4 cyl 6 cyl longevity

[aiiadict]

Never owned a Subaru.
In terms of reliability, is the 4 cyl better in the long run than the 6 cyl,
vice versa, or neither?

I have no idea... But I know this:

I removed an EA81 1.8l 4 cylinder engine from an 83 subaru..

It had 350k on the odometer.

I opened up the case. The bearings were in excellent condition, and
had
not bee replaced. The crank hadn't been ground. 350k and it didn't
even
need a rebuild! I rebuilt it anyway (I had it open..)

None of the parts inside seemed to have any wear, besides the lobes
on the cam...

this engine is tiny (physical dimensions),

It sure did leak a hell of alot of oil though.. the subaru I pulled it
from
was caked in 1/4" oil/dust, the entire engine compartment.

Rich

 

[David Buchner]

I loved that engine. Ours was an '86.

You're right that most of the "reliability" Subaru fans might just be
remembering those cars.

I don't know if I could go back to that level of power, though. ;-)

(what was it? 60 hp? Less?)