WoodsWagon

Yes, you need the idler pullys. The bearings fail with remarkable regularity and if you're lucky the timing belt only jumps 1 tooth. If your not, well, pulling the heads to replace the valves is a little more expensive than replacing the 3 idlers and 1 tensioner. You probably don't need a new oil pump, just the screws tightened on the one you have. I've used the importexperts before, reuse the subaru bolts, the ones that come with their kit are garbage.

A vacuum leak or stuck idle air control valve could do that. Do the later EA82t's have the coolant temp controlled air bypass valves like the early ones did? You can always swap the d/r 5spd from your other car in where the pushbutton 4x4 is. What's your plan for the car? The EA82t's are finicky motors, and you have to be really attentive to all the coolant and vacuum hoses.

Check to see if the crank pully bolt is tight. Then, if it's an automatic, see if the noise might be coming from the flexplate, they do crack. Both sound like rod knock, but usually if the rod bearings start pounding the rods come out the top of the block pretty quick.

If it's reset with a key cycle, it's unlikely to be hydralic failure. If you unplug the main harness connectors to the transmission, I believe it defaults to 2nd gear, so if you unplug it and drive it around and it works fine in 2nd, the tranmission is probably not at fault. Electronic modules like the TCU can fail in bizarre ways, so just because it works breifly doesn't mean it's not at fault. I've got a ECU that runs the car fine for a couple days, then switches into a default mode where it holds the injectors on at near full duty cycle as long as the key is on but turns the fuel pump off. Leave it parked for a month, it runs fine when you come back, then craps out 2 days later.

Don't drive it, the 2.5's are susceptible to spinning rod bearings, and you're probably starving the bearings for oil. That pressure sender turns on the light at like 3-5 psi, normal at idle should be at least 15, and off idle it should be up around 30. The most common reason for this is the phillips head screws that hold the plate onto the back of the oil pump backing out. You need to pull the crank pully, timing belt, sprocket and oil pump out, then remove and clean the screws, and loctite them when you put it back together. I don't remember if you use fujibond between the plate and the pump, but you do use it between the pump and the block. Make sure to replace the o-rings that seal it to the oil gallaries. The other possibilty is if your oil pan is crushed from bottoming out on things, that can block the pickup screen and starve the pump. The 0 ring between the pickup tube and the block rarely fails, so I wouldn't think that would be your problem.

Struts are definiately a lift, just because they were a factory issued lift doesn't make them any less of a lift. Take a look at any IFS truck that has coilovers in the front, by cranking up the spring perch they're lifting the truck. The point of a lift is to make clearance for bigger tires, which is exactly what the outback struts do. The subframe drops are necesary if you want to keep factory axle angles or install more lift out at the struts and not max out the axles. If you're content with the lift provided by the outback struts alone, then you don't need the subframe drop blocks, or the steering extension. What subaru did was a 2" version of the BYB lifts for the earlier cars. They extended each strut, installed subframe drop blocks and longer bolts, and put an extended steering coupler on. It's the same thing. I've also put a 4" lift in an EA82 if that makes you happy.

Check for a stuck vacuum modulator or broken spring in it, other thing is make sure the vacuum line to it is run directly to the manifold, and not t-d into one of the HVAC vacuum lines after the resevoir, or same thing with an aftermarket cruise setup. You want the modulator seeing direct manifold vacuum, nothing else. Vacuum modulators force downshifts, governors force upshifts. Usually if you unhook the vacuum line to the modulator, the tranny will do redline shifts, no matter what the throttle position is. If the modulator is stuck or failed, then it won't. Also know that the 3at's were known for being gutless wonders. The "lack of power" could be normal.

I would have recommended cutting in to the c soleniod wire at the TCU connector, that's right above your feet under the dash. That would have put the splice inside the passenger compartment, protected from the weather, and shortened up your wiring by a fair bit, as well as removing chafe points where your wire is likely to get rubbed through, short to ground, and fry the TCU. But that's just me. You can use a double pole switch that shunts the signal from the TCU to a dummy load, that will keep the TCU from throwing codes. There's a writeup on building the dummy load around here somewhere.

