85Sub4WD

I had a similar expierence in my Soob about 7 years ago (when I was in middle school). We had an unexpected 20 in. snow overnight here in NC, and our Soob easily handled 15+ in. on the ground. It was a lot of fun to pass overpriced SUV's stuck in the snow in a car that was worth about $500. Love to see the expressions on their faces!! Go for an 80's SPFI GL w/ a D/R tranny, the low gear is GREAT to have and it allows you to pull/drag stuff (like a Datsun 510 w/ frozen rear wheels). Most of the 80's cars do not have that annoying automatic seatbelt either (I think only the turbos have it). SPFI parts are also cheap and generally easy-to-find (and VERY reliable). aprilspies - maybe you should have it exorcised or get another Soob. I bet that your bad luck will pass.

Wow, I did not think something with a street-legal EA series engine (particularly a wagon) could go that fast. I have had mine up to 85mph, and I think I could hit 90+mph on a level surface, but my car is NA. I bet the turbo gearing helps too, I am cranking 3,500 at 75mph and I edge close to 4,000 when I hit 85mph, so I do not think I have enough overhead to hit a speed that high (and not blow the engine). Not that I would need to I like how smooth it is at speed - must be that gigantic front spoiler - and I don't even have power steering!

The RX was first offered in 1985. I have an orig. US sales brochure from that year, however a virtually identical sedan was offered, but it had a difft interrior, suspension, and no LSD.

The deepest snow our soobie has ever been in was after we had a 20 in. snow here overnight. For those of you who do not know much about NC's weather, 2 in is consitered a lot for the region and 20 in. in one night is unheard of. We took our Soobie out a day after the initial event, but there was still 15+ in. on the streets because we don't have enough plows to handle snow like that, so most of it was untouched. It was a LOT of fun to pass stuck $50k+ SUV's in a Soob that is worth about $500

The "anti-backfire" valve is (or was on my car - pre SPFI) connected to the EGR system, not the ASV (air injection system - or as Subaru calls it Air Suction Valve). I never really messed with it because I was not sure of the consiquences and I figured leaving it as-is would not hurt. I did plug the ASV's when I was working on it because it quieted the engine, but I enjoyed the noise and commotion it created when I reved the engine, so I left it intact as long as it was carbed. (with them plugged it sounded to me like a hyperactive sewing machine) They really don't do squat, but are neat sounding!

I know this is crazy, but I was thinking about a turbo Justy earlier today. Definately NOT with the auto tranny, but really, could you do it? It would be one VERY fast ride!

This may be an odd question, but how common a problem are loose axel nuts? This must be the 2nd or 3rd post in a month on the subject. We have had our Soob for 20 years and have had not problems with loose axel nuts. Is it because somebody worked on it and did not torque it properly (coat lightly w/engine oil or anti-seize and use torque wrench). Or is there some other reason? I recently had to change the front rotors on mine, and I had no problems before or after.

Yeah, you have the power, so you do not need the lower 1st gear!! Thanks anyway!

Nice pics. I know I should not ask this, but do you know what its top speed is?

Thanks GLCraigGT - that's what I needed to know. I knew I would have to swap that shaft, but I didn't know if the drive gear was the same. WJM - there are two sets of gear ratios, one for turbos and one for non-turbos (look in the 1989 FSM - I just don't have the part on transmission internals.) The turbo cars have a much steeper 1st gear b/c of the 3.7 diff. All the other gears are lower, and I do NEED the low range! I sometimes use the car to pull/drag stuff that are nearly as heavy as it is! I might still grab both trannys to see what I can come up with. Good summer project - I'm too busy now!

From what I gather it is valve cover gasket. I have not replaced one, but I do not think it is too hard to do. Probably a dealership item

I second Snowman on that. Both our Soobs were carbed from the factory, and I can say from expierence that though the vacuum lines look hard and problematic to put together, but take your time, and you can do it. There are many systems that are not really for emissions, but for performance - like the anti-backfiring valve I just remembered that carbed cars have - you don't want to disconnect that!! The only thing that is REALLY emissions only is the charcoal canister, and removing that would not help with performance.

Early Motronic ignition systems on BMW's use a system which has two magnetic pickups on the engine bell housing to detect speed and position for fuel injection and ignition. I will say from expierence that that is a hard system to deal with if it breaks - two computers - one for warm-up, one for everything else. Also there is no capacity for on-board diagnostics and no "check engine" light - it works or it doesn't.

