Anyone ever owned or operated a Subaru Justy?

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splatterdog
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Re: Anyone ever owned or operated a Subaru Justy?

Post by splatterdog »

All my Tercels came broken, but that applies to almost every car I have owned! T4 #1 was driveable, but had a bent rear axle. Not too many 80's cars are ready to go anymore.

The backwards compatibility is nice. Don't brag about ease of axle replacement though(see my previous post). When all goes well, most cars go pretty quick. Sway bar as an active suspension part was pretty common in the 80's. It does reduce cost and weight for parts to share duty. I've also seen at least a couple folded strut rods on older subes that only took a light curb hit.

Here's an oldie but goodie Professor- viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3747&p=27962&hilit= ... aru#p27962
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LowBuckCanuck
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Re: Anyone ever owned or operated a Subaru Justy?

Post by LowBuckCanuck »

Not speaking to old Subarus, but from what I've heard, the new subies really benefit from a HARD break in. Revv the sh*t out of it when its new to make sure the rings seat properly, so you don't end up like this:
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The Professor
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Re: Anyone ever owned or operated a Subaru Justy?

Post by The Professor »

I built the EJ205 engine in my WRX and while I stayed out of boost for the most part, I didn't baby the engine during break-in.

50k+ hard miles later and she doesn't burn a drop of oil.
1975 Subaru SuperStar wagon
1984 Subaru Turbo-Traction wagon & hardtop
1987 Subaru RX 3-door
1987 Subaru RX Type-RA 3-door
1987 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon
1999 Subaru Forester S
2002 Subaru WRX sedan
2019 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
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4wdEconoBox
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Re: Anyone ever owned or operated a Subaru Justy?

Post by 4wdEconoBox »

I've never messed with Subarus until last Tuesday when I traded my million-pieces-Mustang for a running and driving 97 Legacy. But just from owning a Subaru for about a week now, I have fallen in love it honestly! It seems like it'll be pretty easy to work on, even if I have to do replace the head gaskets. And to me, the transaxle and associated parts seem very familiar to the T4WD's transaxle. I've got to swap trannys in the Subby soon because a not so smart previous owner put the wrong trans in and now it doesn't shift right, it's an auto btw, but you can't blame someone elses mistake on the manufacturer. All that being said, I took the subby out in the mud today and it did fantastic, made it through stuff the T4WD couldn't have dreamed of going through, I'm blaming it on the Tercs tiny tires right now though...haha
The Professor
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Re: Anyone ever owned or operated a Subaru Justy?

Post by The Professor »

4wdEconoBox wrote: Thu Mar 22, 2018 10:17 pm I've never messed with Subarus until last Tuesday when I traded my million-pieces-Mustang for a running and driving 97 Legacy. But just from owning a Subaru for about a week now, I have fallen in love it honestly! It seems like it'll be pretty easy to work on, even if I have to do replace the head gaskets. And to me, the transaxle and associated parts seem very familiar to the T4WD's transaxle. I've got to swap trannys in the Subby soon because a not so smart previous owner put the wrong trans in and now it doesn't shift right, it's an auto btw, but you can't blame someone elses mistake on the manufacturer. All that being said, I took the subby out in the mud today and it did fantastic, made it through stuff the T4WD couldn't have dreamed of going through, I'm blaming it on the Tercs tiny tires right now though...haha
The Ultimate Subaru Message Board or Legacy Central will be great resources for you. WELCOME TO THE FUJI FAMILY! :D

(Re: the mud/offroading: These Tercel guys have NO idea.... :wink: :mrgreen: )
1975 Subaru SuperStar wagon
1984 Subaru Turbo-Traction wagon & hardtop
1987 Subaru RX 3-door
1987 Subaru RX Type-RA 3-door
1987 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon
1999 Subaru Forester S
2002 Subaru WRX sedan
2019 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
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Petros
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Re: Anyone ever owned or operated a Subaru Justy?

Post by Petros »

4wdEconoBox wrote: Thu Mar 22, 2018 10:17 pm I've got to swap trannys in the Subby soon because a not so smart previous owner put the wrong trans in and now it doesn't shift right, it's an auto btw, but you can't blame someone elses mistake on the manufacturer.
not sure you can get the "wrong trans" in a car it was not ment for, what do you mean?

several things can cause bad shifting in modern auto trans cars and trucks: check your throttle position sensor is good, the signal from it also goes to the trans to control when it shifts, and using the wrong ATF, there are several types. I have heard you should only use real Subaru trans fluid or it iwll not shift correctly. Might be worth a try, even deal price for Subaru ATF is cheaper than a new trans.

good luck
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
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oldfaithful
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Re: Anyone ever owned or operated a Subaru Justy?

Post by oldfaithful »

We Tercel guys don’t have to worry about all that sensors stuff and ATF. :lol:
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LowBuckCanuck
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Re: Anyone ever owned or operated a Subaru Justy?

Post by LowBuckCanuck »

From my limited understanding of similar vintage subarus, (I looked at them extensively before buying my first tercel) they are refined compared to the relatively crude tercel 4wd, but they are weaker mechanically. The solid rear axle is a rear benefit of the tercel in my eyes, but it might be a hindrance in someone else's opinion. They rust just as badly. This one was $250 dollars on the local classifieds a couple years back. It's still on the road I think. :lol:
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4wdEconoBox
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Re: Anyone ever owned or operated a Subaru Justy?

Post by 4wdEconoBox »

Petros wrote: Fri Mar 23, 2018 3:56 pm
4wdEconoBox wrote: Thu Mar 22, 2018 10:17 pm I've got to swap trannys in the Subby soon because a not so smart previous owner put the wrong trans in and now it doesn't shift right, it's an auto btw, but you can't blame someone elses mistake on the manufacturer.
not sure you can get the "wrong trans" in a car it was not ment for, what do you mean?

several things can cause bad shifting in modern auto trans cars and trucks: check your throttle position sensor is good, the signal from it also goes to the trans to control when it shifts, and using the wrong ATF, there are several types. I have heard you should only use real Subaru trans fluid or it iwll not shift correctly. Might be worth a try, even deal price for Subaru ATF is cheaper than a new trans.

good luck
My car is a 1997, the trans that someone swapped in is from a 1999 which they both are exactly the same casing and bolting up wise, same 4eat trans, beginning of the parts numbers match up. But in 1999 they went to a "phase 2" trans, which has 3 speed sensors instead of 1, which tells the trans when to shift. After talking to a few Subaru gurus, there is absolutely no way to make a phase 2 trans work in a phase 1 car, even if you swap the TCU and harness, because it reads the final drive gear or something like that.... I have a spare trans that will work in the car that came with it when I got it. I'm in the middle of tearing it apart to see if anything major is wrong with it. So far everything checks out on it other than the pan being dented. So hopefully I'll just have to swap in that spare trans that I already have and can sell the phase 2 trans, that way the car will technically be a free car to me....haha
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