idosubaru

i'm not an exhaust expert but i've put larger exhaust on an XT6 which has a much larger engine (2.7 liter 6 cylinder) and 145 hp stock and i even think 2.5" is too larger for that. i think 2...maybe 2.25" depending what you're after is more than adequate on those. i'd think 2" or 2.25" would be maximum you'd want for normal applications on a 1.8 liter subaru. but again, just talking from experience, i don't know much about exhaust theory. i agree with all the comments on power too. i've done all sorts of things to the 145hp 6 cylinder ER27 engine in the XT6. exhaust, removed A/C pulley, ignition upgrades, intake modifications, new hewgaskets and valve job, perfect compression, play with timing, synthetic fluids...blah blah blah. alot of that stuff adds to reliability or needed replacement anyway, but in the end you don't end up with tons more horsepower. very little difference really, even on a much larger and more powerful engine than the 1.8 liter. old non-turbo subaru's are not power houses by any means. i wouldn't spend too much time on trying to make it powerful. if you really want power, then start planning ahead for a turbo or a complete newer generation swap. read through all the EA82 and even ER27 posts about modifications and you won't see great results. lots of effort and time on little return really. but..there has been lots of awesome work done and i highly recommend reading about it including looking at some good dyno results all through this forum. i highly value these vehicles, but not as powerhouses.

$500 seems stout but if it tests good then so be it. i have a 2.2 i'd sell for half that (wrong coast of course), and there are two 2.2's for sale locally ($225 for both or $150 each) and they include the transmissions! but if you need the engine that often dictates that you'll pay a little more than normal as well. for that much money i'd like to get a compression test on it first. if they can start it, they can compression test it as it doesn't even have to run to do that. great motors so with that mileage if the compression is good that's not a bad price if you need the thing. probably won't find one that you know runs with that low mileage. 1992 is a noninterference engine so if the timing belt has that few of miles on it i'd wait. i'd rather run the engine a bit before spending any more money on this motor.

keep the fluid full, if you're loosing it the motor will eventually run hot. check the floorboard under the carpeting at the passengers side feet well area, all the way up the firewall towards the dash. if it's wet that's almost positively the heater core. check for leaks, follow hoses, look under the car for wet spots or on the ground underneath. let it run and idle in the same spot for 15 minutes and look for leaks underneath. (just don't let it get hot). good luck and have fun

i don't know all the vehicles and options so it would help to know what motor you have. EA81 or EA82? I know GL hatches in 89 had the EA81, but i don't know about the wagon. i would pass on the sealant stuff, probably don't need it. water pump isn't that hard. with the pump and timing belts off you are only a few bolts away from replacing the cam seals, oil pump seals and crank seal. with that done you likely won't need a sealant or conditioner. if it's an EA81 it doesn't have timing belts. if it's an Ea82 it does and im' speaking more about those. find the leaks and address them, rather than using snake-oil. if you can't then that's one thing, but you'll be in for a water pump so lots of seals will be right in front of you begging for replacement! removing the timing belt cover is about the most annoying part of the entire job...the bolts won't come and it's just annoying. i rip mine off. turns it into a 20 minute job! tons of information on the board here about replacing belts, water pump and such. use the search function. when i was looking to replace one of my first EA82 water pumps i searched the forum and found out exactly how to tell which water pump i needed. unfortuntaely i don't recall the details, but it's all right here.

not exactly. depends what he's talking about. you're talking about the axles. subaru's have Ujoints on the driveshaft. they are not greaseable like other Ujoints. they are sealed and "non-replaceable" by most mechanics definitions. if they fail you'll have to install another driveshaft as the ujoints are not replaceable in the typical sense. Rockford makes ujoints to replace the subaru non-replaceable ujoints but it does take some skill to install them. i have a set installed on my driveshaft and they are greaseable. they are also replaceable now. the sealed ones require less maintenance and don't fail as often (but whether that's attributable to the design or usage/type of vehicle is debatable).

heads are usually fine if they aren't abused. i'd be more concerned that coolant/water has sat in the oil, engine bearings, rings and cylinders for an extended period. if the oil/antifreeze looks like it's mixed extensively and it's sat that way for awhile, that would turn me off. i've done a number of head gasket jobs and the only one i ever had to replace was driven for months by just continuously adding coolant like gasoline. the head wasn't completely destroyed, but certainly had visible damage. that being said, buying a used head is no big deal. can't imagine it would be that hard to find one, i have them lying all around my place. remember...he's asking $250, i bet they take $150 or $200. cars that don't run and need this much work often sell very cheap.

