Tide13 Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Hey everyone... Last week I visited a friend of my father and spotted a dusty, cream colored Subie in the corner of his shop. I started looking at it and realized it was in pretty nice shape. No rust, no dents, just missing some side trim. The interior was clean, no tears or cracks. Everything on it was original--even had all the original paper work! So....While I've been driving a 1995 5sp AWD Legacy for about 3 years now and love(d) it, I just couldn't help myself. That extra shift lever with the 4wd embossed on it made me crazy! I offered him $600 and he agreed! That same day I sold my Leggy to raise the cash. Some of my friends think I'm crazy ("Why would you sell a '95 to buy an '87?!") but all they think about is model years. Anyway, It's a 1987 GL. CA car. Carb, DR 5spd with just over 200,000 miles on the clock. Both 4wd and cruise-control work beautifully. Only issues so far are a blank clock, a flashing CEL and a slight steering wheel shake at 60+ mph. I sold my Leggy for much more than $600 so I have some cash to sink into it. I don't want to go overboard but I am willing to do everything I need to do in order to make it as bulletproof as my 95. Here's what I'm thinking: *Seafoam the bugger and then replace the coil,rotor,cap,wires,plugs and O2 sensor. *New K&N air filter *2" muffler *Change ALL fluids *New valve cover gaskets *New front axles *New shocks *New tires *New Bearings *New Brake lines/Brakes *4 wheel alignment I'm thinking that after all of the above is done and I figure out the CEL, I'll have one sweet, reliable wagon. Did I miss anything? Any advice? ~ T i d e ~~~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAugur33 Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Where do you live in the Humb? I used to live in Arcata for many years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tide13 Posted April 4, 2008 Author Share Posted April 4, 2008 Sunny Brae. Between Arcata and Bayside. Been here since 2005 and love it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2K4 STI Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 PICS :grin: Please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubaruWagon87 Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Check out the timing belts, if they look worn, don't hesitate to change them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Sadly, the EA82 feedback carbs are a total mess. Buy a factory service manual, take out a loan for the parts and the tools to fix it, and make sure you have some vacation saved up..... don't forget to pay the AAA membership on time. SPFI conversion would be the best way to handle the "situation" you have got yourself into. That is, without a doubt, the WORST carb Subaru ever made, and possibly one of the worst of all time. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Abides Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Gd You crack me up. Tide13 you poor poor man. Always Always Always keep the legacy and find extra money for the loyale. The loyale is a fine automobile but listen to gd he knows what hes talking about. Forget the rest of the stuff and do your carb swap. It sounds like you paid enough for your 87 but again you shold of tried to keep your legacy. On the other hand i love my dl wagon. Read up extensively on what to do, what parts to buy, how to do it. Etc Etc. Vast amount of knowledge on here and plenty of people willing to guide you in the right direction. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markjw Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 the "situation" you have got yourself into. GD Yeah,thats kinda what I was thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I would have probably have kept the Legacy, that is my backup car for when the Brat takes every other month off. I hope you didn't sell a '95 for $600. The clock issue has been addressed several times with the EA82's. Northwet use to offer a repair service but I am not sure if it is still done or not. Regardless, here is the link to that: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=26603 I must applaud you for keeping another EA series Subaru on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tide13 Posted April 4, 2008 Author Share Posted April 4, 2008 2K4 STI: I'll get some pics up ASAP. This weekend, maybe. diablo: Good call. Is the EA82 an interference engine? GD: Thanks for the, um, positive feedback. Think I'll skip the SPFI and get a Weber... Dude: Your right, there is A LOT of info here. In fact, this is where I caught the Subie bug. The Legacy fell into my lap and was good to me but the first time I saw a picture of a lifted 4WD wagon on this board I knew I had to have one. That's why I'm pretty excited to have found a DR Loyale in such good shape for so cheap. As for keeping the Legacy, well, I just don't want two cars. If the GL takes a dump I'll fix her as I can. I walk to school/work anyway... Duriana717: Thanks for the link. Might just pull the thing out and install an extra power port. Oh, and I sold the Leggie for $2000. Had 234,000 on it. I guess now I should read and prioritze my