GeneralDisorder

Such is not my calling in life. LOL. GD

There are two possibilities here - being an '81 I'm not sure what system it's using for fuel pump power. It could be powered off the voltage regulator or it could be powered by the fuel pump control unit (which is also it's relay). The things is - the choke is also powered by the FPCU and probably on the older models from the VR similar to the fuel pump. This insures that the choke only receives power when the engine is running and not with the ignition only turned on. The FPCU (which is definitely on the '82+ cars) would be located above the hood release cable bracket. It's a small, sqaure module with a 6 pin connector. The VR controlled cars have a different setup and I'm not familair with those as I have never owned one long enough to speak with experience about it. Anyway - hope that helps.... I beleive your problem stems from rerouting power to the fuel pump and neglecting to also power the choke - thus it's staying closed and causeing poor MPG. GD

The cats are not restrictive unless they are clogged or damaged, etc. You won't gain anything from gutting the cat and running a striaght-through muffler without also changing how the engine breathes. You will get a louder exhaust - that's it. There is some performance to be had in the down-pipe - a bell-mouth down pipe will help the turbo spool, etc. But that's not a cheap proposition. The cone filter is a bad idea - the K&N filters tend to foul MAF sensors with their oil, etc. You will lose the factory CAI - which is not restrictive at all. Once again it is not the bottle neck - the engine cannot breathe enough with it's tiny little 2-valve heads and stock boost to take advantage of those mods. Neither are where I would spend my money. Best bang for your buck is cams - call Delta Camshaft and talk about your cam options with them. EGT gauges are a good idea. That can warn you of a lean conditon. The Fel-Pro gaskets are good too. And of course you must maintain the cooling system properly. GD

Used from the west coast is your best bet - try the wanted section. It's not that hard for an exhaust shop to fab you a new header - you can go that route also. GD

Turned out very nice! Looks like a serviceable little truck and clean too. I like your use of the bug deflector to hide the hood damage . GD

Just keep running the synthetic. The EJ251 you have is a great engine - running synthetic it should go 300k+ without any trouble at all. My '99 has 243k on it - runs like a champ. GD

Personally I use ATF for this. Kero is awful thin. GD

Doesn't bother me a bit actually. I help those willing to listen. The rest don't have a firm grip on reality and/or have belief systems that don't agree with the mainstream here..... there are always going to be those folks. Eventually they leave or they find out the people here were right and trying to help so they stick around. Sounds like you are leaning toward the former. This is a forum - it's where opinions are expressed and where people go to find answers (which are very often opinions themselves) - you are free to provide your opinions and to also to get out in the garage and try some stuff - prove me wrong! GD

You don't really need that dust sheild - just lube up the splines with anti-seize and call it good. I don't even run those sheilds on my lifted wagon. Typically you can just straighten them and put them back on - if you need a new one then your best bet is a junk yard since it's that's not somthing prone to failure. GD

Old (classic ) Subaru's are not a good investment and never will be. Especially not the ubiquitous Subaru wagon from the '80s - even 360's from the 1960's aren't worth much in the scheme of cars in general and those are more rare than any Subaru wagon will be. You want a collectible? Get a Brat. You will be sorely dissapointed in 20 years because that POS is going to be worth maybe a couple grand to someone. When you are 70 years old it might fetch something from a museum - but I doubt it. This thread was started with the object to make "power" with the EA82T - now you are changing the subject to keeping it original.... which is it kid? Yes - I am an rump roast. That's well established. You think leaving hurts our feelings or something? You're a "taker" around here - you ask questions, you search (if we are lucky) and you get frustrated and complain about the answers - how does that help me out? Take a guess...... it doesn't! When *I* have a question to ask of the forum you won't be giving me the answers..... you are lucky I'm nice enough to share what little I have in my previous posts - because I know the favor won't be returned. GD

