|
Bob Log posted:Do you honestly think that particular choice is going to fix that problem? I sure doubt it. Swapped car will never be as reliable as a factory machine. That's why, while as badass as they are, I've always told everyone to stay away from swaps (especially JDM stuff w/ regards to crappy USDM emissions BS), and start with a better factory platform to work with (WRX) to avoid all the eventual headaches.
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2010 01:57
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 19:09 |
|
|
dayman posted:I realize all cars come with their own problems but I feel like a change. I've been craving RWD and an LS2 and it's just that time I guess. I really have no desire to own a newer subaru, they do nothing for me unfortunately. FWIW I don't plan on modding the GTO, but best laid plans and such and such... I hear what you're saying. I actually refused to consider a Subaru when I was shopping for a new car initially, but I stopped by a Mazda dealer in Sacramento and they had a 2010 wrx on the lot and my god... It was just so fun, I was sold. For the record it wasn't that guy that Axis guy, never heard of him. TurboLuvah posted:Swapped car will never be as reliable as a factory machine. This is true but my personal experience was literally fraud in the case of the engine that was built for me. A fully built forged internal engine is going to still see a lot of miles when it's not being tracked on a weekly basis. I was only planning on tracking/auto x on occasion.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2010 02:00
|
|
|
get out posted:That was debunked on Nasioc and IWSti. Someone went to the shop and took pictures showing how someone had left in a hurry. Boxes everywhere, unpaid electric bill stuck in the door frame. There was no car accident, he's just a shady gently caress that scammed a lot of people. Wow, catching up on the thread now. Ron had a pretty solid reputation and has been building motors for years and years. jamal fucked around with this message at 02:25 on Sep 29, 2010 |
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2010 02:14
|
|
|
jamal posted:Wow, catching up on the thread now. Ron had a pretty solid reputation and has been building motors for years and years. Yea, bit of a shock.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2010 02:32
|
|
|
Bob Log posted:For the record it wasn't that guy that Axis guy, never heard of him. Oh just tell them, he's not a goon. Well I don't think he's a goon... Clearly if he was he would have shitted up this thread at some point.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2010 16:31
|
|
|
dayman posted:...Or how it's a cop magnet while they ignore every single V-8 domestic out there no matter how obnoxious. Did you have a proper muffler on the car, or was it one of the ricey can mufflers? I ask because I have yet to be harassed/pulled over in my Blue Bucket while my 240 gets me regular attention. The only real difference between the two is that when I made the 3" Exhaust on my Blue Burgermobile, I put a proper muffler on the back end and made everything look bone stock. 240 runs a straight pipe with cats. If the cop attention is due to exhaust note, there is no shame in bolting on a decent muffler.  Have you looked at the 2011 Mustangs? Decent power to weight, an actual suspension system that lets it corner, and decently priced. I haven't driven one, but it's been getting positive marks. FormulaXFD fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Sep 30, 2010 |
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 00:17
|
|
|
FormulaXFD posted:Have you looked at the 2011 Mustangs? Decent power to weight, an actual suspension system that lets it corner, and decently priced. I haven't driven one, but it's been getting positive marks. And looks to die for! 
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 00:22
|
|
|
Amandyke posted:And looks to die for! Eh never been partial to the 'modern-retro' look, but if he was looking at a GTO there shouldn't be any reason not to look at a Mustang.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 00:35
|
|
|
Amandyke posted:And looks to die for! Are you kidding me? That car is 10x better looking than anything Subaru makes, and I loves me some Subaru.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 01:57
|
|
|
TurboLuvah posted:Are you kidding me? That car is 10x better looking than anything Subaru makes, and I loves me some Subaru. Mustangs are ugly loving shitboxes and even make the hatch look viewable without tearing your eyes out. And the 2011 STI/WRX sedans are a real aggressive looking SOB in the flesh, ugly aint the word I would use for it anymore.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 02:38
|
|
|
Sweet! Got the intercooler I won off of ebay today!      Oh wait... Not sweet. Save me Jamal!
