skishop69

Cool. My point was, just don't half a** it is all. I've said it before, and I'll say it again.... I just hate to see bad things happen to people with good intentions.

Perfect. That's what you want. The way you described it before, it sounded like it was all one relay. Yeah, dealing with two hacked messes is no fun.

What someone did to yours is not the norm. It's not a bad idea, and I suspect it was done because someone didn't have access to a schematic or they were just lazy, IE: It was easier to do. I'm not 100% sure on the EJ's, but I believe there are at least 3 or 4 main relays for the whole car. No one ever used just one since most automotive relays are only good for 30-40 amps. They break them into groups. One main relay for the engine and drivetrain, one for ABS, one for entertainment, one for lights and so on. I suspect your main relay is just powering the engine and your ignition switch is still handling the rest. If one relay is running everything, I would suggest finding out the rating of the relay. if it is only 30-40 amps, I would add another to power the interior circuits or just wire a second one in parallel so you're splitting the load. Wiring is just one of those things I'm very particular about because I deal with it day in and day out and see horrible things done by people because "My buddy did the same thing" or "It seemed like a good idea". I think it's time for a wiring "Do's and Don'ts" post.

You are talking EJ cars, not EA. EA series do not have an ignition main relay. Nothing in the schematics and I've never seen one. Even in the EJ cars, the main ignition relay does not run everything. In the case of your swap, it may be wired that way and that's great, it will work safely as long as the relay rating is ok. Almost all cars from like '85 down were powered switched by the ignition switch. After that is when they started to go to relays. Turbosubarubrat has the correct type switches pictured. Again, I never said don't do it or you can't do it. Using the correct switches will cost just as much if not more than the listed cylinder. Just do it right is all.

Wrong-o. The ignition switch IS a high current switch and only a few relays are used. High current in a car is anything over 20-30 amps depending on the car.The ignition switch handles most of the load for the car which can pull 40-60 amps. I know, because I've used an amp meter to check the load on the ignition switch with all options operating. Most toggle switches are rated at 10-15 amps and will not take even 40 amps for extended periods without the danger of overheating or drastically shortening the life of the switch. Twice I've seen fires due to someone using a toggle switch in place of their ignition switch. One was a smaller dash fire that rendered the car useless because the dash harness was burned beyond repair along with the dash, and the other the whole car went up. You're literally playing with fire. It's not a matter of if, it's when. Almost 20 years I've been an electrical diagnostic tech with a degree in electronics, so if it sounds like a being an a**, it's because you need to know what you're talking about before spouting off. The exception to the rule is newer cars where power moding is controlled by the body control module and the ignition switch is just a signal switch to tell the BCM what to do and it switches the loads. I'm not saying you can't do it, I'm saying make sure you do it right. Cost wise, they're both about the same, and if the ignition cylinder keeps going out, it's because you're using a crappy cut key or you've got 10 pounds of crap on your keychain that doesn't belong there. Ignition cylinders are not deigned to take a lateral load. 3 Brats, 2 XT's all over 200k miles on original cylinders with no issues. Do it either way, just do it properly.

+1 Older model cylinders do not get keyed. They come assembled and because of design, most cannot be re keyed. The door lock cylinders though, I know, can be. If you want the same key, take the door cylinders to a locksmith after you put in the new ignition. Whole deal will be like $40. You need high current push button and toggle switches or they will burn up and that will be close to $30. Buy cheap ones, and they will burn up. If you have an EJ swap with toggle switches, then it wasn't done correctly. I wouldn't do it unless it was an absolute last resort. JMTC

If it will start and lug around 100 rpm as you say, then die, it could be a carb issue. If you didn't soak the carb or blow compressed air through all the passages, there could easily be something lodged in there. Quick check, use starting fluid. If it fires, runs, then dies, it's fuel related. If you get the same results, then I agree with the ignitor or the coil.

The power loss you are referring to is less than the loss due to friction of the lifter on the cam or the rocker on the valve stem. Having built many high performance engines over the years, I can tell you from dyno runs there is no discernible difference in either that would net you any advantage on the street. The argument for solid is simply one less thing to go wrong and near infallible at high RPMs. There is absolutely no reason to not run hydro. Time wasted adjusting valves and having to listen to the industrial sewing machine tick in my Brats is most certainly not worth having solid lifters. Subaru did away with hydraulic lifters for pure cost reasons. They are cheaper to produce as are the heads without additional oil passages.

Those rear bolts do nothing for camber. You'd have to shim then with a custom made degree shim which would twist the rear control arm and make the ride worse. Changing camber has no effect on ride quality. Handling, yes. Changing the rear camber will do nothing for ride quality. They ride like a brick in the rear because of the torsion bar. Someone somewhere suggested using an EA82 rear suspension, but I don't see that being a direct bolt in fix since it's wider than the EA81. Adjusting the torsion bar will do nothing but raise or lower it because the spring rate on the torsion bar remains the same.

Well, there's that, then there's the part where it says manual in the original post.....

Like what? It's been sitting something like 2-3 months. He's in a rural area. Yes, manual.

