Martian

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

Im on the Red Eclipse server. I played the beta too, when it went live i made a mess of 3 characters and stopped playing for a while when Diablo 3 went live and my guild all disappeared. Few years later i had lost my email account and had to start again but its all good as ive learnt from my previous mistakes. Im no whizzkid as i dont have much time or the ability to sit engrossed for hours, but Im doing ok cash and equipment wise.

Ive just got my 4th Imperial character to level 60 in Star Wars The Old Republic, an online mmo. Its awesome, i love it. My favourite characters are the imperial inquisitor and bounty hunter, but the agents story is really good. Im not so much a fan of playing on the republics side, it is good, but darkside all the way

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

Cheers bud, ill pm ya now

Hi savage, Just wondering if your sports cat is still for sale and is it just the cat or is it attached to any pipe? If so would you be able to post a picture? Ive sourced a cat back system, and need to find a cat and the pipe going to the turbo. Cheers

Hi, I think i may have had some developments in this area over the last few days. First i replaced the air filter with a cosworth high flow flat panel filter, when i pulled the old one out it was only slightly dirty on top, but underneath it was black, the dirt came off like oil, my hands where filthy, inside the air box underneath the filter was filthy black aswell, so i cleaned it all, checked the pipes where clean and clear and the maff, fitted the new filter and wow what a difference. There is a noticeable difference in smoothness, the turbo is slightly more responsive, everything is a bit sharper, but i can now do 60mph at 2750rpm approximately instead of 3000rpm on boost. My second hand Hayward and Scott turned up the other day, i went to fit it today, pulled the old back box off and found out that new back box doesnt fit, despite being told it came off a 1997 classic but was being used on a bugeye fine, it cant have come off a classic, the rear hanger (after the silencer) is in the wrong place. Also i noticed that i wouldnt be able to fit it even if it was correct, as the pipe system i have is either 2" or maybe 2.25"??? This is wrong as far as i can find out, I am under the impression that non turbos have exhausts that small but turbos have 2.5" or an upgrade to 3". So, the problem could be not enough air, and reduced exhaust gas flow, at high rpm the car cant get rid of it fast enough? So, i am now on the look out for a turbo back system with a sports cat

Morning, Thanks for the reply guys. Ill try and check the wastegate and solenoid out before it goes in for a check up. I am able to replicate the issue anytime i want if the straights are clear, because it happens at higher speeds and revs. Its not that i dont know when boost kicks in unfortunately, that would be an easy fix. We are talking over taking speeds or dual carriage way speeds in 5th.

Hi, I have been treating my wrx with a bit of respect and learning how she behaves over the last few weeks, i have very rarely stamped my foot to the floor for a couple of reasons, i havent needed to, and the roads around my area have very few overtaking spaces and i dont want to risk anything in a car im still learning. This is not to say i havent experimented when its safe to do so though. Today i noticed a strange thing when i overtook someone, went up to 5th put my foot back into the floor until i was safe then eased off. As i passed the halfway mark back to 0 throttle all of a sudden i gained a load of boost and it surged forward a bit until i came off some more throttle. My car seems to love living in the first half of the throttle. I only have seat of the pants figures to give you but it seems when you put your foot to the floor all you use is the 2.0 engine and less effective boost, i cant say how much because this is all still so new to me, but the difference is certainly noticeable and worthy of the word 'surge'. Ive done as much browsing and searching as my overtired brain can cope with tonight, but all i can find is some one who seemed to have an over fueling problem and boost cut kicking in. Mine doesnt die or jerk or judder like his did though, i think im increasing in speed quite rapidly until i reduce throttle and use the first half of the distance your foot can travel. Does this mean anything to anyone? Has it been remapped to this? Is it a failing part, the actuator? Is it over fueling? Im booking it in for a once over by my mechanic in the next few weeks when he has a free moment. but in the mean time if anyone has any info on the weird boosting i would be grateful. Good news to finish on, ive just bought a Hayward and Scott back box for that classic scooby burble ive envied for years ;D

Harly wax is amazing stuff, its what i use. A good jet wash, shampoo and let it dry, then wax.

