Question regarding UEL Headers for my wagon...

[Subieee]

I want to get a set of the UELs for my wagon, but i want them to fit with no problems. If i just get the ones from ebay, will i be good?
I have a 97 Outback Wagon 2.5
I just want to make sure & make them to fit with no problems lol

Recommend to me where i should get them from
Thanks guys

[Garrison]

I think you have to invert the flange from the initial cat to the headers. Also, don't you need an anti fouler plug on the O2 reader in the first (and possibly second) cat? Just reiterating what I've read.

[Subieee]

I don't even know lol if it's that much then I probably won't even bother. But why would I need a second cat?

[rougeben83]

Garrison is thinking about the exhaust after the cat.

2.5RS UEL headers from ebay will fit...a true perfect fit 90% of the time, but it'll bolt up regardless (aka borla knockoffs). Get o2 sensor spacer to prevent the CEL.

[Garrison]

Thanks for the clarification. I got my subie on a lift for the second time yesterday (fixing that floppy shifter :facepalm) and I now see clearly how the exhaust is routed. If the flange is setup properly on the headers you buy, rougeben is right it should bolt right up.

[Subieee]

Okay so 2.5rs headers will fit? And an o2spacer? Where do I get that, autoparts store?

[ESSYMOND]

You dont really need an O2 spacer,

Most you will need is a slight bend or a smaller filter

[Subieee]

Hmmm I guess we'll see hahaha

[ShadowGT]

I have a set of Borla knockoffs on my 98GT wagon. Got them from a ebay retailer called Speedyracer. They fit just fine, the welds are good and I've had them for 2 years and there is nothing wrong with them. They exhaust gaskets they ship seem a bit suspect, get your own. No bending or stressing out, they just mounted right up. I didn't need the O2 spacer trick, which is really a sparkplug defouler screwed into the rear cat converter and the O2 sensor screwed into that. It moves the sensor head a little out of the flow stream to supposedly prevent errant CELs like the P0420 (plugged / fouled cat converter)
I didn't do it, and I only had that code pop once. Never saw it again.

I just put on thermal wrap on my headers the other day for the hell of it.

[Garrison]

What kind of difference did you notice with header wrap?

[ShadowGT]

What kind of difference did you notice with header wrap?

Other than that for the past few days my car looks like it's on fire when I stop.. (While the wrap bakes in, it stinks and smokes incredibly..)

I have noticed a few things here and there. The engine runs a little cooler. A little. I haven't messed with the coolant system in awhile. At operating temperature, the temp gauge sits one bar below halfway on the gauge. With the tape and spray, it now sits two and half bars below halfway.

On my 410 mile one way leg of a road trip I just made after putting my car back together, I stopped for gas in some po-dunk town. I was checking my oil under the hood because I was paranoid and I noticed that my eyeballs weren't baking to death while I was leaning over the engine bay after running for several hours. I mean it's not ice cold under there, that's impossible unless you're in the artic and the car is off. But I mean Jesus, I don't have that hood insulator pad the car comes with and I could feel the radiant heat from the engine walking around the front of the car. Now, it's not so obvious.

There are some posts in other forums that people claim they could grab their wrapped headers as the car is idling and not get burned. I really don't feel like trying that but yes, there is a little difference in temperatures before and after.

Other things, well your oil pan and oil filter are right there with UEL headers cradling them. I figure the wrapped headers might be doing a little keeping the oil from cooking a little.

Again, it's not going to be like a night and day change under the hood. It's not like no heat will emanate from the engine ever again. But I feel a difference and I guess knocking the heat down might help other engine components survive longer.

Plus the bad side is that I hear that it traps moisture and accelerates corrosion to the headers. So it's a good / bad thing I guess.

I say go for it. Can't really hurt. Heat hurts engines and you're knocking it down a bit.

[Garrison]

How about in terms of noise reduction?

Thanks

[ShadowGT]

How about in terms of noise reduction?

Thanks

None whatsoever. It doesn't do anything for sound.

[pdawg]

smaller filter

Where do you get a smaller filter.

[csweston]

I bought mine off eBay as well. The pipe coming off the passenger side rubbed right up against the oil pan. Also they would rub against my front sway bar. Took it to an exhaust shop and they fixed all those issues. Filter spacing was fine though.

[ShadowGT]

smaller filter

Where do you get a smaller filter.

I use the K&N oil filter. Autozone carries them, they're 10 bucks, made of metal and are pretty tiny and low profile. I guess I got lucky with my headers because I had zero fitment issues with it.
Uel's really bring out that Subaru burbling sound. Add a big muffler and it really sounds mean as hell. Almost like a Harley.
That throws people for a trip because they expect you to sound like a high strung chainsaw in a metal bucket. I can set off cheap car alarms just idling past them.

[pdawg]

smaller filter

Where do you get a smaller filter.

I use the K&N oil filter. Autozone carries them, they're 10 bucks, made of metal and are pretty tiny and low profile. I guess I got lucky with my headers because I had zero fitment issues with it.
Uel's really bring out that Subaru burbling sound. Add a big muffler and it really sounds mean as hell. Almost like a Harley.
That throws people for a trip because they expect you to sound like a high strung chainsaw in a metal bucket. I can set off cheap car alarms just idling past them.

I'll have to get by Autozone this weekend. thanks

[rougeben83]

use the oil filter for the WRX/STI if you are having clearance issues.

[Huffer]

OEM Subaru filters are all the same for turbo and non-turbo cars now, except the H6 engines still use a bigger filter.