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Managed to score a factory roof rack from the junkyard today, anyone know exactly where it gets placed? It was a they pull it type yard so I didn't get to see it installed. I was just going to use some rivnuts and seal the holes.

Good luck with it mate. The EA82 five speed is DIY-able. But I found the old EA81 four speed a pain in the arse and I really don’t know how ppl do it. I only needed to open the old box and an angle grinder was involved in the end... Once you’ve got the rear extension housing off, the pinion shaft end nut seems to be required to be removed to get the mid/rear housing off. I gave up and introduced it to the angle grinder. A 5spd conversion would be easier and make the vehicle more enjoyable to drive long term. Cheers Bennie

Thank you everybody who has offered help. It has been a learning curve, i.e., what should have been obvious in 5 seconds has gradually sunk in after almost a week. I did not understand how the brake switch worked. I thought it was strictly 'internal'. I have learned about the 'plunger'. I hope to design a fix using gorilla tape and a penny. In short, I replaced the brake switch and it didn't help. Then I realized that the plunger needs to make contact with brake pedal. Pretty bright. That took 4 days for me to figure out. I am now trying to find a real brake pedal stopper: https://parts.raffertysubaru.com/p/Subaru_1996_Legacy/STOPPER-PEDAL-B/49247386/36036AC001.html . I am going to try the gorilla tape and penny fix that I found online assuming I cannot adjust the brake switch to make it work as is. I don't recall finding any pieces on my floor and so I'm not entirely sure that this model uses a brake pedal stopper! Anyway, thanks again and I'll forward any additional details after the attempted 'fix'.

You will need a new short block at the least probably. Rod knock means having the block checked for journal roundness and line honed if need be. A new block is the cheaper alternative You will then have to have the turbo checked to see if its still good. If it was a cheap and/or easy fix, it would've have been done already. O.

Thanks so much for the response! Luckily it was only driven around the block a few times so the engine didn’t get too hot. Looks like I have a water pump replacement to do for the first time. I’m looking forward to it

@carfreak85 - what a tease mate! You’ve got the rates right? Could you post them here? Many would be interested and some might even order a custom set of springs/shocks as per the old specs. Cheers Bennie

The TCU gets RPM and other signals from the ECU, vehicle speed sensor, TPS, MAF sensor (if it has one) and then decides when to apply or remove voltage to the Lockup Solenoid that operates the valve to send oil pressure to the torque converter for lockup or unlock. That is a lot of parts and connectors to check through. As stated above, swap the transmission with a known good used one. They almost always come with the torque converter attached. Measure the diameter of the bolt holes on the torque converter, just incase there are two different ones like I found on our 95 Legacy. On the bellhousing above the starter is a sticker. The first 6 digits MUST match on the replacement. It is best to have the 7th digit (engine) match also.

Necro-bump! I actually stumbled across the dampening rates for the EA82 the other day and was kind of shocked to find out that the struts on the RX are about 2-3 times more stiff than the base GL struts, on top of having stiffer springs. Sadly, the struts are NLA for all RX-specific part numbers.

Is it a Stick Shift? If it is, could be the PHV , better known as the Hill Holder not releasing. The Return spring becomes weak or breaks on them over time.

I just put some on eBay. I don’t have much 80’s stuff , only a very few random items. i know I listed an ashtray , a grab handle for rear right door with a couple cargo cover catches , couple other items or so I am too tired to think of at the moment. Look me up - cashingmystuffin on eBay. My items (Subaru) are mostly 1970’s. Bailed out of the 80’s cars long ago. Random stuff pops up now and then. Enjoy !

You're in Oregon, this should be easy! Maybe call these people. https://www.facebook.com/pg/johnsubaruautobody/about/ They seem to have a lot of old Subarus.

Agreed on the pins. When you replace the caliper, is it semi-loaded (comes with a bracket)? If you're reusing the bracket/pins, that's probably the problem. I keep a very close eye on my caliper slides on all my vehicles, and periodically clean and regrease them. Having far less issues since I started using Permatex Ceramic high temp brake lube.

Turned out to be the oil drain line from the turbo. It was too long and when installed, had a kink in it that blocked the flow of oil. Its now fixed and running perfectly!