mountaingoatgruff

about k&n's as a bandwagon acc- i noticed a drastic difference in my truck's performance after installing the fipk2 in my ram. anyone who has seen the 94-01 air delivery system on these engines knows dodge shot themselves in the foot with that crap. the k&n improved response, high end capabilities while haulin rump roast, and low end grunt while haulin weight. i was very disappointed with the mpg increase, though. i think the decision to get a k&n or similar prcoduct should be based on deficiency in the stock system. if the stock ej22 air delivery system is overly adequate as GD suggests, there's no apparent need for an expensive filter, especially one that just drops into the stock airbox and retains it's bad flow characteristics. if i even did put a k&n style filter on it, i'd want to rig a better air tube and use a big conical filter. btw - i never put the stickers on my truck!

i'll be going with the magnecor wires with the expectation that i'll make my money back after they last through what would otherwise have been a few wire changes. just to double check - i need magnecor set # 45277 for my 97 legacy's ej22, right? this will be the first time i've spent this much on wires for a 4cylinder, i once spent $115 on 10mm wires for a mopar bb v8 running a 45,000V msd, but that's a different beast! going ground shipping to save a few bucks so ask me in a few weeks how they worked out! as far as the whole k&n thing goes, after paying this much for the wires i'm not even worried about a k&n! i was thinking about it though and was wondering, if the oil used on a k&n gums up the wires of a maf sensor, why doesn't it gum the inside of the intake tube? wouldn't the amount of oil gunk one would think necessary to cause a maf to malfunction be dectectable in the intake tube? my k&n's intake tube was always squeaky clean, even after many recharges. could it be that some of those folks experiencing these problems are improperly recharging (too much oil)?

the ngk's are available through kragen's for $70 w/ a 3mo warantee. i found them online for around $45+s&h at a few places, but no mention of warantee on any site, including ngk's. if i go that route, i may as well get the magnecor's for an extra $30. i'll know there's a warantee and the wires sound to be much higher quality judging by each mfg's description. i still find this whole thing to be ridiculous as i've never seen, heard, or experienced this problem on any vehicle. sure, i've encountered wires that interfere w/ each other while they're touching and operating at high revs, but that's not what you guys seem to be describing. i fixed that with a few inches of plastic conduit and a couple zip ties. obviously this tuneup remains on the to-do list as multiple factors force it's postponement. a bit of time can be a good thing under these circumstances, though.

there were bosch plug wires on it when i got it, they're still on it now, and the thing has no trouble with misfiring and no cel. i also hooked up the scanner and there's no stored codes for misfiring, or anything for that matter. besides that, the plug wire was loose at the #1 coil tower and there's now corrosion all over the male terminal. despite this the car runs smooth as butter. i know the value of experience, though, so i'll wait on the wires till i can maybe find a cheaper source for those magnecores. the best i could find them without extensive searching was $74.25+s&h at alamomotorsports.com, still pretty damn steep for plug wires. the ej22 engine has plenty of wire separators and none of my wires touch how they are now. is this perhaps the key to preventing the misfire troubles? also, what kind of wires are the oem's? are they larger diameter wires similar to magnecors?

i didn't mean to ask if ngk's are part of that brand. the bosch wires that are on my car now say "mag-core" on the sides and i was asking if ngk's are that style of wire. i guess you were talking about that brand to begin with. i looked them up and nearly suffered a cardiac arrest after finding the price in that mess of a parts/price list they have. $106 for four plug wires!! i really do appreciate the input but i'm gonna see how the $40 bosch wires do, this car's just a dd and doesn't justify $106 wires. maybe next time i'll look into oem but the dealer parts dept is closed and i'd really like to get this one off the to-do list today... as far as the filters, i see what you guys are talking about. makes perfect sense. thanks for that input, too. i'm sure there's tons of guys who have been thoroughly disappointed after putting them on their various vehicles, i'll be going with a wix, same as fuel filter. i always go with mobil oil filters and have never had reason to doubt them. i quit buying fram products after the plastic piece inside a fram oil filter on my 85 dodge 318 broke free and about plugged the thing up. for those who don't know: penzoil filters are the same crap as fram, same mfg.

