Animated Meat

Saw this on craigslist and thought I'd share it. https://medford.craigslist.org/pts/d/yreka-free-subaru-wagon-parts/7009066757.html

Hello again. I am getting ready to get rid of this car, but still hate to do it because its such a clean shell. Mat 167, you stated "You can also use the dirt cheap EJ20 SOHC JDM engines. EJ201/202/203 all work" They're very inexpensive compared to fixing mine, and I dont care that they might be a little less powerful. I see a lot of these for sale....are they plug and play if bought complete? No local mechanics I've talked with know anything about this swap. ECU problems..wiring issues.....CA emissions etc. Most likely the car is going up for sale as a parts car. If anyone reading this is interested PM me. thanks again for any input.

Hey LEOD, I have a 99 OBS that needs a motor, and probably a center diff. The timing belt broke 30K prematurely. I’m assuming bent valves, and have decided not to resurrect it. It is a manual and was in my opinion developing torque bind when hot. Has ~ 225K on it. Body and interior are in good shape. I'm the second owner. I’m in northern CA. near the Oregon border,...maybe too far from you. I’m getting rid of it one way or the other this summer. If your interested in a shell for you motor PM me.

Okay....wasn't sure what was so different......thanks again..

Hello again, I recently saw an ad on CL for an EJ2.2 out of a 98 Impreza with the 5MT still bolted up. What is it exactly that makes this 2.2 un-installable in my 99 OBS? thanks for any input.

Thanks again EM...thats the info I needed.

Thanks Elite Master for the info...absolutely not a road i want to stumble down. What if the motor came from a 99 auto trans...any issues there?

Hi, Anyone know if there would be any issues swapping a 1996 2.2 from an Impreza Outback Sport MT into a 1999 OBS MT? For instance....would the 96 ECU be required? Thanks.

not exactly what I had envisioned....but I guess it answers the question!...thanks for the pic.

XHighOctanex....thanks for the generous offer..i'm very appreciative....just not sure what i'm gonna do with the car yet. getting it running would be great....but i still would need to correct whaterver is wrong with the suspension that is causing it to destroy tires. i've got too many other time consuming rehab things going on with the house that takes up a lot my spare time...meaning weekends etc. my real job seems to be getting in the way of life..Ha! i 'll probably sit on it for at least another year...cant seem to part with it yet....maybe it'll be parts car for another project...ya never know. thanks all for your ideas and consideration. still curious though if anyone has ever used this body style on other running gear.

I believe Its #3 cylinder....the one closest to the passenger. i havnt worked on the car since last spring when it died..and dont recall all that i did. I did consider the rings...after all was put back together...but that didnt make sense to me because it ran great for a while. No...I didnt try oil in the cylinder. I have not tested the coil...just assumed it was good because it did run good. When I replaced the cap and rotor I noticed that the distributor was full of sand....so pulled it and cleaned everything.....but this never changed how it ran. This was early on...before I discovered that the TPS was bad I replaced plugs wires cap rotor etc. Your making me want to go work on this car again ......argrhhhh!

XHighOctanex...yes i'm in California...about 45 minutes from the Oregon border.

