RallyKeith

Well, sorry to say but I don't think there is anything wrong with your engine. I have experienced everything you have, including the OBDII bit. My father had a 91 Legacy 2.2 5spd sedan, and last year I bought a 95 Legacy 2.2 5spd wagon. My gas mileage is around 23-25mpg where his was closer to 27-29, and my 95 wagon just feels slow compared to his 91 sedan. There is definitely a difference in gear and final drive ratios from the automatic to the 5spd, but from 91-92 to 95 I pretty sure there is a final drive change in the 5spd alone. Also, the second gen cars are a lot beefier and heavier in general, but also the wagon does add a few hundred pounds. Also, I'm not sure what the story is, but something isn't really there on the 95 OBD setup. I own ECUTek's delta dash software which works on any OBDII Subaru and looks at both the OBDII data and the high speed subaru specific data. It doesn't work on my 95 legacy, but it does on our 96 impreza. I believe 96 was the first year it was federally mandated, so in 95 it might have been different enough that a generic code reader can't read it. Good luck, Keith

Ditto. Several sensors could be giving the ECU false readings causing the engine to idle high. Look there first.

I've got both (literally, I have a 95 Brighton wagon and I just bought my stepfather a 93 impreza 1.8 AWD) and yes the power feels about the same. The torque multiplication of the automatic makes the car accelerate off the line just as fast as the wagon. On the highway at higher speeds the lack of power becomes more apparent, but especially for around town driving it's a peppy little car. Keith

Yeah, if you have a 93 and it has a 2.2, it was put in by someone. 93 and 94 they only came with the 1.8. I believe only the AWDs only came in automatic. In 95 you could get the 2.2, but only with a FWD 5spd, or an AWD Auto. Then in 96 they offered the LX which was the first you could get 2.2 AWD 5spd in an Impreza. Really kind of crappy.

I've got 22,000 miles (over 1.6 years) on my STi and have yet to have anything stuck in my intercooler. You may not want to hear my honest $.02, but I wouldn't waste the effort, unless you like in an exceedingly buggy area. Think of it this way, do you plan on putting screen material across the radiator and/or AC condensor? They see more bugs and debrise than the intercooler by far, and they aren't easy to blast water through from a hose. The intercooler sits right there where you can easily blast off the bugs with a hose. Also, do some searching on the net. There were companies that made pre-fitted screens for the WRX, they might make one that fits yours. Keith

Have you checked the HillHolder valve? I'm asuming yours has one. I had the cable and spring dosconnected on my Project RX and it moved to the "on" position. That caused my front passangers side to lock up. I guess try looking at that.

Why is is not possible? I'm not familiar with the '05s. Keith

I would only do it if you have a really good EGT sensor and gauge in. If the engine is getting more air than the ECU thinks then it will run lean and you could destroy the motor. I would tend to think that this is the situation you would run into, since the Legacy MAF is setup for a 16 valve 2.2 which moves a good bit more air then our 8 valve 1.8s. Give it a try if you can, but be careful and listen hard for detonation/pinging. Keith

Exactly what he said...

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes!! Also, if they used any sealer, like silicon, anywhere in the process it could have come off and caused a blockage. I recently resealed my oil pump and a tiny little bit if the silicon broke off and blocked the oil passage to a hydraulic lifter. This caused the lifter to deflate and cause lots of noise. Took me two tries before I found the piece and got it cleared up. 2 weeks seems like a long time before the issue would come up, but there are lots of things that could effect that. Keith

The newer the body style, the heavier the car, but also the stiffer the chassis. In a purpose built race car this matters, but for a street car it's no big deal.

I hate to tell you this, but that's all done by a generic computer system. It wasn't like people at Hodges physically typed this e-mail. They simply put all your info into the computer and based on the given mileage and the pre-determined factory service schedule it automatically sent you that. I get them all the time. I just got one two days before I took a car in for the 20,000 mile service that said I was due for the 23,000 mile service. All because I stopped putting mileage on the car and the computer was basing my estimated mileage on previous intervals. Keith

This is a very good point. I had someone at a dealership try to claim that installing a bra on car would void the engine warrenty. He said it was because someone told him it can restrict the air flow to the engine. Total BS

I don't know for certain, but with all the problems they had/have with the 5spd in the WRX it wouldn't suprise me that doing anything other than what they tell you to would void the warrenty. The transmission relies on the friction in the fluid for the snycros to work. Some synthetics of the same weight do not have the same friction as the same weight conventional. Most of the time you have to add a friction modifier to get it correct. For that reason alone I could see why Subaru would void warrenty on that. I peronally won't run synth in a tranny for that reason. The tranny doesn't see the dirt like an engine does, so running a snythetic doesn't really give you much in a tranny. Keith

auxiliary air valve You must have a Turbo car. On the Turbo car with the Multi Point Fuel Injection the AAV is built on top of the Thermostat. To get to the Thermostat itself you are taking off the AAV. It has an electrical plug on the top of it and a hose to the intake manifold on one side and a hose to the intake air hose (pre turbo) on the otherside. Keith

With all of the Catalytic convertors in the system there is more than enough backpressure. Like Jamie said, the only problem you risk is a possible ticket. Keith

I think the above is why a lot of people on the board highly suggest using only Subaru PCV valves. Keith

Yup, I'll second that. Pre 88 they still used vaccum advance, after that it's done by the ECU. So your distributor should have no vaccum connection on it. Keith

I looked at the pictures again and I think you're right. That intake piece (the one marked Multi Point F.I. ) is not of the Turbo variety. So I don't think this is a turbo car like I know I initially thought. Keith

I recently used Fel-Pro valve cover gaskets on three cars. They were very high quality, and I have yet to have any problems after about three or four months. Keith

Good to hear. Unfortunatley, I have a relationship with my local dealership thanks to our rally car so it's just as easy for me to get the parts from them. Thanks!

Anders Green is the guy who did it. http://linaracing.com/ His biggest problem was the wiring, but as you said some of that was from the fact that his car was an OBD1 93. Other than that it basically bolts right in. Keith

Does anybody know if you can replace just the ball and socket on the end of the hatch lift struts? Mine are all rusty and the one pops on and off with no effort. (This is 95 Legacy FWIW) Thanks, Keith

No, that looks like the standard early Vain style MAF used on the early turbo cars. If you were thinking that this was the 87.5 XT turbo they are very easy to tell. They have an intake manifold that has the trottle body sticking straight out the back, not straight up like this one had. Keith

I always had issues with mine in the rain if it was misty or I was in traffic. The distributor is on the front of the motor just off center. That makes it very prone to get moisture into it. If that happens it will misfire and run like crap. There is supposed to be a little plastic sheild in front of the distributor that helps keep moisture off of it. If that's not there it will be worse than normal so you may want to find a u-pull-it junk yard and search one out. Also, you may want to take off the distributor cap and clean it out really good, and then re-install it with a little bit of silicon grease on the bottom to help keep mousture out. Also, using silicon grease on all the connections is a good idea. Keith