legacycentral bbs

Hello all,

hahha this is funny but can anyone tell me what kind of engine do i have? I took it to a body shop yesterday and the guy asked me if i need an TMIC or FMIC...this and that ....etc. but I have no idea what he means and I didn't want to sound like a sucker to him ><...

Do I have a TMIC or FMIC?? and do i have a EJ20 or a EJ22?? Thanks guys!

I have a 1994 Legacy turbo sedan auto/manual

It appears that you have a completely stock EJ22T. You have no intercooler in that engine bay, which by the way is very nice and clean.

Why does the body shop guy care about your engine?

EJ22T is the block you have. Although any form of TopMountInterCooler seems to be missing. You can run a non-intercooled system, but it's VERY inefficient to do such. Cooling down the air charge before it hits the throttle body is a worth while thing for horsepower gains. It is possible that a previous owner outfitted the car with a FrontMountInterCooler, but not too likely. A decent picture of the openning in the front bumper will help to assist in the decision.

I am not the most knowledgable guy but I'll take a stab to help you out cuz I am gettinmg paid to stare at my computer right now. ***If I am wrong aboutr anything here guys please correct me***

If you have a 94 Turbo Sedan it is often called the Sport Sedan or SS
These cars were not equipped with any Inter Cooler (IC) from the factory so IF you have an IC it would have been put there by a previous owner.
TMIC stands for Top Mount Inter Cooler
FMIC stands for Front Mount Inter Cooler

WRX's have TMIC as stock OEM equipment. Subaru's are not equipped with FMIC from the factory (to my knowledge Subaru does not produce any FMIC as they don't even run them in the WRC)

So look at your motor and if there is something that resembles a radiator sitting on top of your engine then you have a TMIC.
If there is a big intercooler stuffed behind and/or in your bumper beam then you have a FMIC.

If you don't have a conspicuous amount of piping running around your engine bay and you can't find the intercoolers I am talking about you are probably running a stock non-intercooled set-up.

Good luck

skid542 wrote:It appears that you have a completely stock EJ22T. You have no intercooler in that engine bay, which by the way is very nice and clean.

Why does the body shop guy care about your engine?

they do mods as well and i was thinking of getting some *less kick to the car hahah. i'm only getting 14.25 mpg even when driving like a old lady...

gotta take the car to a subaru dealer for an inspection soon...

dropdfocus wrote:EJ22T is the block you have. Although any form of TopMountInterCooler seems to be missing. You can run a non-intercooled system, but it's VERY inefficient to do such. Cooling down the air charge before it hits the throttle body is a worth while thing for horsepower gains. It is possible that a previous owner outfitted the car with a FrontMountInterCooler, but not too likely. A decent picture of the openning in the front bumper will help to assist in the decision.

so the IC compressing more cold air and put it into the hmm. (not sure to the engine or the turbo) and get more hp ok i got cha

it all make sense now. well i guess putting an small TMIC would be more efficient since it already has a hood scoop is that correct?

I just went outside and checked...no, doesn't have a FMIC as well. looks like we gonna have to do something about that

Actually the turbo has a "compressor" side, which then forces the compressed air into the intake manifold via the throttle body. The intercooler's purpose is just what it sounds like. It's meant to absorb the heat from the intake charge (which tends to be rather warm from the heat of the turbo) and as air passes over the body of the intercooler, the air charge inside of it is cooled down. Cooler air is more dense and helps create more horsepower when ignited with the fuel inside the motor. The more dense/cooler the air, the more intense the "explosion" inside the engine cylinder. Warmer air will still ignite, but the reaction is much less compared to the colder air.

One of the easiest TMIC to install would be the Saab intercooler due to their size. They do have their flow limitations if compared to a WRX stock intercooler. But if you're not looking to go HP crazy, then the Saab model will do just fine for your pupose. Several tend to pop up in the Parts Shed area & Blackbart had some listed from a recent run to his local junk yard visit.

But.........

Before you do ANYTHING, Read up, Read up, READ UP!!!!!

Its awful easy to fuck a perfectly good stock setup, even with good intentions.

