advice please..

[boabster]

right guys i havea early 93 L plate wrx........

it has a exhaust,,no cat and apart from that is is standard..

what can i do for more power?

very new to turbocharged cars so not quite clued up yet.

also what needs done to if possible make the car run on unleaded? (optimax a bit pricey)

can the car be chipped ...etc etc and who or were is the best place to get this kind of work done..

advice much apresiated guys thanks

[dougster]

First bit of advice would be run it on OPTIMAX all the time.

If you want more power and safety, octane booster will aslo help.

That's the cost you have to face if you want to run a Scooby without melting piston 3!!

[Bladerider]

To start with, get yourself a "Z4" ECU from a later car. You can ocasionally find them for sale either here, Scoobynet, or Ebay. A bit more power right across the rev range and a bit better MPG as well.

If money is no object then get an Apexi power FC or Gems ECU. Custom mapped to your car.

[boabster]

cheers bladerider..just a case of finding a scrap or breaking ecu and would it plug straight in..

using the same ecu harnes thats already there.

later...as in say a 96 model wrx

[Chris_B]

Uprated fuel pump and a Knocklink.

Scoobyecu are very rare but iirc they are mapped for unleaded.

[the squiggle]

<< First bit of advice would be run it on OPTIMAX all the time.

If you want more power and safety, octane booster will aslo help.

That's the cost you have to face if you want to run a Scooby without melting piston 3!! >>

Beg to differ on that one

Main cause of No3 piston dying is the fuel system not up to task of supplying enough fuel to maintain a rich enough mixture at the top of the rev range.

Not using OPTIMAX as a minimum will cause all your pistons to die, not just number 3

Z4 ECU was fitted to the 95 and 96 WRX saloons

Best advise i can give a to a new Scooby owner

Do NOT hold your car flat out on the motorway for any prolonged period of time. Import cars were not designed to exceed 112 mph. Over 100 mph and the top mount intercooler starts to lose efficiency and the intake charge starts to rise which in turn will melt your pistons.

First purchase should be a devise called a Knocklink, a device which gives a visual indication of nasty noises occuring inside the engine, which will give you early warning that all is not well within the engine

Grant

[boabster]

cheers grant mate..a knock link

were can i get hold of one of those

[the squiggle]

There is a group buy on Scoobynet on Lambdalink and Knocklink's. This will get you one brand new for the cheapest price. This is due to the bulk purchase aspect of it. Failing that type "Knocklink" into Google and it should list a few UK stockists. Price new is about £120 and second hand is about £70-£80

Grant

[the squiggle]

Boabster, where are you from?

Grant

[boabster]

im from glasgow...cardonald college area

[wrxmania]

Hello Boabster!

[boabster]

hi wrx mania.......

[the squiggle]

<< im from glasgow...cardonald college area >>

I am from Paisley near to Penilee so if you ever want to meet up to ask questions about your new car then not a problem

Grant

[wrxmania]

That may be safe - just STAY AWAY FROM BURGERS BOABSTER!!!!!

[boabster]

cheers grant thats great........il give you a shout

wrx mania??.....not sure what you mean mate (stay away from burgers lol)

[dougster]

Boabster, ignore Brain.

He is a muppet that replys to every post without realising you don't know the story behind it.

You will get to know him m8 and he is harmless!!!

See you around and gimme a shout if you need a translation of Squirrels tech talk!!!!!

[wrxmania]

[spooks]

About alls I can say is I agree with squirrel , you gotta have optimax and octane booster on an import. Knocklink is a must but it dont have make ya paranoid

I notice ya said your new to turbo's. please try let em warm up before the inevitable kicking and let then cool down not only at the side of the road, take a few miles off boost as well. Regular oil changes etc will all save yer turbo to fight another day

Spooks

[McGoo]

Boabster hi !!

Here's some advice from a "Newbie".

I have had my '95 Import WRX for about 18 months now and loving every bit of it

BUT... like all cars of a certain age, bits get worn and need replaced. Identifying when they need to be replaced is the key. ( IMHO )

So far, I have replaced ( not modded )

a. Fuel Pump ( standard )

b. Radiator

c. Power Steering Reservoir 'O' ring

Important thing to note here is if you hear or suspect anything is not spot on with the buggy, do a search on the Technical forums, both here and "over the road" ( for a newbie that means bbs.scoobynet.co.uk )

Point 2. Get the car serviced regularly. Oil Filter and replacement oil at least every six months, maybe more frequent depending on the number of miles you shift a year. This is important because the engine oil will kinda degenerate ( not sure of the technical name for evaporation but thats the sketch ). Whatever you do, do not run dry. Big Ends and all that. Muchos Nuggets for a new engine.

