GeneralDisorder

Yeah - it's male spade that's riveted to the top - you have the rivet but not the spade. Clearly a mechanical failure. You might be able to repair it but a used one seems easier to me. GD

I don't have a part number but they rarely fail and are nearly $40 from the dealer - I would just score a used one from the junk yard and try it out. I have seen only one failure in all my time working on Subaru's. GD

MAP sensor circuit malfunction. It's only the fenderwall on the passenger side - there's a vacuum line going to it from the intake manifold area. Sounds like it's unplugged or bad. They don't often fail so this would be a good candidate for a used replacement if it's actually bad. GD

Looks like a broken gauge sending unit. The one next to the CTS is for the temp gauge on the dash. GD

Often this is related to mount issues - either transmission mounts or pitching stopper, etc. Check that stuff (easy stuff) before assuming the transmission itself has a problem. Loading and unloading can cause mushy or torn mounts to allow the transmission to move relative to the body.... being that the linkage is attached to the transmission and the body.... you can see where this goes . GD

You can use the clutch switch that turns off the CC on EA81's equipped with it to simulate a neutral switch. Been doing that for years on my SPFI swapped rigs and it works great. At least with the SPFI ECU's.... they refuse to idle back in a reasonable amount of time unless you use the manual ECU..... there's not an easy way to tell them what they should be.... I think they were hardcoded into the ROM. GD

I don't *think* they use a different radiator from the non-turbo's..... I would just get one from www.rockauto.com - they have the best price I've found for the EA81 radiators from Spectra. The "normal" EA81 radiator is a dual-core all-brass/copper unit anyway so it should be more than sufficient to cool the EA81T. I have one cooling a 200 HP EJ25 frankenmotor right now and it's plenty for that. I doubt the 95 HP EA81T would have any trouble. recoreing IS an option - if you know a good radiator shop they should be able to do it. GD

What does the chart on the can say the pressure should be? System pressure is very dependant on ambient air temp.... It could still be borderline and the pressure switch in the system is cutting off the compressor. Check the pressure more carefully with an eye toward the ambient temp, evaporator temp (air coming from the vents) and with a chart for R134A such as this one: http://www.ackits.com/aacf/ptchart.cfm GD

He's not talking about lug studs - he's talking about cylinder head studs. Legacy's (EJ'sa across the board) use bolts. IIRC the EA81 studs are too short. GD

In the SPFI's you have to swap the ECU. As I said there is a pin that either needs to be grounded or open to tell the EJ's ECU it's running a manual trans. Check the schematics over on Numchux site and see if you can determine the pin that is responsible. GD

You need to put non-foulers on all sensors that are after a cat. And it looks like you need new sensors. After 100k they should likely be replaced anyhow. Change the front sensors first then if the code still returns change the rears also. GD

The black wire on the VSS needs to be grounded I beleive - if it is not already through the CC system (if equipped). You sure the ECU doesn't think it's in an automatic? I've had similar effects when mistakenly using auto ECU's on SPFI conversions. I beleive there is a grounded or ungrounded pin that tells the ECU what type it is on the EJ's.... GD

You are absolutely correct - cleanliness is why I and many others will ONLY do them with the engine out. It adds about 1 to 2 hours to the job total but results in a much better job. I pull the engine, steam clean it, drain all fluids, and reassemble on a proper engine stand. Then I steam clean the engine bay, reseal the oil seperator plate on the back of the engine, and install with everything clean and shiny and ready to go. It's not a matter of making more money - the engine pull itself is very easy and will actually SAVE labor in difficult dissasembly, reassembly, and cleaning. Plus with the vertical block surfaces it is very difficult to properly clean them or prevent coolant, etc from running out of the block while doing the reassembly. There's very good reasons for why those of us that do this all the time do it the way we do. Head bolts do not need to be replaced. They are not a torque-to-yeild design. Burned exhaust valves can and do happen when the valve lash is not adjusted properly. I've seen 1/4" holes burned in them with zero compression on that cylinder. I've seen it at 169k and on a solid-lifter 2.2 at 199k. The DOHC heads like to eat up their guides as well.... Typically I have the valves ground, the head resurfaced and new stem seals installed. Runs about $500 for the DOHC heads and about $175 for the SOHC heads. I do a lot of engine work and I've not had a single failure with my system. GD

Yes - that's the older style. You need a cable for an '82. Your cable is improperly routed over the steering shaft and the heater core hoses. That's the reason for it's failure. Someone didn't know what they were doing. GD

Yeah - I would also guess knock sensor. I was thinking you were showing an EA82 block and they look different. The EA81T is very primitive so that makes sense GD