duh...excuse me for leaving that out. 97 legacy wagon w/ ej22 if you don't mind me asking, why the bad vibes for k&n? my truck loved the one i put in there, but of course, that was a v8! how about ngk wires? are those magnecore?

doing a tune up, looking for recommendations on some stuff. what kind of plugs and wires do you guys use and how do you like them? comments on the replacement style k&n air filter? i have my regular brands but i've never worked on a newer subaru, just looking for comments from folks who've used different brands and noticed differences as a result. as always, thanks for the support!!

about the 97's changes, sounds just like what i read on endwrench from a link in the usrm. that's what i was going by. i don't have the car here to tell mfg date, though.

wow, now that's helpful. i looked the timing belts up at partsamerica.com (kragen's) and they're all designated ca or fed except the goodyear belt, the beck/arnley belts say fed = neoprene and ca = "highly saturated nitrile" (whatever that's supposed to mean). i saw that the service interval for the ca car timing belts is longer and i was wondering if the nitrile belt may be stronger or something. my car is a federal emissions model but i'd like to use whichever belt is a higher quality part if they're interchangeable. figures about the lights... $65 is pretty steep for that sprocket wrench, but thanks for showing me subaru.spx.com. i'll be keeping an eye on that thread. i've made some mopar specific tools that have saved me a ton of cash! 20-27, huh? i hope i can squeeze more than that outta my hatch by the time i'm done with this spfi, that's my real commuter.

97 legacy wagon ej22, auto trans, 180k miles 1. what's the difference between the neoprene and saturated nitrile timing belts? why are nitrile belts designated ca parts? does it matter which one i use? i live in ca but my car is originally from wa. 2. do i need to replace the tensioner or anything else when i replace the timing belt or are those idlers still trustworthy at this age with an interference engine? dumb question? i hope not, that stuff is expensive!! 3. is there anywhere that i can buy the cam sprocket wrench for my car and if so how much/where? 4. the lights for my air/heat control and my shifter aren't working, but all the rest work fine as well as the dimmer. easy bulb change or bigger problem? 5. i've read the published fuel efficiency ratings for this car, but what should i realistically expect out of it on 89octane (mid grade) with 180k and a complete tuneup? 6. my air/heat control has a couple sticky buttons, they don't like to go in or come back out, and the slider doesn't like to stay on the hot side. has anyone else had this issue? i'm thinking it all just needs to be cleaned. the wife and i are lovin this car!!

modesto. is "gold country" in tuolumne county?

91loyale's got the point right on. if i just rip out the helicoil that's there now, drill and retap i'll have to stick a monstrous stud in there!!! also, i need to fill the cracks either way (there's two stress cracks off the rim of the hole from the stud being yanked sideways).

i'll give delta camshaft a call, but i don't expect that option to be economically feasible. i can't imagine that reman'd heads would be cheaper that finding a replacement head, having the machine work done locally and rebuilding them myself. maybe easier and faster but if the price is too high its just not an option. i found some stuff online called HTS-2000 that claims to be a stronger reapir than tig welding or any other alloy brazing rod on the market. its $65 for a pound, 34 rods. after that and a $75 fel-pro head set this may be my cheapest repair and after the time it'll take to find the right head at the right price this may be my best bet all around. i guess i'm glad i'm finding all these things while doing this spfi conversion but this is sure getting frustrating!!

i looked up a product called aluma-weld. its aluminum braze welding rods. i know a professional welder and i'm wondering if rather than jb welding it (i know that's the kinda stuff jb is for but i just don't like jb) i can fill it completely, then redrill and tap it to the original stud size. i don't like simply throwing things away either and even if i replace the head in the interest of getting this damn thing done already i'll keep the old head and fix it for a spare. i've just spent too much time on this car already so i'd really like to just bolt another up and move on for now.

