Leaderboard

Used factory. If you can find one. Next best bet is to get an early legacy fan and cut/weld the mounting for the motor into the EA fan shroud. Have done this - works great. Fabrication skill required. Aftermarket fans (especially cheap ones) completely suck and are for suckers. GD

see attached.

Thanks for all the info - I replaced the alt - all is good ...Milty

Quoted for truth: - Do Not take a dealer's/salesperson word. It means nothing after the sale. If the car needs a fix that they state they'll remedy it must be in writing in the PO (and good luck w/that). - 200-2004 4-cylinder - Any model really.. The 2005-2009 models have many more 'gotchas' - do your homework. NO USED SUBARU TURBOS. period. period. - Ensure HG were done; complete Timing belt kit and water pump- usually the pulleys fail, not the belt. - Get it inspected b4 you buy - preferably @ a Subaru non-dealer shop. - I'm a bigger fan of the '96-'98 Legacy / Impreza wagons/hatches with 2.2. But they are getting old and Subaru has officially (as of last year?) stopped supplying parts so fixing them could be a challenge.

Yea, very few "common" issues on the '00-'04 cars (by far my favorite Subaru). 4-cylinder cars are notorious for Head Gasket leaks, but unlike the stereotypical head gasket failure, these almost always manifest as an oil leak. Annoying, but as long as you check the oil regularly and don't let it run out, they'll run a long time (I had an '03 that was leaking when I bought it, and I fixed it right before selling it about 40k miles later). 6-cylinder cars have an issue with the serpentine belt pullies that can fail with little warning. Replace them preventatively. Depending on trim, Subaru started phasing in immobilizers into the '05-'09 cars. If that's the case, keep in mind a duplicate key is $150-200, and if you loose the last one, it's a HUGE project (make sure you always have a spare). Turbos were an option in this vintage, these are much more finicky about maintenance, I don't recommend them for daily use. Wiring into the tailgate is fairly common to fatigue were it bends between the gate/body. If it has any issues with the rear wiper, lock, or lights in the tailgate, there's a decent chance it needs repair there. Individual breaks can be traced and repaired, but it's about $80 for a new harness to reset the clock. But far more important is general maintenance. Fluids, matching tires, stuff like that. I normally look for low-mileage, neglected cars for cheap. Last year I bought a '00 with about 320k miles on it from an acquaintance who I know takes good care of his cars. It has been eye-opening how much fewer problems it has...

it seems counter-intuitive but is a known fact - aftermarket axles will cause that vibration you noticed. perhaps extremely worn original axles will but, typical rebuilts from a parts store definitely do. may not be cause for alarm - other than parts store axles have a poor reputation for longevity. MANY folks would run used OEM over typical rebuilts. the older ANY car is, the less important it's brand/model become and the MORE important is its prior care and present condition. if you have the time, shop very carefully - try to get a one-owner with documented, proper maintenance/repairs - have a prepurchase inspection done at a subaru-friendly shop. Indeed, finding a mechanic first can be helpful. In addition to asking about the cost of an inspection, he may know of a customer that is planning to sell. subarus are often abused as they are passed along to 2nd-3rd-4th owners. Easy to cheap-out on repairs and get confused about fluids, run with mismatched tires, etc. the 'sticky' threads at the top of these 2 forums mention some common problems; Gen2; https://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/110-gen-2-2000-2004/ Gen3; https://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/109-gen-3-2005-2009/ you might also consider a Forester and maybe a Crosstrek

No the system is very simple. When the AC is commanded on, the fans are commanded on through one of their power leads. If the engine coolant temp rises above 204 then the other power lead is switched making them run in high speed if the AC is still on. The AC pressure switch will kick off the AC clutch but the fans will still run as long as the mode selector is in AC or defrost. The functioning of the AC system has nothing to do with the fan operation - even if the AC is inoperative the fans will still run when the mode selector is in an AC or defrost position. GD

