suberfox

I am trying to contact her again....she is not easy to reach.

That's a good point, GD and one that I have practiced over the years. Body and interiors and the underside have always been what I look for in a car first. Mechanical stuff I figure I can fix. On a Subie, however, I just don't know enough yet and the engines/trannies are 20 to 30 years old. The fact that they ARE that old makes your other point more relevant....there could be any number of things lurking even in a seemingly good running engine. The car that I am looking at looks nice but the woman's answer to my question...."how much rust?"......is .... "none that I know of". I doubt that she has ever looked at the underside with the car on a rack. When I asked if it had Dual Range (I'm pretty sure it does) her answer was...."no idea." Pretty scary.

Thanks, once again, for all the help you have given me since I joined up here GD. I appreciate your info. The car I'm looking at is 1000 miles away and owned by a woman. She does not seem to know much about cars and her answers regarding the smoke and other questions are meager at best. I like the looks of the car and am perplexed that it would have engine problems. Rust I can understand and walk away from but engine problems in these are relatively rare and difficult for me to diagnose from 1000 miles away. Seems when I DO find a reasonably priced unit that I'm looking for they are rust buckets or have engine issues. Hence, my question about the availability of a rebuild kit. My biggest problem is that when I find a non rusty car it is always going to be FAR from Wisconsin where I live. I'm a car guy and a bit of a perfectionist so I have a real problem buying a car sight unseen. If the car looks good and the seller builds trust via phone conversations I don't mind rolling the dice on a plane ticket. But that requires that the car is a driver and I can drive it home. Shipping a non runner is a bit more of a gamble that I am, at this point, willing to take. I really want another one of these. I loved the one I had back in the early 80's. I'm just having a problem spending more and gambling more. I guess the answer is spending more for a non-rusty good runner. But, even then, it's always a gamble with a car you have never laid eyes (or hands) on.

Thanks, GD. So, I guess if I find a car that smokes and is basically a non-runner....I should just pass?

OK...I've rebuilt and built engines but never a boxer. Does Subaru offer a rebuild kit for the 1.8 engine? Any GOOD after market kits out there? I know these engines are simple but they are foreign to me....is a good rebuild on these a difficult job? Is it an expensive proposition? I am finding a few cars that I am looking for (81-89) but if they are not rust buckets they have engine issues. Thanks.

Yeah....sorry....I should have said 81-89. My mistake. Yes, I want 4WD, DR. So...I guess I want an EA81 81-89 GL non-turbo stick. I have been struggling with what had what and what years. I think I have it now thanks to you guys.

Thanks for the info so far. What about the dual range? Is it in ALL the 4WD cars between 80-89 or was it an option?

I'm looking for a 80-89 Subie and have a couple questions. How do I tell if it has a 1.6 or a 1.8 engine? Also, were all the 4WD cars during those years Dual Range? Thanks.

Disconnect it forward of the converter and see how it runs ( I don't know what your set up is). Chances are this may be the problem

Sounds like a plugged converter/exhaust.

Did you buy that one with the clutch problem recently, GD? I just was looking at one with that problem but it was sold before I got back to the guy!

Well....I'm not a real fan of wikipedia. I have found many errors in their stuff. Thanks for the info! This is important info for me to have and I have been searching for a good source. Looks like I found one....even though it happens to be called General Disorder! Maybe I'll email the guy with the wagon here in WI and tell him he's full of it!

By the way, GD...I had printed out a section on the Subie EA engines from wikipedia that confused me with the apparent overlap of engines. Apparently, when you said that there was no EA71 engine from 82-89 you must have meant in the hatch? I'm posting the section of the article on the history of Subie engines below so you can see why I was/am confused. Subaru EA engine The EA was used from 1966 until 1994 in most models. It is a basic 2 valve per cylinder design with siamese ports. Subaru EA82 EngineEA52: 977cc OHV, 55 hp@6000 used in the 1966-1971 Subaru 1000 EA61: 1088.8cc OHV, 62 hp@6400 used in the 1970-1972 Subaru FF-1 Star and Subaru G EA62: 1267.5cc OHV, 80 hp@6400 used in the 1971-1972 Subaru G EA63: 1362cc OHV, 58 hp@5200 used in the 1973-1976 Subaru Leone EA71: 1595cc OHV, 67 hp@5200 or 68@4800 used in the 1976-1987 Subaru Leone and 1978-1980 Subaru BRAT EA81: 1781cc OHV, 73 hp@4800 used in the 1980-1984 Subaru Leone and 1981-1993 Subaru BRAT EA81T: 1781cc OHV Turbo, 95@4200 used in the 1983-1984 Subaru Leone and Subaru BRAT EA82: 1791cc SOHC, 84-97 hp used in the Subaru Leone and Subaru XT EA82T: 1791cc SOHC, 115 hp@5200 used in the Subaru Leone and Subaru XT I don't know if the hatch is included in the Leone class??