i've wondered since buying the hatch why nothing lined up between what my engine and its components should be and what they are. while replacing the front axles i found one of those little circular "void if removed" tags with the heat sensitive adhesive commonly found on used replacement long blocks that have a warranty. i found a place on the dist that looked like where the tag came from, but i'm not sure what that is cuz the tag actually came off the rear of the pass side crankcase half. the fractures in the adhesives match perfectly. another way to tell that this engine is from a used engine store comes from the tell tale damage to the oil pan. i pulled the skid plate today and noticed the oil pan looks like hell - dents, scrapes, etc. this engine was obviously dragged around like a dead body. so, i deduced that the damage caused to the stud hole in my driver side head occured while the engine was out on the floor being dragged around (cuz dead bodies don't feel a thing, right?). i wondered for the life of me what could have damaged that hole in such a way as to leave the threads stripped, the hole widened at the end, and the mating surface distorted while not damaging anything else in the vicinity. finding out that the engine came from a used parts barn explains everything. well, the aluminum is splitting around the outter edge of the bolt hole and i don't feel like going through the motions of aluminum repair. if i can find a head cheap enough, i'm going to replace it. since i know there's positively NO ea81's in any jy's around here, i'm at the mercy of you folks on this one. anyone got a cheap driver side head for a solid lifter ea81? also, i figure i'll rebuild both of the heads that end up going back on. any recommendations or helpful info for these subaru heads?

i'm taking a break from pulling the engine from my hatch (to fix a jacked up exhaust stud, may have to replace head) so here's the pics: btw, those were taken this morning, obviously, which means that's what the weather is like around here. i'm actually kinda sick of constantly sunny skies and tee shirt weather...

the 97 turned out to be a dream come true. the guy selling it had all his paperwork in order cuz he was a used car salesman by trade (if that's a trade) and everything was kosher! the car was sold new in seattle to a woman in her 50's who owned it till last month when she traded it in at steven's creek honda in ca after moving the month before. has ca title and smog already. i found the owner's manual stuffed with receipts for maintenance including timing belts @113k, so they have less than 70k on them. car is practically pristine, scuffs and dings throughout - nothing big - but clean as a whistle. i spent a half hour looking over everything, then an hour driving it (cuz i got lost in campbell and got some bum directions). he was asking $2450 plus tax, license, and fees. came out to $2887, but i only had $2600 cash. paid that and went home with our new legacy!! for sonicfrog, i'm trapped in modesto right now. (can you tell how much i hate living here?) i'd post pics, but i gotta get back to my spfi conversion on my 84 hatch. maybe tonight.

organic cottage cheese stickers??? rofl!!! i think the best one i've seen was an old chevy celebrity with every square inch of paint covered under brightly colored children's stickers of flowers, smiley faces, compliments, valentine's designs, christmas designs, etc., etc. saw it parked at a stop-and-rob liquor store. i had to quit staring when i realized it was being driven by an old mexican tweeker dude gettin some 40's...

does anybody know if any of the aftermarket ea82 cables are even a hair longer than oem? i put an ea82 cable and pedal in my 84 hatch as part of my spfi conversion and the ea82's cable is a bit shorter than my ea81's, maybe an inch - inch and a half as they sat side by side on the floor. i'm having trouble getting it routed below the steering column & heater hoses and still hooking it into it's retainer. i might just fab up a new retainer (that's the one coming up from the bolt between tranny halves), but a cable that's just a bit longer would be great!

as the pics in cole098's thread show i've got my clutch switch mounted. now i need to wire it. here's my questions: i figured i'd splice it to the two wires for the neutral switch of my 92 loyale's harness, but is this right? shouldn't my harness have two pairs of wires, one for each of the switches it requires? where's the other pair and which should i actually use? also, i have four of these stop bolt style switches, two with continutity while the plunger is out, two closed with it in. which do i want to use? thanks again

