Martian

Changed my fuel filter, found out a resonator box delete i bought second hand of ebay is supposed to be used with a pod filter instead of the original airbox which annoyed me. Replaced a broken leaking radiator and filled with nice fresh millers oils coolant and anti freeze. Washed the outside and emptied all the crap out of it. Im now going for a drive as the roads should be empty.

Lovely car! Thats a real good project you have to work on.

Depends. You can swap out the front speakers to upgraded versions the same size and you wont need an adapter. The same can be said for rear speakers in the rear door or other locations. If you upgrade the speakers and go up a size from say 5.25 to 6.5 then you will need an adapter. The trouble starts when your rear speakers are not in doors. Say in a wagon. My estate has its rear speakers on top of my rear strut towers, I have replaced them with lower mid range vibe speakers the same size as standard and am not happy. I would like to put something like 6.5 the same as my fronts or even go 6x9 but its not going to be easy modifying the brackets the speakers sit in. If your rear speakers are in your doors, then happy days! Ebay or shop bought adaptor and away you go

Cheers Gambit No pressure on me to compete then Quick update, I have found the leak, its my radiator. I really wanted to get an alloy upgrade, but ended up getting a normal replacement, the top big radiator hose feels like its going to split in the near future so ive bought a black hose replacement kit which i was really suprised to find was more expensive than the blue or red versions. I have got a few jobs I need to do sooner rather than later but its just finding the time. I already have all the parts I need, Im going to attempt to do all this between now and the end of the weekend. Replace the radiator, Spark plugs, coil pack upgrade and oil and filter. Although regarding the coil pack upgrade, Ive just had a thought, I may just sell on the pigtails I have and buy new HT leads as a precaution, I will still change the plugs tho. Oh and I am now the proud owner of some STI wagon spoilers Genuine or replica im not sure. The wrong colour silver... yes. And the top spoiler needs a minor repair job but im still really pleased. The crank oil seal will have to wait for another day,

Cheers mate, will do.

I havent written anything for a while, things have been quite hectic recently. A support worker job i started about 6 months ago has gone belly up, i had to report two people i work with for neglect and financial abuse, then the office gave those two people permission to take the same two residents out to a gig they have no interest in. I couldnt let this go so had to go into the office and calmly and tactfully tell them how wrong they were, all the time knowing i was still on probation and hadnt fully got the job. They then informed me that i had been overpayed since i had been there and owed the company £1300. A few days later my car overheated. As you look at it from the front the leak is on the left (airfilter side), but i cant tell any more than that, other than its a fairly big leak. It took nearly 4 litres to get home and then about 2 litres once it had got home. Im hoping its just a pipe thats split but going to have to get a friend over with his halogen torch and ramps to find out. On a plus side i have been applying for work and think i have found a considerably better job with considerably better pay! Ive passed an interview and was told i was the best candidate so far and the job was as good as mine, they even told me what they were looking for and how to pass the next stage. I have a further interview and assessment on tuesday. If i get this job this 'fix thread' becomes Classic Wagon 2.0 - Rise of the Battle Wagon Complete my above plans to get it running smoothly again and then get it to a safe every day use 300bhp. Which should be pretty monster in a lightweight SA estate.

Didnt know about the spigot bearing. Thanks!

Thanks Stants, appreciate the reply. Im currently stock, but plan to be at about 280 some time next year so the blue box will suit me fine. There is a £40 odd price difference between the two sizes, does this mean the bigger 230mm clutch is better? More clutch to grab onto? Or is there no difference and may aswell save £45 quid and go for the 225mm? Im definitely getting the fly wheel skimmed. I have quite bad clutch judder, I think possibly brought on by a crank oil seal leak. Also as you say its good practice anyway.

Hi, Im going to be changing my clutch at the same time as fixing a crank oil seal and while i want quality also want to save a few quid if possible. Ive found these two clutches on ebay off the same seller and both are in my price range but cheaper than other exedy clutches ive found. There are loads of Exedy clutches on ebay, the two types that i think ive narrowed down to being genuine stage one 3 piece clutch are the full on marked Exedy boxes and around £300. The other is cheaper and in a blueish box marked clutch kit or disc. The difference between the two ive found is 5mm but both are marked as suiting the impreza. Ive had a few whiskys and cant notice any other differences. Can anyone help me with which one suits my 1994 JDM SA Wagon and most importantly are they fake?? Ive checked his feedback and all seems legit. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201386114416?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191627669744?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Thanks

Snowbaru? Subatrack? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTDNLUzjkpg Nobody else reply

Nice, Cheers buddy. Really appreciate the help!

Ok, so if i check the wire in the engine bay goes to the manifold and has an o2 sensor there then i dont need one in the downpipe and can just bung it?. If i check the wire in the engine bay and it doesnt go to the manifold but goes to the downpipe then i need it. Thats pretty much what your saying isnt it?

Cheers bud, no rush.

Is this the wire you mean?? This i believe is the wire that goes to the pre cat sensor if you can make it out, im not 100 percent without getting under the car.

