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Wheelgunner

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Posts posted by Wheelgunner

  1. Someone had posted a question about towing with a Subaru wagon (something I am currently interested in) on a mailing list I subscribe to. I have posted the question and response below. Can anyone help me to understand the respondant's answer? I am very confused by how the intake design and the EGR affect engine performance when towing. It sounds like the engine retards timing when under load. I have read the response several times, but I'm just getting more confused. Anyone who can clarify this is my hero. Thanks.

     

    **********

    Re: towing with my 1986 GL wagon

    Posted by: "bargd73" *********73@verizon.net bargd73

    Wed Oct 3, 2007 1:30 pm (PST)

    --- In subaru_18@yahoogrou ps.com, "elfdowney" wrote:

    >

    > hi all...

    > anyone know the SAFE towing capacity for my 1986 GL Wagon(FWD, N/A,

    > manuel trans)?

    > anything I would need to beef-up to tow a #2000 trailer?

    > thanx-in advance

    > elf

    >

     

    I did find a bolt on hitch for that model.. I was going to use one

    for light duty. Not for longer trips because of the restrictions

    subaru built in to the ea engine, but if to change a few things...

    The n/a intake is insane. Can't keep it cool enough (and that means

    it is working the way subaru intended). The more load the engine, the

    more the air cool for the engine is hot before it gets there! It is a

    built in engine retarder. (No wonder they go twenty years).So that

    means when putting too much on the old buggy, when it is needed most,

    it retards itself. This is AFTER removing the even crazier EGR

    valve.The fuel pump: if it is carbed is too small for longevity in

    towing many miles. The spfi has that crazy hot maf, but there is ways

    out of that and it has a decent fuel pump. I got an spfi intake cool

    enough for the fuel return line to actually be used(that was a good

    sign). But again, the engine retarded itself with the crazy intake

    design, until I did my tricks to a lightweight hardly strained 2wd.

    That was a fun car and made the ea82 very nice and quietly powerful

    enough- just couldn't do heavy things with it.

    There is mpfi heads for n/a, but there is something not strong with

    the head itself. even Subaru replaces the casting entirely and does

    not rebuild them I am assuming for this weak flawed reason, es

    pecially with turbos.

    BUT... and this is what I have always wanted to do, not just for

    towing, but 10% grades for *miles* and loving it..

    mpfi on a 9.0:1 simply in a wagon body. The XT was always fun and

    no complaints with power with this setup by OEM, except for the ECU

    and its functions being stupid ALot. So... return the mpfi heads to

    carb cams, side draft a hacked carb on a spider intake, or a carb on

    the mpfi double runner (weber) and go with it for all its worth. Or

    find a way to hack the single runner intakes to get that godforsaken

    insanely hot fluid out of the darn fuel/air path. Thinking of extra

    cooling will not work. It will throw off a thermostat to the pint of

    no open, and there you have it, the retarder of heat at you again (I

    would not know how to balance that out after say a bigger radiator) I

    am sure a 180 degree from an ea81 with a clean rad would helpo, but

    you will encounter the infamous restriction- it seems to be

    hopelessly built in, unless you want to hack with ingenuity.

    I have thoroughly thought about this, and that is the answers. It is

    a fantastically genioused econo engine, to heavy duty it would

    require hacking. Intake seems to be the very very obvious problem.

    Raising lift on cams is simple without changing them etc etc. That

    darn intake has baffled me forever(pun intended).

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