Well….XHighOctanex….I was hoping to avoid a rambling dissertation…which I tend to be very guilty of when writing…I will try to be brief…not easy …bear with me…you asked! Ha! History: Bought with - 160,000 miles. Ran/idled great...but sputtered and bucked around a lot when manipulating the throttle. Did a bunch of trouble shooting …and after many FSM tests…TPS…..IAC…CTS..MAF…etc. The TPS per FSM tested bad…took it apart to try and clean it…with no success…horribly corroded….bought a complete throttle body from ebay with a good TPS…that problem solved. The CTS was badly corroded and I didn’t get a consistent reading I liked…so replaced it. I drove it about a year as a DD…had a blast with it on and off road. Also….I did replace the MAF cause I found one cheap online. IAC was taken apart…cleaned…and seems okay…it tested okay anyway. Replaced a few suspect vacuum lines just because. It was also throwing some codes…EGR solenoid…and the one for the TPS….I don’t really remember what they are…I may have it in an older post…anyway…I replaced the EGR solenoid…got one on Amazon cheap. ..all codes were eventually fixed. It was, and is not currently, displaying codes..but then again..it wont run! Also replaced four struts, one suspect wheel bearing, ball joints tie rod ends wires/plugs fuel filter rocker cover gaskets…cause they were seeping bad rear hatch shocks radio…had to have the freaking modern radio Then....it started dying while warming up while I was in the house getting ready for work….and it started bucking and sputtering again..loss of power when trying to accelerate etc. I was able to get it to stay running by massaging the pedal…and it would still get me to work once I got it rolling…but every time I let off the throttle…stop signs….crossroads etc…it would die…always started no problem….but getting it to stay running and going…nope. Finally got so bad I couldn’t get it to stay running and get it to go anywhere. Had it towed to a mechanic…diagnosis…little compression on one cylinder…which frankly…stupidly…never occurred to me to check. I had a jeep years ago with low compression which still ran okay…nothing like this. His speculative explanation: exhaust valve is bad…dumping fuel….causing the o2 sensor to tell the cpu to be lean…causing fuel starvation. So…I took off the head…saw the normal cracks…freaked out until I leaned it was normal. I took the head into a local shop and he re-ground the valve seats and lapped the valves…called it okay. I put it all back together….at the same time replaced all four lifters and resealed the oil pump… and it ran GREAT!..even the TOD was gone....took it for a spin…drove around the valley to get the temp up…stopped at the store to get the celebratory suds….started and ran perfect when leaving store…..came home…parked it…went inside to clean the grease off etc….then decided later since it seemed like all was okay I’d move it and swap out the studded tires….it started…and wouldn’t stay running. Same damn thing as before. A couple times it ran okay after this.. it will always start…but will not stay running without massaging the pedal….and it is missing and snorting the whole time…like its running on two out of four….same as before . I borrowed a compression tester from a fellow at work..dont remember the exact numbers…also posted in the past…same cylinder that the mechanic found bas was better than his number....but still not within spec….and barely within the percentage range that the FSM says that all four should be. Also…even after replacing the struts….tie rods…and trying to get an alignment…it chewed up a brand new set of tires inside 15K. The local shop said it couldn’t be aligned…only the front could be adjusted…I agreed with them that the front only has the tie rod adjust…but pointed out that the back is somewhat alignable by adjusting the bolts…they acknowledged this…but they wanted nothing to do with it because it would take too much time for their advertised modern car alignment fee. So…there it is…more or less! I think I just discovered this series of cars too late. DaveT: The body and sheet metal is in great shape…there is no rust…its a CA car not near the Ocean…it’s the motor/suspension that needs replacing….doors actually shut better than my OBS! Which is why I was curious if anyone has ever used this body style on alien running gear. thanks again guys for your interest.

So….bottom line….I don’t think my GL is worth reviving. Here is where my insanity rears its ugly head…I really like the small GL wagon footprint. Modern 4WD wagon type vehicles are freaking huge compared to the GL…I think they call them SUVs now. My question is…anyone know of someone who has put a GL body on a different 4WD chassis that reasonably fits the GL body? I know…work involved…probably really stupid…$$...but still curious. Just an fyi…my DD is a ’99 OBS…and I have a ’93 Dodge W250 Cummins for utility. Thanks for any input in advance…you folks on USMB are indispensable. and…. as always… Kitty wishes everyone joyous adventures!

So….bottom line….I don’t think my GL is worth reviving. Here is where my insanity rears its ugly head…I really like the small GL wagon footprint. Modern 4WD wagon type vehicles are freaking huge compared to the GL…I think they call them SUVs now. My question is…anyone know of someone who has put a GL body on a different 4WD chassis that reasonably fits the GL body? I know…work involved…probably really stupid…$$...but still curious. Just an fyi…my DD is a ’99 OBS…and I have a ’93 Dodge W250 Cummins for utility. Thanks for any input in advance…you folks on USMB are indispensable. and…. as always… Kitty wishes everyone joyous adventures!