Thanks for the reply mate, Ive just got in, gonna have a coffee and let the engine cool a bit before heading back out to check. There definitely is a wired in sensor pre cat in the downpipe, my mechanic and i saw it when the car was on the lift, the wire is attached to something in the engine, i didnt follow it all the way personally, he followed it with a torch and seemed satisfied that it wasnt just hanging or acting as a bung. So in my mind, and im more than likely wrong lol, if the o2 sensor has been moved and not mapped, it could explain why all my power is lower down the rev range or in the first half of accelerator travel.... I know im not describing it properly and it doesnt really make sense as i dont know whats wrong or how to explain it. But if you remember on a previous post i made when i first joined, i said that if i floor it, foot to the floor it accelerates and i can overtake, but when i ease off the throttle back to aprox half throttle i get a surge of power. So i basically only use the first half of the throttle as thats where all the power is. All my other cars as long as you dont redline you have full use of the accelerator pedal. But with this if i want the power i only have half. Its only really noticeable at higher speeds as its an import gearbox im very rarely in 1st, 2nd or 3rd as they are so short. Put it in 5th at 60 and floor it and I can recreate it every time.

Well this is part of why im confused, my car is an L reg, and on the import documents says it was first used in 1994. But it has a sensor of some sort, i guess o2, after the turbo and before the cat. Which goes against what im reading on the net.

I will have to see what my work situation is like but yeah im tempted with this.

Hi, I have a 1993 or 1994 import WRX, my current exhaust has what appears to be only a pre catalytic converter sensor. I have a stainless steel turbo back downpipe with a sports cat and a post cat sensor that i want to put on. Does this make a difference? I have absolutely no idea. I have been told it will mess my fueling up, i have been told i need neither and i cant seem to find solid advice in searches either. The downpipe i bought is off a classic about the same age according to the advert. Any help would be appreciated! Cheers

Well thankfully im getting my mechanic to fit my stainless steel downpipe and sport cat at the same time as he replaces the clutch and fixes my oil leak as he would have to take it off anyway. But im discovering there are places in the boxer engine my hands just werent built to go lol, i actually got stuck trying to recover a dropped socket lol it well hurt pulling my hand back out minus the socket

Cheers fella, ive bought a few tools and plan to do as much as possible myself. The ratchet spanners have already proved to be there weight in gold! Awesome bit of kit! Yeah knowledge over money any day, and i have very little of both but im finding the biggest stumbling block is confidence, once you get over your hesitation because of lack of confidence, ive found things easier than i expected. Despite not being able to complete things because i didnt have the correct tools or tools to make the job easier or knowing the tricks of the trade, the actual jobs were easy once you had a look. The worst bit for me was the 5 nuts holding on the downpipe, they would not shift for love nor money, 4hrs and i got one off!

Hi again, Its been a while, ive been really busy and every spare moment ive had ive just wanted to chill. But heres an update.... I have spent far too much money on the car in the two months ive owned her and i can tell im going to spend a whole lot more I have fitted a stainless steel cat back system which has noticeably improved things, both audibly and responsively, nothing major but a definite improvement. I did try to do the downpipe at the same time but couldnt shift the 5 nuts on the turbo, i got one off but that was it. I had to use a tap as an extension lol I started with the most difficult bit and got stuck so just ended up doing the cat back, but that was another mess. I think i counted about 4 gaskets and 3 flanges. That went from 2.5" to 2" pipe. This is it now, much tidier. The weld on the stainless part is very messy but solid. My first turbo car and its obligatory chav whistle This gives me no end of amusement. I can see how it gets annoying but for the moment its staying. So at this point i took my car to my mechanic. He tried the turbo\downpipe bolts with an extension and ratchet, then added heat and barely got any movement, so we decided to leave it until i had bought some replacements incase things broke. He then went looking for my oil leak and is 90% sure it is a seal at the back of the engine by the clutch which means the gearbox and clutch need moving to get to it. So this means a new clutch and possibly flywheel aswell, which isnt so bad as i have clutch judder which is really annoying. Also to aid in resolving my gear change issues, i have bought an sti gearlinkage, a resistance spring for the gear stick (i think) and will be getting the gearbox oil replaced. At the same time i will also be getting the diff oils changed. I have bought a fuel filter, oil filter and spark plugs and the newage coil packs are now here. That is the end of mechanical work and preparation. This is the beginning of what is turning out to be expensive audio madness. So my wrx is called an SA. Which ive forgotten what the A means but the S is Sport, it has aircon and electric windows and a stereo, but thats it, the only thing in the doors was one tiny tiny little bit of matting no bigger than my mobile phone which is normal sized, in the centre of the door. There is no soundproofing or heat shielding anywhere that i have found. No complaints, it means its light. But i like my music and i wasnt satisfied with what i had, I had upgraded the head unit and replaced all four speakers with 5.25" vibe coaxials and was really disappointed. So i thought about working on it myself, but was ill at the time and fired off some messages to audio centres around here and got quotes back around the £2000 mark for a bit of sound proofing and some good speakers and an amp. Well that was off the table so i bought some dynamat, 3 sheets and got to work yes i know about the crappy fitting job, i bought some advertised 1993 wrx speaker adaptors and they didnt fit. so bodged these for the moment, and yes the wiring leaves a lot to be desired but they are not staying long. The sound difference is amazing! And quite possibly i would be content with this and my sub from my old car. But whilst ill i was curious about the package i was offered for two grand and how much i could do it for. I fell in lust or love im not quite sure until i get it wired up lol, with a Hertz mpk pro 6.5" component set and found an amp to power them with two channels spare for any future upgrade, so bought them and a wiring kit The saving is immense, but i have to take into consideration im going to use my own active sub aswell and im doing my own work and im following the only 75% of the door needs to be dynamatted theory. I did slightly run out on the second door lol but its fine. Im going to buy more and do the rear wheel arches and a bit of the boot so will use any off cuts if i think its needed. You can see my sub in the top corner. I cant wait until its done, but im loving playing with this car, although its not the easiest to work on by far! Im going to have to run new speaker wire into the doors and its proving to be a pig of a job, the channel the factory wiring takes is tiny, and goes in S shapes everywhere. So thats a job for tomorrow. Oh i almost forgot, i bought and fitted clear side lights and clear indicators for the front bumper. I fitted the side lights earlier. Much better i think. Well thats it for now, ill update if, when i get something else done. Cheers!

