garylau Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 I'm new here. I bought a '92 Legacy a few weeks ago, and so far, I love it (although I'd love it alot more if it was awd). It has 317,000 miles, but runs great. I'm actually pretty impressed with the car, especially since I got it for $250. It's from New Mexico, so it's rust free, but has peeling clear coat. The interior is in great condition also. So far I've added an Alpine CD player, replaced the battery cables and alternator belt, and ordered two pairs of Polk db651 speakers and a replacement center tail light piece, since mine is broken. I also threw in some Mobil 1 synthetic. In a week or so I'll be ordering some Falken Sincera tires from discount tire direct, and possibly a 4 channel amp and an Infinity 10 inch sub. Nothing too crazy for the audio system, I just want it to sound good. Other than that, it just needs a shifter rebuild, and I have to get the speedometer working properly. I will be watching for a good cheap EJ25, though. Anyway I just wanted to say hi. I'll likely have a few questions as I go along, like what I should do about the shift rod that comes out occasionally while I'm driving. I'll get some pictures soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 Hi! Welcome to the forums! The problem with audio on the first generation is the front speakers. The front speakers have a one-piece built on bracket that is impossible to find an adapter for. Trust me, I have looked EVERYWHERE. You can always fab something up on your own, but beware the dreaded bass rattle... In an old engine in a warm climate I suggest 10W40 oil in this engine. Before I bought my Nissan Pathfinder a couple weeks ago, my 92 Legacy was my daily driver. I ran 10W30 in the winter and 10W40 in the summer. Only buy synthetic if it's on sale, other than that go for whatever is the cheapest brand name out there. That engine was probably driven 317K miles on regular old dino oil, why bother changing to synthetic now? It's not going to noticeably improve performance if that's what you're looking for. I've run regular dino oil and synthetic in my EJ22 and didn't notice a difference. The reason I run 10W40 in the summer is because it's a little heavier and I feel it decreases overall oil leakage and consumption. Stay away from the EJ25. They aren't nearly as reliable as the EJ22. Most EJ25's before 2004 had head gasket issues. Infact, almost every pre-2004 EJ25 had head gasket issues. The EJ22 doesn't suffer from this problem, and it stereotypically has more usable low-mid range response and torque (Or so they say). Plus, it would be a wiring nightmare to stuff an EJ25 into a 92 Legacy. The engine will bolt right up, and so will the transmission, but the wiring is going to be a headache and a half. As far as mods to this engine... Check out http://www.Boxer4Racing.com and see what they have. They have a 3" aluminum MAF adapter for aftermarket filters, lightweight crank pulleys, and even complete under drive pulley kits. You can also get an MSD ignition coil for a Dodge Neon or an Eagle Talon and make it work with a little elbow grease. Now, on to the shift linkage... What exactly is wrong with it? Are the bushings worn out or something? What are the symptoms you're experiencing? Anyway, have fun! I'm sure you're going to love this car the more you drive it. Oh, and click on my profile to join the EJ22 Social Group here on LegacyGT. We're always looking for more EJ22 owners on here. We're a dying breed, my friend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garylau Posted February 1, 2010 Author Share Posted February 1, 2010 Thanks for the info. I'll figure something out for the front speakers. If I have to fab something, I will. The kit to install the CD player was a little hard to find, too. I went with synthetic just to better protect the engine. I figured it can't hurt. Besides, the cost really isn't that much more once you figure in that you can safely go 5k between changes. I guess I was misinformed about the ej25 swap and thought it was easier than it is. I'll probably take your advice then and stick with the 2.2L. Two problems with the shifter: It's a little hard to get into gear sometimes, which I'm guessing is a bushing problem. Also, the shift rod sometimes pops out of the rubber piece it slides over just below the shift boot. Thanks again for the advice, and for welcoming me to the site! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Wagon Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 I have a 90 so I dont know if it's the same thing with the speakers or not, but what I did was I popped the old adapter's rivets off from the speakers with a screwdriver and a hammer, straightened it back out and mounted my new speakers to it with some red glue to prevent the vibrations from being annoying. That way you dont have to do anything like making your own bracket while trying to avoid the windows and aim the speakers upward. Easy enough Just dont hit it too hard or you could sacrifice the bracket. Good luck dude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 That's actually a really good idea with the speakers! I wish I thought of that when my Legacy was my daily driver. As for the kit for the CD Player... I just took out the stock radio and screwed in a new one. The screw pattern is standard, you just have to contend with the gaping 1/2 din hole below the radio. To cover that up I just took the box the radio came in, found a nice solid black section that said "SONY" in nice big white letters, and cut a rectangle out of the box. I stuck the cardboard SONY "Cover" in the spot under the radio and all the guys at work thought I bought it online. When I told them it was cut out from the cardboard box they looked at me with surprise. Ghetto fab FTW..... As for hard getting the car in gear... It might just be an old transmission. Other than that you should check the gear oil in the transmission. It won't really make a difference when it comes to getting the car in gear, but it's something you want to check on a regular basis. Another thing is to see if the clutch lines need to be bled. Maybe there is air in the lines that are preventing the clutch from disengaging when you depress the pedal all the way. Something tells me it's just because the transmission is old though. You can check the bushings, but you might be scared to see all the rust on those linkages. Even with the automatic, for whatever reason the shift linkages always rot away very easily. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garylau Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 I ordered a kit for the receiver installation from a local car audio shop. It was a pretty different one, consisting of two steel plates. One was for support and screwed into the factory radio mounting holes. The other was black and covered the front of the dash trim. It looks decent, and leaves plenty of space below the radio for a couple switches I might add (for amp and fog lights). Funny story, I just realized I had power locks 20 minutes ago. I didn't see the usual power lock switches, and therefore didn't think my car had 'em until I accidentally locked them earlier. They used a pretty different setup for them on these cars. BTW, Platinum_Racing, your car looks exactly like mine. You've got better clear coat though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 LMFAO!!!!! Yeah right..... The paint on my car is absolute crap. There are so many scratches and dents it's not even funny, nevermind rust. The images in my VBGarage really don't do the paint justice. It's much worse in real life. All I cared about was that it had decent features and it passed MA state inspections time after time..... Most of the time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garylau Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 Update: I got the speakers in yesterday. I drilled new mounting holes in the inner door. The Polk db speakers come with adapter/spacer rings, and since I didn't need them for the rear, I doubled up on them for the door speakers. It brought them out probably about an inch, and they just barely clear the door panels. I had to drill new holes for the rear, but got lazy and only did two screws per speaker. They sound great, and will sound even better once I get an amp running at least the fronts and maybe add some dynamat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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