Subaru Thread Round 2

So I've got about $1200 in my pocket. Going this Saturday to look at a 1995 Subaru Legacy wagon. I'm pretty sure '95 should have a EJ22 and it's a 5 speed. It's actually the only manual 2nd gen Legacy I could find. I was looking particularly for an Impreza wagon, but the hipster cred is too big for my wallet. So I've got a few questions for the board.

What should I look out for? Weak points, common failures, red flags.

Would 95 be OBD 2?

There's like 5 WRX's being parted out within an hour of me, so sourcing a good suspension shouldn't be hard. I've been doing some reading and the parts interchange is amazing. Something I'm wondering: Are EJ20 twin cam heads a direct swap to an EJ22? There's a set for sale locally from a turbo EJ20. Could be wrong, but I'm assuming the Turbo engine lowers its compression via the piston dish.

'95 should be ODB1.

Rust, rust, rust, rust is your enemy.

Rust as new as 95? Seriously?

Brett's in NC, where are you? Location's going to matter on the rust front... It always pays to look since you don't know where a car's spent it's whole life, but we don't get a ton of rust here in OR...

I'm in NC too. I figured by 95 there'd be a lot of galvanized panels. Hell, dodge started doing that in the 70s.

I've found rust to be hit and miss in this area. I've had a rust free '80 model corolla and a rust bucket '82 Mercedes.

Do you want me to take some pictures of the rust on my 02 WRX? Yes rust is an issue on ANY Subaru. Look carefully.

RoughandReady wrote: Are EJ20 twin cam heads a direct swap to an EJ22? There's a set for sale locally from a turbo EJ20. Could be wrong, but I'm assuming the Turbo engine lowers its compression via the piston dish.

The heads of the turbo engine are a big part of the low CR. EJ20 heads on an EJ22E will leave you with a CR around 8.65:1, and a total dog of a vehicle. Stick with NA heads unless you intend to cram some boost into it.

Rust is the only big problem. They are non-interference through 1996 so once again timing belts are no big deal.

NGTD wrote: Do you want me to take some pictures of the rust on my 02 WRX? Yes rust is an issue on ANY Subaru. Look carefully.

Word. I just found out the hard way my '01 RS has major rust on it's underbits and having to replace the gas tank after the fuel pump gasket/studs failed and it leaked into the cabin. I understand it took quite a bit of prying on rusty bits to get it out & it's one big rust bucket of rust. Did we mention rust?

Wow. I'm really surprised they didn't try harder to rust proof the thing.

Did the NA twin cam EJ20 make it to the US market?

I saw somewhere the diff listed as an R180. Looked at a picture, looks just like a Datsun 240z diff. Are they the same diff?

RoughandReady wrote: Rust as new as 95? Seriously?

My Vermont mind cannot comprehend this question. Any Subaru made before 2005 is automatically assumed to be at least half returned to the earth here.

So... yeah... rust.

Brett_Murphy wrote: '95 should be ODB1. Rust, rust, rust, rust is your enemy.

Oddly enough, '95 Legacy 2.2s(maybe 2.5?) are all OBDII. '95 Impreza 2.2s were still OBD1.

ValuePack wrote:

Brett_Murphy wrote: '95 should be ODB1. Rust, rust, rust, rust is your enemy.

Oddly enough, '95 Legacy 2.2s(maybe 2.5?) are all OBDII. '95 Impreza 2.2s were still OBD1.

Interesting. I've never owned an OBD II car. I've had one OBD I car, loved the switch board. haha

OBDII is tunable right?

Unfortunately Subaru's normally aspirated ECUs aren't hackable like say, a GM LS variant, until 2005.

Other '95-99 Legacy things to look out for I don't see previously mentioned: wheel bearings, inner tie rods, cam/crank/temp sensors(hot start issues), and structural rust in rear strut towers and rear subframe, mostly all standard Subaru fare.

EDIT: '95 2.2s mated to manuals also held the distinction of being the only year one could have dual port heads, non-interference, no EGR, and OBDII. Also excellent for swapping into aircooled VWs.

ValuePack wrote: Unfortunately Subaru's normally aspirated ECUs aren't hackable like say, a GM LS variant, until 2005. Other '95-99 Legacy things to look out for I don't see previously mentioned: wheel bearings, inner tie rods, cam/crank/temp sensors(hot start issues), and structural rust in rear strut towers and rear subframe, mostly all standard Subaru fare. EDIT: '95 2.2s mated to manuals also held the distinction of being the only year one could have dual port heads, non-interference, no EGR, and OBDII. Also excellent for swapping into aircooled VWs.

That's a shame.

