subeman90

This writeup is from one of our members Andyjo. This writeup was done while he was working on his Impreza Outback. I believe you can do this mod to any 4EAT transmission (4 speed electronic automatic) but there could be some minor differences...that being said...Enjoy! So here goes, the first task was to find the damn wire. I did it on my Impreza (obs), the two connections spoken of are located below the airbox, and a pain to get to. There are two connectors down there, the one we're looking for was the one in the front/drivers side (it's sort of at an angle), i used a screw driver to pop the connector off the frame and have better access to it. Then i figured out the orientation and tested pin 4 and 11, and bingo! 13ohms! pin 4 is GROUND, 11 is the solenoid. I figured out which wire was which i ran up to radio shack, and grabbed a switch, came back and dropped the wire bundle down under the car (car on ramps), there's alot more room to work down there than there is in the engine compartment. My soleniod wire (pin 11) was brown, i chopped it, and spliced 2 wires to those segments and ran that up into the car where i wired the switch up. I got a the wrong switch, but it still worked, i got a STDP (single throw, double pole), center off (oops). I wired that sucker up and gave it a go. If you start the car in 4wd mode the 'AT OIL TEMP' light will flash at you alot, so don't do that. And here are the pics! Passenger side looking at wires Drivers side, the wires The Pins Ohmage of pins 4 and 11 Splice into those wires Cover up those exposed wires mount that switch right up somewhere...

This writeup is from one of our members Andyjo. This writeup was done while he was working on his Impreza Outback. I believe you can do this mod to any 4EAT transmission (4 speed electronic automatic) but there could be some minor differences...that being said...Enjoy! So here goes, the first task was to find the damn wire. I did it on my Impreza (obs), the two connections spoken of are located below the airbox, and a pain to get to. There are two connectors down there, the one we're looking for was the one in the front/drivers side (it's sort of at an angle), i used a screw driver to pop the connector off the frame and have better access to it. Then i figured out the orientation and tested pin 4 and 11, and bingo! 13ohms! pin 4 is GROUND, 11 is the solenoid. I figured out which wire was which i ran up to radio shack, and grabbed a switch, came back and dropped the wire bundle down under the car (car on ramps), there's alot more room to work down there than there is in the engine compartment. My soleniod wire (pin 11) was brown, i chopped it, and spliced 2 wires to those segments and ran that up into the car where i wired the switch up. I got a the wrong switch, but it still worked, i got a STDP (single throw, double pole), center off (oops). I wired that sucker up and gave it a go. If you start the car in 4wd mode the 'AT OIL TEMP' light will flash at you alot, so don't do that. And here are the pics! Passenger side looking at wires Drivers side, the wires The Pins Ohmage of pins 4 and 11 Splice into those wires Cover up those exposed wires mount that switch right up somewhere...

you put all those new parts on it and didn't spent the extra $6 on a new rad. cap???? shame shame shame... :-\ Go buy a cap and tell us what happens.... Welcome too by the way....

Very nice van you have there.... and the motor looks pretty clean too.

Caps are cheap..... start there.

EBAY!!!!!! I made a killing when I parted out my vanagon. Sell every light out of it (tail light corner lights etc.) and the door handles and mirrors. Anything I could rip out of mine in 10 min. I sold on ebay and $$$$$$$$$$$$$

when I had my 02 OB I broke one offroading and went to buy a new one. I got the new one and I couldn't get it to go back on right so I took the other one off and sold them both on ebay. So if anyone in the Lehigh valley area (PA) sees an 02 OB (blue) without fog guards....tell the new owner.... sorry

I would have thought bucky was a girl....you know tempermental and all.