in neutral the pump probably isn't circulating any fluid since the torque converter and oil pump shaft wouldn't be spinning. makes sense to me what benebob is seeing. engine does the same thing when the coolant quits circulating (engine turns off). surface temps increase since coolant quits circulating.

those cars are tough, good motor and all. it looks in poor shape, but seeing it in person will help you. need to be very cautious about something needing a water pump. i traded for a car that "needed a water pump", yeah right, it needed headgaskets! i didn't care too much since i've done plenty of headgaskets. that's 208,000 hard miles if any of them are on a mail carrier route. those aren't highway easy engine miles. assuming the diagnosis is correct, the engine was likely overheated. who knows how many times or by how much. if coolant/water got in the oil then the internals of the motor may not be in top shape if it has sat that way for a lengthy time (looks like it has). bearings, cylinders, rings don't like coolant/water sitting in them. it is cheap, but with the condition, rust, dirty engine, the probability that it's been overheated....it's not necessarily a great deal. looks like it's been sitting for quite some time as well which presents it's own issues (coming from a guy who had 10 subaru's on his property!) personally i'd hold out for something around the $500 mark in much better condition if that's the price range yo'ure looking for. i guess down there the market might be worse, but up here i'd think you can find a better deal. you'll likely need $200 or more worth of parts, batteries, tires, water pump, timing belt...and more to get it running anyway. BUT - if they listed it for $250, they'll probably take less! so worth a look for sure!!!

the only tool you'll need is a punch to drive out the roll pin from the axle. very straight forward and simple. i've used allen wrenches before in lieu of any punches. i've heard of people using nails, but be forewarned you don't want anything to get wedged in there either, pound it too hard and it'll be heck to get it out. any store will have a couple dollar punch. i think it's a 3/16" punch you'll need, but double check that. the axle nut is usually 32 mm. funny thing is that i've seen 32 and 36 mm axle nuts on the same exact model subaru's not sure what that's all about.

agree with benebob. highly unlikely you'll reach high temps like he said for just some highway cruising and not many mountain climbs. if you're driving up many hills, don't let the transmission search, in other words shift multiple times up and down while climbing a hill because of the load. just take it easy and you'll be fine.

good information all, thanks!

on the XT6 automatics the stubby shaft that the cv slides over just pulls out by hand. put an axle on it, then yank on the axle and the stubby shaft pops out. i've never done it on a manual, but always assumed it would be set up the same way. has the circlips at the base that hold it in place like i mentioned in your rear differential thread.

not sure what the spindles are? the stubs, stubby shafts that the cv axle slides on? on the transmission they just pop out and pop in, having a circlip at the base to hold them in. why did you remove the rear diff to begin with? seems like something was wrong to make you want to remove it? that info might help too. can you post a picture, i'm not familiar with terminology of the rear diff, but a picture i can probably comment.

there are many different wiring harnesses in a car. you want the engine wiring harness i'm assuming since that's obvious. but which one do you want, the body side or engine side or both? engine wiring harness connects to you guessed it, the engine. then it plugs into the body side wiring harness which runs to the ECU. i have a complete body wiring harness but can't necessarily part with it until i do some checking.

the SVX H6 and the new one are not even close to the same motor. completely different animals, they are worlds apart. the 2.5 is a nice solid motor, in terms of reliability if i were buying or recommending a new Subaru i would definitely get a 2.5 over the H6. the new H6 hasn't been around long enough to see potential issues and such. the 2.5's routinely get to 200,000 miles without issue. it's based off the rock solid 2.2, which is an awesome motor. 2.5 failure is a rare thing with proper maintenance. i'd go with years and many miles of solid reliability over a brand new motor any day. if he's like most americans and isn't going to have the car long...say 5 years and 100,000+ miles then it probably doesn't really matter anyway.

