subnz

They are around people don't sell them much as theyre highly sort after there are 2 in my neighbour hood 96 2.0 Legacy wagon 06 leagcy 2.0 Wagon Could get NZ new NZDM and 2nd hand ex Japan JDM

If you're serious about performance, throw away the performance killing slusher auto and bolt in a 5spd manual, if H4 2.2, 2.5 Agree H6 3.0 R with its 5EAT nice alternative without the turbo / cambelt issues of turboed H4s

Consider other electrical issues as well. Tired high tension plug leads (coil to distributor lead as well) can break down as they warm up / under load. Also a failing coil can do this as well as it warms up ie sudden / intermittant stopping - this could be the most likely reason as the way it stops suddenly. Could be other distributor components as well ie loose low tension connections (if breaker type check gap /pitting and its condenser)

Looking at that sort of abuse - I'd be almost tempted to throw the engine away and start again. It maybe not worth the risk doing anything with it / spending money on it. Half a gallon down on coolant and the sludge deposits says it all. Then again you're doing the work and its apart for a good cleanup /checkover . MLS .headgaskets / resurface heads and TLC .it may live again. Good luck

Wouldn't lift it any more (creates CV / axle issues) just go slower with dual range box and a rear LSD and 4.44 diffs. Once diffs are welded up it totally limits vehicle to running off road - and not on hard surfaces without issues. ie winding driveline up. We were lucky in NZ as all manual Outbacks were dual range till gen 4 (20% reduction with 4.1 diffs) The best transmission to get is one from an old 3rd gen GL - RX II 86 - 88 ie AWD dual ratio with centre locking diff and rear LSD - If you could get one (rare as hens teeth) , not sure what's involved in hooking it up to an EJ engine because was originally behind an EA82T. Far superior to a later VDC slush boxes - all mechanical - nice and simple - no electronics.

JDM made a variation of everything. WE see this in NZ as we can / have been importing 2nd hand cars from Japan. for the last 30+ years as well as new NZDM built in Japan for NZ market. ( less variation mainly auto - 2.5 manual Outbacks for NZDM were D/R for gen2 and gen 3 ) Have seen a few (not many) early to mid 90s Legacys here with D/R - have a friend in my village who has one with Outback struts / wheels fitted. Another friend here has an ex JDM 2nd hand 06 Legacy 2.0 wagon with D/R.

If you could get your hands on one: the ultimate manual AWD D/R centre locking diff with rear LSD if you get could the complete driveline. Totally all mechanical apart from the electric switch / actuator that locks centre diff.

No matter how carefully / slowly , the cooling system is refilled ( through top radiator hose or through radiator cap ) There WILL be air trapped in there somewhere. The best and most effective way of releasing this air is to run the engine for 20 to 30 minutes with the radiator cap OFF (topping up when necessary keeping radiator full ) - using a funnel the right size in radiator cap opening - to make it less messy. Special radiator fill funnels are available at aftermarket parts shops. The reason for this is ; as the system comes up to temperature ie thermostat opens and circulates coolant (pump) throughout cooling system pushing air out and releasing it at the highest point - the open radiator cap. [ It is a well known basic scientific fact that air rises in water under motion.] The heating system is on a secondary circuit so that is the reason why its necessary to run engine for this period of time to do a good job. Once satisfied replace radiator cap , stop engine and top up expansion tank to correct level so it can draw (siphon) coolant back to keep radiator full as it cools down. Once engine / cooling system is cold - check how much the level of expansion tank has dropped. and also take radiator cap OFF to check that its full to neck - step that radiator cap presses onto. It may not be so top up if necessary and top up expansion tank to correct level if necessary again. ( The reason for this is that if there is even a little air still in system the siphon from expansion tank may not draw water / work effectively when cooling down.- to keep radiator full) Air WILL NOT enter the coolant when taking radiator cap off a cold engine to check radiator level. Also it is very unwise to leaving coolant in for 5 years Its the quickest way to reduce head gasket life. Owners manual ( Subaru Japan) recommends that coolant be changed / replaced every 2 years. This method works (ie 40 years + doing this - ex farmer) for all vehicles not just Subarus, other cars tractors trucks etc.

