RallyKeith

Can you answer a few questions for me: What year is the car? Does it do it only when cold? Does it do it only when hot? Does it do it all the time? Have you ever had the fluid changed, if so when? The answers to these may give us some better insight. Keith

Bearing on the cam?? Last time I looked there are no actual Bearings on the cams. They ride directly on the head with no bearings. They slide into openings in the casting. I think you are still getting BS'ed. Keith

Plus the turbo motor is a lower compression motor, so if you turbo ANY motor that didn't start life as a turbo, you can only do small amounts of boost unless you want to change pistons/rods and lower compression. Basically, it will cost you a TON less to just save up and buy the WRX than trying to make one from something that is not. My personal advise, I'd say live with your beater a little longer and then just buy the WRX. That's basically how I got my STi. I wanted a WRX when it came out but buying it would have been a huge stretch. So I lived with my beater and saved. Along came the STi and I was first in line cause I had enough saved up that it only made it a bit of a stretch. Keith

96 does not have the external filter, only the one in the pan. Also, you really need to figure out the actual mileage. Fill the tank, reset the odometer, then the next time you fill the tank, divide the miles driven by the gallons put in. Example: Yesterday I re-filled my 96 GT wagon with 8.169 gallons after 216.1 miles. 216.1 / 8.169 = 26.45MPG Now, my gas gauge read 1/4 tank, but as evidenced by the amount of gas I put in, I still had close to half a tank, and could have gone something like 390 miles on my tank. Keith

I think Forester springs are a good upgrade as well. I seem to think Randy Zimmer was running Forester suspension on his rally car for a while. Keith

Pioneer's web site seems to currently suck, so I can't view a wiring diagram for any of their head units. Anyway, there is typically a blue wire and a blue wire with a white stripe. One is a remote turn on for an amp, and one is for a power antenna. Make sure you have the correct one hooked up. I have no experiance with Pioneer, but I know the Sonys and Panasonics I've installed all had both wires. I would be surprised if a big name like Pioneer couldn't do something this basic. Keith

You don't need a second jack. You can jack on the front jack location and pick up the entire side of the car. That's the beauty of any foreign car built since at least 1990. Besides, if a modern wheel can't take a static extra 500lbs if you were to only jack up one corner, it would never take hitting a pot hole at 30mph.

About the spare tire, a lot of people were asking the same thing when the STi came out. Because the brakes are so big, the spare tire does not fit around them. They would have had to make the spare tire even bigger in diameter to make it fit, and that would have been hard to fit it the available space. So instead, if a front tire goes flat you have to swap a rear tire onto the front and put the spare on the rear. It's a pain in the but, but I guess that's what we get for wanting bigger cars with super brakes. Keith

Yeah, the one I can see (and purchased) has a dark red connector with two wires. Keith

So this morning on my way to work the check engine light came on in my 96 GT. I had the codes read over lunch and it said (along with a code for catalyst effeciency) that there was a fault in the coolant temp circuit. The dash gauges has always worked so I'm assuming there is a sensor for the gauge and a sensor for the computer. Also, I do know the location of at least one of the sensors. There is one installed on the passanger's side of the coolant crossover pipe. I'm assuming this is the one for the computer yes? Thanks for the help. Keith

Sounds like you really just need a rebuilt head. CCR can help you with that also. Keith

No leaks? Oil spots on the ground where you park the car? Also, have you looked for oil in the intake tube or on the air filter? You could have a bad PCV valve that is letting oil back into the intake. I agree on the cylinder bore. I just pulled apart a 2.5 with 182k on it and you can still see the factory cross hatching on the cylinder walls. To trouble shoot that option though you should do a compression test on each cylinder. You will have low compression if the rings aren't sealing against the cylinder walls anymore. Keith

Great descriptions! It is, or is it correct to say that with the subaru system they can effect both the timing and duration? That is the way I understand that it can work. Keith

Ok, that's what I found while doing a little research. this is what I found : Sounds pretty cool, and way better than what honda does. (And I used to own one of those Vtec hondas and thought it was so cool ) Keith

What brochure are you looking at? This is not at all how it works based on the Factory Service Manual I have for my USDM 2004 STi, nor is it from what I can see on my engine. The system on the USDM STi works as I have described. I've never seen anythin like you have described. I'm curious... Keith

This above post made me think about something and I thought I should point out that the Subaru system is truely variable valve timing. The honda Vtec isn't. It merely engages a differnt cam lob to change the valve timing. Keith

This might be a good solution. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=42233 He doesn't gaurantee the motor is good, but from what he says the motor probably is. Keith

Where did you read that it was Brake by wire? All the new cars are "drive" by wire, but that is only the throttle. The gas pedal attaches to a sensor that sense how far the pedal is pushed. Then in the engine the throttle plate is opened and closed by an electronic stepper motor. There is no moving cable between the pedal and the throttle plate. As for brakes... I don't see any way possible for them to be electronic in a $30k production car. Keith

Actually I heard 06 was going to be the last year for the Baja... Don't know if that is true either. Keith

Essentialy there is a mechanism between the cam sprocket and the cam shaft that allows the cam to be changed a certain number of degrees in relation to the normal position. This is basically built into the cam sprocket. Oil pressure is used in the same way a power steering rack works to add pressure to one side or another to move the cam in relation to the normal position. The mechanism that controls the pressure lives ontop of the cylinder head. So, you literally spin the cam backwards a few degrees while the valves are open to infact leave them open longer than if it was just following the cam lobe. Then move it back forwards to normal to open the valves at the corect time again. I'm probably not doing it justice, but I'm trying to explain what I know. Keith

Ok, I couldn't remember for sure, but if Subie gals 99 is DOHC then yours should be as well. I think it was only the Impreza and the Forester that got the SOHC motor in 99. That being the case the DOHCs are bad with doing this. I bought a car that had a blown head gasket that wasn't so obvious, and I don't know how long the previous owner drove it that way. I got lucky and there were no cracks, but the heads were warped and had to be machined. You never know what you're going to get, but driving it will defenitley lead to more damage. Keith

When I get home I'll take a third look. I looked at both the plate on the door and the B pillar since that is where it is supposed to be. I didn't see it, but that deosn't mean I didn't miss it.

Start the car and look for bubbles in the coolant overflow tank. If they are there then it is the headgaskets. Btw, lets just clarify one thing. Is this a DOHC or a SOHC? Keith

Did you know it was overheating and it just stalled, or did you not realize it overheated until it stalled? It doesn't take long for the gauge to max out if there is a head gasket problem. If it wasn't run long overheated I wouldn't think the head would be cracked. Keith

Nope, I thought the same thing at first since my 95 does that. This really seems like it is something in the transmission since it isn't only RPM dependant. Keith