Idasho

Hard to beat free! Nice rig! Welcome!

Even with a full tear down and high compression build, you wont get much. Want power and reliability? Drop a EJ22 into it. The ea81 is stone reliable, but it is not and will never be a power house. That said, the best simple bolt on that will help is a Weber carb. While it doesnt increase the max power output by much, it does increase torque across the RPM range when compared to the stock hitachi carb, and is much more reliable and tunable.

Toss a new radiator cap on it.

Thanks! I did drive it to work today, and around town a bit on lunch hunting down some RV parts.

Small update. A few weeks ago the digidash started complaining a bit. The 55mph indicator would flicker, and the dash buzzer would sound. So I parked the car until I had a chance to tear into it. The other day I finally dig into it. Not fun getting the cluster out without destroying things. Funny, the book says you first have to remove the dash, and in order to do that you have to remove the windshield! I got the cluster out without removing either. Anyways, I tore it all apart, cleaned it up, polished all the contacts, treated the plastic lenses and put it all back together. Seems like it is good to go! All working 100% now! i took it on a good cruise this evening, and got some decent night shots of the dash. Digital-goodness

I tore apart a complaining EA81 digidash... And seemingly.... fixed it I think it was just a loose connection somewhere. I tore it all the way down, cleaned all the contacts, and put it all back together. And it seems to be 100% again.

Sounds like you just have air in the system.

I know. I even did the maxima alternator swap right when I got the car. New battery cables, extra grounds, etc. Im hoping this is something different than the traditional failure. I have found that if I push ever so slightly on the speedo LCD readout the 55mph indicator and buzz go away. it also goes away if you slap the dash when driving. Regardless, the car is parked until i sort it out.

Digging this up from the ubber-dead... Has there been any updates as to reviving these EA81 digital dashes? I think the one in my pristine 84 GL is dying. The 55mph indicator (red lines under speedo readout) and a faint buzzing has started.

Bolts have nothing to do with it. Neither does a thermal barrier. When running, the intake is ALWAYS going to be colder than the motor. Its a simple matter of mass and surface area.

Plenty of info in my old thread here for EA81 radios http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/123124-any-interest-oem-ea-radio-ponderings/

Biggest difference between a good Subaru and a bad subaru for me is rust. It is the single biggest problem you will have. Everything else is easy and cheap. I refuse to bother with AMY rig with substantial rust.

Thats because the search engine on this forum sucks. use google, it is much better. Start with this..... https://www.google.com/search?q=ea81+head+bolt+site%3Awww.ultimatesubaru.org&rlz=1C1GGGE_enUS392US392&oq=ea81+head+bolt+site%3Awww.ultimatesubaru.org&aqs=chrome..69i57.655j0j7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8 FYI, on my ea81 when using felpro permatorque head gaskets, I did a final of 55 lb ft Just be sure to follow the correct sequence.

<---------------------------------------- only drives pushrod Subarus

It does sound like you have a faulty t-stat. Replace that, then do the following: With the engine cold and off, remove radiator cap Top off fluid if low. Start car and turn heater temp control to HOT. Then watch the fluid in the radiator filler neck, As the engine gets up to temp idling, the coolant should RISE, overflow a bit, then drop a ways. When it drops, top off the coolant, and replace the radiator cap. Good to go.

With my high compression ea81, weber, and a 5-speed D/R, it does great. Loads of torque down low.

Define "a ton of money" You would be hard pressed to build your own for much cheaper than most exhaust shops. Consider the time it will take you, and you are much better off taking to a shop. I had my cat-back single 2.25 exhaust with a decent muffler done for less than $200.

The 5-speed is simply a better trans. It has nothing to do with gearing.

With regard to intake and exhaust, you will not see any realistic gains while running the stock hitachi carb. You need a weber carb. And even then, the stock filter is not a restriction. I even took the time to retrofit the stock aircleaner and filter assembly to the weber, because I wanted the better filtering and heat riser from the exhaust. Ive got a weber, slightly higher than stock compression, and a 2.25 catback with a cheap muffler. The power is very nice when compared to stock. Seafoam will help if it needs it. Im rolling on a 2.5" lift. When built correctly, alignment can be dead on. I adjusted mine to be BETTER than stock. Stock had considerable positive camber. Ive got it dialed in to zero.

If they are not sliding freely, they will be unpredictable as hell. tear both side apart, clean them up, and grease them correctly. Problems should go away. If not, the caliper pistons themselves might be corroded to the point that they are starting to seize in the bore of the caliper.

Yep. The slides need to be greased. Now that they have been run dry, they might be corroded. Id suggest lightly sanding them with some 600 or 800 grit to clean them up prior to greasing.

Sweet rig dude. Now do what I do... Give the car a wash once a month, wax twice a year, and let it sleep indoors.

The more standard name for them is a "ROLL PIN" Available at most hardware stores and parts houses. Just take one of your old ones and find a match. Should be less than $1 each

Not worth re-booting at that stage. The joint is toast. Time for a new axle assembly.

You are already there, just change it