1992 Subaru Loyale

[nightowl1]

Hi,

 

I am checking out a 1992 Subaru Legacy 4dr wagon, 1.8 liter/90hp. Would like some advice

 

as to what to look for in maintenance costs. Advertised for $1700, and 4x4 hi/lo manual

 

transmission. I heard that Loyales are bad for leaking oil.

 

It seems a bit much for price. What about gas consumption? 22city to 28-29highway?

 

Here are the pics

 

Thanks in advance

[06specb366]

I had one of those! My favorite car ever! Drove it into the ground, but yes, $1700 is a bit much. Just normal maintanence and you'll be good. Personally, I didn't have oil issues, but I can ask my buddy tomorrow if thats common on those motors. He's a subie tech. Brings back fun memories! Good luck!

[monkeyposeur]

I bet you could talk the guy down a few hundred if you have cash. Money talks, bull**** walks. Find out when the timing belt was last changed.

 

I don't have any experience with the 1.8L, but a lot Subies leak oil, not just the 1.8s. The good news is most of the oil leaks are an easy fix. Some of the seals can only be replaced when the timing belt is off; that would include the crank and cam seals which will leak. Usually it's just a slow drip and not too bad. Another common leak is the valve covers, but that's just a 1 hour job if you haven't done it before.

 

That gas mileage sounds about right. How many miles are on the odometer?

[nightowl1]

I bet you could talk the guy down a few hundred if you have cash. Money talks, bull**** walks. Find out when the timing belt was last changed.

 

I don't have any experience with the 1.8L, but a lot Subies leak oil, not just the 1.8s. The good news is most of the oil leaks are an easy fix. Some of the seals can only be replaced when the timing belt is off; that would include the crank and cam seals which will leak. Usually it's just a slow drip and not too bad. Another common leak is the valve covers, but that's just a 1 hour job if you haven't done it before.

 

That gas mileage sounds about right. How many miles are on the odometer?

the mileage quoted in the advertisement was 204,000km on engine and 311,000kms on car. Haven't seen car as yet or a test drive. Oh, also I heard that it has a noisy engine?. SOHCam

[nightowl1]

I had one of those! My favorite car ever! Drove it into the ground, but yes, $1700 is a bit much. Just normal maintanence and you'll be good. Personally, I didn't have oil issues, but I can ask my buddy tomorrow if thats common on those motors. He's a subie tech. Brings back fun memories! Good luck!

 

 

Yes that would be great if you could ask your buddy the subie tech for me, greatly appreciate it. Not familiar with 4x4's and the expenses regarding cv's, etc

[monkeyposeur]

You can get a complete axle and cv for $125 or even less if you get a reman. Generally they last a really long time. Most people just drive on the axles until they are about to fall off. It's much easier to replace the whole axle and goes super quick. The hardest part is getting the castle nut off the hub but an impact gun spins them right off.

 

I like the way subie engines sound. Makes it sound like you are going fast, lol.

[nightowl1]

You can get a complete axle and cv for $125 or even less if you get a reman. Generally they last a really long time. Most people just drive on the axles until they are about to fall off. It's much easier to replace the whole axle and goes super quick. The hardest part is getting the castle nut off the hub but an impact gun spins them right off.

 

I like the way subie engines sound. Makes it sound like you are going fast, lol.

 

so as it is a 1.8 liter/90 hp engine, how is it good on hills and snow? Not much for pickup and go , eh! As I live in the mountains here in Canada and lots of snow here lately, like about couple of feet.

[nightowl1]

Everything on the car works fine except the rear window wiper. The

transmission is perfect and it is a 4wd with low range so the owner emailed me

[monkeyposeur]

Subies are great in the snow. Especially with good snow tires. I drove my friend's Loyale from Seattle to Salt Lake City many years ago when she moved. It wasn't the fastest car in the world but it did fine up the hills.

 

The rear wiper might just have a short somewhere. If you end up buying it you can test if the motor is getting current with a multimeter. I have a friend with the same problem and I thought that the motor must be bad but I heard from some guys on the second gen forum it is often a wiring problem. I've tried pulling a rear wiper motor off before and I had a tough time and couldn't get it off. But I might have been doing it wrong. If I remember right there was a thin spanner type bolt that was giving me trouble.

