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this was a compromise with my grandmother for agreeing to not buy a motorcycle while i'm living with her it runs and drives, is rust-free as far as I've been able to find, and was $700. came complete with obama/biden 08 bumper sticker, period-correct aftermarket head unit, pretuned to NPR. libmobile I love my prius way more than I ever expected to (that's a story for another time) but it's also boring as gently caress to drive. and while I'm stuck in suburbia for the forseeable future, with a pandemic on, I might as well find something better to do than play computer games. So I lurked the local craigslist and happened upon this. It's at about a quarter-million miles, but the engine sounds and feels fine. It's the 1.8L EJ, which apparently didn't have as many head gasket issues as the contemporary 2.2, or so I'm told. It's a salvage, from getting rear-ended about 20 years ago. comes with original dented rear hatch. but bonus: the PO said he got a replacement hatch, mounted it, but then it wouldn't shut because the striker and its mount got moved. so he put the original hatch back on and just left all the wires and the wiper fluid line cut. ok. also the driver's side exterior door handle and window didn't work when I got it, but I've already fixed that. there's a tiny bit of play in one of the front wheel bearings, and the PO said the ball joints and CVs had only been replaced once, about 20 years ago, but that he'd been greasing them. one or both of the right CVs are making a little noise, and at about 60mph there's a slight wobble in the steering wheel. So the suspension, while not currently completely hosed, will be there soon. the interior is in mixed shape. the plastics and carpets are mostly in pretty good shape, except the dash is partially taken apart from a botched attempt to repair the HVAC. The PO warned me not to turn on the fan because it had been shorted to the charging circuit and would blow the fuse if you turned it on  ok. There is an AC compressor under the hood, but it had no belt on it and the PO simply said "no A/C". ok.comes with an aluminum WRX hood, in the wrong color, and missing the scoop. Lol $700 was squarely in the middle of the KBB range for "fair" condition, and he'd been forthcoming about all the issues from the beginning, so after a halfassed attempt to haggle over the only issue he hadn't mentioned (the wheel bearing) I paid his asking price. Goals: i want to make vroomvrooms in the dirt, but more importantly, I want this to not just become a monument to my ability to start things I don't finish. I want to keep it running and driving. Any portions that'll require tearing it down below that level, I want to be thoroughly prepared beforehand and get done as quickly as is feasible. I want to be able to drive this thing and get my stickshift fix often. Checklist: get it registered pop valve covers to assess level of gunk? or drop the oil pan? change inspect un-tenderlycaress the HVAC wiring at least to the point that I can run the heater and defrost the windshield once i can safely run the heat, do a full coolant flush and inspect the thermostat inspect vestigial A/C compressor and decide if I want to repair and recharge, or simply delete and be fan & heater only the stick feels a little mushy, especially around first, so figure out if that's just bushings or if synchros are worn diagnose and treat cooling system leak drain and refill transaxle and rear diff with new gear oil Once the above damage control is done, THEN I get to start on the fun stuff total suspension rebuild front and rear with all new bushings, ball joints, and CVs strut tower braces better brakes (rear discs for sure, possibly bigger fronts) LSD rear LSD front? cage? port and polish? Bigger, longer-term philosophical questions: reassemble interior, or strip interior paint or patina smog-legal or outlaw Cactus Ghost fucked around with this message at 11:08 on Apr 7, 2021 |
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Jan 16, 2021 01:26
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AWD stickshift shitbox buddies
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Jan 16, 2021 01:47
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MY man! 
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Jan 16, 2021 01:56
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My favourite car was my 2.2L '97 Impreza Outback Sport, so this is great.
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Jan 16, 2021 02:36
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The 2.2 is one of the best Subaru motors. You're thinking of the 2.5. Nice shitheap. I want to get another very soon myself.
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Jan 16, 2021 05:05
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So jealous. The cheapest running/driving Subaru popping up locally is usually around $3k, and if you want 3 pedals that price goes up real quick.. no matter how lovely it is.
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Jan 16, 2021 17:52
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My friend sold me his semi shitbox ‘04 impreza wagon stickshift for ~500 with a blown headgasket - was the first engine i’ve ever pulled and I successfully completely “restored” it and sold it to another friend for 3k - which he drove flawlessly across the country, and then was completely consumed by a flood and totaled almost immediately  What a great little car - shouldn’t have ever sold it. I can definitely chip in some advice for this! 
