GeneralDisorder

:eek: Wonder if the bad O2 precipitated the loss of the #4 piston on the last engine.... O2 reads rich and ECU tries like hell to lean it out..... GD

Sounds like the O2 may have got fouled up by all that oil in the exhaust. Blown engines tend to have that deleterious effect on O2 sensors. GD

Yes - EA81 and EA82 alts will cross over. But the better choice is the late 80's Nissan Maxima alternator. 90 amps and bolts right in with a pulley change. GD

It is unlikely to have any axles with reman tags from those places. The previous owner is a member here and bought virtually all his parts from the dealer. It had a brand new Hitachi carb just a couple years back from the dealer... for example. Good chance that the axles are just worn out. I would buy a new set of EMPI axles for it. GD

Are you sure it's not a lifter tick? It can sound like a rod knock if you haven't heard one doing it before. Drain the oil and check for metallic swirl in it. If it looks like metallic pain pen..... probably communist gnomes making weapons in there. GD

You will need the ECU pinout and someone knowledgeable with a multi-meter to effectively test it. GD

The weird part is that it still uses a fuel pump relay for the 12v supply to the pump. And switches it via the relay coil ground as normally seen on any other Subaru. I really don't know why the ECU has the fuel pump ground going into it.... but that's the way it's wired. It may not be switching the ground with a transistor at all - it may just be going to a ground junction that, for whatever reason, the engineer's put inside the ECU. GD

The seal should not be driven all the way in. It should only be flush and it's critical that it be even and that you don't roll the lip. I usually rotate them as I'm inserting them so the lip slides over the crank properly. Having a shop do it would be expensive - since they have to pull the engine to access it. Probably at least $300. GD

Three different ECU's were tried by his mechanic. Same problem. Seems very unlikely that it's the ECU itself. GD

Not correct. '95 was the "faux-Outback" that didn't have the suspension. '96 was a real, correct height Outback. It was the only year for same that had the EJ22 in the 5 speed models. '96 is NOT the same for Legacy vs. Outback. The Outback struts are 2" longer than regular Legacy struts. GD

The rear main's on these engines are tricky to install due to their large size. You probably rolled the lip on the seal when you installed it. Get a new one from the dealer and install it with a 3" ABS pipe cap from Home Depot. GD

I've driven quite a few EA81's with straight pipes. A glass pack will quiet it some. They aren't bad with the cat and resonator and a straight pipe so anything else you add will just make it better (quieter). GD

Generally speaking the ground(s) for the ECU are located on the intake manifold sub-harness to insure that the 5v powered sensors on the manifold have a very tightly controlled ground loop back to the ECU. But I only have experience with SPFI systems (86+ throttle body non-turbo injection) and new stuff from the 90's. I would also be checking for grounds under the dash in/around the fuse panel, steering column, and ECU. GD

The ground wire from the pump to the ECU has been tested and is apparently good. But pin #50 on the ECU where that wire connects has no ground. So one of the grounds for the ECU itself is bad. Different ECU's were tried and that is not the problem. The problem is with a ground supply for the ECU not for the pump. I have an '85 FSM and have looked for information on ground point locations and I cannot find anything to help him. Sadly the car is three+ hours from me so I can only help over the phone and online. I have never had this problem nor have I worked on many running 85/86 MPFI/Turbo systems so I don't know where those ground points would be... it's a vexing problem to be sure. GD

Glad you got your car back. I doubt the ECU will complain about it. They were so very primitive back in those days that it's very unlikely. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box! GD

Won't improve performance any. Just get whatever's cheap. GD

If you need to I can also take it loose for you - if sube101 doesn't hook you up with his impact, etc. I can get it off without using an impact. My jedi powers are strong.....:-p GD

Direct swap. Use the accesory brackets from the 93 since that stuff may have changed over those years - belt routing, tension adjust, etc..... DL won't have AC and the Loyale probably does. GD

If it's an EA81 hatch then it will. If it's an EA82 three door coupe then it will not. GD

Did you end up replacing the #4 injector? I'm really glad that engine worked out for you. That's what the Subaru forums are all about. I assume your boss is rather pleased with your ability to find solutions at low, low prices eh? The few challenges in putting that engine in place of the 2.5 should be well worth it considering the overall cost savings and high likelyhood of the car being trouble-free till you have to divest yourselves of it in a few years. Let us know when it comes up for sale... GD

Electrical tape is never used in contact with bare wires, and IMHO should never be used for anything except wrapping up a completed harness, organizing wires into bundles, etc. It is not air/water tight like properly applied heat shrink is. All kinds of stuff. CEL, Weird/erratic idling, tendancy to die while coasting with the clutch in, loss of power, innability to rev past a certain RPM..... depends on what you don't hook up and which ECU it's running. You need everything hooked up properly. None of the connections are optional if you don't want some kind of unhappiness from the ECU. There is between one and two dozen connections between the ECU harness and various parts of the car to get everything working properly. GD

That's basically how it works, yeah. There are a couple things like the VSS, tach, and CEL that either will have to interface with the Brat's wiring or optionally can for a more correct/complete installation. To run the EJ completely bare-bones all you need to hook up is constant power, ignition switched power, start signal (from the starter solenoid), and the fuel pump power from the FP relay to the fuel pump. Everything else is optional but the engine will exhibit strange/annoying behavior without most of the "optional" connections. I charge $250 for OBD-I harnesses, and $200 for ODB-II harnesses.... plus shipping. But I don't touch stuff that's already been half stripped :-p I sugest you learn how to solder and heat shrink. Without a doubt the most important skill for harness work. And buy a label maker. GD

Not neccesary. The only gauge sender that doesn't work correctly is the coolant temp and you can (if you are careful) fit the EA gauge sending unit in the EJ's coolant cross-over. Legacy cluster has no voltage or oil pressure either so it's not a desireable way to go. If you haven't stripped a harness before - you should send it to one of us that do these all the time. You are going to go down the wrong path with your first harness and it's better if you see how we structure them before you try stripping one on your own. You can't run the Legacy fuel pump. It's an in-tank pump and the Brat is setup for an external pump. You need to run something like an EA82 SPFI pump (I use these most of the time since they are cheap in the yards) or the Ford F-150 pump. You need a 50 psi capable pump. The Brat's carb pump puts out 2.5 psi and it will not even come close to working. Won't even start the engine in fact. You will also have to replace all the Brat's fuel lines for the fuel supply downstream of the pump as well as for the return side with high-pressure fuel injection hose. The stock hoses will not handle the pressure that EJ's run at and will burst. GD

Loctite 545. Hydraulic / Pnuematic thread sealant. Good to 10,000 psi. Never had a pipe thread leak after using it . GD