How to Repair your A/C on your Subaru Impreza 2002

Hi All,

I just repaired my air conditioner, A/C, on my 2002 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport for $5 plus freon for a total of $30. I read a few other articles about how robust most A/C system are and that the problem is usually a leaking o-ring at either one of the compressor fittings. I was able to purchase a universal A/C o-ring kit at the local Autozone for $5 and then a new bottle of R134A. I already had the hose with gauge on it so I was able to save a few dollars on a bottle of freon without the hose. Here is a picture of my A/C and where the two fittings are located.

2002 Subaru Impreza A/C Compressor

Subaru High Side A/C fitting

Subaru Impreza A/C Fitting- Low

First things first, I knew my A/C was empty because I charged it last summer and it was down to nothing. I also attached my freon can with hose to take a reading and it showed the goose egg for pressure. I carefully proceeded to remove the first fitting on top of my compressor. As soon as the fitting was loose I knew that one was my culprit. The fitting fit the housing very loosely which is a sign of the o-ring not doing its job. Here is a nice close-up picture of the old o-rings with the new o-rings to see the difference. The old o-rings dried up, shrunk, and turned to a hard plastic.

Subaru A/C O-rings, Old versus New (green)

The A/C now works good. I think it works a little weird but I believe it is because I needed to vacuum evacuate the system before filling it. There are probably a few air bubbles in there but it works great for me and only cost $30. I read that a shop can re-evacuate and refill for $100. I am good with how it works right now for my 11 year old car.

Subaru Impreza Outback Sport Rear Strut Tower Brace

I just purchased a rear strut tower brace for my 2002 Subaru Impreza and had it installed in 15 minutes. I won it from eBay using a best offer of $28 with free shipping. I figured it was worth a try for less than $30 bucks.

2002 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport upgraded Rear Sway Bar to 17mm WRX Bar

Hi All,

I just performed one of the easiest and cheapest upgrades to my 2002 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport. I read on some other forums that a simple upgrade that you can really feel is by adding or upgrading the rear sway bar. My Outback Sport came with a measly 13mm rear sway bar. I found a 2002 WRX 17mm rear sway bar for $40 on Craigslist. I know that some of the WRX's have the 20mm rear bar but that same forum said that the 17mm was good because it still allowed full use of the AWD system without adding too much rear axle stiffness. I am not sure about that but I do know that going from 13mm to 17mm, a 31% improvement, was something that I easily felt.

The upgrade was really easy. I raised the drivers side rear and then started loosening the sway bar bolts. There were (4) total, (2) on the frame and (1) each on the lower control arm end links. None of the bolts were loaded ad the sway bar came off easily. I did have to remove the muffler from the rubber hangers to allow the old and new sway bars to be removed/installed. That allowed the muffler to hang a little lower that gave me the clearance I needed. Check out the pictures of the installed sway bar and the old one for comparison.

2002 Impreza with 17mm WRX Rear Sway Bar

Subaru 13mm to 17mm Rear Sway Bar Comparison

2002 Subaru Outback Sport with WRX 17mm Rear Sway Bar

Subaru Impreza Outback Sport with Pontiac Grand Am Gt Wheels

Hi All,

Here is my 2002 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport with some crazy Pontiac Grand Am Gt wheels on it. I got a great deal on them from Craigslist. They came with some really nice Falken tires. Apparently most 16" front wheel drive wheels with the 5 x 100mm hole pattern will fit the Subaru Impreza's. I did get the center caps with the wheels but I need the threaded-end lug nuts to make them work. Check out my pictures:

2002 Subaru Impreza w/ Grand Am Gt Wheels

2002 Impreza OBS with Pontiac 5 x 100mm Wheels