el_freddo

If the front guard are the same between models the bonnet/hoot will swap over Thats the easy way to think about it. Cheers Bennie

I should also have said that the phase two boxes are stronger but also crossover to the shaft in to the diff setup, this removes the diff stub axle setup you have in your car, so front driveshafts will be needed too. Someone will know for sure as to what driveshaft will work in your Leggo Cheers Bennie

That sucks mate! All the best with finding her a second time!! Fingers crossed as second time find your chances are low as you know. If you get her back in decent condition go thank your lucky stars abs buy a lotto ticket! Cheers Bennie

I always replace the rear seal while I’m in there as a matter of preventative maintenance - unless I know the age of the seal (as in I replaced it at X date and it’s done X number of Km/Miles). It’s not difficult to put it in right, just gentle taps with something blunt on the outer edge of the seal until it’s all flush with the case. Take your time. Only lube the inner seal section that contacts the crank. If you install it dry you’ll be doing this job again soon... Cheers Bennie

Any 5 speed NA will work. Just make sure you get the matching diff ratio. There are two different rear diffs, both are r160 but one is a “five bolt” and the other deemed a “one bolt” which isn’t entirely accurate. The five bolt has five bolts holding the plate around the axles onto the side of the diff. The “one bolt” has a sound dial like the gearbox has. You’ll have a five bolt. Best to stick to this type of unit as I believe other physical bits changed on the diff. You can source the required diff ratio from other models. If you get a 4.111:1 diff ratio in the gearbox, I used to source this rear diff ratio from Gen1 autos. It could be the same for the Gen2. The Gen1 has stub axles, not sure when they crossed over to the driveshaft inserted setup - never looked into it. Cheers Bennie

Have you poked around the coolant crossover pipe area? If the O rings weren’t replaced with the HG job they can be old enough to weep enough coolant to make the smell. Otherwise it’s dash out for a heater core swap. I didn’t know about the AC discharge requirement as mentioned by GD. Do a search online for a turbo conversion job as the dash must come out to swap the wiring loom. Also exploded parts diagrams can be good to locate the various screws etc. The dashboard should come out as an assembly reverse of how it gets put in at the factory. Cheers Bennie

This is pretty hard to achieve and keep a drivable engine at the same time. Just keep replacing timing belts and idlers at the right times with quality parts. Genuine would be the best bet. NVU is correct about the twin cam heads interfering with each other if the belt breaks, valves will collide together and then the piston. Cheers Bennie

I reckon you’ll find that boatiness is from sagged springs. Put a fresh set of springs in and it’ll transform your ride quality. Cheers Bennie

Does the shudder ONLY occur when the clutch is being slipped? I was thinking some issue of a shot driveshaft/half shaft that works the centre diff that’s shot. But that doesn’t work out as the centre diff would be under most load when going hard in this situation. Plus you’ll hear the typical knocking when doing a U turn in either direction. So that’s out. Other thought if it’s occurring when slipping is that the pressure plate is warped or the flywheel is full of heat stress cracks/wasn’t shaved properly. Last out there thought is your flywheel is loose, but this usually results quickly in other issues, like the flywheel parting company with everything else and exiting out the bell housing in whatever direction it feels like... Ok, last last one! Got any codes? Maybe you have a partial misfire or some issue where a cylinder is down on power at low throttle but makes up for it at full throttle for some reason. Or you have fuel pressure issues... Cheers Bennie

Interesting video. Sad for the SVX... but a cool video non the less! Cheers Bennie

When you do, only fill the cooling system with distilled water (until you can definitively rule out HG overheating issues) unless you have freezing weather over your way. If that’s the case you’ll have to do a decent flush of the cooling system to clear out the blue. Once that’s done add some green anti freeze coolant of your choice and go for the drive. If you use the distilled water you’ll still need to do a decent cooling system flush to remove all the blue stuff before adding the green you intend to use. HG jobs don’t have to cost thousands. Many on the forum have done their own including myself. Do some research on the procedure as there’s lots of tips for the EJ25D to get it right. It’s not a hard job, it just freaks ppl out because they don’t understand the procedure or what’s required due to their belief they can’t pull down and engine and then put it back together again. If spinning spanners and torquing bolts is beyond your learning abilities then yes, a HG job from a reputable mechanic will cost a few grand. All the best with the radiator swap. I hope for your wallet it doesn’t show up with dead HGs! Cheers Bennie

GD, these came out on the Series 1 GL models, not sure about the Series 2 having them though. The GL was the upscale model over the DL... Someone on Oz might have a set kicking around. We had one on my sister’s ‘85 L series sedan many years ago. Cheers Bennie

