sparkyboy

Haha! Oh perish the thought of the scrapper! The GL will only go to someone who loves her like me and is ready for that ej swap! Someone like that, $500. No fools from craigslist! Me and my bro are true car hoarders. or idiots...we have been yelled at, and sat down for a serious talk by our parents, but not recently! The only time the scrapper would be in the conversation for anything we even remotely like is if the old girl were crashed badly, but we have accumulated so many projects that we are selling some because we are running out of room! But we would rather sell her to even a casual friend for less if they truly love the thing and at least take her to cars and coffee sometimes, but most are sold to good friends who stop by just cause or work on whatever. I emphase remotely because my bro got that white 89 bronco in the background of those sube pics for a trade on some fuel sipper like a Honda or toyota years ago when gas was $4 a gallon, but she sat for several years. We both dug her out, and she is supposed to be going to a friend's dad. Neither of us even like fords, chevy is closest to my heart! Then 80s Subarus bodies with ej engines and that's it for me. But we must have soft spots for 80s crap. Lol! My swapped sube will murder that bronco off roading. So I'll be a lot pickier about my subes future home, if that ever comes up, Haha! The 88 gl is going to get some love soon! My bro loves the e30 bmws, he daily drives a 86 325ix (also in the background and rare in the US that year, a little over 300) and has a 318 with s52 swap. He only likes the LS engines as far as gm goes. Hell, it would be easier to make a list. Between me and my bro mostly, my dad bought 3 of these! -Chevy: 1953 bel air, 1977 camaro (my first car! Thanks dad!) 1977 g10 (shorty cargo van) 1978 g30 rv (shag carpet!) 1980 malibu -Bmw: 1988 318, 1986 325ix, 1988 318 with s52 (m5) swap. Two parts ixs that can be made into one good one. 1989 740L -Subaru: 1985 xt turbo, 1986 gl with ej22, 1988 gl -Others: 1985 datsun king cab 4x4, (behind the sube in pics above) 1980 toyota 2wd truck LS swap project (!) 1999 dodge dakota sport, 1989 ford bronco, e46 wagon, 2000 nissan xterra (all for sale) -Notable "sales" to friends: Two alpine white e34 wagons, one for dudes wife and he brought his back for a manual swap (auto only in the US for e34 wagons, thanks beemer you dix) 1965 chevy Malibu (saw her at the drag strip!) 1970 chevy c10 1985 chevy Monte Carlo 1992 Subaru legacy, i gave that car to a friend still munching miles! 1970 datsun 240z 1995 bmw 540 with six speed (rare!) 1989 e30 4 door, (dads friend's kid turned 16 and sh!t himself!) Our car collecting has gotten out of hand i suppose from some perspectives that don't understsnd this "hobby", but except for the toyota truck they all run and drive, so no junkyard. If i get additional grief from anyone, i can always argue that i could much easier spend money on drugs and gambling instead and have a lot more fun in the short run, but nothing to show for it. And the best part is honestly putting someone up on game on why old cars are in many ways better than new and having it backfire because they beg you to sell them one of your beloved metal girls! Also, despite college i have never had a full time job lol! I'm 35 this year old cars and german shepherds allow me and my bro to work at our own pace, which is not often, like 8 hours a week. We are known as Rocky mountain subaru and bmw rescue, a for profit historical charity, with a no scrapper policy ...an e34 was rescued today in fact, $350 cause she needs a hg. $2500 if fixed is fair. *sigh* wtf? Damn kids! A thouski for friend price! Cheers boys

