Bushwick

I'm going to start another thread so as to not lengthen Aluxes' post any further. Please check there.

So you don't think a 96' ej25d ecm with the pinout redone to match the 95' would work? Did the 96' have an egr?

Sorry Aluxes for the thread deviation here. @Fairtax It might have gone into a limp-mode thinking the EGR stuff was disconnected, which could explain why it didn't feel any different. I'm assuming with a 95' ej22, which means I'd probably have to use a 96' ej25d, right? What is it again that makes the 95' ej22 more desirable as a swap? Is it the lack of EGR or something? After looking at ej25d wiki page, 96' being the 1st year, it was set up for the HLA and states 91 octane was recommended. Which suggests compression or timing was more advanced, and the 95' still had the same lifters as well, so that might be the year to try here. Seems the guys running 97' thru 99' can use the 97' - 99'.

Another 10's lover huh? Too many people don't appreciate the bass a 10" sub can produce. Only thing that stinks is they basically weigh the same as a 12 since most use the same magnet between the two and you basically need the same wall thicknesses from the box. Yeah, running 2 ohm with 3 10's probably works the amp out right at it's limit, which will tax that poor 140 amp alt ;( at full-tilt. I'm running a single 10" Alpine R in tuned square port box and recently snagged a used Kicker L5 12" for dirt cheap to round out the sound. Have about 3 different amps running and recently snagged another 225w x2 rms that will be going for mids. Only listen to rock anymore, but it's a fun hobby and nice having a decent set up. Bet yours sounds pretty good? The interrupt switch mentioned above would still help you out if you want to try it. I know you are going the old school route and trying to squeeze every last HP out of the NA engine, and freeing up an extra 2-3 parasitic hp would help raise your cumulative hp total. Hope it helps! Too bad you can't run an electric water pump. Well, technically you could, but it'd be tough to fab. Remember popping a belt in one of my warmed over Fox Mustangs while spinning the tires and was shifting into 3rd when it dropped the belt and it starting spinning the tires in 3rd and I felt a slight surge in power. Normally it wouldn't spin them in 3rd unless you slipped the clutch at near redline. Anyways, they can rob serious power and I suspect with that Mustang it was stealing nearly 15 hp considering how much it responded as the only other thing attached was a small 65 amp alt and power steering (maybe 5hp combined between the two). Might want to investigate aftermarket water pumps (or maybe a STi WP might be decent?) with stated impeller flow increases over stock as there might be reduced drag if the impeller design is more efficient. It also might be possible to clip the blades of the water pump impeller which would reduce drag, less rotating mass, etc. which would be easier on the timing belt. Can't go hog crazy with material pulled, but in theory it should work out the same as the turbo guys that clip their blades on the compressor wheels. Sorry for the unprovoked statements. I just want to help out and really dig the idea of going the NA route, which needs every trick possible to get the most from it. Once you add in the reworked plugs you'll see another gain that'll compliment all the others you've already chipped away at.

Unless it's a "Class D" amp, I doubt it's 1500w rms. Class A/B from reputable companies that follow the 2006 guidelines and are putting out actual wattage numbers as listed, 900w is about the largest for an A/B amplifier. Class D are typically needed for 1000w and higher unless running multiple A/B amps bridged. Fuse rating can help ballpark it. Example: if the amp has 2 x 30 amp fuses or a single 60 amp, it's probably a 600w rms at the most. 1200w rms will need around 60 amp x2. If running really low impedance, the current demand will be higher so that same 1200w amp might draw 70 amp x2 at lower ohms. What amplifiers are you running? I'll have to give this a try. Can someone list best years to use? And the ej25d means from a DOHC, correct? I'm betting the timing advance was done to improve the low-end power loss typically seen in DOHC from the increased flow. Probably best to run premium grade to avoid detonation and get the most from it. Can't wait to try this! I'll have to pull a TON of items from the car to get back to a sensible curb weight, but would be willing to do a before and after showing the tach/speedo on a flat section of road with a timer so show what if any difference there might be. If no one is willing to do the spark plug mod, I'll be willing to install basic plugs and compare against my modded ones to put the skeptics to bed to if any one is interested?

