I need some help from the gurus on this site. I have been reading for a while and you guys really seem to know what your talking about. And i dont really trust dealers, so i hope to get some info here. Thanks.

 

Im still new to Subarus. I just got an 00 out back sport. it has the 2.2 with 5spd manual. and it is very weak in first and second gear. i have never had one so is it this car,or is mine just not performing?

 

Details: 48K mi. new oil, new air filter. no CEL trip. no misfire. runs smooth. just not much power. I know its not turbo, but i would think a 2.2 could still keep up with minivans pulling away from lights. it seems to loose power as the RPMs climb above 3K. Not dramatically, just not very much get up and go. Still seems to have okay torque, i can pull out going up hill and all. Its just between like 15mph and 30mph it doesnt accelerate very well.

Then it recovers a bit once im moving and up in 4th gear.

could it be my fuel filter?

 

I also get a squeaky berring type noise right around 2.5Krpms. mostly when the engine is in gear and i take my foot off the gass (revving down) its not a wheel berring, i know what that sounds like. this is much smaller sounding.

 

Is this normal? I have to be honest I will be a little dissapointed if it is. I love the handeling of this car but i would like some more performance. it is still under warranty so i dont want to mess with it too much myself either. But does it need attension?

A buddy of mine has a friend at college with a 1998 Outback Sport...and all the way from PA to Washington, DC we tried to go fast...but it would NOT go over 80MPH. I dunno why...my 2.2l Outback will do like 110 and my sedan almost 120 (with enough long roads to get up there)

 

Change all the filters...get a tune up...all that. Then if that dosnt help...I dunno...heh. Just do some routine maintnece.

remember that most mini vans are v6's or even worse... turbo

 

 

the 2.2 stats:

135 hp, 140 torque

it's not a rocket ship

but it can be a fun car once you get used to where the power band truly is.

Jamie

www.subiegal.com

if you can't find a friend's car to compare and see if yours is healthy go to a dealer and test drive a used one.

You are going to have to do a bit of work to isolate that squeak.

If it's not skipping, I'm gueesin' it's a sensor, such as your throttle postion sensor (TPS). 'Puters will run codes even if your 'check engine' light is not illuminated. If there is an Autozone in your area, go there and ask them to put a scanner on your car--It's free. Then post your codes here, and I'll try to find that page w/ the codes in the mean time! If there is no autozone in your area, call around and ask garages what they charge for a diognostic. Most will charge an hrs. worth of labor (which is a ripoff), but some garages do it cheap. Good luck.

Weak in first and 2nd? That is odd, those are my only decent gears with my 1.8 Impreza...

 

Is your clutch bad? That can cause it to engage slow.

 

If there isnt any physically wrong with the engine, i'd say try some mods. Particularly an underdrive crank pulley, that really helps with 1rst and 2nd gear acceleration on EJ engines.

Will a failing clutch pilot bearing make the sound the poster describes?

The sound is prolly a loose or glazed belt

mine always whines a bit on deceleration and has been getting louder as it got over 100,000 but is nothing to worry about.

I sort of wonder about a clogged cat cutting his power but it could be a lot of things.

Hard to tell over the internet.

My 2.2 Liberty Awd 5sp sedan does 18.11 over the qtr mile, btw i got hosed by my sons rx turbo its a bit heavier i think 1360 kilos without me in it:) its done 270 000 k's so its not as quick as a lower mileage one i suppose

Thanks for all the good advice! I just did the air filter a few weeks ago. and I will do the fuel filter this week, and I will get the codes pulled. I didnt know it kept codes even if the CEL doesnt trip.

 

As far as the clutch goes, it seems to engage fine, but it does feel very strange. But i just attributed that to the fact I am used to a Jeep clutch which a a huge plate and you have to use the full range of motion of the pedal to shuft. i.e. push it all the way to the floor. but a budy of mine drove my car saturday night (DD) and said the clutch was the weirdest he has ever driven. but he is also a jeep guy so what does he know.

 

I will try to get to a dealer and test one under the guise of looking for a new car. but i am wary about that because if it drives that much better, i might want to buy one.

 

as for the squeak. it seems to have stopped, and the weather has been a LOT more humid this week. ??????

Food for thought....maybe it needs an oxygen sensor. I thought my impreza was just fine but I figured that at 140K I bet the O2 has seen its better days....and boy was I right...the thing really moves good now and much beter power all over the band.

 

Another thing: Your clutch is most likely fine. As for feeling strange...I think they all do. My past soobs all had cable clutches but when I bought my 02 OB that I just got rid of it was a Hydraulic clutch. Damnest strange clutch I have ever driven or owned. Now that I have this 95 OBS with a cable clutch it feels like the old days again.

 

Am I making sence at all or did the humidity finally get to me.

 

Matt

I had the same problem (not being able to break 80mph when I got my Impreza with 44K at 4 years old). Have someone step on the gas while youre looking at the throttle linkage. Is it opening all the way? If it isnt, the throttle cable needs to be tightened. I found a nut that was the length of the slack in the cable, hacksawed a slit in it, and slipped it over the wire at the accelerator pedal. Its worked flawlessley for 6 years.

 

Kevin

I need some help from the gurus on this site. I have been reading for a while and you guys really seem to know what your talking about. And i dont really trust dealers, so i hope to get some info here. Thanks.

 

Im still new to Subarus. I just got an 00 out back sport. it has the 2.2 with 5spd manual. and it is very weak in first and second gear. i have never had one so is it this car,or is mine just not performing?

