two85s

Oh!, ....Damn!, ....Awesome!

Hey great Subaru repair saga!! Glad you got it sorted out and congrats. All the best, Aaron

Yes JesZek thanks....I appreciate the help. rrgrr and you have done similar things. rrgrr has done a 2" lift and he used "stock spec KYB shocks". rrgrr did you replace the coils and where did you get the 2" lift? Thanks again guys?

Really appreciate your experience rrgrr and the input. Thanks!! I need to get started on this and want to like what I end up doing and buying. My experience is limited mainly to carefully replacing stock parts when needed, routine maintenance, and not much fabrication or modification. I am thankful to learn from others who have already done these things. Aaron

Thanks for your efforts in doing this thornleyjacob. I will be going with some other type which I plan to redrill as necessary. But these look awesome and so does that stout bumper on the brat in the photo. I respect having an appropriate bumper in place so when an animal darts in front of the vehicle it isn't damaged much or at all (friggin sweet). That's smart and practical. Thanks again and Cheers, Aaron

JesZek thanks for the help! Another question for you. What about doing a suspension change similar but slighly different than what you did. What about this: 1) Subaru XT replacement shocks on the front with the Ford Tempo coils like you did. 2) Toyota 4 Runner replacement shocks on the rear, like you did, but also using the Ford Tempo coils on the rear. Maybe by doing so I could achieve the stronger and stiffer support helpful with heavier loads but not have to do the 2 inch lifting and other modifications that you did. How do you think switching the Ford Tempo replacement coils instead of the Honda coils on the rear would affect the suspension? Thanks again very much. Aaron

If I don't do a lift and decide to stay with stock shock and coil replacements will a 15" wheel and an off-road tire fit under my car with maybe only little wheel well metal trimming perhaps. Thanks

Thanks for the input thorneyjacob!! I'm guessing that the blown shock, if that's what it is, is one problem but the banging that was happenning is the rear axle giving up. I knew the boot was torn but let it be. I'll check the brake fluid reservoir today to see if it looks low or empty but in the last perios of driving I didn't notice any brakeing troubles. I've read others but mainly the write up by JesZek-Loyale 2.7 about using Toyota shocks plus Honda coils in the rear and Subaru XT shocks (Monroe) with Ford Tempo coils in the fronts as replacements for stock suspension. Great write up here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/106807-improved-shock-absorbers-and-spring-coils-on-loyales/ He still needed to lift the car and drop the differential bar and a few other peculiars. I am looking to econimically replace (or upgrade at the same time if possible) my suspension and get larger wheels to accommodate offroad type tires. Thanks again, Aaron

Thornleyjacob....thanks for the input. Definitely the rear passenger side. The fluid was "dripping" not pouring after I nailed the rut in the road and it was enough to saturate the rear passenger wheel. It smelled like hot brake fluid or power steering type smell to me and not a petrol/ gas smell. Aaron

Thanks Scooner, Yeah I've looked into lifting or not. Mainly because of the limited tire selection and no "off road" tire choices for the 13 inch stock wheels, I've decided to drill some Nissan, Mazda, or other larger wheels. Then I can get some tougher and larger tires. I would like to avoid lifting the car, dropping differential, lengthing axles and steering, etc. It seemss like a lot of work and I'm not as familiar with or confident about the different changes that do or don't need to be done to do a lift. I sure do like the lifted wagons I've seen on USMB, like yours and Theloyales. For now I think new shocks, coils, rear axles, and drilled larger wheels is what I should be doing. Any recommendations on coils and shocks that fit and bolt right in but are stiffer than the OEM items? Thanks again, Aaron

Went to a gold mining claim last week with my 1985 wagon, and..... was towed home 106 miles on a AAA flatbed. After two days camping, mining, and getting some gold, everything was great. Then driving on a dirt road near the claim with a fully loaded wagon and stock "vintage" suspension, I hit a deep rut, HARD, on my passenger side. The rut was deeper than I expected but the same elevation on both sides so it was a very intense......BANG... and I kept forward motion and speed. It shook and banged hard enough that I thought....oooouch, that'll break something. About a 1/2 mile later ...bang, band, bang. Felt like I was hitting good sized rocks in the road and I could feel it in my shifter too but there were no rocks ...just a dirt road. I got out, looked and saw fluid or something dripping into the dirt from above the rear passenger wheel and I was on a forestry road miles from the pavement. The Subaru didn't totally fail and I was able to slowly drive to the highway, call AAA, and get towed home 106 miles....(the last 6 miles cost me $54...so the insurance paid about 10 years of dues right there). On the way to the pavement the bang, bang, bang, was violent but not constant and got worse if I went faster than 1st gear mainly coasting-in-gear-speed... The passenger side rear axle boot was already torn and now the wagon also leans about 4 inches towards the passenger side.....Is this what is called Subie "STANCE"? ..lol. 1) Was the bang, bang, banging the axle failing? 2) Was the fluid dripping I observed from the rear shock obsorber being destroyed by the impact from the rut in the road? Thanks USMB

Thanks Scooner.....your wagon is badass!

