AdventureSubaru

Couple new parts ordered. Took it for a good little drive yesterday and was impressed with overall power and the trans shifts smooth. Can't figure out yet where this clunk in the driveline is coming from. When I shift and let off the clutch there's a pretty good jolt sometimes. if I can iron that out, i'll have peace of mind to move forward on everything else.

No guarantees on the CAT as a sure to pass, but it can cover up a lot. Like putting a new filter on something, it will catch more stuff which give's you a much better chance, but would merely be a band aid to whatever else may be going on. Lots of places slap new cats and o2 sensors as the fix for failed smog.

Those 90s 2.5 motors are notorious for head gasket issues. It's only one possibility of many, but do a search on here for signs and symptoms and check it out just in case. Other possibilities to start with are fuel filter and sometimes the pump. Check for any vacuum leaks/cracked or loose hoses. seafoam can work wonders to spruce up a gunky motor or system - never hurts

How old are your plug wires? These cars are hard on them. Especially if they are anything but Subaru or NGK. Check the plug wells for oil as well which is a power killer. No check engine light?

easy peasy.

That 93 is a good option with light miles and a good price. Those motors were non interference - best of the best for the EJ22 motors. To swap it in, I think you'd want to swap in intake manifold from your car since it's OBDII, and you would need a dual port exhaust manifold from the 93 or any of the 95 and older or 2000-2004 cars. I'd try and get the exhaust manifold from that 93 and throw it in there. (Most auto dismantlers are a little negotiable, so if you tell them you'll take it if they throw in the manifold, you might just get it lumped in there. If not, used exhaust parts aren't usually that expensive.) Those non-interference motors are worth a little extra effort and $$$ to have. More peace of mind.

Someone else will chime in on whether the engine needs moved or not. But if they are leaking, there's no reason not to replace them. The gaskets aren't expensive and it's more than just oil levels. If oil is getting into the plugs, you'll be weakening the connection between your plugs and wires and losing power from it. Had this happen on my wife's 2000 outback. The engine was a dog, especially on hills. Eventually you'll get a misfire. And yeah, the better you can seal up a subaru engine, the better. Many of them die simply because they get run low on oil. Especially these 2.5 motors which are much less forgiving than the 2.2s. Save yourself some hassle, and your engine some wear and tear and just swap the gaskets and grommets.

Got a good used trans and have since swapped it in. Car is drivable and overall great shape. Pending smog and registration will soon be my DD and off roader. When I drained the fluid, I certainly got some chunks out. Any chance that the front diff is worth salvaging from the old trans, or will the whole thing be shot? Any other parts that may be worth keeping before the old trans gets scrapped?

New little squirt + limited parking options + busy work schedule means the car is up for sale again. Currently located in southern Wisconsin. I am mailing a good west coast used rear exhaust to Mike (A friend of ours who has been using the car as a secondary vehicle for him and his family) so it should be considerably more quiet. The car is turn key and pretty much ready to go.

Nice line up. Those first generation legacys are about as bullet proof as they come.

I know the 28 inch tires have been cleared with 1 inch spacers on Impreza. I assumed the same would hold true for legacy/outback. 1.25 would be a little extra insurance for clearance, but tougher on the bearings. As I understand 98-02 or 03 foresters yield the most lift, but the 04+ can clear slightly larger tires. I have 99 forester stuff on my Impreza and clear 215 75 15 tires with a little room to spare. With one inch spacers there would be room to move up a few sizes.

Absolutely go back to the original air box and be sure your vacuum hoses are where they belong, and are tight and uncracked. Vacuum leaks can cause bad idle, stalling etc. Running that long without the MAF can cause other stuff to go goofy. A good seafoam cleaning never hurts. 1/3 of in in your gas, 1/3 of it in your oil, 1/3 slowly down the intake. Guys out here in California use larger amounts down the intake that almost stall the vehicle to saturate and clean the catalytic converters and pass smog.

Vacuum leaks can kill power to any motor. Sort that out and you've probably fixed your problem. Having sat for a while, you should probably give it a good seafoam treatment. New spark plugs are always a healthy option and check your fuel lines/filter to make sure theres not crud coming from the tank and blocking the flow. Those should be good starting points for the car you've described.

What's the trans code on yours? 99 I think is where the split between Phase 1 and Phase 2 transmissions happened. Based on that code, you'll know what years/models/gear ratio transmissions would be a match. I'm a fan of the $100. pick n pull transmissions.

