NorthWet

Free over-reving tends to be limited by valve float, which puts nasty loads on the valve train, depending on what part is provoking the float. Bent push rods can result, as can valve spring damage and fatigue (valve springs tend to surge at high RPM).

Might help to define what you mean by "backfire", as it is commonly used for 2 different events. Is it making a loud noise in the exhaust system, or is the noise in the intake system?

In the '60's, it was referred to as an "Italian Tune-up"... Ferraris, Maseratis, et al, would tend to foul their plugs loafing around in city traffic, so the owners would take them for a right good romp on the highway. If this is a solid lifter EA81, you might want to recheck the valve clearances.

IMHO, the 2 most likely causes are a broken timing belt or the screw that holds on your distributor's rotor fell off. Does your engine show any signs of trying to start? does the cranking sound odd (not a steady turning-over sound)? Pull the distributor cap (check for obvious damage to it and the rotor), and then try to turn the rotor by hand: If it turns, you have lost the set screw that goes through the side of the rotor. If it doesn't, either ground-out the coil lead to the distributor, or (better yet) unplug the distributor from the harness; then, crank the engine and see of the rotor turns. If it does not turn you have broken the t-belt on that side.

Updating to the newer EJ-series engines is a major undertaking. The engine control system is different, so fairly major wiring modifications are needed. Although it should be possible to bolt an EJ22 to your "3AT" transmission, it would require an adapter plate (as it would for any pre-EJ-series transmission). Lots of other little fiddly bits to do. Could upgrade to the 4-speed electronically controlled automatic ("4EAT") that fits the EJ22, but that requires more mods. Or, change over to a manual transmission FWD or 4WD, with even more mods. Not for the faint of heart, or someone not severely emotionally invested in our car cult.

By the way, since the car is new to you (maintenance history unknown/uncertain), and since you are having what might be fuel delivery problems, replacing the fuel filter would be something worth considering. US$10-20, but you would know that was not an issue for many miles to come.

Does your check engine light come on at any time... including with the rest of the warning lights when starting the engine?

Oops!!! I hate it when this happens. Edited my post to reflect my error. Thanks!

:Edit: Missed an important part of the post. My response is irrelevant for electronic ignitions. Thanks, Mikelada! :endEdit Not quite accurate. You do need one, but it should be one that is matched to your coil. Otherwise, excessive points burning will occur due to flyback high-voltage from the primary windings trying to discharge across the gap as the points open. It does not need to be a exact match, but it should be.

The rhythmic fuel pump would have pointed at the car having "diagnostic connectors" connected, which cycles the fuel pump on and off every 5 seconds or so. (People see the connectors and assume that they need to always be connected...) Does not sound like that is the case. Problems only on sweeping right handers points to a specific issue with the PCV system; again, does not seem to be your issue. These Subaru engines, in general, are pretty tough. The biggest weakness of the EA82 engine in your Loyale is overheating due to hose breakage or marginal cooling system performance. (The radiators tend to get/be plugged up.) Overheating tends to cause the decades-old headgaskets to give up. The other common issue is the timing belt system, where you have belts of unknown age/mileage, and rollers/idlers that tend to seize. It is a non-interference engine, which means that if the t-belt does break no damage will occur to the valves or pistons.

First off, welcome to USMB! It would be useful to know what year and body style you have. (Edit: OOPS! Just reread Title. :endEdit) I don't have a good suggestion on the dash lighting, unless something is a little squirrley in the light dimmer control. Does your fuel pump makes its noise rhythmically, as in noise ofr 2-3 seconds, quiet for 2-3 seconds? Or is it a little more random? Is the "going around curves" issue exclusively right handers, especially sweeping right hand curves? As long as your engine is in reasonably good shape, it will run at 80-85mph all day without issues. It is a very short stroke engine, so the piston isn't moving nearly as far or as fast as other engines running much lower rpms. 3000-3500rpm is normal cruise for your engine. With the 3-speed auto, the best thing you can do for the tranny is keep the fluid clean and cool. Weird automatic shifting will occur as the fluid degrades and gets dirty. Do you have manual or electric windows? Regardless, the glass is tensioned with rollers and/or felt pads that get grit in them. They are accessible by popping off the trim outside and the door panel inside.