The back story on this 88 GL: This guy Bryce and a business partner started an auto detailing and tint shop in boulder, CO 14 years ago. The first shop car was this Subaru! I spotted her while walking my dog and had to chat the dudes up on the gl! I worked there for a year because it was right across the street from where I lived with my gf at the time, plus i could bring my dog with me to work. I was coincidentally finishing my ej22 swap on my 86 GL. This poor car was abused by college kids at times, and drove for years with a leaky head gasket, but routine oil changes. Still, at least once a week I would hassle him that I have an ej22 and harness, so what's up? Anyway they sold the company and came out pretty nice because the location is ideal, in the same complex as high end independent german, swedish and japanese repair shops. Every auto related shop there has a shop race car, including the little tint shop, and they have the only Subaru, a slammed brz they only did exotics and classics during the summer and new audis and bmws from dealerships during the winter when I was there, so they were quite successful. So I ran into Bryce a couple of times at cars and coffee, but he calls me the other day and tells me the new owners want these "pieces of crap" off the property and the Subaru means a lot to him, and he knows that I'll give her a good home. My response was a dumbfounded "you really thought of me for that?" Probably the biggest car related compliment i have ever received! Or maybe just advantages to being weirder than the other sube guys in boulder (all wrx boy racers here lol) They were hoarders and also had an 88 Honda accord, a 80s vw jetta, a 1990 Mitsubishi montero, and an 85 toyota tercel 4wd as shop cars, all of which went to good homes as well, so super nice guys those two. I think I'll fix the head gasket and rust, and pay it forward. Get someone into, or back into a third gen GL on the cheap. But i am keeping the premiers and probably the dual range. Another little gift was an 8 spoke in the spare tire. I only need two more for two full sets of spoke steelies!

These Subaru head gaskets can leak for literally years, i know someone personally! He just carries enough water with him to keep the radiator full. There was a top speed guy, standing mile i think, and his head gasket leaked just perfect to give him more power for a bit

Very cool Bennie! Yea the ej22 can take a beating, i overheated mine twice and never blew a head gasket. This is just anecdotal evidence, but each time I got them hot, i added water to the radiator and got them down to operating temp instead of letting them go from overheating to cold and i think that helps avoid warping. Anyway, here ya go speaking of hgs.

Oh yea I took the time to do the valve seals, head gaskets and timing belt etc...easy since the engine is out and switch the rear main seal cover if yours is plastic, i believe Subaru sell aluminum ones for like $25, but eBay has them. You can resurface the heads yourself too if you have a piece of glass and some sticky sandpaper with wd-40. I'll find the link, hat tip to GD on that one, i believe it's 80 grit iirc. I was able to reuse the hlas, but she runs almost too quiet, no ticking is nice but every sube should tick cold at least lol! She'll get there I suppose.

I've seen those scorpion wheels out of Australia i think? Not bad price at all either $500 i might get for my xt unless I can find 3 more of the factory 8 spokes. Those are my fave. It's good to see someone still supporting the 4x140, the four wheel disc brakes on the xt makes her drop an anchor hard, so I am skipping the five lug swap, and 13s or 14s tucked nicely into the wheel wells really set off an old L body.

@el_freddoWhat wheels are those? That GL with the bed is incredibly sick made! What engine? Old school ea81?

+1 on getting a donor car. You know how she runs, wiring harness included naturally, and part out the rest! I basically bought a new clutch and adapter plate with a free ej22 cause I got a donor car for $500 (t bone accident), sold the trans and diff, and scrapped the body. I did this swap two years ago ago on my 86 gl. Numbchux did THE ea2ej writeup, it's in pdf, just google it (ea2ej swap) and busarus youtube channel has links to pinouts. Have fun! I learned efi as I went, i was a true rookie! Just carby small block chevys! It took me 8 months and i trimmed the harness myself I had no more experience with wiring outside of stereos. I was truly intimidate at first. The ea flywheel can be drilled with a regular drill with fancy bits, and a lot of patience. Just use the ej flywheel as a template, saving you $200 for a pre drilled! My 86 is sleeper as hell now, she mashed a v8 jeep, a v6 5 speed maxima (not exactly slow, nor fast those nissans) a turbo outback (overweight) and will murder my camaro drag racing, any distance. Those bodies are so light is why this swap is the sh!t, and you can lane split in one of these. My gl no sh!t stayed on a Ferraris asss in the mountains once going over 100 mph uphill in 5th! Lol! The Ferrari wasn't wuss either, just the driver! And monster burnouts without even side stepping All the way through second if mat it against the rev limiter and still chirping 3rd! You won't regret the blood, sweat and tears. The ej swap is the best way to keep the ea82 bodies munching miles! The spfi ea82 is a boat anchor.

