Snowman

Basically, the engine, transmission, drivetrain, and electrical setups are identical between the two cars. The suspension is similar but not the same. Not sure about brakes, but they're pretty similar as well. The Impreza is smaller, lighter, and more rigid, so it's naturally going to be faster and have better handling. My understanding is that the Impreza was initially designed to be an "improvement" on the Legacy, albeit one that sacrificed some cargo room. It all depends on your priorities. Fast and fun vs. cargo capacity.

Good point about the brakes...most people overlook that. Does the trailer come with electric brakes, or are they an option? If you can get them, it's very worthwhile. Even a little bit of braking on the trailer will keep it from getting ahead of the car on slick surfaces.

Okay, that's an excusable offense:clap: .

I know the hydraulic tensioner can be kind of a pain to deal with, but it's one of the main reasons (in my opinion) that the EJ cars have far fewer timing belt failures than the EA82 did, which had fixed tensioners you adjusted at the belt change. The newer model soobs have a different hydraulic tensioner setup, but it's about the same as far as taking it on and off is concerned. Not to be an rump roast, but seriously, how did that get broken?

The front oxygen sensor shouldn't be related to that code at all. It's used to monitor the air/fuel ratio in the engine. The second sensor behind the cat is the one that monitors catalyst efficiency, and hence can set that code. Hook up a scan tool that can give you the voltage coming from the sensors. With the car running in closed loop, the second sensor should be hovering right around .45 volts. If it's stuck somewhere, the sensor is bad. If it's fluctuating up and down between like .3 and .7 like the front sensor, then the cat is not working and the sensor is fine.

I assume you're talking about the cooler lines? I've used 3/8" hose on EJ soobs ranging from 1990 to 2003 with no problems.

Sweet! That means, what, four people on here representin' the Lightforce?

Yup. Same parts guy. Same great service. Same good prices. I've bought thousands of dollars of stuff through them and have always had good luck.

Yeah, plywood should work fine. I might use 1/2" though, as it will deflect a lot less under the load. I would also treat it with some water sealer or use marine ply, as regular plywood will absorb moisture over time, causing it to warm and/or delaminate.

It'll be loud! But if it's mostly an offroader, screw it!

I've never really experimented with different fluids, but I've never had trouble running plain old Chevron or Citgo ATF in any of my rigs. I figure if I run the cheap stuff, I can afford to change it more often, which is probably better than putting expensive fluid in there and leaving it for a long time. (Of course, when it comes to engine oil, I run the expensive stuff and change it very regularly, but that's another issue:cool: ).

Yup, the EJ cars don't use a gasket from the factory. You can buy them aftermarket for some reason, but I would put more faith in some Ultra-grey or anaerobic sealant than some cheap piece of crap, errr... cork. The EA cars do use gaskets and they are available from the dealer.

Can I get a hallelujia!! Amen to that!

Where did you get those specs? The torquing sequence for these is kind of complex. You torque the bolts, back them off 180 degrees, torque them to a different setting (with the two inner ones different from the four outer ones), then tighten them 90 degrees, then another 90 degrees. Sorry, I don't have the numbers offhand.

That's incredible! I've never seen one bent that badly. I ran mine sideways into a guardrail at about 20 mph last year and it bent the lower portion of the strut about 20 degrees.

Just leave your car running the whole time:cool: .

I just had a very long and quite enlightening conversation with the head guy at an independant Subaru shop that does most of the Subaru work in Anchorage. Among many other things, the EJ25 HG issues came up. He is experimenting with using the updated HG's for the phase I (DOHC) EJ25 on the Phase II (SOHC) engines that he has HG issues with. Apparently, the phase II engines use a very thin HG that is easily damaged by normal temperature fluctuations. In fact, Anchorage has the highest occurance of HG failures of anywhere in the world Subaru sells those cars. We think it's because the typical temperature range that the engine experiences during the winter here is much greater than most places. According to this guy, the gaskets match right up, and he's put a couple together that way already...just waiting to see how they hold up. I agree that the thicker, multi-layer-metallic design of the updated phase I gaskets is probably superior and able to handle more abuse. Of course the increased thickness will lower compression very slightly, but we agreed that it is probably an inconsequential difference (anyone know the thicknesses and want to run the numbers?).

Precicely. In the Swedish rally, it looks like they're running on donut spares! More ground pressure equals more traction.

Well, if you wanted to remove the wires, you could just pull them out carefully and then reseal it with some black silicone. I guess I'm used to seeing a lot of, um... "less classy" modifications up here.

Bingo. I would bet ten bucks it's the PCV valve. Get a genuine SOA one as the aftermarket ones are crap. This is a very common problem in Subarus of pretty much every generation.

I'd throw some Ultra-Grey sealant on the bolts and give it whirl. The worst thing it could do is leak again.

I would not risk using anything besides the factory o-ring there just because of the monumental pain in the butt it would be if it did leak. If I was completely stuck and HAD to use something else, I would seal around the area with anaerobic sealant. It's included in an overhaul gasket set from aftermarket suppliers, but I would imagine that would be a dealer item by itself. I would bet anywhere else would have to order it if it's even available.

EASY. Poke a hole in one of the side window gaskets, run the wire, and seal it with black silicone. Inside the car, pop off the plastic trim and run the wire behind it.

Excellent! I hope to get to WA either thursday sometime or maybe friday friday morning. Having a floor to sleep on would make things much simpler.

I believe the oil pump shaft is a different diameter. The pumps should be interchangable though, as the blocks should be the same. I seem to remember putting an oil pump I had originally purchased for an 86 into a 92 last year with no problems.