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Heres a quick question from a newer Subaru owner. I've recently bought a 2002 2.5 NA Impreza Wagon and I love the drat thing to death. Upon getting it I changed out the diff fluids, drained and filled the transmission, replaced the air filter and changed the oil. Then I took it out and got as much mud as possible on it. My question is how the engine acts. My 2.5NA seems to be a little sluggish between 0-2500rpm. After around 2500rpm it takes off. Sometimes it seems almost like it just doesn't rev very quickly, even in neutral. This is of course completely different to my old 2.0L Mazda which would zip zip zip up to 6500rpm very quickly. Is this just how the boxer engine behaves or is there some sort of maintenance I should be looking at? Right now the engine layout is making me  every time I look at it so I'm not exactly sure where to start.
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Oct 3, 2008 03:12
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 06:30 |
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edit: poo poo double post
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Oct 3, 2008 03:19
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TurboLuvah posted:Don't worry about it, that's just how the NA 2.5 boxer motor is. My Forester is the exact same way. Its weird though, because its not lacking in power, its just delivers it oddly. On the highway when its already turning around 3000rpm its a beast when you put your foot into it.
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Oct 3, 2008 05:10
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funkyboogaloo posted:I think Subaru should make a new, smaller than the Impreza, 2 door sports car to compete in WRC and so that I can buy one. Apparently they are up to something with Toyota along these lines. Supposed to be RWD instead of AWD too.
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Oct 4, 2008 07:00
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evilnissan posted:I am in the same boat and most of the ones listed around here have over 100-125k miles on them and still go for $10k. Its hard to pull the trigger a car with that many miles for 10K.. Keep looking, I picked up my 02 Impreza for 6.3k Canadian a month or two ago with 90k miles. Its harder to find deals on Subaru's because most people seem to drive them into the ground but they're out there.
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Oct 4, 2008 16:30
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Another question. I'm getting close to timing belt time and I'd like to make a weekend of it. I'm also going to replace the coolant and throw a bottle of Subaru Conditioner in as I'm losing tiny amounts of coolant here and there and the coolant is well overdue according to the previous owners records. My plan so far is to take the radiator out to make it easier to work and then replace the timing belt and tensioner. Anything else I should do while I've got the rad out and timing belt cover off? Any tips to make the whole operation easier? Unfortunately I only have a weekend to do it so I can't really get into some serious engine disassembly but I'd like to replace whatever should probably be replaced along with the timing belt.
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Oct 4, 2008 22:45
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leica posted:So how are the Subaru automatics? More specifically, the older ones? The 4EAT automatic is exceptionally stout but one the older models you're going to have to look out for torque bind. If the car seems to lurch at low speeds when the steering is at full lock then you'll have to address it. Luckily its not a big deal and can often be taken care of with a fluid change and few other tricks. jamal posted:With the timing belt you should replace the tensioner, all the idlers, the water pump, thermostat, and radiator cap. Use OEM parts. You'll also need a gasket for the thermostat and water pump since they don't come with them for some reason. You should probably pick up some new radiator hoses, accessory belts, and replacing the front oil seals on the cams and crank is also an option. Of course, if they didn't leak before and you put them in crooked or mar up the sealing surface, then they will leak. You also get new seals for the timing covers. Which of these would you consider the most important? I'm not going to have much time and I'll need to use the car for work after the weekend. Right now I'm thinking just the belt, tensioner, and idlers. Its going to be a pain in the rear end to get in there again later but working with this engine layout is foreign to me and everything seems to take a little longer. 8ender fucked around with this message at 17:28 on Oct 5, 2008 |
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Oct 5, 2008 17:18
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jamal posted:There's actually plenty of room to work on all this with the radiator out. If you'd like a more detailed description on how to change one I can write it. If you didn't mind I'd love to hear it. I'm actually pretty pumped the timing belt is so easy to get to on these engines. Other cars I've owned the timing belt has been a nightmare to get to.
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Oct 5, 2008 21:01
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jamal posted:or if you have an automatic you can jam something through the access hole on the bellhousing to wedge up against the torque convertor. You can do that with the flywheel on a 5-speed too. This is fantastic thanks. One question though. I have an automatic. Where would I find this access hole?
