Nug

YOu can perform an accurate leakdown test with the engine out of the car. Of course, you would need a leakdown tester. You can get them for $30 off of ebay. You'd need an air compressor, too.

If putting a couple of squirts of oil in the weak cylinders raises the compression, then it would be rings. If not, it could be valves/head gasket/something else.

You're talking about an ignition coil, right? Plug and pray. There was a bit of discussion on here about adding a ballast resistor, but i'm not sure it led to anything. *Edit* one of many... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=37041

Mikeshoup won. See the other thread for details.

According to http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=74594, Mikeshoup wins. Gimmee your email addy so I can paypal you $5. Swapped the shaft, torque converter went all the way in.

I'm not sure I want to crack open the case, unless I'm assured it's a walk in the park.

The only surviving sticker says 437717. See http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=74061 for more clues.

The torque converter for the EA81 is the wrong one. I didn't think there was a difference in the transmissions, but there is. To be fair, I don't know if the trans in the '86 was original. This is the old transmission. See the difference? I'm trying to find the torque converter for the second one. The problem is that I don't know exactly what the second one is, because all sources indicate that I already have the correct converter.

You know you won when I slide the torque converter onto the transmission and I don't kick it out of habit. Or If you get a PM from me asking for an email address to send funds to. Multiple (educated) guesses are encouraged. Of course, at this point, I'm not even sure if the transmission that came out of this '86 car is original. Which makes it much more difficult.

That's not it.

Whoever gets me the right answer first wins $5 via paypal. Get the VIN # off of your 1986 carburated EA82 car with a 3AT with pushbutton 4wd and call Auburn Subaru or your local subaru dealer and get me the part # of the torque converter. No 1986 carburated EA82 car with pushbutton 4wd 3AT? Sorry. Or if you have a factory parts book, that will be acceptable also, I suppose. Go!

This torque converter won't work, no matter what. It's snout is long enough to engage the seal, but not the bushing inside. Damn.

Yep, it's decided to fight me. There IS a difference in transmissions. I don't know if it's because ea81=/ea82, or if it's a year thing. Anyway, I didn't feel like I was getting the new torque converter all the way on the splines. The converter looked like it was sticking out too far. Further inspection revealed the problem. There are three shafts sticking out of the front of the transmission. The large outer shaft, which is fixed and doesn't rotate, is at least 1/2 inch longer on the newer transmission. The torque converter goes on all the way, but sticks out too far on the front. After throwing some rags around, I realized that I had an EA82 flexplate still attached to an engine. After some measuring, I learned that the ea81 and ea82 flexplates have a height difference of about 1/2 inch. In other words, if the crankshaft mounting holes and the converter holes are the same, everything would bolt up. My concern at this point is whether or not the converter snout engages the front seal enough to prevent leaks. Any suggestions? Does anyone have a converter out of an ea82 car so they can measure the snout length?

I'm going to try a different avenue. Something that isn't on the shelf yet, but has existed for a couple of years. It has extremely good durability and is very, very resistant to shudder. Dextron VI (thats 6. Dextron 6. Sweet.) I can't tell you were I'm getting it or who designed it, though. :-p

Problem solved. Found Subaru part number (obsolete, no big suprise there). Found aftermarket supplier. Cross referenced. Someone's gonna order it for me tomorrow. Thanks for everyones help.

This clears it up. I wasn't sure if the 3AT had differences depending on which engine it was bolted to. If they are identical, then I'll just get another T/C for the '84 EA81 car. I'm not much on reusing the old one. I think the car had a shudder problem anyway which I suspected the T/C.

I'll measure it when I get home. Screwing around on Autozone's website led me to believe that the carb models get one type, and the F.I. and turbo models get another.

I'm not replacing the torque converter. I'm swapping the whole transmission, and need a torque converter for an EA82 transmission. I'm going on the assumption that the flexplate/TC bolt patterns are the same.

Throw in a fresh air filter. Pump up tires. Don't drive like you are in a high speed chase.

+1 for Kumhos. Cheap, yet good handling an good life.

Hi all, My dad has a '84? 4-door coupe, ea81, pushbutton 4wd automatic. The trans has started to not shift into reverse. I got a transmission from GravelRX. It was out of an '86 3 door. It had a carbed EA82. It's also a pushbutton 4wd auto. The engine in the donor car was locked up, so I couldn't remove the torque converter. (I guess I could have removed the flexplate, but hindsight is 20/20.) I told him to get a torque converter for an '86, he calls me back and says that the Subaru dealership told him that there were eight different ones. Help me find the correct torque converter! Subaru wants $500 for a converter, which is more than the car is worth. If I can get a part number, then I can search the aftermarket and get one for maybe $150. The Subaru dealership wanted the VIN, but the parts car is long gone, and that information is no longer available.

Let's say money is no object. Amsoil is winning right now. How many quarts does a 3AT hold, assuming the torque converter is empty?

Will everyone in this thread get warning points simply for posting in it? Oops...

No, I'm putting another transmission in my dad's car, and I'm just wondering if there is a brand that most people recommend.

Anyone have a brand of Dextron ATF that they have had luck with in a 3AT? Let me know.