Numbchux

There was a rotary-rx that was posted here a few times over the years, probably built at least 15 years ago. IIRC, JWX bought it and swapped it back to an EA82t relatively recently. I think the Subarugears adapter is designed for the EJ transmission, too (a better option, but an interesting difference). Makes the purist in me cringed seeing the hood hacked up like that. But whatever, sweet build.

Subaru started using Immobilizers in the turbo and 6-cyl cars in 2005 and phased them in until 2009 when all models had them. One of the reasons I love my '04 H6.... All new cars are delivered with 2-3 keys. If any have gone missing, it's a good idea to get spares, but also to wipe those old keys out of the system.

Yea, before you can enter the key-adding process, you have to power on the system with a valid key. Now that's with the Subaru software, so it's possible there's something out there, but seems to me a good locksmith would be the one. AFAIK, there are aftermarket keys/software to clone a keys ID, so the computer in the car can't tell it's a new key. But again, without one to clone.....

I work at a Subaru dealership. Adding extra keys is easy, but if there is no working key, it's a big deal. Towed to the dealer, ECU and sometimes gauge cluster removed, shipped to Subaru, wiped, shipped back, reinstalled, and reprogrammed. Yes, the bill is frequently 4-digits. To the OP, I'm sorry this happened to you. I don't have another suggestion. If a good locksmith doesn't know a way, I doubt that there is one. To everyone else. Let this be a lessen. You might be afraid of a $250 bill for an extra immobilizer key, but if you loose all the keys, you're in for a much bigger headache. The idea of an immobilizer seems great, making cars extremely difficult to steal. But when you're the legitimate owner just trying to get a key, it's a huge pain.

That's a head scratcher, for sure. Keep us posted! I know the conversation has moved on, but I hate this kind of mis-information. I know a lot of people prefer to remove those screens, and that's fine. But it is NOT directly from Subaru. In fact, if you buy a Turbo from Subaru, it will not be warrantied unless you replace the turbo feed screen. Attached is the real Subaru TSB Banjo Bolt.pdf

The baja is the same chassis as the 00-04 Legacy and Outback. Outback struts/springs would bolt right on, and give very similar ride height to the stock baja. You could definitely use the struts/springs from a standard Legacy to drop your baja. FYI, the Baja and Outback have spacers on all the suspension crossmembers, and many of the mounts are shaped differently to accomodate the taller ride height. Many people drop them without removing this, but it will effect the roll center, and dynamic camber of the vehicle. Also, FYI. $1000 is cheap for coilovers.

The dealership I work at charges $35 for programming immobilizer keys. We just got a new cutting machine to do face/laser cut keys (I don't think an '08 OBK uses those, though) which was not cheap, so we're charging $55 to cut those. These will not be standardized at all dealer-to-dealer, though. So just call yours, and see what they say. Immobilizer cars can only have up to 4 keys programmed to them at a time. And any keys that have gone missing and are not present when adding new ones should be removed from the computer, and will no longer start the car.

It's possible. Only the 00-09 Legacy/Outback/Baja uses that style rear suspension, and they all use the exact same arm. So I think the only explanations are that something else is out of whack, or that that piece isn't right (presumably a fluke, Dorman's usually decent). When it comes to a toe adjustment, they have to be very precise, as little as 1/4" can be a huge problem. I just measured a new OE one, and it looks like 10 13/16" bolt center to center. Probably impossible to get an accurate measurement on the car, though, as those bushings need to be completely unloaded. FYI, OE number is 20250AE06A.

If it's physical ice on the outside of the car, it will need to be physically removed before the flap will open. Your key can work, but be careful not to scratch the paint... A semi-gentle hit with a fist on the outside frequently busts up the ice enough to release the door. Otherwise carefully scraping with something plastic (a credit card, window scraper handle, etc.). Yea, water would probably do it, but if it's ice-storm cold, that bottle is probably frozen too.