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 03:06
|
|
|
FormulaXFD posted:Did you have a proper muffler on the car, or was it one of the ricey can mufflers? I ask because I have yet to be harassed/pulled over in my Blue Bucket while my 240 gets me regular attention. The only real difference between the two is that when I made the 3" Exhaust on my Blue Burgermobile, I put a proper muffler on the back end and made everything look bone stock. 240 runs a straight pipe with cats. My car has been tuned for the current coffee can exhaust, so exhaust changes will be pricey. I was indeed planning to change it (Borla Hush) before transmission trouble sidelined my car. You're right though, it is exhaust note and car appearance. Subarus at least don't sound like Hondas, but they've been garnering their own reputation. No matter how ear piercingly loud it is, cops love them a V-8. I've worked jobs with a cop detail multiple times and whenever a loud V-8 drives by all they can do is gush because they all own V-8 trucks and muscle cars along with all their buddies. Likewise for Harleys. It's hypocrisy, but  if you can't beat em...The fact that i can find an 05 GTO for around 13k whereas the new mustang retails for about 10k over that for the V-6 (which is no slouch but cmon) means it's not really on my shopping list. Reasons for the GTO: -Uniqueness (there aren't a whole lot of them where I live) -Sleeper look, despite my car's appearance I've always enjoyed sleepers -LS2, corvette engine for significantly less than a C5 GTO's are bargains for what you're getting. They're just a little big.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 03:19
|
|
|
I've never even had a cop give me a first let alone a second glance in my car. Hell, I blew past a bike cop on the highway once accidentally well over 80mph and he didn't even blink an eye.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 04:05
|
|
|
bull3964 posted:I've never even had a cop give me a first let alone a second glance in my car. Lucky you I guess. I know we're just trading anecdotes, but I've had cops tell me to my face that they don't mind muscle cars even if they're doing crazy poo poo. Let me ask you this, have you ever seen a Harley pulled over? Profiling is real, different cops profile for different things, a huge number of them profile imports.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 04:13
|
|
|
dayman posted:Let me ask you this, have you ever seen a Harley pulled over? Oh yes, without a doubt. They get nailed for loud pipes constantly.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 04:16
|
|
|
bull3964 posted:Oh yes, without a doubt. They get nailed for loud pipes constantly. Are you being facetious? If not, what kind of hippie wonderland are you living in? I've lived in New York and Illinois, driven hundreds and hundreds of thousands of miles, and I've never seen a Harley pulled over. Ever.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 05:15
|
|
|
Moruitelda posted:Are you being facetious? If not, what kind of hippie wonderland are you living in? I've lived in New York and Illinois, driven hundreds and hundreds of thousands of miles, and I've never seen a Harley pulled over. Ever. I'm not being facetious. On the rare case that I actually do see a bike pulled over, it's nearly always a Harley (and usually several.) I don't see bikes pulled over that often at all really though in general.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 05:18
|
|
|
I've seen more trucks, vans, SUVs, and family sedans pulled over then anything. Just don't drive like an rear end in a top hat on public roads.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 05:48
|
|
|
Amandyke posted:Sweet! Got the intercooler I won off of ebay today! Uhg jebus man, is that a TMIC? If you're going to those lengths hold out until I figure out how to do my FMIC and I'll give you the one off of my STy. On Harleys, of course I never see cops pull them over; they're always in the shop getting fixed 
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 07:50
|
|
|
FormulaXFD posted:Uhg jebus man, is that a TMIC? If you're going to those lengths hold out until I figure out how to do my FMIC and I'll give you the one off of my STy. Yup, that's a TMIC. I appreciate the offer, really, but unless you're getting the FMIC in the next week. I need the bigger intercooler to handle the HTA68 that's on the hybrid I bought from Bob Log. edit: In further good news, someone managed to dent my front passenger side fender at a meet on tuesday night.  Click here for the full 1600x1197 image.  Click here for the full 1600x1197 image. Amandyke fucked around with this message at 20:47 on Sep 30, 2010 |
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 16:37
|
|
|
Thanks, I'm going to stop by Precision Tuning and Akuma and see who would be better to do a stage 1/2 open source tune. Broken Motorsports is much closer to me but they seemed to located in the middle of the ghetto, and AZP seems to have gotten some negative reviews on various forums. I also found a local shop full of some shady characters, but decided against getting a "bro tune".c355n4 posted:Akuma Motorsports is in Morganville, NJ. They actually replaced my engine for me. Great guys. I do track events with the owner John. If you end up going to them, tell them Chris says hi. http://akumamotorsports.com/
