Every one Read Ive got to get something off my chest.

[mikeshoup]

I've owned Plymouths, Dodges, Fords, etc., but Subaru is the only car that came with friends:clap:

That says it best right there.

 

My first car was a Ford Tempo that my parents bought for me. They way overpaid for it, and it was a POS. I actually tried to find some Ford forums to help me diagnose the problems, and everyone there were asshats.

 

Onto the second car, a Chevy Celebrity that my dad had owned. Way more reliable than the said Tempo. It actually got me from point A to point B. However, had no water temp gauge, the car overheated without my knowledge, and blew a head gasket. Another one bites the dust.

 

My second car, a Toyota Paseo. I enjoyed this car, but the community I found for them was full of ricers. I just could never get into the community, wasn't my type of people. This car met its demise with my rolling of it in the mountains... which pushed me to buy a Subaru.

 

First Subaru was a 1988 XT6. I found the community at xt6.net. Then I found the community here. And the rest is history. The XT6 was the first car that I actually met people in person that I got along with.

 

Its what makes a Subaru a Subaru.

[hush777]

I personally have owned lots of subarus.

Sometimes 15 at once.

Just recently I was fixing a 95 pontiac grand am for my brother, (new to him) and the cruise control didn't work.

Check the junk yard for a cable. Nah (only 1 grand am)

Check the dealer.... Nah discontinued none available.....

But I can call Jason at 1stsubarupart.com and get anything that I need for any of my vehicles all the way back to 80.

 

Hush

[idosubaru]

i don't mean to be captain obvious here, but let's talk about the elephant in the room that everyone else is avoiding. what do you expect to see in the hospital? broken people that need help. when people have problems with a subaru, where do they come, USMB. that you see many posts is a tribute to many things, not necessarily the deficiency of a subaru. i'd attribute it to good management, good people, and knowledgable folks willing to help. don't see that on many other boards.

 

dont' know about where you live but 4WD trucks are very expensive around my parts. and american cars suck monkey nuts for reliability. not too mention i hate trucks as daily drivers anyway. and i say that not out of jealousy or desire, because i own a full size ford and it sucks on gas, sucks in the rain, handles horrible, and i hate driving it in parking lots, cities, long distance, there's no trunk, someone can break into it....i love it for other reasons but i'd hate a truck for a daily driver. i use it as needed. japanese manufacturers tend to have excellent products capable of reliability for cheap. that's appealing to many people particularly when you can get very capable 4WD with it. welcome to older Subaru's.

[backwoodsboy]

I personally have owned lots of subarus.

Sometimes 15 at once.

 

 

Youre my hero!!

[Scott in Bellingham]

3 years ago I picked up my first Subaru free, no one else in the family had one, now I have 10 I think , my wife drives a legacy I drive a EA82 Wagon, got a few lifted offroad built ones, have made many good friends though this board, make lift parts for offroad, my mom now has a Subaru , so does my brother and my sister in law, my nephew had one but let it die , so if your going to get into it be ready for it to spread, almost like a disease , and make room for those spare cars that will show up, SJR

[Numbchux]

My buddy keeps telling me I'm brand loyal (btw, he's got 3 cars, a lifted jeep, a 'stang for the track, and an '86 GL wagon for DD.....), and I just tell him I'll buy anything with the low CG and perfect balance of a horizontally opposed motor, longitudinal engine/tranny, symmetrical AWD/4WD, amazing reliability, offroad capability, etc. etc. etc. etc.

 

huh....looks like I eliminated pretty much everything else on the planet.

 

 

I did own an '84 Audi 4000S Quattro for a month or so in high school. similar car to drive, and had a pretty impressive following, but man were parts hard to find. then I got into the subarus.

 

now I've made a switch to Toyota for my offroading. and I think GD hit the nail on the head as to why.....parts for older soobs are almost impossible to come by in this part of the world. they've all rusted out and been crushed by now (or they're owners love them too much to part with them). junkyards have a loyale, and 35 legacies. And most of the wheeling in this part of the world is rocks. solid axles and lockers are king. making jeeps the rig of choice.

[Dennis ex24]

did that guy just say celebrity?