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Jan 16, 2021 23:53
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Seat Safety Switch posted:My favourite car was my 2.2L '97 Impreza Outback Sport, so this is great. There's a reason I've put way more into my '99 than it is worth. Good job OP, now turbo swap it 
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Jan 18, 2021 05:49
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22 Eargesplitten posted:
Ohhhh I can tell you how exactly to do it annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd then OP will be Waaaaaaaaait I thought these cars were LEGO and I'll laugh and laugh and laugh about the little traps everywhere that makes it annoying as gently caress esp if you are trying to swap post MY97. Just knowing the irritiations and also the changes in wiring on year models saves the irritation so it's a "Ask someone" to be pre-warned. Also a lot of the info on how to do it has left the Internet as it was on now dead forums. quote:strut tower braces Front strut brace meant for any GC/GF/GD will work Rear I think from memory is actualy compatible with Gen2 Forester and GD NOT GC Brakes are a no brainer - GD 4 pots / rear 2 pots. Watch what hubs you use as ABS tone rings make for some differences if you switch hubs. Shouldnt need to, that is all LEGO in ease to swap. GD WRX brakes were on a car 200 kgs heavier so you will have a car that *really* wants to stop and will keep stopping.
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Jan 19, 2021 10:41
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bought a multimeter and a bunch of crimp connectors and got all the wiring to the hatch reconnected. door ajar sensor, wiper, and 3rd brakelight all work. soldered the connector back onto the rear defroster, and figured out which of the two blue-with-red-stripe wires was the defrost, and it's showing 3 ohms between the two terminals, but without any frost to de i can't be sure its working, but it should be. i even got the rats nest of crimps wrapped up and crammed back in, so the little rubber grommet tube thing is back in place. hopefully it doesn't leak. the wiper fluid line is on the other side, and i need some kind of double-male connector to patch it, and god knows where i'll find that the rear wiper blade spinning freely was just a loose nut Cactus Ghost fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Apr 5, 2021 |
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Jan 19, 2021 11:07
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CAT INTERCEPTOR posted:Ohhhh I can tell you how exactly to do it annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd then OP will be Waaaaaaaaait I thought these cars were LEGO and I'll laugh and laugh and laugh about the little traps everywhere that makes it annoying as gently caress esp if you are trying to swap post MY97. i'm still learning the vin codes. remind me what gcfd means? e: after some digging i found this: https://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/Vehicle_Identification_Numbers_(VIN_codes)/Subaru/VIN_Codes so gc is 1st-gen sedan, gd is 2nd gen sedan, gf is 1st gen wagon, right? also i'm in california so the engine is staying as-is for a loooong time, likely forever. i want to drive it, not trailer it Cactus Ghost fucked around with this message at 11:37 on Jan 19, 2021 |
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Jan 19, 2021 11:14
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OMGVBFLOL posted:the wiper fluid line is on the other side, and i need some kind of double-male connector to patch it, and god knows where i'll find that https://www.amazon.com/Windshield-Washer-Connector-OTUAYAUTO-Universal/dp/B07MZQY32N You may be able to find a single one in the Help! section of a parts store.
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Jan 19, 2021 15:39
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STR posted:https://www.amazon.com/Windshield-Washer-Connector-OTUAYAUTO-Universal/dp/B07MZQY32N oh, theres standard dimensions for washer fluid hoses? well that should make it easier than i was expecting e: this seems obvious in retrospect Cactus Ghost fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Jan 20, 2021 |
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Jan 19, 2021 22:54
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i'm bleeding the brakes (my first time doing this ever) with the help of a $10 kit from the parts store. i'm glad i bought the big bottle of brake fluid because good god this stuff looks like motor oil. the first batch to come out was drat near opaque
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Jan 20, 2021 02:47
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I like to just leave the bleeder open and pump for awhile to push a lot of fluid through. Then do the regular thing once or twice after. Also 2nd gen impreza strut braces don't fit your car.
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Jan 20, 2021 03:57
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OMGVBFLOL posted:bought a multimeter and a bunch of crimp connectors and got all the wiring to the hatch reconnected. door ajar sensor, wiper, and 3rd brakelight all work. sautered the connector back onto the rear defroster, and figured out which of the two blue-with-red-stripe wires was the defrost, and it's showing 3 ohms between the two terminals, but without any frost to de i can't be sure its working, but it should be. Seems like a cool project for virtually no money, nice! And I screwed my face up reading this word and was like "you fried it in a pan?!" 
