NorthWet

The connector should ONLY be connected for diagnostic purposes: pulling error codes, setting timing, forcing the fuel pump to cycle. If left connected, it will hold the ignition timing static, preventing the ECU from varying the timing as needed and making your engine run badly above idle.

Is yours carb'd of SPFI? (Brain won't let me remember if carb was offered in 89.) For SPFI (and at least partly for carb): The fuel pump is set to run for a few seconds (5??) when you turn your key from ACC to ON. It then tuns off until it gets a signal from the ignition system that the engine is rotating. I don't recall the starter circuit being energized affecting the pump's power. IF yours is not a carb, connecting the green diagnostic connectors (SPFI: near wiper motor) will cause the fuel pump to cycle on every few seconds, whcih should allow you to check the pump.

A common issue after doing axles or front bearings is either not installing the dished washer in the proper direction (convex out), and another is that the axle does not fully seat in the hub when you torque down the axle nut. These issues allow the axle to slide slightly in the hub, as the axle can not supply the tension on the axle. Check the direction of the dished washer, and then retorque (significant overtorque is tolerated, and sometimes recommended) the axle nut. See if these makes a difference.

The engine should be able to start and run, if badly, with even wild jetting differences. It takes a lot of over-richness to make an engine not run, and leanness should be overcome by pumping the throttle (accelerator pump squirting fuel). Did the engine idle decently at first?. If it did, then the it should continue idling. Are you sure that the fuel pump stays running after the engine starts?

Present or absence of rust is not an indication of the quality of the metal used in these rotors.

In first post, you said that "the engine light came on". Are you referring to the "check engine" light? If so, it is probably a good idea to follow the procedure to display the error codes. Regarding my original post/question: yes, I was trying to figure out whether the engine was running properly or not, or if the problem was with the transmission only. Sounds like it is an engine issue. Has it acted like this since the service, or did it run ok for a while and then have issues? Don't panic! This engine is pretty reliable, and the cause is probably something relatively minor.

Funny. Personally, there would have to be a good reason for me to unseal a brake system to install a new caliper. Call me lame... (pause) ... but I have the hardest time properly bleeding a brake system by myself. Which is how it always turns out: I am the "The Little Red Hen" of making stuff work. Cheers!

OP, this type of piston is probably still in use. The reason it is odd is that these models use a front-parking brake rather than the more common parking brake on the rear All of the bizarreness is to accommodate this "feature".

First off, Subaru SPFI error codes are misleadingly uninformative on a non-starting engine. It is easy to get caught up in them if you don't know that they really say nothing more than the engine is not running normally. Compression, fuel, spark. Which one has the issue? I am assuming that you have adequate compression. Sounds pretty basic for you. Spark: Is it occurring at the right time and the right sparkplug? I am also assuming that you have a handle on this, though it is a common issue with others, Fuel: Amongst other things, the ECU relies upon a signal from the distributor to both energize the fuel pump (already mitigated by you) and to energize the injector. If provided with alternate fuel source (starting fluid, a dribble of fuel into the TB/intake hose, whatever) does this make it try to start?

RE: 1) Agreed. 2) I run our "87" octane-rating here in all may cars, spfi, mpfi, turbo, and usually in my SVX (10.5-ish CR). Pinging is only been very minor, and I have a short-but steep grade in my commute. Engine/intake-charge temperature and presence of oil much greater sources of pinging in my experience. 3) You still need to use a timing light, but, since the timing is totally ECU controlled based off the static setting, you need to connect the green connectors to tell the ECU to not alter timing while you are adjusting it. Since you say yours is an MPFI, the connectors should be inside just below the steering column and above your shins. I have only dealt with left-hand drive vehicles, so if yours happens to be right-hand drive things MIGHT be different. If your car were an SPFI model, the connectors would be in the engine compartment next to the wiper motor. XT/Alcyone is in the trunk/boot. Anyway, these connectors need to be connected, the timing light used to check/set the timing, and the connectors disconnected. Many people forget to disconnect these connectors afterwards. 4) RPM is irrelevant. The distributor has no advance mechanism, just a shaft rotating an optical interrupter disc. The ECU makes all relevant adjustments to this base timing. 5) I would be tempted to just put a new Subaru/equivalent-designed T-stat back in, so this is eliminated as a possibility. I am not impressed with my own success rate checking t-stats in boiling water. 7) Retorqueing the heads is recommended by Subaru for their OEM HGs. FelPRo's "PermaTorque" says that a retorque is not necessary. Other brands may have varied instructions. 9) Some knowledgeable members state that the PCV hose sizes are important, but I think that relates mostly to the "tree"-fitting where the hoses come together. Did you check the PCV valve itself? (My money would be on pinging from overheating, but any oil really does increase the pinging/detonation.) 10) Yeah, the ATF will turn ugly brownish and smell bad. How bad it is sometimes does not show up until you drain/flush it. (I personally like to disconnect the cooler hoses from the radiator and place them in a catch container, then start the engine and let it pump out the fluid; stop, refill, start and pump out. Others might say that this could be damaging.) I have had ATF that looks like mud flush out of both 3ATs and 4EATs. 11) Not the kindest thing to do, but sometimes you just need to get things done. You could also use some auxiliary cooling methods. Since this is an exceptional situation, you might do things like use a water spray on either the radiator core or on the engine block itself. The water can carry off a tremendous amount of heat (around 10 times more than air, and that is without considering phase-change: water to steam). Something like a spare windshield washer setup might work nicely. Others here have recommended using methanol-water "injection" to control pinging. Some fairly simple methods have been written about (like using a windshield washer setup...)

