Stubies Subie Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 ok, as we go into day 14, I did a quick scan of craigslist and found nothing other then this one: http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/2597181610.html but good luck getting them to call you, I messaged them twice yesterday, and they never called back. I'll test drive a Legacy, I'll go back now and see if there's any that are worth looking at, I agree, I can't knock somethig if I haven't tried it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubies Subie Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 The 4EAT can be locked into 50/50 4WD just by installing a switch for the duty-c solenoid. General Disorder, not knowing much if anything at all about a Legacy, can you explain to me what you mean by 50/50 4WD just by installing a switch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLoyale Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 General Disorder, not knowing much if anything at all about a Legacy, can you explain to me what you mean by 50/50 4WD just by installing a switch? Here, this explains it somewhat. There is a better thread, but I can't find it ATM. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=120418&highlight=Duty-C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubies Subie Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 I just did a google search for "50/50 4WD just by installing a switch for the duty-c solenoid" and got some good hits, now I know what it does, I have to remember ...google is my friend ....lol I'm probably not going to be able to get out and test drive anything until this weekend, unless some screaming deal shows up that's so good I have to call in sick to work just to go look at it .. I'll try to find a Legacy wagon I can test drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubies Subie Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 would something like this be worth looking at? I'm thinking to many miles ... http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/2598916829.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLoyale Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 would something like this be worth looking at? I'm thinking to many miles ... http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/2598916829.html My Outback has 220,000 and still drives like a new car. That one sounds like it had Headgaskets done at some point "New heads" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 That's not a bad price for a '96. If I were selling it as one of my reconditioned units I would be asking $3k. But then I do a lot to the cars I sell. You should look at the '92 through 94's. Closer to your price range. Mileage is COMPLETELY MEANINGLESS. Understand? A bad owner can RUIN an engine or transmission in 100k. An ecellent owner can keep a car mechanically perfect for 300k+. If you watch the gauges, change the fluids, and actually give a damn about them they will last nearly indefinitely. I have bought cars with about 140k where the inside of the engine looked like a BBQ pit and once torn down it was almost unbeleivable that it DIDN'T throw a rod. Similarly - I have customers with over 300k on their engines and the inside of the valve covers looks like you could eat off them. Mileage is a VERY POOR indicator of condition. Records and the face of the owner tell you a great deal more. Do not write off cars with over 200k. The EJ22 is a fabulous engine and will just keep on going with decent attention to oil changes. It's also simple and cheap to replace should it need to be. Also - interferance vs. non-interferance is a specious argument with the EJ's. I have replaced HUNDREDS of EJ timing belts and I have NEVER seen one break. It simply doesn't happen if you have any concern for changing them. Unlike EA82 belts, the EJ belts routinely far outlast the reccomended interval for replacement. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubies Subie Posted September 15, 2011 Author Share Posted September 15, 2011 That's not a bad price for a '96. If I were selling it as one of my reconditioned units I would be asking $3k. But then I do a lot to the cars I sell. You should look at the '92 through 94's. Closer to your price range. GD ok, that nerrows it down a little bit, still want a stick shift though, I've had automatics for years and I'm just ready for a change .. Day 14, and the search continues .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubies Subie Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 (edited) Ok, I got some splain’en to do: I bought a car, and against everyone’s advice, I got a Loyale, I know, I know, I shoulda listened …but wait till you hear the rest of the story. This old guy advertised a really nice Loyale on craigslist, it only had 145,000 miles on it, and he had bought the car so he could use it to do a paper route in his retirement, but alas …his wife said ….oh no you ain’t ..your sell’en the car. Then along comes me …oh and the car looked so good, new head gaskets, valve cover caskets, new water pump and timing belts, 1,500 bucks, and he wasn’t gonna budge a plug nickel. So I forked over the 1500 bucks …… This old guy was so proud of himself for fixing up the car, he had to show me every little imperfection it had, he even had to explain every little squeak, right down to imperfections in the paint, plus everything