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Jan 20, 2021 19:32
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saute window ala shitbox here's a pic of the old brake fluid. and this all of it together, including a bunch of clean fluid pushed through. yikes  I topped up the power steering fluid and coolant too, both were slightly low I was able to bleed the brakes without removing the wheels, since I don't have a jack and stands yet, but that also means i wasn't able to inspect the pads and shoes while i was at it. old dusty air filter out, clean new filter in Looking at jacks, it seems like the best bang for my buck would be to get a bottle jack that barely fits under the side rails ($60) instead of spending two or three times as much on a shittier floor jack, t/f? Cactus Ghost fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Jan 21, 2021 |
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Jan 21, 2021 00:53
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To test the defrost get a can of canned air. Turn the defrost on for a few minutes to let it warm up, then invert the can and spray it on the outside of the window where the wires run. It will freeze some water out of the air and it melts faster over the wires if they’re hot. You can spray a stripe vertically down the window and check them all at the same time. It’ll be easier to see on a colder evening if you can get one though you’re California so take what you can get.
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Jan 21, 2021 09:18
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Ooh that's a really good idea, I suspect the defroster on my Fit did not work but eventually remembered to bring a multimeter and measure the 12v across the terminals. It still doesn't seem to actually do anything so I'll this a try. Congrats on the poo poo box OP, cool Subaru. I also considered it but eventually passes as I was worried the boxer would poo poo itself somehow and I wouldn't want to pull the engine in the driveway during the winter. mobby_6kl fucked around with this message at 09:41 on Jan 21, 2021 |
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Jan 21, 2021 09:39
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Get a floor jack and use the central jacking point on the front subframe and the rear diff - so much faster and feels less sketchy. Put jack stands on the pinch welds on the side before you get underneath!
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Jan 21, 2021 14:13
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changed the oil and filter, topped up the coolant and power steering fluid. ran it to operating temp as part of the oil change and while I was in there, i (carefully) took off the radiator cap to take a peek and the coolant is still bright yellow and was flowing, so the thermostat and coolant can wait until i unpoop the HVAC and can flush the heater core too. I bought the wrong rear hatch lift supports (too short, they were for the 02-07 wagon) and have subsequently banged my head on the hatch enough times that i buckled and dropped another fifty bucks on the right ones. hopefully autozone lets me return the wrong ones, but if not i'll probably be able to unload them eventually on someone with a second-gen wagon. engine oil was pitch black, so i'm glad i did that. i thought about using ultraplatinum fancy oil but elected instead for plain high milage oil. I don't need the extra detergents and dispersants revealing any leaky seals yet. I did find a leak in the radiator. there was a quiet hissing sound from one corner of the radiator after warming and turning it off. there was some dried antifreeze around the sound and it immediately stopped when i popped the radiator cap. it seems high enough up that it's just leaking pressure most the time and not fluid, but adding the leak to the to-do list. i bought a bigass jug of 85w gear oil and will be draining and refilling the transaxle and rear diff at some point so far so fun e: i've also been hitting bits and pieces with simple green as I go. the engine compartment is coated in oil and dust. Oh! and the worn CV boot has now completely seperated and the CV is exposed the open air. no puddles! Cactus Ghost fucked around with this message at 20:56 on Jan 24, 2021 |
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Jan 24, 2021 20:51
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STR posted:So jealous. The cheapest running/driving Subaru popping up locally is usually around $3k, and if you want 3 pedals that price goes up real quick.. no matter how lovely it is. IMO it’s not a true shitbox if there isn’t rust. (I’m looking at you upstate NY).
