djellum

the difference is where you have the front and rear engaged. the AWD cars will be running dry pavement with good traction and running different sized tires can cause some problems depending on the amount of difference. the 4wd selectables are only supposed to have the rear engaged on "slippery" surfaces, grass, gravel, mud, snow, etc. if you try to drive on pavement in 4wd you will bind up the trans even with 4 perfect sized tires (once you make a turn anyway). in 2wd it won't notice at all just like any other FWD car wouldn't, and since you should be on terrain that gives easy to engage the 4wd its not a huge deal to have some tire difference. Not saying its good, tires and brakes are the 2 things on your car you should never skimp on. But if your just commuting to work and don't need the 4wd or you don't mind a little extra tire wear when your off road, then you can get away with it on a selectable. this is assuming were talking small differences not measured in inches of course.

you can mix tires in a selectable 4x4 subaru, but you should keep them in pairs. A pair on the front and a pair in the back. its the all wheel drive ones that are real sensitive to differing sizes. that said if you have it in 4wd and have sever differences in overall diameter it can cause problems as one tire will need to slip to keep pace with the other. you should only use the 4wd on soft terrain like dirt or gravel to keep your trans from binding so this is not usually and issue if the tires are close.

schwab is not a place to get anything but tires. they don't hire mechanics they hire manual labor and make them work on cars. occasionally you get one where someone has some skill, but that is hit or miss and isn't designed that way. I think Gloyale has a shop in corvallis but that is still way far away. you can maybe post in the want adds here looking for some mechanic help. might be theres a member who has a home shop nearby who is willing to help

check craigslist. there may be a good old boy doing mechanic work in your area under the table. generally cheaper, and gives you another pool of talent to pull from. I have a few friends who do side jobs and are great mechanics, but of course they are not in your area.

2 inch is the easy one. strut blocks front and rear and 1"+ subframe drop unless you don't put enough miles on it to stress your axles (also possibly a steering extension depending on what you have). I have a 2 inch without the sub drop and I have changed a ton of axles. the axles themselves hold up well but the boots don't, even with the lower band loosened and moved up. 4 inch will need a lot more, lowering the rear end, perhaps changes in brake lines, steering extension for sure, engine cables and hoses, much more complicated on the blocks to stay away from the strut tower. also bracing between some of the blocks to hold everything in place. if your asking such a question id stick with a 2 inch unless its a wheeler only or fun car you don't need to get to work.

if replacing is an option, you generally should always use new bolts for anything with a sensitive torque requirement. most bolts do have a torque requirement even though we don't bother with them, but head bolts are some that I would always replace if possible. they are designed to stretch a certain amount when you torque them and they never stretch the same again after that. this is a general engine repair philosophy, not something Subaru specific.

start with some checks, make sure to find out what the problem is before you start replacing things. check fuel pressure, timing, and check for vacuum leaks. also hook up a vacuum gauge and see what it does and how much vacuum there is. a vacuum gauge will tell you a lot, just look up the list of symptoms on google so you can interpret it.

I would take the assembly to a machine shop. the one I used local pressed out the old bearings, tanked the housing, greased and installed the bearings and seals for $35 a side. had it ready for me the next day but I dropped it off late, they could probably do a 1 day turn around if you get there in the morning. you could even have them torque in the axle if you wish and then it would only be a half dozen bolts and an axle pin to put them in. if you have more money than time you can pick up a couple of housings from a junk yard or parts car and have the machine shop put everything in those, then just switch them out into your car. if you change the ball joint at the same time (usually a decent idea) then you can have the whole thing ready to drop in and drive in minimal time. they may even have a back area to put the car while they do the job. I have seen some other equipment sitting inside their fence while they worked on part of it, but Idk if they will extend that courtesy for a car. you could use a bit of wood or something, but it absorbs impact and you should be careful the end doesn't start to deteriorate and get wood splinters in your bearing assembly. If you plan to remove the assembly to take it in somewhere then either replace the ball joint, or pull the unit still attached to the lower control arm so you don't ruin the ball joint.

technically everything in that bearing assembly is supposed to be press fit. the bearings should be pressed in and the axle should be pressed into the bearings. hundreds of people have changed both themselves so its possible, but the tighter the fit the better. if anything is too loose then you should probably fix/replace it. how easy did that replacement bearing go into the hub? if it went in easy I would look into that. I just bought 2 axles from MWE in Colorado. good knowledgeable folks, but I havent actually got them in the car yet since im gathering parts to do a bunch at once. they used turbo inner and outer joints, with new CV's instead of rebuilt, Legacy shafts that are 1 inch longer than GL's to relieve some of the axle stress, and thick high quality boots for the passenger side where the exhaust heats them up. I will be pushing the shaft end of the DOJ boot up the shaft a bit. I should have them installed in a few days to a week, so ill let you know. currently I have a 2 inch strut push with no engine drop. I want to see how the axles fit in before I drop it, since the axles will need the suspension to remain a bit over stock due to length. I do plan on dropping it at least some if the axles can take that without binding on the upswing. I havent really had any joint problems, though I have eaten a few boots up since the lift went in. I have a bin full of used axles so I have just been throwing them in and driving them up till I could get the front end parts I need to set it up the way I want it. at a minimum I would slacken the boot if you have a lift, doesnt hurt anything and only costs $5 for the bands.

you really should diagnose actual problems before replacing items. it makes the actual diagnoses harder by introducing new parts and problems. vacuum lines are good to check. buy a cheap vacuum gauge. only a few dollars at a part store or harbor freight. there are a half dozen symptoms that will show on a vacuum gauge and may help you. start with the basics, fuel, spark, timing. perhaps a little sea foam may help.

