Numbchux

I worked at a dealer parts department for a few years. We sold a lot of plug wires, never had a warranty claim, and reused them whenever possible. I wouldn't pay their prices for them, personally. I've had great luck with aftermarket wires.

That's crazy, haven't heard of that. I would make some phone calls to make sure it's legit. It easily could be, though. I know Honda is going to great lengths to get these done (since they used Takatas in the driver's side, it's considerably more dangerous).

Join the group "Six Swapped Subarus" on Facebook. There's a couple guys there that have decoded the ROM to delete the auto transmission related code.

The front diff pinion shaft in a manual transmission AWD (EJ) transmission is considerably shorter than a FT4WD one (on a PT4WD the pinion shaft is one piece with the output shaft). But, I refer to what I said earlier

Not returning to center makes me suspect strut tops. Clunking is frequently sway bar/link bushings, but wouldn't effect your steering. Just disconnect it to test it.

I love XT6s and ER27s, but no. Not at all worth the work to swap it in this day and age. EJ22 is smaller, lighter, more reliable, more fuel efficient, better supported. ER27 ECU is mounted in the trunk, so you basically have to make a harness from scratch to swap it. Or spend the dough on a standalone. They use a different bellhousing pattern, so if you change your mind, you will need a different transmission adapter. If you want a 6-cylinder, get an EZ30. Modern, reliable, powerful. Don't mess with anything more than 20 years old (sorry EG33....getting to be a dinosaur as well).

I'm really not clear what you're asking. The center diff (on the rear of the transmission) has nothing to do with low range. And is COMPLETELY different between an auto and manual. In just about every single detail. You could put a dual-range 5MT into an XT6, but you can't put MT internals into an AT.

That's a very small change. Should be fine.

My blue '88 was like $100 in 2004. Broke a timing belt about 1/2 mile from where I bought it. If you had warm air in the heater vents, then the water pump was still working. Probably didn't overheat it.

Being that I live relatively close to the border, I'm familiar with the fact that parts are generally cheaper here. I regularly deal with customers from Canada, BUT, from the dealerships that I have worked, shipping stuff into Canada is a contract violation. But there's a general store right at the border that we ship to all the time. So yea, I gave my recommendation for a retailer. Maybe they can ship to you...

Possible? Maybe. But with the addition of timing chain components, I think it would make the project significantly harder (and therefore more likely to have problems). You won't find an aftermarket source for formed hoses for that stuff. Spend some time with the catalogs (partsouq.com has VIN specific OEM parts diagrams) and make a parts list and order them online. I've ordered from the Toyota equivalent of www.Subarupartsdeal.com, I love that their website will tell you that a parts is discontinued right away instead of play games, so I go out of my way to support that. But I imagine you'd be better off finding something in Canada.

Not on a 6-cylinder

Any other codes? In the FSM, the diagnostic for misfires on all 6 (the last of 21 diagnostic steps, but the only one that addresses all 6 cylinders) and no other codes is: Repair or replace faulty parts. NOTE: Check the following items. • Spark plug • Ignition coil • Fuel injector • Compression

It took a minute to get my bearings. This is looking in the driver's wheel well towards the front, correct? Looks like the back of the corner light and fog light in the distance. Looks like you nearly had a fire! You are likely going to be chasing electrical gremlins with that car for the rest of it's life. This is a fantastic example why that fender liner is so important. Download the correct wiring diagrams (www.jdmfsm.info is a great source). The best fix (other than a new harness) is to pull that harness loose from the front of the car, and lay it out of the fender, and cut the tape and loom back so you can inspect and repair every wire in that section. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd have 10-15 hours of your life into that. Pull the fuse box out, and empty several cans of brake or contact cleaner into the bottom of it. You might have decent luck tracing and repairing individual problems, but you will have more. And yea, get a fender liner on there. I saw an old turbo legacy sent to the crusher because it didn't have a fender liner, and kept having electrical problems. It wasn't the greatest car, but if someone had spent $20 on a crappy aftermarket liner, it would have been driven for many more years.