Horray! This sounds like an injector or two hanging open, and leaking gas making for rich starting conditions. Hence all the smoke. More of a nuisance, but holding the pedal to the floor while cranking will trigger the ecu into clear flood mode and won't supply the injectors with gas, possibly making for easier starting for you if that caused the initial no start condition. As long as the fuel pump is wired correctly, mine is hardwired to the relay on my ej22 swap, so always rich starting for me, but just the tiniest bump on the key above freezing to start! I let her push fuel through the rails for a couple of seconds first

In boulder, CO people LOVE vintage subes and WILL pay a premium. In fact the old Subaru (90s Loyales and first gen legacy) market (bubble?) is still going amazingly strong, where for example, a clean 92 legacy with 215,000 miles would be for sale for around $2500, and a 05-09 outback TURBO with similar miles would be about $4000. Naturally aspirated 05-09 about $2500- $3500 depending on body and interior. A very well cared for, low miles 05-09 turbo outback might fetch around $7500. Beat up loyales push button 4wd, high miles, rust, beat up interior is no less than $1000 (asking) if running and driving. Guess the "hippies" (hipsters now, smh) in boulder put a premium on the phase one ej22. I saw a clean white 90 leggo, factory fresh and babied, about 75,000 miles asking $5000 and honestly wasn't out of line, she would be a lovely ss clone! There still exists however the $500 leggo, loyale or impreza that won't pass the e test and just needs a knock, sometimes head gasket.

Cool man, thanks for the info boys! And no worries about the posi, she is still one of the best neutral handling cars I have had, my 88 325 ix is awd and handles about the same. If anything the beemer has a tad more understeer. I prefer the slightly loose handling of the second gen camaro or the rwd e30s And @idosubaru "20 or so xts?" Xt ownership seems like such a rare pleasure in the Subaru world and you have experienced this 20 times. I won't mince words, I'm jealous. I find it odd that Subaru put all the effort to make the most aerodynamic production car of the time, and go completely bonkers with the interior and not include the posi on the goofiest sube of the 80s? I can't wait to put the ej22 I'm her and slamming the old girl till she scrapes!

@FerGloyale That's cool man, i didn't know about that! I have seen the full legacy swap, that would be sweet for autocross. I plan on slamming mine within an inch of the bump stops for autocrossing Hey a question about xts, didn't all the turbo models in 1985 have a posi? The turbo xt is the same as gl10? I ask because I turned the rear wheels and they turned opposite directions, it wouldn't matter if the 4wd was engaged right? I definitely need to get a ej case, is there a write up you know of off the top of your head?

Oh that was a lightweight hijacking! This thread is only one page still and no threats of physical injury or insults haha! As far as the manual transmissions go, luckily there are lots to go around still, but trust me I am going to start hoarding dual ranges and maybe single range of I like it in my xt after the ej22 swap, which i think i will Few people, even lifelong manual drivers, and performance car drivers at that know the pleasures of nailing a perfect heel and toe mashing her hard in the mountains or a highway off ramp, or even coming in hot at an intersection. My younger bro is a perfect example, he had no idea but when you do it proper and coming out of the apex is so smooth you can't feel any clutch action, so satisfying. He drives fast beemers too! It's a lot of fun to teach someone because they are always like "wait...wha?" Lol Unfortunately the factory pedal placement in my 77 camaro makes it almost impossible to heel and toe because the gas pedal is too low so I have to come off the clutch a bit later. Luckily that engine just loafs along (peak torque at 1600 rpm) so I can just let the revs come up a bit by slipping the clutch or just coasting for a second, but certainly neither are ideal. So don't take it for granted Subaru people!

If you can find an older one with similar miles, grab her up! You can find better if you have time to shop.

Haha! Yea good times man! Oh and if i do zip toe em' up only my wrists will be cut, she's my first! (Ej swap project that is) so she'll be sticking around. Haha! Just more blood, sweat, and tears for the baby lion. I still remember how intimidated I was, I learned about efi was I went along basically, but at a show this guy was geeked on how nice she looked and wanted to know where the ecu was, well right here in the glove box! A fantastic place for an ecu, my bros e30 with s52 swap is the same way