I know you're learning, which is good, but this thread still made me laugh a little. Stick around and you'll be a subaru guru in no time.

hahaha that's what i thought.


especially when i saw the part that was like "i went out and checked and i don't think i have a front mount"


but it's all good. everyone learns over time.

asc_up wrote:hahaha that's what i thought.


especially when i saw the part that was like "i went out and checked and i don't think i have a front mount"


but it's all good. everyone learns over time.

hahaha I was actually looking at the two fans behind the huge metal grill at the front of the engine, I thought that could be an intercooler since well...the fans cools down the engine.

anyways, ya my friend showed me his intercooler on his wrx so i know what it looks like now.

Having a buddy with a WRX will be a plus in your favor.

lol that 'huge metal grill in the front of your engine' is called a radiator...

dropdfocus wrote:One of the easiest TMIC to install would be the Saab intercooler due to their size. They do have their flow limitations if compared to a WRX stock intercooler. But if you're not looking to go HP crazy, then the Saab model will do just fine for your pupose. Several tend to pop up in the Parts Shed area & Blackbart had some listed from a recent run to his local junk yard visit.

not entirely true.

we have more options now.

the best fitting TMIC is the one from a 06-07 WRX or a Turbo Forester.

before you do any mods you need to make sure it is running fine.

i also suggest a boost gauge to see what your baseline boost level is before adding a TMIC.

yeah, after it gets out of the body shop, take it to a subaru specific shop, and ask them to do an overall check on the engines condition. they'll prolly do a comp. check, maybe run a ,um... camera-on-a-stick type thing (can't remember what its called) down into the cylinders to look for scarring. These motors will run great up untill the last week of their life, then they poop all over the road. Good luck, and great find, can we see some pics of the rest of the car? How much did you get it for?
-Adam

greg donovan wrote:

dropdfocus wrote:One of the easiest TMIC to install would be the Saab intercooler due to their size. They do have their flow limitations if compared to a WRX stock intercooler. But if you're not looking to go HP crazy, then the Saab model will do just fine for your pupose. Several tend to pop up in the Parts Shed area & Blackbart had some listed from a recent run to his local junk yard visit.

not entirely true.

we have more options now.

the best fitting TMIC is the one from a 06-07 WRX or a Turbo Forester.

before you do any mods you need to make sure it is running fine.

i also suggest a boost gauge to see what your baseline boost level is before adding a TMIC.

any specific recommendation on the boost gauge? If I just get a MBC will it allow me to see the boost as well? Thanks!

MBC's do not have boost gauges with them. You typically run a rubber hose to the gauge inside the vehicle so you can monitor the boost while driving. You could also put one in the engine bay I suppose. But not really necessary.

Arctic Assassian wrote:yeah, after it gets out of the body shop, take it to a subaru specific shop, and ask them to do an overall check on the engines condition. they'll prolly do a comp. check, maybe run a ,um... camera-on-a-stick type thing (can't remember what its called) down into the cylinders to look for scarring. These motors will run great up untill the last week of their life, then they poop all over the road. Good luck, and great find, can we see some pics of the rest of the car? How much did you get it for?
-Adam

Suspension

Interior



and this is the outside


Got it through private sale, $6000 CAD including tax and 3 month insurance (I only had cash for 3 months...)Now that I've wiped it with armor wipes, the dwarf viking dude brand, it looks much shinnier than this. i think i'm in love.

dropdfocus wrote:MBC's do not have boost gauges with them. You typically run a rubber hose to the gauge inside the vehicle so you can monitor the boost while driving. You could also put one in the engine bay I suppose. But not really necessary.

what kind of MBC or boost monitor did you guys get? there are so many selections but anyone know what is the best choice for a 94 ss?

Unless you plan on hitting boost over 20psi, you can pick up an Autometer gauge with a 20psi peak read. This will have smaller increment marks to read 0-20 with.

As for MBC, Hallman seems to be a rather popular one as well as Perrin, and a few others. Try to stay away from the generic eBay buys. They may say they work well for cheap, but you buy cheap you tend to get crap.

dropdfocus wrote:Unless you plan on hitting boost over 20psi, you can pick up an Autometer gauge with a 20psi peak read. This will have smaller increment marks to read 0-20 with.

As for MBC, Hallman seems to be a rather popular one as well as Perrin, and a few others. Try to stay away from the generic eBay buys. They may say they work well for cheap, but you buy cheap you tend to get crap.

Thanks man that's good advice, i was just looking at ebay but I was already suspicious about it. I'd rather buy from shops with real warranties than cheaping out.

Just glad I could help out in your quest for goodies.