Megell

1991 Legacy Sports Sedan, EJ22T, 5 speed. Bought it two years ago with 162k and needed tires, clutch and rear struts & brake pads. Had that done along with replacing the rear main seal as I wanted to switch to full synthetic, and added a paint job, (I painted it myself), oh, and a set of nice 5 spoke aluminum wheels from Tire Rack. I have 178500 or so now and have only had to replace the right front CV axle. Summer gas mileage around town is 24 mpg to 26 mpg depending on how trifty or the opposite I want to be. Winter time it is only around 19 mpg average. Hiway driving at 60 -65 through mountains at 7000' elevation in the summer is in the 30mpg range. Cruising at or over the century mark in areas such a norther Arizona or New Mexico where you can see for a long distance reduces that 30mpg figure to around 26mpg. Don't ask me how I know that and please don't try this a home. The only concern of mine at the moment is in the morning when I firt start it , the rpm jumps up to near 2000 rpm, on a cold engine. Also it takes several seconds for the engine to come back down from around 1100 -1200 rpm to idle at around 700 even after is has been warmed up and driven. Not so bad in the summer, but I don't like that in the cold of winter. IAC or something? Not sure , but I love this car. Mike

Grammy thinks you are correct.

Bolts are ok, it's the washers that are the problem. I had a flat tire this morning on the way to the local brewpub/coffee shop and found a 3/8 lock washer sticking out of my tread. Obviously, carelessly littered by someone trying to fix their Subaru heat shield problems. I for one found that just simply turning up the radio helps considerably unless anyone is with with you with hearing issues. My grandmother thinks the expanding and contraction of the exhaust system is the biggest problem and contributes to failure of a permanant solution. She's on drugs, so I don't know about that. Megell

Sorry to everyone for this being a bit off topic, but the blue glove you mention, I think they have a rather rough surface that works well in oily mechanical work. 5 bucks a box is deal. I pay 7-8 for the cheap stuff around here. I hear the fireflys eat their mate after, well you know what...oh maybe thats the black widow spider that I'm thinking of.

Ha! I thought those gloves looked familiar. High grade blue gloves indeed! I have few of those left out in the garage and save them for special occaisions. Meanwhile, I use the cheap vinayl (sp?) inspection gloves for normal everyday use (if you want to call that normal). So... you have ladybugs in New York?

OK, mine is a 5spd. I can get or may have a 22mm socket and can retorque with someone on the brake pedal and in 5th gear. My only question now is.....what is that funny blue looking glove in your first picture? Mike

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I explained to him about the fact that the crank pulley could come loose and damage the key and pulley and he said he never had one come loose.. He's the only one around here that works on Subarus and has, as far as I know has done a pretty good job. but all it takes is one screwup on something as important as the crank pulley torque...I don't my car to be the first one to experience ..missinformation. So, What if I let him do the 180K service ...and then drive it home the couple of miles and then Torque it myself to 125 or 130. Whadda think about that?? I have a nice Central Tool 1/2" torque wrench (Clicker) that I've had for 30 years. At least I'd know that it was torqued down tight. Mike

Thank you for the information, that's what I thought. Now, I'm not quite sure what to do. I don't want to try to tell the mechanic what I want it torqued to versus his 99 lbs according to his book. I guess I'll call Subaru over in Durango and see what they say. I believe what you guys are saying. I just don't quite know how to get it across to my mechanic here in this small town. Mike

Sorry guys, I know there is a thread on this question about the torque on the crankshaft bolt on the 2.2 engine and I'm trying to sort out what is the actual torque for a 1991 Legacy Sports Sedan (Turbo/5spd). I have 176+K, and am planning a 1500 mile trip at the end of the month. My local mechanic, that I talked to today said the torque on the crank bolt is 99 ftlbs. At first he said it was 89 ftlbs and then read further in his manual. I thought I read on this forum that the torque was considerably higher. I might be wrong on this but I don't want to take a chance on having my crank pulley coming loose when he does the timming belts sometime after I return and the 180K mileage range. He also assured me that he never had one come loose. I know you guys are very knowledgeable on this subject. Can you please refresh me on the correct torque for the crank pulley bolt on the 2.2. Thanks and happy new year to everyone. Megell

You might also check to make sure that the axle washer is on the right way. My mechanic got them on backwards when they changed the tranny on my old 90 Loyale turbo sedan. It ruined the hubs because of it. The washer is just a bit concave(?) and is designed to keep pressure on the nut. Put it on backwards and you can't keep the nut tight. Don't know if that applies to your car or not though. Megell

That's what I thought, Thanks Manarius.

