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These apply to subarus with EA81 and 82 engines.

Cheap(er) upgrades:
Asuming your current engine is vaguely healthy you can try the following:

Fuel and Timing: Use 98 RON fuel and advance timing to ~12 degrees BTDC.
Cost: $0

Ignition upgrade:
Electronic Distributor:
EA81's mostly came with points based distributors, an electronic distributor is a good upgrade, though EA81 electronic distibutors can be had to find, all EA82's came with them and they can easily be adapted to the EA81.
Cost: ~$50

More spark:
Use higher powered coil such as the "MSD Blaster 2" and increase the spark plug gap to 1.1-1.2mm.
Cost: MSD Blaster $120

Carburetor upgrades
The most common upgrade is a weber 32/36 DGV (manual choke), DGEV (electric choke), DGAV (water choke) or a 180 holley, they're all essentially the same carb, you'll need to buy or build an adaptor plate.
Cost: Carb $50, rebuild kit $50, adaptor plate $50

Exhaust upgrades:
Replace everything after the Y pipes with 2-2 1/4 inch pipe, a hotdog and a straight through/high flow muffler.
Cost: hotdog $50, lukey turbo muffler $100, whole setup supplied and fitted $220

Pro's: No compliance or legal issues, relatively simple.
Con's: Only goes so far, relies on current engine being healthy...ish

You could also look into getting a 2nd hand or reconditioned engine then do these mods, average price for a half decent engine is about $250.

For a larger performance upgrade you need to look at an EJ series engine.

This requires a gearbox adaptor to use the current gearbox or modified driveshafts to use a mtaching gearbox. You'll also need modified or custom engine and/or gearbox cross members. Then there is the decision of using a matching or after market ECU and the wiring there of. Also if you choose a DOHC engine you may need to modify your chasis rails which I have been told the RTA is cracking down on big time lately.

In NSW anything upto a non turbo EJ20 can be fitted and complianced without further modifications.

Total cost: from $1,000 if you score major bargains and do all work yourself, realistically looking at $3,000-5,000 for parts and upto $10,000 to pay someone to install and provide parts. Turbo engines also recquire brake upgrades.

Pro's: Depending on engine serious performance upgrade, fuel injected, more modern engine,

Con's: It's a big job not to be taken lightly, compliance issues larger and turbo engines.

Have a look at some of the threads in the conversion section to get an idea of the scope of this project.

Work out a budget, work out what you want to achieve.

If you want am easy upgrade just buy an impreza or liberty, cost from around $4,000.

You can read more about fitting an EJ series engine into your early model Subaru in Tim81Coupe's sticky thread HERE.

Jordan.

Good guide there Baron!

A couple of points to add:

Timing: Standard should be set at 8 Degress BTDC. By Increasing it to around 10-12 degrees BTDC and running 98 octane fuel (and other associated mods) a good increase of power can be had here. Be warned though - if you use fuel of a lower octane, pinging may well occur. Also may increase engine running temps. Cost = $0

Cooling: Any improvment in cooling will help performance. One cheap and easy method of doing so is installing a cooler thermostat. Standard runs at 180 degrees F, by installing a thermostat that opens earlier (read cooler) at about 170 degrees F, and from personal experiences, felt a slight increase in performance. For around $10, its a mod well worth it!

Can you added something about dual carbs for EA81?

Further point re timing. Running on 98 octane, with a 220,000 km motor, I have advanced timing to 16 with no problems.

don't mean to start a discussion here, but i'd like to see how a motor would tolerate 16 degrees of advanced timing in 40 degree heat.

my motor (125k, EA82, excellent condition) with 12 degrees of timing, doesnt like it with sunny days of 35+ degrees C, and on the temp guage, it jumps up from 165 degrees F, to about 180 degrees F. It never goes over this though, but it does feel more sluggish on the hotter days.

my old clapped out motor (290k, EA82, main end bearing failure but still ran 8O ) behaved the exact same way.

With 16 degrees of timing, a motor running that advanced, surely would run real hot. Perhaps in Melbourne, you may be able to get away with it, but the further north you would go, the more it would cause issues.

With the heater disconnected, car now runs at 2/5ths of temp gauge, he he; but I see your point

I don't personally know anything about the dual carbs, maybe Jono or Hughybabes could add some info for you.

I tried 16 degrees on mine, even in mid to high 20's heat running on 98 octane it pinged so bad I was scared to put any load on it.

I've found 12 to be safe under most conditions.

I don't mind having a discussion in this thread, the main reason I started it was to avoid the at least weekly question of how do I make my MY or L series go faster.

