wagonist

Really? Not one of those special Californian things was it?

The 4WD/AWD discrepancy is the reason I asked my question. From my understanding too, Subaru never called the cars that had the locking centre diff AWD, they called them full-time 4WD, which I think is more appropriate than AWD, & separates those cars with the mechanical centre diff vs the viscous one (except for the 4EAT:rolleyes:, which carried over) Actually, it'd be good to know what's what. 3AT: FWD/4WD, FWD 4EAT: AWD 4sp M: FWD, FWD/4WD D/R 5sp M: FWD, FWD/4WD, FWD/4WD D/R, FT 4WD (centre diff lock), FT4WD DR (centre diff diff) I'm jealous of your choices. Here we only got the 3AT, 4sp M, & 1st 3 5sp M.

Fair enough. If anyone's interested, I may be able to organise to ship come D/R casings over. A conversion we do over here is EJ internals (gearset,diffs) into an L case wth the EJ centre diff section. I do prefer the idea of the lockable centre diff though. I destroyed the Viscous centre in my first car.

Just reading through this thread. Did the US get D/R EJ boxes? The only manual AWD Liberty (Legacy) that didn't get D/R here were the turbo models. They only had the RX 1.192 low range though. Maybe some early Imprezas had 1.59 low range (but I've never found one myself). Another solution for fitting of your front pinion to the shaft (mind you I've got no idea how expensive this would be) Get your RX shaft & have the pinion machined off & have a spline cut into it. Get the Legacy shaft & have the shaft machined out of the centre of the pinion & then a reverse spline matching the shaft done. Now all it needs are a couple of spot welds to stop the pinion sliding off the end of the shaft, the splines would be taking the rotational forces, welding to hold that strength not required. Other method would be to have the pinion part machined up so that it is too small, then have it heated up so that it's a press fit while hot. Once cooled, it will have shrunk onto the shaft.

I have a couple of wiring looms here. The one I was talking about was to suit an early model, but those looms are completely different. I do have the loom that came out of my 88 GL, but I've had to cannibalise some of it, because the EFI dash loom I got had the headlight wires cut. You can have it, and fixing the headlight wires would be simple using some of your dashboard loom. I think about 1990 is when Subaru started to really cost cut. I got a full car loom from an 89 DL model (same as yours) & the body loom was the same as my 88 GL. After about 1990 is when the different models started to have different looms to save costs (ie copper wiring, there's a lot less in a DL). Things to look for (sorry don't have pics at the mo) 1. Behind the LHS of the dash (you need to remove trim under dash, and also maybe the kickpanel), look for a large white connector with 8 large pins. The body side should have a yellow wire, whereas the dashboard side won't. That wire is the tacho signal from the coil. 2. Hiding under the carpet near the B pillars, a large green connector with 4 pins not plugged into anything. It's for the central locking. You "could" repin the dashboard loom to suit the tacho cluster (the only 2 connections not made are for the tacho & low fuel light), but it's a PITA, as even though the connectors are the same for both clusters, almost none of the pins are in the right spot...:-\

We got 2 types of rear axles here. On the early models, both the inner & outer CVs were the "floating" type (like front inners) where you could slide the shaft in & out, but the later models got fixed outers & the inners stayed floating. But if you can twist the shaft within the CVs, then you've got a problem (most likely the cage or ball bearings have worn).

Oh, and just in case, only the EFI cars have this light wired up:-p

The rear axles are pinned on both ends. If they're stuck (never had to deal with the snow/salt rust issue here), but it can pay to leave the diff attached, unbolt the diff from the cradle and letting it drop. The axle nut size FYI is 36mm (same as front). If you can't find a socket in this size, I have been using a monkey wrench successfully for many years. Trick is though to remove the wheel, remove the split pin through the nut, then reinstall the wheel & drop the car on the ground so the weight is on the wheel. They're a bugger to hold still otherwise.

I'm trying to compare the small box that screws to the lower trim under the steering wheel. It has a large blue 8 pin plug attached to it & I believe it controls the intermittent wipers. My box has only 6 pins, but 8 wires, and I think that the extra 2 wires are for the variable control. Does the box in the XT version which had variable speed wipers have the extra 2 pins? I'm looking at the possibilty of a retrofit with a potentiometer to make it work.

It's been ages since I saw a povo pack instrument cluster without the tacho, but the standard Aus delivered dash with the tacho looks like the one from Canada, but with the speedo & tacho on the opposites sides (ie 200km/h), and minus the volts/oil pressure gauges (these were never an option here). Even for the EFI turbo, 200 was optimistic.:-\ RXleone, what year model is your car? I've got a RHD EFI turbo dash loom & tacho cluster (without the oil/volts) to suit an 87 model which will directly plug into anything pre 88 if you want a real factory look. Would box up pretty small for postage.

Sorry, just to clarify. Do you have a box which runs in front wheel drive most of the time, or one of those with a lockable centre diff? Just that the first option isn't really AWD. Yes its deliveing power to all the wheels, but it operates more like a "proper" 4wd where its locking the front & rear diffs together. And by driveshaft do you mean the front ones coming out of the side of the gearbox? Sorry for the stupid questions, but we Aussies call things slightly different to you guys & I don't want to offer advice for the wrong info.

