subaru GL ea82 in high altitude

[r81gsr95]

Hey guys i was wondering if anyone here lives in colorado or wyoming? I'm from Washington but am moving to wyoming for school and am wondering how my subaru GL will do in the high altitude? Right now i would say the car barely has enough power, she is at 250k miles but is running really strong. It has enough power to run me around , with 2 people in the car it can get a little big sluggish. I plan to put a remanufactured ea82 in it so i'm thinking a brand new engine should have a few more horses than what i have now. I'm wondering though, if i move to wyoming, and the car barely has enough power as is sits now, will it be completely gutless 7,000 feet up in the air? If anyone lives in colorado or wyoming and they have an ea82 or ea81, if they could tell me how the car is that would great!

 

i'm either going to sell it and buy a newer subaru. Or i'm going to put a new ea82 in my GL and enjoy the newness of a new engine, and drive her for another 250k. Do you guys think this car would have plenty of power with a new engine, even in the high altitude? I guess that's my major question. Thanks again

[ivantruckman]

is your engine bad ??  if its just leaking oil thats an easy ..well an easyer fix , ???

[l75eya]

There are a bunch of people from Colorado on here who will be more than happy to chime in when they see your post, but in my experience

I drove across the country from new jersey with my GL *loaded* with people and stuff*
It had trouble going over the mountains in Colorado, but it was able to do it. 3rd gear barely holding 45mph at some points with my foot firmly planted on the throttle.
But. This was with my car absolutely loaded with weight. If you're driving with just yourself and some stuff, it should be okay.
What I will suggest, however, is that you look into a common carburetor swap for your car. These aftermarket carburetors are Weber carbs and they can be set up for higher altitudes. Your car will probably be fine at those high altitudes, albeit a little more sluggish that it already is, but if you were to do the Weber swap that would more than likely take care of any issues, and actually give you a little more power actually.

Use the search tool and you'll find a ton of information about Weber carburetors. And just hang out a bit and I'm sure a bunch more people will chime in here in this thread.

Regards.

[88wacaroo]

Hey R81,I"m Live in COLO..Just get used to the gutless part...my 90 Loyale 4X wgn.FI. w/2"lift kit w/14"pugs w/weight up the passes-45-5000rpm 3rd gear 45-55MPH, My 83 4X wgn.w/WEBER No emiss.,2"lft.14"pugs w/trailer w/2 dirtbikes 45-5000rpm 3rd gear 45-55MPH up the passes  I"m used to it so it doesn't bother me + I"m in no hurry anyway  Whats the saying-Stop and smell the Roses!! My Case is Go Slow and Look At the Scenery!!! 

[r81gsr95]

The engine is running great. It has good compression, clutch is still strong. The body is beautiful and it's really a great car. I have replaced the axles and wheel bearings. I will have some money to spend on it and feel like a new engine would push this car for another 300k. I want the assurance a new engine would give, especially in some Wyoming winters. The extra power would be nice. A new engine with a new exhaust, it would be like a new car again!

 

So if I swapped out my fuel injection for a Webber carb I could actually see some power gains? Any extra power wound be great! Maybe that is just If my engine has a carburetor already?

 

I wish I could put an engine that had a little bit more power, especially since ill lose power due to the altitude.. I don't want the wiring hassle though and the shop I will go to charges a lot lot more to swap an EJ than an ea82. I wish I could find someone to do the full swap for 2grand but it seems a remanufactured ea82 swap is cheaper. Brand new engine, new exhaust, new clutch, gotta have a bit more power than my old 250k ea82 I have now. Can't go wrong right guys?

 

I plan to have some friends that will be studying at my school. It will be their first time in the country and wanted to be able to drive them to Denver and other surrounding areas. I need reliability first, but power there too. Enough to go camping, road tripping, and snowboarding. My ea82 is enough right now, but I'm at sea level.. thanks everyone

[r81gsr95]

I see that some exhaust options and a delta low torque cam could give me some more power? would i want a low end cam or a top end one? 

Edited March 1, 2013 by r81gsr95

[l75eya]

I was assuming that your car was carbureted to begin with,
Fuel injection is a different story. if you have fuel injection, you're pretty much as good as it can get to begin with. (This has been a debate in the past though)

The altitude won't affect a fuel injected car.

 

[Subarugged]

I grew up and am back in WY and I've driven Subaru wagons, hatchbacks, and now a coupe, for years in Wyoming and and Colorado. I've gone camping at elevation, as well as driven pilot car, and, when I was younger, used them to deliver pizzas in numerous front range cities including Silverthorne, CO, with neighborhoods over 10,000 ft. They are not the quickest thing on the highway but they handle the altitude just fine. Just remember to wind them up for the hills.