Here's a couple. http://ventura.craigslist.org/cto/4448729634.html https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/pts/4465362727.html

The trans should be able to handle the HP under good conditions. Off road, towing and (I'm assuming) larger than stock tires will all add some strain on the transmission and affect it's longevity. if you go turbo, you can reduce some of that wear and tear by reducing some of your vehicle's weight and making the job a little easier for your trans. The 5MT is a pretty stout transmission. A lot will come down to how you drive it. If you're conservative when towing and such, it should stand up just fine. I've seen the way kids abuse Imprezas/WRXs and such and the cars somehow manage to survive longer than I think they should. If you're caring for yours I'm sure it will serve your purposes just fine. Professional forager? Sounds cool! A buddy of mine in our hunting camp in Pennsylvania found a huge set of Elk sheds a couple years ago. Ended up selling them for a nice chunk of change. The thought crossed my mind that there would be money in such searches. Good to know it's worth the while!

I've done 2 5 speed replacements in the last few months. It's a little bit of a chore, but it's not very technical. http://www.rs25.com/forums/f105/t128163-diy-clutch-replacement-pictorial.html This is a very good write up that includes clutch and pilot bearing replacement if you so choose. Everything should be the same as your outback except you may have a clutch cable instead of a slave cylinder. (Which I found even simpler.) I did mine without the luxury of a transmission jack. You can open the front doors and wrap a few ratcheting straps to hoist it. I muscled it onto the front subframe, tied it off so it wouldn't fall, then jacked it up from behind with a few floor jacks.

Covering the simple first. What do your fuses/boxes look like. if there's corrosion or if the car was ever really damp/flooded it can play havoc with electrical stuff. Look for old splices to fail too. These issues can be a pain to sort out but at least they aren't expensive. I'd start by going over everything. Clean the battery terminals, check every fuse, follow the wires looking for pinches and splices. Usually the mystery begins to unravel somewhere.

Love your user name by the way! My .02 Are you looking to be competitive in rally stuff or just have a capable fun car? My approach to turbos has always kept me away from them. That extra power = more broken parts. Both from the turbo motors being higher cost & maintenance and from the parts they can destroy. Getting an EJ dual range in there will probably take a good bit of your time and money. If I went to the trouble of having/building one, I'd use it, but baby it and get a long life out of it. It would suck to have it and see it die. The EJ22 is such a bullet proof motor that I'd want good reason to ever leave it. Maybe go frankenmotor for a power gain without losing reliability. But for any off roading and wheeling I've done, I've never lacked power in the EJ22. If anything it's a bit much moving my Impreza around on the rocks. The larger heavier legacy may dampen that though, and the lower gearing you'll have, which I lack. Maybe ask some of the guys who have EJ swapped their GLs and Loyales if they'd ever want more power to it. If it were me, I'd be selling that EJ22T to fund the dual range. Then you'd have something simple, easy to work on (Or replace. EJ22s are dime a dozen in a lot of yards.) and quite capable. If you're talking about going balls to the wall off road rally stuff then, ignore these thoughts. Broken parts and damage/abuse are a bit of a given for that application. Just food for thought. These are some of things I'd consider with a build like you're suggesting. Be sure to properly document the process. A build thread in the members rides would be fun to follow. Also, keep the contacts and process you use getting your dual range. I'm sure other members will be following suit. I just saw the kit for a phase II 5MT dual range option those guys have on ebay. Certainly has me thinking for the 2000 outback. Sounds like those guys are helpful so far. Good luck with the build. Sounds cool no matter which direction you go.

Sounds like that's the way I'll go. Not too far from putting this on the road. Wife's Outback is sold pending funds. UCSC student that will be continuing it's adventures along the way. Picked these up from Harbor Freight. Had a 25% off that needed to be used on something. Probably going with two of these on the roof rack and two on the brush bar. Once I've made them that is....

Soup can and a couple hose clamps for a broken exhaust pipe.

I've heard good things about the H6. Great looking car! We're looking to get my wife into one of this generation in the near future. Let us know what you find as you spruce it up/drive it for a while.

Lift it! (haha. You asked.) But seriously, that's a nice looking car. welcome to the board! Post up a few more pics when you get the chance. Do you have any plans or ideas for it yet? Depending on what your use on the car will get advice from different camps. Some want to go fast, some want to go anywhere, some want to go forever. And many of us go somewhere in between.

Can't beat free! Welcome. Got any pictures of it?

Hi Anne, Welcome to the board. I'm not one who can offer much advice for your problem since I have little experience with automatic transmissions and no experience with turbos. But I can say - that a turbo touring wagon is a bit of a rare thing. If you decide to part ways with it, please sell it through the marketplace of this forum, craigslist, ebay etc. so that it may live on and be appreciated rather than being crushed, melted down and made into Kias.