he done to it ….I just smiled and thought, “this sure is a nice old man” “but this car hasn’t got hardly any imperfections at all” ……. Or so I thought ….. in the photos below, please take note of what's under the hood ....or not I haven’t really got to drive it much ….I bought it, rushed down to DMV to get it licensed, Rugby_Subie was with me, and we had to hurry because I had to go to work, so after I got the car licensed, we drove back to the old mans house, and picked the car up, and drove it from the old mans house to my house, a distance of about 10 miles. We put the new license plates on it, then left my house for the 30 mile drive to work and to Rugby_Subies house, I figured he could drop me off at work, take the car home, and give it a really good looking over …. We never made it ….blew a head gasket on the freeway … This is where General Disorder comes into the picture …..I’ll explain that one later, I’m going to bed …..to be continued. Edited September 20, 2011 by Stubies Subie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eulogious Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 :eek: I hate to say it man, but we told you so! $1500 is what I paid for my legacy w/147K on the clock, without blown head gaskets! I then put $600 more into it, but it has been running great for the last 15K, and I am not worried about anything breaking on it. I know what it's like to want a car, and when the pickings are slim you tend to jump on the "the one that looked good", but you should have held out man. I even walked away from my legacy the first go around, and then drove the 75 miles BACK to it the next day to seal the deal. Now you HAVE to dump even more money into that car! That's what happens when you go out and rush a deal though... Wow, that totally sucks, but you should have taken our advice! Can't wait to hear what GD has to say about all this This ought to be good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubies Subie Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 It’s lucky for me I live in the Pacific North West, and it’s also lucky for me I had Rugby_Suby with me on the trip to work ….. We we’re sitting on the side of the freeway, with steam rolling out from under the hood, Rugby_Subie says: “general Disorder lives right back there” as he pointing to the exit we just passed. It’s something like 4 miles to the next exit where we could turn around (which would make an 8 miles round trip) there’s n o way this car is going another 8 miles, OR if we could just somehow do a Uie, we’re only a mile or so from General Disorders house. The first thought that entered my mind was “oh great, I buy a car everyone told me to stay away from, and now I have to go before the lord of the Subaru Gods and confess my sins”. We chose the Uie, if you take note of the attached photo, shooting across the freeway median and changing directions out here in the North West is a rather fun adventure, and my first real off road experience with my new Subaru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Yupp did the U turn and back to Ricks. Finally got the motor pulled out... Dear Subaru, that belt driven fan is the stupidest idea you have ever had... besides the EJ25D Going to do: Clean motor Clean engine bay Torque cams New XT6 clutch (this one was toast, so the motor was coming out) Reseal (including headgaskets) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Well - it has a nice interior and a very straight body. The engine is a horror show - I ran a pressure test on the cooling system and it lost about 1 psi per minute. Must be going out through the head gaskets or possibly though an intake gasket because there's no external leaks..... the "old man" over-indulged in RTV and it's seeping out of every crevice.... sure signs of amature work. It's got BAD oil leaks from one front cam seal as well as the front main or oil pump.... or both. Who does a water pump and timing belt and doesn't change a $3 seal?!? Rear main has been leaking also. And besides that - the clutch was basically down to the rivets - had maybe a few thousand left in it. It needs a bunch of attention. Looks like I'm resealing an EA82 this week :-\. Previous owners SUCK. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1982gl4 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Previous owners SUCK. I couldn't agree more, once and a while you will get lucky, most of the time not. I usually avoid cars that have been tinkered on by their owners, you just never know what you are getting into... Sorry to hear about your misfortune, I'm glad all the ea82s are rusted away and gone here, no more reseals, stupid radiator fans, or that cursed timing belt set up At least you have it in good hands now, and it will be back up and running again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickolai Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Just ran across you story. That sucks that it blew up right away. I definitely agree with you about liking the EA82 body style over the Legacy, although I haven't actually driven a Legacy, I think my car is way purdier! The head gaskets on my EA82 just blew for the third time in the last 2 years or so and I finally decided that I am done with that engine. I'm going to drop a rebuilt EA81 in the car and am expecting much better results. To be fair to the EA82 though it was my first and second time resealing an engine and I didn't use the Felpro gaskets or have the heads resurfaced. Since it sounds like GD will be resealing yours, it will probably last a lot longer than mine, but I would still never turn on the A/C if it was my car. It adds an extra load to the engine, plus it warms the already hot air that cools the radiator. Bad combo for an engine so prone to overheating. Sorry if I sound like I'm bashing the EA82. I think all in all you will be happy the car especially if the body and interior are nice. I still don't regret buying my car even it has blown head gaskets 3 times. The awesomeness of the rest of the car makes up for it! Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smackvt Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 yah you need to drive a leg youl think your in a full blown rally car compared to an ea .......... and if the motor blue you need a two two:banana: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubies Subie Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 (edited) if the motor blue you need a two two:banana: I think we're ok on the motor, and being at General Disorders House, it's in good hands. we got a whole list of things were doing to it, a complete reseal, including the rear main seal. new head gaskets, new timing belts and pullys and such, new water pump, plus we're installing a set of high torque cams, GD is also doing the electric fan conversion on it, and it's getting a new radiator plus, I'm super paranoid about over heating issues, so were also installing a radiator coolant filter, plus a heater core filter from Gano. and because it's going tp be pulling a little pop up camping trailer, he's also installing an XT clutch and pressure plate, and I think a new flywheel as well, plus all the bearings that go with it. also NGK plugs, and I think Rugby suby said something about new spark plug wires as well. am I missing anything? I'm kinda leaving it up to them to figure out what I want or need, their going to know better then I do. I want to get over there before the motor goes back in the car so I can do a thoro pressure wash of the engine bay area, I'd really like to get all those years of grease out of there, so I may be doing that this coming weekend:) no matter what, when it's done, it should be a very nice dependable ride Edited September 21, 2011 by Stubies Subie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitch de la Brat Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 I want to rant your face off. You should've at least asked GD to test drive his SS. The only real difference I've noticed between the NA and Turbo Legacies is the quantity of power. So it would have given you a decent idea of what a first gen legacy drives like. I'm discovering that I have to build my perfect Subaru. And that doesn't include an EA82. I'm with GD. The EA82 is a dead platform. As for your question, I would just pay attention to GD and nod and go "uh huh." No need to make any more dumb mistakes. He knows what he's doing and will do that engine good. Twitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 NGK plugs and wires... Subarus love em. Plus the platinums can go like 50k? 60k? Youll have plenty of time, I will disassemble the motor, get the cams and heads sent in (actually GD will do that part). Youll have at least 1 week from now to do the engine bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 I want to rant your face off. You should've at least asked GD to test drive his SS. The only real difference I've noticed between the NA and Turbo Legacies is the quantity of power. So it would have given you a decent idea of what a first gen legacy drives like. Why? The power was not a concern. Given multiple thought sessions, he decided he would rather stick to his original plan and get an EA82. Im the same way, I drove a EA82 as my first and 2nd Subarus. My EA81 was a wreck, so was the EA71. The EA81 we dropped in was an amazing car after the swap but I still liked NED better. I'm discovering that I have to build my perfect Subaru. And that doesn't include an EA82. I'm with GD. The EA82 is a dead platform. Which is what we've discovered. I will be building Ned basically from the ground up to make him my "perfect" Subaru. Stubie will be building his perfect one... He really likes the way this will turn out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitch de la Brat Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Why? The power was not a concern. Given multiple thought sessions, he decided he would rather stick to his original plan and get an EA82. Im the same way, I drove a EA82 as my first and 2nd Subarus. My EA81 was a wreck, so was the EA71. The EA81 we dropped in was an amazing car after the swap but I still liked NED better. Not to start any fights here, but there is a drastic difference between theorizing about how something feels and feeling it. I'm just saying it would have been a good idea to do a little more research. Twitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92_rugby_subie Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 I have driven the EJs. I have driven an EJ18, EJ22, EJ25 and ridden in the EJ25/EJ22 heads BRAT that Renob123 has. Although impressive and smooth rides, I personally like the EA82 more. But oh well... Not trying to start anything, but research was done, and decisions were made. A legacy will be purchased as a "beebop around