I know this should be in the FS section, but due to circumstances I'm putting it here. I was asked by a friend last minute since he knows I deal in Subies to see if there was any interest. It's a 99 Lego, EJ22 manual. Whole car. It was in a rollover and is a perfect rig for an EJ swap. The engine shut down at the time of the rollover, so it's good. I've started it, it runs fine and the whole drivetrain is good. I'd buy it myself if I didn't have a dozen other projects to contend with. The engine recently had timing belt and HG's done. He wants it gone by Tuesday or it's off to the scrapyard that offered him a pretty good deal for it. Closest offer to $600 and over $400 gets it. It's already on the trailer and he will deliver within 30 minutes of his location. Over 30 minutes and there's a $50 charge for his time and fuel. Clear title. It is currently Sunday, July 10th 7:00pm. Car will be GONE Tuesday morning. PM me. Thanks! Ski

Seems to me it's like 3000 rpm at 70 mph for both. 4th gear on the 4speed is the same as 5th gear on the 5 speed. The difference between them is they split the difference of second and third of the 4 speed to second, third and fourth of the 5 speed.

Those VW trikes were all made by aftermarket companies and sold as kits, therefore did not require any safety regulations. Secondly, that fuel cell was in an open air environment, with a heat shield and around 18"-24" up from the engine proper. You cannot place a fuel cell in a confined, heated area not to mention the legal ramifications if you're ever in an accident and someone is killed or injured due to the modification.

Does it still have the mechanical fan? If not, is the electric fan working? Have you verified the actual temp with an infrared thermometer? In town driving or freeway?

I'm with Dave. Coolant is the lubrication for the impeller bushing. It's going to have a dramatically shortened lifespan if it was repeatedly over heated and ran low on coolant. Overheating causes the bushing and shaft to expand beyond tolerance. Now there's no clearance between the bushing and shaft and one or both of them is going to be galled. It will then start to eat itself up until there is excessive play at which point, it won't matter whether or not the seal survived, it will start to leak. I personally wouldn't gamble a $50 part over an engine. Daughter, radio.... You said it, not me. lol

Having a higher resistance will not lead to ignition module failure. Lower, yes. With higher, depending on how much higher, you will run into a loss of firing power from the coil as the input signal from the module to fire the coil will be 'weakened' by the higher resistance resulting in a 'dirty' firing signal that will result in lower saturation and less spark voltage. Yes, new Accel coils are crap. Even MSD coils are starting to come into question. Thanks outsourcing to China and Taiwan. I have an Accel Supercoil on my '76 3/4 ton Chevy. It's been on that engine for almost 20 years without so much as a hiccup. Of course, that's a 9.5:1 compression 400hp engine, so it needs it. Your Subie engine... Yeah.... Not so much.

I don't mean to start a tiff here, but based on deck height, piston height, TDC height and valve protrusion, it is impossible for the valve to contact the piston on an EA82 engine. Just for s&g, I took a bore scope to my XT when I rebuilt it and the clearance with the valve open and piston at TDC is huge in terms of interference specs. The only way I could see it happening is if the block or heads were shaved and the rod stretched. Any valve that is bent by piston contact is going to leave a mark on both especially if the pistons do not have valve reliefs cut/cast into them.

They will crack again. They did on my XT GL-10. Looking back, I wouldn't have spent the money to fix them the first time even knowing this was normal. In all the years I've been a member here, I've heard of one case where the cracks spread far enough to actually get into the coolant passage, and I believe that engine had documented abuse. If pressed, most machine shops will do the head work, but won't warranty it unless you have them welded. Not really worth it since Subaru deemed it 'normal'.

Never in 20 years seen a bent valve on an EA81 or 82. Never even heard of it unless someone dropped something down the intake.

I would not use butyl. Gawd no. The stuff is worse than gorilla snot once it's gotten warm a few times. It's hard to get apart, stringy and messy. In high heat areas, it will ooze out over time. You could run a thin bead of Ultra Grey, level it out and let it dry. Permanent gasket. They also sell the same foam gasket material in sheets at craft stores. The missus has some. It's a little more dense, but doable and I've used it for other projects.

Not sure how the module is set up, but I would use a bulb that pulses with knock, not a meter. They already sell aftermarket knock lights for around $80 IIRC. Very handy when setting max timing or if you have an electronic, manually controlled advance/retard set up like MSD.

The high beam wiring comes out of the steering column as it is switched by the turn signal lever.

It's just stuck. You have two options and both involve tapping it. Either starts with soaking down the base with PB Blaster and letting it sit overnight. 1) Take a blunt chisel or similar tool and a hammer and start lightly tapping one of the ears to get it to rotate increasing force if necessary. This may break an ear depending on how stuck it is. 2) Take the cap & rotor off. Get a small piece of 2x4 and drill a hole in it so the rotor shaft sits in the hole. Place it over the top of the distributor and hit straight down starting easy and increasing force if necessary. I know this seems counter intuitive, but it does work. Be careful with the force, or you could bust the housing. What's happened is the oil between the shaft housing and the bore has become solidified over the years and frozen it in place.

My Brat has never been reclocked though I did do it once in the past to one of my previous Brats. Gen 2 Brats have about an inch and a half rake to them which you can bump to around two by adjusting it. If the front springs are weak or adjusted all the way down, it'll look that way. If the rear had been reclocked to lift it, it wouldn't just be stiff, it'd be like riding in a brick. All the Brats ride still in the rear. It's just torsion bar flex and there's nothing you can do to change that.