GeneralDisorder

There aren't any "proven" upgrades other than swapping that engine out for an EJ. An EJ22 will make more power without the turbo, will get better mileage doing it, and will outlast the POS you currently have by at least double or tripple..... multiply that by another 10x if you mod your 82T. It's a waste of time and money and will end in tears. If you want to keep driving it for any length of time march down to the dealer and have them order ALL the coolant hoses in the car, get a good two-row radiator in it, and if you want a mod that will help it live longer add a 2.0 WRX intercooler but don't touch the boost. Just leave it be but keep it cool and you might get some mileage out of it. GD

An alternator produces alternating (AC) current. That is passed through a bridge rectifier and then through a voltage regulator. If either of those fail the alternator can emit AC current and/or can produce voltages higher than 14.5. Either of these will have adverse effects on various circuits in the car. Sometimes it will burn stuff out (bulbs, etc), and sometimes AC current will defeat diode protected circuits and illuminate the "christmas tree" and other odd behavior can and will occur - gauges will read incorrectly if not given the voltage and/or current type they expect.... etc. You should do some searches - this is covered fairly often. GD

It's normal for the radiator fans to cycle with the d-check connectors (green) plugged together. That just indicates you are in d-check mode. You have to use the white (or black) connectors to read stored codes. You have it in test mode - that is a different procedure designed to uncover faults that are not found in the normal test routines the ECU goes through. GD

I haven't noticed any differerence in reliability - they probably are more effecient by a bit. And they can be rebuilt and serviced by a good radiator shop which is a nice plus. I also go for the metal one's when it's an option. GD

I would imagine they bend or break at the ends where they engage the shift collars. I doubt you could break one where they are attached to the rod. That portion is a lot thicker. GD

Pictures are.... only somewhat useful for people that haven't had a transmission apart before. There's a lot going on inside there and I really don't think that static pictures will tell the whole story. You have to open one up, run it through the gears and see how it works as you turn things to fully understand it. GD

Replacing the shift forks is possible if one is broken..... but you have to open the trans to do it so it's not really worth discussing till you open it and find out that's the actual problem. The forks are held to rods with set-screws. GD

You have a very simple, and incorrect, mental image of how electrons work. Trust me when I say a bad alternator can and will make your whole electrical system freak out. Get it tested. GD

+1 -It's most likely fried. Just install a used one and then open it up to learn how they work. Then you won't have to ask so many questions next time . I've seen some UGLY internal failures on 5MT's. Everything from gear sets torn apart, to bearing failures, to center diff's that have eaten themselves... and everything in-between. There's a lot that can go wrong inside there if people are really mean to them. It is unlikely that it's something you can fix and have any kind of "good feeling" about using. There's often so much metal inside them that I wouldn't feel good about using the parts that are "still good". I just rebuilt an STi 5MT from Japan.... I told the customer going in that it would make noises in some of the gears from the wear. But there was nothing to do about it - it's a special STi gearset - close ratio.... can't get replacements. And it does whine in 2,3, and 4. But it works great so he's happy. GD

Sounds like the alternator to me also. Over-voltage and AC current most probably. Did the engine actually overheat or just a high reading on the gauge? GD

Unless the arcing damage is serious - I doubt you have a problem with the coil pack. If that were the case then you would also be seeing misfire's from the #4 cylinder as well. 1/2 and 3/4 share a coil - it's a "wasted spark" system..... Have you pulled the plug to check for damage or strange coloration? If that doesn't pan out..... you aren't going to like this..... run a compression check. You might be looking at a burnt exhaust valve. Has the engine received it's proper valve adjustment every 105k? Ever? You can't neglect that on the EJ25D and expect to get away with it forever - you will burn a valve sooner or later.... GD

You can use a radiator for a '96 Legacy GT (2.5) - it will be the all-metal variety that you want. You will also have to swap over to the individual support brackets for the top with the rubber bushings..... probably order them through the dealer. But yes - it will fit without any mods other than changing the top bracket. GD

No - the CA feedback carbed models had a real live relay that was controlled by the ECU like an EJ engine. If you disconnect the ECU the fuel pump will not run. GD

Should be behind the passenger side rear access panel in the trunk area.... it's a cylinder looking deal. I would make sure the problem isn't in the bulb socket - otherwise it's probably wireing as you surmise. Here's the crappy part though - it's not limited to the circuit between the bulb checker module and the bulb.... the bulb check circuit will tell you the bulb is out if there is a break anywhere in the circuit for that side of the car. They probably share a power lead though so it's probably near there or close.... if the car has a trailer hitch I would start with any wireing associated with that. GD