Agree If its not the tyres / wheels bearings etc and rear drive shaft. Look at front axles next - it could be the front CV joints failing.

Sounds like it could be an vacuum / air leak. hoses etc http://www.aa1car.com/library/vacleak.htm or maybe ignition timing retadred (backfiring) - 8 degrees BTDC @ 800rpm with vacuum advance hose off distributor

Sounded good if rest of car ok / well maintained / in good condtion etc

It sounds as if the garage guys just jammed them ( the new pads) in without doing any of this. The brake caliper pistons need to be compressed back into the caliper in with a G clamp using an old worn pad in order to get the new pads to fit in to the caliper and around disc. Fluid will also need to be removed ( with old syringe) from main brake fluid reservoir while compressing caliper pistons otherwise reservoir will overflow. The 2 caliper pins that the caliper bolts thread into need to be removed - cleaned and regreased as well ( small rubber bellow seal protecting the pin insides) otherwise uneven braking by pads / uneven wear of pads . This is how my 01 2.5 Outback was so imagine 07 would be similar.

Also it wouldn't be a silly idea if you could get your hands on a compression tester and check compressions to get an idea of engine condition. 150 - 160 psi for engine in good condition (service manual) Need to warm up engine 1st then remove all spark plugs then get someone to crank engine while you hold compression tester in each spark plug hole in turn when crank engine - need to hold throttle wide open as well while cranking / compression testing. With spark plugs out the colour of the porcelain insulators will be a guide to whats happening as well https://www.ngksparkplugs.com/about-ngk/faqs/spark-plug-faqs/how-do-i-read-a-spark-plug

Yeah should have said also to plug vacuum line as this will affect idle speed - may need to re adjust idle screw for 800rpm to retime. Watched / listened to your video - car sounds sluggish like ignition timing could be still retarded or / and fuel issues with carb still and also stopping /surging at 3000 / 3500 rpm could mean secondary choke not opening or running lean (mixture) as well - float setting perhaps - not enough fuel in float bowl. Are there any vacuum / air leaks like vacuum hoses , inlet manifold gaskets perhaps / gasket mounting between carb and inlet manifold, air leak in vacuum hose and brake servo ? etc PCV valve clogged open ? These hitachi carbs are a pain in the arse - had issues with mine when I rebuilt it can't of done a very good job as it wouldn't idle. So went and got a 2nd hand one from wreckers - didn't touch it inside and bolted it straight on and was not perfect but much better than my previous attempt . It ran ok after that for a few years. Here's a link that I googled if it helps on carb http://mastertechmag.com/pdf/1987/12dec/198712IS_Hitachi2Barrel.pdf and vacuum leaks http://www.aa1car.com/library/vacleak.htm Also it could be ignition as well ie coil / spark plug leads breaking down under load. especially main lead between coil and distributor cap . rotor / distributor cap - clean contacts of white corrosion inside. Unfortunately it's a case of trial and error going through stuff systematically to eliminate possibilities.

Timing could be retarded now as forgot to mention that need to remove vacuum hose off vacuum advance unit and set rpm at 800 while setting timing with strobe timing light. 8 degrees btdc is correct as per service manual. Its a good idea to clean / highlight / mark timing marks on fly wheel with "twink / white out / correction fluid marker to make them easier to see when timing with strobe timing light. Reconnect vacuum advance / vacuum hose - with engine running, timing should advance slightly about 2 degrees (check with timing light) and rev engine with strobe timing light still pointing at timing marks. Timing should advance up to 20 - 30 BTDC and return to about 10BTDC at idle this shows that centrifugal advance / weights are working correctly in distributor. Driving test ie full throttle in 3rd gear from 2000rpm - sluggish acceleration, backfiring - timing retarded - lots of detonation / pinging - timing too advanced - reasonable performance with slight initial denotation - timing about right. Take aircleaner off (engine off) and look down primary choke and work throttle to see if accelerator pump in carb is spraying fuel in there. Run engine rev from idle and do the same but care just in case back fire through carb ie flaming etc to see if engine picking up smoothly without hesitation / splutters etc ie a nice smooth hiss / roar when secondary choke opens