[mikeshoup]

did that guy just say celebrity?

Don't diss 'em. I used to own one. It actually was very reliable, and made it to 160K with a lot of neglect. I drove 12K once on the same oil... I hated the car, but just couldn't kill it (until the head gasket blew).

[subaruguru]

man reading all this makes me feel proud to own a subaru (3) lol when u buy a subaru u dont just get a really dependable car you get friends and all wheel drive standard when i first got my DL no not DL car my drivers licence well befor that my dad got a subaru gl from some retarded dealer and all i could think about was what an ugly car it was and he kept saying one day u might be able to drive this car and i just said (and i feel stupid for saying it now) why would i want that peice well shure enough when he moved to AR. i had gotten my DL and the only car that was avalable to me was the GL wagon 5 speed dr i drove it then started to get into it a lil more day by day it was like a virus me and the old car started to bond and it was almost like an addiction all i wanted to do was drive my soob. and to this day its all i have owned exept for my classic olds but thats a different kind of love. but that all said this is one of the greatest cars to bond over and make friends with as said best by ninjaben43 "subaru is the amarican japanes car"

[86BRATMAN]

Hi, My name is Shannon.

 

And I will own a Subaru until the day I die.

 

My story starts back in the first memories of my childhood. There has always been a subaru in our driveway. Ok well at one point there were about 10, 4 Brats ranging from 79-86 an 84 GL Wagon, 86 4wd carb sedan, 88 4wd GL wagon, 89 DL 4wd wagon, 90 Legacy L, 85 2wd sedan, 82 2wd GL sedan, those were all here at the same time. Since then in mom and dad's possesion have been a 90 L wagon, 92 L wagon, 98 L sedan 180k no problems at all. I've owned since age 16 when I started driving 4 brats one 84 T-Brat, and 3 86's, an 86 GL hatch, 87 STD 4wd hatch, 90 LS wagon, an 86 std 2wd hatch, a 91 Turbo Legacy, 95 Brighton wagon, and an 06 2.5i Legacy sedan. Yeah, there have been other manufactures owned in that time. But I have always owned at least one subaru. When the others break or blow up I've started my subaru and drove to where I needed to be. I did my first major mechanical feat at age 13, putting an spfi converted ea81 into the afford mentioned 88 GL wagon. There is no other brand that I've been loyal to and I'm not afraid to say it.

[The Dude Abides]

BTW i wasnt calling any one here freaks or a cult. Folks here are passionate how about that. Thats a better word. I know im not going to win any rally races with this engine. I know im not gonna win any offroading championship with the hight it has. It can be something i know that. Just frustrated with something ive never seen before. I mean even a volvo didnt look this complicated. Also my muffler has gutted itself out and to me it sounds like a new wrx lol. IM not giving up. Maybe someone can give me a spare engine so i can try to figure out these things.

 

Ben and Guido

[daeron]

I love these threads

 

Frankly there's a variety of reasons I stay:

 

1: 4WD (dual range even) + Independant Suspention.

 

2: Econemy.

 

3: Parts.

 

4: Reliability.

 

5: Drivetrain layout. I don't like working on transverse engines.

 

Those are the big reasons for me personally.

GD

 

 

and Most of us!!!!

 

The one thing I forget to mention in my first post (this thread is already up to 38 posts since I made the third reply at 4 am!?! wow!)

 

These cars are like, made out of Legos.. but we wound up with all the COOL bits!! The crankshaft points the right way, the gearboxes and driveline are there for either economy or brute force.. the cars are similar enough to Nissans that many parts can be interchanged (I STILL want to look into starter swaps, if for no other reason than for ease of finding parts for older Datsuns, the alternators are virtually the same casing Hitachis, the rear diffs are interchangable, lots of switches.. I am even debating trying dual SPFI TBs on a Datsun Roadster with MS to fuel inject one for reliability) Just think back to playing with legos, and how awesome playing with Legos could be if you had the cool pieces to integrate into your creation, compared to just having the blocks and flats from a normal set... and that is where we are!! AWD for street, 4wd for offroad, front mounted, rear engine layout.. even tho "2wd" meand "front wheel drive", we have SPFI, MPFI, turbos, EVERYTHING you could want except factory diesel!

