Subaru Dillema

I have a 1995 subaru impreza L wagon with an autotragic transmission. I am in the process of trying to figure out what to "do" with the car. This car was the car that got me through college, The transmission failed during my last semester (right before finals), and I made the mistake of taking it to a transmission shop to get it repaired. To make a long story short, eventually they fixed the transmission but it was a long drawn out process that gave me ample and good reason to doubt their competence. Shortly after the warranty on their "repair" expired the center differential started whining. In utter disgust I parked the car and went out and bought a shiny new car.

The cars now been parked about 1.5 years and I don't really want to let it rot, It runs and drives (though the center diff sounds like a jet-turbine when your under power). Especially since I have been jonesing for a "project car". So here are the options I have been considering: 1) Sell the car and buy a miata (the GRM option) 2) Sell the car and pocket the money ( financially responsible option) 3) Keep and fix the car to use as my "backup" vehicle in case of broke daily driver, or to haul bikes, greasy parts, and generally knocking around as well as an occasional rally cross car ( if I ever get off my butt and try it)

Option 1 & 3 are the most appealing to me. I am on a really tight budget and I know option 1 would end up costing me a lot of money (I don't think the Subaru is worth E36 M3 on the market) Option 3 on the other hand is interesting because I think I can get into the center diff, weld it, remove the front drive shafts, converting the vehicle to RWD and hopefully eliminate the failed parts in the center diff. This sounds too easy so I know that its going to be a bitch. What do you all think?

here are some pics of the POS

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Is this the 2.2L or the 1.8L? If it's a 1.8L, part it out or sell it. The 1.8L is wheezy and no fun. If it's a 2.2L, consider doing a 5MT swap, especially if you plan on rallycrossing it. The car wakes up a little with the 5MT, but shift gently, as the Subaru 5-speed is relatively fragile. As for welding the diff, I have an issue of SCC that has some info on converting WRXs from AWD to RWD. I'm sure the info in there is useful for older Imprezas, too- I'll dig it up when I get home. Or consider putting another center diff in there: Any 2.2L-powered Subaru's diff (except the Legacy 2.2L turbo) should fit.

It's too bad yours is busted and in Cali. I have a 98 5MT coupe that's nearly identical mechanically. I'm slowly upgrading it to eventually get a 2.5L USDM STi swap- my biggest problem will be undoing what 10 years of New England driving has done to the suspension, and I'm sure your suspension is in good shape! Your wagon is an excellent swap recipient, and if you had the money, I'd say go for a swap.

I'm all for older Subys, but I'd just sell the thing and move on. The work or expense to 'fix' it isn't going to make great returns, IMO.

I vote for option #3. Rallycross is like heaven for a Subaru, only better. The family battle wagon doesn't hold much real value, since it's a northern car with a lot of rust underneath. It's got a couple electrical and minor mechanical issues too, but keeps on truckin' down the road. The stock (tired) 2.2L engine with an automatic transmission is plenty stout enough to keep pace with Per's Neon at the last few Rallycross events. When it finally dies I'll consider swapping a WRX drivetrain, but honestly the car is more fun with a minimal investment. When your center differential goes, there are plenty of replacements to be found in the junkyard, but I'd bet that it runs for a long time, noisy as it may be.

Occasionally, the Battle Wagon is even faster than the $100 Neon. :grin:

Even with a manual transmission, both the 2.2 and 1.8 are pretty dull. RWD may be fun... but now you have a slow Subaru without the benefit of AWD.

What's it cost to fix it properly?

The auto trans doesn't have a center diff, instead a series of clutches actuated by hydraulic pressure. There are two failure modes for the center torque transfer unit, either it binds and fuses into locked 4WD, or it loses all friction and you're left with FWD.

Replacing the trans is fairly straightforward, and you should be able to get a working used unit for only a few hundred bucks. Would be a good weekend project, since the car isn't in use already. Try nasioc, rs25 and ultimatesubaru for good resources for your car.

As that car is an OBS (first year for those too) with the auto trans, means that's a 2.2L under the hood.

Yea its a 2.2L, and the "center torque transfer unit" is a clutch type. The thought behind the RWD conversion is that it would be nearly free compaired to replacing the transmission.

A manual swap is an interesting idea, but it would require the transmission out of a 96 (in 1995 there were no manual in the 2.2L impresa's) and I would need to change the rear differential out two since the auto and the manuals had different final drive ratio's all costing $$$

As far as fixing the torque transfer unit- I have talked with a subaru specialist and he tells me tails of the horrors of opening those up. aperently there is some kind of preload on a pinyon gear? (I may be remembering wrong) that is nearly impossible to set correctly without specialized tools.

I suppose I should go browsing in the J-yards. Can anyone out here in Cali reccomend a good one? I used to go into pick-n-pull a lot, but from what I remember they never stocked many imports...

2.2, eh? I'd throw some sort of functioning transmission in it, a WRX 20mm RSB, and rock it on a rallyx course. It's a Subaru, and there really is no better way to enjoy one. I just ditched my old beater Forester, and I've been kicking myself since.

Official vote: fix and flog it.

You can go with a 91+ legacy manual transmission....Just make sure the transmission matches the rear (4.11 most likely)

ValuePack wrote: Official vote: fix and flog it.

Yea, that's the way I am leaning...

