Subaru must have been nuts!!!

[DaveT]

I have / had 4 various GL / loyale EA82 SPFI 3 speed AT 4x4 wagons.

 

All got:

Amsoil 100% synthetic engine oil and bypass filter, spin on oil filter, air cleaner.

Amsoil synthetic ATF.

Amsoil synthetic gear lube.

 

No oil changes. ATF every 100K.

 

All are over 180K miles. All got the synthetic switchover when originally acquired by me.

 

I usually use the selector as a shifter, *letting* it shift around 4000. Getting on the highway, the gas is floored, the shifts are around 5500. Often, (dirt or wet or hill) from a stop I pop the 4WD switch in until in second gear. When I get in a different car - my wife's Forester, dad's minivan, I get in trouble (wheel spin) because I am used to putting the pedal to the floor until up to speed.

 

Occasionally I tow 1000LBs trailer. Occasionally put 300Lbs on my full length roof rack. Occasionally haul around 500Lbs of audio equipment in the wagon - rubber bumpers touching the stops. Sometimes this with the trailer. I tends to drive calmer with the big loads, but still keep the shift points up to not lug.

 

I have had *no* engine trouble traceable to this use. *no* transmission trouble except the vacuum modulator, normal part to die every so often.

 

The '90 Loyale we have had since it had 15K on it. Somewhere around 160K, I pulled it to fix the leaky oil seals, head gaskets. The engine looks new, in spec crank journals, wrist pins. Hone marks still on cylinder walls.

 

The cars that have gone out of service have gone due to body rot and we lost one to an accident. The engine from that one (86) is now in my 92.

 

Dave

[subie94]

ever since i had my aftermarket muffler put on,i can't count how many times i've done 4-5 grand rpm shifts.(specially when the silencer's off the muffler)

 

only prob with doing high rev shifts while in the city is that by the time i've gotten to third gear i'm doing around 70-80 mph (only do that when there's noone else around)

[Brumby Boy]

Ever heard an ea81 at 7500? its interesting:eek:

 

My power curve seems to be 3000 to 4500rpm

[oskar_subaru]

we only have 95, 98 and 100 octane fuel here in iceland...... it´s expensive though.

 

i start smelling heat from my 93 legacy 2,2 4EAT at around 7000Rpm

[Anthenium]

I just picked up my 1st Subaru this weekend, and treated myself to a 300+ mile drive home in it. It's a '91 Loyale wagon, 4WD, 5 Spd. I got it from the original owner, who bought a '96 Legacy, and didn't want to Junk his baby. It's REALLY nice, especially inside, and under the hood. Anyways, I seemed aprehensive to Rev it at first, as it sounded so much like an old VW Beetle, which is not known for Hi Revving. But it did seem natural to shift between 4000 and 5000 RPM. Once on the freway, we traveled at a steady 80 MPH, which was around 3500 RPM. I got a surprising 32.8 MPG on the trip, and am in love with this car already! I am a former Honda Hatchback tuner, and LOVE taking cars to the 8K - 9K range when shifting. (There's nothing like being strapped into a 300HP Angry BumbleBee, pulling away from Mustangs, and still getting almost 30MPG.) But I think once I replace the stock muffler with a Turbo muffler, it will sound less like a VeeDub, and I won't mind visiting 6000 RPM once in a while. Anyone ever NOS one of these EA82's?

 

Du You Subaru?

Fat Tony - http://www.smashbandits.com

[iluvdrt]

While the best milage I have ever got from my EA82T gl10 has been only 21 mpg. I drive it like I stole it. Normal acceleration shifting is around 4k, when I am racing I shift at 7-8k. I have a new JDM engine and she seems to love the higher rpms.

The only problems I have ever had that are consistant is blowing the coolant hose from the turbo, and I had a bad spark problem for a while. They are all fixed now, and running sweet.

[bushbasher]

I've redlined an ea82 and an ea82t, both seem to float in the 7-7.5k range

 

I don't think I've found the point where the valves float in my justy and I've gone beyond 8k. There isnt really any power at that speed, though that will probably change with the weber I just put on The secondary venturi is quite a bit bigger than the justy carb. Just need to tune it and finish hooking up or throwing away vacuum lines. The justy seems to make most of its power at 4-6.5k

[pheonix165]

wow guys, thanks for revisiting my thread. since i started this thread i've also taken my car autoxing. because i expect a loss of traction i use 4low and frequent short bursts just shy of 8000rpm...i'm not even burning extra oil.

 

glad to see a new member enjoying these old boxers, it takes a little getting used to the lower center of gravity and the overall dynamics but my car will likely continue to race the car for the rest of the year

[cd45]

I started running my Sub up to 5K and the seal on the driver's side cam walked out of its groove. It had completely hardened and was going to come out anyway. I keep it at 4K now, I hope that it lasts at least another 30K.

[WagonsOnly]

subie94: I usually leave 1st around 4K RPM, 2nd I wind it out if I'm trying to accellerate (to 6,000-6,200) and then shift around 4K thereafter. Remember it cruises at 4K going 70MPH...only reason I don't let it out of first later is the synchro on second gear.

[keltik]

Well i just spent the day with John wringing out his soobys. The vortex seems to like 4-5k shifts and doesnt mind 6.5k, but the EA81 Brat sounds painfull after 5.5k :-\ but it keeps pulling.

 

As an experiment my bro had the rev-limiter removed from his 8v SOHC Vauxhall Cavalier, gave it 8500rpm shifts for a month, then stripped the engine. No mechanical failures and everything was shiny clean.

 

I used to be afraid of high rpm, then i bought a Honda

 

KELTIK

[7point62fmj]

I am bringing this back from the dead because it is just a awsome thread and now that I have had 3 old school subarus I forgot about trying higher shifting points.