 

AND ALL FOR THE LOW, LOW, PRICE OF.... well, you get the point. dimes on the dollar compared to ANY other make or model with similar features.

 

HAIL FUJI!

[75subie]

use the KISS method on these cars, they really are not that complicated or difficult to work on. they are good reliable transportation.

 

if you want complicated, pop the hood on a audi tt or something.

[mikeshoup]

These cars may look complicated, but they certainly aren't. They are very simple cars. There isn't anything on these cars that make them more complicated than say a Volvo.

[The Dude Abides]

I had the coolest frankenstine lego creation. I have been inspired.

 

Ben

[daeron]

I somehow missed the "complicated" remark.

 

its not really that complex, once you get the FSM and learn what all the little bits are. do you have the .pdf files already?

 

Basically, just break the engine bay down into subsystems.. take out the alternator, and the power steering piump, and the AC compressor because you know what all those are. Next, you know what a distributor is, so take that and the coil out of the picture, too. You are left with the fuel injection manifold, fusible link block, timing belt, water and oil pumps on the front of the engine, and the radiator. All still very obvious and easy to figure out. The rest of the components on the edges are peripheral bits that function with what I have already taken off, OR with the Fuel Injection..

 

The Fuel Injection is basically, a throttle body with an injector in it, a fuel pressure regulator on the side of it, an idle air control valve on the front of it, and a throttle position sensor on one side of the throttle shaft. Beyond that there are two solenoid valves on it, the thermostat housing with the coolant temperature sensor for the ECU in it AND the temp sending unit for the gauge.. a MAF sensor, a filter box, an EGR valve and several vacuum lines. There is also the computer inside the cabin, a vehicle speed sensor and a couple of gear sensors that input into the ECU so it knows what the car is doing.

 

The transmissions and drivelines are pretty basic and elementary in their design and layout, as is the chassis electrical system. There is only so much you can simplify these aspects of a vehicle, and many manufacturers made cars just as "simple and easy" as subarus in this department.

 

 

Somewhere underneath all that is this:

That is the shortblock, minus EVERYTHING but the water pump, oil pump, and power steering pump. No cylinder heads, intake, nothin. The black thing underneath it is my oil sludge covered crossmember.. I figured why clean that, the oil is keeping it from and all the bolts from rusting.

 

This is the fuel intake, unplugged from everything and removed from the car. Everything I mentioned in my Fuel Injection paragraph above is pictured here other than the MAF, ECU and associated "interior" sensors, and filter box/plenum.

 

More images from my headgasket job can be found here: http://s130.photobucket.com/albums/p249/tardaeron/Head%20Gasket/ Unfortunately, I forgot my camera on Re-Assembly day, or else I would have done a full write up. You also get to see me with a beard.

 

 

How many cars can be more or less totally broken down analytically in three short paragraphs? If you want the same details and resources I used to teach myself all that.. the first was my subaru. the second was the USMB, and the third was found here, its the two partial 89 FSM files.

[Bucky92]

Just frustrated with something ive never seen before. I mean even a volvo didnt look this complicated. Also my muffler has gutted itself out and to me it sounds like a new wrx lol. IM not giving up. Maybe someone can give me a spare engine so i can try to figure out these things.

 

Ben and Guido

 

I am a girl and seriously..its super easy...apply all that you know about a straight 6 or V 8..just that its H style now...its all still the same concept. And if you want to PM me your addy I can get you a copy of How To Keep Your Subaru Alive on CD pdf format..or if you ask oober nice I have an FSM for the EA82 in pdf format on my puter;)

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

... ...Loyale 2.7 Turbo..he is my favorite body guy from Honduras..does amazing work with fiberglass and paint... ...

 

Oh!, Thank you Connie for your Kind & Nice Words! ... I Really Appreciate that!

...

 

5: Drivetrain layout. I don't like working on transverse engines.

 

...