So you are saying it's improvement? I've never heard of this before, but will gladly drop $20 for used ECM if it improves timing advance and raises rpms. Not that my car is any thing close to be a performance car, but I'd gladly take a slightly stronger timing advance and increase in redline for the few times when passing is needed. What year/model/engine are you suggesting then? Is this a Legacy Outback deal, or is it a WRX or Forester deal?

Wait, is the ej25 ecm compatible with every-day ej22's? Are you saying I can install an ej25 ecm in my Legacy and get the rev limit increased along with more aggressive timing which should equal a couple hp? If so, is the fuel pump capable of running this long-term? Does the mixture go too rich from more gas being dumped in? @Aluxes You should have just grabbed a 3.6l 130 amp Tribecca alternator. It needs a tiny amount ground away from a bracket but otherwise fits as-is. Can either run the wider pulley (which lines up but leaves one set of ribs unused). Been running mine for almost a year now and so far so good. Cost $35 and came from an 11' mode; Also, since you are building a "performance" setup, a 140 amp alternator is going to steal MORE hp when charging than a 65 or 80 amp will. Unless you running a really demanding Class A/B amplifier to a sub(s) in the 600-900w bridged range, you don't need that big of an alternator as it'll actually slow the car down. Another old racer's trick that can help out is installing a a switch in between the charge "on" wire on the alt. Not talking about the wire that runs to the battery directly to charge, but talking about the alt's "on" wire that's attached to the 2 or 3 prong plug up top. It essentially acts the the same way as an amplifier's "remote 12v+" "On" wire. If you start the engine with the alternator belt OFF, grab the alt pulley and try turning it with that plug up top disconnected. The pulley will spin effortlessly. Now, connect the plug and try spinning the pulley again. It will feel as though as it's "locked up". That lock up is what the engine has to overcome in order to get the alt to charge the battery and run electronics. A 140 amp needs more effort to charge than a smaller alt. Reason why you still see 35 amp alternators for "race or drag" cars as it's not as demanding to power. If you were to try and use an electric motor to run the alternator, you'd need around 2hp to get it moving. A really high torque motor like what's found in a 120v hand held drill can typically turn them (run a chuck in the drill that can allow a 20 something mm socket to fit) but it's extremely demanding. Anyways, adding a switch to the signal "on" and turning it "off" when tromping on the gas pedal, will free up 2-3 hp across the entire rev range. Think of it as the same thing that AC compressors do when you stomp on the gas pedal to increase MPG by disengaging the AC clutch. If you know how, install an interrupter switch on the accelerator pedal to break the circuit when doing WOT. That way, every time you mash the gas pedal, it should stop the alt from charging and thus free up 2-3 hp, but remain engaged during normal driving and stop light sitting. Could make a bracket or alter a brake light switch and bracket from a donor car (shy's the limit with options here) and use that on the accelerator pedal, or possible source something from a Nitrous kit

4.44's will eat more gas than 4.10's. BOTH however are not economy gears by any standard. Maybe an 8 speed auto or a 6-speed manual can tolerate them, but not a 4 speed auto. If you want better MPG with a slight loss in off the line acceleration, find something with gearing below a 4.10. Highway MPG will increase greatly. In lieu of a front/rear gear "downgrade", you can stick over-sized tires on (taller tires) and it'll do the same thing. Dunno the max tire height that safely fits, but increasing the tire height by 2" will be very noticeable and your cruising RPM will drop at highway speeds. If you are in a LOT of snow, that extra tire height will actually assist in getting unstuck since it won't be as easy to spin the tires.

Might be worth it to install a new air filter, new fuel filter,and replace BOTH O2 sensors. Rockauto dot com has the best prices for O2 sensors. Just because it had a 2.2L transplant, doesn't mean they went out of their way to install all new stuff. Also, check all 4 tires air pressure. Low tires will destroy the MPG. They can be 20psi lower than they are supposed to be and "appear" to still have air in them. Do all that and I'll bet your MPG will improve. The trans "hunting" in OD can actually be the torque converter clutch failing. If you are on a perfectly straight section of road with no hills/dips and it's doing it there, suspect the converter clutch.

