TROGDOR!

Has anyone ever owned a nonturbo auto with a 3.7 final drive? I've owned two that had a 3.9 ratio (one was an 88 GL, the other a 92 Loyale), and have seen probably 50 more in junkyards. When I first got the Loyale I put an auto trans from an 86 GL wagon in it, and surprise, it also had a 3.9 final drive. I pulled another one for a friend out of an 87 GL wagon- it was also 3.9. I've never seen nor heard of a nonturbo 3.7, except in an XT. Maybe we need to have the 4WD auto owners on the board look at their rear diffs so we can figure out which ratio they really are.

It's always best to run all four tires as the same brand, size, and tread wear. Though you'll get along fine running two pairs of tires front and rear, IF they are the same size and have about the same amount of tread left. Do not engage 4WD on pavement if you're running like this. Really wouldn't recommend running anything different than one set of four or two pairs, it can have some funky traction effects and prematurely wear out an LSD.

Nobody mentioned exactly where to find 4.11 gears. First of all, all autos were NOT 3.7!!! At least for the EA82-type cars, all nonturbos were 3.9 and all turbos were 3.7- this includes manual AND automatic. Except for the XT's- all 4cyl XT's are 3.7. I've owned a couple autos that were 3.9 and have seen dozens in the junkyard that are 3.9 as well- I even went from 3 speed AT to 5 speed Dual Range and the gear ratios from the factory rear diff matched up perfectly. As for the 4.11 gears (besides the gen1 Brat single range)- all 1990-91 nonturbo Legacys came with 4.11 gears, and all 1992-94 nonturbo manual trans Legacys also had the 4.11's. Newer gen Legacys may use them as well. The rear diff from an early gen Legacy is a direct bolt-in to an older gen Subaru. If you had a junk 4.11 Legacy trans to tear apart, the gears would be worth looking at to see if they'll fit the EA8x front differential. Most likely they won't but if you had the parts laying around, it's worth a look.

Good to know everything was such a simple fix. I was pretty upset that the car was giving you so much trouble- I really hate it when something I sell doesn't live up to my personal standards.

The passenger side crossmember is right next to two holes in the trans- the governor gear and the modulator valve. You'd have to have some pretty massive transmission damage for the governor to be spewing fluid. But- when a modulator valve fails, it can release transmission fluid. Usually this fluid gets sucked into the engine via the modulator's vacuum line. If your modulator is bad AND your vacuum line has slipped off, this could explain the fluid coming out. As for the slipping- a transmission is a hydraulic system. A massive fluid leak results in a loss of pressure, and a loss of pressure can cause slippage.

Sure did Paul. Was going to ask for some insight on that cooling problem. But, it seemed to work itself out in the end.

Unfortunately the ports are too small to serve as beer holders.

The engine should be a carbed EA82, unless the car is an 87.5 model, in which case it's an SPFI EA82. A quick look at the engine will tell you- a bean-shaped air cleaner cover is a carbed engine. A direct drop in would be any nonturbo engine from a 1985-1994 GL,DL,GL-10, or Loyale. If you use a fuel injected engine, swap the intake manifold and use your carb.

Yea, it's a dual range- the one in my signature. Miles Fox and the guys helped me convert it last year.

Oh, those stupid el cheapo hubcaps I used. If I had had some genuine Subaru caps laying around I'd have given you them instead. Not like you'll be using the 13's for long anyway. Glad to know the car made it home, I was really worried about that cooling issue. Guess it was just an air bubble or something. How'd the exhaust hold up? Can't wait to see what kind of things you'll end up doing to this car. Seems like it's going to be quite the beast.

If you're installing an aftermarket stereo you'll need to run new wiring to the rear anyway. Subarus use a common ground setup. You can run two speakers off the factory wiring on an aftermarket stereo, but if you run all four, you'll have sound problems. I'd say just run new wiring to the back doors.

Kingbobdole... how much was one of these one-piece deals, and where can I order one?

My good friend James needs one as well. If two people happen to turn up with one, put us next in line. Need a belt tensioner as well.

Get in touch with thealleyboy, he's in Columbus and is one hell of a Subie doctor.

You just have to check a couple things. First, verify that the car is in fact 4WD. Look at the shifter. If there's a button on top that says 4WD, it's only part time 4WD. If the button says DIFF LOCK (VERY rare), it's full time 4WD. If there is a HI-LO selector, check how many positions it has. 3 positions is part time 4WD. 2 positions with a diff lock switch next to it is full time 4WD. If the shifter has neither of these and the car IS 4WD, it's full time 4WD. Not sure about OZ, but in the US the only cars to have full time 4WD were turbo.

yu0r pic is teh red x I know exactly what fitting you're talking about though. In 1991 Subaru issued a TSB addressing the problem with worn out pcv's allowing oil to dump into the intake on hard corners. The retrofit involved adding in this tee and extra hose. Every Loyale made from 1992-up has it. In theory, you shouldn't have any oil ingestion problems- I never did with my 92.

Big thanks to all the new friends I met through the USMB! And a big "gobble gobble" hey to moosens.

Take the seats and carpet to a do it yourself car wash and spray them with the soapy high pressure hose, get them good and soaked till they look clean, then set them in the sun or in front of your furnace or fire. This is how we get upholstry clean at the junkyard, and it takes a LOT more mold than what you have to not get it clean this way. The only stuff I haven't seen come clean was actually green and had moss growing on it. No musty smell or aftereffects either, provided you get it dry within 2 days.

To answer your question- there's a HUGE difference between the manual and automatic. By 91 the 3-speed was the only auto offered. Expect very sluggish acceleration as you now have 3 gears covering your speed instead of 5. Expect it to run at 4000rpm at highway speed. Expect very poor hill climing performance on the interstate. Expect a noticeable drop in gas mileage. I'd recommend dumping the automatic and converting the car to manual. It's not all THAT hard, and when I did the same job in my 92 Loyale it gave the car a whole different demeanor.

This probably will be different on a 4speed... but... When I did the job on the 3-speed, there was a black and white and a black and yellow wire on the harness going into the shifter. Spliced the two together and voila, started every time.

I think the coupe seats are narrower. The cargo cover, which goes right behind them, definitely is.

The adjustable spring helpers are no good in the front. I tried using them. They don't leave enough clearance for the strut to turn with the wheels and knock on the inner fenders. This pushes them both to the outside of the strut, making the spring look like it's hanging really weird, probably isnt good for the spring at all.

Autozone, Advance, whatever sells rubber donuts that you can put in between the coils. Same idea really.

All XT 4 cyl's are 3.7.

The two thickest wires on the bundle plugged into the shifter- black and white and black and yellow I believe- connect them together and the car will fire right up when you turn the key, as if it was in park.