Jordan.

i am running 12 degrees advanced and get heat but not that bad. But find under uphill load, it coughs and splutters. Could be the standard fuel. Or dirty fuel too. With that much advance and electronic dizzy, i am reasonably impressed with the secondaries but loooked at the linkages and they are worn so could be even better

I had about 24 degrees on my RX, but hey - they are a 7.7:1 compression engine...

You can run more advance the more your engine wears as it has less compression, advance makes up for lost compression.

I have fitted a 32/36 Weber to the ea81 in my son's Beach Buggy but I can't get it to run properly between 20 and 80 klm. It continually surges. Highway speeds seem fine, accelerates well but is a pig to drive at town speeds. I've tried different jets curently it is running 65 primary Idle, 140 Primary main, 170 Primary air corr and F66 Emulsion Tube. I won't detail the secondaries as at higher revs it seem ok. It doesn't seem to respond much to adjustments to the mixture screw. Anyone else had a similar problem? I tried a completely different carb the other day and it ran almost the same!! I did make our own adaptor as on a VW transaxle the motor sits level resulting in the carb tilting backwards. So I made a wedge shaped adaptor to level the Carb, it was welded to the standard manifold. The carb has been cleaned numerous times with 2 new kits fitted, the last time by a Carb workshop. I'm at a loss and have obviouly run out of ideas. HELP!!

Glenn

could the adapter be the problem?

So I made a wedge shaped adaptor to level the Carb, it was welded to the standard manifold

If I was doing that I would get EA71 pistons, a nice cam (I think Rex McCartney or rsrlegacy recommended one or tige cams have some too), get some post 1984 heads, have them cleaned up, possibly glass beaded, maybe lighten the fly wheel, add a free flowing exhaust and a well tuned weber.

If Brett is lurking somewhere he might tell you what he did to his pig, from the vid's I've seen that was one angry EA81.

Jordan.

are you sure its an 'electronic distributor'? i thought it was just an electronic ignition MODULE. i've looked at my local, and apparently theyre $165 or around there (for a new one if one can't be sourced from a wreckers or such)

It's electronic as opposed to a points based distributor, theres no fancy features like an ecu would give, like knock sensor for example, but it is a big step up from a points distributor.

Jordan.

Your call but I wouldn't bother with an EA81 , from what I see the twin inlet port EA82 heads are better and you get to lose all the ironmongery that drives the rockers .
Honest truth is that forced induction aside only two things can improve an engines torque without increasing its rev range . One is to increase its capacity by boring/stroking , the other is increasing the compression ratio .

Manifolding has a big say in how an engine breaths and multipoint fuel injection ones are usually the best from the manufacturer . Carburettors are reasonably simple and cheap but that which allows them to metre fuel (the venturis) becomes a breathing restriction . Sube engines being horizontally opposed are a drama for a single twin throat carburettor because they are downdraught and a long way from the inlet ports . Getting the air and fuel to make two 90 deg turns to reach the ports is hardly ideal . The only way to have any hope of keeping the fuel in suspension is to keep the gas speed up with small ducting and everything toasty to help evaporate any pooling fuel in the inlet manifold . Small restricts breathing and warm decreases the charge airs density and lowers the detonation threshold . EFI wins all round which is why its use is universal .
Regardless of what people tell you factory EFI can be fiddled to give quite reasonable performance if tackled the right way .

For the fellas with that 32/36DGV Weber . I hope its an aftermarket app carb and not an ex Escort or Capri one . The Ford type ones had all sorts of bodges done for emissions reasons and most give up on them . You would probably be better off finding an early carb from a std 2L four of some sort because at least the jetting will be in the ball park . If you must persevere with the Weber check that its got appropriate emulsion tubes because if it hasn't nothing you you can do with primary mains and air correctors will fix it .

BMC A series , that takes me back . About all it has in common with an EA8X is siamesed exhaust ports - for 2 and 3 and four pistons and rods . In line fours are totally different in many ways .

Cheers A .

ok i am compltely new to this an will b getting a 99 model liberty shortly.. does any1 no some good engine upgrades that i can start off with 2 giv it a bit more beef? not sure what engine it has in it coz i havnt got the car yet..sorry

The only variables i can think of now are the Accelerator pump,float level or water in the fuel..and maybe an air leak.

can anyone tell me what size jets to run in the webber carb

heath wrote:can anyone tell me what size jets to run in the webber carb

scroll down the pages on this link....hope it helps, i'll be fitting a weber to my EA82 soon. Have yo ufound some place that sells the adaptor?

http://www.ausubaru.com/wiki/index.php? ... tor_Plates

or this one

http://www.ausubaru.com/wiki/index.php? ... mendations