You are definitely in the craigslist ball-park for that stuff. Just make sure you don't buy someone's rented bottles. I bought new bottles and a new torch then built my own cart - my Victor torch setup was $275, the small bottle (fuel) was $170 and the large bottle (02) was $200.... to give you an idea of the new cost so you can judge the used pricing. Be aware that for cutting you will use about 4 times as much 02 as you do fuel. For that reason I run a larger 02 (2x as big actually) bottle than my fuel bottle. Even with 2x more 02 I still refill it more often. You can heat/cut with Propane too - it's cheaper and easier to get and most people have a BBQ bottle or two . Then you just need a used torch and an 02 bottle. For most of what you will do you will want small stuff - a small rosebud and a #00 cutting tip should be all you need for now. Read up on how to adjust a torch for proper use so you can try out anything you are considering buying. Especially important is the cutting torch setup. Inspect all threaded connections carefully for damage/abuse. You don't want any leaks and a dimple (from being dropped on the threads) or nicks and burrs will render the torch unsafe and basically turn them to expensive paper weights. You *probably* do not want a gas welding setup. At least *I* do not weld with gas - almost no one does anymore except to learn it in school.... most welding is done with some form of electrical arc these days. MIG welders are the standard "hot glue gun" of the welding industry - you probably want to consider one of those. Especially for automotive work where things like overhead welding is commonplace. GD

That all sounds fine till you know the codes for sure..... though I wouldn't mess with the IACV. Those aren't typically a problem until you get well up in the miles, etc. Cleaning them typically involves removing them from the intake (rear, passenger side near the TB). They have coolant running through them so if you remove it be prepared to top it off, etc. For O2's I prefer the NTK brand (NGK's sensor division). Discount Import Parts carries them. GD

LOL. 15 psi wouldn't get you anywhere near 500 HP. Might get you to ~175 HP. If you want anything close to 200 HP you will need 20+ psi on an EA82T. Kiss your fuel economy goodbye though. A frankenmotor will make this much power with NO turbo. And will easily fit your engine bay. Just an adaptor plate and a little wireing is all you need. Stop beating - horse is dead. You are the only one on this forum right now that's stubbornly clinging to this engine - why do you suppose that is? Could it be that many people just as intelligent as you have tried, failed, and given up? Have you considered that? Subaru's are short-stroke, large bore engines - they have short, stubby, fat little rods that are quite strong by comparison to say a Honda inline 4. It is not likely that you can make enough power to damage one. ...... you need to do a lot of reading. You have a steep learning curve ahead of you. It's not that simple and if you want to make changes to your engine and make it work you are going to need to understand the math behind the magic. The biggest differences are: 1. The heat of compression - in the case of increased static compression this heat cannot be removed - it is already inside the cylinder. In the case of forced induction this heat CAN be removed via an intercooler (the aluminium intake manifold is a rudimentary intercooler for this discussion). Thus an increase in compression ratio pushes you closer to detonation for a given fuel octane in an unavoidable way. Such is not the case with boost pressure. 2. A look at the math shows another problem - which is that cylinder pressure increases linearly with boost pressure but EXPONENTIALLY with increases in compression ratio. An increase from 8.5:1 to 9.5:1 will increase the cylinder pressure by around 100 psi while an increase in boost pressure from 14 to 15 psi will increase the cylinder pressure by only about 15 psi. Pressure and heat create detonation - both are to be avoided for a turbo-charged engine. ...... suffice to say you need an understanding of the math in order to properly setup your engine. No good with math? Sorry - you can't play here. They don't make them. As I said people have asked - it would cost a couple thousand $$ for them to setup the R&D and the dies to produce them. If you wanted to front that money then anyone could order the gaskets (cheaply) once they have the design finalized and have the ability to produce them. GD

What did he tell you and why are you not considering it? Has he ever even done such a thing that he can talk with authority on the subject? Did I say anything about rods? No I didn't..... they are not a weak link on the Subaru engines. Really? Care to share this peice of tech with the rest of the community? Where are they comming from? Unless I'm mistaken, Cometic has been contacted about making gaskets for the EA82T but the cost is very high for the initial capital required to create the intellectual property and the die's, etc. The OEM are bolts - which cannot be used for a "performance" torque on the gaskets. They are not designed for it and will rip the threads out of the block - maybe after it's already running GD

It also nicely solves the problems with blowing head gaskets on engines for which there does not exist a gasket capable of handling those pressures - of which the EA82(T) is one. Unfortunately those who possess the skill to perform such a mod are unlikely to sell their services cheap and will probably scoff at the idea of even bothering with such a motor. Folks who can do that type of work would have a similar disposition to that engine as I do - there is nothing to gain because Subaru already provided a mass-produced engine that can happily handle 20+ psi of boost without any special work. GD