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Jan 25, 2021 19:36
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ThirstyBuck posted:IMO it’s not a true shitbox if there isn’t rust. (I’m looking at you upstate NY). That's fair. I'm definitely not up against the kind of uphill battle I'd be fighting if this thing came from somewhere it snows. e: although the bits of surface rust ive been finding, i've been wire wheeling and spritzing with rustoleum. it's ugly but looks are at the absolute bottom of my priorities. in fact, i started to wire wheel what's left of the hood's blue paint and then said forget it, because even if i get rid of it all, i still have a hood with broken blue plastics and a missing hood scoop. Cactus Ghost fucked around with this message at 22:11 on Jan 25, 2021 |
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Jan 25, 2021 22:07
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woof. im glad i took a second look at the power steering. the fluid was way lower than i initially thought, because the little screen filter that drops into the tank and sits at the rim of the entrance was so clogged it was making the dipstick read as full while the tank was half empty. i swapped it with a much cleaner one i found in the assorted parts box that came in the back seat, but not before i got my little siphon pump and emptied the tank. freakin yikes dude, more opaque brown fluids that should be translucent and colorful. So I did the closest thing to a bleed i can do without unhooking hoses. filled the tank with clean atf (the specified fluid), turned the steering wheel lock to lock a few times with the engine running, then pumped out the tank again. more dirty atf, but much closer to translucent. i quit while i was ahead and topped it off at that point. lo and behold, the power steering pump sounds much, much less tired than it did before. now it only gets noisy in the last 10-20 degrees of steering wheel turn before lock, where it was whining across its whole range before. there may be more life in that pump and steering rack than I thought. How much should I expect to pay a shop to make sure the AC is completely drained of refrigerant before i start tinkering with the compressor and condenser?
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Jan 31, 2021 08:22
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I replaced the four cheap copper spark plugs with some iridium ones, the plug wires look fine for now and the multimeter didn't show anything out of spec so i just slimed them with some dielectric grease and put em back on. The car definitely feels like it starts a little easier and runs a little smoother. A couple weeks ago I figured out I could take off just the top plastic veneers for the hood vents (the faded blue ones) and since I could get those off I decided to finish what the PO started and wire wheel the rest of the top of the hood. I experimented with some 400 grit sandpaper to see if it might be worth trying to get a more uniform texture but nah. I'll leave that work for if I ever decide to paint it. I have no illusions about this thing ever not looking like a heap of poo poo, but it looks a little less lovely now. I mentioned earlier that I had been wire wheeling and rust-stop-painting any spots of surface rust as I found them. Well the front left fender had a bunch of little rust spots because it's got lots of little dents, and so now it had a bunch of black blobs with paint runs coming off them. So I decided to pull the fender, clean up around and behind it, and see what I found in terms of rust. Hardly any! God bless California. The whole thing was pretty well caked with mud and covered in two decades of dust, but there was only a few spottings of surface rust, mostly around bolts that had been installed before painting and so had bare metal under their washers. I got some brushes and hot soapy water and tried to get as much moisture-retaining grime off as I could, especially around where the bottom of the fender bolts to the rocker. The mudflap had mostly done its job but there was a lot of dust and some still wet (!!!) mud in there. Once everything was clean, I scuffed the fender and the stuff behind it with some 1000 grit sandpaper and replaced the ugly flat black blobs with an even coat of the same flat black rustoleum paint on the fender and everything behind it. I'll post some updated pics soon. I also dropped a couple hundred bucks on a new CV, two new wheel bearings, and some press/pull tools that should mean being able to do those replacements without needing to upset the alignment. This'll be my first time doing something like this, and I'm hoping it'll go smoothly because my prius also has a noisy CV that i've just been ignoring for the entire pandemic. oopsie
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Mar 23, 2021 12:10
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a couple years ago, we had a poster here who was a test engineer for NGK. the main piece of wisdom i remember from him is that spark plugs shouldn't have anti-seize unless they're the black uncoated oldschool ones. any plated plugs are supposed to be installed dry. it was a controversial opinion then, but ive taken it to heart.
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Mar 24, 2021 07:26
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That knowledge is widely available on the internet, but widely disbelieved too - the first link that comes up when I google "spark plug anti seize" is this NGK link. It's essentially the same reason you don't oil head bolts before torquing them, you wind up massively overtorquing them. Same with... pretty much any other fastener. totalnewbie is still here BTW, he's moved on to sensors (NTK division) IIRC. Mostly see him in the stupid questions thread. That said, it sounds like OP threw dielectric grease in the plug wire boots, which is something you should do. Helps keep valve cover leaks from causing misfires, also keeps the boots from getting stuck to the plugs. randomidiot fucked around with this message at 21:24 on Mar 24, 2021 |
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Mar 24, 2021 21:14
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Point of clarification: Did I miss where he said he put anti-seize on the plugs? I see this: OMGVBFLOL posted:I replaced the four cheap copper spark plugs ... slimed them with some dielectric grease and put em back on. You definitely should not put anti-seize on the threads. Dielectric around the wires is definitely a thing I've done before and had positive results from. (SN95 / New EdgeMustangs have a stupid rear end near-vertical hole for spark plugs that fills with water because the plugs never actually seal it.) STR posted:That said, it sounds like OP threw dielectric grease in the plug wire boots, which is something you should do. Helps keep valve cover leaks from causing misfires, also keeps the boots from getting stuck to the plugs.
