85Sub4WD

I've found that all you have to do is keep your mouth shut, and take it to someone who normally does not inspect old Soobs, and no problem. In NC there aren't many Loyale's or older around, so I have not had a problem. Sorry to hear that they are so strict in CA. I have 2006 to look forward to because at that point they are dropping the sniffer test and the only emmisions test that will be done will be to plug into a cars OBD II system, which I don't have!!!!!

Check your filters (including fuel) and run some fuel injection cleaner through. Keep in mind that an engine's efficentcy decreases with age, but that sounds a bit much of a fuel economy drop; something may be amiss. Are you running the right gas? Newer Soobs need mid-test or better, older ones can get by on regular and still get normal gas mileage - and the 2.2 is known for being a rock-solid performer.

I had no idea that the Boxter handled so poorly - not that I could afford one as a college student I will say that I think Road and Track is not worth the paper it is printed on, but I do give CR more credit. I think that they just did not have all their data in; the 2005 Buyer's Guide is their REAL reference for cars, the other magazines are really just there for reference on the details of a particular car reviewed. In any given edition the order of the cars in the "predicted reliability" column changes, usually to prefer the ones most recently reviewed. Another note, the new Soobs get better mileage than the new Toyotas, Nissans, and Hyundais. I have not compaired them to Honda yet, but I expect them to beat Honda too. There is a lot of bad propoganda in the automotive world; sorting through it requires mechanical knowledge and expierence.

SevenSisters, have you read the end-of-year catalog for CR? And where the heck is your "independent data" coming from - all UNBIASED data I have seen show Subaru mechanical superiority, not inferiority. In the end of year CR catalog Subaru Forrester has "excellent" for reliability, while most others on your list do not. I think you misread the given lineup, and CR does not finalize recommendations until the end of the year anyway. My family has owned the same Subaru for over 20 years and have been thoroughly pleased with it. It is still a daily driver and has seen few highway miles, but performs well none-the-less. I have a number of friends who own newer model Soobs and love them for their performance and reliability. Generally problems with Soobs come from incompetent mechanics or lack of maintenance, not poor design. If you are having to pour money into your car, I would bet you were being had by some unethical mechanic. I say this as one who has been working on various cars since age 10. Most American cars are of VERY poor quality. Chrysler’s known for bad transmissions and head gasket issues, Ford is known for the same reasons, and GM for bad electrical systems (they haven't changed anything else in 30 years!). GM already announced that it is planning to use Soob drivetrain technology (in Auto section of my hometown's paper - don't remember date). I know exactly one person who has owned a Soob and been dissatisfied with it for good reasons due to bad design. - And that car was made over 20 years ago and he had a bad fuel pump. As a longtime subscriber to CR, you have to take it with a grain of salt. While relatively accurate for most appliances, it does not take many factors into account on cars. The WRX is a RALLY car - not a commuter car, go for a regular impreza. Honda and Toyota lack much of the drivetrain quality and ruggedness - their axels are 2/3 the size of a comparably-sized Soob's!! Also, aviators use Subaru engines in experimental aircraft. I have yet to see another automotive engine in an aircraft save a Mazda RX-rotary - others can't take the strain! As an experienced mechanic, and as someone who wants to be able to drive a wagon like a sports car, usually reving over 5,000 rpms, I would not drive anything else

Why not simply find another tranny in the junkyard? Manual trannys are not prone to failure (compaired to autos), so you should be able to get a good one cheap and just drop it in. Or convert to 5-speed 4WD.

Don't be upset, we have all been "had" by repair shops at one time or another. In my case, the dealership poured oil down the preheat tube which goes to the catalytic converter, causing a rather nice engine fire, which I caught before it caused any real damage. Subaru are VERY easy to service and VERY reliable. The key is to find a good mechanic, or in my case, do it myself

Really guys, an RX with the D/R FT4WD w/ mods would make the best rally car. The drivetrain is VERY flexable (it can lock to give you trad 4WD), and with some mods you would have the power to make it REALLY fast, not to mention it has a rear LSD. WJM really does have a point there. However I would vote sedan b/c of the greater structural stability if you really do run it into something (or someone). Heck, if my tranny ever dies, I would try to put a FT4WD D/R with mod. gearing so I could keep my ratios because in FWD mode my traction is horrible, and you can't take a turn with it in 4WD mode!!

