85Sub4WD

I'm assuming your DL was carbed - most/all 87's were - they have a 9:1 compression ratio (except for ONE model in 1985, all carbed EA82 engines have 9:1 CR from the factory) Loyales (save the turbo one) all have 9.5:1 CRs - as do late 80s SPFI engines - they are all virtually identical - even the ECUs are interchangeable regardless of tranny (wiring harness tells the ECU if its manual versus automatic tranny) your redline for the carb engine is 6k rpms (DL, so no tach) - the loyale's is 6.5k rpms - the SPFI engines have stiffer valve springs than the carbed ones I'd bet the radiator in your DL was replaced - because to my knowledge - ALL of the OEM radiators for our cars were plastic-ended - however all-metal aftermarket radiators are readily available - they are also interchangeable - depending on tranny (autos need the cooler) as far as the body itself - I think there was a retooling done ~1988 to accomidate the 4-speed electronic automatic tranny for the turbo models. but I may be wrong on that - most stuff from 1988/1989 model year should be the same as the loyale, as subaru did not invest much in that platform after the legacy came out - there were fewer and fewer options available after 1989 on the EA82 bodies

what specific model ECU are you trying to probe? there are different units depending SPFI, MPFI & turbo early, and later MPFI/turbo I know the SPFI uses a Motorola Processor similar to the (in)famous MOS 6800 CPU from your Apple II - however as it is an "MCU" instead of a CPU, the pins, and capeabilites are different - earlier SPFI units - from the pre-Loyale cars are black, and have a seperate memory chip that I think holds ~256 bytes of data, it can be erased optically, and there are connectors on the board to reprogram it - later ones are gray, and have no seperate chip, and probably cant be reprogrammed the long and the short - I dont know of anybody trying to probe the ECUs - but it would not be an easy proposition, as it would have to be in assembly, and you'd probably fry a few before you figured it out..... Good Luck btw - to my knowledge, there was NO dealer plug-in to get a direct readout from the ECU, all was done through the trouble light

factory service manuals (FSM's) (found on ebay, or in the marketplace here) are the best (lotsa pics and diagrams) - though haynes manuals are pretty good too - Im not a fan of chilton's, as they are vague

are you really sure that it really isnt shifting into 3rd? there is no overdrive on that tranny, only the 4-speed ones have overdrive - 75mph and 4,000-4,500 RPMs sounds normal to me - try counting your shifts carefully - you should only have two shifts (1-2, 2-3) - a friend had one and found highway driving rather anoying with it, as there really is no overdrive incidentally - no, you wont break anything crusing at that speed and RPM governor check, fluid change are a very good idea anyway as that tranny must have clean fluid the factory service manuals are EXCELLENT - and they are not too bad $$ wise on ebay for what they are worth here is the article on the govenor gear http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/USRM2/Transmission/Governor/ATgovenorclean.htm

hey - soobs tend to be VERY smooth at idle if they are running properly - as in, you need to check to see if its actually running - check for vacuum leaks - common problem on older soobs, especially at that mileage - sound-wise, they are throaty engines, because of the internal hamonics - if you do a detailed engine analysis for the harmonics, flat 4's are more harmonically stable than just about anything short of an I-6 - the crankshaft throws are a good indication - the cranks on these engines do not even have/need counterweights (the 5-main legacy ones do, 3 mains don't because the opposing pistons balance each other) what plugs are you using? - NGK's are best by far - quality wires, cap, rotor are also essential - make sure you have copper contacts on the cap, and rotor - federal mogul wires are far less than ideal (what most parts places have), but the work for about 30-40k OK once again - check for vacuum leaks - or any air leaks after the MAF - also it would be a good idea to replace the O2 sensor, check filters, clean TB, replace PCV valve, normal 200k stuff.... incidentally - I have a friend who has a '92 loyale with over 400k on the original engine - he did the valves ~250k, but the bottom ends on these things are very hard to mess up, overheating is your biggest danger to the engine

Synthetic oils can cause leaking if the engine was not run with them originally - if you change the mickey mouse gasket, and the oil pump shaft gasket, you should be fine - if its consistantly making noise, regardless of oil, they need to be replaced what weight are you using?? - I found that Mobil 1 15w-50 gives me good overall performance - without excessive leaks (less than a quart every 3k miles) - I replaced my oil pump gaskets about 40k ago too.... I'd expect 10w-30 would be a bit light... depending on your area... I havent had much issue with lifter noise

noticed it as well - the + side terminal is the one that usually is the culperit too... - GM sideposts are HORRIBLE for corrosion issues too.... replaced a LOT of those for friends.. good luck!!!