Unfortunately hack-rump roast junk like this is what gets laws passed against modifying cars. How'd you like to live in a state where no suspension, exhaust, or drivetrain modifications are allowed? If that had folded on the road, and you had hit someone and killed their child, they would be up in the statehouse campaigning for a law against modified cars. And that would screw all the people that actually had well-engineered modifications to their suspensions. It's not a "mothers touch". Your stupid actions could easily screw everyone over. Do it right or don't do it at all. It's not hard, or expensive to do a lift the right way. The consequences for doing it the wrong way could be dire. You got lucky this time, wise up and fix your attitude towards modifications so it doesn't happen again.

It's a 3at, no e, that's for electronically controlled, like the 4eat in the ej-series stuff. Low fluid apple-cored governor gear failed/not hooked up vacuum modulator Oh, and front diff run out of gear oil those are the main problems with the 3at, other than being gutless.

Not springs, struts. The spring seat is higher up on legacy outback struts, so it moves the ride height up (like moving the collars up on a coilover) and more importanly gives you more space between the hub and the spring seat so you can fit bigger wheels and tires in there. Bigger tires will rub on the rear spring seat if you don't switch to legacy outback struts. The process has been gone over many times, with pictures, tips on options, and advise. Do a quick search. I've lifted 2 1st gen legacys, 1 2nd gen legacy, 1 imp wagon, and an 02 wrx.

I know a small block ford (289-302) fits between the framerails of a brat with the stock cast iron manifolds on. Headers don't fit.

4wd with a clutch LSD in the rear makes it work great, as the front wheels can't break loose until both back wheels are spinning. FWD is ok for just booting around town, and doing burnouts, but it takes a lot more care if you're trying to actually use the power. Throw it in 4wd and do some nice, stable, controlled powerslides on some dirt roads at rediculous speeds and you'll be content.

Mabe it's the cold weather that causes hard and extended cranking around here with high amp draw, but I see lots of vaporized solenoid contacts. There's a spring on the big copper washer contact that preloads it against the two tab contacts while the plunger is bottomed out and holding the pinion forward. Once the washer and 2 tab contacts wear to about 1/3 of the original thickness, the spring and washer run out of travel and you don't get good contact. Replacing the two tab contacts and cleaning up the washer buys you another couple years of trouble free starts.

The EA front suspension is usually garbage when you start putting power to it. When the front lifts, the camber shifts quickly to positive, which puts the contact patch outside the SAI and gives twitchy steering depending on which tire has traction. Strut rod bushings are also a big contributor to that, I've had luck drilling clearance holes on the rear washers and putting an extra pair on each side to really crush the bushings. Wait till you have it in the rain, it's really rediculous having to use 4wd to pull away from a stoplight without spinning the front wheels and sliding into the car next to you.

You need to find and fix the leak first, then consider replacing the pump. A rash of them fail the first snowstorm each year, with people holding it over at full lock and doing donuts for long periods. Running the pump at max pressure (where it's recirculating through the relief valve and the fluid never leaves the pump/reservoir body) overheats the fluid and burns the vanes in the pump up. Then, you get no pressure.

Pulling the rear driveline isn't a good idea with a 5mt, even if the VC has failed, it's still a differential and it will try to let all the power go to the disconnected rear driveshaft. 4EAT's are a FWD tranny with a supplemental rear drive, so removing the rear driveshaft is fine. Your VC (viscous coupler) is a limited slip device on the center differential. When it heats up, it's meant to bind and give you 4wd. The problem is that as they fail, the heat of normal operation starts to make them bind. To fix it, make sure you fix the origional problem first, either mis-matched tires, wrong differential ratios front to rear, or if it was towed with 2 wheels rolling and 2 locked to the tow dolly or truck. Then replace the center differential. It's not a bad job, the hardest part is usually getting the shifter yoke to come off the shift shaft on the tranny, there's a double roll pin and then the yoke is often rusted onto the shaft pretty good. You can source a center diff from any 1990-98 subaru AWD 5mt, so impreza, forester, legacy, and outback variants are all available. Depending on the junkyard, you should be able to get one for 50-100 bucks. You can buy them rebuilt for $350 i think the last time I looked. It took 3 hours to do the last one I did, but we weren't working hard, and there was a lot of goofing around and shooting the ************ while we were ripping it apart and swapping them out. Having a lift helps a lot, doing it in the driveway on your back would suck.

