good buy?

[daddywagon]

so i have the chance to pick up a 92 legacy wagon dirt cheap. its fwd but i know the local junk yard has the awd parts i need cheap. and yes it is a turbo car what should i look for before i get it?

[Legacy Wagon]

The FWD's are awesome. Bryan takes his out to the trails with mine all the time.

He can get through a lot of crap with it. Although since it's been raining a lot I did have to pull him out 3 times yesterday haha

 

To make the swap?

[Bdubs]

Was it turbo swapped? Stock turbos only came with awd.

[Legacy Wagon]

I think he meant the FWD was what he is going to buy and the one in the junkyard is the turbo.

[daddywagon]

I think he meant the FWD was what he is going to buy and the one in the junkyard is the turbo.

 

thats what i meant.

[daddywagon]

so im going to look at this friday is there anything i should look for?

[Platinum_Racing]

AWD, oil leaks (Usually just the valve cover gaskets or the cam seals, both simple fixes that you can put off till later), smokey exhaust (Indicative of worn rings or stuck PCV valve), leaking rear main seal, leaking transmission seals (Cheap and easy, somewhat time consuming), U-joints (Extremely cheap and easy), last timing belt/water pump change (Not a biggie, these cars are non-interference) CV shafts (Clicking during acceleration), Tie rod ends (They will make a creaking sound while turning or driving), battery (Cheap), alternator (Extremely easy to install), spark plugs and wires (Cheap, I'd replace them anyway), tires (Check the tread, wear pattern, and for cracks), vacuum leaks (Look for cracked hoses), brakes (Check wear and wear patterns), e-brake (Without it you may not get a sticker. Cheap and easy to fix though), AC (If you care about AC), rusted fuel filler neck (Common), exhaust leaks (Also common), power windows and locks, alignment. If you come across a lopey idle don't worry about it. Usually a good cleaning of the IAC solenoid takes care of it.

 

Usually when I buy a fix-er-upper I make a mental list in my mind of what I need to buy, fix, or replace to get the vehicle up to my personal standards. I start with simple things like windshield wipers then go all through the car, getting my hands dirty under the hood and getting under the car to see how bad the rust is. Regardless, these are solid cars EASILY capable of 200K+ miles. There are many members on here with over 300K and some pushing 400K. The Phase I EJ22 is a non-interference engine, meaning there is no harmful consequences to a broken timing belt other than being stranded. They also have no history of blown head gaskets like its bigger, younger brother the EJ25. On top of it all, they have self adjusting hydraulic roller followers that don't require any adjusting like the Phase II EJ22. They are pretty torquey for their size and extremely balanced. Like I said, the only thing to watch for engine wise is the lopey idle, but simply spraying down the IAC solenoid with some carb cleaner seems to do the trick.

 

Other than the usual car buying stuff listed above, look for rust in the area behind the front wheels on the fenders, in the rear corners of the rocker panels, and around the rear wheel well, usually in front of the tire.

[daddywagon]

thanks