Ibreakstuff

That 12$ pizza only cost 1.75$ to make!!

Beautiful car, welcome!

I *think* the 1990-early 94 FWD trans is different. If you found a late 94 or 95 FWD impreza transmission it *might*. Easier way to convert awd to fwd is a spool and blocking plate. Like these: (cheaper ones can be found/fabricated if you look hard enough) http://www.bremarauto.com/products/subaru-2wd-conversion-kit/ http://www.subarugears.com/Products.html

I concur, some of the flow can actually bypass the lower part of both heads too (probably promotes cavitation). Shine a light in that center block port (where the short block splits) and you can follow light all the way to the crossover port.. There isn't much to direct the flow down in the heads. Do you think they restricted the upper coolant ports with the HG to aid the flow to the lower area of the heads? There is a substantial area blocked in those top ports by the HG.

Mismatched angles could/would change the sound too, if it is required to fit physically. As long as the 2 side merge, at least in the first half length of the exhaust, sounds like a solid idea. You could get a very awesome sounding exhaust if done right. Different angled X pipes can be ordered, just like the typical pre-cut bends and such. The X pipe on a 997 gt3 fits in a very small space, search on google for some image porn. The ej twin turbo (EJ20H/EJ20R/EJ206/EJ208) sounds amazing. I've always wondered what it would sound like with a individual pipe for each bank.

Hrmm, I think that the exhaust port cracks would also be due to high EGT's, hot spots, and brittle castings. The first 2 we can mitigate, the last is luck of the draw. Everyone knows what an EJ can do, NA and turbo. But no one has properly built and documented ea82t yet.. Sure its still a 2 valve, 3 main motor, dead engine platform.. it will never do more than 300 hp and not for very long.. But that said it's still a beautiful design. If you don't agree, at least look at how much is in common with the new FA20/FB20/FB25. The new valvetrain has more in common with EA than EJ.

Another idea would be to use an X pipe for the dual exhaust, it would improve the scavenging and would be super loud.

Getting the work closer to the drill bit helps too, less run out on an older drill press without the chuck extended. Edit: Shorter "jobber" length bit would help too

I love it when that little o-ring comes out looking like a heart, for love you know.. its what makes a subaru a ticking subaru. It would make sense also that a failed relief spring would allow HLA's to tick, it would be like taking your finger off a water hose. It would be nice to add a pressure sensor to the HLA galley or cam tower just behind the relief valve. Both are fairly accessible for tapping.

There are a few different styles of O2 sensor sockets too

Bent rim or balancing issues could do it, but they would have to be terminally stupid to not see it on a modern balancer. Steering rack bushing? Tie rod ends? Worn cone washers? Wheel bearing?

Some seem to crack but never grow into the coolant jacket too, these are the ones I look for. High miles but only hairline bridge cracks, well seasoned with a flat deck. That said, I have 3 cracked heads on the shelf that failed a basic pressure test and probably won't be repairable without an ACDC welder. The turbo side seems to crack them first. With 1/2" head studs and mls gaskets, I assume the weak link will be the heads for sure 100%. I've been collecting heads on PnP discount days in anticipation. I think there are things that can be done to mitigate them cracking further too. Not just coolant system upgrades but perhaps water injection, ethanol, and well controlled egts via better fueling and engine management. Edit: I plan to DD one of my RX's but it won't be very stock.

The EJ dual range was not avail in the USA afaik, but they can be found on ebay from time to time.. usually from Australia or South America.

MPFI has 2 intake ports, found on XT NA and turbo EA82's. SPFI and carb both both have single intake port. The difference between SPFI and carb is the compression ratio (pistons) and maybe the cam profile?

The difference is the the pressure plate and the step height on the flywheel, the dimension of the clutch disc's are probably the same (not sure). I have read that a XT6 clutch/pressure plate will work even without the flywheel modification but it's easy for a machinist to grind the step to .815 (XT6 spec). Edit: To explain further, basically the "step" is the surface that the pressure plate is bolted to. If it is lower, it obviously sandwiches the clutch plate tighter.