I thought the XT6 name plate was all AWD with the six cylinder! The few rare examples over here were personal imports and AFAIK all were AWD. The XT4 AWD turbo variant was available from local dealers but is still a rare car over here. Cheers Bennie

They’re hubcaps. Sorry I don’t have the part number. Cheers Bennie

If you’re after better gearing over your way, drop a forester box and rear diff in with the 4.111:1 diff ratio. Run the same tyres as the forester for factory gearing, or larger for the height and rolling advantage when offroad. Pontoontodd seems to be developing a low range that will be a game changer, just need to wait for it to come out, in the mean time save your coin! Cheers Bennie

That’s a face palm moment! It’s even written in the advert title and again on top of the engine after I looked a bit closer. So that’ll also have the 5 stud setup and AWD. Bit of a unicorn these days I’d imagine. A 3L H6 conversion would be pretty sweet All the best with the decision. Cheers Bennie

I’d be cautious that it’s been resprayed, looks like it may have had one done looking at the lack of paint work shine in the pics. It would be worth checking it out in person if you were seriously considering this unit. It’s got the “spider” manifold which is said to be better than the regular run of the mill EA82 MPFI unit. Hardest part is making the decision without emotion taking over. There will always be another one, you might have to wait a while between the offerings out there. Or you might find one via word of mouth through friends, family and friends of friends. Learn what to look out for with these vehicles and that’ll help you out with picking a solid unit for your enjoyment Cheers Bennie

I drop the exhaust. Makes it very easy to remove the rack. If you drill out the spot welds on the jacking plate and replace with bolts the whole lot drops out super easy. Alignment is required after and if DIYing it this can take some time to get it right. I’d take it to your nearest shop that you trust. Cheers Bennie

I’ve never managed that in the engine bay! But I’ve removed five or so of these without any issues as described in my previous post. Cheers Bennie

Agreed with that last paragraph. As for the warranty stuff that’s good info and justified. Having several EA82 engines in my L series they’re a serious PITA to keep oil in them with their crap OHC box setup. That was a design flaw to meet the marketing of OHC performance. I truely believe the EA81 was destined for the L series until the OHC performance catch cry wasn’t met. Anyway, I digress from the topic at hand. There are most likely more EJ25Ds on the road than there were EA82s. There are certainly more EJ25s overall! I really like the EJ251 in my sister’s RX Liberty (1999/2000 model). It pulls like a freight train and with the proper HG swap, shaved heads and DIY valve grind it’s still going strong at 470-480,000km. Very happy with it. Cheers Bennie

I’d argue it was the EA82, then made worse with the EA82 turbo... But it’s definitely the worse EJ series engine of all time. And it’s reputation tainted the EJ251’s, coupled with the dodgy factory head gaskets that leaked early and externally it cemented the general EJ25’s reputation as poor. But with the correct HG used in the EJ251 onwards with a swap job done correctly they’re a very reliable engine. As for the OP, the best EJ25D “hybrid” build I seem to read about over and over is the EJ251 bottom end between the EJ25D heads. Can’t tell you what HGs to use though, and this is the important bit to get right! Cheers Bennie

That’s an awesome offer from John! Definitely take him up on that if you can. Ppl are always looking for those jump seats and they’d be a tidy addition to your brat! We didn’t get them over here, they’re a US specific item! The T tops (known as fun tops from the factory) aka Targa tops are awesome too. My brumby has them and I love driving with them off. I often wonder what it would be like if I could remove/wind down the rear window at the same time Knowing that you’ll have this vehicle for some time there’s no rush to buy parts. Save your coin so you’re ready when an item unexpectedly pops up for sale If you’re looking at keeping the EA81 keep an eye out for an oil pump in good condition - NEVER use a hammer to remove yours as they break and always remove the crank pulley to remove the oil pump. There are other NLA items that others can list off for you. Oil pump is the most obvious one that comes to mind atm. Cheers Bennie

Do your research on the forum of the options to swap out the EJ25D to something more reliable. I know I’ve read many of GD’s posts about this and many other active members have done this with the same results and the same comments to be made. With the wiring issues mentioned etc, I was initially thinking you were talking about doing a full engine swap including wiring loom, but that’s not necessary unless you’re moving to a factory turbo engine. Then it gets full on in the wiring department! Get onto those threads about swapping out the EJ25D Cheers Bennie

If your brake fluid is low this could also indicate the need for new brake pads, check these too before going all in on a brake fluid top up - otherwise you could overflow the reservoir when you put the new pads in depending on how you do your pad changes. Cheers Bennie

Finger’s crossed mate! Cheers Bennie