Haha! Now into driverless cars...just kidding. Yup it's funny how these things happen. That was a lot of fun! I read a very good issue of car and driver with a black cover (no car) with the caption "is driving dead" that basically came to a similar conclusion about the future of automobiles, including the manual transmission slowly dying. I mean no manny trans in the stinking CORVETTE!?! The camaro still gets one what the hell? Honda has a six speed available on the 2019 accord and i think they are the only ones putting one in a sedan, also a dying design thanks to crossovers. Thanks for humoring me and chiming in though

Right, i don't even use soldier and a failed butt joint caused me to lose ALL the electrical in my Camaro. Luckily I was in a safe place and found the problem at a trailhead in boulder. That butt joint was on there for at least 23 years cause I didn't do that! Haha Anyway 3m makes this neat electrical tape without adhesive so you can make sure everything is in order before shrink wrapping. And I just reuse the factory plastic looms and that rubber grommet fits perfect on the L body at least. That's the only place I use the sticky electrical tape, at the end of the looms but a nice metal zip toe would set her off! Cheers man, i didn't know they made clear shrink wrap!

Right. Main relay and fuel pump two click one right after another when turning key to on. Good luck man! Hope it's an easy fix. And give the spray one more try, open the throttle blade and give her a good squirt. Then replace the air tube and give her hell. If she runs for a couple seconds then you found your problem!

Very cool! I'm gonna look into all that! You can run a carby engine on the fumes produced from burning wood too, pretty dope! @jonathan909 very good point on the constitutional rights of guns, but oil companies probably have a bigger and more influential group of lobbyists than even the NRA. At least in my circle we care way more about cars than guns. Also, oil companies have huge public relations concerns, and leaving the tar sands alone is a good look for them. That whole fracking issue is another can of worms. As well as not in Antarctica (!?) Or the gulf of Mexico. I think personally that oil companies have a lot of technology for crude oil extraction, and synthetic gasoline, but profits are far too good to use them yet, and if politicians find out about has without having to drill, it would be much easier to ban drilling. Top ideas indeed huh Benny? Someone invents a car that runs on water in the states and the CIA will put an end to such tomfoolery. LOL Ok here is my idea, you know those charge pads for your phone? So you don't have to plug in the usb? Ok put the battery piece inside the tire, and the pad would be a toll road that i built, far from charging stations on purpose, but driving and charging at the same time? You heard it here first boys!

Ok, this will probably sound like a smartass response, but are getting good fuel pressure? I noticed it wasn't on your list of basics at this point. When spraying fluid, use carb or brake cleaner not starting fluid, and spray it directly into the throttle body. Into the tube won't cut it on a sube. More likely the crank sensor, that controls the spark. Main relay clicking on too? There are many reasons for the crank forever, then a pop but no start. The reason I mention the main relay is because I bypassed mine on purpose while installing a wiring harness just for rerouting purposes, but when I tried to start her it sounded just like your problem. So I now the sound of a bad main relay. The engine slowly builds speed during cranking, after 15 or 20 seconds, she runs basically if you hold the key in start haha! It's very unique and does not sound like your issue so far. You might just need a new battery! But your problem seems electrical or ignition related at to me.

Do the ea engines sometimes leak coolant onto the exhaust like the ej does sometimes? I forgot about that but that one might make one scratch their heads haha

Yeah it's one of those wtf Subaru? moments.

Those are extra clean! And i think those prices aren't too outrageous for an auction. Those are the ones the deep pocket crowd picks up after they have gotten their rare muscle car or Ferrari for less than the $200,000 they have to spend haha!

Drain the oil and have a look at what comes out, fingers crossed no milkshake! Don't worry about a bit of sludge on the dipstick. But that coolant dosen't just disappear, if you aren't burning it in the exhaust (white smoke on start up?) then it's going into the oil and those bearings will be hating life. That is the milkshake I am referring to and driving like that will ruin the engine in short order. Put cardboard underneath for a night after filling to check for leaks, and look closely at all the hoses. The best case scenario here is that the engine was empty of coolant when the radiator was filled, then capped and started and most of it went into the engine but there was enough not to overheat. So just top her if if that is the case. Replacing a head gasket is not the worst as you put it, but if the oil looks good still, just keep her full of coolant and make sure your temp gauge is in order, my buddy has an 88 whose by has been leaking years and stubbornly refused an ej22 swap. You don't happen to live in CO? Haha