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'90 Loyale AWD Turbo Wagon


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Ok. So the last Subaru I had was an '86 gl wagon with an EA82 wagon. I recently bought the said vehicle in the title and was stoked about the extra power with the Turbo (still an ea82) engine, but when I talked to my other soob nut friend he cautioned me against the turbo, cuz when it goes out it creates tons of issues.

 

So my question... what should I do to check up on and maintain this engine so I don't have to deal with it when it goes out? Also, I read some threads on replacing CV joints (they sound like they are starting to go out) but a couple said "if it's a turbo, disregard everything I said"... great! My Chilton's for some doesn't have the CV joint info (just the CV boot checkup and replacement). So any advice on where to get some info on the CV joint replacement of this car?

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Well I'm not sure what kind of info you are looking for but here's the quick way to do the axles and what axle you need. Replacing just the joint is a thing of the past just like replacing boots. Axles for these cars are about 70 dollars a piece now and a lot of them come with lifetime warranty

 

25 spline Front CV axles for Turbo only (N/A engines are 23 spline)

 

1, Remove Cotter pin from castle nut, break castle nut loose (36mm Socket)

2. Jack up car, put on jack stands, take off tires

3. Take off brake caliper, pad bracket and hub (some ppl dont do this but I find it makes it ALOT easier to install the outer stub side of the axle

4. Remove inner control arm bolt (holds to engine x-member)

5. Remove bottom sway bar link bolt to the control arm

6. Punch of pin on inner axle stub (3/16, 7/32 or 6mm roll pin punch)

7. Pop axle off inner stud

8. Hammer axle through wheel bearing with a deadblow hammer (so you dont fubar the threads is why you use a deadblow hammer. you can also use a brass drift)

 

Before you install new axle, slap some new grease in the bearings. and reverse the list above to reinstall. Make sure to torq the castle nut to 165 ft/lbs ( I put breaker bar on it and stand on bar, and bounce once thats about 170 pounds)

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Thanks for the tips guys... sounds like replacing the axle is the way to go.

 

Also have another question... this thing is idling super low (about as close to zero as you can get) and usually dies coming out of reverse because of it. On cold mornings it idles higher (about 2000-2500) and settles low so everything is working properly there, but what should I set it to idle to (I'm assuming my Chilton's will have the run down on adjusting it)?

 

Also, last time I worked on my 86 wagon (when I used these forums more) I saw a thread about people's preferred timings. Should I stick with what the book says for my timing or does anybody got some better ideas?

 

Sorry if these are stupid questions, but I've been out of the soob game for a while now =(

 

Also... what should I ask for when I go in for the CV front axle parts? CV front axle? Is that what it's called? =) Sorry guys, I'm no mechanic... just a DIY guy =)

Edited by thecryoflove
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Good to see another new '90 Loyale AWD Turbo wagon owner! I picked mine up about 2 weeks ago with under 200,000 miles on it. I love it so far. As for the more info, here's a link to the ae82 fsm, ae82 gregory's manual, and HTKYSA. Download the PDF's and print them if you can. Each of these manuals is about 300 pages though. I just happen to work some where I can print that much and it's ok. But I digress. They have SO MUCH info on the car it's not even funny. There's info in there on how to change the idle RPM. There's an idle adjustment screw behind the manifold, just in front of the spare tire. There are good pics in the manuals mentioned above. Mine was idling pretty high, so I turned it down a little, and it's much better. It took me a while to find/track down these manuals, so enjoy them and thanks to all the forum members for posting them! All credit goes to them.

 

The biggest thing that I have read and that has already been said here is to replace the radiator. Heat KILLS the heads on the ae82t. Buy a 2 core one and put that in. Search the forums for more info on that. I have also read to not try to get more boost/power out of the engine, ie change the waste gate, up the boost, etc.. It just makes it more unstable. I plan on running stock boost always. No need to stress the little engine anymore than it already is! I also installed a boost gauge to make sure that the turbo is producing the correct amount of boost and functioning properly. The boost gauge also will work in helping to spot problems early on because you can tell when it's not boosting the way it should. Another thing that I am going to be doing very soon is flushing all the fluids in the car. Transmission (drain and fill 3 times), diffs, oil, radiator, power steering, brakes, all of them. I think that I am also going to be running some seafoam through the engine also. Read up on the pros and cons of seafoam in the forums, I don't want to start a debate on that :Flame: I think that it will do my engine some good, so I am going to do all of that. That way I also know that all the fluids are good. That is all the advice that I have read on the turbo. I am just going to run in stock, not drive it super hard, and just enjoy the little extra power that I get out of it having a turbo, and I expect to have a long life out of this motor and the car.

Edited by eulogious
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  • 3 weeks later...

welcome brad!

 

The wiring is the real trick.

 

If you really want the extra power, put an EJ22 in it. It is worth it and you won't have to deal with the turbo crap.

 

the EJ has a ***************-ton more torque. read up on it and the swap. There are people on here who hack the harness for you for a small price, and you can buy the adapter at http://www.sjrlift.com . Only reason I am doing the turbo swap is because I was GIVEN a 37k mile JDM EA82t

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what problems are you having with the axles? are they getting clicky?

 

about the turbo, i wouldnt say they are problematic, they are about 20 years old, they've dont a butt load of miles generally and things cant last for ever.

 

that being said, i have same car, same setup and my turbo isnt giving me anyy problems. there was a little bit of oil in the intake last time i had it apart but the PCV system wasnt working right so it could be from that but its possible after 188k miles that the seal in the turbo is worn.

 

that being said i dont notice much difference in power, mabe its because its turning 4 wheels all the time but it doesent seem to have any more power than any other loyale/gl that i have driven

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