I have recently gone thru a similar scenario. The car was running very poorly…then not at all. Discovered with a compression test that one cylinder was at ~ 30psi. I pulled the head…and there were the infamous cracks..much worse than yours looks. I apologize…didn’t take any photos. I didn’t know this was normal until searching around on the USMB…anyway, I found the service bulletin that said the cracks were normal and took it into a shop to have them check the valves and seats. Fellow said he was familiar with the cracks…and that the exhaust valve looked like it was probably leaking. He re-ground the seats and lapped the valves in… said he got it to seal again.. and that he didn’t think it needed new seats or valves. Did not do a leak down test. So I took a chance and spent an entire weekend putting everything back together and it ran great for about 30 minutes on a test drive…shut it off to change out my studded tires…started it to move it….and it wouldn’t stay running consistently. Did another compression test and the best I can get in the original suspect cylinder is ~ 115lbs…others are at 130, 135 and 140. It will run….but not great and I don’t trust it for more than a half hour drive. I don’t have a lot of money into it….but I do have a bunch of my personal time. I now wish I had waited until I had found a set of known good heads on ebay or somewhere before spending all that time putting it all back together...or gone ahead and done an actual valve job. So…just saying…don’t be impatiently stupid like me and put the heads back on without knowing for sure that they’ll function....because its a real bummer. Hope you get it back together...keep it rollin!

Thanks for the input fellas..I know that was a bit of rambling on my part. Gonna keep the GL for a project...take the head off and see whats going on when the weather gets nicer. Also gonna start looking around for a daily driver...thanks again

Hello, So...curious as to some opinions out there. My 87 GL just developed into a non-running car...30lbs in one cylinder..suspect exhaust valve..have not taken head off yet .~ 210,000 miles on motor I bought this car last spring, put about 15K on it, it was my daily driver and a lot of fun...goes anywhere etc..you folks know the deal Considerations 1) Valve job one head on the EA82, or find another running EA82 to swap in, and hope it goes another few years. Dont think its worth a total rebuild. 2) EJ Swap into the GL. 3) Find a 97-99 era Impreza Sport Wagon and swap in the DR Tranny. GL Pros: 1) I see whole running EA82 GL/Loyale cars on places like Craigslist for $600-$1500...and...if its a GL...I get another DR Tranny just for a spare....perhaps buy one for the motor...swap and run it....or maybe even try to smog it if it is in better bodily shape than mine. Potentially Inexpensive...risky...may not last...money pit etc. 2) VIN# for my GL is smogged for where I live in Northern California...dont need to smog again....EA or EJ Swap can be done and its not the states business as long as I dont sell. 3) GL has new struts all around...new wheel bearings up front....new CV boots..new (used) complete Throttle Body with TPS and IAC...EGR solenoid...MAF sensor...Coolant Temp Sensor....new Radio (correctly wired).....interior fair...a bit Dog Chewed. 4) New Muffler, CAT and Exhaust Manifold Gaskets. 5) Much Prefer the older Body Style GL Cons: 1) Voodoo Suspension problems. Chews up tires even after alignment. Major inner wear. Rotating them ruined all four tires after about the 15K I ran it. I suspect all the suspension bushings in need of replacement...maybe something bent. Locals not willing to mess with the bolts to adjust rear...they denied adjustability..so I showed them the FSM diagram...and they recoiled in horror...didn't want to touch it...said it would take all day.....thats modern mechanics I guess. 2) All exterior molding dried out, cracked and pitted windshield, paint sandblasted in places down to primer, all from being towed around the Southwest behind an RV for years. 3) Noisy as all heck...spent a weekend looking for an exhaust leak..replacing gaskets etc.....then was told..."Thats just how they sound". 4) Not a very air tight interior...as I mentioned...all weatherstripping could use replacing....wind howls from everywhere...rear...sides...you pick it 5) 4800 RPM just to get over the hill in 3rd gear to work.... at barely 50mph...this was before the bad valve.....I certainly don't need a foot massage...but I do need a kidney belt and earplugs 6) $$$ Money to Swap in an EJ and fix Suspension...then hope like hell they don't change the Smog rules next year or the Tranny goes out. 7) Crappy MPG....why cant a light car like this get about 40mpg?.....despite the running gear..anyone do a VW TDI Swap to a DR tranny? Impreza Sport Pros: 1) Wow...a new car..something form the late 90's. 2) A bit more power. Hills at legal speeds 3) Interior Quieter...Motor Quieter....I would hope 4) 2.2 supposedly much more durable than the EA82...as long as they were properly maintained 5) Potential to find a car in structrually better condition than my, or another, GL more likely...just cause newer Impreza Cons: 1) No Dual Range Tranny 2) Low Ground Clearance 3) $$$$ Money to Swap in a DR 4) Body Style......just don't like it....much prefer harsh right angles to curves....but I could live with it. 5) Crappy MPG...why cant a light car like this get about 40mpg.?...despite the running gear. ..TDI Swap? I guess the bottom line is: Any actual experience in a similar situation? The most practical, durable, way to go? Any experience with the cost or details of an Impreza Sport DR Swap? Yes, I have looked thru the forums, and they are vague...some mention custom drive shafts...and some mention outback driveshafts..but no actual specifics or concrete plans.Some mention custom Axles. I do not live in an area with people who know Subarus that I can just go hang out with I don't want, or believe in two cars, one car should do it all....thats why I liked the GL.....Hi/Lo Tranny is the way to go.. . Good Commuter, and satisfied my random offroad adventures....but a bit outdated. Thanks for your time...anyone who bothered to read thru this....by the way...of course I don't have much money..which is why I'm playing idea mind poker,,don’t have much to $$ to utilize Thanks again for any consideration and input…it is very much appreciated and Kitty says Hello Thanks again, Kevin