no i don't think i'm gonna run another carfax on this 97. i really wanted to see what was going on with that 93's salvage title. the 97's seller said he's a wholesaler. i got my truck from a wholesaler, an 01 dodge ram 1500 with v8, 2wd, and 45k for $4000 below book at the time. i love my truck and have no issues with it. the only things i expect to find wrong with this 97 are the typical things that go with 179k - oil leak, needs timing belts, brakes, tune-up, etc, etc - its just a matter of how many issues needing what extent of repair. i'll check it just as thoroughly as i planned on combing over the salvaged 93, of course, but carfax wont tell me any of these things. really, for $30 i'm kinda disappointed with the carfax report, but i know you can't expect too much for a car that old in a country of information this large. the 97 has a clear title and he sould be able to show paperwork on what dealer or auction yard he got it from or whatever. as long as all that checks out i don't need a carfax report. anyways, i gotta put the little man in his car seat, let the dogs out, and hit the road to san jose!!

holy cow! i got the carfax report on this 93 wagon and it says the car has been on a salvage title since 96, has at least 180k, been transfered 5 times, failed smog twice in 04, and after talking to the guy he won't budge from $1800. screw that noise! so i just checked through cl again to see what else has popped up and another holy cow!!! i found a 97 legacy wagon with 179k, ej22, auto (which sucks but wait till you see the price), beautiful dark blue with grey int and pics look awesome, L package with some options added, new tires, and smog already done. blue book here is $4415 in good shape, $4920 excellent. are you ready??? asking $2450!!!! is this just too good to be true? i called and the guy said he's a wholesaler who got the car as a trade in from an old couple that moved to ca from wa. geezer's used cars are the best!! (no offence intended:grin: ) i told my wife yesterday to go ahead and pull $2500 from the bank since that's our limit and whaddayaknow? if i remember right, GD said 95's are the ones with less ground clearance, right? how's the height on a 97? how about availability of mods? well, i'll be headed to san jose this afternoon instead of san pablo. wish me luck!

plenty of good info. thanks for all your help guys. i'm still pretty anxious to check this thing out. i'll let you know how it turned out after i get back this evening.

just cuz i don't want to leave questions in people's minds about the possibility of this extra work, i have to insist again that there is no way that my car could have accepted even the stock ea81 cc switch. i know what the switch looks like, what the stock mount looks like (i looked real closely at your pics, GD) and how it would have been configured. that mount was simply not in my car. btw, the ONLY metal i cut off was the mount for the end of the ea81 clutch cable. i don't know if GD's is bolted to the two nuts attached to the pedal braket or welded, but mine had nothing in the two nuts and nothing attached in any way. it had no stopper on the pedal of any type, i noticed that when i crawled under there to take it all apart and the pedal flopped around. i now have an ea82 clutch pedal mounted to the ea81 bracket on the old pedal rod, an ea82 clutch cable, and a big aluminum bracket to mount my switch. here's a pic from halfway through this process: yes, i painted those parts - i'm ocd about rust and filth. my mount is only so big cuz the rubber pad is so far down/out on the ea82 pedal: even if those of you considering this conversion have to do this extra work, just think - your clutch pedal/cable assembly is already set up for a 5 speed!:cool:

i almost forgot - the reason the car is $1000 below blue book is the fact that its got a salvage title. he's got a pink slip and its smogged/registered. he says he bought it from a wrecking yard as a complete car, did some maintenance, bought some goodies (hood bra, speakers, seat covers, etc.), and its been his gf's car for about a year now. says she wants to keep it but she bought an auto car after a foot surgery, can't drive stick still, and they don't have space for it. should i stay away from a salvage car? i have zero experience with salvage titles and i've always stayed away from them. its just this car is below $2000 and EXACTLY what my wife and i need. it's hard to find these cars around here (hence the driving two hours to see it) and they're usually close to $2500 or more! there's a 91 w/ 200k+ miles on cl right now for $3000 i'd spend more time looking but i really need some wheels. i sold my truck three weeks ago and still haven't given it to the guy (he only paid deposit knowing the situation but still calls a lot). my other cars are my 84 gl hatch disected in the garage undergoing an spfi conversion and a 62 dodge dart wagon, also spread across my garage while i part it out. (just started so i got lots of parts left, btw - poly318, 727, 8.75 rear, good fenders, hood.....*wink*wink*)