Roundeye

Around this area, I know of only 12 EA82 cars.......8 of those are mine. I know of NO EA81 cars....and my Subie radar is ALWAYS on. Our last Subaru dealer near here closed in the mid 80's. Now the cosest one is about 90 miles away:(

I did a search and found nothing for my specific car. I plan to get a set of 15" 6 lug rims from a JY and drill them to fit my hubs. These will go on a NON-LIFTED, stock 1987 D/R Wagon. My questions are: 1. What rims (year/make/width) have the best back-spacing to put on my car? 2. What is the largest tire I can put under it without scrubing at maximum flex with the steering at full turn? Thanks in advance.

Advance can get them for around $65. I just replaced mine in my '87 4WD Wagon last weekend. It took just under 4 hours, including smoke breaks:cool: . It's not as bad as it sounds. Subaru engineered the dach to come out for this reason. Unlike most manufacturers, Subaru's wiring harness designers know what a service loop is....meaning you can actually pull a component out then disconnect the harness instead of fighting with it behind/under the dash. Subaru is also good about using different size, shape and color connectors when large numbers are in close proximity, making it impossible to connect the wrong ones. If you are unsure about something, label it. Bag and label your hardare and small parts. If you can take it apart, you can put it back together. It all depends on how carefully/logically you take it apart. Here is what you are going after: Here is where it is: Leave a little something for the next guy!

After some hard off-roading, I took the '87 D/R Wagon on the road to sling the mud off of the tires and rims. I punched it in 1st gear and as I pushed the clutch in......WAAAAAAAAAA........stuck throttle! While stomping the pedal and looking for second I glanced at the tach....7,500rpm! I was just about to shut her down when I found second and dumped the clutch. I fried the front tires nicely:cool: . A buddy of mine that was riding with me was quite impressed. He thought I did that on purpose:D . As I was going through second, I freed the pedal and took it back home for repair (bad return spring). All is well now. I cannot believe this engine is still in one piece. I expected the engine to grenade at any moment, or at least throw a belt or 4. I have a new respect for these engines now. The car must be pissed at me for 'wheeling it so hard today. On the way home, I smelled the sweet/dreaded smell of antifreeze flowing from my heater vents. You can imagine what I will be doing tomorrow.

Good God what a signature! 25 Subies?!? You MUST post a group photo.

I look at these unique cars (older Subarus) like this: What you see is what you get. They are not being made anymore and don't have the greatest aftermarket parts avail. Right now another Subie somewhere is being crushed. Tomorrow several more will disapear. I'm always looking for one more to save. Just like when I was into collecting VWs, In most cases, I would rather use a used factory part than a new aftermarket (read: cheap) one. With few exceptions, suppliers simply cannot build a part better than the original manufacturers' factory. So many parts now are made in Mexico or Brazil....with lower quality materials. The smart thing to do is, providing you have the space, snap up every one you see. A few years back, I had 23 vintage VWs out back (most of them were strictly parts cars) I had no trouble finding an extra part if something broke on one of my "runners". I hate junkyards too, they will rob you without a pistol at those places. Keep 'em if you can.

Thanks. I have taken an entire car apart and kept everything good. If you need a pic of anything, let me know. BTW: Good to see I'm not the only freak with a load of these cars. You've got me beat.

Pics! (temperature selector is in "cold" setting in these pictures) Here is what to look for under the dash (cover is lifted)......... This is what it really looks like. Note how the cable attaches and the condition/proper mesh of the gears......... The front side....you can see the metal rod attached to the arm of the forward gear. You will need a mirror to see this as it is facing the firewall (and very close to it). This rod has ribs on it where it attaches to the arm and can be disconnected and snapped back in any position of the ribbed area for adjustment purposes. The piece it snaps in to I have found to be broken on a 1985 GL I had. NO FUN to get to and fix, but possible. Thank God for tie-wraps:D In the background, you can see how the other end of the cable attaches to the temperature control lever. NOT so easy to see IN the car!! (I know....the cable is disconnected in this picture...happend when I turned the box up....didn't notice till I looked at the pics later:drunk: )

Look under the dash from the driver's side to the right of the top of the accelerator pedal. You will see a cover a little larger than a matchbox that is held in place by a tab at the bottom of it. Pop the tab and lift the cover up. You will see where the quadrant control cable attaches to a white plastic gear. That gear is meshed with another on on the front side of the HVAC box. Moving your selector knob from hot to cold (or vice versa) should result in those gears moving. If they are working fine, you will need a small mirror to see the linkage on the front side of the box. There is a metal rod on front of the box that controls the "hot-cold" door, the rod moves from side-to -side to control the temperature. I have seen the locking device that holds the rod to the forward gear break and the rod falls out making it impossible to control temperature. I'll try to post some pictures of the mechanism so it will be a little easier.

