Leaderboard

It definitely was and to make matters worst I had the 2nd cylinder and the 4th spark plug wires mixed up. She runs no problem now. I guess that’s why many people didn’t respond because they realized I was an idiot soon to figure it out lol.

No surprise - “Recently acquired” often means prior owner sold at the sign of ominous repairs. Correct MLS Subaru gaskets. Resurface the heads. Clean and lube bolt and threads. “Checking” to see if they’re warped is a waste of time. You don’t need the full valve job many machine shops say you need for a warranty. I tell them I don’t need the machine shop head warranty on a Subaru. Id install a complete Subaru or AISIN timing kit while it’s apart. They’re likely original or aftermarket pulleys both of which are failure prone and lead to bent valves which means redoing the headgaskets again to repair. The timing belts have to come off to replace the HGs anyway so it’s essentially no labor. Water pump, reseal oil pump, tighten the oil pump backing plate screws, cam seals and reseal rear separator would cover most other major items easily accessible with the engine out and engine apart. Although timing belt oil pump and water pump are not hard to do in the vehicle either if you want to DIY that later The oil pressure switches Leak all the time too and are only like $15 or something cheap. I sometimes replace those preventively if I expect a lot of miles/years/long trips out of the car.

You should make new hoses. Buy a crimper, hose fitting ends, and bulk hose. When you do you can purchase whatever drier you like. They are cheap and made in tons of combinations. I would figure out a generic modern R134 Sanden compressor and make new brackets. That R12 stuff was $hit anyway on R134 and you'll have no end of problems. If it doesn't lock up or blow out the shaft seal it probably will have mediocre performance. Flush the evap and condenser and cross fingers. Run a trinary switch for pressure shut off and fan control. Went through all this with my 86 Trans Am. Then you find out there's really not enough airflow through the front end to support it's use if it's really hot out. Remember you will be dumping all the cabin heat into the radiator and also blocking airflow to the radiator with the condenser core all in addition to a 15 HP load on a 74 HP engine. I have NEVER seen a really great functioning AC system in an EA81 vehicle. With all the Brat windows and t-tops and poor insulation I would be surprised at any system that could do more than 10-15 degrees and not overheat the engine. GD

the backfiring through the intake sounds to me like the timing is still off.

I found a few sources that say they have them in stock but they are not in the U.S.... https://www.amayama.com/en/part/subaru/13256aa030 https://partsouq.com/en/search/all?q=13256AA030 The shipping isn't great but they "appear" available. This seems like it was actually a common part used in all the earlier EJ engines.

here in italy they were called "GL" spec, mine was exactly same level of spec, electric windows, all other buttons seem to there, just one empty switch space. my old one was a 92, this one is a 93, both have the high roof bulge, makes for a very airy feeling inside, specially for someone who's 6'4" like me, wish it had cruise control but never seen it in really old Legs round here.