Hi guys Have inherited a 1990 brumby from my grandfather who passed last november. I absolutely have fallen head over heals in love with it. The 'brumble beast' had done 305 000 kms and has bugger all rust in it. Engine has been tinkered with by subaru 'specialists'. Ive noticed all the hitachi carb haters out there and I must say I love them! I have no mechanical experience at all but am very mechanically minded. I am determined to keep the hitachi however doing away with all the emissions garb. You guys have great pics etc however I'm in Australia and everything is backwards lol. Anyhow I'll post some pics and your guidance would be fab! Zeb

A Weber and all associated parts and fluids should cost around $400 if you install yourself. About $800 if we do it. GD

Kind of a late reply as the ol' Soob took a back seat to my 1st Gen RX7 project in October, but got some time to play with the wiring again and found my issue but cannot tell you exactly what happened. There is a blue and yellow 2 pronged connector on the passenger side of the radiator that was blocking the power from wherever it was coming, heading up to the relay mounts on the passenger shock tower. Some dirt had gotten in there pretty good and caked the connection and I ended up having to cut it out of the system.After wiring it all back up I cleaned the yellow wire going to the thermo switch, grounded it, and lo and behold the fan kicked itself on! I put everything back together and decided to try and test it again, but.... nothing! Long story short, there are two relays that seem to be controlling the fan in my car. When I ground the thermo switch connector, the center relay in the tri-stack on the front of the shock tower *clicks* and the fan will come on, BUT there is also a relay on the back side of the passenger shock tower with a 4 wire connector going to it. (2 yellows, a blue, and a black ground strap.) If I mount the ground strap on to a grounding point and trigger THAT relay, the fan will not run at all. Basically, if the relay behind the passenger shock tower is triggered, that center relay on the front of the shock tower will still click, but the fan will not power on. Haven't exactly figured out what each relay is yet and my wiring diagrams don't show that relay behind the shock tower for some reason, though it looks factory. Not sure what that relay is all about yet. Basically, the fans work fine now, I've just got a little more troubleshooting to do. Best of luck to ya! Wanted to follow up since I hate leaving threads open in case others stumble across it.

If it still is I'd be floored to get ahold of it. My original one is blue also.

When you go to replace that vacuum booster line, be sure to save the check valve inserted in hose near booster. Put it in same place in new hose. Feel the hose for a hard lump - you'll find it.

Everybody always hopes "maybe it's the radiator." It almost never is. Can't tell you how many cars I've been brought for HG's that the owner say's, "yeah we just replaced the radiator x months ago." Don't try to do them in the car. Just as hard if not harder than pulling engine. It's possible, but way more likely to screw something up. If you aren't a pro-level mechanic, I can guarantee you that you'll end up doing one of three things in car 1) Scratch the hell outta block trying to finangle the heads in along the rail with the bolts already sticking through. 2) Drop, fold or damage the new HG's as you are making that same move. 3) Assuming 2 and 3 are avoided, you're likely to screw up the torque. It's impossible to make full 90 degree rotations with the handle of breaker/ratchet used to set the head bolts. It's not simply a torque procedure, there are specific rotations and to do it right in this case you need a torque wrench with a angle calculator. Doing them out of car, on an engine stand, gives you the best platform for doing a successful, long lasting job, the first try. Subaru engines are light and easy to handle in and out of the car.

Rent an engine hoist and pull the engine. Bubbles in the overflow and the temp gauge fluctuations tell me you have a head gasket failure. It is not common for them to fail like that - usually they just leak oil externally. But it's possible. Just replace them with 642's or 770's. GD

Yep all except for the 10mm socket that dropped under the flex plate between the engine and the flex plate. Of course we found out about it once the engine was in and we were bolting up the TC. We could feel is and move it with a coat hanger, but had to pull it half way to get it out. Pulled the engine FWD enough to put a large magnet on the flex plate which grabbed the socket so we could rotate it up from the bottom. A second magnet pulled it out of the hole. To many cooks in the kitchen and to many tools out and about. Never happens when I do the job myself. Help is nice, most of the time.

