RavenTBK

Granted they are a bit pricey.. but I'm playing odds on my newly acquired EA81 Subie not dying before I save up the $4k for that 140hp longblock. An interesting thought.. we've got these nuts up in OH building these 67hp engines into 140/160hp monsters. Who would make a clutch that could handle that? I'd think a regular EA81 clutchset would go up in smoke rather quickly with that much power in front of it.

Yep.. theres a helluva tick. I figured it was involved with whatever cylinder is misfiring. Dang.. I kinda hoped it would've been out in the open like the EA71. Is there any other easy way to verify no oil pressure? Like a plug for a manual sending unit I can pull out long enough to see if anything squirts out? I'd like to be able to test and verify things before I tear down the engine, which I cant do until I officially request the car and get handed a title... which I wouldnt want to do if the car wouldnt be worth it.. dang these catch22's.

Heh.. I'll give ya $450 for it. a 350 dollar profit isnt too bad. Seriously though, that is EXACTLY what I would want. Is it something you'd ever sell?

Okay.. this afternoon I found the belt covers but no inspection holes. One cover was partially pulled open anyways, so I stuck my finger through that. Belt was there and not falling off the cam. On the other side, I found a hole that was drilled through the cover on the outer edge of the gear. With some creative knuckle relocation, I was able to feel a belt on the gear. Since I couldnt find the freakin starter (they moved it from being right there on top as is in the EA71!! Those tards!), I brought out my trusty screwdriver and removed the cover around the steering wheel. Found the ignition switch easy to remove and do the flathead screwdriver trick. After cleaning out the corrosion that had formed from sitting for so long, I finally got the switch to bump the starter over. About 5 more minutes of jiggling it, it finally turned over, but no go. Found me a can of ether, and did the thing. It fired right up. It runs like a 3 banger... and has a serious delay between me applying throttle and the revs coming up.. but it does run nonetheless. I started to drive it in circles around the yard, then the steering lock magically started working again, locking the wheels kinda halfway left. *shrug* So I used the truck to put it back in its spot. So it runs, and 4x works.. but didnt get to check low range before it locked up. Only thing I'm concerned about is the oil pressure gauge didnt move from 0 at anytime within the 3 minutes it was running. The underside of the fill cap smells of burnt oil.. so I guess that would point to the oil pump not doing its thing? Other than that, and the excessive play in the shift lever.. it seems pretty good. I think I'm gonna snag it and make a lifted trail rig outta it.

Thats what we have to do under Florida law anyways. When the car is first towed, its reported to the local PD as to where it was pulled from, and the plate number or VIN. The PD immediately runs the info and logs it, in case someone calls it in as stolen. TPD will tell them that its not stolen, and that we have it. There have been only one car that I've pulled that came back stolen. I knew before I even got off the phone with TPD. Anywho... after 3 days in the yard we can contact DHSMV and file for the title. The way it works is the VIN is used to pull up the last owner of record. We send them a certified letter to the last address on the title, and give them 30 days to respond. If no response, DHSMV issues us a fresh title in the tow company's name on day 32...afterwhich we hold a public auction which is announced in the legal notices section of the newspaper of each car by Year, Make, and VIN. That gives the right owner one last chance to claim their car. 7 days after the notice is placed, we auction them off rather quick in an as-is, where-is state. So yep.. we give the rightful owners a chance to step forward.

Yeah.. I havent told the bossman I "want it" yet. So it can go either way at this point. :shrug When I first picked it up, it was sitting in neutral with handbrake up. I pulled it out of the space backwards and far enough through the parking lot to find that the steering lock is broken. The drivers door was unlocked, but the outside handle is inoperative. So I ended up having to break into the car from the passenger side to drop the brake and pop it in gear. I have complete access to the car, inside and out. Its got a new alternator, oil changed about 1000 ago (according the the superlube sticker), new front axles, and various other items replaced. The AC system still has a charge.. so I think it might've worked when it was abandoned. As I recall, its got 100k and change on the odo... so its still got some life left. I'll recheck it when I go in tornight. Anywho.. this afternoon before I start my runs with the truck, I'll go through it under the hood and try to find these inspection holes. They're on the front part of the engine correct? If yall can give me a detailed description of exactly where everything is, that would be great. I'll also try to do the + side to the coil deal (I wouldnt think charging the coil itself would work.. but if yall say it does, I'll try it) and jump the starter solenoid to see if it will turn over and fire off.. I think it'd kick rump roast if belts is all thats wrong with it. I'd tell the bossman that the engine is blown so he'll give it to me cheap to free. Hehe... who wants to come to Florida for their vacation to help me go 10" up with it so I can clear 31s??

