MilesFox

I always run 10w30, or at least any flavor of 30 wt. Midwest 4 season climate -10 deg-95 deg seasonal temps

Please don't let all this speculation scare you away from Subaru. We just don't want you tobe unhappy with a decision because you didn't know about something that you wouldn't have learned if you didn't ask here first.

Here is my riddle about mileage on a car: Same year make and model. One has 80,ooo mi, the other has 120,000 mi. Which one would you chose? The answer is typically 80,000 mi. When i ask why, the answer is usually "less miles, will last longer" Then my reply is: If the major service interval is at 100,000 mi, the 80,000 mi car will last you 20,000 mi as it will be due.. The 120,000 mi car will last you 80,000 mi if the 100,000 mi service has been performed. Don't be scared off by higher mileage (125-150,000 mi) if the records can prove major services such as timing belt, water pump, or head gasket. Any premature HG failure that ha been repaired would have been so with a superseded part and would be a permanent fix.

Maybe you got an xt6 ball joint instead. there might be smaller ones with earlier cars that xt6 is the same and later are larger. This reminds me of something i may have read about. But xt6 is smaller for sure,

In regards to the distributor, the 86 should have an external knock control unit, the disty is mechanical, vaccuum advance, and is set to 20 deg BTDC. For future reference, the 85/86 mpfi are similar, but 87 and later MPFI is different with optical disty. The 85/86 mpfi is schematically more similar to the ea81t 83-84.

If it's an 88, then anything later thru 94 will be identical.

First check to see if the set screw had fallen out of the rotor under the cap. If it is there , great. Verify the distributor is turning while cranking. If not, bet on a broken timing belt.

It's possible that the ignition wires are routed incorrectly if you have backfiring out of the throttle. Firing order is 1-3-2-4. #1 cyl is the passenger side front, 3 behind it, #2 is driver front, 4 behind it. Follow the "Timing Belt Procedure" to be sure and the ignition sequence:

Those complaints would be more general acroass all models for certain spans of years. Don't go by model so much as year of manufacture. Some of the most reliable engines ever built would be from the 90-96 models, if that is not too old to shop for. But the newer ones haven't been around long enough to prove. This is not so much a manufacture or design flaw, but maintenance issue. Subarus are finicky and particular about 'proper subaru maintenance' but the maintenance procedures themselves are pretty sstaight forward. If you read alot about head gasket failures, you can attribute that to lack of coolant flushes and latting the car go to 100,000 mi without the 30 and 60 thousand mile service intervals. Otherwise a subaru is a great platform for versatility. I like to think of it a a modular car. If you were a mechanic or a gear head you would find that you can build a subaru much like a set of legos, mixing and matching across several years and platforms. Parts are easy to interchange with subaru. I have had mainly older subarus, I have gotten my hands dirty with alot of them, but i find them for cheap, i have had more than 40 of them, and i will continue to stick with subarus as other types of vehicles just don't appeal to me (by function or engineering)

.....one of these days. All i have to do is bide my time and that ea82 will be mine. All i have to do is follow it around until the timingbelt breaks....

I talked to these folks today. They don't want to sell the loyale right away until they get into another car, but i have the first chance to buy if and when they do sell. But, we made a deal where i will fix the loyale, replace the axle, the oil pan, front bumper and grille for even exchange for the legacy. IF the legacy is fixable i will drive it for winter, otherwise if not, i'll part out the engine, trans, harness and save it for when the loyale comes into play. But an ej 4eat loyale would be pretty sweet!

There is a 90's loyale that turned up in my town that i may get for 800 bucks. I answered an ad about a 200 dollar 91 legacy to discover that they are the ones with the ea82 running around. The legacy has rusted out suspension. So I am dreaming of the idea of swapping the whole ej and 4eat with the harness working together and stick it in the loyale. The loyale is 3at. Ideas and opinions, please.

Depends on if the idlers were replaced with the timing belt. Usually the belt will last until a idler or WP seizes, taking the belt with it. Check the cam seals for oil contamination on th ebelt. Consider doing the cam seals.

If you do the rear drums, have them turned, and i have a set of springs and shoes for ea82 drums raybestos in the box new. If you need them, you can get them from me for less than buying; i have no use for them.

Over torqued wheels can aggravate/cause this

4 87 you will get a listing for 4spd 4wd(ea81), FWD 5spd(ea81 and ea82), and 5spd 4wd(pushbutton/dual range). Ask for a 90 loyale 4wd

So then it would rust out after 2 winters in wisconsin. Here is my advice based on having rusty cars: Cut off the edges of the rust and seal it up with paint. If you can't fix the rust, you can at least stop it or slow it down. Cut the edges off so that dirt and pebbles will not accumulate inside. Rust like this is caused when dirt and debris clog the drain holes, trapping dirt, which holds moisture. This is why eery subaru in the rust belt always rusts the wheel wells where the bumper clips and mud flaps attach to.

The radiator cores are the same dimensions. The upper and lower mounting brackets are different.(from xt) I forgot to mention that part is swappable.

The ignition switch behind the key cylinder may be failing. It's an easy fix, all you need is a phillips screw driver, and the part is the same for some at least 80's thru early 2000's This suggestion is based on you having the starter tested. otherwise i would say inspect the contacts in the starter solenoid(or swap with another unit)

you may have ended up with one from an XT. try an 88 rx or 90 loyale RS for the listing

You can swap the backing plate, but you will have to get the hub out of the bearing to get anything apart.

You can find the Haynes book at an auto parts store for about 18 bucks. Sometimes they are in the library. Be sure to read the body of text with timing belts as pictures alone will screw you up.

I would suggest spray bombing it with lacquer clearcoat in the can. Put it on enough to cover, bu not so much that it can be sanded down to the paint for a proper clearcoat job. You may get lucky and it may look alright if you wet sand it after spraying. You should probably wetsand along the edges of where the clear had come off before spraying.

The ea82t may be novel, but if you install it you will want to keep it mostly stock with minor improvements(intercooler) but don't over boost it if you want to rely on it. It will be reliable in stock form so long as the cooling system is in good order.

I had taken a speedo apart for an 85/86 instrument, and there is a little switch built into the speedo head that trips the light after so many 30 or 60 thousand miles. I suppose it is possible to disable this feature.