I had to lube mine recently. It is actually (in my book) easy to get to. I assume it is carbed as it is an '85 non turbo 4x4. If it is manual transmission, it is located on the rt side of the tranny. It is easiest to access it by removing the spare tire and go in from the top. Be careful because the retainer for it is plastic and can be easily cross-threaded. I am not being more detailed because it is the only thing comming out of the right side of the tranny, save low range shift linkage. I think on automatics it is located on the top center, but I can't remember off the top of my head, as mine is a manual. You should be able to pull it through the tranny side. Spray some silicone lubricant on it and down the tube, then smother it in grease (the lithium black/grey stuff) and feed it back in slowly and turning it. If it does not go in all the way, keep rotating it and eventually it will mesh with the speedo. Once it does just reinstall everything. If you are still having probs, then it is your speedo itself.

They really should work, because the chassis is the same for both, but best to ask the company.

A good friend of mine blew the head gaskets the first time he tried to rev a carb block w/turbo top end. At the very least, use turbo head gaskets (I don't know if he did) and copper if possible. I do not know if the engine itself can stand up to the pressure; but it would be neat if it did. Mudrat is right, use stock boost at max.

DON'T KEEP DRIVING IT!!! It sounds like you blew an oil pump seal. I recently (accidentally and supidly) added an extra quart to mine and my oil pressure was high, and performance lousy, but my pressure never dropped. Check to make sure that you are not actually using/leaking oil. These engines are known for their oil leaks, and especially ones around the oil pump. Worse case scenario (if you have not driven it long in this condition) is that you need a new oil pump. That should fix your problem. Also you should be using 10W30 oil. If you are in a REALLY warm place, maybe 15W40. 10W40 is VERY prone to sludging/gelling, if you want to use it, at least go synthetic. I only use Castrol or Mobil oils (Mobil is better, but much more expensive), Quaker State is the worst stuff on the market, and can seriously damage your engine. (It has a high wax content which can destroy your engine) Castrol Synthetic Blend is my oil of choice because it affords you some of the benifits of synthetic without the cost. Use a Puralator filter. They are quality products, and will give your engine good protection from contaminats in the oil. ABOVE ALL - CHANGE YOUR OIL EVERY 3000 MILES!!!!

Yes, Edrach you are correct. I could't remember at the time. Now I remember the thought was that the F in the DFV stood for "French" because they were only found on French cars (at least as far as I know).

What are the connector colors? If it is off a Loyale/Leone and has yellow connectors then it is an SPFI computer and all SPFI computers are interchangeable (so far as I know). If the connectors are black then it is MPFI/MPFI turbo and it gets complicated there. I am only familiar with US Soobs, so those are the only ones that I know of being available here.

I had the same thing happen to me while I was driving down a mountain - a bad alternator is the ONLY thing that can cause you voltmeter to read that high unless the meter itself is defective. Disconnect the alternator, start the car, and see what volts you read. If it look at or below 12, you have a bad alternator. Replace it before you start to fry stuff (like a computer).

Lightening Silver all the way. I love the color and you can call the car "the silver streak" after you finish working the engine. Besides, white is too tame a color. Live life to the fullest!!!

I have a picture (bitmap graphic) that shows the neccessary mod. I don't remember where I got it from. I do not know how to display a picture on the message board, but if you PM me I may be able to send it to you as an attachment on an email. According to it, you do have to modify the bottom gear to mesh properly (the EA82 drive gear is too high).

I spent $160 in the junkyard for the parts (without taking a parts car). That includes an A/C compressor & hoses (mine was shot). That did not include the fuel pump (Snowman - who did you get your fuel pump from? I am using a BMW one that puts too much pressure on the system). I got an Bosch O2 sensor from Carquest for about $50 which I have yet to install. (Change it before you install the new y-pipe.) Get several spares of stuff too, at least 2 ECU's to work with for example, and MAKE SURE YOU GROUND THE CASE ON THEM!!!! Anything off an 87-later is basically identical (automatic seatbelts do something weird - but are still similar), the 86's use an oddball wiring harness. The Hayes manual for the 1980-1989 model year has a schematic for the 87-later model years. Just make sure that if you have an automatic, you get the wiring harness off an automatic. By the way, a new CAS for a SPFI car costs over $650 from the dealership - Don't buy new parts!!!!

