Impreza_WRX_STi

I love the 'cars101' site.

Yeah I'll look for one thanks

Changed the fuel fliter, and reset the ECU car responds much better, however the hseitation is still there but, it is not as bad. This being said I have put about 100 miles on the car, but gradually getting worse. I have a question on oxygen sensors? I know there are 2 on the 98 OBS, but if I was going to replace one first with the problems I'm having, which one should I replace first? Front or Rear? I think front reads A/F mixture, and rear O2 sensor reads the cats servicability. Thanks MAX

well as for the EJ18 many external components like intakes, exhausts, pullys will work. I had an EJ18 for a few yrs. It was faster than it was. I have one I'm selling. I wanted to rebuild it, but I got married! As for websites, as from my past knowledge there is nothing dedicated to the EJ18. There are a few turbo kits for the ej18. Old 'jcsports' had one and it was suposedly a killer machine! You just need to research a lot, cause some site will say they have exhaust headers for impreza's 95-01 per say, when in all actuality the 93 EJ18 will work with those. One think to consider it was prolly made for the ej22 or ej25 do the diameter is bigger than the ej18. Oh well it'll breathe better than the ej18! One rule of thumb on dealing w/ impreza's is watch out when buying some parts that include the EJ22, because for (i think) 95-96 the EJ22's had single port exhaust. SO you wouldn't want anything that would adapt to that . You could always ask man! I'm am not a newbie killer or anything, I'm a down to Earth nice guy, so if you have a particular question PM me or e-mail me. Like I said I'm selling and extra EJ18, look at the ad on this site, becasue I have extra accesories for that motor on sale if you needed for your engine. I am full of knowledge, and was in your shoes once from '96 to '03(had a 93 Impreza L). I finally got a WRX! But I miss my EJ18 Impreza FWD. It actually handled better that my WRX. You can ask me if you care! PM or e-mail me. Thanks, MAX

mine was corrcted with new spark plugs

I have definetly searched through and through and many aftermarket downpipes absolutley offer great advantages in power. But I still read so many people's reviews on exhaust leaks. I know, this by chance is due to insufficient work/research upon installation? Problem's are usually flanges! I personally like the Perrin, tho pricey! The biggest reason I like them is the 1/2" thick housing on both sides. I know I could go cheaper, and want to go cheaper, but don't want to have to keep taking exhausts apart due to DP leaks. I understand about good fresh gaskets also! Any last comments on your DP's? What you've experienced good/bad? thanks Max

Don't be discouraged by 'subarubrat'--Duty Honor Mind Control -- slash -- stupidity. Must be some great Army General or something, talking about replacing old carburated ea81's in a weekend. Plan your swap, but in the mean time do some cheap or free mods. Like the silencer removal, the various intake mods, suspension (you can keep this after the engine swap, too!) suspension make a big diff on Soobs! This will keep it fun and you'll learn things about your car toying around with it. take a look at www.scoobymods.com Max

Real dead heads will pick up on that sort of stuff! Max

A big wiring issue is probably a challenge! Stagger Lee!

I wonder if I could put loc-tite between the seat and the washer? I think it could with stand the temps on top of the cylinder right? Max

I usually use both cold and hot to indicate the ATF level. I do generally give the 'HOT' more pull though. Max

I know before I can get a tech to work on my car, I have to sign a paper, and it states: there is no warranty on labor. That comes from my local shop, maybe not for you, but in a court case that would give them support because of my signature. Check on that. YES, I have the stock 4EAT with 215,000 miles on it, and I have shifted it manually since day one. The day I had no ATF I literally drove the car hard. It was a jerky ride. I probably put 5 in-town miles on it. One thing I can say, is back in 1996 Subaru's were pretty rare around my area in Illinois. Even today, the nearest dealership is 55 miles away. Also, back in 1996 There was no one else my age driving the kind of car I drove, so I had no one to really gather more knowledge with on subaru's back then. The internet and message boards like this make more possible to gain the understanding of information of our cars, and also people's mistakes (like mine). I wish in 1996 there were the options of enthusiast message boards like today,and maybe I could have just posted a thread and the answer could have been answered in a couple hours instead of me running around making things worse. Even though I have been fortunate to be able to continue driving my 4EAT. My point is take all the info in you recieve from these message boards, it will always help you. Especially in a situation like this. I have also used Trick Shift ATF since day one. Maybe that why it is still going? Keep us posted Max

I just got a 98 OBS 2 months ago. I have had a 93 Impreza for years and have did a lot of maintenance myself. But in the 98 OBS, I am blowing off CYL Misfire #2 codes all the time, do my first instict is to change the spark plugs. Well, both #2, and #4 had the spark plug washer half way against the seat of the spark plug, and the opposite side up about 3-4 notches on the thread. I have changed many spark plugs before, and I have never had a washer skip threads like that. Now I wonder if there is anything I can put on the spark plug seat and the washer? to keep it stuck together until it is tight so that the washer is not moving around while I tighten the spark plug? Max.

