TahoeFerrari

1987 3DR SPFI 5SPD D/R 340+ k -- 32+MPG OVERALL (AS HI AS 37-38 ON LONG HIWAY TRIPS) 1989 WGN SPFI 5SPD D/R 215+k -- 30+MPG OVERALL

And we think we're so smart! Those early designers/engineers definitely had more fun than we do.

Out of curiosity - assuming both calipers are available, why do all the work of installing 200SX calipers to get rear wheel parking / ebrake when you already have the front wheel parking brake?

Ditto what's already been said about the crank nut. As far as the fan nuts, if you look closely you'll see that there are flats on the hub behind the fan blades that can be held with a 10" crescent wrench to keep the fan from turning and then use a long handled 10mm combination wrench on the nuts. To get them back on a pair of long handled needle-nose pliers can be used to slip the nuts onto the end of the studs and then hold them as you (carefully) start them with a finger tip of your other hand. It requires patience but it can be done with a little practice and - if you're lucky - small hands. As far as timing belts go, they need have the tension checked at least every 30K miles and definitely replaced at 60K - there are many posts about this such as this one: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=74304 Then there is the real inside trick about the fan nuts. Get rid of the mechanical fan and put in an electric. See my comments in this post: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=110298

Here's something I found the other day. The 90A stock Maxima alternator is enough for me, but for those of you intent on turning your car into a monster boom box, lighting the world, or just burning up your wiring: http://www.maniacelectricmotors.com/hioual150amp.html Pricey, perhaps, but it would bolt right in - I've got the 90A Maxima alternators on 2 - SPFI EA82s (one inboard and one outboard). One of the easier upgrades I've done - well, except for having to make a .300 pulley spacer (actually anything from about .290 to .320 works).

I've put Maxima alts on EA82s in both the inboard and outboard locations. The Maxima alt fits OK on an 89 (SPFI) EA82 with the alt inboard of the AC compressor. It's very tight, but it can be done. One trick I used so I could use the same V-belt size as with the original alt was to pull the power steering pulley, put the belt on the maxima alt and other pulleys, and then slip the power steering pulley (with the belt already on it) back on the power steering pump shaft. I think that this is probably the only way to use a small enough belt so that you can properly tension it - if you use a larger belt, the alt will not move enough to get the belt tensioned. All of you putting bigger alternators in - don't forget to use a heavier wire for the output of the alt back to the + battery terminal with maybe a 120A fuse/circuit breaker. The Subaru wiring and fusible link won't cut it. I also made an adapter using the Maxima wiring harness connector and a Subaru type connector so I could easily switch back to the original alt for a spare if necessary.

As long as same temp thermostat was used I wouldn't expect any problem, but it's probably not necessary: Some time back I experimented with a couple of EA82s to see if they would benefit from cooler thermostats. What I found is that if the thermostat temp was reduced by more than a few degrees the ECU would think that the engine was not up to operating temp (via the output from the engine-mounted coolant temp sensor) and seemed to run the engines richer that necessary and thus clobbered gas mileage. A change back to the stock thermostat temp and the gas mileage returned to normal. I repeated the cycle twice for about a month each time with 2 different EA82's and got the same results. Note that these were NA SPFI engines, but I would expect the same with a turbo engine. I also did this during the winter/spring when daily temps were cold to cool so it might help in summer but I suspect that during colder parts of the year it could actually hurt.

There is both a thermoswitch (rt lower radiator) and a relay that is controlled by the a/c system (temp or pressure - I'm not sure which). The thermoswitch and relay are in parallel so that either can activate the fan. So even without the a/c, it should work if maybe you're idling in traffic for long periods on a hot day. Fyi, I have replaced the thermostatic fan w/ electric in 2 EA82s and split the function so that the right fan is controlled by the radiator thermoswitch (as before) and the left (new fan - actually old EA81 thin fan) is controlled by the a/c (or a manual switch - just in case). I estimate this gives me a few miles better gas mileage. Indicator lights for the fans show that between 30 and 65 mph on a 95 degree day, neither fan runs except maybe on a long uphill. Over about 70 (on same day), the engine creates enough heat load to turn on the right fan. My conclusion is that the thermostatic fan mostly wastes energy (although if you only had 1 fan, it would probably be more reliable and be better able to produce high volume - maybe necessary in a truck!). I also did the same with a Jeep Cherokee with the same results - a few mpg better gas milage and the fans pretty much never run except on very hot days or heavy loads. Perhaps this is why many new(er) cars have done away with the thermostatic fans and use dual electrics. Amazing - those auto engineers!