I had a similar problem (my wagons not a turbo though) and my air filter looked clean. But after I put in a new one....it really helped with my power. Hope that helps.

Nicely done lostalfos!! Thanks for taking the time to put up the pictures of what you did. Scooner what sort of lift does your wagon have and what size are your wheels and tires? Cheers

Whew....glad you got it figured out. Congrats.

Gloyale is a Subaru wizard. I hope his instructions help with your situation. Good luck.

..........Awesome work and your photos are stellar!! Thanks for keeping us updated. All the best to you, Aaron

Nice work turbo!! Your emmissions tests are probably much more pragmatic than in my area. Heck, the readings at the tailpipe should be all that matters and not whether it's OEM and "as equiped". Thanks for posting.....do you still have those parts and are they the same as, say for example, a 1985 EA82 GL non turbo wagon? Just checking. Take care, Aaron

Hey, I would send a cashiers check or paypal the shipping costs and be very grateful. Yes, it's a real pain, costs more money, and that's if it passes. If not, then...it gets expensive quick. Last time I put over $600++ in for new Cat, numerous tests, and additives before passing and the Cat I had was only 2 years old (approx). The mechanic says they are now built to fail sooner. I think it's a lotta crap. My wagon purrs, blows no smoke, and idles nice. I am not, with my Subaru GL, gross polluting our planet like Fukishima, Depleted Uranium (DE) weapons, etc. etc. are. Seriously, ....I'd like to spend some "disposable" income on a paint job for my wagon instead of paying it to the state, parts suppliers, and the $95 per hour mechanic for my Smog Cerificate. Thanks Sapper!! All the best, Aaron

Anyone know if that's the same EGR and AAV that are stock items on my non-turbo 85 GL wagon? If they are? .........Sapper please don't throw them out..lol. I have to resmog my wagon every 2 years and having back ups on parts like those would help me keep it on the roads. Just saying.... if you were going to toss them (and their fasteners, hoses, clamps, etc). Thanks, all the best. Aaron

That's disturbing and awful that the "dealer" won't touch it. .....That is bullsh#t!!. Which dealer said they won't touch it? They should be called out for that bs. I'd bet you call a different Subaru dealer and they will fix your car. Good luck with your problem anyways. Cheers

I think that's the same as mine. The new I bought had no port for the hose. Aaron

Hi Sapper, IIRC I was told to remove it and look inside to see if it was "all gunked up" and clogged. When I removed it I only found a very thin black coating on the inside. So I spayed out the cavity with carburator cleaner, wiped with a rag, and probably let it dry for a while in the sun. I don't remember exactly. I did all this after I discovered the new one wouldn't fit. The cool thing I learned is that you can move the value and TEST the EGR without removing it and see if at idle your engine starts to stall. That means it's working as it should and that's what I found out!! Pretty cool. You have to reach in and move the plunger stem/ or valve arm deal with your finger (be cautious). Here's link to my thread and alor of tips about the EGR. Let's know what happens. Take care. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/146755-85-gl-wagon-smog-fail/

Hi Jack, I have a post/ thread on here about my CA smog challenges. I'll post a link. I would recommend asking USMB members if they have an extra OEM/ vintage/ used carburator that is the one you need. At least you would be working with the actual original equipment. I hope it works out for you ASAP. CA and the DMV (and the auto industry) want the old cars off the road even if the tail pipe reading are within limits. My mechanic said even a lot of the "newish" cars are failing left and right because the "limits" are constantly changing. Post what you find out. Cheers, Aaron http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/146755-85-gl-wagon-smog-fail/

I bought one from Rock auto for my 85 and it didn't fit. Mine has two tubes that connnect to it or the part did. I forget what exactly didn't fit, but it didn't fit and I ended up cleaning mine (it only had a little carbon built up) and testing it. It was working well and it's still on today. I read that the egr has purposes that are beneficial to the engine. Hope this helps, cheers