Whats It Take For A Turbo??

[Rbees]

I Have A 91 Legacy L 2.2 non turbo and i want a turbo engine into my car. Now I dont know much about cars so whats it take to go from non turbo to turbo Engine In My Car, and whats the easiest way to do that?
(by the way the only reason i want to do this is for the extra horsepower if anyone knows a way to get an added 100 hp into my car that would work too!!)

[IggDawg]

honestly, just hunt down a legacy turbo. the 2 cars are so different. it would probably be cheaper jsut to buy a legacy turbo near you than to piece together a kit. a proper turbo kit with mechanical bits and electronics will run upwards of 4000 or so. you can find a used legover for at least a thousand less than that. another option is to find a junked legacy turbo and buy the engine.

another problem is the tranny. the legacy turbo trannies are stronger than the NA legacies. both MT and AT. just something else to consider.

anyways, if you still wat to do a turbo kit, pick up a copy of the most recent sport compact car. it has a big directory of turbo kit manufacturers. there's one that suits a EJ22. it has web sites and phone numbers and everything. that issue also has TONS of good info on turbos and how to select the right kit.

[Rbees]

Thanks for that bit of info. I really love my car and just rebuilt the tranny it costed me 2000 just to have it rebuilt so it sounds as if i would have to replace it!!! I might just hang with the Ej22 for now perhaps later i'll buy me a turbo later.

what mod's are there for a a 91 L ??
Anyone know any good websites??

[-K-]

There are N/A Legacys on here and some good info on them also. I would second Igg to just look for a turbo, but if you really want to turbo yours it will all bolt up ok, there is just a lot more to change than you first think. It is not that it's too hard, but if you get a turbo to start with it's all there. And then spend the money on upgrades that you would have spent on a turbo kit or engine swap. And I would not get a kit, I would get all the parts and engine off a turbo Legacy.

[kelley]

wow $2000 to rebuild your tranny
the cheapast, easiest way to do it would be to get a used vf10 turbo (legacy sport sedan stock turbo maybe $150) manifold, uppipe, and turboback exhaust from a legacy sport sedan. you will also need a turbo crossmember, a blow off valve, and some way to control boost (like a cheap manual boost controler. that is pretty much it. It would also be a good idea to invest in a few guages to monitor things such as boost, air fuel mixture, and exhaust gas temps. these parts should not cost you much. might safely gain 30-50 hp on3-5 psi of boost. a top mount intercooler would not be a bad idea as well for safety but you can upgrade later. that gain will be noticeable but not huge. as far as the 100 hp. gain if you do not want to blow up your engine and if you do not want to change any internals you will need some form of programable engine management (a stand alone engine management) and have it tuned really well. it is posible but you have to ask your self what you really want for long term. will you be happy with these hp #'s or do you think you will want more down the road. if your happy with a little increase I think this could be a good set up. but if not it would be better to start with maybe an ej22t. with the right bolt ons and proper tuning I believe an ej22t engine to be good for between 300 -400 wheel horsepower.

[Rbees]

I think that for now i'll stick to what i have and just make some cosmetic changes to my car and try to have my engine running as smoothly as possible.. That sounds like the best option for me now. Perhaps Later On I'll Invest In A 91 Legacy Turbo and buy lots of stuff for it!! I'll Just Be Happy Right Now driving my Great Subaru with 263066 Miles On It!!!!
It Keeps Running!
Thanks Alot!!!

[Legacy777]

Probably the cheapest option would be to get a turbo legacy.

However keeping your car and adding a turbo kit would be the next best solution. You can run low boost turbo kit and keep it fairly simple and everything will be ok. It's when you start boosting more....that you can run into troubles. If you do decide to go with a turbo kit....as mentioned...plan on about $4000 or so.

[mile hi]

Check with pdmturbos.com he has a base kit at about $3200 and I wouldn't worry about the transmission until you get up to the 300hp that is where we have been seeing failures. The only difference in the turbo and n/a transmissions is the heat treatment on the mainshaft as far as we can tell but there is a difference in the clutch and it would be a good idea to go with something better.
AL(CO)
al@iwtu.net

[IggDawg]

turbo MT also has shot peened gears and the hydraulic pull-type clutch.

the TC is different on the turbo AT I think.

but yeah, until you at least get to 200 whp, I don't think it'll be too much of an issue.

[mile hi]

The clutch is different but the factory must have missed a few things on the turbo MT we diaassembled and sent out for testing on all parts.
Make the price on the PDM turbo kit $2600 and $3200 with a intercooler.
AL(CO)
al@iwtu.net

[boostjunkie]

All I know is that Adam had a turbo 5spd tranny that he swapped in after he blew his STi Type RA tranny on his turboed RS. There were absolutely no differences in the quality of parts between the Type RA and the turbo legacy. He noted that the Type RA tranny was SIGNIFICANTLY beefed up.

I guess they must've missed something on your 5spd.

[Legacy777]

"Beefed" up does not really hold much technical merit.

About the only difference I know as AL mentioned is the main shaft & I'm pretty sure the gear surfaces & clutch type

[mile hi]

The mainshaft was tempered on the turbo transmission and case hardened on the n/a version they even are a slightly different color. They couldn't find any thing on the gears but I suppose there could be something. On a few of the really blown transmissions it appeared that gears had been forced apart and then stripped. I got a good case from a dealer when they had to replace a n/a transmission. the story goes that somebody shifted from 5th into 2nd and all that was left was small pieces. This probably saved the engine.
AL(CO)
al@iwtu.net

[legazee]

hey mile hi, i remember that a while back u had a tdo5,does it have the same inlet diameter on the compressor as our stock ihi leg. turbos? was wondering if i needed a different 90degree elbow or do they come with the alluminum bolt on inlet elbow?

[mile hi]

Some come with an elbows and some don't. If I remember correctly the inlet was the same size as stock but I heard that they do come with different sizes.
AL(CO)
al@iwtu.net

[Grant]

I have a 92 L. My recommendation is to remove the snorkus thing from the fender well and cut the rubber o-ring out of the airbox to make it the full three inch. Replace your filter with a high flow KN drop in panel. If you want to you can alway replace the muffler. From my experience and research this wields very little results in a NA car other than noise. I wouldn't spend too much money on an exhaust. Just replace the muffler back. The biggest improvement I saw in the performance of my car was the KN filter, the snorkus, and removing extra weight. I stripped out most stuff in my trunk and take out the back seat when I feel like it. A good set of struts would also be great matched with some better wheels and tires. Everyone else has the right idea though, just wait until you can get a turbo. I absolutely love my 92 but won't spend any more than I absolutely have too because I know that I will love my turbo (or twin turbo) when I get one (or build one) even more.