4WDFrenzy

Double check your spark plug leads. Just in case they are in the wrong positions on the distributor cap. By the way you have described it, it almost sounds like a spark timing issue, especially if it is backfiring. Did you remove the distributor at all? Advance or retard the ignition timing? Patrick

Not to be rude, but I do have enough intelligence to read and I know what I am talking about. The VJ11 and the VF7 are the same turbocharger(hence the turbocharger designation: RHB5). I have had both turbochargers at one time and compared the two side by side. The only physical differences are the compressor housing and the exhaust snail, in that each was made to fit a specific application(VF7: Subaru, VJ11: Ford Probe GT & Mazda MX6 turbo[they share the same powerplant]). The actual turbocharger cartridge is the same. An RHB5 is an RHB5 is an RHB5 no matter how you dress it up on the outside. So, this means that the flow map would be very close, if not identical. I'm sorry for being/coming across as rude. Patrick

HOT DANG, WILL!!! You just keep suprising me with newer and newer finds. That is why you are my Hero:) ! I wish I had the money to get injectors and half items that you have found. But it is kinda hard to do with a baby on the way. Not to mention being so darn far away from my Subarus. Don't worry, I'll have him or her turning wrenches on a Subaru in no time. Hopefully when I get back to the States, I can get back in the game. But while I'm over here floating aimlessly in the Pacific, have no doubt that you have my support 110%. Patrick

I know some people have been serching for a flow chart for the VF7(RHB5) turbochargers. SO I bring tidings to you all(don't mind all the markings; one of the guys on the starlet forum added that): I found this while I was chatting on the turbo Starlet forum today. Apparently, the highest boost you can run and still be in the sweet spot on the turbo is about 13psi, but they can be pushed to about 18psi(with fuel system, exhaust, intake mods, and a large, efficient intercooler of course) before you are really out of headroom. That is considering also, that you can make it past fuel cut. Now whether the EA82T can handle that kind of boost in the long run, that is yet to be seen. Just thought this was kind of interesting. **To the Mods: I'm sorry this pic is so big!** Patrick

I thought that when you advance the timing a few degrees, it impoved low end torque(i.e. max torque peaks sooner)? Patrick

LOL I bet you would!!! And when it came time to pick it up, there would be so many mods strapped to it that you would be like,"It was in there the other day. Well, anyhow, it's in there somewhere." Patrick

Oh yeah, and if you haven't changed the fuel filter, you might change that out. Also, check for vacuum leaks, and also exhaust leaks around the flanges, especially around the turbo mounting flange. Patrick

Do you have the stock BPV on the WRX IC dumping to atmosphere or is it recirculating? If it is just purging the excess boost to the atmosphere, therein lies a possible problem. Vehicles equipped with MAFs are suppoed to have recirculating BPVs(hence the reason that WRXs have recirculation hoses for the stock BPVs.) Purging to atmosphere can cause the car to run rich momentarily when you release the throttle, as the MAF has already metered incoming air and the ECU adds fuel accordingly. When you purge this metered air, the ECU still adds the fuel, but the air that it was supposed to mix with isn't there, thus creating a rich condition. Also, stock WRX BPVs are supposed to leak under idle conditions from what I have read. When the recirculation hose is connected, some air is allowed to bypass the slow spinning compressor wheel(which is now a restriction) and helps to aid in low RPM throttle response. If it is purging to atmosphere, it for one, is drawing in dirty air(unfiltered) and two, the extra air is unmetered. Now to answer your question about the timing, it sounds like it is about right. You shouldn't have anything to worry about in that department. Hope this helps. Patrick

Ladies and Gentlemen, please bow your heads for a moment of silence to remember a fallen comrade......*TAPS playing in background*.......... Man, that is sad to hear. I know you loved that car. Too bad. Another Subarus life cut short by a serious case of rusticular cancer. I kinda wish that I lived a bit closer to you, because if nobody had dibs on the motor, I'd surely buy it from you. Bottoms Up!!! **pours out a little scotch** Patrick

BFGoodrich tires are pretty good. I have never personally owned a set, but a few of my closest friends have, and they loved them. They use a pretty soft compound for their tires, even for the all season tires. This gives very good dry traction. The only drawback is that with the added grip, comes the tradeoff of fast tire wear. But that also depends alot on your driving habits. If you are gunning it and drag launching from stop light to stop light, or running those tires at the track on the weekend, I'm pretty sure that they won't last long, but what tire would?!! Now if you drive to some level of normalcy, they will probably last very close to the recommended wear mileage. Hope this helps you in your decision. Patrick

As GLCraigGT said, there is a little lip on the inside of the housing that the thermostat sits on. It is recessed, so that the thermostat sits flush with the mounting surface. The gasket goes between that and the thermostat housing. You can use silicone on it if you like. I use it anytime I have to use a paper or cork gasket. Oh, and as long as you let the silicone sit for about 10 minutes prior to installation, you should be good. Just make sure that the bolts are tightened, but not overtightened(don't want to snap a bolt). *Make sure that the back of the thermostat(the long part that contains the spring) goes into the engine block and the front faces up, toward the housing.(Trust me, I've seen it done the other way before and the results weren't pretty!). I just thought that I would throw that little bit of info out there, and no, I'm not saying that you are stupid and would do that.* Patrick