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2010 21:12
|
|
|
blargle posted:Thanks, I'm going to stop by Precision Tuning and Akuma and see who would be better to do a stage 1/2 open source tune. Broken Motorsports is much closer to me but they seemed to located in the middle of the ghetto, and AZP seems to have gotten some negative reviews on various forums. I also found a local shop full of some shady characters, but decided against getting a "bro tune". Just so you know, Rich @ Precision Tuning is a shady person. He told me a lot of things were "wrong" with my car when it was fine. He just wanted to sell me parts. All of the good mechanics that used to work at Precision ended up leaving and going over to Akuma. Save yourself a headache and just go to Akuma.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 15:21
|
|
|
Amandyke posted:Yup, that's a TMIC. I appreciate the offer, really, but unless you're getting the FMIC in the next week. I need the bigger intercooler to handle the HTA68 that's on the hybrid I bought from Bob Log. That sucks. Do you know who dented you and are they fixing it? Someone recently did this to my car at a meet. Somehow backed into my parked car...  At least he is fixing it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 15:37
|
|
|
looking at bringing another subie into the fold; 2002 Liberty B4, stock, newish motor. Been keen on a new daily driver, and this looks like it may fit the bill. Gotta get it up on a hoist in the next few days and check it out properly.    Gen 1 Series 2 Liberty is coming along slowly, has whiteline works, billstiens, 6 speed and R180 rear end, brembos, fuel system and vipec. Just waiting on a motor.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 15:52
|
|
|
c355n4 posted:That sucks. Do you know who dented you and are they fixing it? Ouch that's a lot worse damage than mine. I have an idea as to who it might have been. But no one has come forward yet in the meet thread to claim responsibility.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 17:00
|
|
|
Good to know.. Akuma is closer to me anyway.get out posted:Just so you know, Rich @ Precision Tuning is a shady person. He told me a lot of things were "wrong" with my car when it was fine. He just wanted to sell me parts. All of the good mechanics that used to work at Precision ended up leaving and going over to Akuma.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 18:17
|
|
|
$100 and 20 minutes later: Click here for the full 800x599 image.  Click here for the full 800x599 image. Dent, what dent?
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 18:45
|
|
|
I am looking at getting my first Subaru and had some questions and thought this would be the place to post them. If I'm wrong someone let me know please, or if someone already posted a similar question. I started reading through the forum but have classes and can't read through 136 pages  .Looking at getting a Impreza 2.5RS within the years 2000-04. The reason for the year is to avoid the head gasket problem (pretty sure they fixed it in 2000) and to avoid FWD Imprezas. Plus I'm told they are cheaper to insure than WRX's and are better in a number of areas compared to a WRX. I am going to be looking at a 2000 2.5RS GC8 later tonight. Its a manual with 93,000 miles on it. Is there anything specific I need to look for while over looking the car? How should the clutch and gears feel? Tires and wheels look? What should I be looking for under the hood? This is what he told me about the car. It has the aftermarket exhaust, light body damage to the front side passenger door and aftermarket 16'' wheels. The rest of the car is stock. Also are there any main issues I should worry about with a GC8 2.5RS? Any that will kill the car within 30,000 miles or cost over $1,000 to repair? Any advice beyond what I asked is more than appreciated
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 18:56
|
|
|
Fixit posted:I am looking at getting my first Subaru and had some questions and thought this would be the place to post them. If I'm wrong someone let me know please, or if someone already posted a similar question. I started reading through the forum but have classes and can't read through 136 pages Make sure he has service records for the car or can at least tell you when the oil has been changed, trans fluid has been changed etc. I know on my wrx the timing belt is due at 105k miles, can only imagine it's the same on a 2000 2.5rs. Clutch should be somewhat heavy but should have a smooth engagement. Transmission should be a bit clunky but should not grind going into or out of gear. Listen for any noises that might indicate a damaged transmission while cruising on the test drive. Under the hood make sure that hoses aren't cracked, missing, damaged, disconnected. Check the oil to see that it's reasonably clean looking and not really low (would indicate he doesn't take care of the car). Check the