Common Mid-'80s Subaru Bolt Head Sizes - Buying Tools

[BirdMobile]

Greets!

 

Filling out my specialty sockets (impact, universal, ratcheting wrenches, etc.) and I need to know if I'm missing any commonly used sizes for mid-1980's Subaru station wagons.

 

I've found, from my recent rebuilds, that most bolt heads on the cars are:

 

8mm, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm

 

Along with a few 13mm in places like the battery terminals.

 

Am I missing any? I don't want to buy a bunch of expensive specialty sockets I'll never use, but I want to cover all the bases for these cars and get a few nice tools that I'll use for future work on them.

 

Oh... info on hex key sizes and any specialty fasteners would be helpful too.

 

Thanks!

[bratman18]

Pretty much goes for any ssubaru, regardless of the year. 19mm is a good one too. But those others are definitely the most common. The battery terminals may very well have been changed.

[Dania02525]

22mm for crank pulley bolt, 19mm for ball joint bolt (I think) as well as wheel nuts , and a quite large one- I think its 32mm for the axle nuts.  You'll need a small like 1/8" punch to knock the roll pin from the axle also.  I've found an 8mm hex key needed for some things here and there as well.  The 13mm will also go for the main skid plate under the engine, while the side skit plates are 10mm.  Ratcheting wrenches are a lifesaver for this car, I have found.  You do not need wrenches for the 19mm and 22mm, 32mm sizes, since you won't be able to get them in there anyway.  Also, and this is a little odd, but I use a 5.5mm socket with tiny 1/4 bar (not ratchet) to hold the valve adjusters with a 12mm on the locking nut to adjust my valves.  I've heard subaru makes a magic tool for this though lol.  You would of course need a shim guage set too

 

Thats for an ea81- if you have an ea82, it will probably be different.  If you have a hydro lifter ea81, you won't need the valve adjustment things

 

edit: it isn't a 5.5mm for the valve adjuster, its actually some odd SAE size- like 7/32 or something

Edited October 8, 2014 by Dania02525

[bratman18]

36mm for the axle nut. 32mm is for the EJ style cars.

Edited October 8, 2014 by bratman18

[BirdMobile]

I've always used an SAE 7/8" socket for the crank pulley... I'll pick up a 22mm to do it right from here on out.

 

Already have a 36mm impact socket for the wheel hub nuts... forgot about that one. One of the first tools I bought for working on these cars.

 

8mm Hex Key socket added to my list.

 

What size Hex Key do I need for the engine short block plugs?

 

Also... no Torx on these cars, correct?

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Edited October 8, 2014 by BirdMobile

[stratman977]

I use the 22mm wrench to hold the fan clutch while backing off the 10mm nuts holding it on. So thats one reason to grab the wrench instead of just the socket.

 

The plugs are 14mm I think. Some of the guys here were just making one out of a spare pulley tensioner nut. It's long and you can just basically glue it into a 14mm socket. Much cheaper than the 14mm I spent $15 on at napa for a carlyle.

 

There are no torx that I have found.

 

I just put ball joints in and the kit came with new bolts and the heads were 15mm. The old ball joint castle nuts on mine were 17mm on one side and 19mm on the other. You might find some other sizes depending on if bolts were replaced along the way.

Edited October 8, 2014 by stratman977

[BirdMobile]

22mm Wrench added to list.

14mm Hex Key added to list.

[Dania02525]

I use the 22mm wrench to hold the fan clutch while backing off the 10mm nuts holding it on. So thats one reason to grab the wrench instead of just the socket.

 

^^The EA82 has a fan clutch, and my ea81 has an electric fan^^

 

One trick you can do with the 14mm hex is to take a spare 14mm bolt- put two nuts on it super tight together, and put the head into the plug you need to take out.  you can then use a regular socket going over both nuts on the bolt.  Probably would be better to have the right tool though ;-)

[rdweninger]

I really like my 1/2" drive metric sockets for breaking loose ball joint, calipers, shocks etc ...

I used 3/8" for 30 years.... but pretty much broke all them.   1/2" drive with a breaker bar is much easier on the knuckles.

[Tommy1b]

Dado de impacto numero 26 y 28 para sacar las las bocamasas y rodajes de la tracción delantera y trasera , encaste de 1/2 articulado , palanca corrediza , extensión corta larga , dado 19 para bujía , alicate expansor para sacar los seguros de ruedas frenos etc . Y básico una aceitera .

[BirdMobile]

Dado de impacto numero 26 y 28 para sacar las las bocamasas y rodajes de la tracción delantera y trasera , encaste de 1/2 articulado , palanca corrediza , extensión corta larga , dado 19 para bujía , alicate expansor para sacar los seguros de ruedas frenos etc . Y básico una aceitera .

Google translator;

 

Impact socket number 26 and 28 to remove the the bocamasas and shootings of front and rear traction, insert 1/2 jointed, slide lever, long short extension, given 19 spark plug, needlenose Expander to remove wheel locks brakes etc. And basic oil.