85Sub4WD

Yes - and VERY soon.

pass, pass, pass, pass, pass - The rust looks VERY bad on it - even consitering east-coast prices I think $100 would be generous, MAYBE $150 BTW - the radio is not original

catalytic converter - emissions device that converts nitrous oxides (stuff that is really toxic that forms when Nitrogen is heated up really hot) and hydrocarbons (unburnt oil and gas) into much more benign chemicals - the reaction with hydrocarbons produces heat - too many hydrocarbons - too hot usually it is the first "thing" in your exhaust system - I think the O2 sensor screws into it on the turbos

there are passageways in the head to keep water out of the wells that the spark plugs are in - it is probably leaking down one of those wells from the intake gasket

Why do you think I have stuck with my 1985 soob?

I'm not a turbo person, but I may be able to offer some insight - I think it is a seal issue - I think you probably need to replace your oil feed/return lines, and be sure they are sealed well. Otherwise, the only real way to tell is to pull it off. If it is leaking oil, it is probably going out the exhaust, and therefore you should see smoke and have a hot cat. converter.

pull hard or pull the disty and turn it upside down and spray lubricant that way you won't get any inside

Could be for safety interlock (if your car has one - mine did not come with one from the factory, and I haven't added one - not sure how they are wired on the cars that have them). Otherwise it is your backup or 4WD high indicator light. Be sure to check a wiring diagram specific to your car before trying anything - bad things can happen otherwise.

I agree - you will either have to swap the tranny with a turbo car to get the needed gear reduction, or you will have to put a turbo in a N/A car to get the power

yeah - I think that is what I did with it - use the pinout from the manual to find the correct wires - wire color may be different, but probably is not be sure to reset the ECU after you do

At the very least a GL - DL's are good, but skimpy on the interrior. Make sure it is fuel injection - hitachi carbs are a pain in the rump to deal with a D/R 4WD tranny is also something to look for - the gear reduction is most desierable

Nice setups Clarion at one time made the OEM audio stuff for Subaru (my radio is stock and has Clarion labels all over it) I may upgrade the deck eventually, but I am first set on getting decent speakers. - I am a bit of an audiophile, and I really don't like some of the distortion that MP3's (and most other compressed audio formats) have. 256k are bearable, but 128k is like listening through the end of a toilet paper tube. I have no money (and little interest) in spending money on my car's audio - the car itself is so loud anyway, anything really high-end would be pointless My one caution is to beware of snake oil - there is a lot of it in the car audio industry (and even more in "high-end" home audio). Just look for: an flat speaker response from 60Hz to 16kHz for car speakers - anything more is wasted money - most people can barely hear (if at all) above 16kHz, and MP3's kill anything below 60Hz - besides below that are VERY low frequencies, and a driver (speaker) that can go up to 16kHz will have bad things happen to it below 60Hz low distortion - measured in deciBells (dB) - 1 or less is fine - the smaller the better there are of course, other specs that can be taken into account, but overall that will get you a good speaker Home audio is easier because you can have multiple drivers and crossovers, and really have good sound - it does get complex, but there are good, cheap electronics available (luck also plays a part).

The regular D/R 5-speed on N/A cars have the same running gear - if the rear diff is 3.9:1 - you have the lower low range. Turbo cars are the only oddballs - the ones that had a low range (I think it was only the RX - but I may be wrong) have a different gearing setup, and a higher low range - I think that includes MPFI N/A cars too. Sorry, don't know about external tags - but the turbo MT trannies all have 25 spline front axles.

