Del mar

Good Afternoon,

I am currently a non Subaru owner , I have sold my 200sx and am looking for a B4 RSK.

Does anybody have experience of these ?

What major things should I look for when test driving one ?

Smoke from the exhaust rattles, turbo whine etc etc.

Are they fitted with dump valves as standard ?

Does anybody have or could point towards a service schedule ?

I have to travel 170 miles to get the car and do not want to waste the journey.

Thanks

Del

AJbaseBloke

There's a few of us here, but we have to take a low profile

On a more serious note, look for ALL of the usual Sube issues when checking one over (clutch shudder, symptoms of gasket failure, nasty oil/fluids, dodgy gearbox etc. etc.). B4 specific issues are uncommon (although there is a dreaded 66 code which seems to appear on some cars), but have a good look at the dampers for wear and tear as the Bilsteins, while rebuildable and very good, are a pain if shot. MAF on the early cars (BE5A, BE5B, IIRC also BE5C) are dodgy (same as UK MY99/00), so watch for signs of a fubared one.

The front pads on the inside (yeah, the ones you can't see) have been known to wear unevenly if used heavily, so getting your head in for good look may be an idea if that sort of thing worries you (a good and common switch to 4 pots + SS lines is a nice mod to find if done properly).

A car that has been run on Optimax + booster is probably a good sign of careful ownership, but another would be regular oil changes with decent stuff at short intervals (3 to 5k miles IMHO, anything more can stress the oil as the primary turbo is almost always working). Service intervals are the same as the Impreza in general, but being heavier, more powerful and therefore harder on components means that a badly treated car can be a bit of a pain.

There is a group on yahoo, maybe a bit late for you, but look for legacyb4, you'll find quite a few owners there, maybe even the one of the car you are looking at.

As for your dump valve query, they have them, but people often fit aftermarket stuff (I personally find VTA stuff not great for performance, but that is just one of my old fogie traits ).

Oh, and one last thing, and a big IMHO, watch for a decat... The primary turbo is worked pretty hard on the B4, and a decat has been known to overspin it causing self imolation. You can get lucky and have no issues for a while, but generally without a proper remap at the very least, it can result in tears. Btw, there are 2 cats, one in the down pipe on the primary side, and one in the centre pipe.

In short the TT is tough to tune well and safely, so a std one is safer. Btw, catbacks like the Fujitsubo Legalis R type Evolution are pretty highly regarded, so if yours has one, that could be a plus if the rest of the car is up to scratch.

Good luck with the car, and let us know how you go. Someone else will likely be along to fill in more gaps and tell me I'm full of it on some of the stuff I've gone on about

AJbaseBloke

If you haven't driven one before, watch for the beloved VoD - the valley between the turbos - which has been known to catch unwary drivers out. As long as you don't shift into it it is not generally a big issue, but some have fits about it.

That little primary should see urge coming online around 2500, with yippee about 3k. A bit of a breather around when the secondary spools up in the late 3ks and early 4s (some cars up to 4500-ish), followed by a rush to the redline.

Those used to it can shift around the VoD and never have much of an issue with it. Staying above it makes for very rapid progress (watch the needle on the fuel gauge move! ), and you can ride the torque playing around below. However, shifting into "it" can result in "Hey, where'd the power go?" moment, so just be aware it is there.

Phew, that's it for me for now

Del mar

Thanks for this.

I did test drive an auto at the weekend and putting your foot down resulted in a very strange feeling.
There was no power, and then the revs jumped to 4000 and it started again.
VoD ? It was not very smooth at all a definate hesitation and then a jump, the unwary could be caught out by that in busy traffic. I am after a manual as, as you say you can work around it, I imagine an auto has to plough straight through.

Del

GTB Limited

Del Mar,

Can't add much more, as AJ has beat me to it

As there a rare bird in the UK, make sure the servicing is upto scatch (regular oil changes etc) and documented, bills etc.


Mark
UK Twin Turbo Legacy Register

ericvh321

Hey, it may be almost 20 years later now but would die for a response, currently looking at a 99 b4 rsk, as you stated earlier I should look out for a decat. Well in fact the buyer said they have remove the primary cat, wondering how big of a deal this is and if there’s anyway to check the primary turbos shape/life.