I found I had a lot more power with EFI than with carb. EFI can yield more power with less gas because it can deliver the spark and fuel at a better time. An ideal advance curve for fuel and ignition is not a real curve, more of a jagged line that basically goes in one direction. (I have a great pic of an advance curve in the owner's manual for my 1983 BMW 528e - my next project!) Mechanical devices like carbs and centrifigual distibuitors cannot follow that curve precisely, but a computer can. A computer can also compensate for wear of devices on an engine much better than a carb/disty engine can. Simply put, because FI is more efficent, it gives you more power. I noticed that I had a LOT more power at speed on the highway. Going from 65mph to 80+mph on a level road is a cinch. (Compared to what it was like before) I highly recommend doing the mod if you can find the parts.

The red circle should be the cruise control actuator valve. One tube goes to the vacuum side of the intake, other goes to the actuator above the gas peddle.

Sorry, but they are in the same place as all other L - cars. It's just ahead of the right rear tire. Legacy and later models have them in the fuel tank. I don't know where they are on the Justy.

I have limited expierence with webers, but I know that some car companies (I think french) have put "backwards" Webers on their cars. Probably for some mounting reason. It has been at least 5 yrs since I messed with one and I cannot remember exactly which cars had them, or the letter codes for the "backwards" carbs. All I remember is that they exist. Just find a normal weber and save yourself the headache. (and if you ever have to change the carb, it will be much easier to find a replacement)

I just converted my EA82 to SPFI. The conversion is relatively strait-forward. You will need to swap the intake manifold, fuel pump, replace rubber fuel lines. If your y-pipe has a hole for an O2 sensor, then you are fine, if not, you will have to swap y-pipes. You will also need the wiring harness off an SPFI car - that is the hardest part - and of course you will need the SPFI ECU. '87 and later SPFI systems are identical as far as their pinouts, but if you have an MT car, you will need an MT wiring harness. (AT has an inhibitor switch) I know a couple of sites you can download an '89 FSM at, and Snowman is/has made a manual on how to do the conversion. I noticed an immediate power increase. One thing is critical is that you must ground the SPFI ECU or else it will die. http://www.finleyweb.net/default.asp?id=142 and http://www.main.experiencetherave.com:8080/subaru_manual_scans/1980_Subaru_Manuals/

My carbed EA82 pinged quite often, especially under load. I agree with Snowman in that I am surprised it didn't fall apart, but who knows? Subarus are rugged cars, and an aluminum block would absorb the shock much better than a steel one because steel is much more brittle. I found that timing wandered on it so I had to set it quite often, and if I did that, it would not ping. I tried several different distributors in it and found that that was a consistent problem. Usually you should not have any problems if you timing is correct, you are burning the proper gas (mid-test (90 octane) or better), and your engine is not full of carbon deposits (run something through to clean them out). Absolutely lugging the engine will make it ping/knock and do a bunch of other bad things (like hurting your piston rings/head gasket) - don't do it. If it is not fuel injected and you are mechanically/electrically inclined, convert it to SPFI. It is relatively easy and offers substantial performance gains without sacrificing economy.

NoahDL88 is right; textbook example of the hill-holder being out of adjustment. Most non-subaru mechanics don't know what it is or how to adjust it. (You will know if you mention it to him and he looks at you like you're crazy - it's a GL-10 so you definately do have it) I can't remember which brake circuit it activates but I think right front and left rear brakes. (I may be wrong) I had a similar problem after adjusting my clutch and loostening the hill-holder cable solved my problem. (They must both be adjusted at the same time) In my case I have faith in my ability to use a clutch on hills, so I loosened the cable so it doesn't do anything now.

The diode is there to protect the computer in case someone connects the battery backwards b/c complex circuits like that cannot take a reverse in polarity. It is not necessary, but it is a good thing to have. I left mine on when I did my SPFI conversion.