My New '90 Loyale Wagon

[jj421]

So, yesterday I got myself a red 1990 Loyale wagon. I gotta say, I'm loving it! I had to watch my '81 GL wagon get towed away on Easter, which was sad, but I think I like this wagon better. I thought I'd just post details and pictures about so you all can see. Sorry if it's boring.

 

So I bought this baby for $825, which I think was a steal. It's a 5-speed and has the EJ18 motor in it, which I like much better than the EA81 in my GL. It's got the push button 4WD, which is really nice. There are over 250,000 miles, which is a lot for other cars, but not for a Subaru. It's running great! It's got $500 worth of new exhaust on it, so it's nice and quiet. Shifts great through all five gears and reverse, and the clutch is still good. A couple months before my GL got towed away, I had bought a new Interstate battery, which I've transferred over, so I've got lots of electrical power. Alternator charges the battery great. All the lights work, and no cracked lenses or anything. Body is in decent shape, but there is some rust here and there and a few minor dents. Interior is in GREAT shape! I didn't have to clean it at all! Back seats are ripped a bit, but nothing major. Heat and A/C work well, just the fan only blows at the lowest speed until you push and hold the speed selector knob. Clock and oil pressure gauge don't work, and unless the EJ18 motor runs really cool, I'd say the temperature gauge reads a little low. Clutch and brakes are good, but some idiot put some racing pedals or something on the brake and clutch. Normally I wouldn't mind, but whenever you take your foot off the clutch, it creeks, which is annoying. Power steering works, but it might have a leak. I topped it off with fluid that has a sealant in it, but I will have to wait and see if it leaks. The passenger side inner and outer CV boot is torn, so I'll need to get that replaced soon. Will probably go by a Pick-N-Pull and see if I can find anything. Parking brake was weak, but I tightened that up no problem. When I bought it, my right rear tire would go flat really fast, and another tire was not far behind. Today I just picked up four wheels/tires and a spare from Ben, AKA "tractor pole" for $30. Tread is good on two tires but pretty bald on the other two, but otherwise they're good until winter. Put those wheels on and now I can drive with confidence. Thanks Ben! Windshield has two cracks in it and two rock chip things in it, so it's probably illegal, but I'll replace the windshield when I get a fix-it ticket. My passenger headlight is pretty dirty, but still works great. I'll either clean it or get a new light, but it's not on the top of my list for things to do. I am going to get some Washington plates, since it has Montana plates. Oh, and one really cool thing about this car is I have the original manual, brochure, and warranty information from the guy who first bought it from the dealership in 1990 in Wyoming.

 

Yeah, I may have bored you already. Sorry, haha. I just wanna post on here more and show off my new car. You guys here are the only people I know that see the good parts in these cars. All my friends in person only see that bad things about my wagons. Always making fun that someone has probably smoked pot in 'em or something. That is probably true on this car, as I bought it from a couple of hippies. So yeah, I just wanna post more on here. I might make a video of this car when I have more time, but until then, just pictures. The last picture is of when I was changing the tires/wheels. There's also the picture of the pedals, the racing pedals.

 

[obk25xt]

Right on! Welcome to the forum!

 

First, that is NOT an EJ18, it's an EA82 which is a 1.8, but not an EJ series engine.

 

Second, the AC probably isn't working very well, there is no belt on the compressor.... :-p

 

MAke sure you check the oil every time you fill it up with gas for a while, until you get a feel for how much consumption you're dealing with. Oh and the coolant too... AMHIK....

 

Spencer

[jj421]

Right on! Welcome to the forum!

 

First, that is NOT an EJ18, it's an EA82 which is a 1.8, but not an EJ series engine.

 

Second, the AC probably isn't working very well, there is no belt on the compressor.... :-p

 

MAke sure you check the oil every time you fill it up with gas for a while, until you get a feel for how much consumption you're dealing with. Oh and the coolant too... AMHIK....

 

Spencer

 

It is an EA82? I know the general setup between these engines, but I don't know the difference between 'em. Well, in that case, how much horsepower does the EA82 produce? Just curious, haha.

 

Yeah, I guess I shouldn't have said the A/C works. I didn't really try it. But even if it doesn't work, I like the windows rolled down better anyways, especially in a manual.

 

The previous owner did say it leaks a bit of oil, which I'm used to with my old GL. Lots of coolant in there right now, but I'll keep an eye on that. I always check my fluids every week. Just right now I'm dealing with the power steering.

[l75eya]

how much horsepower does the EA82

 

That one you've got in your car will produce an astonishing 90hp on a favorable day.