Maybe its different experiences, plus that you have a lot more availability over ther from the start, but a LOT of used JDM engines get imported over here. For us, it is often cheaper (by at least half) to buy a used JDM motor & stick it in than rebuild it (course if you can rebuild a motor yourself that could change), meaning that mostly we'll just stick a JDM motor in unopened, and if it blows, just get another one. Having said that, I haven't heard that many cases of these used motors having that much drama (depends on the motor type & it's usual afflictions), and we've got as much distance to cover over here (but more between major centres). It's always a case of buyer beware with anything 2nd hand, and the more checks you can get done before buying the better. Personally, the last 4 cars I've owned have either had a JDM motor implanted (EA82T 85 000km until write off at 120 000km), or the whole car has been a JDM import (93 Legacy GT 70 000km til sell at 90 000km, 96 TD Toyota Caldina 65 000km til write off at 200 000km & 97 Toyota Caldina GTT 55 000km - current at 105 000km).

84 & 85 models in Aus (ie the last of the leaded petrol versions) had a "semi-auto" manual choke as standard. ie you pulled it out, but it automatically retracted when the car was hot enough. Fitted in the biggish blanking plate to the lower left of the steering wheel. I think I've still got a dashboard loom at home that has the electrical connections for the dashboard (the wires can be added quite easily), but I don't have the cable or handle though.

If you've got the opportunity to swap over to the EA82 EFI fuel lines & tank, you'd be better off, though the only difference I've found with the lines is that the carb return line is changed to a much bigger one so that the carb feed line becomes the EFI return & the replaced line is the EFI feed, so you really only "need" to change one line. They are larger & the tank (well the Aus ones anyway) have an inbuilt swirlpot which helps with reducing pump starvation. It's a bugger of a job though as you need to remove the dashboard & peel up the carpet. Are the fuel lines still on the LHS of the car on the LHD models? For us, the fuel lines run up behind the dashboard fan, which is even more hassle.

I'm in the process of doing the 5 lug conversion on my 88 wagon. The 87 EJ20T RX turbo sedan I bought already had the 5 stud on it, but the handbrake (ebrake I think you guys call it) conversion wasn't done. What's the point of using the 200SX calipers? Does the 200SX have calipers which are used as the handbrake as well?

One of my mates has recently got one here. It should be registered on the weekend, that's why I was asking. I'm glad they've moved on from the 2 channel version of the ABS though. The hill holder going into activation while trying to reverse down a gravel hill is bad enough. Were the early Legacy ABS 3 channel (ie grouping rear wheels) or 4? Aust didn't get ABS until the series 2 version of the Gen I, & no airbags until the Gen II.

The pre 97 & post 97 gearboxes and engines have some subtle differences. Fitting a later box onto an early engine is detailed on the Oz Liberty RS forum. Otherwise, everything is a straight swap over.

I'm not sure what dual-range trannies you got. We didn't get any full-time 4wd gearboxes prior to the Liberty/Legacy. The Liberty low range is useless. We got a twin-turbo auto only Liberty from 98, but now they're single-turbo too. Subaru Australia has to be careful with what models they bring out otherwise they take their own sales away. eg when the Liberty came out in 89/90, we stopped getting GL Leone's. When the WRX came out in 94, we stopped getting RS Turbo Liberties. Now, they sell themselves & you can't bargain for a lower than sticker price (mind you, they hold 2nd hand value really well)

Actually, apart from us getting the EJ20T Liberty (Legacy) & the early WRX's, you'll probably find that the US got a better range of Subies than we did. All to do with market size. eg, we didn't get a 2 door hatchback of any kind, didn't get the XT6, stopped receiving cars with the EA82T after 87, didn't get EA81T, NA EA82 EFI 89 & 90 only.... My mate's XT6 was only just imported 2nd hand from Japan.

Are they that rare? Downshift.... Let me explain the seriousness of the project I'm building: 88 wagon, 93 JDM EJ20T (TDO5H), 92 Aus W-A intercooler, 00 Aus gearbox, 93 Aus Rear LSD, 99 Sti 4 spot front calipers, ... My starting point is 185 FW kw, & there's that many custom mods to the front of the car to get all this in that even if I touch another car, it'll probably be a write-off. So the last thing I need is some ^@#^& in traffic changing lanes on me suddenly (like a truck did 2 days ago squeezing me between it & the kerb)

The Oz Vortex never had ABS (otherwise I would've known about it before now) & we didn't get the XT6 either. The reason I'm asking is because a friend just had imported from Japan an XT6 & he says its got ABS but I can't get to it to have a look & he doesn't have a camera to send me pix. I don't intend fitting the entire system, just the rear wheel sensors. The rest of it would come from a later Oz spec car (the best ABS you can get, everyone tests their ABS systems here now)

I only just discovered that the XT6 was available with ABS brakes. Is anyone with one able to post up pix of the rear sensor setup & also the engine bay setup for the ABS motor & controller. I've fitted 93 WRX front hubs (with the ABS sensors removed) to my 88 wagon, but would like to now retrofit the entire system. Also, how hard are the necessary parts to get? Thanks

EJ22? pffft. EJ25 or EJ20 twin cam: heads with the spark plug in the middle of the combustion chamber, much more efficient. Mind you, a lot harder for you guys in the US to get hold of. I've never have a brumby (brat) but they didn't change AFAIK. Kept the EA81 & 4 spd all the way through. Did the US get the 4 headlight version? I think most of our late ones have the 4 headlights with a targa roof. The last ones built were in 92, but they kept delivering them until 94. Look up www.ausubaru.com, you should be able to find some pix there.

I'm pretty good, just giving you something to aim at. You're 1.8 petrol turbo should beat my 2.0 diesel turbo (though mine's got about the same amount of torque as 2.5L or so V6)

Double check that the pins are in the same positions on the Nissan & Subie MAF sensors, you might have to rewire the plug for it to work. I hope that 19.2 was at high altitude, because my stock 2.0 SOHC 8V mechanical injection non-intercooled turbo diesel Toyota wagon has run an 18.4 at almost sea level. oh yeah, 50kW (75hp) at the wheels.