Subaru_dude

Drove it a little while on 3 cylinders and kept an eye on the coolant. It was definitely using it... so I checked #4 for any liquid and I could see it when I pulled the plug out. Stuck a straw down inside and smelled it... coolant for sure. I JUST changed the intake manifold gaskets today and burped the cooling system of any bubbles and so far all seems good and well. I'll go outside in a few hours and restart it and see if it fouls the plug again. That's what it was doing before... let it sit and it would foul that plug. Haven't done a compression check on #2 yet.

I'll most definitely stay away from that place. I remember when she was looking at a 2000 Outback with the 2.5 with 135,000 on it and I mentioned to the salesman we were talking to about the tendancies of the dohc 2.5s to blow headgaskets... and he said "Oh that's part of the mantainance that's being done right now." He calls us a few times and I tell my mom to ask about the headgaskets that were supposedly done and he says "Oh that's something we only do if they fail." So yeah, we caught him in an outright lie so we didn't go back to look at the car. After hearing that they were such a-holes to you because of your age, I think I won't even go there for so much as gaskets now.

O'rly? HMMM... I'll keep that in mind. And yes, I saw that Impreza with the roof rack. I thought, "Wow, you could bolt a seat to that thing", haha. I'm actually not a big Grayson fan either, mostly because between Grayson Pontiac and Grayson Subaru, it's really obvious which dealership gets more attention from Grayson himself.

It's a 2wd so I don't really have to worry about tires matching. And yes, I'm aware of the seats folding flat. I've had 6 Subarus, 5 of which were wagons and I've used that option quite a bit. But it seems that I've grown since my first soob and for the past 3 Subarus it's been uncomfortable to have the back seat folded flat (I'm 6'3", it can get a tad bit cramped). I let my mom drive it today and she really liked it (drives a 96' Camry). There's an Outback Sport at the dealership in Knoxville she's been talking about lately, so I'm trying to talk her into it.

Yeah it's in pretty good shape. I'm suprised at how "flimsy" the hood is though, sounds like a thunderstorm coming everytime I shut the hood or door. Nothing wrong with that though, gives it character. Everything else about it is pretty solid. I haven't been driving it much because I don't have insurance yet but I'm looking forward to it. The first thing on my list of things to do is waterpump, and then 2 rear tires. I'm gonna have to get adjusted to how quiet this thing is, it's nothing like my GL.

Silly me I think you're right. If it's headgaskets, drop that motor and get a 2.2. I haven't owned one yet, but I've heard too much good about them.

"Heater never heated up." Sounds like a clogged radiator core to me. That will cause overheating too. Could also be why the rad hose was collapsed.

This is what I'll be driving while I make my sedan what I want it to be. BTW, I'm new to the new gen but I'm already loving it. Here's the others. http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/DSC_0107.jpg http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/DSC_0113.jpg Interior shots: http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/DSC_0106.jpg http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/DSC_0115.jpg http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/DSC_0108.jpg

Ah-HAH!!! No wonder I couldn't find the other. I couldn't find my Haynes manual, which I'm assuming has that info so that's why I posted. Thanks, this helps.

Where the heck is the driver side drain plug? I can only locate the one on the passenger side which seems to be in plain site. Maybe I'm overlooking it? And what size alan do I use? I don't have any alan-head sockets. Thanks for any input.

Wow, there's so much room at the front of the engines on the EA81s. Should be a super easy job. Mine's brand new and it's already leaking out both wheep holes.

I can't wait to enjoy 4wd again. Both my soobs are 2wd but one will be 4wd sometime this summer. Your next step would be to install a D/R, then you'd REALLY know what you're missing out on.

(Not AWD but just thought I'd share anyway) Recently picked up a 1993 Subaru Impreza wagon, 2wd 5spd. Delivered here from Nasheville, drove the guy back to Nasheville and back here to Morristown (475 mile round trip) and averaged 33mpg at 74mph, 3,250 rpm. Edit: It just dawned on me that it got driven 750ish miles just in that one night. Well, it passed the test drive.

bump. Read above post.

I would say if your lifters aren't making insane amounts of noise then you're okay.

It has quite a bit of water in it, but I blew it all out with my air compressor so it's all good. New plugs and wires: Check New oil and filter: Check New fire extinguisher: CHECK!

