Project RS

[ScottyB]

yay! this weekend should be fun. i think the shift knob will come in today, and this weekend i'm going to run to the local dealer for a gallon of Subaru tranny fluid to see if my notchiness is due to bunk fluid or the short shifter. and now i don't need special sockets to fit onto drain plugs or snaking a flexible hose down into the tranny tunnel to fill up the tranny! hallelujah.

the Subaru tranny fluid i'm going to try is called "Extra-S." it's actually Subaru's racing fluid and is surprisingly not synthetic. it's supposedly really smooth though, and lasts a long time. plus, it's not too expensive.

got a lock on an early WRX sedan rear sway bar for $35 bucks, ha! my stock bars are 19mm/13mm f/r and with the WRX bar i'll be at 19mm/20mm f/r. i was thankful to find an early one too, later WRX's have 17mm bars. hopefully i'll have it in a week or two, the seller needs to get it from his parent's house. i intend to complement it with a bigger front bar in time, since imprezas like a good front bar to help the crappy camber curve. i couldn't pass this deal up, though.

driving notes: after spending more and more time in the car i've really become fond of it. i can't say enough about how nice it is to drive a lighter car. not MUCH lighter, but right at 3000 pounds or so IIRC. steering feel is very good and i found it very neutrally balanced on an off ramp. the A/C compressor is a pain in the ass, it switches on and off every 5 seconds and makes the idle jump around -- i wish it would just stay on constantly. i'm really surprised at how fast it gets up to speed....great torque for the numbers it puts out.

next mod will be a helmet! i need me some autocrossin! the local subaru challenge is in november....

[PDenbigh]

Scotty you might check you AC level unless the on-off thing is normal for your car. Quite often they have a pressure switch and if the charge is too low it will kick off the compressor. When the compressor goes off the pressure increases, so the switch turns it back on. Pressure dropps, compressor goes off...

FYI!

Pete

[ScottyB]

the pressure increases when the compressor is off? i would think it would be the opposite. i'll take your word for it though, i know nothing of AC stuff. i'll keep an eye on it. thanks!

got the WC Lathe acetyl copolymer shift knob today (yes it's really called that). a real work of art, great fit and doesn't burn your hand off. Chris, the guy that makes them, even put a nice note at the bottom of the invoice to enjoy it. it doesn't change my opinion of the product but it's a nice gesture that you never see anymore these days when you buy things from people over the internet.

[Andy]

Scotty,

Go to Advance and buy a AC pressure gauge. Pete's right that it's cycling on and off because of a low charge or a high charge. Did the previous owner try to recharge the system himself? He could've added too much air with the r134a.

It could look like this or a pencil type gauge. Either way, you should check it out. Too low of a charge, and your compressor doesn't have enough lubricant, too high of a charge and you risk creating a pressure leak. Either of which will cause mucho bucks.

[ScottyB]

thanks you guys! i'm going to the dealer on saturday anyway to get some stuff, so i'll schedule a checkup with the maintenance department and see if they can confirm things for me. :thumbup:

[ScottyB]

well i found out why my shifter was so weird. turns out the previous owner didn't install the upgraded kartboy shift linkage bushings with the short shifter. he had the bushings in the glove box.

crawled under the car this morning and popped them in. the shifter had been up until now very inconsistent, balky, innacurate and difficult when going into first or reverse.

now it is literally a 180 degree difference. no bushing has any right to make this much of a difference in anything! hock: i'll still replace the tranny fluid as general maintenance but i cannot believe how much the shifting has changed.

[Nis01]

Nice work Scotty. I still need to change out those bushings myself, I've heard they really do make a world of difference. How many bushings did you end up replacing in the linkage? You get the shift knob in yet? I have mine on and loving it already even without the bushing swap.

[ScottyB]

Nice work Scotty. I still need to change out those bushings myself, I've heard they really do make a world of difference. How many bushings did you end up replacing in the linkage? You get the shift knob in yet? I have mine on and loving it already even without the bushing swap.

it's a great upgrade for what it is, i can tell you that. it's just one bushing, you replace the stock 1 peice with a kartboy 2 peice. the stock one is so soft that you can squeeze it right out of the linkage, you don't have to cut or burn it out. it's sitting on my desk right now, i think i'll use it as one of those squeezy stress toys. i wonder if the STi stock bushing is different?

shift knob is on, it's a very solid upgrade. doesn't get hot at all even in direct sunlight all day. way more comfortable than the piston knob for me. great customer service too.

[WRXtranceformed]

That's one thing you'll really enjoy... there is a great Subaru community out there and a really great set of aftermarket vendors. There are always bad apples of course, but I had some fantastic experiences.

[ScottyB]

woot! signed up for the subaru challenge @ turner field in november. it's an all-subie autocross event, hopefully if enough people register they'll be able to hold it. we need 100 i think, so far we only have 70.

i could probably have weaseled into a stock class but i just decided to play it safe and registered in STS. i'm going to get my ass kicked no matter what so i might as well be truthful :lol:

[.RJ]

subaru challenge

I kicked Evan's ass, in his own car, at the subaru challenge in Richmond a few years ago.

True Story.

[Evan]

....not going....to...take..t.he ...bait.......must...resist..
...asshole!.....

[.RJ]

I think I still have that trophy :lol:

(which was WAY cooler than any other autox trophy I've gotten!)

[Evan]

i got a trophy too asshole, but I did beat your ass only *supposedly* coned a run that I nor anyone else saw me hit a cone.

but you can take your 2nd gear in a parking lot with traffic cones, Im going home!


dammit i took the bait

[.RJ]

Learn how to race, autocrosser!

[Evan]

you mean learn how to autocross, racer

[.RJ]

D'oh

[ScottyB]

LOL, don't feel bad Evan, my theory is that the inner ricer in RJ reached super saiyan ricer power when presented a car with a giant *functional* wing.

kind of reminds me of the time Jay and I competed in his Si at richmond and.... :wink:

[.RJ]

Functional? They make great trackside breakfast tables!

[Nis01]

Nice going on the Subaru Challenge Scotty... wish some of those would be closer to here so I could actually attend one. Gonna take a beating to the RE92s?