Wow, that's very good to know. I searched and searched before posting and found very little info about ECUs. Thanks for the prompt reply. TF

Like the man said, there's not much of anything "performance" about or available for an EA82 Subaru. One thing that will help stopping power is to replace the rear drum brakes with disc brakes if you haven't already done so. You won't notice much difference during normal brakeing, but under hard brakeing the rear wheels won't lock up nearly as easily with the discs and thus you'll have better stops without the rear wheels sliding. Here's the link to that conversion http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49975 I've had good success with non-metalic or "organic" pads. They seem to create less dust that metalics and don't wear out rotors as fast. I think there are ceramic pads available for the front, but I haven't tried them (yet).

Has anyone tried replacing an '87 SPFI ECU (22611 AA200 / MECF-011 / xxxx 3E / N) with an '89 SPFI ECU (22611 AA392 / MECF-022 / xxxx 4E / 42)??? (ECU label differences hi-lighted in red)! The ECU plugs appear to be the same. 1) Are the pin outs the same? (I have info for '89 but not '87). 2) I know there is an extra sensor (EGR gas temp) on the '89 intake manifold. It is wired (w/r) to ECU pin 38. Unplugging it does not seem to make any diff. - no CHECK ENGINE or ECU codes. '89 FSM says it should cause code 55 (California only - which this car is) for open/short, but it doesn't happen! The rest of the stuff on the engines looks to be the same although one or two sensor electrical connectors are different.

Ditto what everyone has said about re-tensioning. During the first 100K or so I had my '87 the driver side belt only lasted 40-50K but never 60. Then I heard about re-tensioning them at 30K and haven't had a belt break since (I know I just jinxed myself!!!). That was about 1991. I actually re-tension them every 20K on 3 SPFI EA82s in the family and change them at 60K. Total miles on the 3 cars: '87 313K, '89-1 240K, '89-2 (the baby) only 200K. For what it's worth, I've NEVER changed idler pulleys or tensioners, but I do change cam seals every belt change - oil is not your timing belts friend. If you cannot do it yourself, you can probably stretch it to 30K before re-tensioning. A knowledgable mechanic should be able to do it in an hour or less. A final word of caution for you low-time do it yourselfers: Be careful tightening the tensioner bolts - use a torque wrench. It's very easy to over torque them and strip out the threads (steel bolts in an alloy block!). Actually this is true for just about everything on a Subaru engine - steel bolts into alloy should always be torqued or if it is just a bolt holding a small bracket or such, tighten them less than you're tempted to. Sorry, I just couldn't resist beating this subject to death just a little more.

A '92 Loyale is an EA82. I looked up the JC Whitney alt. and for approx. $90 I very much doubt that it's 200A. It is very likely a 60A stock replacement. If you read the statement containing the 200A reference: it seems pretty obvious that this is a general statement about Bosch alternators saying that they may "deliver amperage up to 200 amps .... High output available on certain models". I've got '86 Nissan Maxima 90A alternators (that I found out about on the good old USMB) in my '87 and '89 EA82's. They bolt right in, but the Maxima serpentine pulley has to be changed to the Subaru one (preferably one piece and not the split kind) and you have to make or have made a spacer to do this). I've had both of them running for about a year now without any problems. Along with upgraded 6ga cables, 120A Fuses, and an auxiliary battery I use them to run 1200W inverters located under the driver seat to power AC stuff - 750W coffer maker, 750W hot plate, AC drop lights, drills, etc. Very handy out in the boonies.

I use it regularly in 2 - '82 hatches, an '87 3-door, and an '89 wagon - it's very handy on a steeper hills at stop signs / lights though not many of the later here in the Sierras. What surprizes me is the number of Subaru owners that don't know what it is or how to use it. I've educated quite a few over the years and adjusted several for friends with older cars (like mine) that had got out of adjustment. Most then use it for a while - if they remember. Then I think that if they are not regularly in a situation where it would help, they "forget" it's there again - especially if they have another manual transmission non-Subaru vehicle (I've been known to try to use the hill holder in my seldom driven Jeep Cherokee - doesn't work too well!)

BEWARE! Old struts become temp. sensitive so what works in a JY on a warm/hot summer day may very well not work on a cooler/cold winter day.