I work in parts at a Subaru dealership. I work with a guy who has worked at a dealership that carried Subaru since the '70s. He has all the old Microfiche catalogs. Certainly back to the early '70s, including the FF-1 and similar. He will not sell these, and probably wouldn't even sleep well if I took them home for the evening. But I feel tempted to preserve/share these by digitizing. There are 2 parts to this. Scanning. This would have to be done here, or maybe at my house. So I'd have to get my hands on a very high resolution scanner. A quick google search says 7200dpi should be sufficient. I see stuff with that or better on Amazon for less than $200. Would anyone be willing to pitch in for this? Recommendations? Better sources? This would provide one huge image file with the entire catalog on it, that would need to be cropped and put into a format that would be easier to read (probably .pdf). With an infant daughter, I probably do not have time to do this, but it would be easy enough to send the raw image file to be processed. Any volunteers?

Suspension is basically identical to the EA82. There's nothing "performance" made specifically for it. FWD XT front struts will drop the front. But nothing that easy for the rear (FWD rear shocks are actually longer because the mount on the arm is located differently). There are fairly universal coilover sleeve spring kits that can be put on, but generally they're sprung very stiff, and will yield a terrible ride (good handling on smooth surfaces, my Loyale did very well at AutoXs). 5-lug swap opens up a ton of options. Better brakes, suspension, etc. But you'd be very lucky to put that together for $500. I've compiled a LOT more information on these subjects into a FAQ in the retrofitting section here....check it out.

I definitely know people who have switched to 5w30 syn to reduce consumption. A 2014 should be outside the problem range for that engine, but it might be worth consulting your local dealership to have it tested and see if you might be eligible for a free shortblock.

Mechanically fairly simple. Wiring is a big job. You'll either have to cut up both harnesses to make a hybrid harness to control the EZ30 with the Legacy body stuff. Or, swap basically the entire dash. All H6s have automatic temperature control, so the controller for that and the heater box is all different. Gauge cluster is different. IIRC, all H6s have side airbags, so in order to make that system happy, you'll need the front seats. If your H6 donor car is a VDC, that opens a whole other can of worms. For your sake, I hope it's an LL Bean. Much much easier to swap the 5MT into the Outback.

Most cars will not allow you to use the re circulation setting while in defrost, for exactly the reason that you're stating. Where does your temperature gauge typically read? I suspect you have a weak thermostat, preventing the engine from getting all the way up to temperature, which limits the amount of heat energy the heater core is able to transfer to the air passing through it. If it's pulling air from the interior, it's already somewhat warm, and it's much more efficient. But pulling from outside it just cannot keep up.

I don't think any come with the bearing. And they stopped offering them around 2004

The T100 has a wider frame than the regular pickups. So it has the longer CV axles, but the exact same control arms. All the width and non of the travel.... 3.4 isn't exactly a powerhouse either, but in stock form it's decent. But more importantly, it's a proven solid platform for boost. You could have even had a supercharger put on it at the dealer. I no very little in real offroad desert/baja racing. But from my experience with rally, dampers can make a HUGE difference. Just on Ziptie Rally #171 we went from some custom-built (allwheelsdriven, IIRC) housings for Bilstein dampers, which were better than stock but only just, and bent after about 2 events. We switched to RS&SP 2-way adjustables, and the improvement was night and day. Then for the last year or so we got some RS&SP 4-way adjustables (which have remote reservoirs), and again, night and day. Had to be sent to Argentina for a rebuild, though. Now, in rally, you're really only getting one good hit at a time, not like hitting whoops. But the extra reservoirs are specifically to keep the fluid cool under continuous use. Anyway, my point is maybe don't get hung up so much on the wheel travel number. By switching to a dual a-arm platform and running a conventional shock instead of a strut might allow for much better dampers, which might yeild the performance you're looking for.

Yea, the ones that are fairly easy to long travel were only available with the 2.4 22RE, or the 3.sl0. I do have a GM 4.3 from a '92 S-10 Blazer, which fits very well. And I've got a Toyota tcase in the stock location. The T100/Tacoma/4Runner 3.4 is a common swap (which I'm thinking of doing as I'm having issues with the FI on the 4.3), I've seen the Lexus 4.0 V8 done, not to mention every sort of domestic V8.

Theoretically that's possible, but I think it'll take some creativity in finding a switch that functions that way. It would need to have one circuit closed in #1 & #2, but open in #3, and the other circuit closed in #1 and open in #2 & #3. Might be easier to use a more traditional DPDT 3-way to control an SPDT relay to reverse the polarity of the Duty C circuit.