trans fluid to see if it's dark brown or low. Ensure the spark plug wires look to be in good condition. Let it idle and listen for any noises that might indicate rod knock or other engine issues. While looking at the motor running pull the throttle to rev it with no load to check for low load rod knock (what I have), it'll indicate a spun bearing and that you'll need a new motor. Inspect the CV joints to make sure they aren't cracked or torn. Check for any leaks on the underside of the engine, transmission and rear diff. If you can get the top plug of the rear diff off, check the fluid in there to ensure it's in good condition. I don't have any experience with GC8's myself, but that's fairly basic Subaru checks. I'm certainly not an expert on them, but hopefully that should at least get you started. If you can get the car inspected by a reliable Subaru shop in the area if you get serious about buying it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 19:06
|
|
|
Fixit posted:I am looking at getting my first Subaru and had some questions and thought this would be the place to post them. If I'm wrong someone let me know please, or if someone already posted a similar question. I started reading through the forum but have classes and can't read through 136 pages The N/A 2.5 head gasket issues were not fixed until '03 at the _earliest_ and opinions really do vary. 2000 is still a problem year and given the mileage on the car, it qualifies as both a problem likely to happen within 30,000 miles and will plausibly cost more than $1,000 to repair. If you're in North America, you can't even find a FWD Impreza(or any Subaru) after '96 so that's not a problem. Other than those, CV joints were already mentioned above, and try and get a full detail of what 'light body damage' means. Are we talking soccer-mom throwing open her CR-V's door and banging up a panel, or was there actually a crash?
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 20:11
|
|
|
Cuntpunch posted:
This can't be stressed enough really. People *love* to downplay issues that detract from the value of a car. Talk to SeatSafetySwitch about that sort of thing.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 20:54
|
|
|
Amandyke posted:Let it idle and listen for any noises that might indicate rod knock or other engine issues. While looking at the motor running pull the throttle to rev it with no load to check for low load rod knock (what I have), it'll indicate a spun bearing and that you'll need a new motor. How do I rev it with no load? Is that just leaving it in neutral and gassing it? How do I check the CV joints? I looked up where the headgasket is, what should I be looking for for signs of problems or issues? If I spot it early would replacing it still cost over $1,000? In his recent post he put a picture of the door up, http://images.craigslist.org/3m03pc3o65V55Q55W1a9t295868bb5dc61c53.jpg I'm gonna look at all this stuff you guys mentioned. Thank you so much.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 21:43
|
|
|
Cuntpunch posted:The N/A 2.5 head gasket issues were not fixed until '03 at the _earliest_ and opinions really do vary. 2000 is still a problem year and given the mileage on the car, it qualifies as both a problem likely to happen within 30,000 miles and will plausibly cost more than $1,000 to repair. The DOHC EJ25s from the earlier GCs had problems with internal leaking - mixing oil and coolant and all sorts of nasty. The SOHC EJ25s from the later GCs had problems with external leaking - oil seeping out of the heads. While that's an annoyance, it's not the potential catastrophic problem that the earlier engines had. At least, that's my understanding.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 21:45
|
|
|
Fixit posted:How do I rev it with no load? Is that just leaving it in neutral and gassing it? The CV joints are the rubber boots on either side of the axles where they either go into the differential or the wheel hub. A big warning would be if you see what looks like grease sprayed all over the under side of the car around where the CV joint is. That'll indicate a damaged/broken CV joint that has flung out all of it's lubricating grease and *will* need to be repaired or replaced. Yes to test it with no load, just leave it in neutral (or park if it's an automagic) and press the throttle. However you should do this from the engine bay as you wont hear nearly as much when sitting in the drivers seat. The throttle cable should go to a throttle assembly (2 cables that go to 2 spring loaded pulley's connected directly to the throttle body). You should be able to pull back on the pulley and rev the engine literally by hand. Just pull it a little at first if you've never done it before, it's a little weird to have the engine rev when you're right over it. But pull it back slowly and smoothly letting it *slowly* build revs. And hold it in place a few times listening for pinging or knocking noises. Also a head gasket repair requires that the engine be pulled. Figure pulling an engine takes 2-3 hours and putting it back in takes 3-5 hours. Plus head dissassembly, cleaning, resurfacing and parts for the head gasket itself. Sockington has a few good photos of what an internally leaking ej25 motor looks like. Think chocolate shake, but instead of delicious chocolate ice cream and milk, it's oil and coolant. edit: Woot, found sockington's photos http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2814857&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=46#post377947690 Amandyke fucked around with this message at 22:24 on Oct 1, 2010 |