I have managed to source a cheap stainless steel exhaust, which im really pleased about, as i reckon im being strangled about 40 ponies with the exhaust thats on there. Im just keeping up with my friends stock vectra SRI Turbo thats got 175bhp. I have decided to get it fitted by a recommended mechanic who works on my friends subaru, while its on the ramps i will be able to get a good look underneath with an extra more knowledgeable pair of eyes and find the source of the oil leak, i dont know what to hope for lol crank oil seal or rocker gaskets! Ive bought a second hand sti gear linkage set and a new spring for a bargain price, so will fit that asap. Ive also got some newage coil packs with the pig tail thingymijigs, i have to make them myself and the instructions have left me crosseyed Im going to wait until they turn up and hope the diagrams make more sense! I have just remembered i will need to order spark plugs aswell. Thats it for the moment, just waiting for bits to come in the post and to find the source of the leak, i did have a look but couldnt tell myself as its all pretty dirty and apart from an oil trail i dont know what to look for, but i do know it needs a good clean!

Thanks for the encouragement guys! Its a bit daunting, tbh, but ill get there! I cant afford to keep running to the mechanic especially with the prices ive seen people say they have been charged because subarus are really faffy. Ive got loads i need to do aswell, the gear linkage, clutch, oil leak, change all the oils, spark plugs (they were on the list, the rocker kit comes with little spark plug things ), exhaust and hopefully nothing else essential!! This little wagon has really grown on me, i love my classics and i dont think ill get rid of this one now, i did doubt when i first got it and noticed the faults, but its really grown on me

Thanks for the heads up mate, I will have to get under and have a proper look on my next day off. Yeah oem gaskets all the way on bits for engines, especially on cars as faffy as subarus! Bit of a nightmare layout wise lol The seats i have are in really good nick considering how old they are, they are just not that comfy when you have been sat in it for a little while. My work involves using my back a lot and it would be nice to have a bit more support and comfort on the drive home aswell. Thats the only reason i would change them. Im not into race seats in a road car or being so low that people can barely see my head through the window

Hi guys, As the title says, this is more of a fix thread than a build thread. Ive had the car a short while now, a little under a month. Its absolutely awesome, i love it, but im now finding all its faults. So far ive found out it has a 2" or possibly a 2.25" exhaust system, i have been advised that this is not good for the turbo or in general and am hoping to sort this out asap. It had an absolutely minging airfilter that quite badly affected the engines performance, ive replaced it with a cosworth flat panel. and it has a good old oil leak. ive posted a pic of the oil leak, its also left a patch on the drive at work as its parked there for sometimes 12hrs or more at a time. Ive had to top it up twice in about 3 weeks. Ive ordered a rocker gasket set, and am hoping to rent a ramp and a friend and i will hopefully do our two cars in one day. Thats the plan anyway! It could also be the crank oil seal ive been told. but i am rubbish at mechanics and never owned or worked on a subaru before. A picture of the new stereo i fitted. I also replaced the speakers, not really happy with the sound but it will do for now. And a long term plan is to try and get some more comfy seats and see if theres anything i can do to improve my seating position, as i dont think the car was designed for tall people. My feet are just resting on the pedals and my knees are about touching the steering wheel. If the new seats where higher then i think i would have an issue with my knees and steering wheel. Well this is the start of my thread, it will mainly be somewhere to throw some pics, write some thoughts and plan ahead, if anyone wants to comment it would be more than appreciated