Point 3. My advice is to get a mechanic who knows the cars. Not a back street grease monkey who's first question is "So... how fast does it go ?" but one that can point out that the slight ticking noise you hear when you lift the bunnet may be the injectors and not the need for a rebuild from the bearings up.

Point 4. Agree with Spooks. Don't try to get to Warp 9 straight out the blocks from cold. No matter what Magnatec you got, your Turbo needs to get to running temperature at a steady rate.

Point 5. I don't have an Optimax shop local to me but when I can I fill up. I don't get all Solberg when running BP 97. I don't have any technical wizzardry to tell me whats going on up front. I may consider depending on what my man in point 3 above says.

I've been told that Imports "Run Lean" at high speeds coz the Fuel Pump ain't up to the job of sooking all that lovely Optimax out from the back to the front. I was recommended that when de-restricting the car ( a mechanical job on a '95 and probably also on a '93 ), to also uprate the F.P. too.

I have modded my Zorst, to a big bore 3" centre section with a 5" back box. Or the 7am alarm call as my neighbours call it.

I'll happily stand corrected on the technical issues as I am a genuine Newbie, even after 18 months of ownership.

By all means don't take this as all doom and gloom of ownership of your Scooby coz most of the points above run similar to the previous two MR2's and Fords I've had in the past ( well apart from the fuel consumption ). First and foremost enjoy yer car but [ to quote Swiss Tony, "you know running a Scoob is alot like making love to a beautifull woman, high blood pressure at first, empty wallet, always hot, always looking to go that little bit further but all the same.......................................yeeeeeeee haaaaaaaaa " ( OK so I ad-lib'd a little ) ]

Hope this helps a little coz it is a little bit daunting with all that kick at your right foot.

And oh.... if you go to meet Grant, you'll defo hear his beast first. Side Exit pipes !!! tsk tsk,

Mmmmm talking of old Fords...right then I wonder how much a MKI RS2000 "TAX EXEMPT" (Olympic Blue of course ) fun buggy will cost .............................................. OK OK I'll admit it ... I was a committed RWD Ford man before I discovered AWD Nippon. :0)

[Bladerider]

I would tend to agree with all of the above if only for piece of mind.

However, I chose to ignore all this advice when I got my car three years ago. Since then I've covered over 70k miles without a Knocklink, or uprated fuel pump etc. The only servicing it gets is an oil and filter every 5K. I fill up with Optimax during the week and with Esso super at the weekend. I only use octane booster with Esso, never with Optimax.

The majority will probably disagree with me on this. Optimax is just enhanced unleaded so it has its own booster. Adding another booster may have a detrimental effect. Esso super is a proper super unleaded so the octane booster will work better. I actually find my car runs much smoother with Esso and NF booster than is does with Optimax. I've tried Optimax along with booster and found it doesn't run quite as well. Actually I ran the car with Optimax only for about a year, until I found a reliable stockist of NF booster (Pentland components). Millers is also a popular choice of booster but the general opinion is that NF is the best.

Make sure you warm the car up properly before giving it the welly. Let it run a wee while at low revs before switching off as well.

If you get a Z4 ECU (about 100 quid) its just a ten minute job. The ECU is located in the passenger side footwell. Just pull away the carpet and undo the plate. It's a straight swap.

Anyway why do you want more power, isn't it quick enough?

To change the subject slightly, if you just want to go faster, how about making your car handle and stop better. The standard two pot brakes are absolute rubbish. The suspenders are also a wee bit on the soft side. Better brakes and suspension will see you get a bit quicker. Also consider uprated anti roll bars, droplinks, bushes etc. Offset castor blocks (anti-lift kit) will make the turn in a bit sharper and reduce understeer. There is so much more, but I'm sure you'll find your own way with any modifications for your car.

One other piece of advice, the local service experts in your area are Kenny Brown (Hillington) and Greersport (Glengarnock) Either of them will give you all the professional advice you require.

Go along to the organised meets. there's one coming up at Hillington shortly. There's also the regular Ayrshire meets.