Storm

Read and enjoy!!! www.outbackmotors.com Jay

Turbonetics is just the shop that did the work on the Garret turbo(s).

It's a 17mm Jay

4eat 2.5RS Imprezas 5mt Forester XT Various others.......

The hammer and chisel will come in handy seperating the motor from the trans...which is usually a PIA if left to the elements. A hacksaw makes quick work of hoses that have broken or otherwise frozen clamps...or more importantly, an uncooperative exhaust manifold. Still lots of fun getting bloody in the yard! Jay

You got mail..... ...and a complete 98 Impreza manual. Jay

Yep, use the EJ22 belt and EJ25 gaskets. You'll have to use the EJ22 intake manifold as well. If the heads are newer type, they'll have single exhaust ports and will need that exhaust manifold. Other than that and the EGR...you should be good to go. Keep your EJ25 engine harness and put 92octane in and all will be well with the world. Jay Storm

Welp....according to the parts diagrams, the bearings are different. I ordered a pair to fit the case I have and got all excited when they came in. Now I see that inner bore of the new bearings are also smaller than the diff.....$91 and 3 weeks down the drain. I'll update this thread once I figure out a solution to this. Hopefully nobody else has to learn this the hard way.... Jay Storm

If you have an email account that'll handle a large .pdf......I'll send you a copy of mine. Just PM or post a destination. Jay Storm

I don't think there's nearly as much wear on the motor at WOT when compared to short stop and go cycles, lots of starting the car and no warmup before harder use. How and when you load the drivetrain is probably going to effect wear more. Keep fresh oil in it...Milage will be less if you're using WOT naturally. I usually don't need to go beyond 30-40% throttle when playing nicely on the road but I will go to WOT on occasion just to keep things cleared out. Jay

That forward lock was the bugger for me until I finally broke down and pushed it in....very odd as I couldn't see any connection that suddenly was made by locking it. I don't have an airbag anymore and use a 1/2watt 3.3ohm resistor to keep the light off. Explore the replacement of the impact sensors too....could be that simple. Jay Storm

Depends on what trans. Auto is probably 4.11:1 and Manual is probably 3.90:1. I wouldn't know for sure. Jay Storm

Even if they aren't good for autocross....I'm purty sure I can find a use where they would be good! Diffs happen to be unrestricted starting with street prepared and on up through mod. Not counting street touring though.... Jay Storm

My 96 Impreza also has the finned cover. It's an open diff most likely....unless the model is an LS trim level...even then it could be open type. Did you notice if the bearing cups are bolt on or star shaped like the front diff bearings? Jay Storm

Unfortunately yeah...the wheels are not stock class legal. Funnier yet, is that you can put $5000 triple adjustable shocks on the car provided the spring perches stay at the stock location, or $8000 magnesium wheels that weigh 8lbs each as long as they are still the stock size.....Oh, you can remove the exhaust from the cat back as long as it exits behind the driver too. The rules are pretty akward until you start looking at the pointy end of competitiveness. People actually do spend that kind of money for a trophy (and jacket).:-\ HOWEVER....Autocross is about having fun. If I were you, I would look for as many folks running in the stock class and ask them if they would have a problem with you running despite the only non-stock thing on your car is the wheels. Chances are, they will not have any problems and welcome you to just register in stock. It's not cheating, or in any way going to make you an overdog. Realistically, if anyone in the stock class is running DOT R-compound tires (legal in stock) and/or trick shocks, they will have a distinct advantage. STX or STU will likely have folks who've reflashed their ECUs, totally redone the suspension and will be running their 140 treadwear street tires (that have been shaved and arrived on trailers) which will not be any fun trying to catch. Where you register doesn't really matter, since you should try and just improve your times each run....but it's nice to come out of it and not be DFL too.... That's my $.02 anyway.... Jay Storm

Gotta link for these ARB's??? Jay

Quick question about the bearings on the rear differential. Are the carrier bearings different for the cases with bolt on cups and star shaped thread-in cups? I want to put a fresh XT LSD into my 96 Impreza. The diff came out of a case with the bolt on cups but will be going into a case with the thread-in type. I've done one into a 98 Impreza with no problems as they both had the same type of setup but now I'm reading that the thead-in type uses smaller bearings. I wanna make sure I have the right bearings on the diff before I tear anything apart. Thanks for any insight. PN's welcome if they are different.... Jay Storm