Sounds like you have some SERIOUSLY worn out ground connections from engine-to-body, and the clutch cable is acting as a surrogate ground. Go to AutoZone or whatever is close, and buy some generic ground cables. I like the braided steel grounds for this. Find a good spot on the body and grind the paint back, and run a bolt and nut through it. Ground the strap there and use a spot on the engine for the other end (I suggest coating the bare metal with a conductive paste). I recommend doing TWO of these. One near the starter, and another near the alternator. Replace the clutch cable. Inspect BOTH the ground cable off the battery AND the 12v+ cable off the battery, ALL the way back to the starter. If either have hardened, you'll need to replace them as well. Go back and inspect ALL the engine bay lesser ground wires for corrosion, breaking, hardening (means they've been overheated) etc. and either splice in a new section and heat shrink the soldered point, or remove the corrosion and install new eyelets of excellent steel quality (no cheapy connectors here).

+2 on the ceramic coating or ship them to a company that does chrome plating. If it were me, I'd just leave them alone after removing all the paint you applied. Being under the engine, I would NOT use a header wrap either, since the valve covers and heads sit directly over the headers, which means over time oil will eventually drip, and absorb into the material.

There's no way you can definitely say "yes it's good" or it's "definitely shot" w/o actually looking. It's purely speculation on what it's condition might be. With that said, the factory subframes on these aren't actually race quality to begin with. My 95's rear crossmember was totally shot when I got it. The metal they used was too thin, and stamped out with poor reinforcements. Reminds me of the old fox body Ford rear control arms that were stamped out as well with the round flaring on the metal ends to "increase" rigidity, but it was far from an ideal boxed arm. With the replacement unit removed from the car, laying it on it's side, it IS possible to flex it. My donor's crossmember appeared to be a brand new Subaru replacement about a year old when I acquired it, complete with the factory paint. I'd be extremely leery to use one from a totaled wreck w/o a full inspection. I realize 02' isn't a 95', but use common sense and inspect for bent suspension, etc. Whatever you end up with, I suggest coating it with axle grease, oil spray, etc. to help it last longer. ANY exposed metal needs to be treated with some sort of rust inhibitor to get the most from it. If she buys the car back, sells the engine and trans, parts out interior pieces, she'll come out ahead and you can guys can still get scrap value for what remains. If it has heated seats, I suggest removing them AND carefully remove the harness for it which runs from the seats to the switch. can sell it someone looking for a heated seat upgrade as all you have to do is add a 20 amp fuse to the 12v+ and it can fit it pretty much anything. Doors and carpet would be another good seller. I'd use the tire locations to the wheel wells to see if the subframe moved or not. Also inspect the tire position to gauge if the trailing arms were moved or not either.

If there was water in there, it's unlikely there would have been enough concentrated to form a large chunk of ice. If you raised the car to get at your pumpkin, and the sound comes back, please start looking at the struts, muffler, exhaust, rear crossmember etc.

If a spider lets loose, you can't drive at normal speeds like that. If you hear a grinding and banging, it's already shot and won't disappear for 15 miles w/o letting you know something is wrong. I've seen c-clip failures break a chunk of the ring gear off, and leave a silver dollar sized hole in the pumpkin from the force of it shearing. Car was able to be driven about 3 miles like that, but no faster than 5 mph. It made varying levels of noises in transit, but could not go 20 mph or faster. I seriously doubt that Toyota's rear if destroyed, all of a sudden got quiet and was road worthy.

Those E3 are pretty bulky and with all that metal being forced into the combustion chamber, it probably artificially bumped the compression ration slightly. I always thought those were too gimmicky tbh and too pricey. The actual modding I laid out (obviously NOT the pic above if that's what you were thinking) takes 15-20 minutes and you get better MPG, eliminates hesitation, and few HP are freed up. That's NOT gimmicky. It works, has worked for ages, and will work for those that actually try it rather than bash it w/o trying for themselves.