SteelyDel Brush Guards History.... As many of you know accessories for 80's model Subaru's are pretty much nonexistent or its search for a junkyard one (if they even ever made one before.) Brushguards were a dealer available accessory for the 80-94 Style Subaru's. They didn't sell all that well from what I have found. A few different ones were available but they were very heavy and very expensive new. If you find one in a junkyard today it will likely be a rusty hulk but if you sandblast it and paint it you will be happy with the results. Only problem is that you will likely have nearly the amount of $ a new SteelyDel guard costs invested and you will have a lot of work and time invested as well. A Subaru and VW nut from California named Rodel created the first brush guard and mounted it on his vehicle. (See prototype page on Ultimate Subaru Website here)He created a jig and made a few at a time for persons like himself that loved their Subaru's and wanted to give it a distinct look. The guard has a definite factory look when properly cleaned, prepped and well painted or preferably power coated (electrostatic coating). I recommend you read about powder coating/electrostatic coating on the internet prior to making a decision to paint. USRM topic here as well: Powdercoating Rodel found the creation of the guards to be time consuming and the number of interested parties at the time he shut down was very much dwindling. He made a final run, a last call of sorts and made between 5-7 more and then quit. He then offered the jig up to the USMB members in hopes that somebody would take over making them for the Subaru community. Living in Southern California where there are very few Subaru enthusiasts that can weld, the guard jig sat for many months. Then a few people offered to go after the jig, and I being nuts and wanting to pick up some other Subaru parts in California made the 2000 mile trip to California from Iowa and picked up the jig (and a topper and set of color matched brat doors I had wanted). Now the jig and manufacture of the guards is being done in Colorado by a professional with 40 years experience. If you are interested in owning one please email ShawnW@ultimatesubaru.org.

Using Center Light W/O Relay Written by Wagon78 from the USMB. You can make a working centerlight with a DPDT switch if you don't have the "official" relay, switch and harness. I got a 10A DPDT switch at Radio Shack that works fine. The wires below are what come from the center light braket assembly. Connect to the switch as listed below: Black - Lamp (-). Connect to chassis/Batt (-). Red - Lamp (+). Connect to Pole#2A on DPDT Switch. Black/Red Stripe - Door Motor Power. Connect to +12V Green/Red Stripe - Connect to Pole#1 common on DPDT Switch. Green/White Stripe - Connect to Pole#1A on DPDT switch. Green - Connect to Pole#1B on DPDT switch. You also have to connect +12V to the Pole#2 common on the DPDT switch. There are some slip rings inside the motor unit that provide power to the door raise/lower motor. Gaps on the slip rings are what stop the motor when the door is open or closed. If the door opens when it should close or vice-versa, swap the green/wh and green wires. Editors Note: DPDT means double pole double throw. Radio Shack is an electronics store that is in many parts of the USA in malls.

Tire Pressures Recommended tire pressures can be found by opening the drivers door and look on the frame of the vehicle near the door latch either on the body of the car or on the door. It should show a front and a rear pressure.

Spare Tire Upgrading Compact or Temporary Sized Spare tires are annoying. They drive weird, look weird, are heavy, cant exceed 55mph, and make the car drive funny. Solution: Replace it with a full sized tire. These can be had quite cheap. Just go the the junkyard, and find a steel wheel off virtually any 4 lug Subaru. Preferably one that is similar to the other 4 on your car. A wagon wheel works good with the hold down clamp. The alloy wheels don't work wit the clamp but a full size tire wont have any room to move anyways. Try to find a wheel that has a good tire with good rubber and the same tire series like 185 70 R 13 for instance, as an added bonus. The only problem is what to do with the temporary tire. Id say give it to the junkyard, and maybe get some money off your new wheel? I just stuck mine in my wagon that I never drive anymore.