One corner will make it super tight to fit cause it will contact the side of the strut tower if your not carefull. Id rotate the bottom for max clearance there

on the hitachi it will have a bowl vent that used to go to the charcoal canister. it will be one of the larger orifices. if you really want to get it tuned in nice you will have to properly restrict it. it needs to be restricted just enough to balance pressure. for me I stretched a much smaller hose onto it and left the hose about 3 ft long. nothing scientific in my approach, just was randomly trying ideas and that one seemed to get it right. basically it keeps the pressure in the fuel bowl right, otherwise your carb wont manage its fuel right. the rest seemed to work fine when plugged.

and older trick was to cut the antenna connection out of a junk car, strip it down, and screw it directly to ground on the chassis. if your antenna in the car sucks that can help, though you do open yourself up to some issues like engine noise in the speakers. doesnt always do it, Ive had some cars pick up stations flawlessly, and others whined. depends on the whole system. the theory (though not based on science as much as lack of patience and worry) was that your car is a much better antenna than your antenna.

Backfires come out of the motor, carb or intake. afterfires are what comes out of the tailpipe. just mentioning it in case your googling, that will turn up better info. basically its a combination of extra fuel and fresh air getting into the exhaust. air + fuel + heat = boom. you cant keep your exhaust cool enough, and almost all motors will output some straight fuel into the exhaust, so work on cutting out the air in the system. any exhaust leaks need to be fixed, but if you have the ASV system on your car then that could be causeing the problem as well. on mine the plastic baffles were leaking and once I plugged off the hoses it completely stopped the afterfire.

their speed holes

easiest bet is to put the EJ motor onto the trans you have. SJR makes adaptor kits that are very reasonable. not just a drop in (especially with a turbo), but its well documented and fairly straight forward. I'm sure you can fab in the trans as well, but its obviously a lot more work in fabin up mounts and shortening / lengthening drivelines. also the CV's are different in some cases so you may have to use hybrid axles depending on parts and years. for a track car id say your a generation off. the newer gen stuff is much better all around for that, more power, better suspension, better brakes, 5 lug larger wheels, etc. you can technically swap most of the suspension as well as the motor and such, but it quickly gets to the point where its better just to buy a different starting point. that said you wagon would make for a decently light little car if you strip it out for the track.

support for the upper seatbelt? drainage for the T tops? left over from something the wagons or hatches had?

not really a fix, but the 2 last posts brought something to mind. its waaaayyyyy easier to push start a car in reverse instead of 1st. something with the gear ratio I think but push it backwards and try starting in reverse and it goes much much easier. you can do it almost barely rolling at all.

used vice grips and penetrating oil to loosen stuck valves without pulling the heads on my dads El Camino, and straightened the bent pushrods on the cement with a hammer. I felt dirty when my dad had me do it, but the car went for years after. he never even replaced the pushrods. then I drove it for quite a few miles myself before I sold it.

yah, nothing goes in but brake fluid, but if you rip a line off on a trail then at least you can get to a ranger station or pavement if not home. generally most people I have seen used water, and that eventually rusted out the system even with getting blown out with air and refilled, so definitely a no no, unless leaving your rig would get it shot up or something. I must admit, this looks sweet. Id like to pick one up if I could find one cheap, just to play with. http://readywelder.com/products-page/2/

you can put any liquid in place of brake fluid, water, pee, whatever. most fluids wont handle the heat well or will ruin the lines over time, but it may get you home. you can weld with jumper cables on a battery and a stick electrode. its hard to do since theres no machinery stabilizing the arc but it can be done. they even make a sweet little kit with a small arc stabilizer and real welding leads that is designed to be hooked to a car battery (or multiple if you want more power). I drove home about 15 miles with no tire. well the first 5 miles or so was with a flat, then it finally gave out and rolled off into the ditch. It was the right rear too so it was the power tire (power is relative since I was driving a Chevette). the next day we checked it out and there were dual gouges in the road all the way from the edge of town to my parking spot. even had them put a used tire on that same rim and continued to drive on it. A few years later I actually drove the same Chevette home about 10 miles with only 3.5 pistons.

i just changed out my jets on thursday to get closer to the right ones. was worth 3-4 mpg at least. id do it sooner than later.

saran wrap works on the door rubber. you will end up replacing it a lot if you actually need it but it tears away rather than the rubber. not really a daily thing but if you find yourself stuck its available at any store, even small end of the road stores.

probably spark knock. its common for people to jack up the timing so double check it. if you know its running lean then that can cause it as well, you probably need to clean and adjust the carb. put some 92 octane in it and see if the noise changes.

yes it should be stamped, but some times it will just be a designation not a measurement so you may have to look it up.