TheSubaruJunkie

Did you put the wires in the right spot? That image is for a EA81. -Brian

$1000 Affordable? HAH!

IMO i'd rather have the Legacy GT over the STi... What more needs to be said?

Not sure if the market is the same over there as it is here... but a '92 Brumby would get you $50,000 in the US.

I think the closest you'll find is the Toyota 3.88 rear end.

Dont think its a members. ive been seeing it on Craigslist for weeks now. He started off at $2500, then it went down to $2000 now its at $1850. Had thought of selling my Turbo Legacy to get it... but I love the 180hp and power everything too much -Brian

This is an excerpt from my Build Thread on Legacy Central. You can view the entire build thread for my car here: http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=35301 This is the section I wrote for my suspension that I installed yesterday ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well. The suspension on this wagon is 170,000 miles old. Not to mention it is a Station wagon and wasnt created for performance. The car's body sway is horrible and bounces alot over bumps. Ive done alot of reading and wasn't sure what to go with. I knew whatever I ended up with, would have to be on the cheap since Im on a budget. Coilovers were out of the question. WRX Takeoffs was a good option, but what worked and what didn't??? From what I read, the '02 WRX stuff was supposed to be a near bolt in so I picked up a set of '02 WRX wagon struts and springs for $100. I didn't plan on using the struts, but wanted a complete setup so I could mix & match parts to see what worked. My intentions were to use the WRX springs on a set of KYB GR2's. I picked up a complete set of GR2's for the 4WD Legacy off eBay for $277 shipped. With everything I needed here, I went and tore into it... Before I started, i wanted a before & after picture to tell if the new setup would lower the car any. I didn't have a tape measure, so I had to find something to use as a refference. FRONT: REAR: With the suspension pulled, I set everything next to eachother to use as refference. You can see the 3 setups are near identical. In the picture we have, from left to right: KYB GR2's - STOCK LEGACY - '02 WRX FRONT: REAR: I dismantled the Stock legacy and Stock WRX struts and started fitting parts. The springs fit into the GR2 struts, but the top of the spring is narrower at the top. So you must use the WRX spring perches. I also used the WRX tophat because they are 110,000 miles newer so I figured they would have to be better. In this photo you can see the new strut/spring setup compared to the stock Legacy strut/spring. Installing it was as easy as removing it. The rear was alittle different. After tearing apart the stock Legacy and the WRX struts, I could tell right away the top hats would be different. The WRX top hats are one piece with the spring perch. Ontop of that. The bolt pattern for the WRX tophats is wider than the stock Legacy... so using the WRX tophats would be out of the question. I placed the WRX spring into the GR2 and found another problem. It appears the bottom of the WRX spring isn't as wide as the stock legacy and didn't fit quite right. So i determined it would be best if I just used all the stock Legacy stuff with the GR2's. However, I liked how the WRX bump stops looked as opposed to the Legacy ones. They were taller, and like the front tophats, where 110,000 miles newer than the Legacys... So I used those instead. Pictured on the left is the WRX bump stop with the Legacy on the right: I then assembled everything and installed the strut. So after everything said and done... did the new suspension lower the car any???? No. It appears not. If anything, the rear end is slightly taller than before. FRONT: REAR: However the test drive revealed immediatly the improvements over the stock suspension. When pulling out of the garage and driving out of my driveway, i could tell the car was much stiffer. Driving through the gutter at the end of the driveway no longer made the nose of my car bounce up and down. A few quick 30mph right and left hand turns also convinced me the body roll of the past was long since gone. The WRX springs definatly stiffened the front end a whole lot, and now its time to get my new tires mounted to my 16" RS rims and have the car's alignment done.

Glad to hear everything went smoothly. Both those links are giving me a "Album not found" error. -Brian

I would think that 2" will hyperextend the CV"s and cause all kinds of camber issues.

Doesnt look like any of those valves are stuck open. I say put new headgaskets in and fire her up! I believe you can find a complete engine gasket kit from Napa for around $100 -Brian

Awe man I wanna go... I'll be in the garage putting new suspension on the legacy though. -Brian

Dont know who told you that. Like to see this when your finished.