:slobber:Ultimate Drool! The 79 is exactly what I've been dreaming about. Here in the southeast, Brats are a rarity (well...as is just about everything pre-87 Soob). I fell in love with those goofy quad lights and pushbumper on my 79GL. Thats something I'd like to do.. but a wagon lifted that much wouldnt really look as sweet as yer Brat. Seeing that Brat gave me a woody that would make Smilin' Bob the Enzyte guy jealous. I want I want.

Woot! Got the cam working. Heres a couple pics of it. Not really dialup safe.. http://www.simplersolar.com/nf/DSC05522.JPG http://www.simplersolar.com/nf/DSC05523.JPG http://www.simplersolar.com/nf/DSC05524.JPG http://www.simplersolar.com/nf/DSC05525.JPG http://www.simplersolar.com/nf/DSC05529.JPG http://www.simplersolar.com/nf/DSC05530.JPG

That makes sense.. being an 87, it is an EA82 isnt it. Belts would explain why it was abandoned yet while looking good on the outside. Based on your description, I guess the dizzy is spun by one of the belts. Where are these inspection holes? I've been learning all about the EA71.. 82s are uncharted territory for me. Since I know so little.. heres another question. In the newer cars, breaking a timing belt would mean catastrophic failure.. I guess this isnt the case with the 82? So turning it over and/or rotating the engine wouldnt hurt anything?

For my night job, I do trespass towing. I received a call about a month ago from one of our contract properties about a blue Subie abandoned at their gas station. I went and picked it up and drug it back to the yard. I didnt think too much of it as I figured someone would come and claim their car within a week or so. No dice. Now its getting close to being time to file for the title and auction it off. Since I drive here, I get to have first crack at any of the vehicles before they're sold. I'm considering snatching this car for myself. I cant really understand why it would've been abandoned if it was still running right. So I figured I'd get some opinions first.. Its an 87, blue, GL Wagon. 5sp D/R. Looks pretty clean outside as well as under the hood. Nothing obviously wrong from my basic visual inspection. Shifter has a crapload of play.. but with feel, I can still find all the gears. I think its just play within the lever.. I dont hear any rattles or noises coming from the tranny case when wiggling the shifter. Gears all engage and the engine holds the car just fine when given a slight tug with the truck. Same deal with putting it into 4x and tugging from the front. Holds up good.. so I can *almost* assume theres no tranny issues. I was curious if I gave a competent dealer the VIN, would they be able to cut an ignition key for me? I'd like to turn it over and play with it a bit before I officially take possession of it. See if theres any major internal engine damage or whatnot, since its got a handful of new parts under the hood, and the battery is fresh. Or is there a magical secret to making the starter turn over without a key (like on older Ford cars/trucks by jumping the solenoid on the fender)??? I mean.. what would be great is if I could get the ignition to be "on" and jump the starter to see if she lights up.. then worry about getting a new key cut to unlock the steering wheel later........ or am I thinking too far outside the box of reality? Heres its stats: Engine Family HFJ1.8T2AFK4 VIN JF2AN53B4HE475473 Is there anything interesting yall can pull out of the VIN or Family code above? My limited Subie knowledge lies within the 79GL.. dont know crap about anything else. I saw the "1.8T" on the ID plate and thought I had found me a turbo roo. I then noticed where the airbox hose went into the fender instead of somewhere else (like to a turbo!). I was crushed! Anywho.. yall chime in with some thoughts while I work out the details as to why the dang digicam wont give up its pics.

Oh wow! I just got a Coke from the vending machine down the hall, and it had EA71 Japan stamped on the bottom! Sorry..that was cold. :\ Just trying to lighten up the mood.

I didnt think I was crazy... I didnt think there was a product called no pass no pay. I guess I did good then.:cool:

So you're saying it still works when you plug in the fuzz buster, but only if you wiggle the plug? Drop the dash and it will be painfully obvious on how to pop out the socket. The socket shouldnt be loose in the first place. Should be painfully obvious on what you need to bend/move/turn to tighten it back up. More than likely the housing has spun loose. Drop the dash and tighten it up. So much pain, so little time.

Uhm.. the term "no pass no pay" is used to reference certain testing stations that wont require payment if you fail the test. I myself have never heard of an item of that name that you pour into your tank to temporarily lower CO levels..... Theres plenty of other products with different names that do that... ........unless I'm just crazy and know nothing. Somebody else will chime in to correct me.

Well, its good to know they'll fit. My only worries were rubbing the fender or other items when turning. I've considered going the alternate rim route.. just finding suitable rims is the issue. Not too much stock around here to play with. I have no problems locating 205/60 or even 215/60 all season touring tires for the 13s.. all my old sources from back in my Honda days still can get them for me. I was just sorta hopin there was some more agressive stuff out there that I hadnt heard of. Nice to know I'm still on top of things.. heh. If I can find a set of suitable rims.. I'll drill em out and run. What *is* the stock setup anyways? 4x100 w/ 0 offset?