[vagen]

my kid brother used to rallycross his hatch in the ORG rallycross series I don't think he ever looked at the tach when I did it usually was 6500+ and climbing. this was in a 1986 hatch ea81. about a year ago he had a rad bolt fail and the engine ate it's self at 2500rpm. he now has an EA82 in there but never winds it up :-\ he's actually faster now go figure.

[The Dude Abides]

Wow im just seeing this thread. Maybe thats why i try to hard to get this pig out of its way. Though i dont have a tach to read my revs buy i will kick it up a notch and see how it drives then.

[Breeke]

I don't think i have ever shifted much above 4K.....I have learned somthing today.....

 

..SWWEEEEEEETTTTT

 

EA82

[zukiru]

I do

 

 

only on 1 and 2nd... then straight to fifth.

[zukiru]

Well i just spent the day with John wringing out his soobys. The vortex seems to like 4-5k shifts and doesnt mind 6.5k, but the EA81 Brat sounds painfull after 5.5k :-\ but it keeps pulling.

 

As an experiment my bro had the rev-limiter removed from his 8v SOHC Vauxhall Cavalier, gave it 8500rpm shifts for a month, then stripped the engine. No mechanical failures and everything was shiny clean.

 

I used to be afraid of high rpm, then i bought a Honda

 

KELTIK

 

yeah 6k plus shifts all day long here.

[TheLoyale]

Yea if I had a M/T I would shift it about 4000-5500rpm. Now heres the question, how do you drive in the city? 25mph speed limit (Just leave her in 2nd Lol?)

 

Its kinda hard to shift high in an auto, unless you want to punch it all the time. But even with the 3AT and driving in the city, mine shifts from 1st to 2nd about 3000rpm and then I mellow down cause I'm already doing close to 30mph. Now on the highway or interstate is diffrent, I need to get up to speed, 1st to 2nd is about 4000rpm, from 2nd to 3rd is about 3500rpm by then I should be doing 55mph then I just stay on the throttle till I hit 60mph, so we're cruisin' at 3400rpm (More or less)

 

But no, you won't break it with hitting high rpms. I've put mine up to 5500rpm when I was passing someone doing 40ish.

 

I need a 5spd!

Edited September 27, 2009 by TheLoyale

[Gloyale]

Now heres the question, how do you drive in the city? 25mph speed limit (Just leave her in 2nd Lol?)

 

 

Uh......yeah.......that's excactly how I drive in the city. Hell I often don't shift out of 1st on short blocks from stop sign to stop sign.

 

It helps to have an exhaust with a nice note.

[TheLoyale]

Uh......yeah.......that's excactly how I drive in the city. Hell I often don't shift out of 1st on short blocks from stop sign to stop sign.

 

It helps to have an exhaust with a nice note.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it somewhat bad for the tranny to only drive it with 1st and 2nd thru the city?

 

I think any Subaru has a nice note

 

-Tom

[Scooby17]

Hmmh. I'm still tachless in my dl but i agree that if you want to get anywhere you need to rev.

 

I usually shift to 3rd by 40 or 45 and to 4th by 55-65. I really hate driving uphill though... 4th bearly makes it. 3rd revs so high @ 60+:-\[for like 15 minutes]. idk. aftermarket tach soon. any advice?? Thanks

 

-5sp 87 dl

[TomRhere]

Read thru the entire thread, good stories in here. Here's mine.

 

Few years back, I used to give another co-worker rides to work/home. Bob gave me all kinds of grief about reving the engine so high while running up thru the gears. '86 BRAT GL, Webered Solid lifter EA-81, D/R4Spd.

 

After hearing him constantly bemoan my driving it "normally". I asked him how he thought I should do the shift-points. "Keep it under 3 grand"... So I did, just to show him how doggy it was doing that. He never said anything about it again....

 

Can't say right now what the 1-2, 2-3 shift-points are. But I do the 3-4 one at 50 or 55 MPH, depending on what road I'm on. I have hit 70+ in 3rd a few times getting on the highway, or passing a line of slow cars on one of the backroads I normally drive on.

 

Drive the "bone-stock" '85 BRAT the same way. I've been thinking of swapping the Weber over to this one, but the Hitachi is still doing it's job fairly well. Maybe, next Spring,, I'll swap the carb out.

[murph]

YES , SUBARU IS NUTS ! WHO ELSE PUTS THE STARTER RIGHT ON TOP WHERE YOU CAN GET TO IT EASILY ? EVERYBODY ELSE BURIES THEM UNDERNEATH , WITH CRAP IN THE WAY !

I DRIVE MY SUBARU'S LIKE AN OLD MAN - AND I'M GETTING CLOSER ALL THE TIME - 2300 / 2500 RPM IS MY TYPICAL SHIFT POINT , GUESS I NEED TO MASH THAT PEDAL ON THE RIGHT A LITTLE MORE .

[Gloyale]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it somewhat bad for the tranny to only drive it with 1st and 2nd thru the city?

 

I think any Subaru has a nice note

 

-Tom

 

Why would it be?

 

I think it is actually more wear on it to constantly shift to 3 and 4 just to shift back again in a few hundred feet.

 

fewer shifts= less wear on clutch cable, shift forks, syncros, throwout bearing

 

The ONLY possible thing I could see as affected by high RPM driving in town is the seal on the input shaft of trans. Keeping that shaft speed up can affect the seal.......but not really.

[DanMac]

I had a 1970 ff1 with the first ea motor (1100 cc) when I was 18 and ALWAYS drove it like I stole it and was making my get away. It had over 250,000 miles on it and aside from a little smoke, ran very well when I dumped it. I say run quality oil, change it often and drive it like you're mad at it! It'll take it and you're combustion chambers will be much cleaner for it.