Gyoas759

It's been about 2 years since I've seen an EA81 generation subaru at the Harrys in Hazleton. I had to make a last minute run up there today to get a few parts for a friend of mine. Theres a Red 1600 DL-5 Hatch and a GL-10 Wagon that were just put out within the last week. The hatch has about 188k and the engine is in the back of it. The tranny is still in it's place. FWD manual. has the single rectangular style headlight bezels and grill under the hood. Body is pretty rusty. The GL-10 has the sunroof and Digi-dash. Body again is pretty rough. This one looks like it's been sitting a while. Automatic 4x4 with the power options too. Thought I'd give the heads up. Hopefully I wont have to wait another 2 years to see some there.

The stuff seems great. It really has smoothed things out. So far I think my troubles are all "operator error" and no fault of the sea foam. I'll be putting some through my Toyota next.

I'd use something a little stronger than super glue. Try plastic emblem adhesive or JB Quick Weld in there and use the tape to hold it all tight for a few hours so it can set. The warmer the better. Should hold it down. I've also had success using indoor/outdoor caulk with such things. But then, it's not always the cleanest or prettiest job.

I swapped in the new plugs this afternoon and it started right up. I warmed the engine a little and revved around 3k RPM until most of the smoke had subsided. The idle is better, the engine is quieter, but now I have a fairly loud tapping coming from the front left side of the engine. (Right side as you face it from the front of the car.) It sounds like a gnome is using a small jack-hammer in there somewhere. I still need to do a oil change following up the seafoam in the oil. Does this sound like the infamous tick of death? What should I do from here?

I just got back from AutoZone with my new plugs. Pulled the first plug with no problem. I'm putting the new one in (With anti-sieze) and it just gets tighter and tighter as I turn. about 1/3 of the way in and I'm putting a lot of effort into tightening this plug down. It feels way harder than I think it should be on an aluminum engine. I backed it out and compared the old and new ones. They're the same thread and everything. I'm trying to put NGK BPR6EY-11 plugs into an EA82. Any advice?

That had been a thought but it seems to be getting gas just fine. I even put a little gas down the carb just to be sure. Still wouldn't fire. I'm going to put new plugs in today and see if that cures it.

I got caught up in the enthusiasm of Seafoam. Never tried it before. Today, my room mate and I drove to a dirt trail (To spare my neighbors the trouble) Did as I've heard before. Added 1/3 to the gas, 1/3 to the oil and 1/3 down the carb. (This is an 83 GL wagon) I added it slowly through the carb so it wouldn't stall until there was only a little left, then poured enough in to stall the engine. I waited ten minutes and got ready for a smoke cloud. But it never started. It cranks over just fine. I drained the battery, walked home and got my toyota. Used the jumper cables and tried cranking again. A few times it feels like it wants to fire but doesn't quite start. Mostly it just cranks. Seems to be getting gas just fine. Even put a little down the carb just to be sure. Gave it an hour to just sit. Still wont fire. Towed it home with the toyota and it's safe in the backyard now. Any idea what gives? Anyone had any similar experience with seafoam?

Thanks. I finally found the spot where I originally saw this mod. http://www.subarubrat.com/easyshock.htm That's the direction I was hoping to go. I guess this extends the bottom and not the top. Looks like it's about a 2 inch extension in those pictures? Would 4 be pushing it?

Yes. EA81 rears. SJR is the plan. "installer must provide new rear shocks 4" longer then stock" The set up I had seen cut the tops off an old pair, slid them over the top of another set and bolted them together. Just trying to get some decent visuals.

I'm planning on ordering a 4 inch lift kit this week. I know I saw a way to cut a pair of old shocks to slide over and bolt to an existing pair to get the necessary lift from them but I just did about 5 searches and can't find the process. Anyone know of the thread I'm talking about or have some good info and pics on how to do this? I assume add 4 inches of length to the shock for a 4 inch lift? Is there an easier way or a good source for a shock that will fit the 4 inch lift? Particularly if it's something that could be found in the JY.

Finally getting this stuff taken care of. I drove the car 6 miles today to get it inspected and the vibration is gone. Does this confirm the bad axle theory?

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49952 Here you go. This is for installing a 5 speed, so if you're just replacing yours just reverse the removal part.

Welcome to the board! Depending what year your brat is, the motor can fit. The 1982-87 Brats are known as EA81 cars from the engines they carry. Most of the cars in 1985 were known as EA82 with a slightly different engine. It changed to timing belts and had a little more horsepower. Do you happen to know what type of car the engine came from? A wagon, 4 door coupe, RX, XT, hatch or Brat? If it came from a hatch or a brat, it's an exact fit. If it came from any of the others it can fit with some light modification. I drive a 1983 Wagon which originally came with an EA81, that now runs an EA82 under the hood. There's not a lot of performance gain, but if it's all you've got, it will work. What year is your Brat? Do some searches on the board, you can probably find some more detailed info on swapping engines.