I had noticed you were from the land down under anyway - if it does run off the driver's side door - then you probably dont have a remote (the entire actuator system runs off two micoswitches in the door handle) - though you *could* put something together to make it work while some stuff is different - subaru generally tools as much the same as possible...... - realize there is NO actuator for the driver's side doorlock too..

I may be the only one - but Im thinking connecting rod bearing - that "tick" was a bit low pitched for me - its a bump, not a tick - wheres your oil pressure? - try some fresh oil, filter and sea foam for starters - ticks as Ive heard them dont always go away with revving either - none of the times Ive had a tick it did at least actually it sounds almost exactly the same as the bad connecting rod bearings in a mercedes engine I just repaired a couple months ago....

I dont think that any of the US cars had central locking remote - though I may be wrong - theres no actuator for the doorlock on the driver's side for the US cars... they all run off the driver's doorlock position my next best suggestion is something aftermarket - mind you it still wont run your driver's side door good luck

look in this pdf - its for an XT - but it is the same system - page 78 has the info http://mshoup.us/docs/fsm/1988%20Subaru%20XT%20Manual/Section%206/Section%206-3,%20Wiring%20Diagram%20&%20Troubleshooting.pdf thanks mshoup for putting that fsm online - I discovered it was there a couple days ago....

The redlines for EA82 engines were all at 6k until the SPFI engines - I know 86 carbies were 6k - not seen any 86' SPFIs (rare) to know - but Im 99% sure everything non-carby 87+ is 6.5k redline - they changed the valve springs and cam profiles with the SPFI/later turbo design, so valve float is not nearly as much of an issue with 87+ cars (much stiffer springs). 87 carbies and 86 SPFIs are probably somewhere inbetween the two note that FI and carb EA82 pistons from 85-86 (sans SPFI) all were 9:1 CR, where as later ones used a 9.5:1 CR too - so there is something else to consiter when reving - I think the SPFI bottom end is a *bit* beefier than the carby one, but Im not 100% sure good luck

I found a diagram for the sholder belt system in my FSM - it is pretty simple really - there are microswitches for the rear position, front position, and lap buckle - there is a big warning that if any of those switches fails or becomes disconnected that the system will become inoperative - I MAY see if I can scan some of it tonight if you PM me, and I can email the info to you - our scanner is a bit flaky, but I'll see what I can do - I think it is the normal door switch - but I cant tell for sure the location - its definately a regular swithc though - it could be in the door latch itself (ford does that with some cars) - good luck

I agree with NorthWet on the EGR and Evap stuff - I think it should compensate, though I havent personally tried blocking it the IAC valve should be fine to rotate 180* - the solenoid is a pretty sturdy unit good luck on cracking the software - if I did have a spare ECU - Id send it to you - Im a EE student, and I cant find much info out about how to access the memory chip in it - there are two basic types of ECUs for the SPFI system - one had the memory burned-in on the CPU, its a gray box - the black ones have a seperate EPROM or something like that which is reprogrammable (both boxes are interchangeable - theres no difference in wiring harness or anything like that) - the MCUs are Hitachi and appear to be similar to the Motorola 6800 CPU - they run good-ol C of course - I found some info about them in pdf format if you want it - I'll have to dig for it though - PM me if you want it and I can email you, Id love to see SOMEONE crack it

If I was going to really rev the engine - Id make sure I had a good set of forged pistons and rods (chrome top ring too) before I did so, and that they were really well balanced, as some have lost rods ~7.2k on EA82's - remember that the rods and pistons are cast aluminum - I think ramengines sells all that stuff for aircraft use, but it should work fine for road use - they also sell stainless steel valves (not sure of the advantage there), and stiffer springs - not to mention other cams and anything else you can imagine for these engines - but it comes at a price realize economy was forefront for these cars - not so for saab, or any of those other companies (or for Subaru today) - Subaru used a more harmonically stable design, and cheaper materials to deliver comporable performance (to Honda/Toyota) to a more expensive engine to manufacture - not to mention the fact that these engines were supposed to be gas savers too - having power at the low end can be advantageous too when it comes to getting you off the line, so dont completely dissmiss the stock power curve either - RPMs really arent a good judge of an engine's capeability - they just make a lot of noise