Yeah....it's nice to not know rust. I lived in California for a few years and was astonished at the old cars driving around as DD's. People thought nothing of driving around in their 30 year old cars. When I came back to Wisconsin I brought a 65 Pontiac Tempest with me that was showroom. CA was full of showroom old cars.

Thank you for that, GD. That is a kind gesture and I appreciate it very much. I see a lot of them out your way but few hatches, of course. Keep your eyes open for me if you would, please. Isn't Portland and Salem a little far North for rust free? I'm not familiar with the PNW. I know that the totally rust free car I was looking at was down toward the CA border.

Thanks again, GD. I asked the guy twice and he said...all I know is that it's a 1.6. Could be an engine swap for some reason. Well....now you see the quandry I'm in. Buy a rust free one here for more money or buy one in Oregon for less but more in the end. I inquired, with only ONE shipper, about shipping here from Klamath Falls...the price was $1250. I'm sure there are those that are cheaper but it sure would be nice to lay hands on the one I may want to buy. Your area is over 2000 miles away. By the way....this wagon is at a dealer so the price would be considerably less with no trade. I had a used car lot and know the ropes. Although, a rust free old Subie brings good money in WI. Not the car that I REALLY want, anyway.

Forgive me, but...what is a STD?? Thanks a LOT, guys, for all the info. Much appreciated. OK...here's a link for an 83 wagon that the seller says is a 1.6 engine... http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/1976555223.html

Thanks, Noah! Is that the engine number or the EA designation? Or both?

Thanks, GD....Yeah, I know what I want but was confused as to the engine overlap years etc. So, as I understand it, any GL hatch 82 through 89 will be a E81? A guy has an 87 I believe it is...maybe an 88...for sale and was telling me that it had more HP than the earlier 80's and hydraulic lifters. That confused me so i wanted to find the location of the engine designation on the car but didn't know where to look.

Yup...you are right, GD. I found one awhile back that I loved. It was toward the CA border in Oregon. I had a friend from the station wagon forum go look at it for me and he took lots of pix. He told me the car just would NOT go. Couldn't get up to speed....LOL...I told him they are dogs but he said, no, this is just not getting up to speed when floored. I took this to mean a plugged converter but there was another problem he told me about. Said it had a growl in the tranny area....like a grinding when under power. Don't know what that was but I passed on the car. Didn't trust it to drive 2250 miles! BUT!!!! I have NEVER seen one of these, now days, as clean and rust free underneath in my life! I was amazed! I swear...It was like NEW! The PNW is sure the place to buy one rust free. AND seems to be the only place they ARE.

I'm looking at 80's hatchbacks and I don't know where the E81 or E82 number would be located so I know what engine is in a particular car. Where is this designation located? Thanks.

Thanks, turbone. I lived up a crazy steep half mile driveway so I bought one. New Years eve around 1983 it was snowing hard and there was about 2 feet on the ground. I had another couple in the back of the hatch and I needed something from the "house on the hill". The other couple couldn't believe I was going to go up that driveway. When I say crazy steep you can believe it. Many people wouldn't come up that drive in the summer! The front of the hatch was actually plowing snow up to the grill. I dropped it into low range and never spun a wheel all the way up. 2 days later that couple went out and bought a new Subie.

Hi everyone! Glad to find this place. I bought a new GL hatchback for myself and a new Brat for my (ex)wife back in 82 or 83...somewhere around there. I loved that hatch! Had 4speed with dual range that would climb trees! I want another one. Having a difficult time finding one that's not a rust bucket. My biggest problem is that I live in Wisconsin and most of the good ones (if available at all) are in the Pacific Northwest. Anything around here, IF you can find one, you can throw a cat through. Anyway....glad to find a Subie forum. While I'm searching for the car I want I will try to learn from all of you as much as I can about which one I should be looking for and ask a lot of dumb questions. I AM a car guy and like Station Wagons. You will find me as silverfox over on the stationwagonforums.com site. But...I want one of those Subie Hatch's again. I love those little doggie go anywhere cars!