GeneralDisorder

You can't disengage the 4WD on the fly because you have different brands of tires.... which, contrary to what you might think, means they ARE different sizes even if they are "the same size" by the numbers on the sidewall.... if you get my meaning. Those numbers are loosely followed by the tire manufacturers and if you have different brands - regardless if they are the same size or not - you will not be able to get out of 4WD easily because the drivetrain will bind up to some extent. When setup properly, your Subaru should be able to enter and exit 4WD effortlessly as long as it's going straigth. If you start doing figure 8's it will once again bind up and will not allow you to exit 4WD till you straighten out again. This is how 4WD works - on every vehicle that uses it - trucks, cars, etc. If you have a vehicle that has power to all 4 and doesn't bind under any circumstance - it has some form of AWD. And you can use 4WD as much as you like. Doesn't have to be limited to slippery conditions. With stock tires you will not harm anything with the use of 4WD occasionally on dry surfaces. GD

They should be hard to press. That's perfectly normal. Wouldn't be much good at taking out the slack in a valve train if they weren't stiffer than the valve spring when given proper oil pressure now would they? GD

I buy the plain green stuff - Ethelyne Glycol - for all my cars. Never had a problem with it in Subaru's because of the lack of dissimilar metals. I don't like what I've seen of the systems that use the Dex-Cool. The worst neglected and nastiest cooling systems I've seen have run that stuff. The G05 stuff isn't so bad. At least I haven't seen the level of nastiness that I have with Dex-Cool. The new Subaru blue long-life stuff is still too new to really appreciate. I've had a few people decide to use it - but at 4x the cost ($40 vs. $10 for the green) it's hard to justify using it for most people because it doesn't last 4x as long. GD

I have noticed that the "ATF" that Subaru uses from the factory in the PS systems does not look or smell like the conventional bright red ATF I'm used to. Squealing can definitely be the belt - that's the usual cause actually. If you are having any symptoms of juddering or loss of power when turning the wheel - replace that supply hose. They get hard. Renob123's STi (bought brand new by him in '06) had the supply hose go hard and start sucking air around 90k miles. GD

The 2.5 engines go for about $1k used. That's pretty typical and average. I have a machine shop near me that does a completely rebuilt 2.5 for $1295 with core exchange. They do a lot of them as there is a large market for them here. I don't know if they are acustomed to shipping them but it's worth a call: http://stevesprecisionmachine.com/ GD

Used head - definitely the cheap way out. And charge him extra labor for his unwise decision to not address the belt before failure. GD

Replace both sensors with NTK brand units. GD

Cordless sawzall - cut right in front of the strut towers. Do a proper spot-weld removal after you get it back to the shop. GD

Pull the clutch pack. It's obviously toast. Unplugging the TCU should have locked the clutch pack into 4WD and your driveshaft should have been spinning. GD

LOL. You can't replace that seal without removing the front diff bearing cup retainer. And you will also need the o-ring that goes around the retainer cup. Make SURE you put the retainer back where it was before you removed it because if you don't the front diff bearing preload and the R&P lash will be affected and will destroy the front diff. GD

The ground is through the ignition amp on the coil bracket in the FI models, not through the distributor. The distributor on the hot-wire MAF cars is simply a crank position sensor and a way to distribute spark to the various cylinders. It does not directly trigger the coil - that is done by the ECU. Check the coil primary and secondary resistance. If that is good then check for the ignition pulse while cranking from the negative side of the coil to the negative side of the battery - the light should pulse on and off while cranking. If it doesn't then replace the ignition amp (the coil bracket). GD

Can you give more details on exactly what was wrong with their build? GD

Where are you looking for a ground? Ignition coils themselves, as a general rule, are not grounded except through the action of the distributor - which will open and close the ground connection to expand and collapse the magnetic field which induces the spark current in the secondary winding. Now - the coil *bracket* on EA82 fuel injected models needs a ground connection through the mounting ears - but it's for the ignition transistor amplifier - not the coil itself. GD