Congratulations!!! One day, when I grow up, I hope to have as many posts as you!!! Patrick

HOLY SMOKES!!! The new F1 engines wind out to 21,000 RPMs?!!! That is just wild. Patrick

If your subaru leaks(like most do), I wouldn't recommend putting in synthetic. Not unless you have recently resealed the motor and have already broken it in. In that case, then yes, it would be okay to run it. As for Redline Water Wetter, it is good stuff. I wouldn't add any in unless you flush your cooling system first. It isn't meant to remedy any overheating issues. You can run it with coolant(I think it is like a 20% coolant to water ratio) and it will work lower operating temps as the bottle states. If your car is getting a bit warm when it idles for extended periods of time, then that is normal, unless it is getting extremely hot. If that is the case, then there is something else wrong with your cooling system. Patrick

Hey Hondasucks, does your car normally run 9.5psi of boost? If so, that is higher than normal. It should be running between 7 & 8psi of boost. I know it has been cold in Wyoming lately. That would cause the boost to increase slightly as the air is more dense, but I don't think that it would be at 15psi, or even 20psi for that matter. 1)The first thing that comes to mind would be a sticky wastegate actuator. 2) A hole in the vacuum line to the wastegate. 3) If you are running a manual boost controller, it needs to be re-adjusted, or even removed if you aren't running any sort of intercooler. Personally, I wouldn't bump up the boost until the car has an intercooler and recirculating BPV on it, but that is just me. Your turbo certainly won't last very long if you are pushing 15psi and no BPV. And your engine won't last long either if the boost keeps going to 15psi and above with no fuel mods and intercooler. I hope this helps. Patrick

If you want performance brake disc upgrades, you need to check out this site: http://www.raceshopper.com/sp_subaru.shtml TROGDOR brought this site to my attention a couple of weeks ago. But let me warn you ahead of time, they aren't cheap, but the shorter stopping distance should be well worth the money. As for pads, I'm not sure what to tell you. You might try to find some organic pads(vs. semi metallic), if you can find them. Or you can check with raceshopper.com and see if there is a certain type of pad that they recommend for use with the discs. I hope this helps. Patrick

I can field this one. The new assemblies replace the stock H6054s with a housing that accepts an H4(9003) bulb so that you don't have to change your connectors on the factory headlight harnesses. Hope this answers your question Mike. Patrick

Don't you just love it when it turns out to be something simple? Patrick

I'll put it to you this way, A/F gauges aren't accurate when running off a factory O2 sensor. They will give you a rough idea of how rich or lean the mixture is, but they aren't exact. It is normal for the idle to drop as more electrical accessories are turned on. You can adjust the fast idle screw and increase the idle RPMs. Mine is running about 1000 RPMs at idle, but the idle still drops a bit after I turn on headlights or other accessories. The gauge will still read that the idle mixture is leaning a bit, but it isn't leaning out as bad as it seems by looking at the gauge. Patrick

It is a good possibility. I'm assuming that the car was running okay before you changed the wires? Try reinstalling the old spark plug wire from that same cylinder and see if the misfire issue goes away. If it does, then you know that you have a faulty wire. If not, there may be a problem with the position sensor in the distributor, which would really be craptacular. Patrick

I had something similar happen on my GL-10. If you are running your A/F gauge with the factory O2 sensor, it will do it. It won't hurt anything. After a couple seconds, the LEDs should start going back and forth. If you're running a wideband, I couldn't tell you off hand what the deal is. Patrick

Cool. NGK plugs seem to work the best in our motors. Oh and before I forget, you may want to make sure that it isn't a bad spark plug wire. Sometimes they can get crimps in the wires when they are packed into the boxes if the wires are long. So if you have any kind of warranty on them, exchange them with a new set just to be safe. Patrick

What is the condition of your air filter? If it is dirty, it can cause hesitation as I have seen it happen before. Also plugged fuel filter, dirty Mass Airflow Sensor, dirty fuel injectors, or possibly ignition timing issue come to mind. This might give you a couple places to start troubleshooting. As far as the turbocharger, you can't turn it off as it runs off of exhaust pulses. You can remove it and I would venture to guess that it is possible to install an NA manifold, but it would run like a dog and power loss as a result would be very significant, leaving you very unhappy with it at best. Patrick

I'd highly suggest getting ditching the Bosch Platinums and install some NGK plugs. (NKG #: BPR6ES-11) I have had past experience(when I worked at Autozone) with Bosch plugs and I know for a fact that you can't use them in every car. So engines run like crap with them installed. They could be causing misfire in the cylinders due to the wrong resistance, which would give you your power loss problem. So, since it is the cheapest part(in all the parts that were replaced), I would start with the plugs. Unless you removed & reinstalled your distributor during your maintanence session, I'd be inclined to believe that it is a spark plug issue. Hope this helps. Patrick

HOLY SMOKES!!!!! You have made me a very happy camper!!! Thank You Very VERY much for this info. To Brian, yeah, I haven't done a 5 lug swap. I'm a bit partial to my factory alloys and the insanely weird 4 lug bolt pattern. LOL:lol: Patrick