*SOLD* My 2004 Blue "Premium" WRX. *SOLD*

[CAMAROBOY69]

Thanks for all the replies and advice. Greatly appreciated. Yes this will be a year round daily driver. Especially in winter and comes with a set of wheels with winter tires.

DD, I have some wax I will use for a while that was a christmast gift. Once that is gone or if I am not happy with it then I will try out the product you suggested.

Plans changed last night for the exhaust. Instead of running one solid pipe we went with a flex pipe after the down pipe and re-used some of the existing pieces. All 3" stainless steel. Still only 1 gasket as planned which is the gasket after the turbo. Moved the muffler back about 2" to avoid cooking the back bumper like it has been doing for a long time.

The car does run a little better. But I STILL have a flashing check engine light and its still running rough with a miss on WOT. The check engine code says the miss is from cylinder one. So I will start checking the coil packs and plugs. I have learned recently that this car has no plug "wires". Its just coil pack to plug. Interresting.

The bottom of the car looked fairly rust free. I didnt find any bad rust at all which is quite surprising for a northern car of this age. Its a little dirty from the recent rain. I noticed the driver side front sway bar end links is missing. Cheap easy fix.

So the current list of problems after looking the car over from front to back top to bottom.

1. Flashing check engine light (Misfire in cylinder 1 at WOT)
2. After filling gas tank, car will run rough for about a minute then smooths out. (guess???)
3. Turning heater or ac on will cause car to run a little strange.
4. Slight whine in transmission
5. Very small oil leak
6. Sway bar end link (easy)
7. Could use some new brake pads in the near future (easy)

So overall thats not to bad so far after almost a week of daily driving. I will just keep taking baby steps and fix one thing at a time. I have a 4 day vacation coming up so I will be able to get a lot done this weekend on the car.

Here is a picture of the Accessport I mentioned yesterday.

Wide band gauge?

Prodrive lowering springs

Holes for new bungs

Flex pipe with censors installed into bungs

Downpipe to flex pipe.

Final exhaust with Magnaflow muffler moved back about 2"

I still plan to clean the entire bottom of the car, remove any rust, and undercoat it.

 

[Slash]

Is the paint on the bumper melted above the exhaust pipe or is it just dirt/soot from the exhaust?

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

I think its a little of both. I wont know yet until I get it cleaned off. I am going to the bodyshop after work today and get a quote on having that part touched up in case it is burnt. Not sure if you read the entire post but the muffler was not installed correctly by previous owner. It wasn't far enough back. We moved it back about 2 inches last night.

 

[Grayfox]

Gold rims are a must on a Sonic Mica WRX.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Gold rims are a must on a Sonic Mica WRX.

I personally do not like gold rims at all. Just my opinion.

 

[WrxScooby]

Gold rims are a must on a Sonic Mica WRX.

Pretty sure his car is World Rally Blue, Sonic Blue Mica was a color that only came on older pre 2000 (I think) subarus. Sorry just being annoying.

 

[ND4SPD]

Congratulations on the purchase! She looks great!!!

 

[Slash]

I think its a little of both. I wont know yet until I get it cleaned off. I am going to the bodyshop after work today and get a quote on having that part touched up in case it is burnt. Not sure if you read the entire post but the muffler was not installed correctly by previous owner. It wasn't far enough back. We moved it back about 2 inches last night.

I did see that you moved it back, but you'd think being further away from the car would help it, not hurt it. Hopefully it isn't too far gone and it's just dirty.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Pretty sure his car is World Rally Blue, Sonic Blue Mica was a color that only came on older pre 2000 (I think) subarus. Sorry just being annoying.

I will find out the car color since I am going to the paint shop tonight.

Congratulations on the purchase! She looks great!!!

Thank you.

I did see that you moved it back, but you'd think being further away from the car would help it, not hurt it. Hopefully it isn't too far gone and it's just dirty.

Might be a miscommunication between the 2 of us. When I say "we moved it further back", I meant further back on the car. It was almost inside the car. We moved it to the back of the car so the tip is actually outside the car. So the exhaust will clear the bumper.
Hopefully this clears up the confusion. I also cleaned the muffler last night and I plan to polish it this weekend.

 

[SPhilli911]

1. Flashing check engine light (Misfire in cylinder 1 at WOT)
2. After filling gas tank, car will run rough for about a minute then smooths out. (guess???)
3. Turning heater or ac on will cause car to run a little strange.
4. Slight whine in transmission
5. Very small oil leak
6. Sway bar end link (easy)
7. Could use some new brake pads in the near future (easy)

1. Could simply be plugs. Good luck with that, they're a little difficult to reach.
2. How many times has this happened? Using the proper fuel? Fuel pump/ filter change?
3. That sounds perfectly normal, but does it make strange fan noises? I know the idler pulley for the AC like to fail on these cars.
4. Whine also sounds typical. Mine is so loud I can hear it over the exhaust.
5. Where is it leaking from?

 

[WrxScooby]

Totally missed the list of issues I'm in agreement with what Philli said.

For 3 can you explain a little more cause it sounds like normal but define strange.