As I said - you need the plastic tensioner nut. It is not "pot metal" - it is plastic and it's $6. Trust me on this.... GD

I use a jack and a block of wood under the oil pan to rock the engine back. You can get it farther back and many of the newer rigs have that plastic tank radiator and the amount of flexing that goes on when trying to shove a tranny against the engine when it's resting on the radiator..... makes me nervous. I did use that method in the past but I came up against a few cars where that hasn't worked and thus the new system for me. GD

I'm not 100% on this but I don't think that cover plate is easily accesible without pulling the transmission. And if the car was *moving* when this happened and assuming it is in 2 gears at once.... the transmission is shot. There's possibly broken teeth, and in any case the shift linkage got so sloppy that this happened in the first place..... that pretty much indicates it's a gonner. I wouldn't reuse that transmission without openening it up and inspecting at the very least. GD

There is no alternator idler so I'll assume you mean the AC ilder. The plastic tensioner nut is $6 at the dealer. They break all the time. No point in getting a used one. For the rest of the stuff - post in the wanted section. GD

Certainly - he did at that. And don't take my "technical mumbo jumbo" to mean that your experience is not valid and useful to the discussion. Just that it might be biased due to used differentials of unknown mileage and history..... both the clutch type and viscous type wear out and from what I have read it's not very many miles either. Race teams typically rebuild their clutch types every season - as mentioned in that wikipedia quote there is evidence that the viscous units are all but worn out after 60k or so. GD

Many of the '99s are like that. My '99 Forester has them as well and I was also a bit shocked that it had twin intake filters. The second filter isn't terribly expensive at the dealer though so I'm not too annoyed by it. Rest assured it is 100% stock. Probably a CA emissions thing. The dealer confirmed for me that it does indeed call for both filters. For whatever reason the '99 Forester automatic that I have seems to have been built to go a million miles - not only does it have twin air filters but it also came stock with the turbo oil cooler.... the engine is in amazing condition for 247k. I attribute it to that oil cooler keeping the engine oil from breaking down. Really amazing what that will do for an engine - definitely putting one on all my performance builds. GD

It depends on the method they use. Wheel bearings can be a pain on EJ cars - the outer race is REAL solid in the knuckle. Depends on if they use a hub-tamer type tool, or a press, or farm it out to a machine shop. With rust, etc..... I could see it taking 4 hours. The bearings themselves are only about $35 to $45. You could almost buy a hub-tamer for what they have quoted and just do the job yourself. I have also used the "Front Wheel Drive Service Adaptor Set" from Harbor Frieght which runs about $100 now to do the wheel bearings. In combination with a few other tools and using the hub-tamer manual as a reference on how to set it up it worked well. GD

I have probably done 20+ transmissions with mine. It works very well considering the alternatives. Like any tool it requires a bit of a learning curve - where to place it and the proper angles to put it at for the Subaru transaxles. I don't use the strap at all for example - and with MT's I turn them sideways on the jack to clear the suspension when rolling them under and then flip them back uprightin the tunnel. If you don't have a lift.... this is easily the best value out there for doing transmission replacements. GD

There's quite a bit of difference in how they work - the Viscous units have a fluid that when heated due to shearing forces becomes nearly a solid (very high viscosity) thus "gluing" the stack of plates contained in the fluid. This action takes *time* to occur. Now how much time is determined by the design but it would seem that it's considerably longer (and possibly when they do lock it's weaker) than the clutch types. Additionally they are sealed and unserviceable and untuneable. You get what you get and there's nothing you can ever do to change it. That's not acceptable for a lot of users. Personally I feel that Subaru went to the viscous style LSD because they wanted something that would never fail and improve traction to some degree - but "functionality" took a backseat to cost and marketing considerations. Being able to say you have a limited slip is nice and most people aren't going to know the difference. If you look at the 6 speed STi's you'll notice they don't use the viscous coupling devices at all. Nor do most other high-end race inspired setups.... most are using Torsen or Helical (Torsen type 1) diffs or clutch types. Interesting qoute from Wikipedia: "Viscous LSDs are less efficient than mechanical types, that is, they "lose" some power. In particular, any sustained load which overheats the silicone results in sudden permanent loss of the differential effect. They do have the virtue of failing gracefully, reverting to semi-open differential behaviour. Typically a visco-differential that has covered 60,000 miles (97,000 km) or more will be functioning largely as an open differential" GD