legacycentral bbs

You'll never guess what,Say hello to a proud new owner of a 1991 Subaru Legacy Turbo.And not just anyone,the elusive 5 spd.Can you guys tell me the stuff that i should look out for.B.T.W this car came with an air intake cone,B.O.V,and thats about all i noticed under the hood.thanks.picking it up on Friday.

Congrats on the purchase!

Nice to see another local picking one of these fine cars up... click on the link down below for the Toronto Subaru club... our Legacy club is pretty active and there's a few of us on there with the old models... if you'd like any advice just feel free to ask!

See if the previous owner still has the original air-filter box and stock bypass valve. You probably want to put both of those back on.

And welcome to boost! You'll understand us forced aspiration guys better once you drive your car a couple of times (especially on the highway )

Congrats! I have seen two Legacy Turbos in my whole life... One was a 93 or 94 wagon, in terrible condition, and it literally made me want to cry. The other is Subi Chicky's ex-BF's 91 Turbo sedan. He bought it for $800 ( ) and made a simply beautiful car out of it. Too bad he won't participate here...

I've been really bad lately about finding fantastic Subies that fall into the wrong hands. That's why I won't part with my car and why I bought the XT. So I'm glad to hear another one has found a good home

Welcome,great cars enjoy. Something to look for, check your timing belt cover for oil at the bottom. If there's any oil you may want to rebuild the front end..ie..crank and cam seals,timing belt,thermostat and water pump.
Every subaru owner I have ever met has had a blown crank seal at some point. Already replaced my wifes 98 Forester crank/cam seals and my 92 legacy ss currently has blown seals( have parts doing work next week)so it's a weak point.

thanks guys.the original owner did not have the stock airbox.however i have one in my garage from my automatic wagon.will that fit?

Welcome to the 'turbo' club. My Legacy is my first ever turbo car and I reckon I'll really struggle to go back to NA...

Will we see some pictures soon?

I just picked up my car yesterday and i couldnt get out of it. Drove along side a GTi and a Grand Prix GTP and dusted them.I already got compliments on my first day on owning this car.Buddy tells me that this car is a real sleeper.However I need to know if the airbox from a 1990 wagon fits in the turbo,why does the car kinda of grind when i shift to fourth quickly with the clutch fully depressed,and where do these two loose vacumm hose plug in.I have temporarily put two screws in them to keep vacumm.well I appreciate any responses,and lastly Inzomniac and MikeC can we meet up someday,i really need you guys to teach me about this car.THANKS

Welcome aboard. Great to see another Canadian Turbo owner

Mark,

Jr.SubaruLvr wrote:However I need to know if the airbox from a 1990 wagon fits in the turbo

I believe it does. Be sure to use the correct mass airflow sensor.

why does the car kinda of grind when i shift to fourth quickly with the clutch fully depressed

Your fourth gear synchronizer is likely a little worn out. The synchros in the Legacy Turbos are kind of a weak point (the synchros have been redesigned since). You might try changing your gear oil. There are other posts on this BBS about what kind of oil is good. Also, just try to avoid shifting to 4th too quickly. :)

and where do these two loose vacumm hose plug in.I have temporarily put two screws in them to keep vacumm.

Can you be more specific about which hoses these two are? Where do they come from on the manifold?

Jr.SubaruLvr wrote:why does the car kinda of grind when i shift to fourth quickly with the clutch fully depressed

My turbo does this too (well, it does have the original gearbox...) I take more time shifting gear to allow the synchromesh to catch up. Mine always crunches into reverse too. When I did my police training they told me that I should always treat moving the gearshift as two distinct movements as it's easier on the gearbox - first to second in their thinking goes "first to center of shift, then center to second". Try it - you don't lose a lot of time and it makes your changes much smoother!

Reverse has no synchronizer so it will always grind if speeds aren't matched up correctly.

To make sure reverse never grinds, make sure the car is stationary and in a forward gear right before you shift into reverse.

If you are shifting into reverse from a standstill (like when backing out of a parking spot), shift into first, second, third, or fourth just before shifting into reverse (you can't use fifth because there's a cam-lock thingie in there to keep you from shifting from fifth directly into reverse). The synchronizer on the forward gear will stop the transmission shaft.