It wasn't at night, but it looked cool reguardless. I think the most awesome part was the fact that the rag came flying out from under the hood completely engulfed in flames. Really wish I could have gotten everything on camera. Only damage was charred wiring but everything still works. There's a big black spot on the underside of the hood and the strut tower on that side looks darker than the other. Don't know if it cleaned up the carbon deposits, but if it didn't I'll just put some in a squirt bottle and spray it into the intake. I didn't turn the engine over by hand because I REALLY wanted to make sure those carbon deposits got shot the hell outta there. I know now that I should have just turned it over by hand!

You guys are gonna give me hell for this because I've never heard of anybody doing this. EA82, 170psi in 4 but 135ish in other 3. So it's probably just carbon buildup. I pull the plug and fill the cylinder up with soafoam and let it soak for a few minutes. Then I stuff a towell down over the hole so it doesn't spew all over the place. I go to crank and it basically just blows the towell out from under the hood, and then I see flames. The spark plug wire ignited the seafoam. My initial reaction was "HOLY MOSES!" I run as fast as I can to grab the waterhose and get it put out safely. My secondary reaction was "Welll that was quite exciting." My mother's was "PUT THE DAMN WRENCH DOWN NOW!!!" HAHAHA!! She cracks me up sometimes. Lesson learned for today: ALWAYS unplug the coil at the primary so the coil DOES NOT SPARK WHATSOEVER AND THERE IS NO DANGER OF FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS BEING IGNITED!

Thanks for staying on topic guys . At least many of you made good points. Yes, this thing is definitely more sensibly put together than those damn Hondas. I've been staring at the engine for quite a while and I'm quite surprised how simple it looks, and it's quite a roomy engine bay too. And I like the vertical oil filters, easier to prime before installation. As for the car itself... it bounces quite a bit, needs some shocks but I'm not gonna worry about that right now. The only rust on the car (it's from Houston, but originated in Kansas) is on the rear fenders and under the driver side door. Everything except for the dome light works on the interior. All gauges, knobs, cluster and heater control lights work. NICE stereo... I guess I've been listening to my 20 year old speakers too long in my GL. Front tires are brand new, 2 different rear tires. One makes alot of noise, will take care of that sooner than later. Has it's creaks and groans, but it runs REALLY well. And DAMN that's one solid roof rack, it sure is an upgrade from the EA series roof racks. Cruise control is a huge plus. Overall I'm very happy with it so far. Paid $1100 for it, which in my opinion was too much but the guy was really cool and completely broke. I will wash/vacuum it tomorrow and take some pics. :banana: :banana:

Well looks like I'm buying it. He took some pics of the wheel wells and undercarriage (car is from Kansas) and there is a little rust around the wheel wells but nothing serious underneath. He's on the same schedule as me so he's coming to deliver it tonight and I'll drive him back and be in bed by morning to go to work later tomorrow evening.

Subaru is NOT Honda. EVER. I'm talking with him on the phone now... he's willing to drive here as long as I drive him back. It's 2wd but that's a plus being that gas is $3.00 a gallon. AND I could actually get around to the EJ22 swap and 4wd swap on my sedan assuming it's reliable and in good shape which it definitely sounds like it is... he seems honest and really needs the money. Going to school and was promised a job but didn't get hired because the boss hired somebody else (possibly a friend?). I will keep you guys posted as the events unfold.

http://nashville.craigslist.org/car/622534263.html I'm very fond of the impreza wagons. I like it... do you think it's worth that much?

Do you think pulling the plug and pouring seafoam and turning it over a few times would help that out? I don't want too much strain on the headgasket, seems like that could cause it to pop eventually. UPDATE: Compression test lead me to believe it wasn't headgaskets. Yesterday I hanged the plugs and wires and drove it about 5 miles. I started it today and #4 is fouled again. That cylinder held about 135 psi. Coolant is lower than it was yesterday too. How do I test for intake manifold gaskets? I've tried spraying it with brake cleaner but nothing about the way the engine ran changed. Just a reminder on the car-EA82 SPFI FWD 5spd.

Okay, on 1, 3, and 4 the #'s were between 135 and 140 which is a relief. BUT on 2 I got a whopping 170psi!!!! I cranked it 4 times just to make positive because I'm kinda baffled? Anyway, the #4 plug was fouled and smelled like fuel but who knows why it's fouled, intake manifold perhaps? Maybe it's the cheapo NAPA champion wires. Anybody know why compression in 1 cylinder would be so high? And is it bad? Doesn't seem like it would be but... that's awfully strange. I did also notice my coolant is a bit low so I am suspecting intake manifold gaskets.

Yep going out right now and having a look, just got outta bed. If it passes the compression test, then it must be intake. I will be back with compression #'s.