falco

Hi all, Here's a tricky one. Just hoping for some brainstorming type ideas. I have a 1990 Legacy GX (NZ new, if that matters). The clutch was slipping and the cam belt was due for replacement, and the engine bay was pretty mucky, so I decided to pull the engine out, do the clutch and belt, and clean (pressure wash) the engine bay. None of that was a big problem, I've done a lot of clutches and cam belts with no problems, though it has been a long time since I last did that. On reassembling and re-fitting the engine, it won't start. I've checked everything I can think of, multiple times, and I've run out of ideas. Behaviour - engine turns over OK, and occasionally pops, fires, kicks back etc. Never really gets close to running. Things I've checked: - Cam belt seems OK. This is the SOHC engine, not too hard to verify. The crank and cam position indicators seem OK, and the new cam belt's marks also look OK, so I don't think I got it wrong initially or that it's slipped. The belt was marked EJ18 when it arrived, but I expect that's fine (I know the EJ20 and EJ22 SOHC belts are the same). - It has spark (checked with the plugs out of the engine) - It has fuel (externally at least - has flow out of the return, though I can't easily check the regulated pressure) - If I give it a bit of engine start while it's turning over, it makes no difference, suggesting either that there's something pretty fatal wrong with it, or it's too rich/flooded. - If I put my hand over the throttle body intake while cranking it, there's very little (almost no) vacuum. I wouldn't have thought that was normal, but I've never tried that before on one of these. - Compression sounds fairly even. So - any ideas? I posted on alt.autos.subaru before realising that it's pretty dead there these days. Should have tried here first anyway. Also - anyone have any ideas where the diagnostic connectors on this thing are? I thought the ECU might have some ideas for me, but I'm damned if I can find that little black single-pin connector...

While I do realise that, it's more the degree of differentiation. Normally, you choose the model that you like, and then, yes, add a few options. But in the case of the Brightons, the number of options must have been huge, to the point that the 'no options ticked' model must have been like the NZ LX spec or similar. Seems odd to me. Maybe "Brighton' indicated some really basic features - 2L engine, electric windows, A/C (i.e. features that pretty much every car would have). Mike

Used the search, but unfortunately '20K' is so common that searching for it returns a pile of unrelated crud, and filtering further is difficult. I think that anyone who says 'search and you would have found' should have to post the search terms to use! Then again, got the flu at the moment and home from work, my brain is just not working. The ideas above seem right - the 20K seemed like a 'WRX Lite' when I looked at it. The spec level seems fine, but there's not many really flashy bits on it I guess. That's why I liked it, it seemed a bit more restrained than your average WRX. Re spec levels/badging, Subaru's approach to this has always confused me. I had a BG5 Brighton, which had pretty much every option available, but I saw other Brightons of the same year with almost no extras at all, really basic. The only common feature seemed to be the 2L NA engine, but even then there was the Brighton 220... I guess that's justified by the 220 badge. I guess the badge doesn't really mean too much! Mike

Thanks for the info! Yeah, it does seem to have all the WRX gear. When I bought it I thought it might be a lower performance version of the WRX, but I don't think that's right after driving it and some research. The non-turbo version is badged 20N. I guessed: 20N = N/A 20K = Kompressor, like the Mercedes naming scheme Probably not, but it's a theory at least... Mike

Hey all, Desperately trying to raise funds for Starship Children's Hospital here. We're doing the Port Pie charity run: http://www.porkpie.org.nz/ and the goal they've set for us in our fundraising is $1000. Our total progress to date: $60. Embarrassingly pathetic, turns out I'm terrible at charity fundraising. Just hoping that you guys can give us a hand, anything helps! Of course, the funds raised go entirely to Starship, we pay for all the event costs out of our own pockets. Re Starship: they really are in a bit of a tricky situation at the moment. The workload has been heavy recently, but donations haven't been great as a lot of charity has been going to Christchurch. That's great of course, but the hospital still needs to keep going. At the moment, they really need to extend their stock of assisted breathing gear. Anyway, if anyone can help, our fundraising page is here: http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/MikevanBokhoven/ Thanks! Mike Edit: Just a thought, we'll be having a charity auction at the end of the event, so if anyone has a business that'd like to donate something to auction, that could work too! Edit 2: If anyone wants to see a bunch of Minis, we'll be at the Mini garage in Newmarket at about 11:45 on Good Friday, making a stop on our way through Auckland. We'll be in a yellow Mini, number plate IR something.

So, I've bought an Impreza 20K (2001). It's a great car, but one thing confuses me... what's the difference between the 20K and a WRX wagon? I've had a quick look at a couple of WRXes, but I don't really see much difference there. I figure they can't be exactly the same, must be some reason for the different badge. Mike

Yes, the TS-R has a hydraulic clutch, was the first thing I checked. Sure, I'd have to check the diff ratio, that's OK. I guess my plan of attack will be to pull the original box and see what's wrong with it; if it's not easily repairable, just put one of the GT boxes in. Thanks for the info - keen to hear from anyone with more info, especially if anyone has any idea what the noise from the transfer case could be!

Thanks for the info - I have a couple of boxes out of BG5 GTs, reckon they'd bolt in? They look the same, but I'd like to be more certain than that. Though ideally, I'd like to sort out the original box, it hasn't done many Ks and still drives well, even with the weird noise.

Hi - my father has a problem with his 2000 TS-R. It makes a weird noise from the transfer case, a strange buzz that changes with road speed. I've been under it with a stethoscope, I'm 99% sure it's coming from inside the transfer case (not the gearbox itself or the driveshaft). The car still seems to drive OK. So here's a few questions: Is this a common failure? Anyone had this happen before? Any ideas what's gone wrong? I have a transfer case off a 1990 Legacy RS. Will that be a bolt-on replacement? Is it possible to remove the transfer case with the gearbox in the car, by removing the rear gearbox mounts and engine steady, and dropping the box down at the back? And lastly, an unrelated question. My old PC died, so I didn't log on here for ages. Now, it looks like my account vanished, I had to remake it! Do accounts get deleted after a while of inactivity? Thanks for any help!