I know the plug is different, but is it actually possible to rewire the tranny harness to have a phase 1 tranny (out of a 97 outback) work in a phase 2 car (99 Forester)? I'm not too worried about the ratios, I can swap the rear diff if need be. We have a delayed engagement tranny, tried fluid changes, changed the spin on filter, added transX, no improvement and it's now making ominous grindy-rattely noises in first and has a harsh 2-3 shift, with rpm flare if you punch the throttle at 30mph, then WHAMo it grabs 3rd. The car was $400, we fixed the wiring harness across the radiator support that was butchered by a body shop so the car actually shuts down when you turn the key off and the ABS works again. We replaced the timing belt, water pump, and idlers because the cogged tooth idler had been run busted so long the hub had a flat spot worn in it and a fair notch was ground out of the oil pump bypass. It leaks oil and coolant out the headgaskets, oil out the valvecover, and oil out the rear oil separator, but it runs good and is a nice car for the $700 that's in it. It's just the tranny is on a downward spiral and needs to be swapped, the cheaper the better. I can get phase 1 trannys easily, phase 2's not so much. People want too much money for them, and most of the 99's and 00's are ticking time bombs for the delayed engagement. If it's too complex we'll just chuck a 5mt in there.

Great job on the conversion, I bet it's a blast to drive. There wasn't any way to tuck the intercooler back more? I'm more of a "sleeper" type car person, so I tend to like having stuff like that hidden as much as possible. I know on my 86 gl-10 wagon there's more space in the front, but I was able to fit my intercooler behind the grill. I had to use hood pins because the latch and latch support had to go, and trim the backside out of the grill so that it's just a grill facade now, but it all tucked up in there. Cut some oval holes through the bumper to let air in, but made sure they blended in. Other than the "look at me, I'm modified!" massive intercooler, the rest of the car is really tastefully done, with everything looking like it could have been factory. The intercooler just looks out of place on a car that nice.

Use a punch and brace the socket on the jaws of a vice and pound the bolt back out. Smacking the socket with a hammer on the side while holding it with an extension against an anvil works pretty good too. I've never lost a socket, well except for ones I've blown the sides out of cranking on something pretty hard.

I have seen water pumps seize, the timing belt will slip across them and may squeel at start up. It will also overheat pretty quick. Clanking noise could be lots of things. Make sure the crank bolt is tight, and check to see the crank pully hasn't been wobbling. Even if you really overheated it, there was still coolant in it. The engine's not done until it's boiled off most of the coolant and is still being run. So I wouldn't worry too much, just fix why it overheated.

Same thing in the northeast, we get enough above freezing days with freezing nights that they salt the everlivin crap out of the roads. Highways can be literally white with drifting salt, no snow. I've had rear crossmembers rust through, front control arms rust through, plus rockers, floorpans, doors, it all dissapears in a poof of rust. Just recently I was using 13mm sockets pounded onto the heads of the headbolts of a 351w, which are normally 18mm equivalent size heads. I was lucky I was able to get enough of a grab. Sometimes you have to grind off the heads and then use vicegrips to pull the "stud" when you get the manifold/head/other component off. My 2001 tacoma already had the frame replaced because it rusted through. There are no pre 95 subarus on the road here, they all rusted through. They don't even come through the junkyards anymore. 6 point socket is the only way to go, flare wrenches are for installing new flare nuts. You're replacing the line, so cutting it off is not a problem. You may need to go a size or 2 down on the socket to get enough of a grip on the flare nut.

Rockford driveline carries replacement u-joints for the staked in ones and gives directions on how to put them in. They have clips instead of being re-staked. Look them up online.

The shortblock is the same, pistons may be different depending on what comp ratio they wanted. But by the time you're finished swapping heads and all that you might as well have rebuilt the motor you've got for cheaper. The rewiring and putting in the MPFI ECU is exactly what I was talking about when I said it would be the same amount of work to swap and EJ22 in. And the EJ motors are exponentially better than the EA82 ever could be.

Cut the line off right at the fitting, then put a 6 point socket on it. It's you're only chance. You can buy brake lines with the ends already flared with nuts on them, so you just bend them to shape and put them in. That's if you can get them apart at the junction block. The 180 degree bend in the wheel well can be aproximated with a bigger radius if you're careful about keeping it out of the way of the wheel. Don't heat the fitting on the end of the hose, it will destroy the hose.