 

[tractor pole]

I am glad someone was able to use the wheels and tires and I was able to get them out of my garage.

good looking wagon for $825! now the most important thing is to have fun with it.

 

Ben

[Indrid cold]

DL. with the push button.... I believe.

 

Exactly like the wagon I had. These cars are perfect for beginner drivers as they won't get into trouble with Power! Dependable to and from school, work etc.. and you get to learn to tinker...

 

Nice.

[jj421]

Wow, 90-horsepower! I need to get on down to the drag strip.

 

Again, thanks for the tires. It'll get me to and from school safely.

 

Great cars for learning. I learned how to drive stick and how engines and stuff work with my '81 GL. Now I'm just slowly moving up to more complicated cars. I have a feeling I'll be pulled over someday for going under the speed limit, especially on a steep hill. My GL got me to and from school every day (~60 miles round trip), and hopefully this Loyale will be that loyal.

[AKghandi]

Even though its only 90 hp ive seen a wagon like that hit 110..took forever but it did it. I think you will find this wagon will be a little more peppy than your old gl

 

 

You will enjoy the fuel injection in the winter no more "pump pump pump" lol

 

And i highly doubt you will ever get pulled over.. I have never once seen a wagon like ours get Pulled over. i feel invisible when im driving, like a vehicular ninja.

 

For 253k that interior is rediculously clean..aside from the pedals..lol

Edited April 16, 2012 by AKghandi

[jj421]

Even though its only 90 hp ive seen a wagon like that hit 110..took forever but it did it. I think you will find this wagon will be a little more peppy than your old gl

 

 

You will enjoy the fuel injection in the winter no more "pump pump pump" lol

 

And i highly doubt you will ever get pulled over.. I have never once seen a wagon like ours get Pulled over. i feel invisible when im driving, like a vehicular ninja.

 

For 253k that interior is rediculously clean..aside from the pedals..lol

 

I don't think I'd try to reach those speeds, haha. It took me about a mile to reach 60 MPH, but then again, my family was in the car and I had those five wheels/tires in the trunk. But yeah, it is a lot better than my GL, especially as the GL had an exhaust leak, missing vacuum lines, severe hesitation when accelerating, grinding gears, etc.

 

The fuel injection is great! I went offroading in my GL once in the snow and got stuck on this hill. Stalled it a few times and almost flooded the carburetor. And yes, I hate pumping, haha.

 

Hopefully I won't get pulled over... I doubt I will, haha. And yes, I'm surprised at how clean it is. Get a new headlight and windshield, and a paint job, and it'll look great! Oh, and change those pedals. Saw some pedals at Fred Meyer for ~$10 I think. Might buy those if they work.

[AKghandi]

Yeah i need to get a set of pedals too,after 246k the pads in my 87gl10 are gone. Lol

 

Took that long to get to 60? sounds a bit lax ..I had an 87 gl wag with the spfi like yours and fully loaded it would still crawl up on people on the onramp. That thing was amazing i would still have it but i let my bro drive it and he wrecked it..into an 87rx that i also used to own. (small world huh?) 2 good subarus died that day. Very very sad..

Idk why but i have a thing for the 87s

 

 

I hope your wagon provides you with as much fun as mine have

 

Any mods in mind? In the vendor fourm you can get a boss 2" liftkit for 100 plus shipping..

Edited April 17, 2012 by AKghandi

[MilesFox]

ea82 fo sho. you will see the engine stamping near the alternotor on the fornt of the block.

 

rest assured at 94 hp, the torque value is more!

 

dont be afraid to wind this engine up. It performs best at rpms 2500-5500 roms. 3000-3500 is a good cruise rpm on the highway. 2000-2500 rpm is good cruse rpm in-town 30 mph surface streets.

 

1500 or lower rpms is dogging the engine and wasting efficiency and performance, and beating on the lower end.

 

If you can find the owners book, it will state that it does not recommend driving at rpms lower than 1500

 

spfi engine is pretty trouble free. If you have perfromance issues or doggey performance, chances are it will the the engine temp sensor, just so you know for future reference.

[l75eya]

Yeah, they are surprisingly peppy once they get going. You're not going to win any drag races, but they'll take abuse and just keep purring along.

 

I'd say drive it like an old person 85 percent of the time, and beat the hell out of it, winding up to redline through the gears once in awhile

Just to clear cobwebs

[AKghandi]

Ive won a few dragraces.. But i got ea82t, the hated turbo version...producing a MASSIVE 115hp.. Lol that with the dualrange with 3.90ratio i got some neck breaking acceleration.

