Chef

Okay, after a bit more reading, I've come to these conclusions: The front and rear springs for the 90-91 are shorter than the 92-94 Using the whole strut assemblies including the top mount and upper perch the struts should sit at the same height as a 92-94. Using struts for the impreza (assuming they are the same as the 92-94 legacy) and the upper spring perches and springs from the 90-91 would lower the car slightly (the rear will drop about 0.5" but be stiffer than the impreza, not sure about the front). Does this sound about right? Or am I totally off here. Anyone know any wreckers carrying used subarus in TO or area?

Was that an AWD legacy wagon? Also, what year, model, and trim level was the impreza? Basically I'd probably like to use the impreza struts if they're still reasonably good, and the springs/topmounts from the legacy if possible to maintain the height. Does anyone know if the WRX struts can be used with the 1991 legacy upper spring perches and top mounts? Or will this only work for the front and not the rear? Damn this is confusing. I'm cautious about using the WRX stuff because I don't want to lower the vehicle if I can avoid it. Also, the spring rates for the rear in the impreza (117-144 depending on model) are much softer than those for the legacy wagon (179 fwd 190 awd) What does this mean in terms of installing them? Were the rear springs for the 90-91 tapered? Or if not, is this the reason for a different top mount? From my understanding the main difference in the 90-91 and 92-94 struts are the lower spring perches on the strut itself, which are about 3/4" higher than on the 92-94 models (meaning it would raise the rear?).

I have the damnable air suspension on my 92 legacy AWD wagon. I intend to replace the suspension with a gas strut one instead. I've read all the info I can on the topic here, but would like to clarify a few details. First, will the top mounts from the 95-99 legacy and the 1993-2001 impreza fit my car? Or do I need to get the ones from a 92 - 94 legacy? Is the suspension from the impreza wagon too soft in the rear for my AWD wagon? If the suspension from later model legacies will work (i.e. top mount fits), can I use it from the outback model? If anything, I wouldn't mind raising the car an inch since i'll be losing that option when removing the air suspension. Thanks for any/all advice. P.S. - I'm working on a very limited budget, but since my front right strut is currently intermittently deflating I need to do somehting soon.

Check for fluid leaks - if you're losing much oil (or anything else), it will need attention very soon. I second the comment about getting the exhaust done elsewhere. It will save you much moolah. Good luck

I started my car tonight, and for some reason the engine seemed a bit reluctant to engage and sounded more muted than normal (hard to explain). But after several turns and a tap on the gas it started. However, it was vibrating oddly and violently, shaking the whole car, as though it were missing on one cylinder. The idle was within the normal range of 750 - 800 rpm. So I put it in drive, and it seemed to disappear. There was no problems with acceleration. I put it into neutral a minute later, and the shaking did not return. After shutting off and restarting the car a couple of times, the problem did not return. What the heck happened? The first thing that came to mind was that it may have jumped a tooth on the timing belt, but since it returned to normal after engaging drive I doubt it. I'm thankful it was a momentary problem, but I'm concerned it might be a sign of something. It has never done this before. Any ideas?

Just undo the negative battery cable for about 15 minutes or so. That should clear it I believe.

Thanks, I'll check into this. I suspect the strut itself isn't leaky as it holds air overnight (or longer) fine. The only time it deflates is during driving, and even then only intermittently. Thanks a bunch for the suggestions. Chef

So after a 1.5 hr highway trip the right front strut deflated fully again (more or less). I think it occurred within the last 30 minutes or so,although the height light flashed 15 min after leaving. After arriving, shut the car off and left it in the on position, and pressed the height button. The compressor activated for about 30 sec and then quit. The strut did not rise, nor did the others. So later I drove out to pick up a movie, and the strut was still deflated upon arrival (~15 min). On the drive back, the RF strut then rose to the high position, probably within a couple of minutes, and the rest of the struts rose to the high position. All struts were still in the high position after sitting overnight and now driving a bit today. I'm quite confused. Why does the one strut keep deflating after extended ride periods? The compressor didn't even go on afterwards. Basicallly I'm ruling out a leak at this point. I can only think that the problems may be: -Faulty solenoid valve on RF strut -Faulty height senor on RF strut -Faulty height sensor on rear struts, indicating too low and dropping the front to compensate It may also be more than one thing at fault, including a problem with the compressor. I am going to look in getting rid of this air system. By the time I have a dealer diagnose the problem and get it taken care of,I may be out more money than finding used replacement spring struts and installing them.