Hello Has anyone only lifted the Front to ~level with the rear without altering the Steering Linkage? If I use ~ 1-1/4" Blocks above the Crossmember will this necessitate altering the Steering Linkage? Is there a minimum Front lift distance without altering the Steering Linkage? I am not looking for an intensive lift at this point...just would like a bit more clearance in the Front. Rear is adequate. Front has McPherson non-adjustable struts. Thanks again for any input.

Hello Has anyone only lifted the front to level with the rear? If I use ~ 1-1/4" Blocks above the Crossmember will this necessitate altering the steering linkage?

Thanks for the input...just don't happen to have a donor car..that would be too easy....would actually solve a few problems the bushings that mount the sway bar to the frame are fine...its the ones on the link that are toast...local auto parts store doesn't have anything similar......these are the ones that I'm considering fabricating from a piece of raw round bar Polyurethane...

Hey there My Front Sway Bar Link Bushings are shot. There doesn't appear to be any easy way to replace them...run down to oreilys and buy bushings, or a complete link, solution etc. I cant quite tell by searching around exactly what Duro the bushings are made from. I am about ready to buy a foot of Polyurethane Extra Hard Duro 45/75 and make my own. McMaster Carr has it for ~ $16 Anyone done this? Anyone know the hardness value of the material, or they type?

Hello, I am new to the website, a new Subaru Owner, and could use some help. I recently acquired an 87 GL. 5spd MT, 4WD Hi/LO, SPFI. It was running rough, sputtering, cutting out, surging etc. Error codes of 21, 31, 34 and 42. I replaced the coolant temp sensor...error 21 gone. I tested the TPS..and it had two dead infinite ohm spots across B and C when opening/closing the throttle valve. Also, about 10K across B and D. I removed it, pulled off the Plastic Cover, and was shocked at how much corrosion was inside. All green as can be and caked with white buildup. I could easily see the two areas where the fingers were not making contact as it rotated. Cleaned as much Desert Dirt, Alkali Salt Buildup, and Corrosion from it as I could. (It spent a lot of its past in the Southwest Desert) Used a Wooden Skewer wrapped in Emery Paper to try and clean the traces where the fingers contact..without touching or damaging the fingers. Sprayed it off with Electronic Cleaner, and it is much improved...I can drive the car..still runs crappy and hesitates, also still get the 21 error code. Code 42 mostly gone. I really would like to replace the unit..there are areas of corrosion that are beyond repair. Parts stores want an incredible 400 dollars for these things, can't find one on ebay...nearest Salvage yard is 2hrs away and they dont have one anyway. Is anyone aware of an alternative replacement? Is there some affordable over the counter unit from a different vehicle? Its the Hitachi SERA484 one with the Four Prongs. Thanks much for reading this and any provided help.