@lmdew - thanks mate, that’s be awesome! @Mike104 - The EJ20 is the same as the one I’ve already got. I’m looking for details on EJ22t specific parts and know some sites that use the VIN to track down part numbers with exploded diagrams to boot. My AUDM RS equivalent of the SS is already on the site I use, but that engine doesn’t have the bits I want to look at. Cheers Bennie

Get a CV band tool if you don’t already have one Cheers Bennie

Should work. Get new boots, grease, and clamps from Subaru. GD

even 2010, axles are interchangeable AFAIK. One part number for front axle.

Noises can be tricky and sound like they're coming from one area and actually be from a different place. Flapping noise is often a belt or other rubber item. I would check all belts to make sure they are not failing. Also check boots on axles for any tears or grease splatters from the boots which indicates a break.

Nice wagon. Shame about that body damage. Seeing that must’ve been gut wrenching. I look forward to seeing the recovery of your damage. Cheers Bennie

I would’ve left all that emissions gear if it wasn’t doing anything nasty. Mine’s pinging atm and I don’t know why. Very frustrating! So I don’t have an answer as to why it’s running rich now. Also you should’ve kept the charcoal canister. It’s one of the first bits of the emissions gear that came out. It stops your fuel tank from venting vapours to the atmosphere. @sparkyboy - you should check out the ‘71 LC Torana. I had one of those in the 4 door with a 186 red engine (the EJ22 of the straight six red engine series). Loved that car. A mate wrote it off and that’s ultimately what got me into Subaru’s... otherwise I’d still be playing with those now I reckon (check out the LJ XT6 Torana - the one to have. The LC series had the GTS prior to the XT6 and came in hot pink!). Also check out the ‘68 HK Monaro. The V8 GTS had a 327 chev small block. Awesome looking vehicle! It was also available as a GTS with a 186 “S” pack engine that was tweaked for better performance, it had several gearbox options too. I digress, and now find myself wanting a bigger shed!! Cheers Bennie

Welcome to the forum! I'm in the US we love brats! I'll say this, from what little i have learned about Aussie subaru geeks on this forum, (mostly Bennie) i would venture to say you guys are some of the nuttiest around! You keep your brumbys clean and drive the absolute piss out of em I'll certainly give you that much! But you guys never got the jump seats? That sucks! And I love Australian muscle cars, the 77 Holden torana is so gorgeous. Of course we get none of that! I understand that there are not a whole lot of camaros or firebirds in your country? Am I correct? Always nice to meet another old school sube gearhead, and I like your style, keeping her factory down to the emissions crap! The Hitachi can't be that bad, I have only rebuilt Rochesters and holleys nobody builds carbys like the americans! Webers are Italian so when someone inevitably tells you to get one, tell them a fiat driver needs that carbs more than you do haha! I have 3 Subarus 1986 gl wagon with ej22 swap 1988 gl wagon spfi ea82 1985 xt turbo. Cheers man, I look forward to the pics! Sounds like your grandpa was a cool dude, and drove that brumby silly. How long did he own her? He sure left you something nice.

G’day Zeb, welcome to the forum! Not everything is backwards, just the steering stuff really. Everything on the engine is on the same side etc. Sorry to her about your grandfather. Sounds like he had good motoring taste though! Get onto any rust ASAP and keep her under cover if possible. I’m wishing I had a carport or enough room in the shed for mine. Got any pics to share? Cheers Bennie

I am the proud owner of a 1984 gl wagon. I’ve had a couple other Subaru’s but in the little time I’ve had this car I’ve really fell in love with it. I received a notebook with the car that is a ledger of every service the car has had until 2012. I suspect that’s when the original owner sold it. My plans were to lift the car and do some light wheeling. Its has rust but still was in great condition. I say “was” because I’ve had the car ten days now. About a week after purchasing it I had parked it at my job, I recently started working for an auto body shop, a car rolled down the driveway across the street and smashed into the drivers side of my Subaru. So now I am I search of a door and some other things. Luckily can fix it at my work but I need to source parts.