I've looked at those too. Only thing is 205/60 isnt offered till you reach a 15" wheel. If I am unable to find a satisfactory solution for the wide meats, I think this would be the route I'd take.

Actually, I'm surprised that I havent lost a bead yet. The 155s are a whole helluva lot narrower than the rims. The tops of the sidewalls are actually part of the contact patch with the current setup (and yes, inflation pressures are correct). If I remember right, the Jackman rims are either 13x5.5 or 13x6. The section width of the 205/60s would be 8.07 inches according to my crude math, which would be on the high end of perfect fitment on 13x6 wheels. Am I beating down the wrong trail here?

I appreciate the varied responses, but to clarify my first post.. I'm not wanting to make any major mods to the Ru. Only wrap different style rubber around my jacks. Since everyone else has pretty much the same luck finding agressive treads for the 13 as I have, my question was modified to be something along the lines of the probability of fitting 205/60 or 215/60 tires under the Ru without any difficulty, as those tires are roughly the same diameter as stock, but slightly wider. Since the sugar sand is the most formidable obstacle encountered daily on my drive home, the size of the contact patch is the #1 factor.. as the Ru floats like a lead brick on the stock 155R13 rubber.

I like the width of the 205(215)/60s in comparison to the stock 155s as they share the same small diameter, so a lift or body work shouldnt be required.. I spend more time in the sand... so the wider the better. The mud performance is secondary. Ground clearance isnt an issue.. so tire height is unimportant. I've done quite a bit of searching myself for some agresseive meats for the 13 inch rim. I came up empty handed which is why I asked. So, I guess considering my options, an A/S touring tire would work.. So pretty much, anything wider than a 175 series is not possible in stock form? What is the width limit with the 79 Wagon?

After various tweaks to my carb, I've restored quite a bit of power to the 79. It feels like a damn rocket ship compared to what she used to give me. Because of this newfound power, I'll scrap the plans for a 13b swap... for now. With all this new power, I've since taken the ol pile of scraps out into the woods a few more times and I've only found two things that would stop me dead in my tracks.... slick mud, and sugar sand. Those of you in the great northwest probably dont know what sugar sand is.. but just imagine exactly what its name implies.. soft sand that behaves like you're driving on sugar. Before you ask "Wheres the Beef?".. here it is. I'm wanting to know specific suggestions as to the most agressive tread tire that would put the largest contact patch on the ground, and still fit under my stock height on my 13" jacks. All out ground clearance isnt an issue.. just the contact patch is whats important. The idea is I'd like to restore the 79 to its former stock glory, but still DRIVE it. The tire choice would let me pass slick mud with agressive tread tires, and a large contact patch would help me float the sand better... all being able to go back to the skinny stock tires later. I havent been able to find my measuring tape, but what do ya think of 205/60s? I did those on my last Honda, and the difference was night and day in the sand. Just couldnt find any tread designs more agressive than summer touring in that size. Any other size suggestions that fit what I said above? What say you?

...or trying to outrun the fireball thats consuming that trail.

So whats the story with this? Does it run yet? Also, the most important question of all... what about that adapter plate????? I've been secretly planning a 13b swap for the last couple of weeks, when I searched and found this..... so whats the deal?

Torque.. I couldnt find any specific information either. I remembered about how snug it felt when I took it off, so I tightened them down enough that I felt comfortable with it. Not enough to strip the aluminum mind you, but snug enough to where I know it wouldnt fall off the block on its own anytime soon. As for the install kit; its listed at $4.88 for my 79. I havent been around Subarus long enough to know the differences, but I do know you've got something other than an EA71 in your 88, and I dont believe the oil pumps would be the same. To confirm my price, go to Advance Auto Parts, click on Shop online, and search for 0396289. Its a Beck/Arnley part number. Thats the kit which was necessary for my project. Cheers

Woohoo! I accomplished all this from 7:30 till 12:30a last night. I took my time and went slow, to make sure I didnt miss anything, and sho'nuff - theres no puddles under the car today, and the oil level is still at the full mark! The crank seal.. it was so farked up. Completely missing the inner lip. The pump gasket was intact, but old and hard. I didnt disassemble the pump, as both screws that hold it together were stripped out, so I installed the new pickup o-ring and gasket and popped it all back together. I'm actually amazed at how easy it was to do all of this. Handful of hand tools, and some towels to clean myself up with every 3 seconds from all the oil slung everywhere in the engine compartment. I bumped the starter to loosen the crank pulley bolt... worked flawlessly... and I put the car in 3rd, and rocked it backwards to torque it back down when I was done. Totally nifty. I'll have to get some degreaser or somethin to clean up under the hood soon before a crapload of dirt starts to stick to all the oil under the hood. Thanks you guys for your help and suggestions! All thats left now is getting the front axles taken care of. Both are popping now.. :-\ Cheers Raven