85Sub4WD

20W-50 is WAY too heavy for the crankcase reguardless of the weather conditions outside. Change the oil with 10W-30 and put some Marvel Mystery Oil in with it (put the Mystery Oil in the crankcase) The additive DOES work, but putting the proper viscosity oil in there is the main thing. Marvel Mystery Oil is sometimes thought to be ATF because both are red is NOT NOT NOT ATF, it is actually very close to kerosene as far as its composition. It removes contaminants to provide better oil flow. ATF burns fairly easily and WOULD gum your engine up badly. If you are using your orig. lash adjustors, then one might have some gunk in it. Rev the engine up to 4000-5000rpms for a few seconds to. If the lash adjustor is stuck, it should free. I have one get temporarally stuck and have to do this once every 30,000miles or so.

Oh, all of us have done bone-headed things at one time or another Honestly, I would have bypassed the control unit and saved the $$$, most other FI soobs don't have them and they are safe. I thought I saw a TSB on the Fuel Pump control unit for those cars, but I was not sure.

Thanks, could you PM me a price? I am also interested in replacing the rear suspension bushings for my trailing arms. People can at present hear me from a mile away, last I checked they were really expensive - $60+ for one of the ones ans $40+ for the other. As you are a Sub. parts man I would have a much better idea of what I am really talking about price-wise. (I am a college student living on a student budget )

It really is not hard to replace the fan switch, if the fan is the problem. Please tell us, we're all curious how the mechanic messed up!

The gearshift goes too far to the left when engaging 1st gear and 2nd gear; but it seems to go to the correct distance when engaging 5th and reverse. It goes so far that it has broken the plastic surround for the gearshift. Any ideas? The problem started shortly after having the clutch replaced, but I don't think that it is bent shifting components. I know the issue with EA-81 cars has been addressed, but the assembly is different than on EA-82's. This is a problem that we have been having for some years but I am sick of it and want to fix it. By the way it is a 1985 GL 5-speed D/R 4WD.

I would raise it, disconnect the PS lines and turn the wheel lock-to-lock several times to get all of the burnt fluid out of the rack. Then try to feed as much fluid as possible into the rack before hooking it back up. Then start the engine and purge the system (turn lock to lock several minutes with the cap off the resivuoir). A neighbor and I did that on a '67 Chevelle and it did wonders. Are you SURE you are using the right fluid? And realize that PS varies with engine RPM, which is why I stick with manual.

Geez, I guess if I ever want an OLD car I need to go out west. (don't have anywhere to put one now!) The oldest I have seen here is a rusted-out, beaten-up 1980 in a junkyard. I know where one is that had a third eye, but most of the mechanism is gone and the rest is rusted solid. Was the third-eye available in 82/83? Anyway, best of luck - just make sure you have good CV boots!! Granted I have no rally expierence, but an old-school Soob with a good disty and carb. should get you through a lot. I think you should at the very least finish, and beat most anything 2WD

I used one fram filter once on my car years ago (no bad results that time), since then I have use Puralator Premium Plus or Pure One. Purlator filters are actually made in my home state (NC) not too far from where I live I know the guy who spec'd the oils used for the can-making machinery (and the rest of the plant for that matter!) he retired from Mobil Oil about two years ago!

even so, some nice people have put part of the 1989 FSM online here http://www.finleyweb.net/default.asp?id=142 and here http://www.main.experiencetherave.com:8080/subaru_manual_scans/1980_Subaru_Manuals/ enjoy!

I like the old-school soob, but they should have left the passenger side headlight on and tried to hide the intercooler - that would have made it a REAL sleeper!! I would love to do that to a wagon someday By the way - spraying the intercooler with Nitrous Oxide would NOT help performance - specific heat represents how much energy (heat) a liquid must absorb to evaporate - water has pretty much the highest possible - and I believe NO2's is lower than air, so not only is he driving a bomb, he is also hurting his performance!!!

Check the Idle Air Control Valve and see if it is gummed up, that is quick and easy. Also, after it is warmed up, check the timing and all other settings. The spark plugs could also be fouled, check them and the cap/rotor.

I guess you don't want to completely destroy it, after all it is a classic, I mean wouldn't you want the fun of parking it in a lot and having everybody stare at it? I mean you don't see many cars like that around anymore, and besides it has character. Please tell us how it runs with the 1400cc engine (if it is working). I would be fascinated to hear it (not a fast ride for sure!), too bad you are on the other side of the US I have to give you credit, it is OLD school

I had a similar problem where that mechanism broke, yes by monkeeing with it using a can of WD-40 it should free. If not, the only way I know how to get to it is by removing the evaporator.

May be the purge control solinoid, but I don't think it would cause a no-start. Are you pumping the gas before you start it? Do you have good spark? Check with a timing light to be sure.

