My "NEW" 1988 Subaru GL 4WD

[mr.radon]

First off I used to be a big VW "82-86' nut. However, after driving a friends Subaru and doing under the hood work on the car I got my own 1991 Subaru Legacy 2WD which I fell in love with; the car was a steal due to the rear main oil seal leaking. After pulling the engine to fix it I liked the car even more. They are pretty well designed. My problem with the Legacy is that I really needed a 4WD to get around in the winter. I ski & ice climb a lot, drive to Canada every weekend. The 2WD with chains just sucks. So I got a 1988 Subaru GL 4WD on the cheap with the 3AT tranny. Cheap because the tranny won't go into reverse nor shift to third. 4WD works, engine runs pretty good. Instead of rebuilding the tranny myself I want to swap out the 3AT with a 5 speed manual.

I've checked the board for previous threads about the conversion, however what I was looking for was this: Can someone send me or post a list of parts/problems they had converting. I'm worried about the clutch pedal installation and 4WD selector switch installation. I got all summer and fall to fart around with this car so time isn't a problem. Is there a web site that show pictures of a conversion? Whats the going price for a 5speed manual?

I'm also thinking of rebuilding the engine. I've done dozens of VW rebuilds over the years, any particular concerns or suggestions on rebuilding the 1.8L H4 MFI/FI engine I have?

Good place to get a shop manual? What s the best out there?

[Cougar]

A factory service manual set consists of a set of 4 manuals. I have seen the set sell on Ebay for around $40 dollars and less. I paid about $100 for my set new way back then. They are the best in my opinon.

[WJM]

for my 5spd conversion...

 

you need to swap out the pedal assembly under the dash, remove the steering colum to do so...not to hard.

 

get 5spd speedo cable, as they are longer than the 3AT

clutch cable (duh)

clutch, pres plate, flywheel....4wd trans takes the larger clutch disc, so pay attention to that, AND the flywheel step/recess when selecting a clutch set for the flywheel

you will need to rewire the neutral safety switch, reverse light switch, and the dash indicator (that last one so you can use cruise control, and make the NSS switchable. CC wont turn if the car thinks its in neutral/park...even if its moving. I know this)

5spd trans crossmember (2wd, 4wd, FT4WD does not make a difference, unless you are getting to the XT6)

various nuts and bolts....save everything from the donor car, wiring and all too.

and....thats all i can think of right now.

 

Ive done the 2wd 3at to 4wd 5spd conversion. I have a FT4WD trans, so i dont know how you would wire up the selctive puch button style 5spd 4wd...

 

I imagine that you would use the same electrical and vac system as the 3at, but use the 5spd parts from the donor car...shifter, and wiring from it....i think ive got one of those shifters....

[SuperRallyRoo]

Ur in seattle... Go to PAP get all the parts... "you need to swap out the pedal assembly under the dash, remove the steering colum to do so...not to hard." I didn't do that on my ea81 wagon but it may be different? Sence I have swapped over ea81 automatic to 5spd d/r in my wagon I would be happy to help if you are close. Transmission setups are pretty much the only thing I understand on subarus so far lol.

[calebz]

I just did 3AT to 5 SPD 4WD on my 87 Wagon in june. Most of your general questions have already been answered, but I figured I would speak up so you would know you aren't alone.

 

Let me know if you run into any snags.

 

BTW.. swapping that pedal box is a pain in the rump roast.. I found it real helpful to have a second set of eyes looking down from topside to see things I couldn't.. saved me hours of cussing.. Make sure its someonelike and trust, because when you guys are situated, it will look somewhat compromising to an outsider...

[WJM]

did you remove the SC? I make the mistake of not doing that on the donor car....took me 2 hrs...then i removed it and had it out in seconds. When i went to do it a second time...SC out and pedal box out in seconds.

[mr.radon]

Thanks for the advice. I looked around and found some more posts on this topic. Thanks for all the posts so far. BTW for manuals what does D/R stand for?

 

Update:

About the current 3AT. I honed the governor, it is still doesn't engage R nor 3rd gear. I then adjusted the shift linkage, no effect. It also leaks tranny fluid. Selective 4WD works and the engine runs real smooth, better then my '91 Legacy. The body is 100%, all lights and options work, no rust, only minor scrapes, brand new traction tires, new brake pads, good rotors, CV joints all look good, nice interior. However, no spare tire. Another item to add to the list.