Wheel and Tire Upgrades for 4 Bolt setups. A FAQ on the Ultimate Subaru Message Board. A great website made by USMB board member McBrat is here. It will be referred to as the wheel page in this page. Mick has put a great deal of time/effort into this page and his services to the "subaru community" have always been excellent! Subaru uses a 4x140 mm bolt pattern. This pattern is exclusive to only Subaru's and the Peugeot 504 and 505. Subaru never made a wheel larger than 13" (at least that was imported to the USA) in this bolt pattern. There are many 13" alloys that are Genuine Subaru available, see Mick's page for images of them. As a rule wheels that are older than your model car will probably not work without altering/grinding the calipers. See this photo made by McBrat for info. Jackman wheels are wheels like the wagon wheels but the spokes go straight out toward the tire instead of making a bend. Jackman was the manufacturer if you are wondering about the name. Jackman wheels have a J stamped into one of the spokes. Choices on wheels are as follows. Peugeot wheels or wheels that can be imported from Australia such as the ones made by Scorpion Automotive. Beware of sticker shock though, as the Scorpion wheels are around $150 each and are heavy to ship as well. $600 without any tires is in many cases not worth it to owners of Older Subaru's. Peugeot made models designated as the 504 and 505. Wheels from a 504 are typically not prefered because they require the use of special washers that are placed onto the wheel stud before the lug nut after the wheel is on the hub. This leaves very little stud left to put the lug nut onto. 504 wheels typically require special balancing machines once tires are made and many have found the ballancing machines hard to find in shops. 505 wheels are available in steel and alloy. Alloys are less preferred if you plan to do any 4wheeling but can make a good look on a street machine with lower profile tires. The steels are quite popular among members of the Hatch Patrol a west coast group of Subaru 4wheeling guys. Check out their site when you can! Lots of great pics of older Subaru's doing their thing in the great outdoors, as well as alot of great pics of the final product of the wheel upgrade. This page is a work in progress and anybody that wants to add info please feel free to email me.

Nonfunctional Heater Fan Speeds Non functional heater fan speeds are normally caused by a burned open resistor block. This block is mounted in the duct work ( for cooling purposes as the device does get quite hot.) This duct is behind the glove box and can be accessed from below after removing the plastic panel. The block will have four or five wires going to it. Submitted by Holigans Likeus

e-mail Shawn Subaru EA81 Heater Core Swap Okay, here it is. With inspiration from SubySwamper assuring me that it could be done..... 1. Remove panel on left side under the dash 2. Remove the defroster duct from the left side of the console 3. Remove the heater control valve 4. Move any wires out of the way if you have any hanging 5. Cut out a side access hole around the heater core. Because of the cramped area, and thickness of the plastic, following SubySwampers lead, I used a soldering iron to perforate the plastic around the core. 6. The plastic is "rounded over the edge of the core, so you will have to make sure to get the "cut" as far back as possible to allow room for the core to come out. 7. Remove computer so core has a spot to pull out into. 8. Remove core by pulling out from the side. 9. If the core will not come out, see #6 above. 10. Core still will not come out, you may have to remove the top edge of the opening for the defroster duct (like I did) 11. Core is removed... here is the rough opening... ...and after a little clean-up.... 12. Here's the comparison of the 2 cores. you will notice that the new core is all aluminum, and thinner which makes it easier to get in... 13. Here's the new core with the new foam installed around it... (you may need to trim up some around the end opposite the pipes to ensure a good fit back into the hole... 14. Here's the new control valve (dealer only)... 15. Always test fit to make sure everything lines up (there's a reason there is 3 pics ) 16. And the final pics of the install... And this is done to avoid this... plus a whole lot more mess of pulling the dash out too...

Troubleshooting A/C Problems Symptoms: Pure clean water dripping into passenger side floor from under dash. Water is condensing onto the underside of the dash area on passenger side. Problem: A/C drain hose may be plugged up. Solution: Find short rubber drain hose coming out of the firewall inside the engine compartment on the passenger side. Run a wire coat hanger (or similar device) up into the drain tube to free blockage. Be sure to rotate hanger around good to totally clear tube, so blockage does not re-appear quickly.

Rear Disc Conversion Jerry I thank you for mailing these pictures. Text to follow if somebody can do that it would be great. Email me the info if you can at. watsonshawn@hotmail.com Rear Brake Disc Project Qman Sent these to add, help as well. Thanks Guys! As always you are super helpful.