What is the speed limited by, maximum engine RPM or not enough power from the engine?

Sorry for being OT, but: the differential expansion exists between the aluminum parts and the steel fasteners trying to clamp them together. If anything exceeds its limit of elasticity, it will be permanently deformed. Also, different alloys of the same "metal" can have very different rates of thermal expansion.

Non-turbo EA82s do not have issues with head cracks. except the "normal" ones between the valve seats. Headbolts don't loosen from overheating, though the results of excessive differential thermal expansion (aluminium vs steel) might make it seem that way. I assume that your engine does not have an auxiliary cooling fan, either engine driven or electrical (common on A/C equipped models)? You might want to consider getting one.

The sensor in the hose still only tells you the temp in the hose. If the t-stat isn't open the temperature will read far lower than the actual engine temp. If your coolant is low, it may never see the engine's temp

I have never had a Subaru caliper fail. They have had their rubber boots rot away, but kept working while I tried to locate replacement parts. New calipers seem an unneeded expense if just replacing pads.

Technically, that would be a Locked rather than a Locker. verb is past-tense.

Trouble is, there is a difference between interest and cash-on-the-table. "Old-Gen'rs" can be a cheap lot.

To clarify a little, the pistons have to be rotated to a particular orientation (well, 2: 180 degrees apart) in order to properly fit the brake pad. Neglecting to do this will turn out VERY BAD. I have used all sorts of improvised tools to turn in the pistons: Vise grips (just loosely pressing the nose of the jaws into the channels and spinning with a screwdriver stuck crosswise to the V-G handles) was one of my more common make-dos. I have the cube (cost about US$10) and now have a proper brake service set.

Ahhh... my apologies for the confusion. Your original post talked about finding another transmission and rebuilding it, giving the impression that you were writing-off your current tranny. Although the Subaru shares the same core as other makes, the case and input- (and output-?) shaft(s) are different.

Exactly. Despite the 3AT (M41a)'s bad rep on this board, the core seems to be pretty durable. Most of the more "vocal" members seem biased against automatics, so 3AT bashing draws a crowd... The best thing you can do for the 3AT is clean/debur the governor valve and keep the ATF fresh. If you are going to abuse it, put on an ATF cooler.

No, not for the R160. People either use one of the LSD/VLSD units, weld the differential unit, or just run "open".

This wouldn't give the temperature of the engine, just the temp in the radiator hose.

From what I have heard from rebuilders, the insides tend to have little wear, and seldom need replacing.

There is nothing particularly bad about the "3AT". Since it has torque multiplication in its torque converter, it might do as well or better than a D/R manual. The 3AT has 2 faults, and they are related. They can overheat their ATF in harsh usage, and the overheated ATF gums up the governor valve. Think about putting a tranny cooler on it, and make sure that the ATF is clean and properly filled. It would also be a good idea to remove and clean/debur the governor valve parts. The same JATCO M41/M41A transmission core was used in millions of other cars that weren't Subaru (can't recall if it was Toyota or Nissan that uses the same core). It is a decent design for its era.

I am somewhat at a loss as to your comment regarding an rpm meter. Such a meter should not be needed, and the battery should provide access to power and ground connections. Are you aware of the need to connect the green diagnostic connectors in order to set the timing. If not, or uncertain, please ask. Regarding the overheating, I was going to ask if you had checked the radiator for hot/cold zones on the core, indicating tube plugging (very common), but since you are replacing it this has now (mostly) irrelevant. (It would indicate if this was the major issue or something else is the major fault.) Since overheating has occurred, you might want to check the condition of your automatic transmission fluid: Subaru automatics have issues with overheating their ATF, and the 3-speed has issues when it doesn't have clean ATF. The automatic's torque converter might have contributed to the overheating issue. Regarding the pinging: Checking the ignition timing is a good starting point. Low oil level (causing high oil temperatures) and high coolant temperatures will contribute to pinging. ANY oil in the intake charge will drastically increase the susceptibility to pinging: Check to make sure that your PCV system is functioning correctly and there isn't too much crud buildup at the PCV hoses at the valve covers.