I'll stop by PAP for parts, and check E-Bay for shop manuals. Good advice guys. I'll post the progress of the conversion.

 

One last question. When I pulled my '91 Subaru engine to replace the rear main oil seal I thought of removing the A/C system all together. However, Subaru integrates the A/C compressor with the alternator, mount wise and belt wise. I thought this would take some machining time so I just slaped it back in and forgot about the doing a quick de-convert. This '88 uses two belts and it looks like I can remove the compressor pretty easy. However, do they make a bracket to support the alternator without the A/C compressor? I don't need A/C. I want to save the weigh and engine Hp for driving.

[calebz]

Try to find a DL at the PAP.. they were bottom of the line, so I imagine it would probably be pretty easy to find a no AC bracket on one of those.

 

D/R stands for dual range

[Meeky Moose]

about the 4wd switch wireing.. i am going to be doing this same tranny swap soon.. on my 88'gl 4wd wagon..

 

wonder if your car is my cars twin?

 

anyways, i assume if you use a pushbutton 4wd 5-speed the 4wd pushbutton wireing will plug into where the old one was..

 

i already have all the parts i need to do this, just haven't done it yet.. i also snagged the instrument cluster so i can get rid of the PRDN21 on the dash..

 

personally i don't have to worry about the dash indicator to make the cruise work, cause i don't have cruise, hehe.. may have to do it anyways to make other things right though..

[calebz]

Meeky

 

The pushbutton 5 speed and auto use completely diggerent methods of switching in and out of 4wd.. the switch for the 5 speed doesn't plug into the old plug for the auto.. it is wired seperately to a pair of vacuum solenoids that mount on the drivers side strut tower(same as difflock controls). Its pretty easy. I'll be happy to help(via the board of course.. I'm not coming over..lol)

[Meeky Moose]

but but but.. lol the RX we just stripped had the center diff lock switch wireing plug under the pass side seat....

 

the wagon i pulled this PB 5-speed out of had the same thing..

 

of course both had the solinoids under the hood behind the drivers side strut tower..

 

i was just thinking if my auto had the same thing then the PB plug would go to the same place.. under the pass side seat.. then wire in the solinoids somewhere..

 

but what i'm hearing is that ya wire that button into the solinoids instead?

 

 

hehe forgive my lack of knowledge in this area

[calebz]

In a car that came with the PB 5 speed, there is a plug like you described.. but its different, goes different places and activates different stuff than the wiring plug on your Auto car..

 

You have 2 options.. you can try to find and remove the wiring harness that controls those solenoids on your donor car.. or you can take a few feet of wire and wire the button to the solenoid(thats all the harness does anyway.. it just routes it differently than I would)

 

There are 3 wires on the 4wd button.. one is power in(12v on with the key.. you will find plenty of those available when you unplug your AT shifter), two are power out to the solenoid pack .. the solenoid pack has 4 wires.. two are power in from the button(one for each solenoid) the other 2 are grounds.. just ground them to the body.

 

The reason that you can't just plug everything in and go is because the AT doesn't use the vacuum solenoid type actuation for 4wd

 

The only wires you need from the AT shifter plug are the 2 for the neutral safety switch and the one for the reverse lights.

 

there are a number of 12v power wires in there.. real handy for wiring up the 4WD PB and .. other things..

[WJM]

My DL came with A/C....it was dead tho, so its gone. I used the old bracket...as the A/C was on the other side of the ALT...then alt was right beside the P/S. This was also the case on my RX.

 

I think that is Dealer installed A/C.

[mr.radon]

UPDATE on my conversion..... :D

Junk Yard (PAP):

Pulled a 5 SPD D/R out of a 180K mile 1985 Subaru. However, I left the darn drive line at the yard. I was in a rush to get out by 5PM. Easy 3 hour job, however, I wish my kid was there to hand me tools. I thought the pedal box was pretty easy to remove by myself. The tranny was a pain since I couldn't use a jack and the rim (supporting the front of the car) under the cross-member stopped it from sliding out. The yard lifted the car and moved the rim for me, nice of them. The donor car has the hill-stopper option, is it worth while to go back and grab it when I pick up my drive line? I’ve never driven a car with one of these. Are they a maintenance/adjustment nightmare? Also, anyone know the weight difference between a 5 Spd D/R and a 3AT?

