summitbro Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 Hello, I am brand new here and I just recently purchased a 1985 subaru GL wagon, automatic with push button 4wd and 105,000 miles. The problem with the car is that it is extremely slow, like it takes a long time to even get to 40 mph. The motor seems to run smooth, but I was just wondering if this was normal behavior for this car or if it might have a carburetor problem. I know the car has only like 82 horsepower, but its almost funny how slow it is. Also, what is the normal cruising rpm supposed to be at 55 mph? Mine seems to stay around 3500 rpm at that speed. Are these cars three speed automatics? Thanks for any help that you can give. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 Hello from Butler, IN. Nice to see someone who is within a hop skip, and a jump! First of all, i would like to introduce myself, and our local Subaru Alliance! We started here in Butler(i'm sure you know where that is!) Anyway, we have a good collection of subarus, from 5speed wagons to the RX, a legacy, impreza, and an 03 legacy! We have lso lifted, swapped motors, and converted 2wd auto to 4wd automatics. You picked a good place to have a subaru. we have lots of parts, too! and on this board, Tomrhere, 86subaru, and 1ABAJA all are in the know of eachother personally, and we meet and swap parts often. now, to answer your question, the automatic in your 85 is a 3spd. what commonly happens with the 3 spd autos(2wd and 4wd) is the governor shaft goes out, by either getting clogged up, or the gear wearing sown. I'll bet your trans is starting off in 2nd gear. now the 3500 rpm at crues is normal, in fact, 3500 rpm is about the most efficient rpm for the subaru motor. to access the governor shaft, take a peek under the hood. on the passenger side of the transmission, just above the axle, there is a dome shaped cap on the side, held on by 3 10mm bolts. you can remove that, and there is the governor shaft. the shaft pulls out somewhat like a distributor does, you can pull it and clean it up with carb cleaner and such, and check the gear. if the gear is bad, it will have an "apple core" appearence to it. if the gear does prove to be bad, dont worry. dont worry because we can get you one from our parts we have already! good luck trying to find one at the junk yard, because soobs are VERY RARE around these parts (but if you do know of any, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!) if the gear checks out to be good, it just goes back in till the gear meshes, it doesnt have to line up or be in time with anything suppose if you can find a 4wd manual transmission, it wouldnt be very difficult to swap one in. it would install in a day's time with no modifications! send me an email, milesfox@yahoo.com and i will get with you about parts that you may need! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summitbro Posted November 17, 2003 Author Share Posted November 17, 2003 Cool, Butler, yep my fiance's mom lives there. I believe it does start off in first, because i can feel the shifts into second and third, but I will have to check that out. I was just wondering if it was normal for these cars to be this slow? I also have a 2002 WRX so maybe I am just used to that but it honestly probably takes about 10-12 seconds to get to 30 or 35mph and it just seems like the throttle is not opening all of the way, thats why I thought it might be a carburetor problem. I just purchased the car for $375, is that a decent price? Thanks for the email address, I will definitely contact you about parts if it turns out I need some. Thanks for all of your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 Originally posted by summitbro Also, what is the normal cruising rpm supposed to be at 55 mph? Mine seems to stay around 3500 rpm at that speed. Are these cars three speed automatics? Thanks for any help that you can give. 35oo at 55 sounds like you may have a 3.9 final gear. most automatics have a 3.7, which will give you about 3500 at 60-65mph. but the auto wagon we have is a 3.9, which will ultimately be better in snow and off road. to find out what gear you have, take a pek under the rear of the car and find the rear differential. there should be a shiny sticker that has the part number, and it will say the gear ratio plain as day. report back with your findings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1ABAJA Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 Whoa...if you own a WRX, you are already a honorary Subaru Alliance member! Ya dude, I have lived here my whole existence, more than likely, I know your family members. If your car is road worthy, maybe you could drive it up here, or we could drive down there and give you a hand! Let us know! Josh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summitbro Posted November 17, 2003 Author Share Posted November 17, 2003 1ABAJA, Sounds good. I am gonna try and diagnose any problems the car may have and then I may have to bring it up. Its road worthy right now, just real slow, but I wanna make sure that everything is sound before I drive it too far. I really would like to learn more about these older subaru's. By the way, I am selling the WRX if you know anybody up there that is interested. Thanks for all your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1ABAJA Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 I talked to Myoss and Miles...we all would be willing to drive down there to give you a hand with your ride...Myoss Feece and Miles are the resident Old School boys...myself, all I own are EJ's. I will PM you on our information! Josh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summitbro Posted November 17, 2003 Author Share Posted November 17, 2003 Right on, sounds great, you guys are a big help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 check your email Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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