Yep, I'm exaggerating the delay, but it's still pretty noticeable IMHO.

Yea, I didn't word that very well. I meant that the limiting factor is the length of the axle. Lengthening a control arm, or tie rod isn't difficult for a half decent fabricator, but lengthening an axle shaft..... That's why I was thinking maybe an STi axle might give you a bit extra width, but probably not much. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think an older ('86-'95) Toyota might be a good option. Those T-100 axles make for a relatively easy long-travel setup (have to lengthen all 4 control arms and both tie rods). Total Chaos claims 12" w/ 4WD out of their kit. The sky is the limit when it comes to engine/transmission/transfer case/axle options. Also the dual a-arm design means shocks are very universal, so really high-end shocks are relatively cheap. http://www.chaosfab.com/86-95-4WD-Pickup-4Runner-T100-Long-Travel-Suspension-Kit-95200.html

The way you described it earlier in this post, AWD to "unlocked" 4WD (gauranteeing you have power to the front and rear simultaneously. But you still have open diffs at the front and rear). So in AWD mode it would wait for the front to spin a bit before sending power to the rear, in 4WD it sends it to both simultaneously.

Yea, CV axles is usually the limiting factor with long-travel independent. I was really tempted by a long-travel kit for the older Toyotas that uses off-the-shelf axles for a T100, but I think I'm moving away from my 4Runner. You might be able to find an STi axle or something that would give you an inch or so....

It's not even remotely that simple. And again, not all AWD is the same. Most Subaru 4EATs apply power almost exclusively to the front until it detects the front start to slip, and then power goes to the back, because they don't actually have a center differential. Manual transmissions and VDC cars supply power evenly to both front and rear, but have some sort of LSD to prevent too much speed differentiation. Your description of 4WD locked and unlocked describes both front and rear differentials being locked or unlocked, which is very rare on a factory vehicle, occasionally an off-road package will come with a true rear locker, not just an LSD, and even then there's usually nothing to limit slip in the front. I had our '04 Outback VDC in the deep stuff behind my garage this weekend pulling out my utility trailer which has been parked since late last summer. It did better than any EA Subaru I've ever had, the only time I had any trouble, was breaking through the bank left from the snowblower, towing the snow-laden trailer with one tire completely flat. Even then, a little gentle rocking and it had no trouble.

That exact list will probably only work on the early stuff, '90s, maybe a bit into the '00s. That said, it's almost certainly possible that an alternator could be made work (electrically) that's much newer. But the exact wire count, colors, and function may change a bit.

The AWD system with the automatic is a FWD transmission with some power sent to the rear as an afterthought. Only once the TCU detects a difference in speed between the front and rear does it send a decent amount of power to the back. By manually selecting 1st gear, it does make that program more agressive, so it's a bit less noticeable. Also, it's pretty easy to add a switch inline to the power wire to the transmission solenoid that controls the AWD and lock it down as tight as it can (well documented, you're looking for the duty C solenoid). An Outback is a MUCH heavier vehicle than an EA82, so it feels much more cumbersome, much harder to control it's momentum. I have owned many 4WD EA82s (To be fair, either D/R 4WD or FT4WD, never push button, but the 4WD functionality is the same with it locked in), and EJs and living in northern MN, I'm no stranger to snow. It is a completely different animal than the old EA82s. I almost swore off Subarus a couple years ago when I was driving a '99 Outback SUS 4EAT. I went up the driveway to my buddies shop that had not been plowed since the last storm. There's a section right by the shop that's off camber, and I slid off the driveway. I managed to get it pointed the right way, but it took me hours with a shovel, jack, and some dimensional lumber to get it back on the flat ground again. In hindsight, the AWD let me down, but mostly the Primewell tires let me down. The AWD system with a manual transmission, however, is very similar to the old 4WD. I also frequent the local ORV park up here, which used to be an iron ore pit mine, so it's mostly rock crawling, where gearing and diffs are crucial. I haven't had a conventional 4EAT up there, but every other version. Again, the EJ 5MTs don't have much of a traction disadvantage from the EA82s unless it gets really nasty, and even then typically it's the front and rear diffs that let them down, not the center, and gearing. Our '04 Outback VDC (much more like the MT AWD) does very well, need to get it lifted and skidplated to really push it.