MoscowSubaruDude

Can you buy the damn things in America? I seriously want one...

So I'm not quite sure where to put this, but it's based off the STi... so new gen gets it. Holy crap this thing is nuts.

An easy trick I use to keep the crank and it associated attachments from moving is this: Get your #1 cylinder to BDC (bottom dead center), and remove the spark plug from it. get a few feet of nylon rope, just small enough to fit through, and start threading it into the cylinder. Use clean rope, otherwise you'll damage the walls. Fill the cylinder with as much rope as it'll handle, and then get to work on the flywheel or whatever. The rope will keep the cylinder from going through it's cycle, effectively locking the crankshaft, and thus, the flywheel. Just be sure to remove the rope before you try and start the motor. Also, from experience... leave about a foot hanging out. It's a pain in the rump roast to get out of there with nothing to grab. CR

I shall be trying that later tonite. Thanks for the help. I'll also look into getting a new alt. I fired it up today, to see what was up, and it is WAY overcharging, as in the voltmeter is pegged above 16. I'm thinking the VR went dead. I'll try the fuel pump idea though, rig up a switch and some wiring. Thanks a ton. Expect more questions though:)

So I bought a hatch from a member who lives around spokane. It's been driving fine, great motor on it, minor issues that i worked through. One of them was the complete failure of the ignition switch, so I rigged up some switches and a pushbutton for the starter. Here's where the problem started. The wire that normally operated the starter, coming off the column, wasn't fully functional. As in, it wouldn't crank the starter, so two new wires were put in, it worked fine. The car, however, simply wouldn't start unless that single defunct wire had power. The second the motor fired, it would keep the starter running, and had to be shut off immediately. This setup worked ok, until the whole car went berzerk. I was down in Plummer one night, and it died on the road. After pulling into a parking lot, i got it running, kinda. It would run for about 20 seconds, on average, and then die. Another weird symptom was that upon starting, the windshield wipers would cycle through, once, and then upon it dying, they would get through a half-cycle. The weird thing is, I had the accessories wired through a switch. That switch was off the entire time. The car also refused to rev higher than 3300, stumbling if I tried to shove it higher, with the tach going completely haywire, 0 to redline and back and everywhere in between. I swapped out the alternator with a spare I had in the car, and it revved ok, for the 20 seconds it stayed running. The alternator was bum (low voltage), it came out of my loyale and was on it's way to the parts store. It should have run just fine on the battery alone, but it wasn't. It's still not wanting to run right, and I'm thinking it's a short somewhere in the wire bundle from the dash to the ignition. Some idea's would be helpful here, and/or a simple wiring schematic to simply re-wire the entire ignition system (coil, disty, dash, and everything else in between). I've traced the entire wiring system from hell to breakfast, and I haven't found any problems. Any suggestions will be helpful, and I'll be laying hands on a new alternator come payday, to see if that might be the problem. The car is currently stuck in Spokane, as I don't feel like driving 140 miles back home while having to restart the car on the fly every 20 seconds. Thanks for the help, in advance. Chris

Tap the starter with a ballpeen hammer while someone cranks it. Sometimes it gets a bit stiff and combined with corroded cables and whatnot, won't turn over. Tapping it has always worked for me.

Well... brand-spanking-new Everstart battery, the known good alt out of my dead EA81, and she's back up and running. Someone mentioned about the various dash lights lighting up dimly... I had the park brake light on nonstop, just dimmer, when it was not parked... 20 minutes under the hood, that went away, the 'charge' dummy light turned off, and she drove home no problem:headbang:. Thanks for the help guys, much appreciated:)

Would perhaps adding distilled water to the battery (to replace whatever was lost when it boiled/leaked/whatever) help it out a bit? it only needs to get home, I've got a big ol' honking truck battery waiting to go in... haven't had time to put it in, and now I'm kicking myself. I'm not sure how heavy the battery was to begin with, as I haven't had it out of the car yet, but I picked it up and it felt somewhat lighter than most batteries. As in, I could lift it up without much effort, whereas, normally, my noodly arms are about ready to pop. Well, not quite that bad, but you get the picture.

