85Sub4WD

I wound it up again today, and it did not seem to flatten out again like that - 6,500 is my max period because I can NOT afford to throw a rod on that engine - I usually shift just before the redline, around 5,800 for daily driving when I want to pass a slow car - my power is minimal by the time I reach that rpm anyway - I dont have a turbo!! - I usually just rev it up high in first in case 2nd grinds - habbit after running on old tranny oil for FAR too long (and probably damaging my synchro for 2nd gear) - Moral: change tranny fluid!! Spiffy - sounds like a great combo - hope it works out well for you! - don't be surprised if you have to tweak the specs for the stuff a bit - these cars vary as to what they like with age, mileage, and climate!! Good Luck!

Thanks for reviving this thread - I am planning to put a rear sway bar on my car (non-turbo w/o one) - I think I even know where I can get one off an XT6! How about an XT6 front swaybar too? would that be better than an RX one?

alot of people recommend http://www.1stsubaruparts.com never dealt with them, but many of their prices seem reasonable

Tighten until you feel the bolts "pull" - that is a slight strain in the metal - hard to describe; once you break off one or two bolts you will know what I am talking about I would not consiter torque on the rear diff cover bolts to be critical; they just need to be tight BTW - if you find the torque listed, make sure you have the bolt threads covered with threadlocker or lighty with motor oil - it is impossible to achieve proper torque without either (unless it says that it is done dry) - just a footnote that you probably already know!

OK - is it possible you messed with your linkage? (no duh you did if you pulled the tranny to do the clutch) - I don't know the early 4WD trannies, so I can't tell you how/what to adjust - but look at what connects the 4WD shifter to the tranny Another possibility is the fluid in it - is it spec viscosity? and how fresh is it? sediment builds up in it, and can cause severe lubrication issues - pulling the dipstick won't tell you much - mine looked fine, but my tranny was full of crap - change the oil with whatever is spec, and give it a try - the 4WD mechanism is at the rear of the case - any adjustment should be on the linkage itself - but I don't know for sure, as I am not a 1st gen-er; I feel like you at least deserve some insight though Sorry I couldn't help much (if any!)

Exactally - just tell the parts guy it is a CA car, and he should be able to get you the right thing - does anybody know if it would be an upgrade to switch to a 3-wire type?

I don't know for sure, but I would say it is very likely - if anything that rotates is not properly balanced, then vibration can occur (especially at the speeds you mention) - the axle seems highly likely given the fact that it is going bad, and could be out of balance

WJM - I think you had a little too much fun with that - it would have REALLY been painful if you said they were reverting to the '85-'86 model year switch setup that sums it up nicely

Binding issues are only a problem if you are in normal 4WD on a dry surface - FT4WD/AWD have a center diff to prevent binding from happening - should not be an issue I would say your car is worth fixing - a major vacuum leak would cause all of the symptoms you are describing - hard starting, poor fuel mileage, loss of power brakes are not hard on these cars - I did both front in one afternoon in the driveway by myself are you sure your "bad front wheel bearing" is not just the wear strip of the brakes screetching? - anyway fixing all of the above problems would be easy, when you do your CV joints, you have to pull the steering knuckle off anyway, you can do your brakes and wheel bearings right then and there!

about 10,000 different things - but things to check for are: does it vibrate at a given speed? if so then it could be many things - but I am leaning toward tire balance being off - if it was sudden you may have dropped a weight - another thing to check for is loose axle nuts - the big castle one on the end of the driveshafts in the center of the wheel - but I don't think that is as likely as unbalanced tires - the "wagon wheel" rims tend to drop weights - I know b/c that's what my car originally had! - good chance yours has them too - they are seven spoke white (when not badly rusted) steel rims does it vibrate when you press the brake? if so then you may have a warped disc rotor or out-of-round drum - always replace both with OEM or top-quality name brand (like Raybestous or Bendex) - there are many knock-offs on the marked that are not properly heat treated that deform/warp with normal use does it vibrate in a particular gear? if so, then potiential tranny/drivetrain issues - but I think this is the least likely of all, and should be checked last - these cars have pretty solid trannies

I use a puralator filter for oil - would recommend them, Subaru, or Wix ONLY - NO FRAM I use Castrol Synthetic Blend 10w-30 for winter, and sometimes go for 15w-40 if I am in really hot climates - otherwise all the seals gush oil (just resealed front of engine too) - I do my oil every 3k anyway - don't like 10w-40 b/c it has a bad history of gelling (turning into sludge) - 20w-40 seems to (in my expierence) be a bit thick, but if you are in a very warm climate, it may be good (probably a good idea if you have put Marvel Mystery oil in the crankcase to quiet the Tick Of Death) - 5w-30 is WAYY too thin - unless you are in northern Canada or northern Alaska, you sould NOT use it Would highly recommend Mobil 1 if you can afford it I am running Mobil 1 75w-90 in my transaxle - very pleased with it - actually noticed fuel milage improved 2-3mpg with it - may be oil, or the fact that the old stuff had been in there for 145k of city driving!!! Appeases second gear nicely- but still not perfect 75w-90 is spec for the tranny and diff - I would recommend sticking with it for that reason, and the fact it seems to work so well Interesting - though it does not surprise me - that stuff probably does not stick to the cylinder walls well b/c of all the anti-fowling additives, and therefore causes scraping action and extreme wear from lack of lubrication. I stick with conventional natural and synthetic oils only - proven to work, and work well BTW - Spiffy, believe me when I say I drive my car harder than you do - I found out at what RPM my valves float at - 6,200 - some board members drive their cars even harder

