Subaru_dude

These threads come up all the time. You just can't compare EJ22s and EA82s. And EA82s are not very good roadtrip cars no matter how you look at it. This is coming from somebody who's 6'4" though, for a smaller lighter person those seats could be tolerable. EA82s leak alot of oil too, it's just built in their design. And that's not good for the environment. EA81s on the other hand... now THOSE are GOOD cars. Once again, not really for road trips but for a dead reliable, durable and long lasting setup... you can't beat it. ESPECIALLY not with an EA82. Heads practically designed to warp when overheaded AND an unusually weak cooling system... recipe for disaster. No wonder they're all dead. Barely any left around here. The last remaing Soobie shop that specialized in older Subarus closed down, at the time I had 2 EA82s that were running. Without him, there's nowhere to find parts so I retired them and got an Impreza. NOWHERE near as fun to drive as the EA82 though... those EA82 bodies are just plain light and well balanced. To sum it up: EA82 body + EA81 engine = only pre-EJ22 setup that's worth anything besides just straight up EA81s back.

I had an '87 wagon 5spd d/r and took it from E. TN to Omaha, Nebraska and from there to Golden, CO. MAN what a DOG on the interstate. It was pitiful. The seats SUCKED too. 28mpg? I get better out of my Outback. No love for Hitachi carbs here!!! However, I do believe that if it was equipped with better seats and spfi I would have thoroughly enjoyed driving it and probably would have gotten better mileage too.

Yeah I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to do that again. It does suck.

You want to make an offer? I bought it for $1300. I also have a d/r gear-set from an EA82 I'll throw in for $100. Thanks Kyle. I still got those Outback Springs if you want them. My sister decided against it for her Legacy. Actually I do have fogs, they're the PIAAs mounted on the bumper. They were useless mounted in the stock fog light area. Too low, made the other side of humps in the road look like massive abysses, but I guess that's what you get with insanely bright lights.

King Springs, GR2 struts, 3/4" strut spacers in the rear, sportrack aero xl topper. All I need is a d/r (I have an awd d/r from australia... think I'm gonna go with EA82 d/r though for true 4wd) and skid plates.

I am only ASSUMING there must be external lines. In one of the many online descriptions of the new engines it stated there were no passages between the heads and block, eliminating the possiblity of head gasket failure. However I didn't consider how much of a pain rusted up metal lines would be... oh well. You'll probably never need to pull them off anyway... (another assumption). *Update* Apparently I'm completely wrong. There ARE passages for coolant and oil just like all cars. I have no idea where I read that info. I have suddenly lost trust in this new design... we'll just have to see if they hold up.

That's true, the head gaskets shouldn't be anymore difficult but there's absolutely no oil or coolant passages going from the block to the heads. I'm ASSUMING there must be external lines (either rubber or metal [hopefully metal]) going from the heads to the block. That's a neat design ain't it??

The FB engines are practically immune to headgasket problems, have an easy to access water pump AND use a timing chain which will practically last the life of the car. Why is that so bad?

If you find a pretty good welder they could probably weld one up for you. Attaching it to the car is pretty straight forward, especially on the older, squarer Subarus.

There's a little button that the clutch pedal pushes when it comes up. That closes the circuit for the cruise. If the spring that pulls the clutch all the way up is broken or unhooked OR if the little pad fell off it's tab towards the top of the clutch pedal then that would prevnt that button from being pushed and the circuit would remain open.

SWEET LB'S ALIVE!!!!!!!! What kind of mileage do you get out of LB? A friend of mine bought an '84 Coupe 2wd 5spd and after a tune-up and de-emissioning the carb he's getting anywhere from 30-36. Little thing runs like a bat outta hell.

That is one SWEET looking Forester.

My nephew's '93 2wd 5spd Impreza was making some terrible noise as well and has been for 30,000 miles. Then it started kicking out of 4th and 5th gear. Split the thing open and that infamous roller bearing was broken and there were metal shavings EVERYWHERE. (don't know if the kicking out of 4th and 5th was because of that bearing though. I checked the price on the bearing and it's $128 from Subaru. I found a used tranny for $200.)

Yeah I love the mirror mounted on the door idea. Gives you just a little more visibility and it's reminicent of the '85 EA82s and also the Brats as mentioned.

Girls ruin everything.

Mainstream, maybe. Larger, doubt it. Looks the same size and even lightened it. WIN. The new 2.0 and 2.5 engines are badass in more than one way. WIN. 36 mpg. WIN. It's a Subaru. WIN. I don't see ANYTHING to complain about. Subaru is doing good for themselves and the rest of the world. The more people they appeal to, the more people there are driving Subarus. I see NOTHING wrong with that.

Yeah definitely better than removing all that timing belt crap. I was thinking the catalytic converter running underneath would be in the way of doing the pump from the bottom. Either way I definitely prefer this design over the previous EJ SO FAR. Don't know if the catalytic converter being so close to the oil pan will cause the oil to sludge up. Every Toyota Camry we've ever had has always been a sludge factory because the cat is so close to the oil filter keeping the oil hot.

I'm excited about the new engine. But is the water pump at the bottom of the motor? If it is it looks like the only way to change it would be from the top, and I'm sure that would require removing the radiator.

HAHAHA This has been a very entertaining thread to read. I added King Springs to my Outback (stiffer and taller) and also KYB struts and that reduced the bodyroll emmensely. I also at one point had a '93 Impreza wagon and added junkyard shocks and springs from a 1st gen AWD Legacy and that stiffened it up quite a bit and helped the handling.

Before: After: Also replaced stock fogs with PIAA 540s. They need adjusting though.

Well everybody I've got an update. My King Springs came in the mail last week and I've had my KYBs for a few weeks now and I got around to installing them yesterday. I guess I've got an extra 1 3/4" lift just from the springs, I also have 1/2" strut spacers for the front and 3/4" for the rear. When I get a job and can buy new tophats I will install those. Wanted to see how much lift I got from the springs first. I'll have pics tomorrow, should be nice weather. I still plan on installing the d/r one of these days... and getting rid of the plastic bumpers. BTW I really like the way this thing handles and rides now. A little on the stiff side but not TOO much for me. Can really take some hard railroad crossing hits very well.

Junkyard? Just about any parts store should carry that right??

For $200 that may be the route I go. But I'll have to have a muffler shop install it being there's no flange between the stock exhaust manifold and mid-pipe anymore... it's all one big piece.

What kind of muffler do you think would bring out the subie rumble? I'm not wanting to do full exhaust...