1994 Turbo Wagon Revival

[Razorthirty]

Well im sure in for it now, I saw not too long ago on Craigslist (the start of the problems ) a 94 turbo auto wagon pop up for $1000, 300 miles away.. So i immediately put an ad on craigslist to sell my 92 lego wagon n/a auto. A week later i sell it and immediately call the guy with the turbo wagon for sale and learn that its still available, sweet! So i drive out there and.... well its pretty rough the ad said it runs and drives.. sure, technically.  Long story short needs a trans, and the engine might have a knock im not sure. I argued him down to $750 (i may have over payed but ive been looking for one for a while) and set off on my 300 mile drive home, eek! It made it though, droning on the whole way, it was a quart low on oil and 2 quarts low on trans fluid when i went and looked at it, filled it up at the first gas station about 13 miles away. Didn't appear to change anything with the noise or engagement issue. It sprung a coolant leak from the heater core hose in the engine bay, i just had to let it drip the whole way home, leaked about a half quart in 300 miles. Didn't use any oil, or leak any trans fluid, and it smells decent as well. Overall it seems ok just neglected, i will change that.

 

The front diff whines like a jet plane!

Delayed engagement from drive to reverse (2 or even 3 seconds)

The engine has a just noticeable knock you can only barely hear in the cabin usually, it may be coming from the torque converter after listening underneath.

Ticks pretty good (passenger head) mostly when cold it appears so far

Head gasket was done 60k ago along with timing belt\water pump

Looks like a home done not-so-hot job (see pics)

Underside and trunk a bit rusty, just surface rust on the underside, gotta get on that. And get a new trunk.

There is a sensor down between the alternator and p/s reservoir that is not plugged in (pic)! knock sensor or oil pressure im thinking, but there is no check engine light on! and it works when i turn the key on with the engine off.

 

Questions:

I have read that the turbo trans is beefier and has a different TCU, does this mean that a n/a trans will not hold the power (especially as i plan on turning it up to close to 200 chp)? Or will it work fine and i also need that TCU and the rear diff?

 

Will the ECU work with a 5 spd if i go that route?

 

Are turbo 5 spds or auto's longer gear ratios then n/a?

 

Do i need to rebuild the current trans to keep it or can i just replace the diff with one from a n/a trans? Different ratios?

 

 

[Crazyeights]

Questions:

I have read that the turbo trans is beefier and has a different TCU,
does this mean that a n/a trans will not hold the power (especially as i
plan on turning it up to close to 200 chp)? Or will it work fine and i
also need that TCU and the rear diff?

First Congratulations! That is an Awesome car! Good timing on selling yours and what a GREAT Find!

Will the ECU work with a 5 spd if i go that route?

 

Yes but you will have to change the trans ID pin on the ECU (IE usually ground or cut just 1 wire)

 

Are turbo 5 spds or auto's longer gear ratios then n/a?

 

I am pretty sure the Early Legacy Turbo 4EAT transmissions are 3.9 final drive ratio. The regular N/A EJ22 4EAT Transmissions are 4.11 as I recall.

 

Do i need to rebuild the current trans to keep it or can i just replace the diff with one from a n/a trans? Different ratios?

 

I am pretty sure you can swap it with a N/A 4EAT as long as you do the rear differential at the same time so the ratios match.

Good Luck and please post WAY more pictures

Edited April 12, 2015 by Crazyeights

[Razorthirty]

Thanks i think its epic myself, it is pretty rough though and need some major love. Gonna be a month or two before she is back on the road. I will take tons of pics of everything though.

 

Brought it to the car wash and cleaned it all up, got all the gravel and dirt out of the crack and crevices. Which brought up 3 engine codes, 14(#1 injector),22(knock sensor),42(idle switch). Ill wait and see if it goes away when it dries out, i pressure washed the engine bay pretty good.

 

[lstevens76]

That knock sensor is probably not very expensive. Based on what you have said I would replace it and see of that slight knock goes away. Plugs and wires may help that as well

[AdventureSubaru]

Knock sensors fail pretty commonly. The $10 one from ebay does just fine.

 

Good job rescuing a rare gem. There are not many turbo wagons left.

[wtdash]

Hi,

Was this the one in Thompson Falls? If so, that Seller should be banned from CL.  I emailed about that car and didn't get any of these gory details - other than the front diff.

 

Regardless, you should now devote your time to the dedicated '89-'94 Legacy Central website.

 

More info:

- The '92-94 4EATs were also 3.9 to match your TW (Touring Wagon officially, but turbo wagon for most of us). @ 200HP  you'll probably be OK for awhile, but really depends on the condition of the replacement. 4EATs don't like heat, so if you do put in another, install an ATF cooler , too.

- The gear ratios - I think - are the same or very similar.

-  I've read where you can replace the front diff, but not in my toolbox of tricks...but this site should cover that or Legacy Central.

-  The knock sensors crack on most of the pre-'95 models (Subaru updated it after that - if you can find a used one.)

- Fix the KS, clear the codes and see what comes back. Common for 1 code to cause others.

-  There are posts on fixing/replacing the HLA for the valves. And I'm fairly certain that the NA and Turbo models interchange.

- Careful! w/the stock 90° turbo inlet elbow and the turbo coolant tank when working on the engine. Both get fragile w/age and may already be cracking.

- For reference you may want to do a Leak Down and/or Compression test. The EJ22T is probably the best turbo engine Subaru made, but they're not bulletproof. I've had two w/crank walk (5-speeds) and one w/broken ringlands.

- The sensor is the Oil Pressure, I'd bet. They usually leak but are cheap/easy to replace...but I wonder why it was disconnected???

 

GL,

TD

Edited April 13, 2015 by wtdash

[Razorthirty]

It is indeed the one from Thompson Falls, and he was kind enough to not even mention the diff to me by email or phone, i was less then happy with the guy. But it did make it 300 miles home and it will be fixed , im determined.

 

All check engine codes went away after i let it sit and dry for 24 hours. I got it pretty wet trying to get all the dirt and gravel and mouse nest outta the engine bay. Still unsure where the plug on the harness for that oil pressure sensor went(??), and why im not getting an oil pressure light because of it. I started it to turn it around and check if the codes went out, and when in gear, it seems to really pull hard at idle, took some real brake pressure to keep it from moving, can this be caused by a high idle? I sure there is a vacuum leak or two to be chased down..

 

I talked to the Subaru independent specialist shop here (these guys are the best for subies) and he recommended that i take a 93 legacy auto out of his backyard for $250 conveniently, once i get paid.. i unwisely started 2 builds at once (94 saab 9000 aero) because i got a great deal on both at the same time and now im super broke for a bit . anyhow, take the front diff out of the donor trans and put it in mine, pinion shaft and all. fairly straightforward swap apparently, and i have a friend who will let me use his garage and mini lift.

 

As far as the knock goes, its loud when i start it up cold, then seems to go away when it warms up.i have not done the screwdriver/dowel in ear test to pinpoint it exactly but it sounds like the knock might be coming from the passenger side of the block... more investigation pending.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Razorthirty