By "greater", do you mean more intense? Or do you mean more focused? Judging by those scorches, I'm assuming more intense as the top of the electrode never seems to get those scorches, which might have some sort of short term benefit with a more intense spark. But then again, the actual ignition coil wasn't referenced with the pic, so it's possible the person was running some really high voltage coil. Either way, if the really far out arc spots aren't painfully clear, if that occurred at high rpm, it'd probably register as an engine miss as the combustion timing would have been slowed. I wonder what would happen if they made electrode longer and added a 90 degree "L" bend so it's tip was facing the edge of the ground strap? So it'd be more like a "bridge arc"? The incoming charge mixture would hit the spark head-on. Oh well. Would love to see a modern 4, 6, and 8 cylinder on a dyno after the mod. The more pistons, the better the HP bump, but it'd be nice to have a modern graph visual to show how spark can affect the way an engine responds. With the advent of turbo'd 4's and less than stellar aftermarket support for true mechanical HP adders like better heads, cams, etc. in favor of just adding a bigger turbo, all these old "tricks" for making a few extra HP/TQ are disappearing, which is a real shame.

Yeah, remove the actual light from the body and do it right. Plastic is plastic. Google how to polish plastic as that will tell you what grit and polish to use. IF its a really fine scratch or a stubborn one, you can probably use a clear coat polish and a rag + elbow grease. You just want to knock the deep scratches out, then buff the plastic to get a clear, glass-like surface again.

You should always turn the heater on full blast while adding coolant from scratch. Unsure what setting to use on these, always leave mine on panel and set to heat. I've typically removed the actual radiator cap, filled the radiator directly until full, started car, then continue to top off. Once holding a high level, close the radiator cap, then start adding to the overflow reservoir. Done this several times now and haven't had any issues with air pockets. Ideally, you'd want an opening in the upper radiator hose.

Yeah, that'd work. If you go to a muffler chain shop, they'll probably refuse to do it, say it can't be done, or some other nonsense. Best advice I can give from experience is to go to a "custom" exhaust shop. The guys that bend pipes and do custom fabrication. OR call around and find a local welder and explain you are "replacing a section of rotted pipe". Wouldn't mention anything about a previous cat as some people can be really damn weird about it. Just make sure to mark everything well after the cuts. If the angles are odd or you are working with a bend, mark the pipe to flanges, have them tack the pipe to the sections, then test fit on the car

Muffler shop won't touch it. ONLY thing a muffler shop is allowed to do is replace with OEM, or an aftermarket cat meant for the car or they risk a serious fine as it's a Federal law and fine. A downpipe is a pipe that attaches directly to the turbo's exhaust port, usually with a cat attached, and feeds down to the main exhaust section. When you hear about people putting a down pipe on, it's usually in reference to adding an over-sized pipe (typically a 3") immediately after the turbo with a high flow cat. That helps decrease back pressure, which helps increase turbo spool up, which is reducing lag, and on higher HP turbos it's a must as it can actually restrict hp by running a stock diameter. I was referring to this: (If the link isn't working, right-click it, select "copy", then paste directly into an address bar) http://www.amazon.com/Dynomax-33226-Stainless-Steel-Hardware/dp/B000CQHUYG Buy 2 of those that match your exhaust diameter. Then cut a section of straight pipe that's the same length as the removed cat section. Stick the straight pipe up, then use those clamps on each end. Torque them as tight as they'll go with a 1/2 ratchet. Can even crank them a little more with a breaker bar, but don't over do it. The spot welds are fairly robust. That'll seal the exhaust and will be strong enough to keep the pipe in place. If you ever need to drop the exhaust or that section, the clamps can be reused. They are stainless steel, so they won't rust. I suggest a dab of anti-seize on the threads for easy removal in the future.

If a spider gear let loose, it'd be catastrophic. If a ring or pinion gear "break" a tooth, it'll launch the chunk with enough force to blow a hole through the cover. A rear diff failure will NOT come and go. When they go, they go loudly with lots of collateral damage.

I was skimming through a Mustang forum on plug issues on blower cars and found this: I can't quite tell, but it looks like It might be a modded plug as the top corners were half-assed and rounded slightly. This is TOO far to bring the ground strap back! As you can see, there is arc scorching on the side of the electrode which needs to be more in the center of the top of the electrode. The particular plug was apparently pulled from an older V8 Mustang running pump gas and too lean with a blower. Either way, I posted the link to the pic as it shows how the ground strap's position can alter where the spark hits (all those little dots are where the spark was moving to, and some are pretty far out there!), and obviously that plug's ground strap is just too far gone. Conversely, it also shows what happens when the ground strap is too long, (ideally you want a straight up 12 and 6 o'clock spark; if the arc is forced to the 1 or 2 o'clock position, it'll slow the combustion event x 4 cylinders as it has to reach out further), it'll arc against the strap at different positions randomly or "wander" more, as well as the delay from the mixture having to move around the ground strap. Talking minuscule time delays, but the HP freed up and the quicker rev response is the reward and very noticeable from a before/after. Engine also sounds smoother and stronger when revving. Also, if anyone wants to try this plug mod (correctly that is) on their car but isn't comfortable filing the ground strap, PM me and let me know. If you buy the plugs and pay for round-trip shipping, I'll file them back for you and round the edges correctly, and gap them too, then ship back no labor charge. Once you have them, I suggest practicing on your old ones with mine in hand to compare and keep the one that comes out the best. In 40-60k miles when the time comes to replace again, you'll be able to use it as a reference

A P0440 typically means there's a decent air/vacuum leak somewhere either on the gas tank itself, air leak at the filler tube on the tank, vent tube/hose on the tank filler tube is ripped/broken, or it can be a vacuum leak up front somewhere in the evap vacuum lines or the charcoal canister, gas cap faulty, etc. The evap system is fairly easy to separate visually from the rest of the vacuum lines. The charcoal canister (if like mine) is directly behind the passenger-side headlight, directly to the side of the radiator. It has 2 vacuum lines attached to it, with one of them holding the check valve right by the nipple on the canister. Just follow the vacuum lines as they'll lead directly to the purge solenoid (or whatever Subaru uses), and any other evap-specific sensors, etc. When I did all my lines recently, I had a real tough time matching the exact diameter Subaru uses, and that was after going to Auto Zone and O'Reilly's. I had to settle on 2 different diameter vacuum hoses. The charcoal canister is a prime example as it has 2 different sized nipples. Some of the metal nipples up on the intake are small, then they attach to a MUCH larger vacuum "T" that seems to act more like a jump-size adapter as the other end goes up in size. You'll see this a lot with all the vacuum sensors on the passenger-side strut tower. The goofy thing is the plastic "T" adapter is actually too large for the smaller vacuum lines, so a little spit is needed to slip it over the plastic "T". All the lines need to be firmly snug and not able to pull off easily. I suggest scoring the old hoses with a pocket knife carefully to avoid breaking the plastic as the old lines will be VERY tight. IF you break a "T" vacuum connector, you can buy a an assortment of them at the auto parts store for like $5. They come in a transparent package. I also strongly suggest doing ONE vacuum line at a time as the sensor directly under the passenger-side intake runners has something like 6 different vacuum lines going to the same area, and if you reverse one, it'll be a headache to diagnose which is wrong. Either way, the engine will thank you as a large enough vacuum leak will lean out the mixture, which can mess with the spark plugs, and over thousands of miles it can hurt the cylinder walls, piston rings, and even the engine. It can also ruin MPG and hurt idle. I suspect your possible vacuum leak might be what caused your driveability issues. Replacing the plugs is a temp fix. Any idea what color the old plugs were? If they were white and blistered, that's from running lean. Read this for a briefing on evap system. It actually mentions the P0440. http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/151

You can do the pipe now if you want. Personally, I'd go that route now because you have more backpressure between the front and rear cat, which the rear O2 is now sampling. The car has NO clue the rear cat exists, and it might be altering the mixture to compensate. Normally, the rear O2 doesn't get subjected to the backpressure. Being between 2 cats, the amount of exhaust might pool up or something. Point is, go ahead and cut the rear kitty out and install a slip-fit pipe, or buy 2 band clamps and connect the straight section that way. It'll allow you to revert easily if needed. I'd just hate for the car to run wrong now and clog the rear cat prematurely. Besides, the couple HP it's stealing would be more fun to have now

A damaged rear diff wouldn't come and go. Usually when a diff goes, you hear a loud BOOM. It might still be driveable at a slow speed, but it'd definitely let you know it was shot. The chunks that that break, then get tossed into the ring and pinion and cause further damage. If a c-clip (or whatever Subaru uses) where to snap, you'd get the same deal. IF the carrier was loading left/right, you'd get varying degrees of gear whine as the teeth wouldn't be meshing correctly. No offense, but you've had a couple people say look at the struts, and I'm suggesting that or your crossmember has issues, along with a few other symptoms that WILL make noise. Have you actually ruled them out yet?