I am actually in a similar predicament - I just put JY new front struts on the front end (well under 50k) - didn't help - I think also had it aligned, and at this point I am suspecting a poor job by the shop, as the rest of my front end is tight generally, balljoints and tie rod ends can be checked for wear/free play - if there is free play they will need to be replaced - first have the alignment checked - that is probably the best way to verify the reason for tire wear other possibilities are bad front sway bar bushings, and front suspension bushings - check sway bar for extra free play, and you should be able to check the suspension bushings easily when car is raised bratman2 is right about the torque for the wheel nuts - check those too - but mine have never been loose (torqued them & put new cotter pin in last when I last had the hubs off - no prob. before or since)

Actually I really did have my wagon catch fire once ... not kidding - dealer poured oil down preheat tube - idiot - did not do much damage b/c I caught it early anyway - happy april fool's day!

EXACTALLY Most new cars over here are galvanised - hence why rustproofing is unnecessary didn't know about the high zinc-content paints - will have to look into that further (most of my family's cars were made before galvanizing cars was common, and therefore have great rust potiential) - thanks Ross

carbed EA-82's idle roughly all the time - why I converted to SPFI the cams (according to my '85 FSM) for turbos and carbed cars are VERY different - lobe height, opening/close timing, etc. - you would also feel a very odd power curve if you had the incorrect cams in it - actually the SPFI cams are pretty close to the carb ones (comparing using an '89 FSM) - should run fine, though I know carb cams offer more low end (carbed engines hit peak HP at 4,800, SPFI over 5k) realistically - I SERIOUSLY doubt your cams are incorrect - you would probably have other symptoms - it would cost a lot to find out for sure my bet is a crudded carb or emissions system - the emissions system on these cars (carbed ones) must be running PERFECTLY for it to idle smoothly - a vacuum leak sounds like a likely option, incorrect timing, fouled plugs/wires/distribuitor cap/rotor are also likely possibilities - all need to be soob OEM for proper performance - the advance mechanisms for the distys tend to get jammed too - may need a disty rebuild you say it is a CA emissions car? does it have a computer? if so, is the O2 sensor new? if it is not new, replace the O2 sensor - that should help.

ditto on that - but really, driving without one is not the end of the world; mine is out of adjustment so it doesn't work - I just coordinate my feet carefully

speaking from expierence - rubber undercoating isn't that great - it prevents water from meeting metal under ideal circumstances; but it also can trap water and make rust MUCH worse - hence why most newer cars don't have it FIX THE SURFACE RUST NOW - use something rust-oleumish and you should be fine

didn't realize that - but granted on the east coast, our emissions tests (at least in NC) do not check for cat operation, just for the presence of it - the only way I have heard of them going "bad" is either rusting to pieces or getting clogged - neither of which I have ever had happen to me, or anyone else I know (but then again, I am anal retentive about my car running correctly)

If you can't get SeaFoam in your region (not available here - or at least I haven't found it) Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO) works wonders too - have used it for many years on many cars to fix a variety of probs, and has worked well - just don't put more than the recommended amount in your gas tank or you will regret it

hoozie is right - check to see that you get 12v between the horn contacts when the button is depressed - I can't remember if the horn switch conrols the ground or the hot side - I think it controls the ground - run a ground wire to the proper terminal on the horn to see if it works - if it does, bad horn relay/switch - don't know where the relays are on an '83 - on mine they are under the dash on the left side

Is it burping out the intake or anything like that - usually cats do not go bad, people just think they do - chec to see how the exhaust feels - if it comes in bursts as each cylinder fires, then your cat should be OK - prolly a bad O2 sensor you should feel a real power drain if your cat is clogged if you do indeed need to replace the cat, most I've seen are around $300 - but that's aftermarket and parts only - probably an hour's labor tops

TheBrian has some good points - I can't remember the actual numbers, but I found info. reguarding the real envio. impact of producing a new car, and compared it to keeping my old one for however many years - it turned out that I would have to own and drive it for some ungodly number of years (like over 50) to come anywhere close to the energy consumed. That is accounting for the fact that the emissons equipment on my car is now 20 years old - however I have maintained all of it, so it is running very clean - and as it has a cat. converter, it is pretty much as clean as newer cars (you just can't plug OBDII into it) frankly, I try to be green, and I will embrace alternative fuels when they arrive (my mom wants a Prius for her next car - that will be interesting)

http://www.webercarbsdirect.com/subaru should work on newer cars too - don't know specifics on power/fuel economy gain

If you can find one rust-free (or nearly so) you should be able to cut/weld anything you want between them - keep in mind though, I live about 1,000 miles south of you, and they still rust here - I just sand/rust-oleum it on the underside whenever it seems bad yes there is a fuel economy diff. btwn 2WD and 4WD, but it's not too bad