If it was me, I would get the flywheel machined to XT6 specs and use a XT6 PP/clutch kit. Cleaning would allow you to find leaks sooner.

DaveT is right, cleaning the egr valve and hoses will do nothing to help the failed solenoid (now an open circuit). You can bypass the solenoid with a resistor, but the preferred method is to find one that isn't junk. The smog tech may test the egr valve with a mitivac, as part of the visual inspection but the solenoid issue is 100% electrical. Are you only getting codes 34 and 13?

Yea the guys at outfront motorsports do good work, they have a cool 1/2" head stud torture test video too. I'm considering their closed deck mod for my next ej255/257 block. Drilling the hollow cam bolts is extremely easy if you have the nerve, just deep enough to release the tension behind the head of the bolt.

Try 5w40 What oil pressures are you seeing on the gauge during cold startup and at full temp idle?

At full running engine temp, there is no difference in viscosity between 5w30 and 10w30. So it would be 0w40 (cold climate) / 5w40 / 10w40 / 15w50 that would help quiet down the HLA's. The increase in viscosity raises the oil pressure some. Pulled from an old post: 0W40 is actually thicker @ 210F than 10w30, the first number is for winter grades.. Which is directly effected by how much pour point depressant additives are in it. Think of it like something they put in to keep the oil flowing at cold temperature, but the actual viscosity @ 210F is unchanged. Consider the second number as oil film strength, what really matters when the engine is running for any period of time.

Definitely sounds like a clutch issue, they can instantly disintegrate during a gear shift (exceeding facing burst speed limit). It would feel firm then absolutely nothing. A worn disc could also be resting against the pressure plate but not touching the flywheel (clutch dust probably buffers sound also). And pressure plate finger and springs can get broken, but that would be super loud. The only simple thing I can think of is that the clutch cable is not retracting (long shot). Leave it in neutral and visually confirm that the clutch fork moves, while someone presses the clutch pedal. Good luck. Edit: Ahh, I didn't see the part about the cable/fork working ok. I guess that is out, unless its full movement is restricted.

Semantics.... HLA's (hydraulic lash adjusters) are commonly called lifters (re synonymous). This is actually what Subaru calls them too, "valve lifters". I concede it is somewhat of a misnomer technically.. The cam followers are also commonly called rocker arms... Look up "valve lifters" and "rocker arm" in a Subaru eparts store.. they even use both terms all the way up to the new FA20/FB20/FB25 motors. Even tho the new FA/FB's use solid lash adjusters and class 3 roller cam followers, still called lifters and rocker arms in the parts system. The sound comes from the lifter moving up and down in the sleeve or the rocker slapping cam/lifter/valve. When the HLA's are not functioning properly, they fail to "pump up" fully. This causes a much larger gap (lash) between the cam and the rocker arm. HLA's are at the end of the oil supply, so naturally when they start slapping it should raise a red flag. The next to suffer with loss of oil pressure would be cam squirters and rod bearings. Edit: After re-reading, my reply might have sounded harsh lol. I ment no disrespect Gary and would definitely recommend your guide, it is full of great advice. I would agree that most TOD issues can be fixed with a oil pump re-seal, but I have had bad HLA's and other things causing oil starvation issues (cam case o-ring and oil pressure sender).

Straight pipe and loud music?

Bearing bits will find their way into the HLA's also, if you have ever run low on oil or neglected oil changes. I have pumped out tons of crap from HLA's when cleaning with kerosene (RTFM FSM). My 90 loyale spfi had intermittent TOD (@~100k miles). The oil pump reseal is solid advice tho, they tend to suck air when the seal goes.

Even with a breaker bar you may have the same problem of the bit falling out. Just pull a rag over the socket so it makes a tighter fit. Adding a proper breaker bar to your tool collection definitely opens up the amount of things you can do, even doubles as protection in a sketchy junkyard.