All_talk

Thats pretty good deal, but I want all the mechanicals: engine, ECU/wiring, 5MT, VLSD, suspension, subframes, brakes, struts, wheels... pretty much everything but the sheet metal, glass and plastic. I figure all that will cost me $1500 or so... which is more than I paid for the '91. Gary

Look at me... I'm a beeotch You guys are making me feel bad about the swap idea, but I really want a EJ22T RX, in fact I wanna swap the whole drivetrain with complete suspension, sub-frames and all. XSNRG, the antenna on the '91 is toast and the interior is kinda rough and dirty, but I'll let you know if I go ahead with the part-out. Knee deep in turbos Gary

Lookie what I got, not one, but two, I'm quite happy. The white one is a '92, 126,000 miles with a bad 4EAT (slips in 3 & 4), is pretty clean and I found a good deal on a trans for it. The Red one is a '91 5MT, 186,000 miles and needs a new clutch, its a little rough looking but its slated to be a swap donor for my RX. Both seem to run pretty well and drive smooth, I have gotten to really see what they can do because of the tranny problems, but soon enough. Does having two Turbo Legacys make me greedy?... screw it I dont care if it does. :-p happy, happy... joy, joy, joy Gary

Yep, like garner said, sure you can (once you have fitted the required safety gear). But If you’re asking if you could be competitive, then no, the turbo and AWD will put you in a class with cars like the WRX, STI, Evo and DSMs, unfortunately the RX is outclassed by newer cars. You might put up a better fight in a modified class but you will have to spend a good deal of money and nobody makes upgrade parts for the EA82/T cars. BUT, could you have a lot of fun loosing… I’m betting the time of your life. Sorry to be a downer Gary P.S. Get inside the US rally scene here: http://www.specialstage.com/dc/dcboard.php

All Subie sooner or later get oil leaks and they always seem to end up on the exhaust, which leads to this bit of Subaru wisdom... How do you know when your Subaru is out of oil... You can't smell it burnning off the exhaust any more. :-p Gary

That appears to be a "narrow" band meter, they only read slightly rich or lean from stochimetric, not much good for fine power tuning, but still way better than guessing, it reads the voltage off a standard O2 sensor. Other options would be an "exhaust gas temperature" (EGT) gauge, this uses a thermocouple probe located similar to an O2, much broader range than the narrow band but doesn’t read A/F directly so it requires some educated interpretation. Then there is the final word in A/F sensing, the “wide band” O2, the probe installs like a regular O2, but is read/controlled buy a microprocessor, It gives a accurate full range of readings and the cheapest I’ve seen will set you back about $300. Gary

Sure, but just for fun... and I'm sure its gonna be fun. CHIM, Stock the EJ22T (technically I believe its a EJ22G) is 160hp, 180ft/lb T (crank). The 240-260hp range seems to be within easy reach with a few mods and rumor has it the the stock bottom end is good to 300+. I recently talked with a guy that has a Legacy SS with a VF39 @ 15psi, a large top mount IC, 410cc liberty injectors, JDM twincam heads and (I'm sure) some intake and exhaust mods, he claims to be in the 250hp range. And all that under the stock ECU. Gary

I'm in total agreement, and have a few ideas too... we should talk sometime. :-p Gary

Well, the deal on the '91 Legacy SS didn't workout so it looks like I'm back to plan A... EJ22T into the '87 RX (its what I really wanted anyway :-p ). I'm going to pick up the swap donor tomorrow, then I need a 5MT trans (the donor is an auto), and I should have some money left for some mods... maybe a VF39 and Sti TMIC. I'll try and keep the group updated along the way, if I bust my but I might even have it rollin by WCSS. Hmmm, what do you call 250hp in a RX... Totally Irresponsible! Gary

And worthy of note... thats positive manifold pressure at 2200rpm, thats low lag! Gary

What car? engine? Trans? I have the original EPA window sticker from my '87 GL wagon with a carbed EA82 and the 3AT, says 22mpg hwy... thats all they ever got and mine will get that with easy freeway driving (below 70mph). Now if its a FI engine or a manual trans you should do better. Gary P.S. Actually, My wagon got around 24mpg before I rebuilt the carb but I was way lean and would detonate on the hills.