[jj421]

Yeah, it took me that long to get to 60 since I had my family in the car, 5 wheels in the trunk, and I was taking it easy. I really have a bad (or good) habit of preferring fuel economy over performance. I usually shift at about 2300-2500 RPM, which in the next gear drops to 1500-1800. So far I have tons of fun with it, taking it easy.

 

I don't really want to push it too hard, especially until I get a new right front halfshaft. The inner and outer CV boots are torn, and the previous owner's mechanic said the actual axle is bad. So I gotta sell some stuff and buy the axle, then make the money for the mechanic's costs. I'd replace it myself, but I don't have the tools and don't wanna mess anything up.

 

Sucks about your GL wagon 86gl-10trbosdn. I don't want anyone to drive this. My sister wants to drive it to practice driving a stick, but I don't want her to mess up my transmission or burn my clutch. She drove my GL and was grinding gears and whatnot. This is too nice to let her beat up....

 

In terms of mods, I probably won't do much. Like I said, I want to replace the axle before I even go offroad. I still took my GL offroading with a torn boot, but this axle is so much worse. I gotta get it fixed. Then after I do, I only will take it on some easy trails. Not major offroading. So no mods really needed. I do like seeing these wagons all souped up with offroading stuff though. But again, I have to drive 60 miles a day just for school, so fuel economy is quite important to me. A lift kit, bigger tires, roof basket, etc. won't help that much, haha.

 

And like I said before, I keep my RPMs between 1500 and 2500. On the freeway at 60 MPH, they're at 2750 in fifth gear, which is good for me. I think between 1500 and 2500 is best power and efficiency, at least for my uses. Once I get that axle, I might open her up more.

 

So I just crunched the numbers so far. Turns out that in ~263 miles, I've consumed ~10 gallons of fuel, which relates to ~26.3 MPG. Not bad, especially considering at least half of those miles were driving with my family in the car and/or with 5 wheels/tires in the trunk. That's 1 more MPG than I was getting with my GL on average with only myself in the car.

[AKghandi]

Ive gOt a video o youtube shOwing how to replace a cv axle on oneof these.

Search for lockpickman under 87subaru cv axle.

 

You only need a 14 mm and 36mm socket a pry bar and a basic philips screwdriver. A breaker bar might be helpful..

 

Too bad yOur so far away i have a brandnew cv axle in my cubbyhole id put it in for 100.would only take me about 20mins

[jj421]

Sucks you are far away.... I mean, it looks simple, but at the same time, difficult. Not too worried about the CV joint near the wheel, but the inner connection to the transmission. Especially putting the new axle in. Looks like it be a pain to get to.

[AKghandi]

Its not that bad the hardest part is getting the roll pin back in place.

[jj421]

Looked at it, and I really don't know if I wanna do it. I'll probably go to the Pick-N-Pull since there are two '90 Loyales there and if I can get the axle out of one of 'em, then I can probably put it in my car.

[heartless]

And like I said before, I keep my RPMs between 1500 and 2500. On the freeway at 60 MPH, they're at 2750 in fifth gear, which is good for me. I think between 1500 and 2500 is best power and efficiency, at least for my uses. Once I get that axle, I might open her up more.

 

bolded portion is absolutely wrong.

 

Peak torque on the EA82 is between 3000 and 3500 rpm as stated earlier by MilesFox. Peak torque is where the engine is the most efficient at producing power.

 

1500 to 2500 is dogging the engine - not a very good thing to be doing - the engine has to work harder at those rpms to build speed - that is why it took you so long to get to 60 mph - sheesh...poor motor.

 

For best "efficiency and power" get those RPMS UP! You wont hurt it. In fact, you will help it by not dogging and making it work harder.

 

1st to 2nd is a fairly quick shift, but from second on up, bring those rpms up over 3500 - more like 4000 - then shift to the next gear. You will be amazed at the difference.

 

cruising rpms are just that - cruising at a steady pace - maintaining a speed. when you are trying to build speed, you want to be in the engine's most effective torque range, which on these cars = 3000 - 3500 rpms.

[AKghandi]

yep! a redline a day keeps the mechanic away! check your oil and coolant then take it up to about 6k, you will notice alot of power you didnt have before..

 

btw valve float starts at about 8k. on my ea82t anyways.

[jj421]

I understand what you're saying about dogging the engine and whatnot. On my mom's '99 Ford Explorer, the automatic transmissions shifts up WAY too early. You can just feel the engine dying as you push the gas harder to get it to shift down.

