wagonist

No, we only tend to have Series 1 (late 84 to mid 87), then Series 2 is everything after. We don't really bother about Series 3, because when the Liberty (Legacy) came out in 89, the GL models got a bit upgraded (MPFI engine, half painted bumpers, electric windows on the sedan), and then got dropped completely at the end of 90. This left us with the DL spec low roof wagon only with carb engine, vinyl floor, seats, roof lining & sun visors. There was a "GL" option pack upgrade which fitted cloth back into the interior with a cargo blind for the rear. So for us, the 84/85 models are a bit of an orphan with the differences I've mentioned previously. But apart from moving the mirrors, the looks didn't change to the series 2 until 87. I've always wondered if the electric mechanism for those early mirrors was a problem. I had looked at fitting them, by getting the wiring through the top of the door was monumentally difficult. It's hard enough with the later model door.

Nice racing stripe Interesting that the model you've shown is a series 2 (different front corner lights & wider rubbing strips). Wonder where that was sold. Something for the "rare part thread" would be the electric mirrors for your type Jes Zek. I think I saw a set once sourced from a JDM model. But electric mirrors weren't an option here until the Series 2. We've always had the touring Wagon option in Oz. but we have a lot less ranges of models. No GL10 or GL10 turbo. No full-time 4wd transmission except on the XT, no coupe. But 4wd has always been popular. We have a lot of gravel roads in the country which can be (and are) driven at highway speeds, so Subaru Aus I think was 2nd (or even sometimes 1st) most popular market in the 80s.

There is still a bump stop built into the rear shocks. Only the wagons have these, but they're the ones expected to carry the most load. most people with lift kits don't bother extending them.

Is the pressure switch faulty, or doing it's job & telling you that there's not enough gas in the system? When was the last time you checked? Could be that you've got a faulty seal or some other problem. running the A/C with no gas is bad for the compressor, and that's an expensive item to fix.

NICE!!! As others have said, protect the dashboard, it's when its outside being used that it gets it's sun. You used to be able to buy dashmats here that were moulded to suit, but passenger airbags have killed that industry (plus better quality plastic, etc).

Subasaurus, just because Subaru of America decided to not put dual range in your vehicles, doesn't mean other didn't Aus only got single range (ie push button 4wd) on the 85 models. After that, everything that was manual & 4wd had dual range. I think that body kit wasn't a factory fit. Maybe a dealer fit option. I know of 1 car here with ABS, but it was retro-fitted. Was thinking about it myself before I went back to 4 stud brakes. It also only takes 1 very minor change for a part to become specific to a region. Doesn't mean that they're not interchangeable. Aus cars for a while required a certain amount of local manufacturer input before they become exempt from import limits. A lot of the time, this was brake rotors & calipers.

I wonder why the differences? We got a lot of stuff that was only on the 85 model, and then disappeared: semi-auto choke factory electric glass sunroof on GL sedan door mounted mirrors (not in the corner of the glass) single range, push button 4wd wagon fwd wagon The last 2 were the only flat roof GL's available here. ie tacho, plastic trim on pillars. Every other GL wagon was a Touring wagon & every other flat roof was a DL

Jes Zek, the door mounted mirrors were only on the 85 models here. 86+ got the mirrors in the corner of the glass. Would be surprised if this was different for other markets.

The 2 most common causes for this problem are the switch that turns the light on, and the indicator stalk that selects the high/low beam. The switches have metal contacts which "gum up" after a while, and so they lose the contact. They are also free to check and fix, so always the best to check first. The high/low beam has 3 contact switches. Once you remove the steering wheel & indicator assembly, you'll see them on the back. This is the easiest. Headlight switch usually has springs & small metal balls inside, so be careful pulling them apart.

Interesting colour scheme. I've been toying with the idea of all black above the lower window line (ie roof & pillars), with yellow "touring wagon" stickers to match intended paint colour. I've never liked how the trim around the tailgate window on the touring wagon doesn't match the side because it's higher...

The newer style headlamps still have the bracket hanging out behind the grill here. Just missing the metal clip that fit inside. Why bother with the expense of changing a mould for little gain? Much easier than fitting the later grill to an earlier model which is missing the metal brackets on the trim below the headlamps. Actually, I just think that later model indicators have been fitted to an earlier model. The rubbing strips on the sides are the earlier, thinner type.