4. Mine is pretty loud as well when I first got the car I thought something was up to haha.

The exhaust fitment sounds much better Im thinking about trying some different hangers myself it sits a little close, so it has touched a few times.

 

[Thatman]

Nice mayne!👍

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Totally missed the list of issues I'm in agreement with what Philli said.

For 3 can you explain a little more cause it sounds like normal but define strange.

4. Mine is pretty loud as well when I first got the car I thought something was up to haha.

The exhaust fitment sounds much better Im thinking about trying some different hangers myself it sits a little close, so it has touched a few times.

3. The idle increases when I turn on the fan. Then starts to run a little rough.

4. Ok so I guess its normal for the tranny to have a whine to it. That's good news.

Yes you need to lower that muffler for sure!!! At lest 1/2" to 3/4" or you are going to burn up your bumper. Also looks like your muffler needs to go to the right about an inch to be centered.

Nice mayne!👍

Ty.

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Made some MAJOR progress on the WRX this weekend. Most of my holiday weekend was working on this car.

-Removed and painted the windshield wiper arms.
-Installed "Impreza WRX" emblem on rear (was removed by previous owner)
-Power washed, wet sanded, and painted the spare set of Enkei wheels inside and out. Then installed them. Love how they turned out!
-Removed and painted the huge bottom bodyline trim pieces to match the wheels.
-Painted the little extra trim pieces by the rear tires.
-Removed the #1 coil pack and spark plug. Installed a new Eridium spark plug (still a miss with #1 cylinder)
-Installed Moog sway bar end link
-Installed my stereo
-Detailed most of the interior (still need to vacuum)
-Started polishing the rear muffler.
-Installed stock air intake piece that fits above radiator

Wiper arms before

Wiper arms after

Rear trunk without WRX emblem

Rear trunk after installing WRX emblem.

Bottom trim pieces before

after

Other trim pieces before

Other trim pieces after painted

Now for the good stuff!!
Spare Enkei wheels powerwashed, wet sanded, degreased and ready for paint. I will be using my other wheels for winter. These will be for summer.

I LOVE how these turned out!!!

Next I will be painting the front grill and front bumper trim piece gloss black. They are currently flat black. Also trying to decide which color to paint the calipers. Opinions on caliper paint? Black or blue???

 

[DDastardly00]

I went with Black caliper paint, it's less flashy but it still looks nice.

My wheels are a different color than yours though, they're British Pewter (almost as dark as Gun Metal gray but not quite). With your wheels you might be better off going with Blue.

 

[WrxScooby]

Great update on the car coming along nice and tasteful. I did just notice that the previous owner put on a STi hood scoop which is something Im going to do as well. I would do the calipers black and get a Subaru template and use the blue for the text. The side skirts look great I never understood why they didn't paint them to match the car though my 05 is almost identical on the exterior but comes with painted skirts....

Your exhaust fitment looks good to. Even though I have a high exhaust my hangers are really tough so I get almost zero movement and living in a mountain town I need it as high as possible I have only seen a tiny bit of the paint that has been exposed to heat what bugs me is its off to the side a little bit which is just because its a wagon and apparently they are slightly different underneath to the sedans :/

Are you planning for anymore power mods in the future?

3. When you turn the fan on do you mean the AC? Cause my idle will raise as well to make up for the slight power loss, makes it easier to drive the car. What you get with a 2.0L unfortunately.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Thanks for the replies and compliments.

Yes the previous owner installed the STI scoop because he installed a larger intercooler. So the STI scoop allows more air flow for the intercooler.

I really like WrxScooby's idea for painting the calipers black THEN paint the blue "Subaru" text onto the calipers. Killer idea. 👍 Any ideas where I could find the template? Or I could cut it out myself but that's way more work than I want to deal with.

I am not planning for any power mods. Just want to get the car running properly and get rid if the #1 cylinder miss which I still think is electrical. It mainly only happens at high rpms or under a load.

3. The idle raises just by turning on the fan to the AC or Heater without actually having the ac or heater on. Sounds fairly normal but with the car currently running a little rough, its probably more noticeable in my car. Once I get the #1 cylinder issue worked out, I don't think it will be as noticeable.

 

[Cano]

The car is coming along nicely, I like the black wheels a lot. Any plans for a bit lower stance?

 

[DDastardly00]

I would check NASIOC for a template, or maybe have a sticker place make one. Basically it would turn out something like this

Here is a different template style

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

The car is coming along nicely, I like the black wheels a lot. Any plans for a bit lower stance?

Thank you. The WRX already has a Prodrive 1" lowering kit and since this will be a winter daily driver, I don't want it any lower than this.

I would check NASIOC for a template, or maybe have a sticker place make one. Basically it would turn out something like this

Here is a different template style

I don't care much for those templates you posted but I appreciate the pics.

Now I know for sure I dont want blue calipers. I will go with black calipers BUT with blue lettering. Now I just need to figure out if I want blue "Subaru" or blue "WRX" letters. Hmm Leaning toward the blue "WRX" letters.