There are NO sensors that will tell the ecu to NOT send a signal to the relay to get fuel, but if the CAS and the starter switch are BOTH bad, then it would not send fuel, and it would not give an error code. It would still run on/off in test mode (green connectors connected). I have run my car with each sensor unplugged one-by one while troubleshooting an elusive problem (which I found). So I know this to be the case. Disconnecting the water temp sensor makes the engine REALLY difficult to start though.

Darn - the price tag for the mounting plate is WAY too expensive for me, and I definately want to keep my D/R 4WD. If I were to put a tranny from an EJ car in I would also have speedometer issues because of the difference in tire size.

I know this is a bit of a crazy idea, but I am wondering if it is possible to put the transfer case from a FT4wd vehicle on a tranny that is D/R 4WD. I have three reasons for doing so, 1) RX's are rare here in the east, 2) I don't want the RX gearing ratios (too high and steep), and 3) I can get a D/R tranny and a FT4WD tranny cheap. Any thoughts? In particular, is the overall length different (would I need a different rear axle)??

Also check the brake pads, when mine wore out, one on the passenger side would scrape when I turned the wheel either way. The axle nut on these cars is not nearly as bad as a Honda, some require 500+ ft-lb torque, as I recall Soobs only need 165.

I concur, NASCAR made it clear years ago that they were in it for show, not for expieramenting with the limits of present technology. As one who has done the conversion (not over a long weekend!). I can attest to its benefits. In fact, my mom landed my car in a ditch because she accelerated while turning too quickly in 4WD because she was not used to the additional power - and she has been driving it for 20 years!! (no she did not do any damage - gotta love those Soobs!)

For the most part, the ones you REALLY want to be careful of are the ones that are related to the vacuum advance, the one that controls the EGR system, and the one that is used for the A/C actuators (it goes to the back rt. side of the engine compartment). HOWEVER, from expierence, you really don't want to start playing around with the vacuum lines. Most all do have a real, needed purpose (and at the very least you will bomb the next emissions test - oh never mind ). They really aren't that hard to work with; look for the breaks and where they "should" go, and use that as a key. Just get some new hose and you are on your way! Didn't know VA didn't have emissions inspections - most of our counties in NC do, but we have a smog problem.

If your disty is at the end of the adjustment, then it is probably off a tooth. Being an 88, yours should not have a vacuum advance. I think a knock sensor/tps sensor is likely. Check for error codes; if either sensor is REALLY out of whack, it will come up.

Well, the first rule of troubleshooting is to figure out what has changed most recently that could affect the problem. Though I will say 50% difference does not seem much to my '85 GL; the RX has a different suspension and drivetrain. My best bet would be the odd tire. However, it would be prudent to check the gear oil level, in particular, see that it is in good shape (smells like rotten eggs and not too dark in color) and that it is the right type for the temp outside. It would also be prudent to check the rear diff oil. If in doubt, change both. At the least it won't hurt and it may help. 75w-90 is the correct weight and make sure both are hypoid GL-5 spec. That should resolve any problems. If you are still having trouble, check the suspension for misalignment/damage. The only difference in the drivetrain in 4wd mode vs 2wd is that two gears are not mated in 2wd mode; and are mated in 4wd mode.

Heater core. I know of at least one instance where a heater core went in that way - I think they leak out the A/C evaporator drain when they go. Don't use that stopleak stuff again - it will destroy your radiator and damage your engine by impeding cooling. I NEVER use it for that reason. I do not know what is causing the loss of power, could be overheated engine, or bad compression. Run a compression test, and then check the idle mixture. I'm thinking if you cooked it that there might be some block damage or a blown head gasket.

When was the last time you replaced your fuel filter? I think the interval is every 30,000 miles, but if you use cheap gas it will clog up quicker. Other than that - My guess (and I do mean guess) is that your fuel pump relay is bad. I think that there is some relationship between it and the automatic seatbelts, but I am not sure. Otherwise I would use a multimeter to check for resistance, specifically a bad ground. A bad connector could also cause the problem.

One possibility is that if it is a 5-speed conversion that someone did not put a rear diff in with the right ratio, which could cause binding. If your engine has no timing belts, it is a converted car. I don't think any EA81's came with 5-speed 4wd stock.

Are the mountings similar to the EA engines? I would do the conversion, and I could get either engine cheap; the cost of the kit is what would kill me. Is it at all possible to trade parts around between different Soobs to get the engine and tranny to mate without any special machining or kits?? What is the difference in the drivetrain? I only have 145k on mine, but I would like the EJ reliability and power.