 

You also have to keep in mind, I'm not driving fast. I'm driving like an old man. If I put my foot farther down, I'll definitely kick the RPM's up. But I'm only putting my foot down the first 25% or so of the pedal movement. At a point, the RPMs stop increasing and just stay where they are, until you give it more gas. These aren't correct numbers, but park, put it in neutral, and give it say 25% gas and hold it. The RPMs will climb to 3500 (again, might not be right, as I've never tried), and it'll stay there. You have to push the gas more to rev it more. So, basically, that's what I'm doing on the road. Not giving it enough gas to get up to those engine speeds.

 

I know what dogging the engine feels like, because, like I said, the Explorer does it all the time. You give it more gas, can hear the engine work harder, but you don't go any faster. Just like being in a higher-than-necessary gear when riding your bike. But at these lower engine speeds, it feels and sounds just fine. If I put it in fifth gear at 30 MPH and give it gas, then yes, it definitely feels like I'm dogging it.

 

Again, if I put my foot down more, I'll definitely shift later. But again, my focus is on fuel economy. I had actually miscalculated my MPGs. I actually am getting ~33 MPG, which is higher than what multiple websites say this car gets. And still keep in mind half those miles were done with an extra ~500 lbs in the car.

[heartless]

Yes, these cars get much better fuel economy than is stated on most websites.

 

MY old 89 GL wagon, FWD, 5 speed (same basic car) got 32/33mpg all the time - even getting into it on a regular basis (no, I did NOT drive it like an old lady! more like it was a "hot rod", truth be told, I beat on that poor little car for 8 years!) the other half had one with the dual range 4 whl drive 5 speed, and he got 32 mpg all the time as well.

 

doesnt really matter if you are driving fast or slow, keeping the engine in the peak torque range does make a difference. Comparing the Subaru engine to the Explorer engine is like comparing apples to bananas..Very different beasts.

 

These are high rev motors, and are MUCH happier at those higher ranges than they are at lower rpms. You are not doing that motor any favors by running it that low in the rpm range.

 

That said - it is your car, so drive it as you see fit - but - I get to say "I told you so" when you get it all carbon fouled and it doesnt run worth a darn anymore - OK? (< me teasing) LOL

[jj421]

Again, totally understand that these engines like the higher revs and I'm not "pleasing" it. Again, if I hurt the engine, it's my fault and you can say you told me so, haha.

 

But I mean, like people say, these are durable engines, and when they designed it, they should take into account that there will be people that drive it at lower RPMs. Like an old lady looking for a grocery getter or someone who doesn't know jack squat about cars and could care less about operating it in it's normal range. So I can't be killing the engine too quickly.

 

Then again, it's got a quarter of a million miles, so it's seen its day. And I don't think many people that fall into the two groups I just mentioned would buy a 5-speed.

 

It's just I don't feel like I'm pushing the engine, which I think should be made more apparent. I do notice myself, thanks to you and others commenting, shifting a bit higher at ~2750 RPM, but still not really high enough. :-p

[wentz912]

Again, totally understand that these engines like the higher revs and I'm not "pleasing" it. Again, if I hurt the engine, it's my fault and you can say you told me so, haha.

 

But I mean, like people say, these are durable engines, and when they designed it, they should take into account that there will be people that drive it at lower RPMs. Like an old lady looking for a grocery getter or someone who doesn't know jack squat about cars and could care less about operating it in it's normal range. So I can't be killing the engine too quickly.

 

Then again, it's got a quarter of a million miles, so it's seen its day. And I don't think many people that fall into the two groups I just mentioned would buy a 5-speed.

 

It's just I don't feel like I'm pushing the engine, which I think should be made more apparent. I do notice myself, thanks to you and others commenting, shifting a bit higher at ~2750 RPM, but still not really high enough. :-p

 

 

I'll go ahead and let it be known that I USED to drive my Sube like you do, shifted at just over 3k religiously. Got told by a board member that they prefer 4-4.5k shifts, and my fuel mileage actually INCREASED from about 22mpg to just under 28mpg.

 

Just food for thought.

[jj421]

I'll go ahead and let it be known that I USED to drive my Sube like you do, shifted at just over 3k religiously. Got told by a board member that they prefer 4-4.5k shifts, and my fuel mileage actually INCREASED from about 22mpg to just under 28mpg.

 

Just food for thought.

 

Hmmm, interesting, but in a way, makes sense. And you got an EA82? I'll be getting a new axle this weekend hopefully, and if I do, I'll try later shifts. Seems like since I've been uping my RPMs a bit, I've gotten worse mileage. But once the engine gets in its "comfortable region," maybe it is most efficient? I'll try once I get the axle.