Replacing rear shocks with ea82 coil-over rear struts I used a 3/16" x 2" flat steel bar to be used between the original shock mounts and the mount for the top of the struts... I used big washers as spacers to move the top of the strut out to make room for movement of the springs. You will also need long metric bolts to account for the spacing..... The coil-overs are a bit longer also, and with the increased "push" down, the outside edge of the tires wear faster.. Below is a drawing of what I did and a pic of the "final product"

Struts in the rear to fix broken Torsion Bar..........Taken and modified from USMB :-) McBrat Moderator 82 Brat GL project.... need to add struts to rear... torsion bars are broken. can't get them out without pulling tube off car, and that doesn't look likely to happen because of rust... someone mentioned before about possibly putting rear struts from a newer 4wd wagon (newer than ea81). any thoughts on how to do this, or any other ideas of what I can do to lift up this current low-rider.... McBrat Moderator Re: 82 Brat GL project.... need to add struts to rear... what about mounting leaf springs on it? scoobydoo Local user Re: 82 Brat GL project.... need to add struts to rear... You would need a solid axle, and the mounts need to bolt somewhere. McBrat Moderator got some rear struts off a 85 4wd wagon. need to fabricate a bracket for the top for the mounting, but looks like it will work. if I try to use one of the existing holes though, the rear of the bat will sit up so high I may not be able to see out the rear mirror ha ha ha... the strut is a few inches taller, and the top mounts are wider... McBrat Moderator (4/27/00 10:44:47 pm) Reply | Edit | Del Re: 82 Brat GL project.... need to add struts to rear... The BRAT LIVES!!!!! The bottom of the differential is 11 inches off the ground, and I think this is within the limits... Anybody know? I ended up getting a 2 inch wide piece of 3/16 thick steel. cut extra long to add another bolt through the bed if I want, but I didn't. drilled 3 holes center one is used to mount the steel bar into the rearward bolt hole from the original shocks. bought metric bolt 1 inch longer than original, and added washers between strut and mount plate (to help keep the springs away from the body), and bolted into forward original shock bolt hole. Then bolted the other side of the strut mount to the third hole in the bar, with spacers in between again. took it out for a test spin. definitely better than the body resting against the trailing arm. Still rides like a lumber wagon (but what old soob doesn't ) The suspension is a little stiff, and I didn't get it away from the body enough, so there are some interesting noises as the springs move now to swap in a different tranny, and maybe get a windshield... When I get a nice day where I'm home when the sun is out I'll take some pics... McBrat Moderator Re: 82 Brat GL project.... need to add struts to rear... you can see the before pic here, under Current Subes, 82 Brat - Black: Here is the new pic: McBrat Moderator (5/1/00 7:35:13 pm) Reply | Edit | Del Re: 82 Brat GL project.... need to add struts to rear... here's what the strut mount looks like: Special thanks to Mick for the great pictures and info, along with thanks from the people that helped him pull this project off.

Legacy Air strut conversion pictures:

Rear Differential Upgrade Subj: upgrade Date: 8/15/00 12:49:15 AM Central Daylight Time From: dawson.krrh@xtra.co.nz (Dawsons) For 81 wagon but will work with any 4wd subaru i think if you drive through deep rivers, ponds or mud holes, it is a good idea to put a breather on your rear diff to stop water aand mud contaminating your diff oil. this is necissary because when your diff heats up due to normal friction, gasses inside it heat up, expand, and are pushed out the seals of the diff. When you go through a river or something, the water cools down the diff and contracts the gasses again, making the diff suck in water through the seals. This is done quite simplyy by droping the diff (very simple to work out how to do if you have a look at it, only 3 bolts). You then can see a plastic cover over a short pipe coming out of the top back of the diff. take this off and replace it with a small "L" shaped plastic bend (from garden shop) and on the end of that, a hose (eg garden) that will reach to your engine well, or any other high place on your car that will not be submerged. the hardest part is routing the pipe in a safe place, you just have to fiddle round with it untill you fing the right way. All this hose does is lett air escape and get in through a route that has less chance of being submerged and therefore will not let water into the diff.

