previous transmissions DO NOT APPLY. The XT has a 5 speed auto stick or reinforced 5 speed manual. I think gas mileage is the same for both.The auto gives the ability to shift gears like tiptronic or "sport" mode which shifts up at higher rpm and shifts down sooner when accelerating, very nice for highway driving. The manual is "reinforced" I assume that means better gear set than previous versions.

  5. The hoodscoop actually feeds air over the intercooler to cool down the air that has come through the intake and then been compressed by the turbocharger which heats it up. So snow and rain aren't bad for the intercooler. What is bad is long stops like traffic jams that allow the heat of the engine to build up under the hood reducing the efficiency of the intercooler.

     

    elwood

  6. 4) ABS light is on - how do I pull the error codes from the ABS brain?

     

    Under the passenger seat is the box with red led that flashes out the error codes. When I had a 92 LS the problem with the ABS was the leaky sunroof let too much water on the passenger side floor and light would go on. Driving with the carpet up for a few days would dry it out enough for the light to go out. I think I got the key to the flashes from chilton's. 16 flashes before repeating was ABS code?

     

    Good Luck

  7. I have been having same problem with 99 gt wagon 5mt 2.5l engine. I replaced the radiator cap and it got better and was going to have radiator flushed because it was time to replace coolant and at 90k miles thats when suby radiators start to have a lot of buildup inside causing bad flow.

     

    Now it's in the body shop due to hit and run and I'm waiting on totaled or not settlement, so I doubt I'll ever know if it was headgasket problem starting or not.

  8. great write up of your procedure. my 99gt wagon is approaching 90k miles and I was wondering if this was something that could be done in the driveway or not. sounds like it could but I willthink about whether it is really necessary at 105k per manual or better to wait till 150k or higher. the only time the engine has made a lot of noise was knocking around 60k and changing spark plugs fixed that. I would like to hear from more people that have done this or had it done by dealer or independent mechanic.

×
×
  • Create New...