Yup. It's there. And in this case, it says not to go over 50. I figure if 50 is safe on a pathfinder, 55 (Which is about as fast as my Sube ever goes) is still well within the safety realm since a Subaru is a much lighter beast. The Subaru these are destined for is primarily a local and trail riding car. This winter it sat around until a snowstorm would come through. Then we'd go out and have a little fun. I wouldn't choose these tires if I used my subaru for road trips, but I think it's the most cost effective option for my circumstances. Yet to be seen though. We'll see what happens when I start driving them.

It should be the same fit. The tail pipe would be the only thing I'd question. If the wagon is longer than the brat, you might need to cut a few inches off. I bolted up a newer EA82 exhaust on my wagon today and it's about the same. You should have no trouble with the 83s. The mounts and everything are probably in the same place.

Not sure about AA's car, but it sounds about right. The weakest part would go first. And the EA engines are enough to bust axles on a lifted car, it would be cake for an STi. Solve the axle and diff troubles though, and I think the trans would die next. I don't know if there's a healthy mix of speed and off roadability out there for those of us on normal budgets. It's apples and oranges. But hey, since when does a Subaru need to prove anything to a Civic (Jeep, Mustang, Ferrari or anything else) anyway? A lifted Subaru is it's own animal. It can make it's own statement by it's existence alone. Rice is boring.

In my case, I'll mostly be using these on light off roading. Dirt roads, branches, puddles, hills and the like. Hopefully not too many rocks. I've been using the dry rotted 195s that were on the peugeot I got the rims from and surprisingly, haven't blown one yet. Here's hoping these Bridgestones hold up well on the same trails. In central PA, the best off roading is all within about 20 miles of my house, so I can afford to only carry a single spare. I can always call a friend to retrieve an extra if I need it. And I've had to walk home before as well. (My Toyota was responsible that time though.) Out of curiousity, what is the norm for a tire?

STi and D/R = Broken D/R Checked all the fusable links? I burned one out on my 83 a few months ago. Had to pull that sucker out in order to see it was fried. Thankfully, they're easy to replace.

Didn't look to see exactly what the years were. Early 90s I think. First generation ones that are most common to the junk yard now. Harry's is a huge U-pull-it, but it shouldn't be hard to piece together a set from a few different yards. I'll just keep gathering these as I find them to get another set for when these wear out. At $11 a tire I can't go wrong.

These say do not exceed 50 mph. My wagon barely goes above 55 on a highway and rarely sees highway use. I figure if it's safe to drive a pathfinder at 50, a much lighter subaru will have no trouble at 55. It's primarily an off road/trail driver for all the hills and trails around here.

Yep. Although I plan on putting 4 of them on my 15 inch pugs. The 5th rim I'll redrill so it can fit the 4 lug as a spare.

As it turned out, I didn't even have to mix anything. I didn't even get past the trucks before I found these. Nissan Pathfinders had 215/75/15s for their spare size. None of these spares have seen any use. I got 5 new tires for $55!!! Had to wander around quite a bit to find 5 pathfinders that still had an unused spare, but it was worth it. Nice deep off road tread. Can't have asked for better. Also something to consider for anyone else after tires like this.

For those of us on a budget. (And who among us isn't?) I found some great stuff in the junk yard today. The spare tires that came on the Nissan Pathfinders are size 215/75/15 and have a very nice off road tread pattern. I think the standard is 235/75/15. Spare tires rarely get use so I picked up 4 new (Still have the little rubber hairs) off the back spare tire holders of some Pathfinders in the Hazleton Harrys this afternoon. Plus a new TOYO tire (Same size but more of a road tire tread) off another Pathfinder for a spare. grand total of $55. for 5 brand spanking new off roaders for my GL. Now, I wait only for the cash for a lift. Anyone else who's after some cheap new wheels, keep an eye on the Pathfinders. It's about a 27 1/2 inch tire. :banana:

Yep. Harry's is the destination. Thanks for the tip!

Tomorrow I'll be heading to the J/Y hoping for some good tires for my 83GL. I know it's a really bad idea to use different size tires on a 4WD. Is it then also a bad idea to use different makes of tire? Or am I okay with a mixed set as long as their all the same size? I'm shooting for 215/75/15s to match a spare I have.