DerFahrer

You have the right idea, you're asking the question based on the elevation where you live. Turbo cars do very well in high elevations because the lower pressure that results is irrelevant. The engine is force-fed by the turbo and doesn't have to rely on only its vacuum to gather air from the outside. Take an N/A car up to a high elevation and take the same car in a turbo variant with it. You will notice how the N/A car begins to run out of breath and the turbo car seems unaffected. Do realize that turbo cars require more maintenance as suggested, and that a turbo engine will almost always have a dead spot where the turbo isn't spooling fast enough to provide any power boost. But I do actually think if a car is to stay in a high-elevation area, that the engine will benefit and even last longer if it has the benefit of forced induction.

Possibly. I just want to be sure that if I do, I can get parts for it and not be stuck with a big hunk of metal that I can't fix.

Just curious guys, how hard is it to find new parts for cars of your vintage? Specific stuff, like EGR valves, interior pieces, etc. If you have a clutch go out, are there 3 new ones waiting at the Discount down the street, or do you have to wait 3 months for the dealer to locate it since it's probably been discontinued?? TIA!

Just out of curiosity, why are you yanking the motor on such a pristine car?

Cool! Are you gonna tear it down completely Josh, or just to the short block? When Opie pulled his 120k EJ22T out of a JY, he ripped it completely apart, and when he took the block halves to the dealer he works at to check over it, they said he shouldn't have even bothered tearing it down And what are ya gonna do with it when it's in the car?

That might be me that you're referring to Commuter. I took the plunge. First off, I never really got it installed right, because my intake hose doesn't allow for it. I never got it mounted where air would go straight through it, only at an angle. Second, I got hardly any gas mileage benefit from it and absolutely no power gains from it. I finally decided to take it out, and I noticed that my car seemed easier to start when I took it out, almost as if it were simply being an obstruction in the intake. Don't waste your money...

If it ran fine before you removed the timing belt, then I'm 99% sure you put the belt back on wrong. Don't feel bad, the most experienced of us have done it. Make sure you're using the right marks on the crank sprocket. There is a little arrow-looking mark on the front of the sprocket which you must ignore completely. That is not the one you use to install the belt. You use the mark on the little tooth sticking out on the back of the sprocket (the tooth is for the crank angle sensor). I know, I've done this before and put the whole thing back together and it wouldn't start. Then after I woke up and realized how stupid I was, I ripped it back apart and did it right. Also, don't worry about being 180º off. Just line up the marks on the camshafts and the crankshaft and it will be timed correctly. And use the marks on the timing belt and line them up with the ones on the sprockets. You can rest assured that it's timed properly when you have those marks lined up.

Subaru did not make any interference engines until 1996, starting with the 2.5. From what I understand, yes all 2.5's are interference. All DOHC Subaru's are valve-valve interference (the valves won't necessarily hit the pistons, but will hit each other). The SVX is technically interference being DOHC, but since one cam is gear-driven off the other, a gear would have to break or shear off teeth for timing to be off between the cams, which is near impossible. The 2.2 was noninterference until 1997 when the Phase II version came out.

Drop dead gorgeous! I want one!

Bet you had fun getting that front crank seal out

This is the only good pic Google produced of the 9-6X: I also personally think this one could be fake.

The Saab 9-7X that you refer to is actually Saab's version of the TrailBlazer/Envoy/Ascender/Rainier/Bravada family. Are you referring to the Saab 9-2X (the Impreza) or the Saab 9-6X (supposed to be a Saab Tribeca)?

This actually just kinda happened to me in my XT (MPFI N/A EA82). I was going around 50mph in top gear, at about 2500rpm, which would normally have the oil pressure sitting around 45 or just slightly below. For some reason, it was sitting around 30 (just a guess). I drove it down a neighborhood street, and got the revs up to abour 3500rpm in 1st, and the gauge went to just below 45. It sits at the same spot at idle that it always does. There was absolutely no noise from the lifters. It normally sits right at 45 anytime the revs are above 2000, and if I get on it, it goes to 45 or a bit above. Usually, I notice that sending units just plain die, and register 0. Could mine actually be getting inaccurate from age?

What happened to the Legacy? Congrats anyway though

I would. I'd like to have a 99 Legacy 2.2 just for the idea that it was the last year for the venerable 2.2 in the Legacy.

Jack, you are pretty much right with the stuff in your post. The Legacy was Subaru's attempt to make a mainstream family car, something the Leone line wasn't. While I wouldn't say they failed, it wasn't as successful as they had hoped. The one thing I will say, I do believe that 90-94 Legacies were probably the most durable of any Subaru made. I believe that any 90-94 Legacy can do 250k miles of abuse and torment, and 300k or more easily if they have been taken care of. The turbo Legacy was offered from 91-94. 91 was sedan only, then 92-94 was sedan and wagon.

They can

Am I correct in saying the only thing you can really do is redrill Toyota 6 X 140 wheels to fit the 4 X 140 pattern?

I couldn't disagree more. The last thing Subaru needs to do is get out of their niche. Subaru is a different car company, and it's the corporate kiss-asses at GM that feel that it needs to be the SAME as every other car company. I don't know about you guys, but I DON'T want to see more Subarus in a Wal-Mart parking lot than Hondas or Toyotas. There is no unique SUV out there, at all. If it were unique, it wouldn't be an SUV.

Hey! No XT-bashing allowed here!

Setright, they are meaning the rear LSD, which has the same principle. Any LSD Subaru has ever produced, which is the rear LSD's in cars like the 91 turbo Legacy, the newer Legacy GT's and such, and also ALL AWD center diffs, are all VLSD's and the LSD part is a sealed unit apart from the regular oil.

I completely agree with these three statements: 1) It's not near as big in person as the pics suggest. 2) The back seat is a joke, I'm 6'3" and I wouldn't ride back there in an emergency. 3) The thing is still ugly as sin.

Dammit! I was just about to say that! Sorry to hear Will. You should still come to the Dragon, even if you just bum a ride like I'm doing...

It is actually my opinion that EA Subarus sound better, more "Subaru-like" than EJ's. IMO, my Legacy sounds like a Honda compared to my XT.

The Bistro apparently is a tweaked-front-end version of the Vivio. There are two other examples of this: The Impreza Casa Blanca (I'm sorry for the picture weirdness, I couldn't find ANY pics online of this car so I had to take a digi pic out of my Impreza Turbo book): Also the Pleo Nesta: