GeneralDisorder

Have your tank epoxy lined. I just did an '83 coupe tank - $215. GD

Ah indeed - I was thinking they meant the engine wasn't running.... IE: ignition coil *off*. I suppose you could read it either way.... so just to clarify the charge indicator light is on when the key is OUT of the ignition lock? GD

Yes there is - '99 to '01 Impreza's had a phase-II EJ22 (The EJ223) that drops into the 99 to 04 phase-II EJ25 cars. There's a post in the new-gen section where a fellow not far from me put a phase-II EJ223 that I sold him into an '03 Legacy. Worked great. But I haven't seen any difference in the reliability of the phase-II EJ22 vs. the phase-II EJ251/3 - they seem about the same. I've seen/heard of both engines going bad for one reason or another. Usually lack of frequent oil changes does them in. They dropped the EJ223 after '01. The 223 was 147 HP - the 251 is 165. Too similar to bother building both. GD

HID's are a very bad idea unless you have custom lenses that can properly project the light. In fact they are illegal in most areas unless they were equipped from the factory.... even if you have lenses that are designed to use them. Still illegal to retrofit them unless they came on some sub-model of your vehicle. The factory lenses on your GL are refractor lenses - designed to throw the light in all directions. They are not intended for the high power output of the HID systems and sould not be used in conjunction with them. There are much better bulbs out there than what your can buy in most parts stores - Osram and others make high-powered bulbs that are approved for use in your lenses. But anything that makes more light output will suffer in terms of longevity. I do the Maxima alts still - they are $110 plus shipping - my junk yard costs have gone up a lot in the last two years due to changes in ownership. I have a really nice Bosch reman unit here right now. Let me know if you want to upgrade. It's an easy swap. I just need to know if you have a single groove or double groove belt pulley. GD

The light is supposed to be on when the voltage potential is higher at the battery or the alternator - which it always is when the engine isn't running. GD

An average sized flat blade screwdriver has always done the job just fine for me. I guess I'm just old school like that. GD

The rating in the manual for the older stuff may not be what you think. There are several ways to calculate octane and it is probable that Subaru listed the octane as the RON (what they list on pumps in japan) and since what we list at the pumps in the US is the AKI number ((RON + MON) / 2) there is multiple points of difference between the two. 87 on our pumps is equivelent to 91 in Japan. You should always use the lowest octane rating that does not result in detonation. There are more BTU's per gallon in lower octane fuels (they burn more easily) and thus your fuel economy will be best with the lowest octane that does not result in detonation or in the ECU pulling your timing. GD

How much are you thinking this will cost you? It's not unusual to spend $2500 on an EJ swap when you are having the work done and you want the engine fully resealed, properly wired, etc. There's easily $1500 in parts - low mileage engine, wiring harness and stripping, adaptor plate and drilled flywheel, fuel pump, radiator modifications, radiator fans, etc, etc. Just depends on how much you want to do yourself and how much you want to shop around. Quality used engines aren't cheap. Sure you can get one with 250k on it that burns oil and looks like a BBQ pit inside for $200 from your neighbor's friend's uncle.... but in the scheme of things is that really what you wanted? GD

True I don't like that. But it's about not having to do things a second time - that's what I don't like. When a car leaves my shop I want to insure trouble-free operation for the life of the timing belt. It's a very short-sighted mechanic that looks for repeat business by not replacing cam and crank seals with timing belt jobs. GD

Gear has to come off to replace the crank seal anyway. You weren't seriously considering not replacing *that* were you? GD

You have self adjusting valves. You need to reseal the oil pump - to include the lip seal behind the pulley, and change the cam case o-rings. If that doesn't cure it - replace the lifters with rebuilt units, replace the oil pump, and replace the banjo-bolt releif valve springs in the cam spray bars. GD