My 1988 Subaru:

So I have all the parts minus my aforementioned driveline. Last night I removed the original 3AT. Anyone want it? Remember no R or 3rd. I can drop it off anywhere in the Seattle area, but you have to also take the torque converter, drive line, shifter, speedo cable, and pedal box to; charge $30. The torque converter is in A1 shape. Send me a PM if you are interested. You'll have to act fast. I won’t keep it longer then a week.

Wiring:

I looked over the wiring on both transmissions.

3AT: 3 electrical connectors, 1 vacuum connector

5SPD: 2 electrical connectors

The 2 connector shells on the 5SPD match connector shells on the 3AT. The switches look similar so I guess they perform the same function. Reverse switch & 4WD switch? What is the extra connector on the 3AT for? I know the vacuum line is to engage 4WD.

Also, the micro switch that senses "4WD LO" on the D/R shifter (inside the car) anyone know how to wire this switch up? Does Subaru use a standard wiring harness? Would my 3AT car have the breakout for this switch? If I have to wire it to the gauge cluster manually, how do I do it?

Gauge Panel:

Is worth while to swap out gauge panels? Are the interface connectors the same for the different gauge panels? I have to get behind the gauge panel to plug in the speedo, right?

My EA82 Engine:

I’m pulling the engine tonight. I’ll do a full tune up: rotor, plugs, wires, filters. Besides checking/changing timing belts, valve cover gaskets, front & rear oil seals, what other seals/systems should I check/replace?

Front Drive Shafts:

I noticed that the right axle may be messed up. When I get ready to reassemble this I wouldn't mind an expert looking it over. The axle was very hard to get out of the rotor and a sleeve came out with it. I think it’s missing a bearing pack or something. I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Everyone:

Thanks you very much for the advice on this tranny swap. I’m sure I would have been very much flustered had I found this message board. I had no idea that there Subaru made a D/R 5 speed, I’m sure I would have just grabbed a plain old 5 speed. I’m quickly coming up to speed on Subaru’s, I’m liking these cars more and more. Although, I can swap a clutch in a VW in less then 2 hours, I think the D/R 4WD will make up for this inconvenience.

On the side:

Met the Subaru rally team last year at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which was before the fatal accident. The drivers and crew were great. Our pit area was across from theirs. I loved the driver’s power slides into the pits. They would lock up the e-brake, spin 135 degrees and shoot up their ramps. First time our crew saw it we all just started to clap. Great drivers. Would like one of their race engines.

[SuperRallyRoo]

n/m u probably already knew that.

[mr.radon]

Update:

Tranny:

Cleaned and then cleaned some more. Looks nice and shinny now. Found the drive shaft I left my mistake at PAP. Tranny is ready to go in. I noticed there is a cover plate with the 3AT shifter. by removing it I have the opening I need for the 5 speed D/R shifter. Cool, I don't have to cut. Parts store sold me the wrong clutch plate.

Engine:

Pulled it last night. Both oil seals were bad. The front one was really bad. Lots of oil in the timing belt covers. One timing belt was minuets from busting. Several cracks through 80% of the belt's width. Scary. Cleaned it as much as I could.

Gauge Panel:

Should I swap out the gauge panel? Is it worth it? Connectors the same?

[Meeky Moose]

don't forget the oil pan gasket.. its easy to change with the motor out, and a PITA with the engine in the car.. a little $3 gasket too.. lol remember RTV on both sides and clean the surfaces good (brass wire wheel works great)

 

 

i am going to be doin the swap too soon.. i pulled the instrument cluster as well.. gonna put it in if the connectors are the same.. my best guess is they are except the auto might have an extra plug for the PRND21..

 

ohh and you need the 5-speed speedo cable as its a different length..

[calebz]

I haven't swapped clusters yet.. that seemed like a lot of work for little return.. I may have to to pass inspection though..

 

Don't forget the rear diff. the one that came with your car is probably a 3.70.. the one you need for the D/R tranny is a 3.90.. I think Galen has one cheap in the marketplace.

