edrach

Cool; me too! Are you done yet? Corky and I started just after 9am and finished around 3pm.

My '91 legacy had a very similar problem but caused by serious blow-by. In my case it would exhaust vast quantities of smoke for the first 4 or 5 minutes of running and then all would be okay. Until last weekend when the smoke wouldn't stop and I finally parked it rather than severely damage the engine more than it was already. Throttle intake hose was dripping with oil when I replaced the engine today as well as most of the hoses feeding it.

My tried and true '91 Legacy developed a severe case of blowby as well as HCs in the coolant recently. Started about 6 weeks ago and I started looking for a replacement engine. Last Monday I parked it for the last time since the smoke coming out the back was beginning to bug the neighbors. Picked up a mostly complete '90 wagon with a probably good engine (couldn't hear it run since the tranny was trashed...and starter couldn't be hooked up). Pulled the donor engine myself last weekend and today, with Corky's help, I pulled my old engine and installed the new (to me) engine. Seems to run just fine (whew) and no ugly smoke out the back. I'll do a test run later today. Much easier than a EA82 version and not much harder than a weberized EA81. Now to see what went wrong with the old one; lots of good spare parts there. Thank you Corky for all the help and patience!

Valve cover gaskets can be changed without removing timing belt covers. If you're losing that much from there it should show up on the driveway in the morning when you've parked it overnight.

Actually the cap is probably doing what it's supposed to do. Did you overfill the radiator? There will be a significant expansion of coolant when warm over cold. Also, there might be an air pocket in the cooling system that's expanding and causing this. But anyway, get a new cap after you've explored the simple solutions above.

Look for a loose connection at the battery terminals and alternator for a start. If it's not there we need to start looking for bad grounds.

So Craig, is that engine still stock or weberized? Way to go anyway.

Pull a Part in Lynnwood gets about one turbo every 2 or 3 weeks.

Regarding the3 cold running problem; it seems all webers have a tendency for that. the obvious thing is the choke, is it properly adjusted?

Bow-wow Autoparts in Lynnwood stocks them; ask for Chris, he's Subaru friendly; just under $30 plus tax. 425-771-6411.

POR15 is your friend. Just hold on to your pocket book when you get the POR15. It's a great product but quite pricey. Also, you can't paint over it without first painting it over with a special primer....then you can paint over it. I've got to hand it to you Mary, you've more patience than I have; you're probably better at it too. I don't mind the mechanical stuff so much but body work just drives me nuts.

Mary, I hate to say it but I'm with 88HatchMonster on this. My son's '82 Brat is pristine compared to this one and I wouldn't even consider restoring it. There are NW and western Brats with body damage (or missing engines) that can be had for $500 or thereabouts with minimal undercarriage rust that could use the body parts that you have on this one for a true restoration. I can't imagine rust so bad that the mustache bar bolts would break off. The only way I would consider restoring this one is if the underbody and frame were rust free; then all the suspension parts and such could be replaced.

Welcome to the Board, Bill. I'll look forward to seeing you again at the next rallycross unless there's something else going on between now and then. I'll have my blue Brat then instead of my son's gold one. Happy New Year.

Bad alternator; should output >14 at 2000 rpm (maximum 14.5 or so). Battery will only charge to the maximum alternator voltage, so if the alternator only puts out 11.5 volts, don't expect the battery to put out 14!

That would be me; Happy New Year and welcome to the USMB.

Looks like the price went up since April; now $85.

Interesting comment from someone who sells swaybars (and other goodies) for a living.

Gary you can still have a champagne celebration; hoist one in honor of suberdave at New Years.

Gary has it correct. After removing the cosmetic trim stuff, there are two small screws to remove the ignition switch itself. Then there are the two screws that hold the lock mechanism; they can be drilled out or drill and use an easy out to unscrew. New screws and you're on your way to putting it back together. The trick is finding a good lock and having it re-keyed to match your key. If you're getting the lock mechanism from a junkyard, get the two lock cylinders for the doors also. The passenger side cylinder will have the key code stamped on it so your locksmith can make a "virgin" key with which to make a few spare keys. I've learned to do the door locks in about 5 minutes a side so it's not too difficult and worth the extra effort not to have different keys for the ignition and doors. The other alternative is to find a competent locksmith to can replace the ignition lock cylinder in your existing ignition lock. It's about a 90 minute job plus the cost of a new lock cylinder if he can find one locally. I had it done to both of my '84 brats for about $120 each. You'll have to shop around for a competent "old school" locksmith willing and able to do this, but it can be done without removing the ignition lock mechanism itself. Again, having him make a "master" key from the number on the passenger side door cylinder will make everything last longer in the future. Great news about your upcoming marriage. Your guy couldn't find a better person! Lucky him (and smart too).

Yes it matters. That's why I only have Hitachi distributors; that way I only have to find Hitachi ignitors in the boneyards. Thanks for the offer though. I sent an email; maybe TomRhere can use the ND version.

Re-reading your post, you might check under the hood and make sure the dipstick for the transmission (two dipsticks if you have an automatic) are properly seated. If they don't seal properly, I could see them blowing out diff oil or ATF and causing the smoke you see at speed and no smoke at idle when stopped. Worst case is the mechanic forgot to replace the dipstick after checking/re-filling the transmission. Check your owner's manual for the location of the dipsticks.

It should be okay, but there's no guarantee that the problem won't get significantly worse IF the boot is torn. It'll only tear more as you drive if that is the case. A trip to the dealer to have them check the boots would do a lot to ease my mind before taking a long trip. Again, it might only be spilled oil and nothing to worry about. Hard to say from here.

I discovered today that a aftermarket supplier that I use no longer carries the Hitachi Vacuum Advance (for the standard EA81 distributer found on my '84 wagon). They used to carry it for around $21 plus shipping. Information from Hitachi is: Hitachi Auto Part 70139797 44R83-24007 Does anyone else have a supplier of these units? Any of you Portland guys have a contact within Philbin Industries (http://www.philbingroup.com/fhhistory.htm) and see what it would cost to re-do the diaphragms inside these units in small quantities (like 10 at a time)? I think if you check your cars you'll find that the diaphragm is shot and the vac advance no longer works. I'd be willing to initiate a group buy if we can find a supplier or have Philbin rebuild used ones.

Check the service record and see if they added oil to the transmission. If they spilled some on the engine it'll take a few days for it to burn off and that's normal (I guess). The "twitch" you describe doesn't sound normal as does the sound that comes with it. That might be something you go back to the dealer and describe if for no other reason than to get a written record of it in the event it becomes a warranty issue in the future. I would take a peak at the axles coming out of the transmission and see if the rubber boot might be torn on one of the inboard joints nearest the transmission. That could be the cause of both symptoms since it would throw grease onto the engine or catalytic converter causing the smoke and possible problems with that joint causing the "twitch." 30K is certainly too early to have a torn boot and I would hope is covered under your warranty. If it is torn or has a hole, it was likely done by a careless mechanic during the 30K service.

If all else fails, wait until a few minutes before noon or midnight, disconnect the battery to the car and reconnect it at exactly 12:00. If the clock restarts at another hour do the procedure just before that time. Write down all your radio station settings because they'll go away too if you try this method.