el_freddo

EA81 with an O2 sensor?? Unless it's a turbo unit I doubt it! Or did you get this setup for the californian market? You mention shifting gears yet also ask about flushing the Auto trans fluid... What have you got, an auto or a manual? Without a compression check I would say that the engine is just very tired - blue smoke indicates blow by and thus low compression, possibly on all four pots. As for the oil leaks - the subaru engines are great for making a small oil leak in the rocker covers OR the oil pump look like a major leak or a rear main seal that's gone. I'd pull the oil pump, clean it up, reseal all the necessary components and replace it. Wash the underside of the engine and see what happens with the oil deposits over the next week or two. Do the compression check, this will tell us a lot about the health of your EA81 in general. Cheers Bennie

Subaruby over on ausubi has one in the rear of his MY - it's an unlocker similar to the detroit, a short run that were made by a rally mob over in Australia I believe. Either way they're worth their weight in gold and no one makes them anymore It is an r160 too. Probably doesn't work the best with AWD though. Could work for some, a lot of effort! But for me it's not going to work as I'm going to be running AWD for better traction in all situations. I've enquired with McNamara Diff's in Melbourne. Yes they can do it not a problem... IF WE HAD 500 ORDERS OF $1000 A UNIT!!! Then it would be simple after all the crap of gathering the half a million from 500 members to get it happening! Then there's postage etc to deal with... I'd love to do it, but I just don't have that money lying around and can't find 500 members with $AU1000 to hand over for the unit. I could probably find 500 members who are keen but once it comes to putting the money up everyone backs out as usual Cheers Bennie

The crown wheel would need a little bit shaved off regardless of what casings were used to house the diff... You should be able to work out what needs to be messed with and what should be left alone... Cheers Bennie

Hey all, Still after the info on whether 91RON is acceptable to use with these cams - I can't see why not. Another thing I was thinking of - do I need to get the followers re-faced or just run with them as they are? Cheers Bennie

And Australia Looking good on the repair works... Just don't go hitting anything with that corner!! Or anything anywhere for that matter! Cheers Bennie

If you ever look at upgrading to a dual range gearbox PM me as I'm keen on the push button gear knob, the vacuum diaphragm on the gearbox and the vacuum solenoids on the driver's strut tower Good looking L! Cheers Bennie

That's pretty important in a build - as much as it gets in the way! As for the L series 5 speed from this ausubi thread it is longer than the EJ 5spd dual range by 65mm or there abouts... Cheers Bennie

WTF?! So what's going on? Stolen? Impounded?? I know you've got me anxious for you and your subi, even though I don't know what it is I'm already thinking the worst I hope it's a simple case of paying pound fees and she's all yours again and not a stolen/burnt situation - that would break my heart as well. I'm praying to the subi gods for a safe (undamaged) return of the safari wagon! Bennie

That's looking totally awesome! Top effort... you should be proud! Cheers Bennie

And it saves heaps on fuel and energy used for driving! I'm saving about 1L per hundred km on cruise compared to using the foot... Cheers Bennie

PM taza on ausubi for his foz VIN, but I think that's a 2001 model, still the 2L that you're after though. What I think they mean by "they do not interchange" is "We're just covering our arses so nothing gets put back on us" as we all know the subarus are like lego. You just have to know what bits you need and what bits you need to swap out to match the first bits you need Clear as mud?? Cheers Bennie

Yeah if you don't have the proper equipment or a mate that's got the gear, then it'll be a difficult process. I'll get on to a mate who's done it before, I've only read about it and know that it needs to be done for these final ratios with the L series low range. When you drop it all in it's pretty apparent what needs work done... Yes it would - case internals are pretty much the exact same for the front cases. There's a couple of differences such as the low range light which I forgot to mention The EJ use the selector fork to trigger the low range light via a switch that is mounted directly above the fork - the fork has a tab on it to push the button. The other real difference is the bellhousing design for the different stud pattern. The only real downer about this is that you have to use the adaptor plate and worst of all the EA clutch setup - which should probably be beefed up = more $$$s needed... Cheers Bennie

Thanks GD, that's great to know! Cheers Bennie

Yes but if it is outside the adjustable area then it won't work... everything has a limit, I want to be within the limiting area, not outside it! Cheers Bennie

Oh-o... What have I started now?? :D Very true as the engine is worked in its torque range meaning less revs for the same momentum build compared to an NA that would rev higher to get the same momentum built up... That's the raw basic idea anyway. You just need to drive it with a light foot - once you plant it you can kiss your fuel economy goodbye! Cheers Bennie

Another thing I should have asked is can I still run with regular (91RON) or do I need to run premium (98RON)? Cheers Bennie