town" car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubies Subie Posted September 22, 2011 Author Share Posted September 22, 2011 I have driven the EJs. I have driven an EJ18, EJ22, EJ25 and ridden in the EJ25/EJ22 heads BRAT that Renob123 has. Although impressive and smooth rides, I personally like the EA82 more. But oh well... Not trying to start anything, but research was done, and decisions were made. A legacy will be purchased as a "beebop around town" car. I'm quite happy with the EA82, and I have had one before, I chose that car based on the upkeep cost, and style, and once GD is done with it, I will have no reason to question its reliability. cars are easy come, easy go, if it doesn't work for me, I can always find something else and put a for sale sign in the window of this one, but at this point, I'm going to at least try it, and for all practical purposes, I see no reason why this one won't work for my intended use of the car ...so I say, we keep going with it, and make it the most near perfect EA82 that can be had. heck, for that matter, if it doesn't work out, I'm sure my daughter would be happy to have to for transportation to and from collage, it will certainly haul all her stuff. For such a problematic model, I have to say my cards have fallen perfectly, when I think about it, how fortunate am I that I’ve got friends like Ruby_Subie, and met people that live so close like GD, personally, I think what I have was meant to be, I couldn’t ask for a more experienced watchful eye then GD, any while Rugby_Subie may have learned everything he knows from GD, I got to give him credit, he’s good at what he does. So we’re going to make this car the best that an EA82 can be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eulogious Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 (edited) That's all fine and dandy, and I am glad you are ok with it, but why did you ask for opinions when you didn't even take any of them into consideration? Why even bother asking? Why tell the story of your boat and ask that we steer you in the correct direction so that you didn't make that same mistake again? Because you realize that you did that exact same thing with this car, right? But instead of a boat, you did it with a car. Granted you aren't selling it and are "happy" with it, but you still spent way to much money on something not worth anywhere near that price. Once is a mistake, twice on the other hand... :-\ And to top it off you didn't even drive an EJ car, so you really don't even have a comparison or even a clue on what you are missing :-\ AND now you have to dump money into the car, all while ignoring our advice that you asked for which would have saved you all this hassle AND money. Just seems like it was a waste of time to respond. Not mad, just a little annoyed. Oh well. So with that, I respectfully bow out, and I wish you luck with your car! You should start a "build" thread for it so everyone can see what all is/will be done to it Edited September 22, 2011 by eulogious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubies Subie Posted September 22, 2011 Author Share Posted September 22, 2011 (edited) .....why did you ask for opinions when you didn't even take any of them into consideration? Why even bother asking?.... Granted, you got me on that one, and that deserves a response. I do appreciate your responses, and opinions, when it came to choosing between a Legacy and a Loyale, even with everything you guys told me, I was a bit confused as to which Legacy would be best, the Loyale on the other hand, was narrowed down, they all have the same motor, and as long as it's got SPFI and a 5 speed, I "thought" it would be ok. for a Legacy, I saw ads, but wasn't sure if the year was right, most were automatics which I didn't want, I'm pretty sure I wanted the EJ22 but wasn't sure which car that came in and most ads didn't list what motor the car had. When I looked at Legacy ads..I simply didn't know if it was a "jump on it" or "keep looking" and if it's a good deal, you have to jump, if you don't, someone else will snatch it out from under you. and I found myself wanting to post the ads here, and ask, which meant I'd have to wait until someone responded by which time, if the car was a good deal, it was to late for me because someone else would have already snatched it up. when I saw the Loyale ads, it seemed easer to me to determine on my own if it was a "grab it" car, and a "turn tail and run" I'm going to gain Subaru experience with this one, and this won't be my last Subaru, and while I own this one, you can be rest assured, I'll be learning all I can about the Legacys. Next time, I'll be able to make a better educated decision. as for this car, we'll fix it, I'll drive it, and if I like it, I'll keep it, it doesn't do what I want it to, it would always make a good spare, it seems like at any given time, one of my kids is always needing a car for one reason or another, so it may even make a good loaner. If and when I do find a Legacy, it will go through the same thing, it will end up at GD's place, with him and Rugby_Subie giving it a real good reseal and going over. Meanwhile, when I get a chance to get back over to GD's place, I'll get more pictures and start a build thread on the Loyale. Edited September 22, 2011 by Stubies Subie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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