From what have heard / read the gen 2 H6 only came with 4 EAT so not sure how easy it is to do a manual conversion. Gen 3 H6 did have a 6MT in Legacy Sedan / wagons in some markets. especially JDM

Agree; Engine (heads / manifolds) design limits EA engines ability for boosting potential. eg the modest power increases in factory turbo EA81/82 engines - for example. Head and manifold design (ability for airflow increases / boosting) small 2 port heads / 2 valves per cylinder / shared port - inlet - exhaust manifolds, limit airflow. EJ engines with 4 valves per cylinder (instead of 2 for EAs) 4 port heads / 4 branch manifolds (inlet / exhaust) have more power to start off with and are far better suited to being boosted (turboed / supercharged) as they flow better so will get better power gains if wanting to go that way / spend more, and also have the advantage of being fuel injected as well in most cases. The only advantage of EA81 engines is their bomb proof simplicity / reliability of the valve train (gear driven cam and OHV) suitable for small light (kitset) aircraft applications etc.

It could be the needle jet / float valve not set correctly or the main fuel jet partially blocked (water / dirt) The previous owner may not have done a good job of rebuilding carb.. What condition is the air filter in? If problem still persists, Also look at ignition, spark plugs, leads, coil, distributor - centrifugal advance (weights- shaft ) / vacuum advance unit etc leaking vacuum hoses - usually breakerless distributors don't need to be timed but worth checking (10 degrees btdc) at idle rpm with a strobe timing light connected in series to no.1 lead and pointing it at timing marks though timing cover inspection hole at top of bell housing onto flywheel timing marks (underneath spare wheel)

If brakes are getting hot sounds like brakes are dragging did the shop take out and clean / lubricate the sliding pins that the 2 caliper bolts screw into?

Agree shouldn't be any piston / valve damage - had a similar experience after replacement toothed idler pulley seized stripping left new T belt a year later.

http://www.autospeed.com/cms/article.html?&title=The-Life-of-Fuel&A=112237

Mine ticked / clattered away for years - wasn't continuous - just from cold -sounds terrible though to the uninitiated but didn't worry about it too much - didn't do any thing apart from running 20W-50 oil as prerviouslly mentioned, after talking to a Subaru mechanic. If correct thermostat has been fitted it Sounds as if the heater core could be blocked considering age of car and poor heating.that you mention. there is a good chance the radiator could be heading that way as well considering the gurgling noises that you mention. Had similar issues with my 86 GL EA82 due to poor / no cooling system maintenance by previous owners. Agree can try releasing air from the system - the best way to do this is to run engine for 20-30 minutes from cold with radiator cap OFF topping up when necessary ( full) until engine comes up to temperature ie themostat opens circulating water /coolant thoughout system pushing air out releasing it at the highest point (open radiator cap) stop engine - replace radiator cap - top up - expansion tank to correct level so it can draw water to keep system full as cools down. This works for ALL vehicles not just Subarus have been doing it this way for 40+ years successfully with no problems. Can buy / use radiator fill funnels as previously mentioned that make it less messy .

Have a friend in my village has done exactly the same thing with a similar aged MT D/R Legacy Wagon. He also buys similar aged cars with head gaskets issues + other minor issues for $300 - $500 and fixes them to resell for about $1500.

Refer back to my 2nd post regarding H4 vs H6 3rd or 4th gen and grossgarys comments suggestions on gen 4 economy etc. Suggest a gen 4 (2010+) as it has better fuel economy with CVT transmission ( H4/H6) if it's in your price range. If 2012+ H4 (CVT) has new FB engine which has better economy and no T belt changes (chain drive like all H6s without h/gasket issues) Suggest H6 more power silky smooth does it with less fuss. ( without t belt changes and headgasket issues of H4 up to 2011) If get gen 3 H6 (5EAT) get a later one 2008/2009 with SI Drive (3 transmission modes - trip computer) its better for power / economy . H4 (4EAT) Have owned H4 5MT / H6 5EAT SI Drive and fuel economy similar - except for short running / urban where H6 uses 10% more fuel.

Yeah there's a certain amount of truth / risk in buying another car with unknown issues - perhaps better with the devil you know