Subaru_dude

I think the green wagon would have been a s/r 4spd (correct me if I'm wrong). That would explain why it had such a hard time. It's crazy how high up they sit with fresh factory suspension... pretty much no need for a lift!! This user has other vintage Subaru offroad vids as well, and just as awesome as this one.

Subarus offroading in Australia... some nice subies indeed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7QdQOwTU_k

Saw an EA81 standard hatch (1980??) with over 600,000 on it when I was working at a grocery store in highschool (rusting to pieces) and 780,000 on an EA81 wagon from Alaska when I was working at an oil changing joint (good shape, still see it around actually). Have no idea if either one of them was running the original running gear.

Phase 1 had the internal coolant leak that caused overheating. Phase 2 had external leaks but could easily be fixed with "Subaru slime". Not sure how effective it is though... I think after '03 the problem was pretty much gone.

Make sure it doesn't EVER overheat. It'll pop the headgaskets. Go ahead and get a new radiator, radiator hoses and get a thermostat from SUBARU only. Oh yeah, do the water pump too and timing belts while you're in there. Don't bother with replacing the rear axles, they rarely go bad. It's the front ones that have to deal with all the pulling and turning. Being that it's a Loyale, it has push button 4wd. You could swap a D/R 5spd in and have MUCHO torque offroad. Or EJ22 it and have a Legacy in disguise. 14" pugs for better tires and handling. There's also 15, but you may have to do some trimming. I guess where you're at rust isn't much of an issue. Should be a solid and reliable runner for some time. Oh yeah, tint those windows...

(Praying I haven't jinxed it) It's nice to see a project going so smoothly for you. You seem to run into some pretty bad luck sometimes but you're finally getting what you've worked so hard for! Great to hear it's such a smooth runner too! I've been very happy with my EJ18 powered Impreza.

Yeah I know what you mean by wierd. Mine felt like I had to push the pedal down like 4 inches before it actually started to disengage the clutch. Then that stupid spring broke and all was good, lol. That spring also holds the clutch pedal against a little button that disengages cruise when the pedal is pressed.

Have you considered installing a manual choke, or a SPFI swap? I've always wanted to do that swap on an EA81... I think it would be the prime example of a simple and practical internal combustion engine.

Anything that's a 2005 is gonna last well past 100,000. Of course Subaru is no exception. As a matter of fact they're as far from that exception as vehicularly possible.

I got 41 in my '89 fwd 5spd EA82 sedan on the way back from Nasheville once (tail wind). I'd say a fwd 5spd XT would be just about the perfect highway car for mileage.

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I'm really jealous. I've been looking for a good deal on a Legacy wagon (perfect camping vehicle, enough room to sleep in). It turned out really nice... just need some bigger wheels and there's another inch or 2 of clearance. We need some vids of it in action.

1993 EJ18 Impreza 2wd 5spd. Can't figure out how to adjust the headlights vertically. I think I found the horizontal screw, on the inside end of the headlight sticking way out. I've searched a few other Impreza boards and nothing about vertical adjustment turns up for the older ones. Everytime I see a diagram or some pics it's vastly different from my setup (stock). Did a search here too, couldn't find anything on Imprezas.

Don't mean to brag and this is sort of off topic, but I drive a '93 Impreza wagon and see that kind of mileage without even trying.

Oh hell that's looking good... can't wait to see it :banana:OUTBACKIFIED

If you could figure out how to lock the center diff that would be awesome. Having an auto gives you the ability to crawl up hills very well. I'd say once that car's done it will be a very reliable wheeler.

Internally in a Phase 2? Doubtful... Like was said before check the rad and make sure it's topped off because it's far more important. Also being that it's so early in the game I'd say if you do have a leak it's not a headgasket. Be sure to check under your car and sniff the engine bay for anything sweet.

AND low range. I've always thought the boxers would be ideal setups for diesel. They're so well balanced in my opinion it would be a waste NOT to have it available in a diesel. An Outback that gets 45mpg? You'd have to be an idiot not to want that, lol.

It's pretty normal for the oil pressure to read way low, the sending units do that when they get old. As for the overheating, have you checked and made sure the rad is topped off? If it's full of coolant then it probably does have a sticking t-stat. Just to warn you... the EA82s when overheated will let you down later on down the road. You might want to go ahead and just do the headgaskets and have the heads pressure tested to make sure they're not cracked. Or better yet, find a low mileage replacement and do the timing belts/water pump/reseal etc.

That's such a pretty car. No wonder you're getting such good gas mileage, it's so sleek. I like that.

Did I read 2.0 liter? I'm pretty excited about that... they need to re-release the Justy with a 2.0 liter. That would be some CRAZY gas mileage. Or maybe with the diesel? A 60mpg Subaru would be all the world needs. And the concepts never look exactly like the actual thing. I'm sure it will have a few more inches of clearance.

I've got a '93 2wd 5spd wagon with 236,000 and runs great. Suspension worn out though, and the windows make alot of wind noise. The EJ18 is an excellent engine.

The NEW Imprezas are VERY comfortable. I sat in one, was amazed that it fit me like a glove because I'm a bigger guy. I haven't driven the previous bodystyle though but the sedans have a really clean look (without the spoiler anyway). There's some nice rides on nasioc.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49918 This should help. The longer pulses (exactly 1.2 seconds) indicate 10's and shorter (.2 seconds) indicate singles so if you have 2 longer pulses (20) and then 3 shorter pulses (3) you have a code 23 which is an oxygen sensor. Same example as in the link. And if there's more than one code they will be seperated by a 1.8 second pause. So when you're checking make sure you hang around and get all the codes. There's more to be explained in the link of course, but I thought you might have trouble with that part.

Hey you're pretty close. Welcome to the board. Ok about the check engine light... if you pull the piece of plastic off the bottom of the driver side dash (4 plastic screws I think) then you can see a black box. That's the ECU. It should have a small red LED light on it. It blinks codes and that's how you identify. Do a search for the specifics like which connectors under the dash to connect and what the blinks mean exactly.