Um - I can only imagine that he's not used to getting parts from the dealerships and/or isn't used to working on Subaru's. Every Subaru non-turbo manual transmission uses those clips and has since the early 70's. Every dealership in the country probably has dozens of them because they are replaced for every clutch job. Sounds like you need a new mechanic. GD

Well - for most shops it's the same amount of labor (of maybe an hour extra) to change a tranny while doing a clutch job. I would figure $100 over the normal clutch price depending on the hourly rate of the shop you choose of course..... assuming you supply a used tranny for them to install. For us Subaru guys - most of us pull the engine for a clutch job as it's easier.... though most shops do not. So actually a tranny change is more expensive in my shop than a clutch job because I don't usually pull the tranny to do one and pulling the tranny is more work than pulling the engine. GD

We need more information - you say it's an OHV engine yet you also claim it's an EA82 - this is not compatible information. Either you have an OHV (EA81) or you have an OHC (EA82). And if you really do have a 4-door wagon made in 1988 then you have an EA82 with single point fuel injection. Take a picture of your engine bay and we can help you with the belts much easier. GD

All Subaru engines made after '96 ARE interferance. Period. GD

Craiglist, etc. A local guy just had me help install a Weber that he bought from some dude off an MGB for $65. Was in great condition. GD

Listen not to the Quidam - he knows not of what he speaks. Mileage can be the same or better. Performance will be.... different. Better low-end torque due to larger airflow directly off idle. This is due to larger primary and secondary barrels but also due to the progressive linkage. You can't (easily) progressively linke the barrels on the Hitachi because the Hitachi doesn't have a secondary idle circuit and will have an enormous flat-spot if you try to drive the secondary too rapidly with linkage and not vacuum. Ultimately the engine will make about the same peak HP numbers with a Weber that it made with the Hitachi because at those RPM's the engine is not being limited by the carb but rather by the flow of other parts of the engine, atmospheric pressure, and other variables. The sound will change - primarily due to the smaller air filter of the Weber and the progressive linkage. Again - BIG flow at low speeds. Easier maintenance, better throttle response and low-end torque, and the same or better fuel economy. For the average Subaru owner with a carbed engine - there is no doubt the Weber is the most popular upgrade and well worth the price. GD

If you consider a Weber to be expensive (it's about $250, give or take, to install a used one and all the correct plumbing), then asking about turbo swaps or engine swaps (which rarely come in under $1000) is pretty silly isn't it? GD

Nicely done! And actually cheaper than OEM bushings and probably easier to aquire those parts for people not near a dealership. I had considered making new bushings from bronze rod stock, but the original plastic/rubber bushings are still availible from the dealer along with the snap-on nylon "donut" that goes on the bottom pivot point of the shifter. But your solution has the benefit of being inexpensive and using generic off-the-shelf parts which in the near future may be the only way to repair this kind of slop as support for those vintage transmissions is not a priority for Subaru. GD

The check engine light indicates a fault - have the codes read and it will, in all likelyhood, point you directly to the problem. Without any conjecture on our part. GD

Only the older Turbo's and the STi use the pull-type clutch. All the NA Subaru's use a push-type that does not require removal of the pivot pin for seperation. The fork pivots on a ball/socket instead. GD

I have no "personal" feelings one way or the other about your engine. I don't "hate" anything that's an inanimate object. Hell - I just built an SPFI EA82 for a board member. It's a machine that does a job. If another machine that does the job better can be procured for less $$ - that's a better machine and a better deal. I have worked on EA's and EJ's and I know what works with them and what doesn't. It's that simple. It's an equation to me - nothing more. You put in $X and you get Y HP and Z reliability factor. The EA82T equation is less cost-effective than the EJ22/25 equation per HP. Simple as that. And if you can't understand a simple cost analysis or you assign some kind of sense of attachement or "feelings" to your engine build - you have already lost me. I don't understand that level of thinking - that is the same type of mentality that my woman uses for buying shoes. I have no use for it. GD

The large white wire in the EA harness plug just ends up crimped back to the main alternator output wire.... usually back about 24" or more inside the harness. The white/red is the charge indicator/field flash wire. GD