 

Meeky.. I have read a bunch of times that you need to swap the speedo cable when doing the conversion.. but I don't remember doing that.. maybe its just my memory failing with age though..

[mr.radon]

Originally posted by calebz

Don't forget the rear diff. the one that came with your car is probably a 3.70.. the one you need for the D/R tranny is a 3.90.. I think Galen has one cheap in the marketplace.

[/b]

 

DEPENDS:

I just checked. For the 4WD Sedans and 3-doors the rear diff was 3.7 for a 3AT. But for the Station Wagon & Touring Wagon the rear diff is 3.9 for any tranny. Therefore Station Wagons don't have to swap this out, I'm not doing this. If not, tell me now before I really bind up my car!

[calebz]

Only reason brought it up is mine was 4WD 3AT 3.70.. but I put in a 3.70 5 speed so it wasn't an issue.

 

The sedan we recently stripped out was the same.. and a wagon I had struppied prior to that was 4wd 3AT nonturbo with 3.70.. as a matter of fact.. every auto EA82 soob I have seen has been 3.70..Just my observation.. if yours is 3.90(and I am told some are) then thats even less work for you..

[mr.radon]

I'm going off the service manual data. How can I tell? I have not checked my rear end, how do I tell? Is it stamped on somehow?

 

Let me know and I'll double check before I reinstall the driveline.

 

Thanks for bringing this up!

[mr.radon]

UPDATE on my conversion..... :D

 

My 1988 Subaru:

I got the engine and tranny back into the car.

I reused the pressure plate and clutch. Only .4mm was worn off the clutch plate. The flywheel was true and the pressure plate had only a little wear.

The hardest part was pulling the steering column. I’ve got a tilt wheel and cruise control; lots of connectors, wires and vacuum lines. The new pedal assembly went in real easy.

The shifter opening for an automatic is the same size as for a manual. I didn’t have to cut anything to make the swap, even had the extra bolt for the bump stop! After the linkages were attached to the tranny the rubber seal mated perfect with the opening, was super easy to bolt on the shifter bracket inside the car.

I used the manual tranny support out of the donor car. You have to reroute the left brake line to install it. I’ve got to look at another 5 spd to figure out the new routing, I’m worried about chaffing. I had to remove a brake line support.

I installed the old automatic tranny support, minus the tranny mounts. I don’t know if it is required to stiffen the body, but I figure it can’t hurt. It was hitting the bump stop on the shifter, so I had to cut a small clearance notch.

This car had a 3.900 rear diff. I didn’t need to replace it. The back of the diff has a label plate with the gear ratio written on it. What do people use to open the fill and drain ports? A ½” drive is too small. Is this a custom tool?

 

Wiring:

I wired extensions to the manual transmission. The connectors were the same, just didn’t reach. The gauge cluster connections were not the same for the manual. This could also be because the cluster I had was from a 1985 whereas my car is a 1988.

I also had to clean up the wiring going to the battery. Neglect on the previous owner in this department, and because the battery hold down bracket is missing. I think Subaru has the worst hold down design in the automotive market. I’m going design a better one.

 

Gauge Panel:

Will look for a 1988 Gauge cluster and see if it has the right connections.

 

My EA82 Engine:

Replaced the timing belts, oil seals, oil pan gasket (what a mess this was) and valve cover gaskets; these were so old, exhaust gaskets. Will flush the radiator when I get it running.

 

R-Front Drive Shaft:

The R drive shaft has the inner wheel bearing seized on the axle. It came out of the hub when I pulled the drive shaft. I have a small press and I still couldn’t get the bearing off the axle?!?!? Thought of heating it but that would burn the boot. What the heck caused this?!?!?!? Anyway, back to PAP for a drive shaft and hub. :banghead:

[mr.radon]

Attached is a picture showing the two gauge clusters. The 1985 5 SPD cluster has a different conector (top right) then the 1988 gauge cluster. Anyone know if a 1988 5 SPD cluster has the right connector (top right) or is this a auto/5spd difference.

I also found out that the engine harness was common, 3AT/5SPD, but different instrument panel harnesses were used for an auto. Too much bother to change this out.

[mr.radon]

I’d like to announce that my 1988 GL Automatic Station Wagon is now a 5 speed D/R.