Hi Savage, Yes ive checked the gearbox oil level, It might need a top up, but not desperately i think. im a bit vague because despite wiping the stick twice i couldnt get a definite level reading, it was somewhere between low and full, ill check again when its been parked on the level for a while and not been driven for an hour or two. A full service of all the fluids has been planned for my own piece of mind and i want to start a history, Theres not much paper work, basically an old boy has owned it since import in 94, its been parked in a garage and driven to the shops and back every now and then, hes a mechanic and done all the work himself. He changed the belts, tyres and battery before selling it. The engine oil looks fresh tho. It has some clutch judder, a lot less since ive owned it and driven it every day, but i dare say that will need replacing soon.

I have a slight issue with gear changes, at an every day just popping to the shops speed, foot all the way to the floor on the clutch, from first to second there is a slight crunch/grind, occasionally its there changing to other gears but its mainly second i notice it. The gear stick has a lot of play in it, and i have to change gear very methodically in all gears. If i change from 4th to 5th it grinds on reverse as i move across and then go up into 5th, i have developed a way of avoiding this most of the time tho. I darent even consider suddenly changing from 5th to 3rd to overtake because of the bouncing off all the gears and accidentally dropping it into a different gear, I tried to drop from 5th to 4th and put it in second without realising once. There seems to be no resistance or feel of control when moving the gear stick. Driving carefully and like a sunday driver its fine, but anything else is out the window. Does this sound like gear linkage as i suspect (from reading other posts), or something else, or gear linkage and something else?

Cheers Jay, ill start a thread in the impreza or build section once ive got the adjustment period over and done with. Yeah the 6 speed gear box mod would be too expensive to do unless you manage to get hold of a box and diff extremely cheap! I would be hard pressed to fit it myself with very limited knowledge, minimal tools and soon no second car so would have to pay a mechanic to do it for me. Do UK 5 speed boxes go much cheaper? I imagine there are more of them around?? I will prob check ebay at some point for a rough guideline.

Thank you! I think its awesome, i love the look of older cars, ive no idea why? My child hood maybe, early golfs and escorts razzing around past my house on the rallies Once ive driven it for a while and got the feel of it and sorted the brake binding out and something with the clutch (researching at the moment), there are a couple of things i would possibly like to do. It has a pea shooter exhaust and i dont hear any burble, thinking a prodrive back box, cosworth flat panel airfilter in the standard air box. New head unit and speakers. Sort some messy touch up paint marks in the wrong colour silver, there is also some rough paint on the spoilers. Clear indicators, and change the rear lights to sti, also done something to the front lights, the beam is very spreadout. Possibly add front, rear and side skirts The biggest thing though is the short ratio gear box. I either pootle around at 50mph at 2500rpm or i do 60mph on boost at 3000rpm with it eager to increase I know its expensive to add the 6 speed £1500 someone said, so i was thinking going up a size to 16inch or 17inch alloy wheels, get something light but hopefully be able to do 60mph at under 3000 rpm.

Despite being 35, 3yrs no claims, low crime area, the comparison sites where quoting me upward of £750 for my import classic wagon, adrian flux said the figure wasnt worth mentioning when i phoned, keith michaels and another subaru specialist said they wouldnt insure me until i had a year under my belt, greenlight wouldnt give me a policy despite me being with them on my other car, classic car insurers said my using it as a daily driver means their out and it still wouldnt be too cheap as its still a wrx. I eventually tried direct line and got a cheaper quote than when i looked on the comparison sites for a uk turbo! They charged me 540 fully comp! All smiles here!

Thanks for the welcome guys, i havent taken any proper pics yet. It needs a good wash and wax. But here is a quick photo.

Afternoon peeps, picked up my first scooby the other day. Im absolutely blown away A low mileage, L reg JDM WRX Wagon in silver, as far as i can tell its completely bog standard. Its got one or two things that may need doing in the next few months mechanically, the body work is good, a bit rough in places, but overall im really happy. Thought i would join a forum for information and rather than just cruising through would stop and say hi.