When you replace the cable: 1. Get it from the dealer - they are much higher quality 2. Route it under BOTH the steering shaft and the heater core hoses. 3. '83 is a cross-over year for clutch cable type. Make sure you know which one you have. The older style has a clamp with a single bolt to secure the sheath on the pedal end while the newer style has the same type of setup on the pedal side as it does on the transmission end - using a horseshoe clip to secure the sheath. It is important that you buy the right cable - if you have the older style ask for a cable for an '82. GD

The Fel-Pro stuff is crap for Subaru's. Great stuff for my SBC.... worthless on a Subaru. There really aren't a lot of gaskets anyway - intake, exhaust, HG, valve cover.... everything else is a seal, an o-ring, or RTV. Get all your gaskets through the dealer. Seals and o-rings you can go aftermarket if you choose. But the big 4 that I mentioned above are never a qualit product if you don't buy them from Subaru. GD

If you can post a picture I can tell you where it should go. GD

I agree with this being a question that isn't answerable - it's about skill more than anything. I will tell you that most painters do not enjoy spraying the metallic's that Subaru likes to use in it's stock colors. They tend to either go on dry and dusty, or they go on too thick and the metal flake lays out like hammerite and looks like crap. So most end up spraying it dry and dusty and then clear coating it to make it look shiny. I didn't want to shoot clear on the last touch-up job I did (I hate painting) and so I color-sanded it and buffed it. Looked fine but it was a $1500 car.... it was better than the peeling clear-coat that it had before I started. GD

I have personally seen cases where the head gaskets WERE blown and for whatever reason the HC test strips, etc failed to indicate it. Take it from someone that's seen this more times than I can count - if it's not the radiator cap - you DO need head gaskets. GD

The coolant overflowing from the expansion bottle can only be one of two things - either the head gasket is beginning to go, or the radiator cap has a bad seal. You can pressure test the radiator cap or just buy a new one. If this continues after you replace it - your head gaskets are leaking. Period. End of discussion. I've done a LOT of these 96 to 99 2.5's and also a couple 2.2's.... they always fail in the same way and that is the classic symptom. Exhaust gasses displace the coolant in the bottle - at some point the water pump cavitates and the temp spikes. It only gets worse - first you can drive 50 or 75 miles, then 10 or 20, then it does it within 5 to 10 minutes of startup. You can do them premtively. Couple things you should know before you tackle this to make sure you are ready: 1. Pull the engine. You will not appreciate doing them in the car and the job can't be done to my levels of cleanliness easily without pulling the engine. Most other's here agree. 2. Use ONLY Subaru gaskets obtained from a dealership. The gasket design has changed 4 times due to premature failure. Don't risk your labor over two $35 parts. 3. Be prepared for sticker shock on a valve job for these heads. The DOHC heads are basically racing heads. They are VERY expensive to work on. Typically it's $450 to $500 to rebuild/reshim a set. GD

You need a new clutch cable NOW. It will break and if you don't know how to drive it without the clutch you will be towing it home. The carb issue is probably a choke issue. Turbo springs are not much different - little bit stiffer perhaps but almost unoticeable. If you want to drop in sometime I can advise on these little issues. I have a shop in West Linn - just south of Portland. GD

What issues did you have? I have been working on and off on a big update to the SPFI conversion write-up and any input you can give on issues you have had I will try to address. I've done half a dozen of them now and I've streamlined the process in many ways. JY parts are rediculously expensive for the last couple years now - much cheaper to get this stuff from a board member parting out a car or buy a car and part it out yourself. If you like EA81's it's usually pretty useful to buy an 88 or 89 wagon with a D/R 5 speed and the SPFI. They can be had for a couple hundred wrecked, blown engine, high miles, etc. GD

There has been at least one member here that did have a smog ref pass his car with an SPFI swap to an EA81. He just told them it was an EA82 I think and once he explained it to the smog ref they certified it. With the SPFI properly installed it's hard to tell what is underneath it. Talk to a smog ref and see what they say. GD

Well - swapping the harnesses complete would probably be *more* work because they changed where the plugs are located and added another hole in the firewall where the plugs go through that attach the body harness to the manifold sub-harness. On your '90 it's next to the battery but on the '95 and up it's on the back of the engine on the passenger side - opposite the starter basically. Also other things are in radically different places - the ECU on the '90 is under the dash basically right in front of your left knee. The '95 and on cars have the ECU under the carpet on the passenger floorboard! Basically the whole wireing harness is laid out differently. I think you should rethink your approach - have you considered Megasquirt? You could whip up an adaptor that would allow you to plug into the existing ECU connector and run the car from the open-source, stand-alone MS box - then you can tune it for whatever you want. GD