derburger

The pass. side frame rail of my XT appears to be layers of sheet metal, and the second layer is solid. Some light poking with a screwdriver make that hole. And the headgasket on the passenger's side near the turbo is seeping coolant, so I'm guessing that head needs much more work than a quick milling flat. The car is awesome and I'd like to keep it, but realistically it's done...

I'm close to calling it quits on my XT... I believe the front frame rails are rusting from the inside out, plus it's horribly dented, needs paint and now a headgasket job. Gonna poke around with a screwdriver tomorrow. Welding, fabricating and bodywork are way out of my league, unfortunately. For a replacement, I could watch NASIOC for a few weeks and see what lightly modded new gens I can get. 2k4 FXT, 2k5 Legacy GT, WRX, etc. Including other makers, there are really too many options for what a car guy can buy.

Well, it just failed an antifreeze combustion leak test, a leakdown test showed ~20% leakage on all cylinders, low on coolant. I could do more tests but it looks like I've won the EA82t prize

Replaced 6 engine wiring harness connectors due to corrosion on my ea82t 86' XT. Cleaned & inspected MAF, replaced all underhood vacuum and coolant hoses. Also replaced the o2 sensor, TPS, wires, plugs and cap (waiting on rotor) It's still having engine stumbling upon throttle on/liftoff on the highway, idling low after restarting a hot engine and and getting 16mpg instead of 25. No engine codes, no vacuum leaks I can find with carb cleaner. I guess after the rotor arrives, I'll move on to ignition coil, timing and clogged cat/exhaust leaks as other possible culprits. :/

A leakdown test showed 22-25% leakage on all pistons besides #4 with 10%. No bubbles in the radiator, but hissing from the dipstick tube which may indicate air passing the rings. I've put in a new radiator and aftermarket coolant temperature gauge and may just drive it for a while and see what happens. I thought the car overheated when the digidash temp sender read full temp, but it was reading normal temps and then shot up when the aux. fan turned on. The fan wasn't running the entire time and the heater still worked.

I think my 86 XT Turbo has a blown head gasket or cracked head(s), it failed a combustion gas leak test and has milkshake under the radiator cap. A leakdown test would find out for sure? A repaint was supposed to be the ambitious summer project!

1986 Subaru XT EA82t: Is this 14mm hex drain plug just a standard Subaru part? I can't seem to find it listed in online parts catalogs. I've already rounded the bolt trying to remove it, It looks like I can't fit a socket on it without jacking up the engine. I might have to try clamping a vice-grip on it and cranking down the 5mm hex head on the vice-grip. I just removed the passenger's block drain plug, which on an EA82t is a banjo bolt. It was clogged with sediment and I had drained the coolant this way last year.

Replaced timing belts & tensioners, front engine oil seals, power steering return hose, coolant & oil etc on my 86 XT Turbo. Fortunately, I didn't have any issues with the steel bolts in aluminum threads. Original oil seals and power steering return hose = this

Painted the tops of my XT's bumpers black with Plasti Dip, to cover battle and sun damage. The overspray tape needs to be scored with a razor blade to remove but it's otherwise an easy job.

Replaced the dead cassette player with a CB radio in my 1986 XT, used the stock trim and brackets.

Changed the oil on my 1986 XT Turbo & found out the source of an odd drivetrain noise, a torn CV boot. I'll order a rebuilt axle from the Subaru axle rebuilders in Colorado if they have any.

Digidashes make running an EA82t always worth it. Are you planning on an external coolant temp gauge? I have an 86 XT with the digidash and EA82t, but have not put one in yet.

Looks great with the Enkies! Did you order center caps for the wheels or were they included? I have the same set of wheels, but one cap is missing. Got a link?

Replaced my XT's two "front sway bar end link bushings" which took a while to locate and receive from the Subaru dealer. Next is flushing out the A/C and replacing some orings, then charging with R12 Freon

Looks good so far... It'll probably look like my XT when done. Leaving the lower portions of the doors and quarter panels white, and painting the top of the front bumper would look cool. My XT was repainted single stage blue, it's easier to manage than a clear coated paint. Gotta have yellow in there somewhere!

I bought one of the Rockauto $50 ones. It looks like it may be plug n' play for my 86 EA82T XT with multi-rib belts. If I need parts, I'll have three spare alternators to scavenge. Thanks OP!

My turbo 4wd XT gets about 28-30mpg at 70, and lower 20s in city driving. I wonder what an XT would be like with the usual aerodynamic mods but having a VW diesel swapped in. The diesel may fit with some "minor" hood modifications.

Stupidest wrench turning mistake was putting on a new water pump & belts on my XT and forgetting to wear gloves. I busted my hands and kept working, there is still blood on the fan and other stuff.

Replaced the boat vinyl the previous owner of my XT applied to the door panels with automotive carpet. Now the dash is carpeted (dash mat to cover up a crack) and so are the door panels. The door panels look almost stock though. Classy

Drive it! Only $20 for a tank of gas

1986 XT ea82t, about 24-28 mpg, depending on city or highway. The o2 and coolant temp sensors were borked which resulted in 20 mpg for a while.

You added a JDM sunroof air intake? Would you happen to have a spare one of the center caps for those wheels... I have 3/4 of the caps for my set.

For Digidash subarus, I would look into adding more digital instrumentation. An oil pressure bar line segment, a water temperature LED display, built into the digidash. I think I've seen an XT dash with more LED bar segments added before.

Replacing the dirty coolant temp sensor solved the fast/rough idle problem I had with my EA82t XT but this should apply to your 1991 XT too. Any McParts store will have a "85850" 2-wire fuel injector socket repair kit in the HELP section. The coolant temp sensor uses this standard bosch fuel injection socket. Cut away a few inches of the original CTS wire, solder & heatshrink on the new wire/bosch fuel injector socket & plug it in. Nice XT too!