pacerfrog

The factory Struts where completely worn out. While driving, it felt like I was driving on skate board wheels. I had to do something. Gabriel struts in the front and KYB in the back. I bought some other Gabriels for the back, but haven't put them on yet.

Where did you find a GL with 50K? Do you by any chance have carburetor issues?

Long, but good stuff.........

Again more great responses! I wonder if the original virgin Hitachi carbs ran okay during the 1980 until Japanese parts ran out over the years? At this point in history, I doubt there are very many Subarus that don't have tons of Chinese crap under the hood.

All your great replies are starting to sway me to the Weber. If I go with the Weber, assume there is no way to connect the carb to the computer. I was told by my mechanic that this could cause me to not get very good milage. I was getting over 30 until recently, now I'm at 19 (don't know why). Also, would the Weber cause the 'ECS' (Engine Control System) light to stay on on the bash? I would assume the computer would trigger this off as well. My ECS comes on all the time anyways and when it does, I notice a corresponding drop in power.

Yeah, I screwed up the title. Typed too fast.

I have a GL wagon with 39K original miles on it and I'm trying to get it running right. As you can imagine, it is a bit gummed up and just needs to be cleaned up a bit; looks new though. One of my issues is the suspension. I had a hard time finding struts for the car. The ones on it were the originals. I ended up finding some 'Gabriel' front struts that are soft and real nice. At the time I was searching I was able to find some KYB struts for the rear, but they are really hard and look like they set the rear up higher than it is supposed to be. I have had great experiences in the past with KYB in other vehicles, but they suck on this car. Scence I put those KYB struts on the rear, I have been able to find at least three different models of the Gabriel struts for the rear (haven't bought them though). All these types (different model numbers) say they fit my car. Why so many types for the same car from one company? I have heard that you can easily put the wrong shocks/struts on that were meant for another model of Subaru if you are not careful and the ride can suck. Does anyone have some advice for this scenario?

I just went to the 'Carburetor guy' in San Diego (actually "San Diego Carburetors"). His shop was pretty impressive with probably a thousand carbs hung all over the place. Appearantly he is the guy in San Diego. He said he would not even look at my carb when I told him in was a rebuilt version, as they supposedly are all remade with Chinese crap and almost impossible to dial in. And they don't last long. He told me to get an all original non-rebuilt version on eBay in any condition (all Japanese) and he would get it going again like new. He told me what to look for to ensure it was all original. I got one for $65 with shipping. I think I will try this route. I'll keep you guys posted. I'm doing this as I can't find anyone that will touch the thing I have on it.

Guys, several more great ideas. I've just been causually driving for the last several weeks to see if my problem clears up. No luck. However, I can now give a better description of what is going on. As I accelerate from a stop, the engine will sputter and sometimes die. I have to 'feather' the throttle to get it past this stage. Once I'm past, I'm fine. However, sometimes the engine dies, which is somewhat dangerous if I try to jump out into traffic. It seems as thought there is a gap between the 'idol jet' and the pick up of the 'throttle jet.' I'm guessing here. I don't know if this is a gas issue or an electrical issue.

Getting a new carb is not what I was hoping you guys would say. As I live in California, I decided to go with the rebuild Hitachi as the Webers supposedly are not smog legal here (just incase I need to sell the car in California). However, I have all my vehicles registered out of state, so I could do the Weber conversion if need be. This is good information on the Hitachis, thanks; I didn't know they were not generally considered as good carbs. I think I will have one more mechanic try to fix this issue, then possibly swap to a Weber if this doesn't work. I'll keep you guys posted.

One more note: the throttle delay was present from the time I bought the car. The new carb did not fix that. The new distributor didn't either. What else could it be, the computer? Every now and then the 'ECS' light comes on (Engine Control System). I've only been driving the car around for a week with the new carb and distributor, so I haven't had a chance to take it to my mechanic for this. However, I believe I've maxed out his knowledge at this point.

Two good ideas with the tanks. The car has not been sitting, I've been driving it around on short trips for the last several months to the store and such. However, I've heard the fuel tanks on these Subies do get nasty, especially the ones with low miles as water sits under the fuel and causes rust issues. I'll have to check this, but I don't think this is the issue. I had the same throttle delay on the original carb, as well as the new carb. The new distributor didn't change anything in this regard either. So, I can't tell if it is a fuel or spark problem that is causing the delay. I need to find a good 'vintage' car mechanic in San Diego where I live.

I'm going to check that filter. Everything on this car seems to be original. Some of the stuff gummed up. That could be a nasty filter. Any chance the fuel pump could be the issue?

Guys, thanks for the posts. I do have new spark plugs in it, so I don't think that is it. I haven't looked at the rear fuel filter, but this shouldn't explain it as I can't imagine how that would create a lag from a stop. The carb is full of gas, so this shouldn't cause the issue. The comment on the accelerator pump could be the problem as you never know when you have a new carb; maybe it is not working right. I'll look into all these possibilities and get back. Thanks for the comments. If anyone has anything else to throw out there, please do. I want this baby running perfectly. I'll post some pictures of this 'barn find' sometime this week.

I just put a new 'rebuilt' carb on my '84 GL EA81. The car now runs like a champ with one exception. When I accelerate from a stop, there is an irritating delay in the throttle; very brief, but maddening. If the A/C is on, the will sometimes stall out completely. I have a great mechanic, but he cannot figure it out. He spent 16 hours trying to get it adjusted right. I even bought a new distributor to try and fix it (glad I did this as the car runs much peppier now) Can anyone give some advice on what we are missing?

I just got at 1984 GL Wagon with 38K original miles. The car looks show room new, but because of the low use, some of the engine components are a bit gummed up. I had to replace the carb, which made the car run much better. However, I still had a throttle delay as I accelerate from a stop. I just replaced the distributor, which helped make this pur like a kitten, however, the delay is still there in the throttle. My mechanic cannot figure this out, and he has worked magic on many of my cars. Does anyone have some advice on what else this could be?