The difference between the Phantom Grip and a real clutch type LSD is Dynamic loading. The PG is preload only so its ability to hold both wheels together is the same under all torque loads and to get it to hold any significant load it has to be very tight, that makes low power and throttle off steering much tougher. And its metal to metal contact, so you will see high wear and lots of heating when it does brake free. The clutch type LSD use a much lighter preload and ramps that wedge the clutch packs under torque load, the harder you push it the tighter it gets. I haven’t had the opportunity to spec it out yet, but I suspect there may be a way to take the clutch packs and maybe spider gears form the rear LSD and fit them in the front diff carrier. This will most likely require some creative machine work to adapt. Gary

This is a question for those who have owned/driven both. I’m about to buy a ’91 SS and wondering how it will compare to my ’87 RX. I’m expecting a bit more power from the SS, but will the handling be as tight? I’m mean the RX is no race car but for a production car it's pretty good, I fear the Legacy may be designed for a softer ride, I don’t want to be disappointed. I wont have money to upgrade the SS suspension right away so how do they compare stock vs. stock? Gary

Yep, blow-by is due to poorly sealing pistion rings (worn, broken or stuck), and/or baddly worn ring lands. The way the stock PCV system designed, fresh air is draw in at the passenger side valvecover and case vapors are drawn out on the drivers side, but if the PCV valve is stuck or the blow-by is bad enough it will push vapors and oil out both (and a whole lot of other places). Gary

Now that is just completely irresponsible… I want one, hell I’ll take two, there’re small. Gary

I’m looking at an EJ22T swap for my RX, the donor car is an auto with a bad trans so I’ll need an EJ 5MT or… adapt it to the EA F/T box. Keeping the dual range and diff lock would be great, but I don’t know how it would hold up, especially with spirited driving. The EA box seems to hold up well in the XT6 and the EJ22T isn’t too much more power, but I eventually plan on some mods to pump up the EJ, maybe looking for 250HP or so. I know the clutch will be an issue, is there any options beyond the one from the XT6? My current RX trans works fine but has 294,000 miles on it, how long do you think it would last? Maybe tell the second hard launch? :-\ If I go with the EJ 5MT I’m thinking the N/A would be an easier fit since it’s a cable type and I could keep the RX pedal box, but I’d need the N/A rear diff too. How much is an EJ 5MT with diff going to cost me? Anybody have one lying around? Clutch options, I’ve heard the 2.5RS will fit, true? And will my 3.7 LSD parts fit into the 4.11 diff? Gary

Now your talking, look what the 48's do for the poor flowing, low reving VW engine. The EJ would screem. Gary

Thats sums up my whole car! (I find that so funny I may have to add it to my sig). And about the bumper... at least you'll never be without firewood. Gary

Hey Moose Which tranny dose it have? My '87 carbed wagon with the 3AT is VERY slow, its go a lot-o-miles, burns some oil, but runs pretty well. She'll only do about 55mph up the hills and gets about 20mpg. Carb + 3AT = not so Subarific Gary

Hey Fraser Try pulling the waste gate rod by hand, you should be able to do it but it shouldn't be really easy. I doubt the actuator is the problem, I'd look for leaks in the up-pipe, or maybe there is a problem with the turbo I've seen thr seat area for the waste gate valve cracked and eroded pretty badly. If you still think it could be the gate, wire it shut and try it... carefully. Gary

Looks like its up now... or maybe if was just me. Gary

Anybody else having trouble? Gary

Now that's the best reason I've heard yet, and way more intimidating than some woosh/pissssst BOV air leak. Gary

Change the length of the throttle arm (shorter)? Mod the pedal for more travel? Also make sure you are getting the most out of the pull you do have, the throttle arm should 90 deg to the cable pull at half throttle. Gary

Yeah, I talked with John a while back about a set for my RX, but I just cant justify $1500 suspension on a $500 car (not to mention I dont have $1500 :-p ) Gary