Subaru_dude

What kind of amazing gas mileage does that thing get? I had one just like it but an '88 and I could regularly get 37/38mpg hwy. Got 41 once with a strong tail wind, never saw below 30 in city driving amazingly.

http://asheville.craigslist.org/pts/3054112094.html doesn't have a number with it, but does it look like it'd fit? can anybody identify what kit this is?

Sounds like the timing might be off? If it's combusting the mixture before tdc it'll make alot of clattering. I hear Toyota Camrys making that noise all the time...

The only car I ever had with working a/c was my Outback... until I crossed a flooded road and completely screwed the ac pump. Many years of EA82s made that an easy fact to come to terms with. Now I'm in an '84 DL and guess what... no ac. Oh well at least I have those awesomely huge openings thanks to the lack of a B-pillar I totally appreciate the fact that car was made that way. Miss the Outback though... You're lucky, that's a great family vacation wagon!!!

Sorry I'm not for sure... but welcome. You're fairly close, about an hour away. You try the search? I'd google it and you'll probably end up either here or the Outback forum.

Just as I suspected.

It's not the $60 bearing on the front of the input shaft. It's the larger $130 bearing on the rear. It's a big ole' bastard. Imagine the Titanic going down bow first... the angle of the stern changes right? That's what's going on with the input shaft. The bow is towards the rear of the trans and the stern is the part you can grab. Now get some pics of that trans split apart. I wanna see how bad the bearing is.

Had the same problem on '95 Legacy. It was a failed bearing in the trans. The input shaft was coming out of the trans at an angle (pointing upward) putting alot of strain on the clutch disk. Push down on the input shaft and see if you can feel the rear end of it raise up inside the trans. I believe the bearing is $130 last I checked.

Wow I wonder what kind of mileage a Loyale gets with the corolla drivetrain... seems like it would be better, probably higher gearing.

I think you should just swap an EA81 in it. No timing belts, let alone a stupid timing belt design. Those EA82s are so much more of a pain maintenance wise. Hell I'll give you a hand on finding a cheap EA81 and swapping them out. You must realize I have become biased against the EA82. I loved those cars for such a long time (and still love the bodies, lots of cargo space and lightweight), have owned 8 or 9 of them. But after owning a few EJs, and my first EA81... I realize I've been missing out on what really gave Subaru their reputation for reliability and durability.

I think you mean 4WD unless it's a turbo or something. They didn't go to AWD until the 1990 Legacy, and even then it was an option. There were older Subarus with AWD but they were turbos. So... don't drive it on the street with that little button pushed in. You'll break stuff. The cam towers like to leak. If you decide to do the timing belt, you should reseal the cam seals and oil pump. The cooling systems were weak too, make sure you keep an eye on the temp gauge. Might as well replace the thermostat with an OEM ONLY unit. Be sure the hoses are in good shape. You really don't want to get it hot... could crack the heads and it could get expensive unless there are older Subarus readily available where you're located. I've had 10 (or 11?) of these cars and they're alot of fun to drive unless they're automatics, those 3 speeds (3at) are hideous. I've got an EA81 now (you've got an EA82) and I'll never own another EA82. But if you're just keeping it for a winter car and it's nothing permanent, then it should serve you well. I do, however, recommend you look for either a gen 1 Legacy, or an EA81 model car. A better example of an honest Subaru IMHO (MANY others will agree). They were trying to be like everybody else with the '85-'94 GL/Loyales.

Oh poo... I'm all backwards. That may supposed to be there. Was thinking the back of the pump... all confused sorry!

That was pretty darn sweet! Yeah you need some king springs, mud tires, and probably more power lol. Or a d/r 5spd swapped in.

That hole ain't supposed to be there. Also, the ticking is caused by the cam tower o ring going bad. Replace both of them. I think you can find those at genuinesubaruparts.com or at the dealer. About the size of a dime, maybe a bit smaller.

Update. Just been driving it as is. Still starts EVERY TIME. Runs crappy from time to time, probably the choke. Otherwise, needs a pcv valve pretty bad. Still doesn't use much oil though.

Amazing video of some dudes trying to blow up an EJ16.

http://knoxville.craigslist.org/cto/3007722782.html Anybody in the area keep your eyes peeled. I may be there tomorrow and Saturday so I'll have my Subaru vision finely tuned and looking for this vehicle...

just put that piece of plastic the way it was when you were getting worse mileage and see if it hurts your mileage again. Then put it back the way it's supposed to be, and see if it's back to normal!

Wow this is great!!! I remember seeing this thread back in '08. That would be a great conversion for a non-offroad subaru. No axles ever going bad, and if you had the d/r you still got low range for towing stuff. Not to mention you could have a locker back there.

I sent you a PM explaining why the '96 Outback is so sought after.

An EA81 will drop right in there. Exhaust and intake bolts right up. As for the overheating, it does sound like either you have a hose getting sucked closed, or your radiator isn't doing what it's supposed to. Whatever you do, don't put any sort of stopleak in there.

My favorite car to date... I totaled her December 5th. Rolled her off into a ditch, destroyed it. My favorite pic from her windshield... this turned out to be one of the worst floods Knoxville had ever seen. In all her glory.

I say go for it. Have no idea how much you can find an EJ22 motor for, but if you want to keep the car and don't mind dumping some money into it, then who cares if you "lose" a little money. The EA82 bodies are great... especially the wagons. They're 2 cubic feet short of having the same amount of cargo capacity as a brand new Outback and those things are HUGE. They're a good bit lighter than Legacys, that's fore sure. Hell even with 90hp, they can still get around and (mostly) keep up with traffic. Throw 45hp under the hood and you've got one fun rig. On a personal note... just get that damn EA82 OUTTA THERE.

Wow I didn't know that. Ya learn something new every day!

if even something this small and seemingly insignificant could make such a noticeable difference in fuel mileage, I wonder what could be done to the older, smaller subarus to increase mileage?? Looking at the kinds of computers used and tests performed to build a more modern vehicle like a Tribeca... I could see something like that making a difference.