I need to find an optimal dollar to happiness-with-the-final-result-ratio

A manual swap would be a lot of work but it would alleviate my biggest problem with the car (the auto trans) I have sworn never to own another automatic twice now... though drive lines seem relatively expensive... and they do have a reputation for glass gears.... hmmm

If I could fix the whine on my own that isn't a bad option either... but I am afraid that I would be getting in over my head-- I have a lot of experience working on cars-- but from what I have been told even the dealers won't delve into the guts of the center torque transfer unit... hmmm

I seem to be at an impasse, and that typically means getting out the hammer or the acetylene torch....

are the legacy trannys the same as the impresa ones? are they a bit stouter, maybe please :grin: ?

nope, all of them (except STI six speeds) are about the same.

You should be able to get a trans for next to nothing...I vote for driving it until the trans finally gives up, then swap the trans. I'm highly biased, however. For those who say the 1.8 is wheezy and the 5 speed is fragile...well, I guess I'm having fun testing the limits with our LeMons/rallycrosser beater, which now has about 298,000 miles on it:

Even with a rookie rallycrosser (me) behind the wheel and all season tires, the car still finishes mid-pack in M4. Yes, a 2.2 would be nice, but the 1.8 isn't exactly falling on it's face. It goes straight to M4 because it's stripped, of course being a LeMons racer the car is entirely stock otherwise (no fancy engine/suspension). :nice: We also finished 17 (out of 70) at Thunderhill with a bunch of rookies, so again, the 1.8/2.2 aren't that bad, and the earlier ones are non-interference and rock solid reliable, an added bonus. You can use any manual trans (ie, one for a 1.8 would bolt in fine) but you'll need the matching rear diff ratio. FWIW, our LeMons car with cage, three sets of wheels, road race tires, rally tires, complete spare engine, trans, suspension, electronics, etc. is still coming in under $1000. The Subie deals are out there if you look.

I vote for option 3, the same route I've taken. Your car looks like it has body damage, coupled with a bad trans it's not really worth much of anything...no offense meant, that's just the reality of the market. If you keep it around, it will serve great utility, IMO more than the cash you'll get clearing it out. Rallycross is a lot of fun and very easy to get out and do, even easier than autocross if you don't mind knocking your car around a bit and getting it dirty.

Bryce

Nice rally pics... Damm you guys arn't helping... now I NEED to try it.... (I wonder how many states I am going to need to cross to find an event)

No offence taken. I had the car up on CL for a while and your absolutly right there is not much of a market for dented, sorta broke (breaking) subarus... lol I had people willing to pay more for the rims alone than they were willing to pay for the car + rims :whatthe:

The 1.8's arn't bad. I have a buddie who has a "brighton"? 1.8L FWD subaru, the damm thing is quite a bit quicker than my 2.2L AWD autotragic...

The reputation of the 5-speeds as being "made of glass" comes from WRX owners ... the trans is marginally capable of handling the stock 227hp, so rough shifting or power upgrades tend to grenade the 'box. Behind the 140 hp 2.2L (or the 110hp 1.8L) you'd be hard pressed to damage the thing with sheer power :twisted:

However, I'm of the camp that says flog it, get a new auto trans when the old one grenades, and then flog it some more. Don't repair the unit you have, just replace it. You should be able to pick up a good used unit for a couple hundred bucks, and then just toss it in. All 1993-2001 Impreza auto transmissions are the same, so use any you can find.

The Brighton is the stripper trim level of both the Impreza and the Legacy. For the Impreza, that meant typically 1.8L FWD 2 door (although 2.2L and AWD became standard later on the Brighton), and it weighs in a good 300-400lbs less than your car.

The 2.2L/AWD/auto trans combo is still plenty quick, especially for a 10+ year old econobox. My completely stock 98 can get 0-60 in 9 secs, and loves tarmac, gravel, rain and snow. Fix it and flog it!

give it to me. I have a perfectly good 2.2/4eat AWD setup but the body is rusting out.

Throw a used auto tranny in it. Profit.

Beater/rallyx goodness. Be sure to get the correct FD ratio though.

yup its time to brush up on my scrounging skills,

any hints tips?

I guess its time to add this POC to the "Readers Rides section"

Well, depending on how much time/money/space you want to invest into it, you can buy not-running Legacies/Imprezas, part them out, and scrap them for more than the purchase price. Keep your eyes open for <$1000 deals on craigslist, buy one with a bad engine (or whatever), pull the trans for your car, part out the rest of the useful stuff on craigslist, nasioc.com, etc. before scrapping the shell and come out on top with money in your pocket, trans in your car, and maybe even a bunch of useful spare parts for your car.

If that is way more time/money/space than you want to invest, look for people parting cars out and buy the trans (and rear diff, just in case they're different gears) for a couple hundred bucks. Check craigslist and nasioc.com, make sure to check all the sections at nasioc.com (local section - private classifieds, classified parts - drivetrain, classified parts - whole car part out, classified parts - 93-01 specific). Yeah, it's a real PITA finding deals for early Imprezas at nasioc.com with soooo many sections that could contain a given part. I usually watch my local section for the easiest deals.

Bryce

As I said in my first post, other good places to look for parts are rs25.com, which is more dedicated to the 1998-2001 2.5RS but has plenty of 1993-2001 Impreza parts; and ultimatesubaru.org, which caters to all older Subarus.