Let's hope the guy who wrote the article got it wrong. I guess the next best thing would be a hydrogen-cooled intercooler anyway, if he really is cooling it with nitrous, he may be a future Darwin Award candidate.

The problem is that it would not look like it was OEM, even to a fool of a mechanic, and it would make getting it to pass inspection VERY difficult (at least where I live). Besides, half the fun is playing with old subaru parts in questionable condition. Though I will say the megasquirt idea is good especially because it can be customized If you're offroading go for it. Another thing to consiter is reliability and availability of parts in the long run.

How hard is it to get a foreign D/R tranny? I looked at the Impreza wagon on subaru's global website and it comes with a D/R tranny with very similar ratios to mine. If I could somehow keep the D/R, I would happily go new gen tranny, even if I had to change the tranny mount and my speedo was a little off. (Or do the XT6 conversion and use the right size wheels)

Whatever you do DO NOT use stop-leak additives, they will kill your engine. If it is weaping a little bit, no sweat, using up to a quart every 3000 miles is the general rule-of-thumb I use for acceptable oil useage. Don't overtighten the oil pan bolts or else you will regret it when the snap. By the way, did you put the RTV silicone on both sides or just the gasket? Technically for all gasket sealers I have used, you are supposed to put it on both sides and some want you to let it "skim" before you assemble it. By the way, I use the hi-temp copper sealent for all sealing needs on my car.

I don't doubt that they can do better - but realize that '03 was the first year for the Baja and the (I think) H-6 engine. The reason you did not see this in the 90's is because almost all Soobs made in the 90's use an EJ22 or EJ25, both of which are sturdy FOUR cylinder engines. The only other six cylinder ever made by Subaru was the ER27, which is very rare. I have a 1985 GL - there are numerous small issues with it simply because it was the first of that engine type, like the spec for oil types to be used at different ambient temps in the orig. owner's manual is wrong. Numerous other problems were also found and corrected on the '86 and '87 model year. As an engineering student I can say you can not design for everything; some mistakes are bound to happen and there are problems that will crop up you cannot predict. At least the first Baja and H-6 did not have issues like the early Ford Focus I don't doubt that Subaru will get it right; profits speak loads and CR can influence a company's profits by their reccomendations.

WJM - Just make sure that Southern States Subaru is NOT on your "good list" - they are the dealership that tried to make a fireball out of my car. Where are the other dealers? I have a guy in Sparta I trust, and a general foreign auto mechanic I trust in Raleigh (he mostly works on high-performance like DeLoriens and Lotuses (sorry for the misspelling) - my parents may be getting a new/used Soob (prob. a Forester) so I would like to find a good dealer, hopefully nearby.

My regular parts source Hal's Parts and Service ( www.halspartsandservice.com ) has several Justy's in his yard, but other than knowing they are there I can't tell you much about them. (he is 4 hrs drive away from me too!) 1st thing I would do reguardless is convert to FI, it would boost you to 73 hp. and it was available on Justys from 90-94. FI makes a BIG difference. or a Weber carb might also work. I have NO real expierence with turbos, so I really don't know how to do it. I know you would have to lower the compression ratio though, and that could be difficult.

vacuum leak??? (after MAF, before turbo) - or fuel pressure regulator/filter

I can think of a few possibilites: 1st - make sure your hoses are connected properly - the heater hoses can be spotted easily on the back firewall 2nd - check the coolent level/mixture if it has too much water or antifreeze in it - he may not have put enough antifreeze in it 3rd - check for air bubbles in the system - can be causing issues take radiator cap off and run until the thermostat opens and then start squeezing and releasing the top radiator hose. Bouncing up and down on the front end helps too. 4th - put an OEM Subaru thermostat in That is all I can think of! Hope you find the problem! Cougar - the engine is also running cold!

I guess I must be looking in the wrong places. I usually am between Raleigh and Elkin (my 88 and 86 year-old grandparents live there) and my main parts source is in Sparta (Hal's Parts and Service). I was in Asheville about a year ago, but I wasn't there for long (just looking at the university). Nice town - I collect vinyl on the side and Asheville has a nice selection, but a bit pricy. I guess RX's are more popular on the western end of the state.

How rare are RX's really, I mean I live in Raleigh, and I have never seen an RX here. I see old Loyale's, and GL's frequently, in fact there is an old white 1985 XT 2WD which is rusted out sitting in front of the dining hall all the time (I am at NCSU) but I have never seen an RX. When I finish the BMW I might sell it and get something like that to play with (that is a long way off). On second thought, I don't think my brother should not have anything turbocharged for his first car (that is who would probably get it eventually) - the thought of him driving at all scares me! (and he is 15!) What is the difference between an 85-86 RX and the "real RX"? Is it the new MPFI system on the 87? If I ever can get one, I want to get the real thing.