 

Details: 48K mi. new oil, new air filter. no CEL trip. no misfire. runs smooth. just not much power. I know its not turbo, but i would think a 2.2 could still keep up with minivans pulling away from lights. it seems to loose power as the RPMs climb above 3K. Not dramatically, just not very much get up and go. Still seems to have okay torque, i can pull out going up hill and all. Its just between like 15mph and 30mph it doesnt accelerate very well.

Then it recovers a bit once im moving and up in 4th gear.

could it be my fuel filter?

 

I also get a squeaky berring type noise right around 2.5Krpms. mostly when the engine is in gear and i take my foot off the gass (revving down) its not a wheel berring, i know what that sounds like. this is much smaller sounding.

 

Is this normal? I have to be honest I will be a little dissapointed if it is. I love the handeling of this car but i would like some more performance. it is still under warranty so i dont want to mess with it too much myself either. But does it need attension?

I know what you mean....my 98 O/B Automatic is a real dog. Once it gets moving it's not bad but from a dead stop it's slow,(and I've got the 2.5L). The slush box tranny makes it worse. When you mash the gas pedal it has to think a good second before it downshifts.

 

I believe you're Impreza weighs in around 3100 lbs ?? That makes a LBS/HP Ratio of around 22/1.

 

A typical 4 cyl Japanese car,(Honda civic EX), has a ratio of only 20 lbs/HP.

 

I guess that's the price you pay for "The beauty of AWD".

With the addition of a simple cold air intake, my 97L 5sp sedan is no dog. It will give a stock WRX a real run for it's money. (they don't stand a chance at the RallyX, I've proved it) 1rst and 2nd are strong as hell, and I know my clutch is at the end of it's days. It will jerk you back nicely going into 2,3,4. 60-80 is where it really shines, comes in handy for passing and merging.

I've seen 115 mph.

Minivans don't stand a chance off the line when I don't want them to.

 

Try fuel filter, O2 sensor (little bit spendy), and adjusting your clutch in or out till it feels better. Try a bottle of injector cleaner and a full tank of Texaco Superunleaded. Do not buy Am/Pm 7/11 type cheapo gas!!

Cool... I knew I came to the right place. I know a lot about cars and I am a real DIY guy. but these subarus are really square pegs compared to what im used to. i.e. American muscle rust bucketts. I love it though

 

How much is an O2 sensor for this car, and is it tough to replace? is it located down by the CAT?

 

I am already working toward fabricating a cool air intake by removing all the intake piping up to the air box, and replacing it with a new tube pointed out a hole into the fender, hopfully with a velocity cone on the end if i can find one.

2.5" is good for the tube dont ya think? I dont want to kill my MAF sensor thingy.

O2 sensor is in the cat section.

 

I have made a make-shift cold air intake. It's 3in PVC tubing right now, but that is too large a diameter and PVC is too flexible, making the sound a bit too rough and rumble. 2.5in aluminium piping is plan. I have taken some photos, but they are on old fashioned film, and will scan them soon. Perhaps my system can inspire you to do great things :-)

"With the addition of a simple cold air intake, my 97L 5sp sedan is no dog. It will give a stock WRX a real run for it's money. "

 

 

Wow !! Tell me what kind of intake gave you an extra 50-60HP ?

"With the addition of a simple cold air intake, my 97L 5sp sedan is no dog. It will give a stock WRX a real run for it's money. "

 

 

Wow !! Tell me what kind of intake gave you an extra 50-60HP ?

I think he meant it keeps up until the turbo spools:-p

"With the addition of a simple cold air intake, my 97L 5sp sedan is no dog. It will give a stock WRX a real run for it's money. "

 

 

Wow !! Tell me what kind of intake gave you an extra 50-60HP ?

It will keep up till about 80, no shnit. Remeber there is a big weight difference in the two cars. Equal HP is not the key, it's the torque.

I appreciate the wisecracks though.

Lets see a pic of this intake and some details. did you buy or fabricate?

I would be interested in a dyno on this to see. I think maybe the WRX driver was babying his, while you were stringing yours out.

Fine. I'm making it all up. Or. . . yeah, wrxs must baby it when they're around. Or. . . maybe not. You don't wanna believe what I say, who cares. I offer some comments you guys read me the riot act. There's plenty of board members who have ridden in it or driven it and will back me. Ask anybody who's known me here for the last 4+ years, they'll tell you I've never lied to them.

 

Here's links to results of the 2 rallyxs I attended with it.

They can never read my handwriting, so always mispell my last name, but you'll find me. (the cars in positions 1-4 are full on rally cars) I also drove the 04 turbo baha which they called a brat too, but kept 3 passengers in it and just ran it for fun.

http://nwr-scca.org/rallycross/The%20Leap%20Results.htm

 

Scroll down to the open class. (pgt and open run at different times, course conditions vary dramatically, they water the course for open) you'll need acrobat reader to view.

http://www.oregonrally.com/content/results/rallyx/RX_Num3_03_ByClass.pdf

 

 

Look for the results of this week's, 5/30 Hilsboro RX. . . You'll find me way up there.

Well I will compliment you on driving skill. Which everyone knows is what wins rallies, not the vehicle.

 

To prove this very point I have seen a good driver. Enter a stock 4 cylinder jeep wrangler into a jeep rally, (except for a beefed up roll cage and seat belts) and win first place over two extremely tricked out, not even street legal CJ7s. one with a 300ci super charged in line six. And the other with a chevy 350 V8 shoehorned in. On a dyno or straight line he wouldn’t stand a chance. We are talking less then 20% of the horse power. But in a race it all comes down to driver. You should be proud your car is not faster then a WRX when you win a rally. I don’t know many people who would give all the credit to a car, when they can take it themselves.

I dont doubt yor car is faster then stock, and I am still planning a cold air for my car, please tell me what you used.