Cool. Thanks guys. Now I can sleep:D . Thanks for the pic, McBrat. Thats right where the spots are on my cars.

Verrrrry nice!

Hey all, Of the 8 80's model Subarus I have owned, there is a rectangular spot on the driver's door panel on the upper portion where it looks like a sticker once was. What was this? I have seen it on DLs, GLs and XTs. Curiosity kills this cat.....

If the filter(s) don't do it, your pickup in the fuel tank could be plugged. Happened on one of my XT's.

Damn. I could see $500+ for a heater core.......IF it included labor. I think that is the last thing I ever want to do again on a Subaru. I would rather replace an engine than a heater core. As far as the prices of some of those other items.......two words.........PARTS CAR.

I had a similar problem with mine. It would be extremely useful if you can get a vacuum/fuel pressure gage. A good one is around $15-$20. T into your fuel supply line and run the hose through the rubber knock-out plug in the firewall and connect it to your gage. Drive the car and note what pressures are seen under different conditions: (Idle, mild acceleration, heavy acceleration ((WOT)) , cruise and deceleration). Next do the same test while plumbed into the intake vacuum system. These readings will help pinpoint the problem. I did this to mine and found the fuel and vacuum to be correct. This eliminated alot of troubleshooting. Mine finally turned out to be the Mass Air Flow meter.

I have dealt with dual carbs on aircooled VWs. (I have owned over 40 aircooled VWs........I have an addiction problem) Webbers, Delortos and Solex PDSITs. Summary: PAIN IN THE @ZZ! You must keep them syncronized or you end up with one half of your engine running different than the other. No fun. The only advantage to running duals as opposed to one large carb, is that you shorten the intake. The closer you can get the fuel delivery device to the intake valves, the more efficient (and powerful) your engine. Throttle response is greatly increased as well. That was before the days of the wonderful invention known as MPFI.

My 1985 D/R 4WD GL Wagon has 269,469.1 miles showing. The speedometer/odometer is inoperative. The lady I bought it from says it had not worked for years:eek: . No telling how many actual miles are on it. It looks like hell, but runs like new. Uses/leaks no fluids, does not smoke, (are you sitting down?) No tapping from lifters! Runs smooth with plenty of power. All electricals work, even though the bottom 6 inches of the car is rusted away! Everything still works on the car and it drives great. Even after sitting for over a year. I love these damn cars.

Another one to add to the herd. This one is a 1987 auto with push button 4WD. It is not a D/R. Is it worthy of a mild lift and tire treatment? I have a D/R, but that means obviously doing a large swap. My D/R car is 5spd and this one is auto. Does anyone off-road a non-D/R 4WD without sending it to an early grave?

What have some of you guys done to get a mild (cheap) lift? I have a rusty '85 4WD D/R Wagon to beat on and it needs lift....a couple of inches. I am picking up another 4WD wagon this weekend and yet another wagon (2WD :-\ ) soon after. Out of all of these, I plan to build one really good one with mild lift and slightly larger tires. Nothing too crazy as it will see much road use as well.

Your only hope would be to drain the tank (with a pump) then yank the fuel sender. You might be able to see it then.

One for you other Subie off-roaders: What options are there for larger rims? I have the stock 13" 4-lug wagon wheels on my '85 4WD D/R GL wagon. It needs more tire. Fender wells are self-clearanced via rust:D so I'm not worried about rub. If I need more room, I'll lift it and break out the saws-all to make even more room in the fender wells (whats left of them) I have heard that Puegot's rims will fit, but I can find none....they have long-since been removed from this area.......turned into coffee tables or put in the river for fish beds just like any French car should be.

Thanks, guys. Looks like I'll be going to NAPA.

I have tried 2 separate Stant thermostats, first a 195 then a 180. Both did not do s#!t. My engine went near redline and I verified the temps with a non-contact IR thermometer. Base of water neck: 215 deg, water neck outlet: 110. Definately a POS thermostat. Without thermostat, the car runs too cool. The temp hand barely rises and temps are verified around 110 to 140 on a warm day. I remember reading something somwhere in the past about how only certain thermostats work well in Subarus. Can anyone tell me the "good" manufacturers? (besides Subaru....the closest dealer is about 2 hours away).

Man, I went to that West Coast Stompers site. VERY impressive. Taking Subies where most trucks fear to tread. I wish I lived a little closer to you guys. Here is my site, it's mostly of my Jeeps, but I will add some Subie action soon!http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/484047

I failed to mention that it's a $50 car! The entire lower 4 to 6 inches is completely rusted away with large holes in it. Roadworthy by no means. It's going to get 'wheeled to death then parted out. So I'm gonna see just what it will take:headbang: