edrach

Jeff, I opted to use the EA82 flywheel in my conversion so the EA82 clutchkit works just fine. I'm almost positive that the splines are the same for the EA81 kit, but I'm not sure. The only issue I had with the later flywheel is that the bolts holding in to the engine are slightly smaller so there's a tiny gap which most people don't feel is an issue once the bolts are torqued to the proper setting. Anal person that I am I found some thinwall tubing that I cut to 1/2" lengths to take up the slop. There's also an issue with starter motors but you'd have to research that. Bratsrus1 can answer a lot of those questions for you.

I'm with Jerry on this. Do it. He installed the 5 speed on my Brat and there's significant improvement. No more running at 3600 rpm on the interstate; ability to drop down to 4th on long hills on the highway. Also, the 5 speed d/r appears to be a more robust and reliable transmission.

Tough when you have to work Saturdays! I'll give you a call tomorrow; I've got a question about alignment.

Vibration under acceleration that goes away is almost always a bad DOJ on one of your axles. Frankly, I would suspect the one you just installed. Not likely the rears; they just never seem to go bad; and when they do it's not with those symptoms.

Our Toyota pickup with the timing chain exhibited chain slap at around 110K. There's an adjustment but the labor involved made me opt to pay the extra to just have the chain replaced and be done with it.

Belts are less expensive than either timing gears or chains to manufacture. Timing gears never seem to fail (look at your EA81 engine). Timing chains do stretch and wear out but would last longer than a timing belt. Simple economics, belts are the cheapest to manufacture and replace. Ask an early Toyota owner what it cost to replace a slapping timing chain in an L16 or L20 engine.

I will not buy an aftermarket rebuild alternator from anyone. I've found a local rebuilder who is "old school". I've found him expensive, but I never paid anywhere near $158 for a rebuild. Most of his "full" rebuilds have run around $120. Generally, the rebuilds run between $60 and $120 depending on what he finds bad. He generally warrantees his work for one year but I've never had to bring one of his alternators back for any reason.

Interesting. 1stsubaruparts.com used to be Auburn Subaru. They must have switched when Mike Scarf bought Auburn Subaru. I never noticed since I always call Jason anyway because the website is such a pain to navigate. Backordered parts come from wherever they can be found and I'd be ordering from Jason even if I still lived in NJ.

We were thinking of Ft. Lewis but would need an inside contact as well as lots of luck bringing a number of cars onto the base. It would be nice entertainment for some of the troops there if it could be done.

The earlier EA82 motor had two belts, one of them considerably smaller than the other and both narrower than the single belt on the EJ engines. I've had EA belts fail on me twice without any damage to the engine and both with more than 60K on the belts. I can understand why the newer EJ belts last longer and I don't know of any premature belt failures on the EJ engines; either the 2.2 or 2.5 engine. I also think the automatic belt tensioner helps on the EJ engines to keep the belt from failing prematurely. Looking to find a Forester to buy recently I found a number of them with 125K or more miles with no evidence that the belt had ever been changed. That being said, I think it is wise to change the belt at 105 months for the reasons given by nipper.

Is any of that thousands of acres flat, cleared and moderately dry and accessible to street legal vehicles? PRG is looking for a flat field around Olympia to set up a rally cross venue.

Moving the kernel wasn't to swap the casings; it was to move the kernel into a 3.900 rear diff to match the front diff. Anyway, looks like you have it under control.

Are you sure the front diff is a 3.700? I thought all the d/r front diffs were 3.900.

1stsubaruparts is Mike Scarf Subaru in Auburn, WA. Ask for Jason in parts (tollfree, 866-528-5282). He is much better to deal with over the phone; I find their website way too slow and non-intuitive. I haven't found a better place for OEM parts or better prices for that matter.

You might call Jason in Parts (866-528-5282) and see if he can do better for you. He sells only OEM and will ship around the country if needed.

I'm glad with your success; which PAP yard did you find it in? At that price, it's likely Lynnwood or Tacoma; I know Oly charges more. I'm glad the 3.7 worked for you, but it would have been easier to drop the LSD kernal into an open 3.9 diff. I'm pretty sure there's a write up somewhere on the board for that. I like your snorkle idea. The plastic breather does the same but they usually clog with age. With the hose you won't need to worry about any really deep puddles.

Nice find. By the way what's holding the LSD up? Or did you take the mustache bar out for clarity in the pictures?

Interesting thought here: http://tinyurl.com/36j6uj I know quite a few people who could enjoy this new class and get some real use out of their motorhomes which sit idle most of the time. I would think a Subaru powered Vanagon would be quite competitive in this class. I found this just too funny for words. This might belong in off topic......mods could move it if they like.

Try Jason in Parts at Mike Scarf Subaru. If it's still available he can get it. Toll free: 1-866-528-5282.

Connie, regardless of who drives it east, wait until Spring. No telling what the roads across the mountains are like at this time of year. Best of luck bringing it back.

Good luck with it; remember that 105K is the magic number for when the timing belt (and associated other items as needed) should be replaced. Very important on an intereference engine.

We're in the process of purchasing a '99 Forester. It has the electric door locks with the remote lock/unlock module. One of the modules needed a new battery but apparently needs to be re-programmed to work. Anyone know how to do that?

Check with the closest SCCA club to you. They might be active in rallycross which is the least expensive version to start out in.

Another Board member near you is XSNRG.

You have a pull a part yard in Olympia out by the airport. Also another in Tacoma near the Steele St. exit off SR512. Tacoma and Lynnwood are open 9am to 5pm, 7 days a week. Not sure about the Olympia yard.