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Oct 6, 2008 02:33
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DiZ posted:Great one, thanks to this thread I want to go buy a early 2000's WRX. I give it a week tops before you succumb to those puppy dog bugeyes.
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Oct 7, 2008 12:13
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idiotsavant posted:I'm a terrible horrible person and drove my '98 Outback into the grave by ignoring serious engine problems for 6+ months. With no garage (some things about living in the city do suck) and a dead, smoking engine, it was easier at the time just to sell the carcass. If you dont mind me asking, what engine problems did it have? Headgasket?
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Oct 8, 2008 12:06
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Haha, I found changing plugs on the boxer not bad at all. Certainly not as easy as an I4 where they're right there but all I needed to remove was the washer fluid reservoir and intake pipes. The only plug job worth anywhere near $300 is on a GM 60 degree V6. Now thats a lovely job.
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Oct 12, 2008 03:05
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Mat_Drinks posted:What engine do the pre 2000 Subaru Impreza Outback Sports have? Is it only the 2.2 or did some have the 2.5 as well? I believe they came with either the 2.2 or the 2.5 depending on the year. Of course the 2.5 for those years had the head gasket eating problem but if you're looking for a project car the new head gaskets fix the problem permanently and it would make a great project car.
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Oct 14, 2008 04:53
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Wrar posted:The exception to this seems to be Hondas. Hondas have gearboxes made from love and fluffy pillows of steel or something. Honda's also have the best sounding straight cut reverse gears ever. I love hearing a Honda back up.
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Oct 16, 2008 05:53
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Odd thing happened this morning. I started the car and while I was getting ready to go I noticed the idle oscilating between 1000 and 2000 rpm instead of settling down at 1500 like it usually does when cold. Everything seemed fine driving around to get on the highway but when I was accelerating to merge it seemed like something was holding back the engine. After a couple of seconds it stopped and the I had all my power back. Car was acting completely normal for the rest of the day. Right now I'm thinking fuel filter but has anyone encountered anything like this before? Its a 2002 NA Impreza Automatic.
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Oct 18, 2008 05:03
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Nostratic posted:What kind of experience have you guys had customer service-wise? The more I read about VW kind of being assheads to their customers, the less I want one. I haven't heard much about Subaru service, though. The dealership near me (London Subaru) was developing a reputation for being absolutely brutal for customer service until either the owner picked up on it or Subaru corporate clamped down. They got a new building, bad employee's were fired, and the owner even posted in some local Subaru forums pledging to not suck so much in the future.
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Oct 19, 2008 16:28
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Mr. Powers posted:I am pretty sure that the suspension bits for anything from 93-01 will fit, and newer stuff might work, too, with modification. I think the 2.2 and 2.5 are different enough that a bunch of the upgrades won't work, but there is still probably plenty available. It seems to me with Subaru that as long as you stay within the same generation (93-01, 02-07) and model pretty much anything bolts on. Hell sometimes it doesn't even need to be the same model.
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Oct 23, 2008 12:06
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Alzabo posted:2002 was the first model year for the WRX trim level of the Impreza in the United States. Also the 2.5RS only has the 165hp NA Boxer engine, no turbo. It does however have a limited slip diff and is about 200 lbs lighter than the 02' WRX so its not terribly slow by any means.
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Oct 25, 2008 02:41
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I think there was a recall for those year Impreza's specifically for it throwing the code so much. Apparently it involved an ECU reflash.
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Oct 25, 2008 18:55
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Mr. Powers posted:And yet despite this, I still believe that when someone posts a video on YouTube with the sound of rod knock coming from their engine bay that they just might be telling the truth. NASIOC's reputation aside, there are engines blowing up with few miles on them. What the cause is, who knows. It also seems to be abnormally high, since so few 2009's have hit dealerships. Yeah I'd say <1000 miles is a little early for NASIOC forum goers to destroy a WRX. However I'll also agree with others that NASIOC members do find out what breaks in a Subaru first and often in a spectacular fashion.
