uniberp

It turns out that Subarus are not ideal candidates, since they have somewhat softer valve seats and suffer recession in the somewhat cleaner LPG combustion environment. There are a couple of Eurropean companies that do parallel LPG/gasoline systems, with a dash switch. For instance: http://www.prins-lpg.com/en/systems/fotogalerie/honda.html A more diy set seems to be: http://www.lpg-kits.com/vogas4.htm The valve recession issue has been addressed, with a lube injection system, which uses about a quart over 10k miles. The engine still runs much cleaner than with gasoline. Performance with the sequential injection kits is not an issue, but timing and mapping the ecu is key. I expect there will never in my lifetime be a comparable demand for LPG for cars as there is for gasoline. The cost currently is about half per mile what gasoline is, and the payback is in 20-30k miles. VERY steep learning curve, and if for one installation, I'd need a lot of sapre development time. Things change, however, is the one thing I know, and usually not for the better where society is concerned. mpergielelmhurstil97legato99forester.

What information/progress toward this useful, practical, and possible goal has anyone here found/made, in the U.S.A. ? Gen2 and EJ22 especially I'm not shipping my car to Enghland to get it done. Since gas will hit $5.00 within a couple years and stay there (stated by me 5/22/07), I want to explore LPG conversion, partly for the technical challenge and partly, maybe, to start a business exploiting panicky wastrels. I have all the info the torus tanks, pumps, solenoids. I know about the old school vaporiser/venturi systems. Not going to to that. Please don't mention safety factors for pressurized tanks. Urban myth. Performance would be entirely comparable if the conversion was injector based instead of venturi. Has anyone here taken any time to research dual-fuel conversions to autogas/gasoline? Who does the ECU mapping? What injectors to use?

I did it myself. Easy enough. About 3 hours work. Didn't leak in the first hard rain. I installed an SFC Newport 1432, $145. in my 97 Legato AWD wagon. (I was quoted $600 to $900 by local shops.) http://www.sunroofdoctor.com/popupkits.htm Not mfg. recommended for Outback due to stepped roof. Forester requires repositioning of dome light or something. See mfg. notes on site. Makes a big difference. Much nicer. Now onto the AC. Installation hints in addition to the manual: Using a shear is highly recommended. Keepin the cut edge as flat as possible is important, since the lip of the sunroof is also flat. I used a HF drill type stright shear, which worked excellent for the straight cuts. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92115 Cutting around the corners with a straight shear is tricky and the resulting edge took some cleaning up with a sander drum. I am not sure what I would do next time. Maybe a "uni-shear" type too would work. Or a cutoff wheel, but that would make a lot of dust. On my Legato Wagon there is a glued on sheet steel cross bar I had to cut through with some avation snips. Basic procedure: Check template on inside ceiling, mark point to roof, align and tape template on outside, mark and cut roof steel along line. Cut headliner 2 inches in from cut edge (to give fabric overlap), pull fabric back, cut rest of fiberglas headliner backing away to 1/2 larger than flush with hole. Remove glass and hinges from frame. Dry fit frame. Sand hole edges to fit. Debur and rust treat exposed edge. Apply butyl sealant to edge. Insert frame. Insert frame backer from inside, tighten screws toward corners. Tuck headliner material into frame at hinges, screw hinges and catch back on. Tuck headliner material into frame as you insert binding finish strip around. Malleting the strip pulls the fabric tight. For an old car, it's great. There is no provision for drainage, as on a proper sunroof, but I don't live in Oregon, and this SFC company has been around for a while, so I took the chance. Replacement glass and gaskets are available. The trickiest thing was drilling that first hole in a perfectly good roof. Pics to come. I recommend it and the supplier. mpergielelmhurstil97legato99forester

I will be interested in edrach's answer, but I wanted to replace the balljoint itself when I did the axel, and the bolt was completely rusted in place. As to the bolt, I used a regular hand drill to drill into the thread end with a ~3/16 drill only through the threaded side of the knuckle. The combination of right turn torque and possibly some relief on the thread pressure let me get enough grip on what was left of the bolt head to crack it loose. BTW: I MUCH prefer a "lever-type" balljoint remover (JC Whitney source). No hammering.

Car-part.com has a regional search for specifics parts/models. I saw a few around KSCity. A wrecked car may be a good source for an engine.

Save money on engine parts, but buy $150 each tires?

Is there still a vibration in the steering wheel? You may simply have had a tire out of balance. When you swapped the rotors, the wheels were probably bolted back on in a different position.

The compressor sounds like a coffee grinder. I think things have go a little past patching. Whether the vap should be cleaned: "It depends", according to the AC shop guys. :cool: Everything for sure is trashed except possibly the evaporator. The spaces in the condensor are too small to be cleaned. The drier is contaminated, the compressor shot, the expansion valve has to come out with the evaporator, and since we're talking about $525, why not just make it an even $700 for parts. (BTW, that is about a 1/4 of a total pro shop refit, lowest $$ I could find on parts I was fairly certain would work. I will post specific parts if successful). I went with new parts because I like the car, it was cheap, I expected some expense. I'm willing to risk it. There is special flushing/cleaning fluid for cleaning the evaporator. I'm sure TCE would work, but I'm not messing with that toxic carcinogen. I hope to be able to clean the lines with some solvent and rod them out and reuse them. The shop guys said cleaning the evap was something they did if the customer squawked about the cost (extra expensive because most cars are hell to get the evap out of the dash), but they didn't recommend it. They guaranteed it for a year, but that's about all. I was able to get all parts except evaporator from Rockauto, we will see if they fit/work. Evaporator came from partstrain. Funny how the various parts suppliers could provide either but not both. Some could provide Compressor, condensor, receiver. Some could supply evaporator. None could do all of them (I don't even check oem. The shop guys said they called oem Subaru but couldn't get the evap.) I got matching manufacturers for the compressor and expansion valve. Crossed fingers. We will see. Found these photo references that helped me decide to go ahead: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=41067&highlight=evaporator http://www.main.experiencetherave.com:8080/subaru/images/acevap/ http://www.main.experiencetherave.com:8080/subaru/images/accomp/

