rlpete Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I have and 86 XT and the rear is riding very low. I have searched and found where some subaru's have a ride height adjustment bolt under the rear seat. My XT does not seem to have this, does anyone know if there is any adjustment or if it just worn out springs? Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruparts Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 (edited) hi, you didn't say but some xt's had air bag suspension, if your's does that might be at play here. if it has coil springs on shocks and struts then you have something else causing it. no adjustment bolt , that was on the torsion bar rear on ea81 series cars. if it's a 2-wd xt and someone put 4x4 rear shocks on it, that would cause it to sit low because the lower mounting place for the 4x4 shock and the mounting place for the 2wd is different, 2wd has a higher mount point for the bottom of the shock., and they use different rear shocks to compensate for that. would be great if you could post a pic of the rear shocks on there and say which type xt you have. look at the rear shock , if the bottom of the spring to the lower mounting eye is like 2-3 inch its a 4x4 shock, if it's more like 5-6 inch its a 2wd shock. OOPS; i explained that part about the lower rear shock mounting position in reverse,, it's the 2wd cars that mounts the shock down low on the swing arm , and the 4x4 that mounts the shock higher up on the swing arm , this was done to allow room for the drive axle. sorry for the mixup. but the point is 4x4 rear shocks on a 2wd car will sit low in back. Edited December 31, 2013 by ruparts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Does the car have a rust issue? If that "tube" the rear suspension is hung from is rusted in the middle, the rear suspension will sag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlpete Posted December 31, 2013 Author Share Posted December 31, 2013 It is a 2wd, I will get under it and take some pics. On the rust issue, what do I need to look for? I have some body rust issues so it would not be a surprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 no ride adjustment unless it was fitted later by someone. both sides or is one more pronounced? are the rear wheel leaning "in" at the top - this is what i've seen them do when the rust takes out some of the rear suspension. maybe just warn struts/springs. i had a 2002 Outback with 200,000 miles riding low on one side rear, something was rubbing when loaded in the trunk. i disassembled it and everything looked fine but replacing the spring fixed it. the old spring had no visible breaks, bends, nor was it even shorter than the new spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlpete Posted December 31, 2013 Author Share Posted December 31, 2013 Both sides seem to be pretty even, and the wheels do not seem to be leaning in at the top. The strut seems to be the correct ones from the description. At this point I am thinking the springs are worn out, is this a dealer item or does anyone have any suggestions where to but them? Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruparts Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 hi, that looks like 2wd rear shocks you have on there. however just looking at the pic of you car, it looks like the front is a bit high, at least in that pic and my opinion. if it has pass car or wagon front struts on it that raises the front some and would tend to make it appear like the rear is low?? the rear looks right for a 2wd judging from the wheel opening and the amount of tire exposed, the front on the 2wd xt sits pretty low, the pic of your car appears the front is up in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlpete Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 I have replaced the struts on the front, and I bought the ones that are specified for this, I have new struts for the rear also but wanted to make sure on the ride height before I changed them. The new front struts matched the ones that I removed so I assumed that the front was correct. The rear is so low that it can drag on a larger speed bump but if I could bring the front down that might correct the issue. Every XT that I have seen has sat up high, but to the best of my knowledge this is the only 2WD one I have seen so if they ride lower than the front that would be good to know, does anyone know what the ride height specs are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckgeorge Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Hey there, maybe I can help you out here. I recently bought xt struts to lower the front of my car but unfortunately they raised it. They ended up being 4wd struts but listed as 2wd ones. The part numbers I purchased were Monroe 71876 and 71877. Whats really weird is one side sits an inch higher than the other since one strut is an inch longer than the other. After doing some more research the only 2wd xt struts I can find are KYB number 234029 and 234030. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 ... At this point I am thinking the springs are worn out... If so and if you want to get a 2" Taller Rear than it is right now; you could remove the Stock Coil Springs and install there Front Honda Accord's Coil Springs; for further info, part numbers & Photos, follow this web link: ~► http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/106807-improved-shock-absorbers-and-spring-coils-on-loyales/ Kind Regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpholz Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Holy crap, you have a DL. Just like my first XT. From the way it's sitting it looks like you have 4wd struts on there 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Only five weeks late with the specs..if anyone needs them for the 2WD XT rear is 203mm ( +10 , -20mm ) The 4WD is 250mm Is measured from the underside of the tubular cross member pipe that the swing arms come off, measured at the outer ends to flat ground Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlpete Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 Jono, Thanks for the specs, as soon as the snow melts I will get under it and do some measuring. rpholz, I have put new struts on the front, and there were supposed to be for the 2WD. I will see if I can get a number off of them and see if they looked them up correctly. Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 (edited) ...From the way it's sitting it looks like you have 4wd struts on there ...I have put new struts on the front, and there were supposed to be for the 2WD... I Believe that rpholz is Writing about the Rear, not the front. If you look the Photos of the 2WD Vs 4WD rear struts that are on the Link I posted above, you'll understand why... Kind Regards. Edited February 4, 2014 by Loyale 2.7 Turbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpholz Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Correct, although I believe 2wd XT struts were the shortest front strut you could buy. But in short I don't trust any aftermarket company to have correct lengths. OEM is the only route I would take in a stock strut/shock setup 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtRat007 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 yeah I had this problem the best most pricey solution is 5 lug swap the whole thing (setting it up for an easier EJ swap later your ea82 will shoot the coolant out of the exhaust eventually), second best... get yourself some Koni yellow inserts and find used original 2wd xt struts (shortest subaru ever made) I got some i'll gift to you for price of shipping but im in washington state. Also could cut springs or use any of the brumble beasts ideas that guy is a genius. Do yourself a favor and don't buy aftermarket struts for this car you will be taking them back for a refund. It's the shortest strut subaru ever made so there isn't a large enough market for aftermarket companies. They tell you it works and sure it fits if you want it to look bad and ride worse. subaruxt.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtRat007 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 (edited) oh and if I recall correctly the 2wd and the 4wd versions of this vehicle mount the rear strut in different spots thats why there is some confusion in forums about what strut rises or lowers the 2wd/4wd versions so read carefully and the best of luck Edited February 8, 2014 by ArtRat007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpholz Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Wow, First off you have a non turbo ea82, it's not going to "shoot coolant out if a headgasket" Infact I'd kill for my DL back because it was the most reliable vehicle I've ever had. Secondly, 5 lug swap is not the best solution as the problem is in the rear and a swap does not change the rear mounting point. Cut springs is NOT a solution Koni inserts do NOT effect ride height I'm going out of town this weekend but next, if you want I will search for 2wd stuff for you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlpete Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 Got a chance to get under the car and do some measurements, I get 7 1/4 inches or about 184 mm, that seems to be on the low end but with in specs that Jono gave. Can someone tell me where the correct place to measure up front? As for the aftermarket shocks, Over the last 30 years I have not had problems with aftermarket but this is the first Subaru for me. The ones I have purchased are Gabriels. For the front G67739 and for the rear G51173. They match up to what was on the car when I bought it but I did not check to see if they were OEM or not. It did ride like this when I got the XT about 6 months ago. If these are incorrect it is not that big of a loss because I found them on clearance and only paid $14 for each front and $9 for each on the rear. Thanks for all of the info, I am learning alot about this car on this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtRat007 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Wow, First off you have a non turbo ea82, it's not going to "shoot coolant out if a headgasket" Infact I'd kill for my DL back because it was the most reliable vehicle I've ever had. Secondly, 5 lug swap is not the best solution as the problem is in the rear and a swap does not change the rear mounting point. Cut springs is NOT a solution Koni inserts do NOT effect ride height I'm going out of town this weekend but next, if you want I will search for 2wd stuff for you. Wow, First off you have a non turbo ea82, it's not going to "shoot coolant out if a headgasket" Infact I'd kill for my DL back because it was the most reliable vehicle I've ever had. Secondly, 5 lug swap is not the best solution as the problem is in the rear and a swap does not change the rear mounting point. Cut springs is NOT a solution Koni inserts do NOT effect ride height I'm going out of town this weekend but next, if you want I will search for 2wd stuff for you. Oh my bad missed the DL part 5 lug... fresh suspension all around with ride height options so you can match front and rear... yeah that wont solve anything cut springs... I agree but hey ive seen some hillbilly stuff going down the road I meant get Koni's and find some original 2wd struts restoring stock height worked on mine til i swapped it and the fact that rlpete will have to get used parts off of forums is reason enough to do a swap but whatever im not trying to argue with you just my opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpholz Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 The Gabriel strut is the problem, pick up some kybs (as they produced the original subaru shock in the first place) and go from there Artrat- I'm not arguing, I am dismissing the incorrect information before the OP goes the wrong path and waste time and money. And the 5 lug swap for the last time WILL NOT MOVE THE MOUNTING POINTS IN THE REAR, the front is a whole other ball game 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 may want to replace the springs while you're at it. the springs take more load and get compromised when the struts do no work. i had one like this last year or two years ago. replaced the struts and had sagging/rubbing/handling issues in about a month. the spring was compromised, replacing it solved the issues. it physically looked the same as the replacement spring but with all the driving on tire struts i'm told that probably strained it too much. or at least do the job sooner rather than later to save the existing springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Yes, I Agree about the Springs... That is Why I posted above (Post Nº 10) a Link with info on them, The mounting perch differences between 2WD and 4WD, etc. It has photos, but I bet that no one here has seen it... Kind regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlpete Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 Actually I did check out your link from post No 10, great research and if this were 4WD I would be very interested in following that lead. I am trying to get back to original specs, although I do like the idea of heavier duty. As for the other posts I am definitely considering changing the springs while I do the struts. That is a lot of the reason I started this topic to see if I was on the right trail. I didn't expect to find that the new struts I had purchased were the wrong size and that I will have to redo the front. As soon as I get a little extra money I am going to order the correct KYB's for the front. My original purpose for this car was to fix it up for my 16 yr old niece for her first car. But I am having fun with it, I may try to find something else for her and play with this a little longer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Well, if all the Struts are Alright, you might consider the idea of swapping the Rear Coil Springs with the Honda ones written on my Writeup; that will fix the rear sag & low sitting for shure, in a easier & Cheaper way than purchasing four new struts. Kind Regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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