There is a 91 Legacy Sports sedan with 5spd, turbo on Ebay and according to the description, there was only 15 of the 5 speeds shipped to the U.S. Is this correct that there was only a few hundred sports sedans and only 15 with the five speeds. In my small town in Colorado, there are three, mine with the five speed and ...I don't know about the other two, but will keep in mind to check. Anyone know for sure? Thanks, Mike

I thought that the EJ25 was bored and stroked 2.2 and that in order to compensate for the stroking, the piston pin had to be relocated so the piston would not rise above the deck. This resulted in the piston skirts hitting the crank and to compensate for that, they cut the piston skirts down and is the reason for the piston slap that is so common on that engine. I could be wrong though. Mike

And of course, the most important thing... beer!

OUCH!

Oh! Great!..now I'm gonna have to worry about a flat tire from your aluminum foil!

I replaced mine at 162K (91 Sports Sedan w/turbo). It was still working ok, but it felt like the pressure plate was getting weak. The old clutch disc looked like it would have gone another several thousand miles. If you burned up a new clutch and flywheel in less than 14K with normal driving, something is seriously wrong. Mike

I would visually check closely for leaks, but it sounds like maybe it was just time to check the antifreeze level and top off. I would just fill it back to upper level and keep a close eye on the gauge. It it still heats up, you may have to "burp" the system to clear the air out of the system. Ummmm,....... you may want to check your oil level while you are at it. Mike

Ahhh! ....Nothing like the sound of several mechanical mechanisms booting up when you simply turn the ignition on. Shoulder belts and radio antanae and fuel pump, OK , I only want to hear the fuel pump. Luckily, my 91ss, when I bought it early this year, only one of the automatic seat belts worked, unfortunatly, it was my side. Passengers side did nothing. I "felt" I had to unplug mine, due to "safety issues", "as unreliable" and just use the factory supplied lap belts. Now, I only hear the secure feeling of my fuel pump pressurizing, and of course, the worn out gears on my automatic radio antanae (spl?). If you are interested the the gen 1 Legacys don't let the auto seat belts stop you. I have one and I love it. Mike

And, it already has the forged internals.....

Also, check for vacuum leaks and air intake leaks.

A friend of mine, back in mid sixities tried that, but the lake wasn't frozen. Don't know if the car is still there or not.

The "vaporizer" that you mention, I think, is called a "converter". It's job is to convert LPG to gas vapors (if memory serves) before it enters the "mixer" (carburetor) to feed the engine. It has two diaphrams and one side has engine coolant running through it to heat up the LPG gas which is then vaporized and sent into the other diaphram chamber which controls the "demand" before it enters the carb. or "mixer". The system also incorporates a "lock off valve" inline so that when you turn the ignition on, it allows fuel to the mixer. It's been said that propane is safer than gasoline and I won't argue that point except that if/when it does ignite when it's not supposed to, it is much more explosive than gasoline. It also has a high specific gravity meaning the when propane leaks from a storage system it will fall to the ground instead of rising into and dissapating into the air, therefore making it more dangerous. I've seen RV mechanics loosing most of there hair and wind up with third degree burns just from the amount of propane in the line and ignite it just from laying on the carpet on the inside of a motor home. Static electricity WILL set it off. Again, my experience is a few decades old, so I don't know how much things have changed regarding conversions, but I can only assume that technology has advanced some of the systems. Mike

I have performed several gas engine to propane conversions in the late seventies and early eighties when I used to work for a high altitude, high performance propane dealer. First concern is where do you store the LP tank in an OB. Inside is out of the question Due to expansion/saftey issues. Outside would be "interesting, if you like pontoons". Most of my conversions were performed on pickup truck types and not fuel injected as all of todays cars and trucks are. Fuel tank location were mostly either in the bed of the truck and/or underneath the driver/passenger front door between the frame rail and body, tucked underneath the door. Also consider that you loose about 20 to 25% performance without modifying the engine to compensate. One other nice thing about burning LP is that there is almost no fuel contamination in the engine, which means longer life of the oil and the engine in general, especially if you use synthetic oil, and water vapor is much of the exhaust vapors, so LP is more earth friendly in that way. Mike