tebbyj

+1 on this 2003-2005ish was when Subaru designers had it down, the Impreza, Legacy and Forester were all the best looking they have ever been. Since then its been downhill.

The Bosch ones are the non-protuding type, but i think you can get a protruding one unsure of the part # though.

Is a little harder on a 6 cylinder vs the 4 but is still very doable, you may need to jack the engine slightly to get drivers side out.

Well i thought i would make a thread to show people the information i have discovered about spark plugs. As we all know most Subaru turbos specify NGK PRF6G or B (Article A) spark plugs as a standard replacement spark plug, these spark plugs are a top quality Laser Platinum OEM replacement plug. Because of this they come at OEM part prices ($30.99 each at super cheap auto) now despite these plugs being able to be used for a much longer service interval than a traditional copper plug i know many of you out there wont leave the plug in for the 100,000k service interval specified. It just doesn\'t seem right. and spending $120 on spark plugs that are designed to last double the time they will realistically stay in there seems like a waste of money so i decided to do some research into finding a cheaper alternative. A As it turns out NGK PFR6G plugs are exactly the same as as the standard NGK BKR6EIX (Article B)Iridium spark plugs (except for the materials the electrodes are made from platinum vs iridium) the dimensions, threads all exactly the same. and they even specify a longer 120k service interval over the platnuims B Now you think sweet! i can save some money and get these for my suby, they must be cheaper, and they are, by about $2 (SCA price $29.99). And about you think well thats a fat load of good, however BRK6EIX plugs are alot more readily available and if you shop around can be had for $60 for a set of four. But not happy with this price i decided to do some more research and see what can be had for a reasonable price, you can get a NGK BKR6E copper plug for $7.50 but if anything this seems to far off the other end of the scale so.. i kept looking and thought.. What does Bosch have to offer. So using a cross reference chart i found that Bosch offer a equivalent plug FR6DPX (Article C). This plug offers a 50,000k service interval, and is a platinum plug (the same as the original PFR6G). Better yet this is available at a very reasonable $43 for a set of 4 at SCA code P14-4. C Now i have herd good and bad things about Bosch spark-plugs, but have run these in my car for 250 kms now and had no trouble what so ever. So if you want to save yourself some money next plug change go bosch, will pull these out in a few thousand and see how they are wearing.

How are you measuring power? is you volt meter all working correctly?

Rewire it with a new power and relay, using the original switch on gearbox then patch that into the existing loom to the bulbs. Be easier than trying to find the break.

Also try adding in some Proma MBL8 when you put the new gearbox oil in, about 50-75ml should do it. Its about $50 a bottle, but if its anything gearbox related proma will fix it (by fix i mean mask).

Very good read and makes a lot of sense, in theory. In practice when you factor in heat and brake fade, ABS systems (or lack of), wear and tear on brakes or suspension, varying road conditions and more importantly weight of the vehicle it changes things. After all there is a reason people don\'t put brakes from a Toyota Corolla on a Lambo or a Rubbish Truck. But tires are the only think that holds your car on the road so the best overall performance upgrade is the tires, and correct wheel alignment for your set up. Closely followed by weight reductions.

if you want to save some money on the Stahlcar one just buy a VAGCOM KKL cable from ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-OBD-II-2-KKL-409-1-OBD2-Cable-VAG-COM-for-VW-AUDI-/181172154161?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item2a2eb3af31&vxp=mtr Very cheap cable that is the same thing, and then get Free SSM: http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/FreeSSM.shtml same package at a fraction of the price

Sounds like an output shaft bearing, does it get worse on overrun or acceleration?

Check you O2/AFR sensor outputs, had similar issues on a GTB ended up being a bung O2 sensor. was stuck at .3v then every now and then would jump causing massive hesitation, almost verging on bunny hoping.

My Stock V7 WRX averaged bout 10L/100ks Mainly motorway driving. Best fuel saving, 54c a litre making a saving of $23, which i thought was pretty good.

No thats the WRX STI Spec-C AAR (Active Anti Roll) and was only available in Black Pearl and had one headlight was blacked out for a cold air intake.

Check the 02 sensors, they have a habit of getting \'lazy\' and not doing there job properly. Just doing it enough for the ECU to think they are okay. Can cause massive fueling issues.

I did think of this but that wouldn\'t make it run on 3 cylinders off boost would it??

Good plan. Have got in touch, hes given me some good options to think about, including using a V8 STI block and putting my heads on it. [quote name='evowrx said: Have you stripped the old block to know for sure whats exactly wrong? A free flowing exhaust shouldnt cause mega spike causing it to drop its nuts. No not yet, have just managed to get it home, symptoms are: -excessive blue smoke from exhaust especially under vacuum (ie downhill coasting), running on 3 and a half-ish cylinders, excessive pressure from oil cap. I intend to do a compression test in the near future just to confirm. I can get a full 2nd hand engine for less than 2k so am leaning towards this, but a rebuild with STI set up also sounds appealing just have to worry about the dosh.

Well after doing some mods on the old GGA WRX hatchy she decided to give up the ghost, in the rather un-subaru, different form of a broken/blown piston ring (or so im pretty sure) What I Think Happened: New Free flowing exhaust caused a boost spike blowing an already worn piston ring causing oil burning and combustion pressure out of the oil cap. Anyway, the question is where to from here?? I only have 2-3k to spend tops, can happily rip engine out myself but if it came to a full engine recon id leave it to a reconditioning professional. So what do people think? by a second hand long block and whack that in, pull the old one out and get it re-conned or... a full STI conversion... Opinions?

Well i would think that Subaru would design a cooling system to run at a certain pressure and to up that pressure might cause problems. My view, if it ain\'t broke, don\'t fix it..

Yes it probably because of the higher system pressure, hose was probably on its way anyway. Standard pressure is 13psi or 0.9bar, standard for most cooling systems.

You may just need to reset the ECU, you can do this 2 ways either by connecting the green and black plugs together and going for a drive, or the easier way is to just pull the neg battery terminal and leave for an hour or so. That should clear the code for ya.

+1 also get compression tests done to see if you have low compression in a cylinder. Do bubbles come out in the overflow bottle when running?

My stock V7 WRX is getting about 475ks to a tank (around 8km per L) with about 60/40 motorway driving, does that seem a bit low? I thought it was considering my old WRX was getting about that with straight through exhaust, and V7s are supposed to be better with gas i thought...

From the 1997-1998 WRX Workshop Manual Just so everyone can see what Subaru recommends (note point 3)

Its all opinion, Subaru recommends 5w30 for normal use (for fuel economy and emissions reasons as far as im aware) and puts it in all subys that come in for services regardless of ks UNLESS its an STI or is specified that car is used under "heavy duty applications", in which case it gets Motul 10w40 or equivalent. [quote name='Darkdax55 said: My car is a v2 wrx and i use Havoline 5w40. Would that be too thin then? Nope, what Timmah says

Its all personal opinion really but for your car id say 10w40 semi syn. I think 5w30 is to thin for most turbo subys.