SuBrat84

It shouldn't matter. But, try to get it where it looks like it will have the best 'flow rate.'

It sounds like you are getting them too tight. Get the seal wet with oil or vaseline. Tight as you possibly can by hand and then not more than 1/2 turn beyond that. I almost never tighten oil filters more than I can by hand.. but I have a pretty strong grip. Wix makes a really good oil filter. (Carquest Premium = Wix w/ anti-backflow valve thingy that you are talking about.) (I used to work for a lube shop, if that counts for anything.)

the 2000 SOHC was still an interference engine? I Agree with trying to sell the 'wrong' engine and repair the valves (if they truly got damaged.) You should be able to get back what you paid for the 'wrong' engine. Did you buy a new or reman'd engine, or a used one for cheaper than fixing the 'broken' one?

Thanks.. am I right that part behind the intake is the "ignitor" you guys are talking about?

From what I found out the stock boost on the STi is 14.5 PSI. I found a horsepower "guestimator" here: http://www.mk5cortinaestate.co.uk/calculator4.php 300 cHP w/ manual rwd = ~254HP at the wheels 300 cHP w/ auto rwd = ~239HP at the wheels The reduction in HP may be due to the lower boost. Was the engine running 8PSI when it dyno'd 300cHP?

Honestly the thought never crossed my mind. I guess that would be a good idea.. but if there is spark.. there is no real way to gauge its strength.

I can't find any issues with the wirings.. I haven't ran any impedance/ground fault tests with them hot though. The "ignitor" is the thing right behind the intake that says "Power TR Unit" on it?? Would I be better off trying to buy one new or just snag one or two from the local u-pull?

I really couldn't tell you what the 'normal' drive train losses are.. but since you're running it as a rear engine with (likely) not a 'stock' transmission I would imagine 220 is pretty fair. I do think stock boost is 8-10 pounds. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

I was going to say.. I thought the stock STi was putting out 300 at the crank? If it feels like you are 'losing power' at 6300 rpm that's probably a safe bet for a 'redline.' you could probably push a couple hundred more but why bother? (6800 i think is redline for a stock STi?) As far as 220.. maybe they dialed the boost down a little?

I LOVE the blue LEDS. I also love the all red brat with "steve vai" on the display.. woohoo. I know it's not a Subie but I did my GS500 dash lights in blue with some generic 194s from autozone: (yeah, my blue lens is missing from my brights indicator.)

One guy suggested the alternator as the culprit.. 10v will still give it a strong enough spark? Yes, it would still crank but not start. After letting it sit for a while it would start again and act just fine. As far as throwing parts at the problem I have already thrown as much as I can afford: Plugs (NGK at $11 a piece, Supposedly genuine wires, genuine fuel filter, pcv valve, and cleaned pcv hoses. Adjusted knocked sensor.) What thing on the firewall? Another person suggested the front O2 sensor could be the culprit.. but, it is not throwing O2 codes. What else could be the culprit? I Was leaning towards alternator because it is worse with heat and worse with more electrical load. Let's hear what you have.. I would like a solution rather than just throwing parts at it.. But, I'm at a total loss. How hard is it to remove and clean injectors?

I think that 12.4V with the car running / engine cold seems a little low.... granted I had a lot of electrical stuff on (I don't think that should make THAT big of a difference?) It only does it when the car is hot.. like, too hot to touch anything in the engine bay.. I'm thinking something in the ALT is failing when it gets too hot. I suppose next time it is acting up I will try hooking it up to another running vehicle and see how it acts.... I wonder if I will get enough amperage through jumper cables to produce a good spark..? I just can't imagine what else it would be.

Sounds like a clutch issue.

The one that's in there is a reman SOA alternator.. so it was either changed under warranty or changed by a previous owner.

I've lost my faith. When it took them 3 reman'd transmissions to get one that operates properly.. that was it for me. I'll check the recall thing and if that doesn't work out then I will probably end up getting the duralast when I can afford to.

Yeah, I've done whole engine swaps.. transmissions.. clutches.. axles.. timing.. radiators.. everything really.. I know my way around a Subaru.. alternator is a cake walk. I'm just trying to get opinions on a course of action here.. I don't have the money to do anything about it right now anyway.. Thanks guys.

D. No

Is there any kind of upgraded alternator available? Something that puts out a little more juice? I think I've narrowed my misfiring down to a weak alternator. (Stops charging when it gets hot?) When I left home today I checked my battery. 12.64v. Started the car checked the voltage. 14v at cold idle. Turned on as much electrical stuff as I could: 12.4v. Turned off everything electrical that I could except the AC on speed 2 or 3. Drove around for about an hour in 100F sunny Tucson. Started misfiring while in drive thru at Dairy Queen. Made it home.. stalled out in driveway. Check battery voltage: 12.24. Everything under the hood is too hot to touch.. does that seem normal for 100F weather? Temp gauge reading normal.. starts out cold and goes up to normal and stays.. Is it possible I'm over-heating and the temp gauge is faulty? A. Have the alternator I have rebuilt? B. Buy a Genuine Subaru Alternator? (Reman?) $70 + shipping. C. Buy a Duralast Autozone Alternator? $129.99 + 9.1% tax. D. Will the one out of my '89 XT6 fit? E. Win the lottery and burn this car to the ground?

Me? No. It's not throwing a code and I can't spend that much money on a maybe.. I've already spent too much chasing this problem.

SOAK IT with PB Blaster. Let it soak for 10 or 15 minutes.. Hit it with the 1/2" drive electric impact gun. Works every time for me. I twisted off so many 1/2" Craftsmens it wasn't even funny.

Let us know if it comes back.. I replaced all 4 of my plugs in my attempts to get rid of the problem.. I'm sure I torqued them all down with my torque wrench and I still have the problem. I'm really leaning towards alternator on mine.. I hope the plug torque was your problem and you have no more worries!

How much travel is there in your clutch pedal before it starts to feel "tight?" You might be able to adjust it a little bit.. Does the shifter have any play it or is it pretty stable still? Also, next time it's giving you trouble.. stick it first and roll forward a couple of inches.. it may be the reverse gear is just a touch "out of synch."

Well.. you could drop the transmission.. but, it's kind of 6 in One or a half dozen in the other kind of things... Is it possible just some of the bolts fell out and you can replace them without separating the engine from the transmission? Good luck.

I would definitely check your tire sizes on this one.. From what I understand typically they calibrate the speedometer to be reading 8-12% faster than what you're actually going. (10% is a good way to calculate it. E.G. 60mph indicated is more likely 54mph actual. DO NOT USE THIS AS AN EXCUSE TO SPEED!) Supposedly this doesn't affect the odometers. Also, GPS don't accurately account for changes in elevation. Are you testing on relatively flat roads?

I wish i knew.. mine does it too.. except it's 1&3. So far I have been able to determine the ambient air temperature matters (100+F makes it worse.) And electrical load matters.. Headlights, AC, Stereo on makes it worse. Grounds? Alternator? So far I've replace my plugs and wires, fuel filter, pcv valve (cleaned all the hoses) and adjusted the knock sensor.. each time I did one of those things it 'got better' for a couple of days and then came back.... (Does your fuel gauge work?) Maybe she's just not feeling loved.. and wants to be touched more often?