I like the non-interference and lack of EGR. I'm sure OBDII is great if you have a scan tool. haha. The fact that dual ports is a distinction in a car from the 90s (instead of the 40s) is kind of puzzling though. I still know jack E36 M3 about Subarus. I just want a decently reliable station wagon with some potential (AWD doesn't hurt). It's about impossible to get a decent Volvo in this neck of the woods now, so I figure a Subaru is the next closest thing.

Chalk up another former rusty GC Impreza owner. My 1998 2.2L coupe's undercarriage was awful. Some of the suspension nuts were splitting like blooming onions, they were so bad. That's what life in the sand- and salt-covered winter roads of New England will do.

The car itself was pretty reliable. The 2.2L engines don't have the head gasket issues that early 2.5Ls had. They have 0 aftermarket, so if you want more power your best bet is an engine swap. Since Subarus were built like Legos, you can install just about any JDM or USDM Subaru 4-cylinder until 2007. I wanted to make a WRX clone out of my coupe, but the rust and a couple vandalism incidents sealed that car's fate.

I don't believe the twin-cam EJ20 ever made it to the US.

In reply to RoughandReady:

"Dual ports" in reference to a Subaru means the design of the exhaust outlet of the heads, where the manifold bolts up. Some later models switched to a "single port" head, where the head collected both exhaust valves into one external port for a 2-1 manifold that sacrificed a lot of high end for torque, it does not flow nearly as well as the earlier "dual port" heads where each valve has it's own exhaust port.

Rust? Just go read about Tom Suddard's Subaru project to hear about rust.

BTW, if you are looking for absolutely the cleanest 02 Subaru I think I have ever seen:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ebaymotors/2002-Subaru-Impreza-Outback-Sport-wagon-173-983-miles-needs-work-/251429257257?_trksid=p3984.m1426.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&forcev4exp=true

This is the one I was seriously looking to import, but some of the fees are just too much for me right now. Yes its an autotragic and may have a bad diff, but as a starting point, it would be hard to beat.

That Impreza is way too much money for the problems.

Okay, so I've got some questions.

-Would an '02 Impreza RS have 4 pot calipers?
-Would they swap onto a ... let's say ... 95 Legacy?
-Would I want to swap the fronts or would the rears be an upgrade as well? -Would they work with my hubs/rotors, or would I need the Impreza bits? -Would they fit under 14 inch steelies?

Thanks in advance!

No an 02 RS will not have 4 pots.

4 pots won't even fit under 15's (unless they are specialized rally rims @$300 each).

NGTD wrote: No an 02 RS will not have 4 pots. 4 pots won't even fit under 15's (unless they are specialized rally rims @$300 each).

RS brakes any better than the standard fare? I'm not really sure on the difference between the WRX/STI/RS. I'm going to pull a hydro clutch set up from one. Anything else I should grab?

RoughandReady wrote:

NGTD wrote: No an 02 RS will not have 4 pots. 4 pots won't even fit under 15's (unless they are specialized rally rims @$300 each).

RS brakes any better than the standard fare? I'm not really sure on the difference between the WRX/STI/RS. I'm going to pull a hydro clutch set up from one. Anything else I should grab?

I believe that RS and WRX brakes are the same. (My WRX is an early build 02 and they have smaller brakes than later WRX's). If I recall correctly late-build 02 - 05 cars were upgraded and then 06 and up got 4 pots.

RS and WRX brakes are definitely an upgrade from standard cars.

STi brakes are even more of an upgrade but pads etc. cost $$$$'s.

Some cars, WRX's for sure but there may be others, got LSD rear axles. They would be worth grabbing if you can find the right ratio.

RoughandReady wrote: That Impreza is way too much money for the problems.

The funny part was that I was looking at it as a shell donor. I had been emailing the owner back and forth. He had dropped the price from $2200 to $1700 and I bet that $1500 would have taken it home. Then all of a sudden he lost his parking and throws it on eBay and they bid it up to OVER his original price!

I dropped out early because it was too much for a shell.

NGTD wrote:

RoughandReady wrote: That Impreza is way too much money for the problems.

The funny part was that I was looking at it as a shell donor. I had been emailing the owner back and forth. He had dropped the price from $2200 to $1700 and I bet that $1500 would have taken it home. Then all of a sudden he lost his parking and throws it on eBay and they bid it up to OVER his original price! I dropped out early because it was too much for a shell.

I settled for a poor man's ride, 95 Legacy wagon. $1200 and I drove it home in a snowstorm. I'll be posting it up once I get some good pictures.

So the RS brakes would be an upgrade if they're late '02? They'd swap to a Legacy? This is at a scraper, so how can I tell if it's a late '02?

Thanks for all the info man!

I had a '95 Legacy L wagon with 2.2 and five speed from 95k to 175k. Excellent car. Only thing I had to do more than once was the spark plug wires. Found that OEM worked better than mid price aftermarket.