mods/repairs. Do I Lift before getting shocks? That sort of thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Don't get a Weber, you'll never pass Cali smog. Unless you know someone. Or you register it out of state, like I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Abides Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Get your Ea82 Engine Happy First Before you do anything, drive it for a bit and see how she runs, leaks what not. plugs, wires - ngk cap, rotor - stock with this one if it aint broke leave it alone. many people will tell you nightmare situations theyve had when messing with a perfectly good distributor. front, or rear cv shafts - unless there broken dont replace them. Again these cars are finikey and people have a hard time haveing anything but a stock replacement work right. MWE Axels are good i hear, so are GCK but i dont think amazon.com has them anymore. Clean your iac, and your maf Check your suspension for slop, make sure its good n tight. Wix oil filter and your choice of oil Seafoam the oil, intake, and fuel system. Stock fuel filter Check your bearings, if bad replace with stock if possible. Timeing belts - replace Coolant, flush it, if your radiator even hints of looking bad replace it. Look on here about people replaceing there radiators with 2 row ones. Stock thermostat Check your brakes. Whatever works is fine. I hope your mechanical savy, welcome to the ea82 world Ben leave the gun, take the canoli Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhise Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I've made the transition from a nice '00 legacy with all the toys to an old beater loyale, and it wasn't too bad! Be prepared to do most of the work on it yourself and you can come out ahead. Probably took a year to get all the bugs worked out, but now other than the typical small oil leaks I'm confident my wagon has graduated to a status of slightly above POS. It will never be a legacy, but luckily this board seems to know more about these cars than subaru itself and your wagon can be a relaible ride for a long time. Just don't forget to feed it timing belts every 50-60k! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Is the EA82 an interference engine? No, it is non-interference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Don't let GD scare you too much. I've got an 86 with a feedback carb that runs great. You're flashing check engine light is possibly from someone leaving the 2 green test connectors hooked toghether. You'll need to find them to read codes, they're under the steering column. When you are done they are suppoesed to be unplugged for driving. LIving in Cali, I wouldn't do anything to the Carb setup unless it starts becomeing VERY troublesome. SPFI conversion would then be the best bet. Since the SPFI system is newer, aan came factory from subaru on vehichles that met Cali Certification, they can be smogged after that if all hoops are jumped through. The weber never came on a Soob, so there is really no way to get it smogged without getting some type of exemption. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAugur33 Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 There is a guy that lives on Fickle Hill named Rob who is a very good EA Subaru mechanic; I've always known him as Subaru Rob. He used to play in a band called the Fickle Hillbillies if you ever see them around, ask for Rob. Good luck with your new/old car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 You don't "skip" the SPFI and go to a Weber. SPFI is superior or equal in every metric. Especially off-road. You can't smog a Weber in CA - you could swap back and forth between the feedback and the Weber, but that's a HUGE pain in the rump roast given the way the feedback is setup on a EA82. SPFI you could smog - you just tell them the engine is from an 88 and have it reffed. Trust me.... or waste your time. Your call. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaruguru Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 why would you trade a legacy for an 87 you know thats what you did in a way but hey if it makes you happy. i sold my 1980 gl5 and am getting into a 97 legacy outback oh yeah. good luck i love the the ea82 then again it was my first subaru Rob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted April 5, 2008 Share Posted April 5, 2008 Here's what I'm thinking: *Seafoam the bugger and then replace the coil,rotor,cap,wires,plugs and O2 sensor. *New K&N air filter *2" muffler *Change ALL fluids *New valve cover gaskets *New front axles *New shocks *New tires *New Bearings *New Brake lines/Brakes *4 wheel alignment I'm thinking that after all of the above is done and I figure out the CEL, I'll have one sweet, reliable wagon. Did I miss anything? Any advice? ~ T i d e ~~~ yeah - tierod ends and ball joints BEFORE doing the alignment.... also check all suspension bushings for wear/tear. I would definitely do the SPFI swap - much more reliable, better fuel economy, less headaches than the carb...the other half's 89 GL dual range with SPFI got in the high 20's to around 30 mpg average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.