If you want more power for off-roading, hilly terrain, then we're always going to admit on here that an EJ is better. Subaru did do a leap from the 70s to the 90s going from the EA to the EJ. My project wagon started with a carb EA82 & 3spd auto which I convinced the wrecker to remove & keep when I bought the car (the easiest $700 I've ever made, no way that combo is worth that, even 10 years ago). The plan was to fit an EJ20T & 5 spd from a 93 WRX. I had it in the engine bay complete with 5 stud brakes, but changing of jobs & needing to provide my own car with no time to complete the car meant that this stopped. I bought a 1997 2L turbo AWD Toyota (Caldina GTT) 5spd. Having also previously owned a 93 Legacy GT auto wagon (after writing off my EA82T wagon), the Subaru EJ motor is crap compared to offerings of the same capacity from other manufacturers. The lack of low down torque is huge. My project car then got an NA MPFI EA82, but I've since sourced a low mileage Spider manifold EA82T, and I decided to keep my car as original period Subaru (not original factory spec though) as possible. My only concessions are using Honda calipers on the rear to have a rear handbrake (though I may go back), and an early Legacy water-air intercooler for increased engine protection. I think it's each to their own. My wedding car was a modified (hot-rodded) 68 Toyota crown wagon with a Supra turbo engine. Stock original ones are getting sought after, but not as much as this one. A mate has one of only 3 XT6s in Aus. He's had no end of trouble with the car is now contemplating dropping in the EJ20T he got off me.

You could try getting under the car yourself & checking...? I doubt you'd have too much issue with rust compared with those up north. BTW, does the Ford pump have a strainer on the inlet? Because factory Subaru ones do as there's no strainer in the tank. If it doesn't you're going to need a filter between the tank & the pump.

Can you post a pic of the lever you're talking about? If its the wastegate valve, good luck moving that by hand... And a crack in an exhaust flange near the turbo isn't so unusual, nor will it cause too many problems. Especially if its after the turbo. Just take the chance to modify the dump pipe to include venting the wastegate

I'm guessing the emissions regulations in Europe meant that EGR wasn't required. But it's probably cheaper for Subaru to just assemble the engine as normal due to the production line. Those of us who don't need to worry about passing emissions checks will probably continue to stick a piece of metal across the hole with a 2nd gasket

If it's still got the factory fuel pump, there's also a strainer sitting inside the inlet (to catch stuff that might be in the tank), but it's not replaceable. Just take the pump out & clean it. If there's an aftermarket pump, make sure there's a filter between it & the tank.

Well, normally if the airbags have gone off, repairing the windscreen is the least of your worries... At least you're ok & the car can live on. Must've been a deep puddle.

Note that when you read below, Aus never had the SPFI option, only carb, or MPFI. I know that pre 89/90, the body wiring looms for the DL & GL except for EFI versions (yes we still had carbs until the "Loyale" was stopped, and our EFI were only MPFI) were identical, but after all the EFI models were dropped in 90, then Subaru started doing cost cutting here by having wires removed from the body loom that weren't necessary. ie tacho wire, low fuel light wire, rear door speaker wires, central locking wires But these wires were present in the pre 90 DL models, just not plugged into anything. So my first option would be (since you have a whole donor car) to plug in the dashboard loom from the 92 & see if it works. The worst that will happen is that a lot of fuses will blow. If that doesn't work, you could swap the entire wiring from both cars. Sounds like a big deal, but can be done quickly if you have the space to remove the interior of the car. If that doesn't work, then take out both gauge clusters, map the pins on the back of each, and work out how to extend/shorten the relevant wires as some wires need to be swapped from one side of the cluster to the other. But your best bet would be to try the first option, it'd be the least painful.

You may not have heard about it, but that prob cos the people on here know that wheel bearings go bad after a time & they need changing. It happens with every car. And it's not the easiest job to go on the rear of the subie unfortunately...

Is there a way to find what the factory Nissan lug nuts look like? I think they may have the same thread pitch as the Subaru. Or is that Toyota...?

Thanks. I wonder if they could be fitted to a car that had my style of belt? Looks the same setup as the Legacy wagon.

Can you show me more pics of how the rear side seatbelts are attached? In particular, the strap holding them up so the belt goes over the shoulder. The cars here have that pivot on the C pillar, which usually means that the belt isn't actually touching the shoulder...

Did you get the injectors serviced? ie de-magnetised & cleaned. I've gained 15% on injectors that were sitting around before. If not, sitting around in a wrecking yard isn't going to do them any good, they are a pretty precise piece of machining. BTW, any "flap-style" MAF sender cars can easily have the injector range changed by changing the preload on the spring instead.

There are 2 different types of lug nuts. 1 for steel rims and those for alloys. They have different angles on them because of the differing strength of the rim material. To be honest, you want the nuts pushing in from as high as possible on the hole. The material is thicker there. I'm really surprised that the Nissan wheels were lug located, not hub. Still prefer the type of nuts that have a straight hole with a flat nut. They push on much harder.

green connector with no locking tab? If so, that's for the check engine circuit. Should be another one hiding in there somewhere to connect to it, but that's nothing to do with the cruise. Check both the switches. When the pedal is untouched, there should be connectivity across the terminals. Might be a good idea to remove the steering column surround & check the steering wheel buttons also. 3 wires. Will be a common wire and makes a circuit each of the other 2 depending on which switch.