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Oct 27, 2008 15:02
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Can someone help me out with my shopping list for an upcoming timing belt replacement? Its a 2002 Subaru Impreza 2.5 NA. So far I'm looking to get: - Timing Belt - Tensioner - Water Pump and Gasket
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Nov 8, 2008 00:40
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Did the timing belt, water pump, and other bits today on the Impreza. Don't know why I was worried, it was easy as hell. Everything is so accessible and well marked on this engine. One odd thing though. Driving it afterwards it feels much, much faster. Like a big noticeable difference faster. Even the exhaust sounds stronger at idle. While I was removing the coil wires for the "crank the engine with a huge breaker bar attached to the crank bolt" trick I noticed one of the contacts on the coil was quite corroded compared to the others. I cleaned it up before putting everything back together. The only theories I have for this new found engine power is either that the timing was off on the original belt, cleaning up the coil contacts fixed some sort of weak spark issue, or that I'm crazy and the whole thing is psychological.
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Nov 17, 2008 05:56
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Is it normal to hear a bit of a clunk sometimes when the AWD engages in slippery conditions? My 02' Impreza is an automatic and I had it out on the snow today. Noticed it would clunk sometimes when the front tires first started slipping. After the initial clunk it would be fine.
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Nov 20, 2008 06:05
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We've got about a foot and a half of snow here in Southern Ontario and I just got my snow tires on yesterday. The car seemed to do okay with the super lovely all-seasons on but holy poo poo does it do awesome with snow tires on. This car is a snow destroying monster. Its taking me a while to get used to the fancy Active-AWD transferring power around. I'm used to driving FWD and fighting the steering wheel to correct. When I try that with four wheels moving I end up over correcting. I've started driving with mantra that the Subaru MPT knows best and its much better.
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Nov 22, 2008 08:10
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I got a new set of Goodyear Nordics (Ultragrip 500's) for my Impreza. This is the first winter with the Impreza and I think I'm a Subaru owner for life now. Its like driving a goddamn tank.
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Nov 23, 2008 17:40
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So two weeks ago I put my Impreza gently into a ditch at 30km/h. I was driving on an icy road with the bargain basement all-seasons (since replaced with winters) that the dealership put on when I bought it and encountered a sheet of ice slippery enough that no braking, turning or even acceleration could turn the car from its doomed course. The Impreza landed in the ditch in a funny way, back wheels right in the air with the weight of the car resting on the front right corner. It netted me a broken fog light and a dented fender. Everything just snapped back together like lego after the crash which was awesome. These past two weeks I've been hearing a mighty howling from the front right wheel, which was getting progressively worse. Wheel bearing. Since it requires a hydraulic press I had my local mechanic take care of it. I picked it up today and out of curiosity asked if I could see the old bearing. Mechanic said that it fell apart into three pieces when they took it out. The bearing looked awesomely hosed. The rest of the suspension checked out fine and got a nice alignment after the new bearing. Amazingly tough cars these are.
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Nov 27, 2008 04:01
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Turbo Car posted:If you don't get a turbo model, it's just about impossible to get it to stop running. Love 'em, rally 'em. Picture below. Honestly its still amazing looking at that picture that I slid head first into three foot deep ditch and only got a busted fog light, bent fender and a crushed wheel bearing. The car hit hard enough that the entire fog light assembly, grille, and that gap below the radiator was packed solid with mud.
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Nov 27, 2008 21:41
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Does anyone know where to find more information about the MPT AWD system in most automatic Subaru's? I understand it uses an electronic clutch in the tail shaft of the transmission thats similar to a motorcycle clutch but what I don't have any information on is how the power is being distributed in different situations. The only time I can really feel the power transfer is when the front (or rear?) tires are really slipping. At that point it feels like the computer dumps all the power to the other set of wheels and I feel a dump thump before the car takes off.
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Dec 8, 2008 03:08
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Mat_Drinks posted:Looking good! You're farther along than I am. 350 miles and just put my first tank of gas in it today! Waiting through the break in period in a turbo car has to be hell. Forbidden boostu 
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Dec 9, 2008 13:00
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dreggory posted:The rear drum brake is the hand/parking brake. Which, I might add, is brilliant. The first time I saw it I was completely confused finding a drum brake under the cap of the rotor.