 

[WrxScooby]

I would just google around for some templates there are loads out there. I do like the WRX idea you only usually see the "Subaru" on the calipers so it would be a more unique idea.

3. Sounds reasonable to me, keep us up to date.

 

[SRV2LOW4ME]

3. The idle raises just by turning on the fan to the AC or Heater without actually having the ac or heater on. Sounds fairly normal but with the car currently running a little rough, its probably more noticeable in my car. Once I get the #1 cylinder issue worked out, I don't think it will be as noticeable.

Had the same issue on my friends Nissan. Pulled the MAF and cleaned it with some CRC MAF sensor cleaner (the best I've used) and cleaned his throttle body with some CRC electronic throttle body cleaner and it helped it out a lot.

When the AC turns on and the compressor pulley engages, it kicks the idle up on the car, but with the sticky butterfly valve and dirty MAF it was having a hard time adjusting. If your plugs are newer, than its definitely worth a try.

 

[SVX]

Nice WRX. Glad to see you finally found a blue one. 👍

I'll ask my dad about the issues you're having, he's pretty experienced with Boxers, which comes with owning 'a few'.

Keep up the nice work.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

I would just google around for some templates there are loads out there. I do like the WRX idea you only usually see the "Subaru" on the calipers so it would be a more unique idea.

3. Sounds reasonable to me, keep us up to date.

More than likely I will end up painting it myself and as you said, the "WRX" on the calipers seems like it would be quite unique and would help set my car apart from the rest with a nice subtle detail.

Had the same issue on my friends Nissan. Pulled the MAF and cleaned it with some CRC MAF sensor cleaner (the best I've used) and cleaned his throttle body with some CRC electronic throttle body cleaner and it helped it out a lot.

When the AC turns on and the compressor pulley engages, it kicks the idle up on the car, but with the sticky butterfly valve and dirty MAF it was having a hard time adjusting. If your plugs are newer, than its definitely worth a try.

I will make a note to check out the MAF and throttle body. Still need to figure out what is going on with the #1 cylinder. Could be a bad coil pack which I would not mind at all if that was the problem. That's an easy fix. We will ohm it over the weekend when I do the front brakes and all the other stuff this weekend.

Nice WRX. Glad to see you finally found a blue one. 👍

I'll ask my dad about the issues you're having, he's pretty experienced with Boxers, which comes with owning 'a few'.

Keep up the nice work.

Thanks a lot. I really do love this car especialy since its blue and the body is in incredible condition. Back bumper could use some touch up but that's minor.

Cant wait to get the #1 cylinder miss problem figured out. We can either ohm test the coil pack or swap coil packs from the #1 cylinder to a different cylinder and see if the miss swaps to another cylinder. If it does, then its the coil pack which would be an easy fix.

Oh also my car has some weird flap inside the car just in front of the interior dome lights. It is in front of the sunroof switch. Its between the switches and the windshield. I opened it last night a few times and have no idea what it is for. haha

I also plan to change the fluids in the car to make sure they are ALL synthetic. Change oil, change manual transmission fluid, brake fluid, front and rear diff. Everything. All synthetic.

 

[Ibonibo]

Wow, you're going fast with the shaping up the car.

Looks great 👍 Looking forward to your other mods

 

[Thatman]

Nice job on all the little black bits, people may not notice, but that's something you see every-time and its great that they turned out well!

 

[Fazerfan]

Congrats on the buy! Looking forward to your plans. 👍

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Thanks for the replies. Greatly appreciated.

I have quite a bit more to do this weekend so I will have another update on Monday.

Its crazy how much this car changes color depending on the location of the sunlight. Sometimes the car is very light blue, sometimes very dark blue, and sometimes it even has a shade of dark purple. So I finally took some pics a couple nights ago to capture some of the color changes. Pics still dont do this car any justice. Just crazy.

I love these next two pics. Shows the really bright blue.

 

[opelgt1969]

Got a question for you. Does the wife have a set of keys to your WRX and if so how many time has she made the mistake of driving off in your car.
It's looking great so far.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Got a question for you. Does the wife have a set of keys to your WRX and if so how many time has she made the mistake of driving off in your car.
It's looking great so far.

ahah No my WRX is a 5 speed manual and she doesn't like to drive a manual. So she wont be driving it. However, she does want me to paint her wheels black like I did with mine. So I will eventually be doing that for her.

And thank you. I have a LOT more to do on the car this weekend but I will post all of that on Monday.

 

[SVX]

Cant wait to get the #1 cylinder miss problem figured out. We can either ohm test the coil pack or swap coil packs from the #1 cylinder to a different cylinder and see if the miss swaps to another cylinder. If it does, then its the coil pack which would be an easy fix.

Oh also my car has some weird flap inside the car just in front of the interior dome lights. It is in front of the sunroof switch. Its between the switches and the windshield. I opened it last night a few times and have no idea what it is for. haha

I also plan to change the fluids in the car to make sure they are ALL synthetic. Change oil, change manual transmission fluid, brake fluid, front and rear diff. Everything. All synthetic.

Yeah, my dad had a miss problem on his '98 Legacy. Replaced the sparkplugs and coil packs and went good as gold.