Alexx

The best I ever got out of my 7 year old subaru DL Wagon 5 speed 1800 (a 1981 Subaru that I bought in the year 1988) was 460 something miles to one gas tankful. I think it averaged out to 35-36 miles to the gallon and involved a lot of freeway driving. I was actually averaging 30-33 mpg at the time when city driving was thrown in. Now, 16 years later, the car averages 27 miles to the gallon (with the same engine) but I am in the process of upgrading and changing filters, pumps etc and am curious how high I can get it 16 years later.

Anyone else still driving a 1981 Subaru DL Wagon five speed 1800? I think I found two Subaru Mechanics at Subaru dealerships who have been with the company a long time, so long that when these cars were new they were working on them. Anybody have any problems with their 81's and how did you solve the problem?

Keep in mind that the insurance companies WANT to total as many cars as possible because it creates higher revenue. Your car is totaled so you buy a newer car or a new car, this helps reduce inventory which helps Detroit, the banks then give you a loan so it helps them, the insurance companies then get a higher premium out of the deal. Everybody wins:banghead: but you.

Thanks for the heads up. I meant rotor and the distribution cap. I'm not a mechanic and I don't play one on tv.

1981 Subaru DL Wagon 255,000 miles original engine, tranny rebuilt at 190,000 miles. After the tranny was rebuilt, it ran better and peppier than when I bought the car back with 81,000 miles on it, and it still does!

Funny you mention that. The new smog place I just went to the smog guy was "trying" to get my car up to speed, I think he was in third gear and didn't realize it, or the parking brake was on or both! suddenly the car lurched sideways and almost went off the rollers! Sheesh! I was standing a few feet away in a corner with only one way out if the car had come untracked, that would have been jumping over a three foot counter door. I'm in the San Fernando Valley and the mechanic who crashed my car is also in the San Fernando Valley. As rude and uncooperative as he was, and even though it took me three years to resolve the situation, he did pay me within the allowable 30 day after verdict window.

That's tempting. But if I were to come up I'd probably want to have a thorough going over of the car and replace as many older parts on the car as I could. The reason I don't think it would work out is my primary purpose focus is to be smog legal as my car just recently failed smog. I thought the car was in good shape because I just had the carburetor rebuilt and the cat replaced just a year and a half a go. To my surprise my car was categorized as a "gross polluter" and I am wondering what was done last time to make my car pass. (I wasn't there when it was tested). I just can't seem to get it through any mechanics head that if I have to spend a few hundred dollars on various filters and such I will gladly do it. I think nobody wants to mess around searching for parts for older cars.

This is the short version. My smog technician crashed my 81 Subaru DL while he was driving it. He acted like I didn't exist when I asked him to fix the damage. He then whined that the car was only "worth" $500.00 and he wouldn't pay anymore than that. I went ahead and fixed the car. It cost around $2,300. I went to small claims court and sued him! I won! I even got my check! The moral of the story is if you believe your damaged car is worth a certain amount, fix it, save the receipts, then sue. I believe I save close to $500.00 a month driving my 81 subaru versus driving a new car. Even if I had lost my court case, (and I would have been very upset) I could still make up the repair cost by just keeping the car for a year.

Be careful when you have a new cat in your car. It can mask bad carburetion by burning off the excess fuel. The problem is you will burn out your cat well before it's time. It's kind of like which comes first, the cat or the carburetor. If you put a new cat in, you can have rich carburetion that is being masked by the cat working overtime.

Did I miss the cliffhanger scene? It sounds like the coolant is "gurgling" through the radiator. Coming through in spurts. Perhaps you are low on fluid the part of the radiator that is clogged is near the bottom, so when you check the fluid it looks full.

I'm curious also if the fuel pump changes anything.

What about for a 1981 Subaru DL 1800 5 speed? I thought they were supposed to be gapped at 35. I bought an accel coil and am thinking of installing it. Should I regap my spark plugs? If I do this, how can I get an increase in power but no increase in gas mileage? If the car burns the fuel more completely, doesn't that translate into better MPG?

Thanks for the input, but I just don't see one by the master brake. It looks like the fuel line goes right to the carburetor with no fuel filter anywhere to be found. I also couldn't see the one by the gas tank, but I probably need the car to be higher off the ground. Can anyone recommend a subaru repair shop that appreciates the older subarus such as mine and works in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles? I'm not looking for a freebie but it seems no one ever wants to replace any parts on these cars.

That's why I'll probably never sell my subaru. I'd cringe when I found out it had gone to the great outback in the sky. Especially if it turned out to be because of improper maintenance.

but I still treat my 1981 Subaru DL pretty well. It's up to 255,000 on the original engine but the engine won't idle steady. I have replaced the EGR valve, the spark plugs and wires, the condensor and points, and I've checked repeatedly for any vacuum leaks. I bought two fuel filters, (or should I call them fool filters?) and I can't find where they go. My car is a 1981 Subaru Wagon DL 1800. A year and a half ago I had the catalytic convertor replaced and the carburetor rebuilt. What is my next move? And where do those darn fuel filters go?