Tip: Protecting Worn Syncros on Manual Transmissions One of the best things we've ever found to add to a manual transmission is actually an engine additive! Reslone, commonly available under that name, practically anywhere. It actually adds a coating to the synchros that will last awhile. Not a cure, but really adds quite a bit of life to the tranny. Original tip by Emily of CCR Inc.

Tip: Shifter Linkage Slop Fix #1: Better results can be gotten by slicing the outer sleeve horizontally from the open end, to just past the hole area, then drilling out the inner rod so that the holes are similar sized, then putting a bolt through and tightening it down and squeezing the outer sleeve to the inner rod. http://www.indysworld.com/80s/general/USRM/mick-usrm/ea81-shifter-fix/EA81ShifterFix.html Above submitted by Hassey

81-84 ea81 Engine and D/R 4WD tranny into an 77 4WD wagon... Submitted by Andrew Bowers I put a 1.8L and a dual range 4 speed in my 1977 DL 4x4. It is not as hard as one might think. The only mods I had to do were as follows: The engine was out of a 1984 GL 2 door sedan (4WD) and the tranny was out of an 84 4x4 wagon. 1) 4WD lever and bracked from original tranny had to be mounted onto newer tranny; bracked must be spaced off of tranny by appx. 1-2MM; I just used 4 washers between the bracket and tranny(one over each bolt hole). I had to cut the bottom part of the center console (where the radio goes) off so that the lever would clear when in 2WD. This was just so I could have the lever in the same place and not have to mount the newer style lever. 1.5) Tranny mounts off the original tranny must be used and bolted on to the new tranny. The bolt holes are there and in the correct place! 2) Harness must be re-wired at the tranny, simply swap wires between the reverse light switch and the 4WD light switch (I haven't done this yet, so my 4WD light comes on when I put it in reverse, and my back-up lights come on when I put it into 4Lo) 3) I had to use the original shift lever, since the JY tranny I got didn't have one. With the original lever, the lever is about 1" farther back in the hole in the floorboards than stock, so the boot doesn't work unless you either glue or screw it in place. 4) I had to use the 1.8L Y-Pipe, since the 1.8L engine is wider than the 1.6L. Yes, I know it has a catalytic converter, but since the car was not originally equipped with one it is legal to remove (cut case open, remove catalyst, weld back shut). This does not QUITE mate up with the rest of the exhaust system (where it comes apart just after the Y) but it does seal. If it doesn't seal for you, just use the whole 1.8L exhaust system, or run dual exhaust. 5) As for the engine, I couldn't use the feedback carburetor that was originally on the 1.8L (Without the computer connected, the duty solenoids are always open, so it gets 20MPG and backfires -- real fun at the gas station!), but the original carb fits the manifold. If you don't want to fuss with this, you can get a 32/36 downdraft Weber kit for about $300-400 [Or get the adaptor plate for $50, the carb from a JY for $30, and spend $30 for the rebuild kit] these atomize the fuel better than the stock carb, plus the larger barrels (32MM pri, 36MM sec vs: 22/27 on the HItachi) will give you more power 6) Clutch cable -- the original clutch cable was too short, but you can easily replace it with a cable from an 80s Subaru. Make sure it is the kind that is held in place with the clamp around the cable, like the original cable. Grab the pedal too, it''ll fit and it's easier than drilling the end of the clutch cable to fit the original pedal. This puts the clutch pedal a bit closer to the brake pedal, but it's not too close. That's about all I can think of, everything else should work fine. I've put several hundred miles on my wagon since the upgrade and it has performed flawlessly. Goes through a foot and a half of snow no problem, handles mud just fine, and yes that low-range is VERY handy! Just needs LSD! (I only say 77 DL since the earlier ones were 1400cc instead of 1600cc, and I don;t know if the engine mounts are different. --Andrew Albany, Oregon