It’s done and running!!!!!!!!!!!!

Time for:

I got a hub from PAP yesterday. Since it was close to closing, I pulled the control arm, drive shaft, rotor and hub as one piece. Stupid me took it off a turbo, I know dumb; I forgot the output shafts of turbos were larger. At home I had the time to unstick the drive shaft from the hub and also unstick the control arm off the ball joint. I was in a rush at PAP and I didn’t want to damage these parts.

Got the hub cleaned and repacked with grease. Installed my old brake rotor and assembled at my bench the drive shaft from the “TURBO” car. Oh yeah, this gets better! When I slid the drive shaft over the output shaft of the tranny I thought to myself, “Man what went on smooth and easy!” Installed the spring pin, put on the tires, lowered the car. Found I had to rip the position switch off the automatic shifter, attach it to the harness and move the switch until I got the “P” to light up in the dash before I could start the car.

It sparked up just fine; I let it run ten minutes. I shut it off, burped the coolant and checked fluid levels. Then I took her for a spin. As I went up my driveway, I heard a pop and a very BAD noise. Shut it down and rolled back into the garage. Total distance on maiden drive: 25’. :mad:

I looked at that “TURBO” drive shaft and said many a fine word. The spring pin had sheared and the “TRUBO” drive shaft had put a couple of small nicks into the splins of the output shaft. Now, the night was still young. I had the original drive shaft with the seized wheel bearing on it. I knocked off the outer race and removed the ball bearings. Put the axle in my vice, pulled out the torch and heated the seized inner race. Got it nice and warm and was able to get it pushed high enough to let my gear puller finish the job. Polished up the shaft with emery cloth (scorched grease) and installed the non-TURBO drive shaft. The car’s second maiden drive was a little longer: 15.9 miles. 4WD LOW & HI work fine.

:banana: ***IT RUNS PERFECT*** :banana:

Brought her back in for some quick adjustments: adjusted the throttle and clutch cable, fixed a vacuum leak, she idles fine now. That engine just hums a sweet tune. However, the power steering pump whines a bit. Drove it to work today.

Have to put the transmission switch into “D” to engage the cruise control, need to install a switch on the clutch pedal to disengage the cruise control if you shift. Also, need to figure out how to get the backup lights to turn on.

Now I’m looking for a spare tire and new alternator bracket.

[mr.radon]

Well, since I got the car tuned in and running with the new 5 speed D/R tranny I decided to focus on the interior.

I removed everything, including the door panels, seats, trim, and carpet. I found a couple of places where inspection covers were missing and water got in; looked recent. I made new covers for the inspection plates under the rear bench seats. Anyone know what they are for? I made then out of light sheet metal and stuck them on with roofing caulk.

Now I wanted a radio, this car came with a non-working radio. I removed the stock radio speakers, 10W? Wow, now that's cheap. I installed 220W 4-way 6.5" speakers. Made a subwoofer box out of the rear center stowage compartment. Used hinges I salvage from the tranny donor car at PAP, cut a 1/2" thick birch board 12.5"X39", attached the hinges add weather striping to the top of the box cut some holes for the two 10" 600W sub woofers. My XM receiver fit in there too. Added a 4-way high amp sealed connector so I can just unplug and remove the woofer assembly and re-install the sheet metal door in seconds.

I've installed a 444W 4 channel amp for the door speakers under the drivers seat, a 760W 2 channel amp under the passenger seat for the woofers. Got an Alpine head unit, Aux input plugs for my MP3/WMA player and XM hooked up. I stuck a low profile XM antenna on the roof near the back. Might not work too well when I got my skis up there.

I cleaned the carpet, washed it on my deck by hand several times. Lots of dirt in there. The four hold down screws were all bad so I installed new hold downs. Found a gray interior at PAP to replace a couple of busted trim pieces.

Had problems with the radio installation. I had to install it sticking out 3/4". Is there a depth issue with these cars? What can I do to recess it in the dash?

My power steering was squealing real bad, a PAP pump fixed that. A new 185/70/13 spare fit nicely under the hood. The test drive with all the interior parts installed reduced road noise so much!

After two weks of work I can now start to have fun driving it. What kinda gas milage should I expect to get?