Let's see if I can add a picture... Edit: Well, apparently I have no clue how to do this on the new software. Too bad, 'cuz I had a pretty decent pic of an 85 EA82T flap meter. The EA85's on first blush looks rather complicated, with multiple resistance paths. I think if I stare at it long enough it will makes sense. Anyway, the common thing to do with this style of resistance-film/wiper arrangement seems to be to shift the contact tracks so the wiper's contacts are tracing over un-gouged film surface. A way to go about that on the EA82 version would be to put a slight chicane/s-curve in the wiper arm, drawing the contacts closer to the wiper pivot. Alternately, you could elongate the resistance board's mounting holes to allow some fore/aft adjustment. While helping a friend resolve a Volvo TPS issue, I looked into repairing the film, and it is a bit of a pain. The common practice seems to be to add a particular type of graphite into a binder (can't remember offhand what they used, but it was common), and experiment with different ratios of graphite-to-binder until you got the proper resistance per unit-length.

And, regarding how to test the motor out of the car, just connect power to one terminal and ground to the other. If the pos and neg are reversed from normal, the motor will just (try to) spin backward.

Generally, people seem to favor a Weber 32/36 DG-series (I can't remember/find quickly the proper one). Redline offers a kit, and there is a lot of info about them on USMB. A li=nk to start you: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/71510-ideas-on-swaping-a-weber-carb-on-ea82´s/

If I remember, I will look at an EA82 flap-style and see what the innards look like. (I assume that they are probably close in construction.) If you have opened up one of yours, a posted picture of the resistance-surface/wiper might be useful.

Another possibility is plain old wear. I have had 2 blower motors that had the copper commutator segments seriously worn down, the carbon brushes nearly worn out, and carbon and copper dust everywhere. It is fairly easy to disassemble and check, as only 2 screws and some tape hold the motor's end cap on.

That is probably the Ford transfer pump that is commonly recommended as a replacement. Plenty of flow and pressure, just much cheaper than original.

Are you trying to set the t-belt or the distributor? For the t-belt, you set the flywheel to the middle of the III hash marks; only one set of hashmarks, no way to confuse. Put on the rearward of the 2 t-belts, and tension it, Turn the crankshaft 360 degrees until the III hash marks appear again, and install the forward of the 2 t-belts, and tension it. Rotate the engine and recheck the alignment: Do not be surprised if you are off a tooth on one or both sides. If you are off, just repeat the alignment procedure until it is right. If you are talking distributor, then you want the flywheel III hashmarks to line up, and the dot on the Distributor side cam sprocket to be up at 12-o'clock position; if not, rotate that crankshaft 360 degrees until it is up. Then, continue rotating the crank/flywheel until you see the TDC timing marks and align that to 0 (TDC). Follow MilesFox's instructions and things should be fine.

Unless you have a cheap source of good coils, I would suggest not assuming a bad coil. Realistically, they do not go bad very often. Much more likely are the plug wires, distributor cap, rotor, grounding of the coil bracket, and ignitor.

Not a realistic option when you need to check the oil level during pre-flight checks.

Most impressive! Check the output splines for damage from that flailing u-joint cross. It also looks like a mounting bracket (for the exhaust?) below the crossmember took a beating.

When you replaced the spark plugs, did you replace at least the plug wires? I have seen lots of bizarre issues as wires go bad. I would not expect this to be a fuel pump or filter problem, which usually would worsen with increased throttle. Other possibilities are ignition timing, O2 sensor, and coolant temperature sensor (CTS; their wiring/connectors tend to corrode). Plus other, less likely sensors and injector(s). Timing on fuel-injected EA82s need to be set/checked with green diagnostic plugs connected; don't forget to disconnect them afterwards. The O2 sensor can be bypassed by disconnecting the sensor: This will put the ECU into open-loop mode, which uses "conservative" (generally richer A/F) fuel mapping. Timing belts generally don't give any warning about needing replacement. The tensioners can slacken and allow some sloppiness in the valve timing or a belt to skip a tooth, but idle is generally worsened by stuff like this. My bet is ignition related. Part-throttle usually is set to run leaner than other running conditions, and leaner mixtures are harder to ignite.

+1 USMB member/Staff ShawnW is probably your best source for accurate information on this. Send him a PM, or he also has a website where you can send him an email: www.retroroo.com.

The fuel filter is fairly straightforward. It should be mounted in the engine compartment behind the left-front strut tower. Should be a black or silver can with 2 large-ish fuel lines attached. The fuel system is pressurized, so either depressurize it (pull fuel pump fuse and crank the engine for a few seconds), or be prepared for a small gout (2-3 ounces) of fuel when you pull a line loose. The fuel lines can be stubborn. Replacement cost should be $10-15 or so. Please remember, this is only a first guess without any more info.

Generally, this is good advice to follow. Practically, if the engine is idling, then the chance of overvoltage damage is not overly great. (Though, on my late 80's cars, it can freak out electronics: My wipers will start to run on their own...) It is a quick and dirty test, but I would avoid it.