I thought it was high-speed - Subarus don't get sliced through like butter in car accidents. I guess it was also an older model dodge. Even if your soob was a beer can, it was a well-designed one to withstand that accident and get you through to tell the tale. A word of caution about American tanks - make sure that it has FULLY OPERATIONAL sholder belts, and not just lap belts - lap belt only can do NASTY stuff to your back if you are in an accident again. And of course, a rust free body. I restored a '67 Chevelle Malibu with a friend about three years ago - nice car - it was a red convertable with a black interior :cool: nice car, but not safe If I wanted a tank, I would go with an old Mercades-Benz diesel from the late '80s or early '90s - nasty, but indestructable, cheap to run, and reliable who knows, you may find one with air bags and ABS - even better - oh and remeber to time the 0-60 with the minute hand on the watch Hope you still drop bye occasionally

Use an ohmmeter to check resistances on the wires. Are you sure your battery terminals are tight and clean? The next step is the most painful one - individually checking each wire in the system, until you find "the one" that is bad. I would suggest removing the screws that retain the fusebox and checking behind it for any clues to the electrical fault. That is probably the most electrically cramped part of the car.

I would bet they are very much not available, or EXTREMELY expensive. Realize how bulky they are to store. One can "reupholster" a headliner with spray glue and fabric headliner material - which is not too expensive to do.

Mine has too, but it would potientially affect the idle - I put it low on the list of things to check. I think proper timing should solve the issue, and if not, proper mixture adjustment will. My CEL has not come on with it disconnected. However, I did have issues when I did not hook up my starter switch wire - I think the computer uses it to determine whether or not it should be getting a pulse from the CAS.

Thanks for the clarification - I know spam is a MAJOR issue. I have had to deal with my own nightmarish experiences trying to keep it off my computer. I was just not sure how the changes would actually affect me. It is always best to shut the stuff out before it has a chance to get in! Sorry for the thread hijack!!

I have often thought about buying parts cars, but I live where keeping one - even very briefly - would be impossible. I just have a good soob - only junkyard I use, the guy couldn't care less about EA82 and earlier stuff b/c it just takes up space for him for the most part. He is also into modding himself, so we have a mutual interest. He likes seeing my car too, because in his part of the state it is impossible to find an EA82 car that is not rusted out. I still end up paying much more, but I have to.

There is a reason why Subarus are sometimes dubbed "cult cars" The best way to answer all of your questions is to look at the FSM on this link, yes it is for an 1989 model year, but the FI system and engine are virtually identical. http://www.finleyweb.net/default.asp?id=142 gee - that's the second time I have posted it today!

sorry - I had a subaru guy tell me they were swapable - but he considers an EJ conversion easy - I did know the difference between control systems, but I did not realize it was that complex. It is still possible - anything is possible with a soob - just a lot of work.

Yes, you will need a timing light, they are not expensive. I am posting the link to a site that has the FI part of the 1989 Subaru FSM - I don't know if it will work b/c of new anti-spam stuff, but you can at least cut and paste it into your browser's navagation bar http://www.finleyweb.net/default.asp?id=142 the FSM covers ALL tuning procedures (and trouble code reading procedures) clearly and in-depth with numerous diagrams. All SPFI systems are virtually identical, save the 1986 ones. The FSM is the best resource period for what you have. Don't worry about the neutral switch or the starter switch until you have your car tuned - they may not even need to be hooked up (though I think your CEL light will be on until the starter switch is connected - it just tells the computer that the starter is engaged - run a wire off the starter solenoid for it. nice avitar

Actually I was expecting it to be in worse shape than the brat - particularly if it is a newer model. I actually saw a dakota run into an econobox once while I was walking down a nearby sidewalk, guess who came out on top The dakota's framerails were bent very badly, and the whole side was really caved it - much like on the brat - and that was a low speed (20 or fewer mph) accident. I bet that econobox weighed much less than the brat, even if it was rusty. If is an older dakota, it may be ok, but I have never acused Chrystler of making anything quality (well, at least in the past 25 years). Look at some of the wrecked ones the next time you are in a junkyard - you would be amazed at how shoddy the craftsmanship and design for the body is - look at where they bend and buckle - their minivans and small cars are the worst. All they go for is the aesthetics, and even those aren't too good.

OMG - that is the WORST tranny I have ever seen Would someone please enlighten me as to how "phantom grip" is supposed to work and what the supposed benefit is? - Is it solely to make your front diff into a LSD, or is there supposed to be some other benefit?

It is on the front of your throttle body - there is a tube that comes in from the top, and it is attached with four screws.