 

The 4wd with low range is a great option. I'm pretty sure it locks up the wheels in a 50/50 split for great traction at low speeds.

 

204 kms is not too bad for a subie engine. My 2.2 has over 424000 kms (264000 miles) and still running strong. I paid $1200 for my wagon but it had been in a rear end collision and needed a new timing belt. I fixed it up and painted it and it looks new.

 

edit: I have read online that the 1.8s have closer to 110 hp. Not sure though.

[nightowl1]

I have some more questions for you people. Have no idea what I am in for when it comes to this type of car.

 

Qustions:

 

I heard that around 200,000kms their are head gasket problems?

Is there a website to get an idea for prices of Parts for this car?

What size of tires on this 1992 subaru?

Is it a carburated/fuel injection engine?

Electronic ignition/distributor cap & rotor?

 

I guess valve problems can be expensive and the car is pricey to fix

[05LGTLtd]

I'd be sure to get that car on a lift and check frame/body for rust. Make sure to check the hard brake lines too. 1700 seems high to me, but if it is really great shape and taken care of then maybe..

[05LGTLtd]

Also http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/index.php would be a good place to look around a bit.

[nightowl1]

Subies are great in the snow. Especially with good snow tires. I drove my friend's Loyale from Seattle to Salt Lake City many years ago when she moved. It wasn't the fastest car in the world but it did fine up the hills.

 

The rear wiper might just have a short somewhere. If you end up buying it you can test if the motor is getting current with a multimeter. I have a friend with the same problem and I thought that the motor must be bad but I heard from some guys on the second gen forum it is often a wiring problem. I've tried pulling a rear wiper motor off before and I had a tough time and couldn't get it off. But I might have been doing it wrong. If I remember right there was a thin spanner type bolt that was giving me trouble.

 

The 4wd with low range is a great option. I'm pretty sure it locks up the wheels in a 50/50 split for great traction at low speeds.

 

204 kms is not too bad for a subie engine. My 2.2 has over 424000 kms (264000 miles) and still running strong. I paid $1200 for my wagon but it had been in a rear end collision and needed a new timing belt. I fixed it up and painted it and it looks new.

 

edit: I have read online that the 1.8s have closer to 110 hp. Not sure though.

 

Hopefully that the 110 hp and not 90hp is what I found, but then I did a conversion to cubic inch displacement. Formula is a follows: L * 61.024 = 109.8432 cu. in

 

ohc H4 1.8L/109 cubic inch , 90 hp/101 torque, and the turbocharged engine seems to be ohc H4 1.8L/109 cubic inch 115 HP/134 Torgue

 

file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Owner/My%20Documents/1992%20Subaru%20Loyale/1990-1994%20Subaru%20Loyale%20%20Full%20Review%20-%20Consumer%20Guide%20Automotive.htm

[monkeyposeur]

I have some more questions for you people. Have no idea what I am in for when it comes to this type of car.

 

Qustions:

 

I heard that around 200,000kms their are head gasket problems?

Is there a website to get an idea for prices of Parts for this car?

What size of tires on this 1992 subaru?

Is it a carburated/fuel injection engine?

Electronic ignition/distributor cap & rotor?

 

I guess valve problems can be expensive and the car is pricey to fix

 

The 2.5s have head gasket problems about 256000kms. I don't know about the 1.8s though. The 2.2s almost never have head gasket problems. Replacing head gaskets is pretty straightforward on a subaru if you ever have to do it yourself.

 

From Wikipedia: "The Subaru EA-82 engine was produced from 1985 to 1994. It came with a carburetor, single point fuel injection, or multi port fuel injection. Most of the technical advancements introduced to the EA82 were utilized in the Subaru EJ engine, specifically, the SOHC valvetrain, and multi-point fuel injection."

 

"Horsepower:

Carb - 84 bhp (63 kW; 85 PS) at 5,200 rpm

SPFI - 90 bhp (67 kW; 91 PS) at 5,600 rpm

MPFI - 97 bhp (72 kW; 98 PS) at 5,200 rpm"

 

I guess 110 hp was the turbo charged version.

 

It probably came stock with 14" tires.

 

rockauto.com is a good place to look for parts. Also subarugenuineparts.com, and subarupartsforyou.com. Rockauto has the easiest menu to navigate imo.