methusalah

I curious...anyone have any experience with these cars? Do you think one with 142k miles is worth $5k? I've read on the forum that they don't have the same head problems as the EJ25's. How about a 5 speed swap for them? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks a bunch - key was the non-interference motor...

I know this has been posted 1000 times and yet I have to ask...when did the 2.2l motors change? I suggested a 1996 Subaru Legacy L with a 5 speed to my daughter...about 221k miles. Is 'that' 2.2l, one of the good ones or is it too new?

Thanks Davebugs and to Pooparu for responding. I think I'm one tooth off but it did start and run yet seems kind of rough; I'll check it out tomorrow when I have better light...wish me luck!

Hi, I've read through the many threads and I was wondering if anyone on the list would mind giving me a call to give me a little guidance. I've got everything ready to pull the old belt, marks on cam sprockets lined up with notches, mark on crank pulley lined up with mark above...i don't see any of the marks on the old belt lining up with any of it...i can still see some of them. steve 520.255.1698

Yes replacing all of the idlers etc along with new t-belt, h20 pump, t-stat...the car has around 150k...kinda high but here in AZ nothing is close. I actually picked it up after the PO broke the t-belt...I am hoping and praying the valves are good...we'll see. It was worth it for $750 - new tires and high end alpine head unit plus upgraded speakers alone worth the money. Thanks for the input, it's kinda what I thought but I want to be sure. One question, should I use any rtv with the H2O gasket???

I'm just about ready to put the timing belt and bits back on the 04 Imp...removed the old h2o pump and was gonna install the new one...the new one seems kinda stiff when it spins, I thought it would turn more freely. Any thoughts? I really want to get this running or attempt it by tomorrow at the latest, thanks.

If the alternator is crap - how do I tell them that? They say it's good...tested fine they say...bs!

I believe that the alternator maybe junk...no buddies nearby...I still have the old one and one in my 1989 turbo wagon, also from my 87 hatch and 81 wagon...probably won't work though...grounds are tight but I will clean them up and try that...ugh...

And the gas guage isn't working...I pulled the bits out of the tank and they looked pretty spotless, no rust or corrosion - although I didn't test it...any thoughts on that...if it weren't for all of these little issues the car would be great.

OK - blower motor working again just fine car seems to run fine at idle but the engine is surging/revving up and down a little and when I was driving it back home last night as I came up to stop, I pushed in the clutch and it died...I let the clutch back out and it started up again (of course it was still moving) and it did this several times but didn't always die, a few times the lights dimmed and the engine slowed but then picked back up to idle. My daughter thought it was the act of pushing on the brake pedal that was killing it but I made sure after it happened the first time to just push in the clutch and not brake...HELP??? Any ideas?

I have an 87 White 4wd hatch...no rust. Someone a couple years ago offered me 3500 for it! I didn't take it because it is rare, hard to find in good condition and it's just plain cool - I could check the window sticker I have for it and send you some pics...let me know how I can help. Steve sf5sfg@gmail.com

Will any year of/from an EA81 work?

No, not yet...car is at my daughter's place - I live about 100 miles away...I haven't touched it in about a week...sigh, ugh! Or, did you mean have the head gaskets 'ever' been replaced?

What the heck is a pick up coil??? I know what the coil is but never heard of a pick up coil and why would it be $485.00?!?

New info! I called the dealer and the last time the t-belt etc was done was about 100k miles ago...so maybe time for new belt, h2o pump and the rest...thoughts?

Car overheated on my daughter last week; she had it towed to the house. I'll have to check the records on it again but PO had all service done at dealer, on schedule. I bought the car with around 170k because all of the services and the excellent condition of the car despite the high miles; here in AZ, driving a long ways is routine - it's 150 or so miles between Tucson and Phoenix for example. If I remember correctly the PO had the timing belt stuff done around 160k or so...it may be ready for another belt, h2o pump etc. service...I need to check to see exactly when it was done and what all was repaired/replaced. I'll check the radiator and t-stat like suggested. I'm just a bit concerned about the coolant smell by the driver's side of the motor...might be a small leak somewhere other than the HG's?

No, I didn't try that...I figured since it was putting out heat from the heater that it was working...sounds like I should at least give that a try, huh?

Thanks for the advice...I'll look into all of it or have her check it out. I wish I could just buy up all the rust free older subies for sale here in AZ and bring to everyone who'd want one in the states that deal with rust...worst probs here are paint damage from the sun!

Wagon seems to have some electrical issues. Alt gauge jumps up and down with turn signals, blower motor doesn’t seem to work but was working, tach no longer works after the timing belt was done (not by me); thought the alternator was bad so I replaced it with a ‘new’ one from autoz0n3 and nothing has changed and may actually be worse. Autoz0n3 checked the ‘new’ alternator and said it was fine…my daughter really loves the car but I’m at my wits end with the electrical stuff…anyone that could shed some light would be a great help. Between this car, my other daughter’s 02 OBS overheating and my 81 wagon that has it’s own issues, I’m about ready to dump all of my Subarus (all 8 of them!) All the fuses are good...the thing ran great for a year and then...one gremlin after another! Help, please, anyone...

Also, if anyone knows a trustworthy mechanic in Tucson Arizona - you'd trust them to work on your car, please let me know. I'm not opposed to another subie nut from the list who lives close by helping out as well. thanks everyone...

Here’s all the info and observations: Bled all (as best as I can tell) air out of cooling system; added Subaru coolant conditioner per instructions along with proper coolant/H2O mix. Car runs at normal operating temperature at idle – in the lower part of the middle on the coolant temp gauge in the car, just above the lower line. I Ran it for 30-45 minutes at idle and revved motor to around 3k for 5-10 minutes during the 30 minutes – no change to gauge. No smell or sign of coolant at exhaust. Drove car and about 3 miles in, temp started climbing; around 5 miles it started to cross above the line into the top range, approaching the red. Pulled over, put car in park at let it idle while I watched the gauge; temp returned to the ‘normal’ range just above the lower line on the gauge. Revved motor again with no apparent changes. Started driving again…repeat of above. Ugh. One more time and same results, reached the house and parked it running, temp returned to ‘normal’ again. Left car running, opened the hood and checked radiator overflow – coolant level was near the top. Hoses were hot to touch but not too hot to hold, top of radiator was less hot and top of radiator cap was warmish to the touch. Smelled hot coolant on driver’s side of the motor, nothing on passenger side. No apparent leaks, car underside and driveway were dry. Turned car off, came back after a couple of hours and it was cooled enough to open radiator cap, level appeared normal, coolant overflow tank returned to normal level. My guess is head gasket on the driver’s side…and yet where would the exhaust gasses enter the coolant if the leak is most likely to the outside (my assumption that is what’s causing the overheating)? Lastly, the car has 216+k miles, still runs really well, doesn’t use any oil or leak oil, regularly gets over 27mpg in town (!) and is still in otherwise great shape…help, help, help, please… Do I keep it, pull the heads and do the gaskets or would it be better as someone else’s problem? I’m stuck and unwilling to pay someone else 2-3k to do the work…it’s my college daughter’s only transportation. Also, heat works fine so I'm assuming the t-stat isn't thr problem...

Howdy, I hope you're doing better physically. I'm not sure this will help and I have no 'proof' other than my word but a few years ago (2006) I guy offered to buy my 87 hatch for 3500. I was a bit surprised and then proceeded to search for any similar cars for sale, ugh, not much luck especially in the excellent condition my car is in; if you'd like me to list mine in order to help establish a comparable price, let me know...I don't really want to part with it of course. M