So I think I blew my alternator. It's been giving the usual signs, the most significant, today, when I was driving down the freeway and it suddenly lost power. I got a push from the DOT dude in the big truck (I really need to get one of those push bumpers:headbang:). It's interesting though, I went back to the car after about 6 hours, and tried to start it... fired right up, no problem, zero electrical issues, went two blocks, and she did it again. Once again, zero battery power. The battery has been leaking, which is another decent sign, if I recall, it's something to do with pumping AC through the battery.. Also, my ghetto radio shack-issue handheld CB, when plugged into the cigarette lighter with the motor running, has been making a whining, rpm-fluctuating noise for the past week. Engine off, she works great. Possibly AC instead of DC, again? So I'm headed back into town to rescue her from the park'n'ride. I have 2 EA81 alts around here, good when they were pulled. Will they work in the EA82? There's enough residual juice in there for a start, she started again after I pushed her back to the lot (painful experience, I must say), so I'm not worried about getting a jump. I just need the electrical system to power itself for about 20 minutes while I drive like a madman back home. So... whatcha say? Alternator? Or something hideous? I'm betting on the alt, but maybe I'm wrong. Any advice, tips, thoughts, etc. Greatly appreciated. Thanks C

My '93 Loyale is, like other EA82 cars, gutless... but when it comes time to sh*t'n'git, she picks up, and gits. I've been surprised at the freeway mergers that I thought were going to kill me, and then I look down and I'm going 10 over, thinking 'how the hell did I get moving that quickly.' I think the stickers act as a super-advanced micro-NOS system though.

West, downtown area... about a block west of Laserquest/Wild Walls.

That'd be one helluva spring wakeup! Better put a splash guard on your back wall for when those mice come flying outta there at speed.

So I was rolling down 2nd Ave this afternoon, around, say, 5pm. Drove past All Line insurance, and I saw this gen1 brat sitting there. Did a double take as I drive by, because it's all done up like a WW2 fighter... shark's teeth on the side, Allied star on the hood, bombs painted on the side, all around nice rig. Idaho plates, and I've never seen it before... who's was it? Just curious, and wanted to give props, because that's a sweet looking little truck. Forgot to mention the A-bar push bumper up front, and the welded tubing one in the rear.

Might fog the motor, get some of that fogging spray... dunno if it's any use while the motor is in the car, but it'll prevent surface rust on the cylinder walls and whatnot from condensation. I have also heard that starting it weekly isn't that great for motors, unless you get them nice and hot and let them run for a while... something to do with condensation in the motor not all evaporating out, and the heat from the 10-minute run only catalyzing the rust reaction or oil breakdown. Can't remember it precisely, but I don't run motors for less than an hour when it's being stored, if at all.

I'm here in Airway Heights... just look for the red Loyale with SUBARU down the sides and lots of lights, and the nut in the drivers seat.

Dude... you're a legend. Many thanks. That's getting printed, laminated, and stuffed in my little folder titled 'Suby Stuff' that sits in my bedroom. I consider them 'bedtime stories'. Thanks again man.

I wish to lay grimy paws upon this book. I have heard that it is the holy grail for Suby owners, and therefore, like all other things Subaru, I must have. Where can I find this Suby Bible? Is it sold in stores? Is it even in print? Any info appreciated. Thanks all. C & Sunshine

Well... the plans are still in the making, hence the massive brainstorm here to be examined by those who have done this sort of thing before. Approx HP goal I'm looking for is about 150-180, and torque about 130-150... semi-flat torque curve, starting strong at about 1500. If I have to find a better cam, I will. So if the EJ22 will get me that with less hassle, and decent reliability, then great... the more I look at the EG33 swap, the gnarlier it gets... I just know that 90hp, as I currently have, doesn't cut it... about half of what this car gets at the moment is on road, and I need more power... with larger tires, it's going to get worse, and I can't drive it in 4lo all the time, especially not with the transfer case swap. I'm now leaning heavily towards the EJ22 motor (amazing what a few well-worded posts can do to a guy:brow:). Thanks for the input, I'm going to go ruminate, and do some thinking. Any further ideas are greatly appreciated. Thanks! EDIT: Minor addition from said ruminating... With decent torque and loads of gearing, I do realize the axles will become consumable, even more so than normal... that's expected and OK. Better than other drivetrain parts.

