Just got a 1991 Legacy L, 2.2l AWD, 5 speed. It got 184,000 miles but seems to run great leaks no oil. Very minimal rust for this part of the country(only surface rust). It needs some paint though(hood and bumper have been replaced from a little fender bender). But I'm ready to do some bodywork. What are some easy things I can do to this motor to give it a little more power? Also should I replace the timing belts? This is gonna be the wifes ride so its got to be pretty reliable.

 

Thanks, Joe

nice grab

Joe, time to check out the BC/BF Legacy forum now

 

You should probably replace the timing belt while you're working on it. And although you say it doesn't leak oil, do the cam seals, front crank seal, and stuff to assure it, then also do the water pump and T-stat. Then that whole package will be taken care of and you won't hafta worry about it.

 

The lessons I've learned with my 91 Legacy are that you can make it much faster by making it run perfectly than by modding it. Do the normal tune-up stuff: plugs, wires, air filter, fuel filter, injector cleaner (the best is Lubro-Moly Jectron). But also look into new motor mounts, a WRX tranny mount fits perfectly, new struts, good tires, stuff like that. Concentrate more on making the car smooth and reliable and it will gain speed in the process. My car is a whole lot faster now than when I first got it. And it has over 40k more miles than when I first got it too.

I was kicking a hood scoop idea aroung in my head, one that would feed through a filter and MAF straight into the TB. The air would have to make a 180, but that could be used to ditch rainwater. I think it would give a bit of boost at high speeds, where you need it.

Thanks for all the replys!! I will post some pics soon!!

 

Joe

Sounds like a nice car. I loved my '90 Legacy.

 

As far as performance I was content with just cutting off the muffler and driving it like I stole it. Since it's a daily I would just stick to the body work I noticed someone mentioned hood scoop above; I actually have a LEgacy hood scoop just wasting away in my garage on a shelf. Just say the word and it's yourse! Since you are painting the hood; might as well cut a hole and fiber glass on this scoop

 

Talk to you later.

Sounds great I will take the hood scoop. Yeah the hood needs work anyway so cutting it will be no big deal. Thanks Morgan.

 

 

 

Joe

 

Sounds like a nice car. I loved my '90 Legacy.

 

As far as performance I was content with just cutting off the muffler and driving it like I stole it. Since it's a daily I would just stick to the body work I noticed someone mentioned hood scoop above; I actually have a LEgacy hood scoop just wasting away in my garage on a shelf. Just say the word and it's yourse! Since you are painting the hood; might as well cut a hole and fiber glass on this scoop

 

Talk to you later.

Just got a 1991 Legacy L, 2.2l AWD, 5 speed. It got 184,000 miles but seems to run great leaks no oil. Very minimal rust for this part of the country(only surface rust). It needs some paint though(hood and bumper have been replaced from a little fender bender). But I'm ready to do some bodywork. What are some easy things I can do to this motor to give it a little more power? Also should I replace the timing belts? This is gonna be the wifes ride so its got to be pretty reliable.

 

Thanks, Joe

Nice!! You will love it, I just upgraded to a Legacy after years of gl subarus.

They are great cars, 2.2 is a great motor.

Hey where'd you find it? I'm always looking around for first gen legacys. My dad is in Hudson and has a 92 w/ 155k...let me know if you ever want to tinker with it (ie swap parts to diagnose a problem). Good Luck.

Hey where'd you find it? I'm always looking around for first gen legacys. My dad is in Hudson and has a 92 w/ 155k...let me know if you ever want to tinker with it (ie swap parts to diagnose a problem). Good Luck.

Thanks that sounds great!! It was in River Falls BTW.

 

Joe

Hey where'd you find it? I'm always looking around for first gen legacys. My dad is in Hudson and has a 92 w/ 155k...let me know if you ever want to tinker with it (ie swap parts to diagnose a problem). Good Luck.

powderhound: we are trying to get some members together for a junkyard run in your neck of the woods. apparently Sommerset Salvage has quite a few subarus in there. keep your eyes open in the Meet/Greet section and we'll work out a weekend if you are interested.

I too got a 91 Legacy, on Tuesday, I'm also excited about the bolt on mods, i need to keep it drivable, so i don't have time for cams and such.

 

Its looking like the TB coolant bypass and an intake and exhaust are the best mods for ease of use, and NGK plugs of course, i don't know what i have, i'm worried it might be champions, that would be horrible. mine needs the front cam seals, so i'm gonna do timing belts and the front crank seal with them soon.

Cool will have to keep each other informed on what works and what doesn't!!

 

 

 

Joe

 

I too got a 91 Legacy, on Tuesday, I'm also excited about the bolt on mods, i need to keep it drivable, so i don't have time for cams and such.

 

Its looking like the TB coolant bypass and an intake and exhaust are the best mods for ease of use, and NGK plugs of course, i don't know what i have, i'm worried it might be champions, that would be horrible. mine needs the front cam seals, so i'm gonna do timing belts and the front crank seal with them soon.

I too got a 91 Legacy, on Tuesday, I'm also excited about the bolt on mods, i need to keep it drivable, so i don't have time for cams and such.

 

Its looking like the TB coolant bypass and an intake and exhaust are the best mods for ease of use, and NGK plugs of course, i don't know what i have, i'm worried it might be champions, that would be horrible. mine needs the front cam seals, so i'm gonna do timing belts and the front crank seal with them soon.

Champions worked superbly in my EJ22 for some reason. They idled smooth and reved smooth. NGKs worked great also.

MorganM: Sounds cool I've never been over there but I know a while back I was looking for a headlight for my 89 Camry All-trac and they didn't have any imports...That was several years ago though. I'm in Hudson for the summer (or until I give up trying to find a job) so I'd be happy to go hit the junkyard. I'll watch the meet and greet.

 

BTW we just fixed a misfire on the 92 and it had three champion plugs and some cheap(er) off-brand in the hard to get to spot (lazy previous owner?). One of the champions was arcing around the plug. Now it has two champions and two factory platinums from a 2001 Outback...runs great.