do not plan on the insurance company being "honest" or helping you. you will have to be persistent and on them all the time. what they say is not necessarily the truth. anything they say or promise, get it in writing. they will tell you one thing, but do something else. they will ask you to provide or do things but when you do they still don't do anything. they will string you along at first and act like there's nothing they can do without "proof". after a while if you're persistent they'll change tactics and act like they're doing something but really they're just dragging you along hoping you'll drop it and figuring that without an attorney you don't really mean business. remember, they don't make money but handing out all the claims they can. without an attorney it is a long task but it is possible. stay on them, call them all the time and don't back off. have fun and good luck, gary

yes, i have pictures of an 89 RX in the "Parts for sale" forum of this site. the rear wheels both finally collapsed such that the tops of the rear wheels were leaning against the inner fender wall. not a pretty site. it was rusted very bad underneath and finally gave way. i agree with the previous poster about getting another hatch. i'd look into it a little bit and make sure it's nothing simple, but if it is rusted that bad it is not safe to drive. believe me, i saw the one i posted pictures of (it was a board members vehicle) and it was scarry thinking he had been driving it like that.

if it's about being stranded then replacement isn't necessarily the way to go. the way to go is to decide which items you can store easily that are likely to strand you. fusible links, the ignitor, ignition coil, timing belts, crank pulley and timing pulleys and alternator are nice extras to keep in the lower trunk trays (if you have them). water pumps and thermostats are cheap and absolutely necessary so i replace them with every timing belt. i'd add radiator caps to one of the shorter lists for the same reason. timing belt pulleys should be regreased or replaced at 150,000 - 200,000 (for reliability of course). or carry extras in the trunk if you don't mind doing them on the side of the road. wheel bearings are nice to replace at 150,000 if you travel long distances.....200,000 if not. but again...this is all dependant on how reliable you want the thing to be. i've found that a good charging system with new batter, good alternator, new battery cables/connectors and possibly even a heavy gauge charging wire if you like will keep the alternators running for quite some time...i've had very little alternator troubles even at 200,000 miles.

yes you can do it yourself. the non turbo motors are actually very easy to do as far as head gaskets go. but headgaskets aren't simple. it is a rather large job. it is much much easier with air tools. there are a ton of head bolts and they and the head bolt holes in the block need to be cleaned to be done correctly. this happens much quicker with air sockets. cleaning the bolts and holes by hand takes forever. i personally like to have a set of heads ready to go that way i don't have to take my heads to the shop and have them cleaned, milled and a valve job done. i can pull my heads and install the other set right away, no waiting on anyone or anything. the annoying part is often rust - exhaust manifold bolts, timing cover bolts...if they're rusty they can be annoying. down south you may have less issues than us northerners with rust? lots of info on the board here about head gaskets, should be able to find everything you need. if it's your first time your best bet is to spend an hour reading this forum about head gasket replacement. having a manual (FSM is best, haynes/chiltons may help more than they confuse) will help very much. you'll read in other threads people say to pull the engine, that is by no means necessary or even beneficial for doing the head gaskets only. i'm still not sure why someone would want to waste the hours of time pulling and installing an engine (particularly for a first timer) for a job that doesn't take that long anyway. that's a ton of effort for a straight forward job. on an EA82 (not sure what yours is, EA81 or EA82, i know GL hatches were EA81, but don't know about wagons) the only "special" tool you'll need to do them with the motor in the car is a wratcheting 10 mm wrench for the one or two bolts on the drivers side valve cover. you can use a regular wrench, but that's annoying. other than that, no special tools required. EA motors aren't that expensive, another option would be to buy a used one to swap out with yours. then sell yours to recoupe some loot. good luck and have fun

try disconnecting the shift resistor and see what happens? i leave mine disconnected anyway, shifts are firmer and the POWER light blinks but i like the way it shifts much better that way.

replace with a non rusty used one.

SEARCH BUTTON. i've looked this topic up before and there's tons of awesome information on how to do this yourself and why not to do it as well. use the search button or look right now at the bottom left hand corner of this page..it'll show threads with similar topics.

the hoses are typically hard as crap to remove, just stuck to the fuel filter. i usually slice them with a knife just enough so they come off easily. there's usually plenty of slack in the hose to loose an inch on a fuel filter change. i just pull the old one and install the new one. i've never done anything with the fuel pressure. a little will spray out as the pressure is relieved when you pull the old one, but tha'ts not big deal. when you turn the car on, it should prime itself just fine. if yours is carbbed maybe it's different.

nice hit hotdog, good luck fitting it. that's awesome work!

is there any rust underneath the vehicle...around the attachment points of the struts, diff hanger, control arms? rust causes weak metal which can cause geometry to change as well. i hope your answer is "no".