I know you said you checked, but check and pull off the boot around the (pigtail) female wiring harness. I had your problem, and overlooked it many times but my harness was melted! so I fixed it by lining stuff together, and using electrical tape and wrapping it real tight. pushed it back on and it hasn't failed since. But, this should buy you time if this is your problem, like mine. I have checked around at local parts stores, and no one has pigtail harnesses for my year headlights, so I will have to buy it from SOA. But it buys me time. Hope this helps. Max

Well I have 93 Impreza, after I first started driving it of course it was time to get an oil change. I'm 24 now, but when I just got the car, (16 y/o) the dealership which was not even Subaru (some domestic stealership) they would do the 1st 3 oil changes free. Well I take it home and it seemed to act funny. I had the same thing your describing. My dumb arse runs the car harder, trying to see if I can't pinpoint the problem. When I got home, I checked the engine fluid... WOW, the dipstick was up about 8-10 inches. I thought, maybe I should let the engine set a few minutes to let the oil drip all the way down into the pan. checked again, it was bad. Then I checked ATF, and got nothing. WTF... I called the dealership, and said they change oil several times daily. I drive it down in manual to minimize gear changes. using 1st and 2nd gears. Shortly after, they apologized, they were used to having engine oil pans close to the front driveline (which is where Subaru's tranny plug IS). So I got DOUBLE the engine oil, and ZERO ATF. I was pissed! But, if I could recommend to you, call first on Monday. You should ask, but they probably won't send a wrecker, but drive like I did, very slowly, keep temperatures low!!! Like I just wrote, I had this problem with low or no ATF, (and of course 2X the engine oil) my 93 Impreza has 215,000 miles on it. You should be okay if your are gentle at this time. But when I had this problem it had 40K on it then. Max

yep 93 fwd for me

In my 93 Impreza, I still have the stock R12. Never been recharged yet! Amd 215,000 miles I'm a big fan of R12 max

Sorry, I was lucky. I seen my rearenf happen, I was stopped a red firebird was going about 10 MPH, he hit me and it felt like he was under my car and lifted me up. (low firebird front-ends) He pulled back out before i got out. I look at the car, no damage beside slightly bent license plate. I also picked red fiberglass and paint out of the exhaust. Too bad for him, fiberglass and all. Max Hope things get fixed okay

True! the old r-12 needs to be evacuated correctly. At least if you want the r-134A to work like Legacy777's. Some people will get the press. read, and since it is low, just put R-134A in it. And some people relieve the pressure out by letting it go out in the atmosphere. One thing about that is that the valve will not let all pressure out, just like a tire, if you keep holding the valve down it will let air out, but the PSI will not go to 0 because of the valves resistance to the atmospheric press. and what is in the tire, You will probably have 4 PSI in there. Max

That is new! I did not know the Legacy's 4EAT would shift! I have actually been focused on something else before, and i did not shift it in time, and i know in my 93 Impreza it will not change gears. It will bounce horribly of the rev limiter. Max

You are probably running R-12 Freon. I have 93 Impreza and I have R-12 Freon. If I remember it says on the AC pump in small writing. I think Subaru switched to R-134A in 1996 or 1997. R134A you can recharge on your own with a little direction reading and cheap. R-12 is more expensive, and unless you have a good HVAC friend it needs to be rcharged by someone qualified. In many cases it might be cheaper to transfer from R-12 to R134A. Then you can always recharge yourself in the future. I still have the stock r-12, never recharged! I usually live with the heat due to the power loss on the engine. I do use it, probably once a week when it gets really hot. But I always run it at least once every 1-2 months just to keep the oil circulated. Basically just turn it on for a few minutes ever month even if you don't need it, just to keep your refrigerant fowing freely! Max

I have FWD 4EAT with the manual button. just like legacy777 says, it is a primitive traction control device. Since, I have drove 215,000 miles with the manual button, because i don't like the auto, it works in gears 1-2-3. Since the car has RPM limters, you can't jump to 1st gear goin 55 MPH. For instance... You are at a stop light, you have your auto in 1st, no matter how fastor slow you accelerate, the tranny will not upshift. As a matter of fact, if you dony change the gear into 2nd it will continuously bounce off the rev limiter. The reason I started doing the manual shifting thing first of all is lack of engine power, and I always disagreed with taking off in second gear just because I didn't want to push down on the accelerator all the way. If the manual button is selected, it will stay in 2nd. But if you are in 3rd it will stay there unless you are going to fast, this gear will not bounce off the rev limiter, it will simply change to 4th gear. Max

Any EJ will fit. There are issues that come into play though. Like OBD I & II changing. Without reasearching, my best answer for matching that part of the vin means that there will be little or no modification. Just changing gaskets, seals, or anything, like the water pump, that would be a good time for you to do that. If you have another number in that part of the vin it WILL work but there is usually a lot of wiring you may have to change around. Off the top of my head, some ej22's have dual port exhaust, and some have single port, if that was an issue then you will need to buy the right header. I've done a 1993 EJ18 to a 1995 EJ18 with no mods or wiring problems. You should look around for people doing swaps on these boards. Many people have done a lot of swaps, and can be done in your backyard. Mine took 1 day, mine was easy though. I hope this helps you. Max

Could have been a lot of native indian history in my area! I think before I spend hours, upon hours looking for a short, I will by a cheap ground mod off of ebay. Max

There has to bean electrical problem with my 98 OBS. 2 weeks ago, twice in one day, I was stopped at a traffic light. Then the doors lock, and unlock and the door ajar light come on and of a few times. I thought that was wierd, and I made sure I didn't punch any buttons on the keyless remote. Today, I am driving 30MPH, and the wiper goes across the window once. All by itself. The Ole' Lady looks at me and i made sure the lever was in the off position, and it was. This has me stumped! I did search the first time I had this problem 2 weeks ago, and nothing come up, so I thought it might have been a radio interference, but i don't think this would happen in 3 different situations. Any clue? I hate to think of shorts, maybe it could be the grounds? I also have a 93 Impreza I've put 215,000 miles on, and I never had an occurance like this. Is there a paranormal section? Any words of advice is nice! Max