ALWAYS replace the o-ring. It's about age and the breakdown of rubber. Has nothing to do with which engine you are working on. It's true the pump screws don't back out as often by why risk it having an o-ring that's going to cause problems in 10k? That's silly. It's like 7 bolts and some sealant. GD

http://www.autopartsandstuff.com/permatex-ptx-51845-anaerobicgasketmaker300mlcartridge.aspx GD

Never use both RTV and a gasket - RTV is a gasket replacement solution. Red is not the one I would use. Black or Grey. Or better yet - Anearobic or Three Bond. GD

Not conclusive. REPLACE the thermostat and radiator cap and test drive it. I already posted this once. :-\ GD

The OEM WP gaskets are fine, paper is junk - but I use Anearobic all the time in place of the gaskets. Never had the slightest problem. You can use RTV also. That's what Subaru uses for the oil pump. Same style of machined flange. The Aisin water pumps come with the metal gaskets. The GMB, NPW, and others all come with paper. GD

I would assume that the SKF does come pre-greased. That's standard practice for those bearings so I'm fairly certain it would. You can call rockauto and ask them. They may know. My supplier is a local chain of only two stores. They do sell retail and I know they will ship or sometimes have things drop-shipped from their wholesaler. Here's their web site - which is mostly just good for contact info. http://www.discountimportparts.com/index.html If you call them use extension 102 - that's my guy there. His name is Chris. Tell him Rick sent you and said you could help him with Subaru wheel bearings. GD

I have installed dozens of the Koyo and NTN units. Never had a problem. My local supplier runs about $36 with the seals but I get a hefty discount. Can't even beat that price on rockauto.com and they don't carry the Japanese brands. Of the brands that rockauto has - SKF would be my choice. GD

The 1.8 harness will not run the 2.2T. It has no provision for running the turbo and has NO knock sensor support at all. It will not understand the larger injectors, etc. With all the differences in the 1.8 ECU and harness it's really not a good choice. You need a stand-alone or use the 22T harness and ECU. GD

Wondering why you didn't go with a 2.2..... ? Used EJ25D's are like rolling the dice. GD

Nice work. Do you know if this is the same on the older orange dash? I'm about to hookup a 95 OBD-II ECU to an '85 w/digi dash. I may need to come up with a fix. GD

You need another opinion. And you can definitely still get the subaru coolant conditioner. Try one of the online dealers. Or just find any online auto parts dealer that sells Holts Radweld. That's the product that subaru rebranded and sells for $1.50 a bottle at the dealer. GD

I always piggy-back them. Merging the harness is not neccesary and IMO is more work than it's worth. Plus you retain the ability for the car to run a stock engine if you ever want to pull your swap and put it in another chassis. Merging is the SOP on EJ to EJ swaps. But is of little value on EJ to EA swaps IMO. Especially the older you go - carbed cars have very little wiring to control the engine anyway so stripping it out doesn't really buy you much. More useful in FI cars but again - a lot more work for a tiny gain in appearance. And none of my piggy-back swaps look messy or disorganized in any way. Just a few unused connectors zip-tied out of the way. GD

This is less than true. The MPFI was 5 HP more and it's not just the intake and fuel system - it's the heads and cam also. COMPLETELY wrong. The turbo and MPFI heads are identical castings. The compression ratio difference is due to the pistons not the heads. The turbo pistons are in fact 7.7:1 but the SPFI and MPFI/NA pistons are 9.5:1 and the carb pistons are 9.0:1. EA81 N/A pistsons are 8.7:1 GD

Depends on how it's failed. Often there will be no perceptible play in them even though they are quite loud. Sometimes there will be quite a bit. Just depends on the type of bearing and how it's gone bad. They can make a humming sound, grinding at lower speeds, and sometimes they can make really aweful thumping noises that sounds like differential or axle failure. In some situations it's obvious that a wheel bearing is the culprit because the noise will vanish or dimish when you side load the bearing (turning). If turning the wheel slightly to one side or the other causes the noise to change or vanish then it's most probably a bearing. GD