Thanks much rude. I appreciate the info from someone with first-hand experience. Chef

So after reading all written here and as much as I could find from other posts, it seems the overall consensus is that driving with the FWD fuse in place for extended periods will most likely not be problematic. The main potential problems seem to then be: 1.) Possibly wearing out duty solenoid C 2.) More uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of torque bind However: 1.) The solenoid is already mostly charged, and riding with it fully charged should not present too much more trouble. 2.) Rotating the tires more frequently should avoid torque bind issues One other member noted he drove for over 20 000 miles with the fuse in place. He suffered from torque bind, but this was due to changing two tires for new ones and driving at high speeds for an extended period over a few days. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=258232&postcount=18 So why ride in FWD? Hypothetically the gas mileage should improve. At least one person noted no difference, and a couple a marginal difference (1 - 2 mpg). Given the lousy mileage, any improvement would be nice. Plus, it would be easy to install a switch inside that allowed one to switch to FWD from AWD at will, which would be damn cool.:cool: I'm interested in doing this, but only if it meant I would notice an improvement in mileage with little to no risk of damage to the vehicle. Thoughts? Sorry for resurrecting this much ballyhooed topic. Incidently, how difficult (and expensive) is it to reach duty solenoid C if it did need replacement?

Okay, I've been monitoring the height of thge vehicle for a while, and it seems to be rather variable. After shutting off the height by travelling over 85 kmh, the front dropped to the normal height within a short period while the rear remained in the full height position for a couple of days before dropping to the normal height. I measured the high position to be 17" from the centre of the wheel to the top of the wheel well, while the normal position appears to be about 15.5". Sometimes they seem to sit around 16". This is quite confusing, and makes me wonder if the ECU is possibly even at fault. Another thing is that the right rear strut appears to be much harsher than the rest, despite appearing properly inflated. Grrr...

Check this link out. It will "bolt up", but there are a host of other issues to deal with. Probably not worth it. http://www.legacycentral.org/library/literature/headswap.htm

I wouldn't try tapping into any, but there's an easy way to check. Use a voltmeter to see if both run 12+ volts while in the ON position. Then, turn the ignition to ACC or lock and see which one still has 12 V. That's the constant. I just wired up a CD player for my 92 legacy, and had a heck of a time. Always used an adapter before - apparently no one makes an adapter for subes. I think in my case it was a red/yellow that was my power, and a red/blue my constant. Or was that the other way around?

Since when are the head-gaskets on the EJ22 a problem? I thought that was primarily on the EJ25. Or do you just mean they're a pain to install?

Perhaps it might be one of the pinions on the rack?

Mine stayed raised in the high position when off overnight. You didn't accidently bump the height button perhaps? The ECU logic tells it to lower before raising, so that's why the rear dropped before the front. But why it remained high and the front dropped, I don't know. Especially interesting the right front bottomed out. This is rather aggravating stuff, isn't it? Another thing I've noticed is that my right rear seems rough, always bumping harshly despite being inflated normally. All others seem fine though. I wonder now if my rear is moving to the normal position at all, or simply remaining high. I need to check and measure this. Sigh. Need to replace the front rotors this weekend, as I'm getting bad vibration while braking.

I'd check the end for wear before sealing everything up, and replace the boot if it looks worn too.

Not too tough to replace if I recall. But you'll need to get a new o-ring for it (should be cheap).

It's not a direct fit because you need to replace the strut mounts and whatnot with the parts from a legacy that has the spring/strut suspension. Try the wreckers. I don't recall off-hand which parts are specifically required - check bbs.legacycentral.org

No problem. This seems to be a issue for a small number of individuals that has few noted remedies. I tried to get the codes today, but for some reason it wouldn't enter the diagnostic mode after following the directions given in the manuals noted above. But I did get something new. It raised when the button was activated. I pressed the button with the car in the on position, and I heard the compressor activate. It ran for about 5 minutes or so, and the car raised to the high position. Then it shut off, and the car remained high. I measured the height from the centre of the wheel to the top of the fender and it was consistent all around. It remained that way even after turning it off. Eventually the light began to flash indicating an error, but the height remained high. After driving for a bit at 70 - 80 km/h, it seemed to return to the normal position, but the light kept comingon and flashing after 15 min of driving. I'm not so certain now it's the solenoid, unless it's intermittently sticking. It could be a height sensor too. I will try the windex tomorrow and see if it bubbles. The bag in the front right side definitely has some fine cracks in it. Maybe it's just leaking afterall. I will try to score a new strut from the wreckers if possible.

