STinger

I had a consistent hesitation on my '95 1.8L Impreza when giving it gas under 2000 rpm. It would always hesitate and buck, and if I tried really hard, it could cause a backfire. I spent a lot of time diagnosing, checking codes, new fuel filter, fuel injector and throttle body cleaners, etc., thinking the problem was much more complicated than it was. In the end it turned out to be the plugs! A fresh set of plugs cured the problem completely. So I'd check the plugs, wires, and coil before starting on anything else. Martin

I had a recent problem with my Impreza where it would not start. I had just driven a good distance (several hundred km). There was no solenoid click, which was weird. Eventually the car started just fine. This later happened a few days later, and did not resolve itself until I decided to try the old trick of tapping on the starter with a hammer which would normally be for a Bendix drive starter, not the one in the Impreza. But it started right up. I suspected that perhaps the plunger in the starter is seizing up, so the pinion gear is not moving at all and not making the usual clicking noises. The Impreza starter itself seems to be different from the Legacy starter in that the plunger design is different, and that the start switch contacts (source of starter problems on the Legacy) are not directly accessible by just removing the plunger. Just tapping the case may have unstuck the plunger. The plunger pushes down upon a spring-loaded button at the bottom of the solenoid, which I presume is the actual starter switch itself. I took the plunger out, cleaned and greased it. I haven't had enough starts to determine if the problem is gone. The plunger seemed to move well enough, but there was certainly some residual gunk I needed to remove. I was wondering if others had experienced this problem, thoughts on the diagnosis or fix, and also whether you've had issues with the switch on the Imprezas. Thanks, Martin

You do see a few Legacy Turbos here and there. I think there were three the last time I checked on http://www.buysell.com. One of them happens to be a dealer a few minutes away -- I took a brief look a few weeks back, but was put off by the pushy salesperson. Martin

I'm in Vancouver. A friendly hello to you out East! I have an '02 WRX Sedan and have also picked up a '95 Impreza L Coupe that I dedicated to TSD rallying and have intentions on preparing for performance rally. There aren't more than a couple of wreckers out here that have Subarus so it can be hard to find used parts. How about over there? Martin

Yeah, check the coil and plugs right off the bat for any kind of misfiring or hesitation problems. (Re-)Learned that lesson a few times now. Martin

I ran with WRX wheels on my '95 L Coupe without any issues. Didn't really push it to see if it would do anything nasty in the bumps, but everything seemed to fit fine. Martin

There is a rear camshaft O-ring in this location. Mine was leaking and needed to be replaced. It appeared to spill oil onto the lower engine crossmember, and with some good cleaning of the area you should be able to figure it out. I suppose in your case it could be leaking onto the exhaust manifold and causing the smoke. There is a cover over the O-ring, and there should only be two bolts holding it on. Hope this helps.