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Mar 24, 2021 22:35
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i was indeed referring to putting dielectric grease inside the wire boots, to keep moisture and crud out of the boot. the spark plug recess is almost vertical, so crap will inevitably accumulate in there. there was definitely plenty that came flying out when i blasted some compressed air down them before removing the plugs although i did put antiseize on the threads. the idea that you shouldn't is brand new news to me; that's interesting. i'll take a second look at my manuals and see if the torque specs specify if they're wet or dry Cactus Ghost fucked around with this message at 23:30 on Mar 24, 2021 |
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Mar 24, 2021 23:28
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STR posted:That said, it sounds like OP threw dielectric grease in the plug wire boots, which is something you should do. Krakkles posted:Yeah, this! OMGVBFLOL posted:i was indeed referring to putting dielectric grease inside the wire boots, to keep moisture and crud out of the boot. oh, durf, i guess i misread or jumped to the wrong conclusion. OMGVBFLOL posted:although i did put antiseize on the threads. the idea that you shouldn't is brand new news to me; that's interesting. i'll take a second look at my manuals and see if the torque specs specify if they're wet or dry ...although it somehow ended up being the right conclusion, for the wrong reason. STR, you're right, you can get lengthy explanations online for both sides of why you should or shouldnt grease em, but i still defer to an actual engineer for the actual spark plug company. also i hate antiseize so any excuse not to put any on, ill take! 
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Mar 25, 2021 09:50
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Well gently caress me, I've put anti seize on the spark plugs of the last ~12 cars I've had - whoops! I had no idea they were coated, but is it all brands or just NGK? I anti seize the poo poo out of most poo poo thats exposed (northeast lol) but I guess it wouldn't matter as much on plugs?
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Mar 26, 2021 01:27
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I generally put a little dielectric grease on spark plug threads but no i've never anti-sized them.
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Mar 26, 2021 04:40
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Voltage posted:Well gently caress me, I've put anti seize on the spark plugs of the last ~12 cars I've had - whoops! I had no idea they were coated, but is it all brands or just NGK? I anti seize the poo poo out of most poo poo thats exposed (northeast lol) but I guess it wouldn't matter as much on plugs? I think the only potential issue really is possibly over-torquing them so if you don't go too crazy it should be fine. I still sometimes run into conflictig instructions or advice so it's a bit confusing.
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Mar 26, 2021 09:26
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It's also annoying when you pull out plugs that have been antiseized because the heat turns it into a gummy mess. I'm firmly in the clean and dry camp now.
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Mar 26, 2021 14:56
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Quote isn't edit but since I already wasted a postIOwnCalculus posted:I'm firmly in the clean and dry camp now. Ben Shapiro, that you?
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Mar 26, 2021 15:35
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mobby_6kl posted:Ben Shapiro, that you? 
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Mar 26, 2021 15:44
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I always have put anti-seize on plugs, but I also never torque them. Just get finger tight and then snug them up with the socket erring on less is more. But I learned habits 25 years ago working on old cars. And now everything I have is ngk plugs always. May need to research but I’ve never had an issue.
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Mar 26, 2021 16:18
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Voltage posted:Well gently caress me, I've put anti seize on the spark plugs of the last ~12 cars I've had - whoops! I had no idea they were coated, but is it all brands or just NGK? I anti seize the poo poo out of most poo poo thats exposed (northeast lol) but I guess it wouldn't matter as much on plugs? Any plug that's not black is already coated. So basically everything except lawn mower plugs and the absolute cheapest copper plugs you can buy.
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Mar 28, 2021 15:04
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i imagine aluminum heads are both more sensitive to over-torquing and less sensitive to corrosion, making it more likely that the threads being wet and the torque being approximate will cause problems
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Mar 28, 2021 19:42
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Wait, these have aluminum heads?  I've never torn into an EJ beyond spark plugs....
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Mar 31, 2021 09:10
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