Not a popular topic this air suspension, eh? I should also mention it seems the compressor is running a lot as well - I think. I've checked out my options for replacement of the entire system to a regular spring/strut system, but it's simply not feasible money-wise right now - Perhaps in the near future. Legacy central has a good sticky thread noting which suspensions will work with legacys, and apparently anything from a legacy up to a 99 will bolt right on, and so will imprezas from 1993 - 2002. So this is a plan for the future, but not for now. Some advice would be much appreciated.

Well put. My friend has a 2002 Jetta. Frankly, what a disappointing car. It has a ridiculously small interior for a car its size, with lousy pick-up (just a base model mind you). The fuel economy is good. The ride is soft and the steering.. well... weird. Nothing stands out about it at all, except the ridiculous price for what you get. Which is pretty much nothing on the base model. My 92 legacy wagon a near luxury vehicle in comparison, both in ride quality and amenities. Perhaps it's not a fair comparison, but i'd take a new legacy over a new jetta any day of the week.:-p

I've been reading a number of threads on this topic since some problems I had earlier today and have found some good information. But I'd like to run some questions here first. Background: I purchased my 92 legacy wagon with the air suspension about a month ago. Pressing the height button never seemed to raise the vehicle, but the struts appeared to be inflated fine and no sound of leaking apparent. Right from the start, the height button would begin to flash for extended periods once in a while after driving for 15 - 30 minutes, and shut off after restarting. Sometime it would come back on after another 15 - 30 min, sometimes not at all. Usually only with city driving, but I did notice sometimes on the highway the car seemed to almost shimmy or "waddle" with slightly decreased ride quality. It did not pull to the side (generally), and I chalked it up to poor roads and possibly worn ball joints. I drove out for about 3 hours this weekend only to have the light begin flashing at highway speeds after about 30 min. It shut off when restarting the car. On the way back from my trip, it was on most of the time. After stopping for a bite and returning on my drive, I noticed the car seemed somewhat low on the right front wheel, but chalked it up to being parked on a slant putting the weight on that side of the car. After leaving, it began flashing within 10 - 15 minutes. During the last 30 min of the trip I noticed the ride seemed much harsher, and somewhat lower on that side. After stopping to take a look (leaving the car running), it was apparent the strut was entirely deflated, as there was little clearance at the top and pushing on it yielded no compression. I began to drive again carefully, and the bumps were a bit harsh. After a 15 minute drive to my final location, I noticed the bumps were fine and the strut completely inflated again. Another drive later tonight found the strut to be fine again, with no light flashing. Diagnosis: I assumed at first the strut must be leaking. But this makes little sense, because it seems to reinflate fine, and generally is not uninflated (although perhaps in the low position sometimes). It could be an intermittently leak I suppose, but I don't know. So after much reading here and finding the diagnostic guides, I did a little guess work. I have not had an opportunity to check for codes yet - maybe tomorrow. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=27654&page=2&pp=10&highlight=air+suspension http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/AirSuspSumm01.pdf http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/AirSuspenFall01.pdf So my thoughts are this. I believe it may be a faulty solenoid valve in the right front strut, causing it to move up and down regularly because the ECU finds no fault but keeps compensating. This idea stems from this in the second guide: Valve Stuck Open If a strut solenoid valve sticks open, the following sequence of events will occur (example deals with a right front strut valve): • When the control unit tries to raise the rear of the vehicle, the right front strut also raises. • Soon the right front strut height sensor reports that it is too high. • Because control unit logic commands “lower before raise,” the control unit stops trying to raise the rear and begins to lower the right front strut. • When the right front strut height sensor reports that it has been lowered to the normal position, the control unit once again begins trying to raise the rear. • Again the right front strut raises along with the rear. This process can continue indefinitely. The system would not recognize that a fault existed. The owner might report that the compressor seems to be running a lot. Sounds plausible. Could also be a defective pressure switch, but I doubt it because the problem seems only to occur on the front right strut. I will check into this. Any thoughts? Can the solenoid be purchased new separate from the strut? Or is my only option a solenoid from the wrecker?

Probably should be replaced anyways, but it simply retards the timing when knock is detected due to early detonation. Doubtful it's having an impact.

Besides the fact that running the tank really low runs the risk of sucking out accumulated crap from the bottom of the tank and clogging your fuel pump sock and fuel filter.