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 22:18
|
|
|
Moruitelda posted:The DOHC EJ25s from the earlier GCs had problems with internal leaking - mixing oil and coolant and all sorts of nasty. The SOHC EJ25s from the later GCs had problems with external leaking - oil seeping out of the heads. While that's an annoyance, it's not the potential catastrophic problem that the earlier engines had. You're quite right. So long as he continues to dump coolant into the car, affected SOHC's shouldn't have actual engine-damage issues. I was more referring to the fact that it is an issue, that will likely hit within the next 30,000 miles, and will cost more than $1,000 to fix - two clauses he explicitly wanted to avoid. I suppose I just find cars that go through (potentially) litres of coolant a month to be a 'needs to be fixed ASAP' rather than a 'can let it go for another year or two' problem. Plus, depending on location, driving details, etc - it could potentially be a cooling hazard for someone that sits in traffic in 100 degree summer heat for an hour a day.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 22:46
|
|
|
kaws! posted:looking at bringing another subie into the fold; Join the NSW WRX club - you can join now with ANY Subaru, not just a turbo one
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 22:57
|
|
|
Cuntpunch posted:I suppose I just find cars that go through (potentially) litres of coolant a month to be a 'needs to be fixed ASAP' rather than a 'can let it go for another year or two' problem. Plus, depending on location, driving details, etc - it could potentially be a cooling hazard for someone that sits in traffic in 100 degree summer heat for an hour a day. I agree with this. Don't want to be pumping coolant into the car every few days. I'm in WA so heat isn't an issue, but spending money on coolant to temporarily fix a problem is. Amandyke posted:The throttle cable should go to a throttle assembly (2 cables that go to 2 spring loaded pulley's connected directly to the throttle body). You should be able to pull back on the pulley and rev the engine literally by hand. Just pull it a little at first if you've never done it before, it's a little weird to have the engine rev when you're right over it. But pull it back slowly and smoothly letting it *slowly* build revs. And hold it in place a few times listening for pinging or knocking noises. I'll look for it and try it. If I can't find it I'll probably ask the guy to sit in the car and do it for me that way. Is it ok if I say I want my mechanic to take a deeper look at the car before I purchase it? Or have him get someone to do a checkup on it and I can look at the report? I'm gonna see it in the next hour. Hopefully I don't miss anything big.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 23:01
|
|
|
Fixit posted:Is it ok if I say I want my mechanic to take a deeper look at the car before I purchase it? Or have him get someone to do a checkup on it and I can look at the report? If he refuses to allow you to have a mechanic do a look over on the car, he's trying to hide something. It's completely reasonable to want your multi-thousand dollar investment to be looked at by a professional before you throw money at him like a stripper in the champagne room.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 23:12
|
|
|
It might be worthwhile to take it to a body guy for an estimate after you take the car to be mechanically inspected as well. A good body estimate would probably have saved me a ton of aggravation early on.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2010 23:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 19:09 |
|
|
Regarding EJ25 head gaskets... both the phase 1's (DOHC, '95-99 I think) and phase 2 (SOHC, '99-03 I think) had problems. Sure, the phase 1's had a worse problem, but you're not avoiding any issues by getting a 2000. At this age, I wouldn't recommend buying ANY '95-'03 Subaru without making sure the head gasket has been replaced (unless it only has 20k or something absurdly low). When I was shopping for Subarus a while back, I was looking for a slightly higher mileage one (60k-200k, whatever). I found that nearly all of them for sale in this range had their HG replaced at some time in the past... so it was a complete non-issue. I've read that EJ25's with replaced HG's have almost a nearly 0% re-failure rate. If I encountered one on the factory HG's, I wouldn't have bought it. So, to summarize my advice, don't limit the year of Subaru you're going to buy because of potential HG issues, but do make sure that any car you buy older than '03 or so has had it's HG replaced.
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2010 03:11
|
|