Neither of you guys would be the first or only ones with your projects. Wel...I can't say that about the EG powered OBW but it's been done in an Impreza a few times now www.linaracing.com and I've run against a couple leggy wagons at major level autocrosses here and in Canada. They do pretty well for having all that glass and mass..... Might as well sell that SVX motor to me for my Impreza!!! Jay Storm

You can't just put a WRX turbo on the EJ25 because the exhaust manifold is different, you'll need one from the WRX. Then the engine crossmember is different as well. The WRX exhaust will hit the non-turbo crossmember. That said, there are a few companies that make special up and down pipes that will mate up to the stock non turbo EJ25 manifold and allow you to run that WRX turbo and a WRX turbo back exhaust. There are 1 or 2 tuners who have or are working on engine management solutions to the 01 ECUs that you might be able to take advantage of without the extreme undertaking of rewiring the car for a WRX or Legacy turbo ECU. Otherwise, piggyback control of fuel and spark retard are easy and fairly reliable at sane boost levels. There's alot of good info over at nasioc.com in the "conversions" and especially "aftermarket forced induction" forums. Good luck! Jay Storm

I'll chime in here and offer up what advice I can. The EJ25 wouldn't be too bad of a choice. If you go with a late-late motor, around 04 or newer...you get 175hp and OEM reliability if you swap the wiring harnesses and ECU with it. Aftermarket stuff for the EJ25 is out there, you have to look for it though. ECU advances are being made that really help bring the power up to a more respectable level. A set of Delta cams, minor headwork and exhaust work might just be enough for you. Built NA EJ25s are out there....mine are at various levels of being "built" and have been pretty happy with the results. The only HG problems I've ever had were with OEM, and we're pretty rough on motors (suspension is another story altogether). Going the turbo route, you can go with a WRX swap, the price is dropping below $6000 now, including the motor or you can DIY with some assistance in prefabbed harness work for around half that cost. The EJ22T wouldn't be bad either but overall costs to get it up and running would be fairly similar. A simple turbo kit on your motor would be even less and not as unreliable as it's being portrayed in this thread. The EJ33 swap is definately something to consider. Aside from the wiring...it's a match made in heaven. Visit http://www.linaracing.com/ for info on what it took to get an SVX motor up and running in an Impreza. Your chassis should be similar, if not easier. Just remember that speed costs money, so how fast do you want to go? Jay Storm

Or SVX hubs.....

Take a look at Forester part numbers. They had R160s and 4.44 final drives with the 5speeds. I don't know if ALL years had 4.44:1 or not. It shouldn't be too tough to find out though. This is a pretty popular swap for WRX guys wanting extra grunt.... Jay Storm

First (cheap) mod would probably be a stock 2.5RS suspension. Slightly lower, slightly stiffer. Instead of the stock RS stuff, you can find KYB AGX's fairly cheap and a set of Eibach or ProDrive springs. Next would probably be a set of rear lateral links to add a rear swaybar (stock WRX is 20mm). That will transform the way the car handles, making it more fun to toss around. EJ22s can be had for well under $1k....a weekend of wrenching and you can complete the swap and stay under that $1k mark if all your stuff is in good shape. If you find some 15" wheels, you can upgrade the brakes to 2.5RS. If you find some 16" wheels you can go with WRX brakes. Sourcing the rear disc setup and e-brake cables will be more involved but still pretty cheap to do (yourself). I haven't found it necessary to do the rear disc swap with RS fronts....but probably would want to keep the balance if I went with WRX front brakes. Any size wheels over stock is gonna hurt the already anemic EJ18....keep that in mind. Jay Storm

Shouldn't even have to keep the EJ18 manifold. Just the engine harness and whatever sensors aren't on the EJ22 you put in. I'll echo the gutless turd comments in anything but the higher rpm range. I took a bus 750 miles to get my 96 Brighton. On the way home it took me a good 300mi. to finally figure out how to drive it.....:-\ That said, the 98 EJ22 that's in it now is a major improvement....even after having an EJ25D in it for a couple years. You shouldn't have to give more than $5000 for a 95 or earlier in excellent to great condition. Jay Storm

I was under the impression you pull one of the axles and not the driveshaft. Jay