Umm... I've got 4wd:P So traction shouldn't be much of a problem... this car is going to be a super-beefy homemade custom lifted job... aka transfer case swap and 33'' tires *maybe* solid axles. I do mean beefy. I need power to turn all this, so I'm looking for the biggest motor I can cram in this car, and fabrication is an option. Good to know on the bellhousing being the same as the EJ22 though... makes my life easier. I want to get the motor in, dialed, and completely setup before I start playing with the suspension. No point being all beefy if I can't run it. I'll be running the 5mt D/R, and something that has crossed my mind a time or two is saving about 4 paychecks and springing for some seriously whacked out custom axles, like the 70 degree ones I remember ShadyIrishMan talking about at one point. Figure on some heavily lengthened control arms front and rear, and perhaps even a heavily fabbed double-a arm suspension, so I can use coil-overs up front and get some travel. Sounds crazy, but I'm insane, and I've got tons of patience... and the willingness to do it. Point is, I need power. No turbo. Might go supercharged, get better low-end torque, so I may be able to live with an EJ22, however, think about it... 3.3 liters, and 6 cylinders... can support a good chunk more power than the EJ. This is all just brainstorming at the moment, something I cooked up on the drive down here to Moscow this weekend, but I do intend to do something to this car to achieve the following goals: A) As much power as I can *reliably* produce, with, say, a 50k minimum, preferably 100k mileage before rebuild, and as much independent suspension travel and clearance as I can fab. Alright I'm done dreaming. Anyone who has any input besides 'you're an idiot' I'd love to hear it... ya'll have tons of combined experience, and I'm willing to listen.

I'll be using the EA82 trans, if it'll handle the power... I'll go take a look at that right away... anyone have some measurements for the EG33 that I could have? I'll go measure it out one of these days, see if it's feasible in a Loyale.

That is precisely what I was looking for, many thanks. I don't want a turbo motor, because I need the low-end torque. So anyone have any idea what the SVX motor is gonna look like, swap-wise? I've never heard of anyone doing it, but I do know it's plenty powerful and strong... I'm assuming the bellhousing is different, and I haven't the foggiest idea on how to build a n adapter plate, so that's one big hurdle. Dimensions, mounting, etc... yikes, I may just wind up doing the EJ swap after all. I really want the basic power of the 6 though... general principle... bigger is better, and a 6 cranking, say 200 ponies, is more reliable than a 4 doing the same... less stress.

Ok... I've been debating whether I want to do an EJ22 or ER27 swap next summer... and I've decided to go with the bigger displacement, barring some info to the contrary. Now... I've never done anything on this order. I've replaced motors, but never swapped a different one in... can't be too different, but I'm going to ask a bunch of questions, get parts lists, etc. By next summer my 'working on car' space is going to be almost non-existant, so I'll be borrowing a driveway... I expect to do this swap in about a week or less, so basically I will have every single part I could possibly need before I yank the EA82. Here's my understanding of it so far. Bolts right up to 5sp D/R, same bolt pattern. Big bonus for me. Top-mount radiator necessary due to the extended length... I've been eyeballing on mine, the A/C condensor might have to go elsewhere also, which could get very interesting. Besides the complete motor, I will need the harness (or make my own) the ECU, and a ton of other little stuff (I'll figure that out shortly). Now for q's... Does the stock xmember work? or do I need the XT6 'member? If the motor mounts are in the same location as on the EA, that's an awful lot of overhang on the front of the motor... I'm thinking the XT6 member. Parts list. Anyone that has done this before, I'm looking for as complete a parts list as is humanly possible. I'll be accumulating parts over the winter, piecemeal, as I find the time and cash to do so. Any hints, tips, tricks, problems encountered... basically I'm learning from ya'lls experiences, and hopefully not making the same mistakes. Any help would be greatly appreciated, pics, stories, part numbers, etc. Also if anyone has the motor, harness, or ECU layin around, PM me... it'll be a bit, but I'm actively looking for one. Doesn't have to run, just has to be rebuildable, as I'll be doing a full rebuild.

How different? aka... will it bolt up? Or does it require some mods?

I spun the cup in mine, on the passenger side, out at the ORV park... didn't realize it for about an hour, was driving around in some puddles and whatnot, and I realized my front wheel weren't throwing any spray... hrmmm. So I drove back, basically, the cage had shattered, the balls had departed, and the axle was just chillin in the cup making noise. I drove about 40 miles like that, got it home, pulled it out, and it ran around in 4wd for about 4 more months because I was too lazy to get a new axle. Just jerk the piece of the tranny, simple to do, 5/16 inch punch and a hammer... keep it in 4wd, you're golden.

Would the 4sp D/R out of an 83 wagon work? I've got my junker parts wagon, I can pull it outta there and we'll see about getting it to ya... I have to head over to Oly in a week or three anyway, wouldn't be too much trouble just to bring it over. Lemme know if A) it will work and if you want it. It shifts well, all synchro's intact, not too much linkage slop. Decent tranny.