 

I Agree! ... (I sometimes Help People who Own Subarus And other Brands too, Recently I repaired a friend´s "Samsung" SM3 Car from a clutch problem... Again! :-\ ... I Hate that system ) there´s a big Difference...

 

... ...I will own a Subaru until the day I die. ...

 

I Hope that too, I really want my Subies to Last "Forever" ... even if Forever means just my Life for me... Then... Well...

My Dad has like Brand New his 1969 Mercury Comet (Musclecar) Coupe, he Owns it since that year!

I think that Livin´ too many Years with a Car, makes it to Become a Part of the Family, Like Brothers or Somethin´ Alike, Specially if you Like that Car, and Subarus had proven that they can Gain our Hearts!

[Uberoo]

subarus = giant lego sets.my 1987 wagon has an EJ22 from a 1990 legacy.Just needed a simple adapter to mate engine with transmission.heck the holes in the crossmember lined up for the motor mounts on the new motor.My powersteering pump is the one that came off my original engine.Not to mention the throw out bearing is the same from like 1970 all the way to current cars.The rear diff I could change out for one off a nissan or one off an sti.Speaking of an sti I could put an sti motor in my wagon and more or less all I would need is a turbo crossmember.another thing about their lego-ness I have front coils from a honda accord that lifted my back end about 1.5-2" then I have springs from a ford tempo that lifted the front to match.I spent 40 bucks+ gas for my lift kit.Even lift kits that are made by a company cost like a 4" lift is like 300 bucks,a six inch lift is like 600 with all hardware...

 

lets say you buy a subaru for 300 bucks,then you put a $400 lift kit and 3-400 for tires.You have a pretty capible rig for 1000.You cant even get a wrecked stock toyota/chevy 4x4 for that.

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

subarus = giant lego sets. ...

 

Nice point of View!

[LeakingOil]

...Just frustrated with something ive never seen before. I mean even a volvo didnt look this complicated.

 

It's really not as complicated as it seems. First appearance is always deceptive (that goes for life in general too), just get your tools and start wrenching away. Don't be afraid to get in there and tinker, best way I've found is to just do it. Also, you always have this and other message boards to reference back to which is the next best thing to a mechanic (and sooo much cheaper!!!).

IM not giving up.

That's the spirit! My first Soob was an XT6, I didn't know anything about it and I didn't know these message boards existed...I was on my own, but in time and being sucked out of thousands of dollars by the local garage I dug for info., got my sh*t together and now I do my own stuff...if it's something I never tackled before then I have no fear on calling in my friends for help.

Oh and if you are getting frustrated with something just step back for a moment, take a breath and then when you are ready continue your task.

Smiles,

Melis

<Stepping off the soap box and heading to the ladies room>

[ivantruckman]

Support Group, hahahahahahahahhaha, no kidding, Ive owned subies since 1985, i cant explain the appeal, its a sickness, i currently own 4, all 4 on the road still, one summer car,( 92 loyal air cond.) one winter car,(86 sedan , no air), one nice for long trips, (96 legacy), and one for me ,(92 loyale 4x4, red, perfect) dont know why i bought it, and no one gets to drive her.

[nipper]

As I tell anyone i teach auto 101 to, nothing has really changed in 100 years. The last big change was the rotary engine. You still have air/fuel/spark (or a heat source), valves, camshaft, connecting rods, pistons and a crank shaft.

Everything else is just newer ways to manage the basics. If you understand how a carberator works, its not that hard to understand fuel injection.

Now once they get electromechanical valves perfected, that will be the first real change in 100 years to the internal combustion engine. Even the automatic transmission can be traced back to the model T,

 

 

nipper

[subaruguru]

yep pretty much fule injection is like having four (almost) perfectly tuned carbs one for each cylinder that manages how much fule gets in to the engine. well the cylinder that it is on anyways. as a carb dose this for the whole engine. Right Right.........i think lol yeah thats right:lol:

[mikeshoup]

yep pretty much fule injection is like having four (almost) perfectly tuned carbs one for each cylinder that manages how much fule gets in to the engine. well the cylinder that it is on anyways. as a carb dose this for the whole engine. Right Right.........i think lol yeah thats right:lol:

Except the SPFI is one injector...