If you are moving forward and are going to shift into reverse, come to a full stop with the clutch disengaged but with the shift lever still in whatever forward gear you were in, and then shift into reverse. (You'll also find that this trick makes it easier to shift into first after a stop sign, too.)

I just took my scooby to the dealer and they wanted $1500 for a new clutch and i also have to change the driveshaft in the front,something i cant afford.
yeah,you guys are dead on about the gears grinding.gotta take it easy.could it be related to the clutch?My clutch is engaging kinda high.also i noticed that the car shudders alot at start up.And when i floor it the rpms rise quickly but the car doesnt seem to pick up.The 2 hoses i was descrbing i believe belong to the air intake.not sure.If i had a digi cam i will take pictures.I'm starting to think i bought a lemon.

Which dealer? I asked at Marino's in Etobicoke and C & C Motors in Ajax, and was quoted around 1100. Or does that include the price of the new driveshaft?

My 3rd gear grinds if I shift as fast I'm told I'm supposed to. If I slow down and give the synchro time, it goes in fine. I have no idea what gear oil is in there, but I'm gonna start playing around with it sometime this year.

Oh yeah: Did you see my question in your post about the tranny mount? Are you still interested in parting with it?

I urge you all to read my stickied thread "Grinding synchros..." in the Drivetrain forum!! I've been through this and know what to do!

vrg3 wrote:Reverse has no synchronizer so it will always grind if speeds aren't matched up correctly.

Thanks vrg3 - you learn something new each and every day!

Sure thing. Very few cars have synchronizers on reverse. My girlfriend's dad's 1995 Volvo 850 GLT is one of them though -- it's weird! :)

Definitely read through subyluvr2212's thread. I just swapped out whatever fluid I had in there before (which smelled terrible, by the way!) for Castrol dino like he suggests and shifting improved hugely.

Cool - been there, read it, may go and change my gearbox oil now. Don't want to appear stupid, but where is the oil filler for the gearbox?

You fill it through the dipstick hole.

It's an easy job. Drive the car around to warm the gear oil up, jack the car up, put it on stands, put a pan under the drain plug, remove the dipstick, remove the plug (21mm hex head), let it drain out, put the plug back on (I think you can reuse the plastic gasket), torque it to around 45 foot-pounds, fill it up most of the way (I think FWD capacity is 3.5 quarts and 4WD capacity is 4.2 quarts), then check the dipstick reading and go from there.

I went to downtown Subaru and they told me i should be looking for at least $1500 if not more.Anyways i went and asked an online retailer and he quoted me $195 + $45 shipping for the clutch kit.Good Deal? By the way the service guy told me that the two hoses were actually from a boost gauge that the original owner removed.I got the stock airbox back on and the car idles so much smoother as well.changed all plugs may have helped too.When i have time i will attempt to change the tranny oil.And Yes i have read the post.Very helpful may i add.Thanks Guys

I think its important for everyone to not miss this qoute

got the stock airbox back on and the car idles so much smoother

Just more proof that "Cold Air Intakes" and "Cone filters" are usually detrimental to performance if they aren't designed well.

Give Marino's in Etobicoke a call (416-252-5055) and see how much they want. They'll even do the install if you decide to grab the clutch off that online retailer. They've always been able to help me when I've had problems with either of the Subaru's I've owned so far. The Toronto Subaru Club can also speak highly of them.

STAY AWAY FROM DOWNTOWN SUBARU!!!!

my 2cents...

i'm sorry to bother all you guys but i did a check engine code read and got the following codes: 22,23,24,44,45,49. I looked up all those codes on Josh's website and found out what the are.However as i looked it up in my chiltons, it give me a useless picture that did not tell me anything.
I still cant find the knock sensor or the air control valve.Add to the fact that sometimes when i give it gas the rpm rises quickly almost redline but the car doesnt move any faster.Is that the way turbos are,(this is my first)or is there something wrong?Please Help. THANKS VERY MUCH.