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Dec 9, 2008 19:32
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ScaryFast posted:It snowed a bunch last night which was fun, but my hand brake is broken on my car so I can't really have with it. It's also slow to get moving in the snow which kinda sucks. Having owned a Protege5 and now a 02 Impreza the Subaru will absolutely dust the Protege5 in snow. My main problem with the P5 was that it was so rev happy in first gear that you'd pretty much spin the tires starting out every time if you weren't really light on the throttle.
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Dec 12, 2008 03:37
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CharlesM posted:Compared with the older units, the newer autos shift smoothly and use better shift logic. They may not differ much internally but it's much more pleasurable. However, I still would not pair it with a turbo model. The Phase II 4EAT is a significantly different transmission, even internally. Either way both models are tough as nails, which is really the most important part in opinion.
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Dec 13, 2008 03:52
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I don't get any kind of analysis done but my oil gets disgusting well before 4000 miles, especially now that its winter. I can usually tell how bad it is by how noisy the lifters are in the cold morning. Just changed it with some new synthetic 3800 miles in and its almost completely silent now. The boxer is a dirty, dirty girl.
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Dec 14, 2008 22:06
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MMD3 posted:gently caress, they can't be that cheap can they? Les Schwab charged her $85/tire for them. They could be this cheap:  Went into a ditch at just under 20mph. I was driving on a snow covered road, went to turn on a 90 degree bend, and got nothing. Brakes, nothing, last minute acceleration, nothing. The tires the dealership put on the car so that it would pass safety were the finest quality "G3000" all-seasons and they sucked at everything. The only reason I kept them around was that they sucked less on dry pavement. I have Goodyear Ultragrip 500 winter tires on now and my Impreza is a snow destroying monster. 8ender fucked around with this message at 04:02 on Dec 15, 2008 |
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Dec 15, 2008 03:57
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nm posted:This could be caused by a front wheel bearing failure as well. I crushed a bearing good a few weeks back going into a ditch. My mechanic said it fell into three pieces when they popped it out.
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Dec 19, 2008 17:14
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We just had a huge snowstorm dumping almost 8 inches in Ontario and it was hilarious fun. I found out today my Impreza can punch through heavy snow up to the headlights. No matter how deep it never got stuck, just slowed down. I "shoveled" the foot and a half of snow on my driveway by driving the Impreza back and forth on it until it was flat.
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Dec 20, 2008 00:37
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TeMpLaR posted:An STI + terrible weather is a recipe for amazing fun times. I discovered yesterday that if you go WOT on really deep snow there will be a delay of about 2 seconds as all four tires dig down through a couple of inches of snow and then you'll take off. Its about the most cartoony fun you can possibly have with a car. 8ender fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Dec 24, 2008 |
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Dec 24, 2008 18:26
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TeMpLaR posted:I don't know if these qualify as God snow tires, but they are pretty awesome. I have these: Goodyear Ultragrip 500 http://eu.goodyear.com/middle_east_en/tires/repository/UltraGrip500/index.jsp They are branded as Goodyear Nordic in Canada and are available at Canadian Tire. Fantastic tire in any snow or ice. Loud as gently caress on dry pavement.
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Dec 24, 2008 18:41
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choo choo posted:I think the saying goes something like "Turboing a 2.5NA is a lot like buttsex with your GF. They'll take it, but they don't really want to." Are the latest Foresters still using the SOHC 2.5 like the earlier Impreza and Forester NA models?
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Jan 5, 2009 07:01
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 06:30 |
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Heres a pretty specific question: My year of Impreza has a bug in the 4EAT transmission computer that makes it engage the transfer clutch in the centre differential too quickly sometimes, resulting in an annoying thump from the rear when I'm sliding around in the snow. Subaru has issued a TSB that recommends that the TCU computer be updated to a newer model. Unfortunately thats at least $500 to buy new. Would I either be able to: a) get my existing TCU's firmware updated at a Subaru dealer ? b) drop in a TCU from an 03-06 NA Impreza with a similarly configured 4EAT setup?
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Jan 7, 2009 06:23
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