Did you install the blocks that drop your engine crossmember? This should give you the extra drop you need to install your struts.

No. Not without ALOT of modifications. If you do the 5 lug swap, you can do it.

ALL WRX's are turbo. So unless you plan on changing out the pistons when you do the conversion I would advise against making it a non-turbo. I would do a EJ22 swap myself. It has more than enough power for your wagon.

You're right about not wanting to run a turbo on an off-road car, but thats not cause of hoses. Its cause of turbo lag and making no power at low revs. When wheelin, you want all your power at 2000rpm instead of 4000rpm so you can crawl over stuff. Using a WRX engine is no different than a STi engine. You are still taking an engine that was turbo, and removing the turbo... you will have lower compression because of the pistons and instead of having no power at low revs, now you will have no power at low rev's or high rev's. I suggest you do some research on the differences and what it all really means before you drop $3000 on a motor that will be worse off than the one you already have. Just a suggestion. -Brian

I had one of those testers and i hated it. spend $50 on a decent tester. Hell, even Harbor Frieght sells a decent tester for $20 that is better than that. I wouldn't trust the rubber tipped compression testers at all. -Brian

No way Rick. What could be cooler than having a STi motor in your car?

A good compression tester should have a valve built in so pressure doesnt bleed off. That way the needle stays at the most pressure so you can crank the motor over then go check the gauge. I recommend removing all 4 spark plugs when You do your compression test. this way the motor will rotate at its fastest. Also, run your test... then remove the compression tester and squirt a few drops of oil into the piston and run your test again. If the results change, chances are you have bad rings. However, a stuck valve is a possibility. If you have a valve stuck open, you would have 0 compression on that cylinder. I know what you mean about not wanting or having the time to mess with these motors. I gave up on my EA81 as well when it was having trouble and went with the EJ22 Wagon I now have. -Brian

Elbow grease and a whole lot of it! I used a box of those self soapy brillo pads. Before: After: Some Touchup Paint (testors model paint): -Brian

Yeah, i had that idea more than once. a MPFI EA81 would be great off-road. Could probably still run it all off the stock ECU. I also had an idea to run the carburator on the motor and use the injector bosses for NOS injectors

So if you dont want to run a turbo, then why are you getting a STi 2.5?? Why not find a standard EJ25 from an outback or forester? Im sure it will be cheaper.

Ok lets focus on your original question... "Major Differences between EA81 & EA81T" The biggest difference between the two, other than the turbo of course, is the fuel delivery. EA81 is carburated. EA81T is MPFI. That being said, the MPFI needs a ECU to run it propperly. Can you swap the intake manifold and run a carb on it... maybe. Will it ever run as good as a regular EA81... no. Whynot? Well cause: 1) Lower Compression: The EA81T has a lower compression ratio to make up for the boost. "Big deal" you say? Yeah, it is a big deal. You think a EA81 is underpowered now, remove compression on not just one, but ALL cylinders and you have a lawnmower engine powering a stationwagon. 2) Fuel Injector Bosses: The heads are different, they have fuel injectors in them and you will need to remove and plug these. You can do it, but just another pain in the rear. 3) Distributors: The EA81T has a special type of distributor (cannot remember the technical term off the top of my head) but it will not run propperly. So you will need to use your standard EA81 distributor. There are plenty of other alternatives. EA81's are not that hard to come by. Maybe we should be asking why you are looking for a new EA81 in the first place? -Brian

Your PM box is full... check your email. -Brian

I used a SPFI block when I built my RX motor. Cant remember if it had that 3rd PCV or not. I ran stock boost and it felt great. Better than the EA82T block at 12psi (stock is about 5 to 7ish). With the intercooler installed, it was max boost at 5psi I wouldn't use a high compression block without an intercooler. If you want a N/A Block WITH the 3rd passage, look for a MPFI block from a XT. They will have it. -Brian