Propane aside - what have people found to be the best ECU to run the frankenmotor with cams - the 2.5 litre ECU and wiring or the OBDII 2.2 litre ECU and wiring? This thing sounds like it's going to be off its tits once its going! Will be watching this thread Cheers Bennie

I'm just throwing this out there as you're looking at going for FI. Do what you want with this idea: Ever thought about a supercharger? A toyota SC12 or SC14 would be a great upgrade to the EA81 especially if you're going with FI! Advantages are boost off the line, you can set it up so that the supercharger is on or off via a toggle switch on the dash if you get the unit with the clutched pulley. Not meaning to throw a spanner in the works for you. It does seem like an interesting build. I'd be keen to see some pics! Cheers Bennie

Watched and commented Cheers Bennie

Or reverse is dead... Drain the tranny oil and see what comes out with it. Any metal bits will tell you that something's not 100% internally. I hope for you that it's a dodgy linkage, but if you can get 5th no problems I doubt its a shifter linkage. Cheers Bennie

You don't need to do that. It's all about learning here Cheers Bennie

Yeah mate!! The only thing I can tell is different is the front of the weber that's poking out to say a quiet "hello, I am under here!" Good stuff. Also, I'm not sure that the air intake will change much of the note from the engine, you might notice less intake noise though... Cheers Bennie

Anything with the push button on the gearstick is SINGLE RANGE ONLY as Vegablade has already said. Over here these were only available in pre '87 L series wagons and were 3.9 ratio I believe. The dual range gearboxes from the same era were also 3.9 ratio. Post '87 I've never seen a single range 4wd and the dual range gearboxes are all 3.7 ratio. So make sure you match the rear diff to that of the gearbox or your subi will do weird things/break stuff when you engage 4wd. You still haven't told us if you have an auto 4wd or a manual 2wd. I say the manual 2wd as you'll need the rear subframe, diff, drive shaft, swing-arms with 4wd hubs (should be on the subframe already), moustache bar and mounts to make it all work. If you had a 4wd manual you would already have the single range if you're looking to go to dual range... The auto 4wd will already have the rear end you need, but probably not the matching diff ratio of the manual gearbox. Cheers Bennie

Love your attitude! Sounds like a good way to be headed, if not for the tyres certainly for the choice in bigger brakes you'll have open in your options! Yeah I'm pretty sure that the SVX didn't last long around here - maybe 3 or 4 years if lucky! I'll keep an eye out for the OBDII - any easy way to work out if it is OBDI or OBDII? Cheers mate! Bennie

I realise you guys didn't get the EJ dual range AWD. ***I would like to note that I have NOT built this gearbox before*** But it would be doable as subarus work like lego, you just have to nut it out. What you'll need: A press suitable for pressing off gears. L series dual range gearbox, flywheel and clutch EJ single range gearbox with the desired gear ratios, diff ratio can be swapped out for the one you're after same as what superu has done in this thread. EJ/EA adaptor plate, EA start motor. What you need to do is split both gearboxes so that they look like this: L series PT4wd Dual Range gearbox: The idea here is to use the L series' input shaft to gain the use of the dual range gearing that is located above the front diff. To get your EJ gearing for your model of vehicle you will need to press off the gears from the top gearsets - keep track of what goes where as you'll need the EJ gearset to press back onto the L series' input/top gearset shaft. Bascially once you've got this step complete you remove the L series lower gearset, reverse gear and front diff, drop in the EJ lower gearset, reverse gear and front diff. MAKE SURE you have the 25 spline output stubs on the diff, otherwise you'll have to stuff around with your drive shafts! They're a simply circlip to deal with IF you will be running 4.11 or 4.44 ratio diffs these will foul on the L series low range. You WILL NEED to shave the crown wheel to gain the necessary clearance to make it all work without interference. Once you've got this done you can then re-assemble. Make sure you correctly adjust your preload and backlash on the diff for correct installation. The rear housing that has the centre diff will simply bolt back on to the EA front casings. Once you have it all back together you have an EA cased EJ dual range gearbox - as close as you'll get to a factory unit like we have over here. To bolt it to your EJ engine you will need to us the EA flywheel with the elongated crank bolt holes as well as the EJ/EA adaptor plate. Bolt in the EA starter motor to get your EJ started. The gearbox will bolt in using the stock EJ gear shifter. You will have to get creative with the low range lever as you cannot use the EA unit. The factory EJ low range selector uses a cable and a small lever mounted near the coin tray in the console. A solenoid could solve the problem with a button on the dash - this will be trial and error I'm sorry! Hope this helps you out, not only do you get AWD advantages, you also get the best low range that subaru offered. The RX AWD dual range gearbox will do the same but you will need a custom gearbox crossmember, prop shaft and most likely shifter linkages again. Any Q's fire away! Cheers Bennie