It's full of black crud. Like this: http://www.autoacforum.com/aacf/blackdeath.cfm

I found these at rockauto.com. Still no evaporator or hoses. Sent them a note. 1. A/C Condenser SPECTRA PREMIUM Part # 74569 {To 1/97} others available similar prices. to 1/97 $102.79 $0.00 $102.79 2. A/C Receiver Drier FOUR SEASONS Part # 33590 Aluminum Filter Drier w/ Pad Mount $10.14 3. A/C Expansion Valve FOUR SEASONS Part # 38637 TXV O-Ring Expansion Valve $30.89 4. A/C Compressor SPECTRA PREMIUM Part # 0667443 Reman w/Clutch $261.89

2 questions: Where to source complete AC system parts for 1997 Legacy Auto 2.2 AWD? Is the Evaporator not impossible to remove in a couple hours? The Legato AC has bitten it. :-\ The AC shop called it "black death". All components must be replaced, they said, except the evaporator, which they said they can 'probably' flush. They will give a year warranty. It appears that the evaporator replacement is pretty straightforward, evac system, undo hoses, remove the glovebox, undo some stuff, remove evap and expansion valve. So I told them to wait to hear from me this afternoon. I siad I may want to just replace everything. They want $1100 for all except old evap. (They are very professional/reasonable and I have had god experience with them in the past, and will post their name if they do good this time.) From other threads here, I understand they have to be matching components. So I am shopping for parts. They seem agreeable to me to install my own evaporator, but I need to find matching expansion valve, condensor, evaporator, drier, compressor, and hoses. Any especially good sources? The standard 'drivewire', etc. don't show the detailed info too well. Thanks for any and all advice mpergielelmhurstil97legato99forester

It's a 2.2 Auto LHD 97 Legacy, and the label says Zexel 14D. I will look to see if the AC clutch mght be slipping. Is that user serviceable if so? Thanks. mpergielelemhurstil97legato99forester

I am of a different opinion.

Yes.

Compressor is making grinding sounds. I doubt that it's just empty. I'll take it into my AC guys who are good, but have a tendency to charge retail when they can for parts. Good source for Zexel 14D? mpergielelmhurstil97legato99forester

Yes, $2000 worth of tires and wheels will make a big difference, but not as much as suspension upgrades. For regular use, there is no significant difference between 14 and 15 except price.

Correction "inside". A vehicle will pull to the side with more positive camber. If wider wheels are put on a car with negative camber, (and the outside offset is the same, and the diameter is the same, and the compound and tread are the same), the contact patch will be pushed slightly inboard. Camber is then effectively effect made more positive, and will feel twitchy.

Originally Posted by uniberp 14's of the same outside diameter and width are cheaper, give a better ride and actually better grip both forward and sidways, due to the increased sidewall giving the tread a better spread on the ground. Nope. IMO (and IME), for street use, low profile tires will not grip as well as 14's of the same outside diameter, compound and tread. Several factors are involved. 1. the larger tread patch due to greater flexibility. 2. The increased sidewall deformity allows more tire to stay on the ground under forward acceleration. (see dragster tires) 3. The softer sidewall allows the tire to conform more easily to road surface irregularities. It's sort of the same logic that's applied to make certain racing tires seem as soft as silly putty. Granted, stiffer sidewalls give you a more precise road feel, which for some may translate into greater confidence at speed, but don't mistake feeling for numbers. I have seen and recorded numbers on several cars that confirm this, at least for me.

Bolt circle only means the wheels will bolt to your car. Offset, centerbore, and width are just as important when it comes to making the car track and handle correctly. Also, a car that "feels" good, is not necessarily the fastest, most efficient, or safest.

The proper offset determines whether the tire meets the road surface properly under deflection and at turning steering angles. Appearance is unimportant. Also, wider wheels with the same offset will ride more on the outside of the tire, due to the typically negative camber applied to most suspensions. This will cause a grabbing feel to the car, which might be mistaken for tighter handling.

Now THAT is detailed information.

Well, with the money you save from NOT buying bling rims you could afford it.:cool: Wheels make the least difference in all performance mods, IMO.

Like caravan and voyager? Is the offset the same? This is great news. I love 14 steel wheels, for some reason. Cheap tires, smoother ride, actually better handling for stock suspension, since the sidwall roll increases the contact patch. Thanks!

Bet it's tires.

My 97 "Legato" (Legacy L auto 2.2 wagon AWD) has 145k, and exhibits slightly delayed shifts and a kind of weird bindup in low 3rd gear rpms. I don't know if it's engine management, powertrain bind, or what, but it's probably the tranny. I think someday I'll get it rebuilt, but I figure any other swap will be just as high mileage, and off-the-shelf rebuilt ones are either hideously expensive or of suspect quality, not to mention the interaction with the ECU, which will make me learn a whole catalog of parts and models, only to find out that it was a binding rear differential that was causing all the trouble. There is not a big market for expertise in 10 year old inexpnsive small batch cars, so I don't expect to find any hands-on help, even here near Chicago. So I can live with it, since it's just a commuter and weekend traveller. To think of it, it's only a car. And I have 3 other speeds to work with. I don't think I'll get stranded, and I drive easy. :-p