I've bought a couple Spectra Radiators with very good results.

This. The cast alloy and plastic ones use countersunk hardware because the plate is much thicker. The plate steel ones use a conventional bolt. If you've got a dealer nearby, go spend $5 and get the right ones. The dealer I worked at always stocked a few sets as we would frequently retrofit the new plate in place of the plastic ones.

There's probably a heat shield towards the front that can make it a little tough, I throw that in the scrap. 4 bolts (you'll need a decent 12mm box wrench, as there's not enough room for anything larger, and a fair bit of force) at the rear diff, and 2 bolts that hold the carrier bearing to the body. Then snake the whole thing out towards the rear (there isn't enough room to drop it straight down without removing the exhaust).

Those are all reliable components. The reliability will be most effected by the build itself. In this project, you will be removing almost every mechanical component in the car...so it'll be on you to make it reliable. The biggest thing will be the engine wiring, make sure it's clean, all connections are moisture and vibration-proof (I use only Molex Perma-seal butt splices), that nothing can chafe. You will also have to replumb the fuel system, so again, make sure it's done right, and you're not going to have problems down the road. Do not assume it'll be a completely reliable car right out of the gate. Don't take it on a road trip a week after getting it running. Issues will present themselves, you will have to limp it home, maybe towed. If the 81 has A/C, it'll just be a matter of making custom lines to plumb the EJ22 compressor into the EA81 system. If not, you'll have to retrofit an evaporator and stuff into it.....I don't know. Easiest is to just use the EA81 crossmember, front suspension, and axles. You could build your lift blocks to adapt the wider EA82 crossmember onto it, and then use those components, but IMHO that's more work than it's worth for a lifted build. I don't find the EA81 manual rack to be a problem with big tires. I have 29" tires on my Brat, and it seems to work well (not street worthy, don't think I've ever had it over 15mph). I had an EA82 with 29" tires that had a power steering rack that someone had deleted the pump, that was annoying. This would be the only reason to use the EA82 crossmember, as getting an EA81 power steering rack is very difficult. EA81 fuel tank doesn't have the same baffling as a fuel injection tank would. So you'll probably have occasional fuel starve when the tank gets low and starts sloshing around. The correct fix is to add a surge tank, but I just would fill up a bit sooner. There are a couple hurtles of using the EA82 5-speed transmission in the EA81 body. Custom/modified crossmember and driveshaft, IIRC. I haven't done it, but it's been discussed here many many times.

Seen it. Not uncommon for the tensioner bolt to strip out, luckily that bolts into a separate part, not into the block.

And? How did the old fluid look? Was the level low? How much material was on the drain plug magnet?

I don't know the volume, and I won't help you put snake oil in your system. Don't do it. Fix it right, or keep topping it off. A couple ounces in a year is not worth causing more damage by pouring syrup in there.

Ujoints are almost always worse under load. But I wouldn't hesitate to drop the shaft and feel them. Hardest part of the job is getting the car up high enough to get under there (I usually drive one end up on ramps, and then jack/stand the other end). Does it get worse the longer you drive it? I've had a sticking caliper slide cause a vibration at speed once that brake gets hot. Also check all suspension bushings. What axles were used? I've experienced many an aftermarket CV axle cause a vibration.

Huh? Something was changed, and something changed, so they clearly can't be related? What kind of tires were put on? Are they all the exact same? When I was at the dealership, we bought a 4.11 Subaru diff from a junkyard for a customer car, and it ended up being wrong (I think it was like a 2010 Legacy MT that used different axle splines). He said they usually throw away the common 4.11 diffs, and it wasn't worth the cost to ship it back to him. I still have it...just in case.... What I'm saying is. A. It's very unlikely that it's your problem unless the fluid has leaked out B. You should be able to get one cheap. Don't look on ebay, as shipping will kill you. www.Car-part.com and you can find one at a local yard for much cheaper.

WJM (RIP) wrote a fantastic article for SubieSport Magazine 10+ years ago about his RX, running the EA82t on MS+EDIS. Look for some of his old posts, he was doing some serious work and a lot of documentation.