I can tell you exactly how to make power with it. You just won't like the price. 1. Forged pistons - many companies will make them for you. Check around. Probably run about $500 give or take for a set. 2. ARP head studs. Weird size - about $750 last time I checked. 3. O-ring the block. Finding someone that can do this is the challenge. Many machine shops will not want to try. After getting a rediculous quote on a Suzuki Samurai engine a friend of mine built his own tool and o-ringed the block himself. Turned out very nice but I doubt you have the neccesary skills or tools - lathe and mill and machining experience neccesary. 4. Engine managment. Proper management with EGT and cylinder head temp monitoring on both exhaust manifolds and all four cylinders is essential to prevent from cracking the weak EA82T head castings. Figure you will fail at least half a dozen times before you get it right and hit a reliable 200 HP. Just plan for that. I would set aside a minimum of $5,000-$8,000 to start. Just the management side of the equation is going to run over $1000 to do it right. So turn that around in your head for a while and see if it makes sense. For $1000 or less you can get ~180+ HP from a non-turbo high-compression EJ25. It's well documented and has none of the drawbacks, expensive custom parts, or complexity of the EA82T. Also consider that this built EA82T is going to be *lucky* to get 15 MPG - all the extra fuel needed for cooling, etc. While the EJ25 "frankenmotor" will get 25+ MPG and still run circles around your built EA82T. Just depends on where you want to put your money and your time. If you like ancient history and showing off your mad skills by building something like the EA82T (I have yet to see it done properly though I have considered doing it myself just to prove it can be done)...... go for it. But I will be here to say "told you so!" when it blows. GD

Wow! JB weld on the cam carrier - that's a new one. People really are morons aren't they? Use the Fel-Pro head gaskets (bought individually) - use NOTHING else from those clowns. They make most of the rest from gasket paper and it's not adequate at all - especially the intake/exhaust manifold gaskets and the water pump, etc. I get all the rest at the dealer. Use Loctite 518 (or permatex equivelent) on the water pump. GD

I've experienced both flywheel wear/grooving from severely worn clutches as well as shuddering from not resurfacing them - I've also experienced shuddering from an improper sufacing job...... my feeling is that if the flywheel is not worn - don't touch it. And if it is - resurfacing is an option but so is replacement. Case-by-case basis for me. Boils down to turn-around time, etc. GD

It is not a "conditioner" - that is a Subaru marketing term. It is Holts Radweld: http://www.holtsauto.com/products/group/repair-and-maintenance/cooling-repair-systems#holts-radweld Rebranded of course - but the "HOLTS" name is still embossed on the bottle . It IS a STOP LEAK product. And it does work. I've seen it work multiple times. My own '99 Forester has 243k on it. I bought the car for $1500 needing (mostly) a radiator and head gaskets. I replaced the radiator and filled with new coolant - at the time of the initial replacement I did not add the "conditioner" - I did not have any on hand and the leak from the head gaskets seemed to be mostly oil weepage. A couple thousand miles later it began leaking an INSANE amount of coolant. Had to fill it every other day to drive it and all around the car you could smell burning coolant as it ran down the exhaust. It would leave a 6" puddle just sitting for an hour after being run. I was pretty much resigned to doing the head gaskets and actually stopped at the dealer to buy all the parts - my parts guy asked if I had tried the "conditioner" in it - I thought "Really?" But he assured me that it's worth a try and upon hearing how much it was leaking sugested that I try using two bottles (this is allowed according to Subaru). It stopped the leaking immediately and COMPLETELY and it has not returned. It has not lost a single drop of coolant in about 9 months of daily driving. It still weeps oil but that's a much slower, easier to ignore problem - doesn't even leak enough to drip. Eventually I will probably do the head gaskets but that specific car is not making me any money so I would rather put it off till I can fit it into my schedule - right now it's not a concern at all. At this point I check the coolant when I change the oil and have yet to add any. The Holts Radweld is chunky - it definitely is a stop leak product. In fact - I've done a number of these phase-II head gaskets now and there is NOTHING left to "condition". The gasket is a single layer of metal and the whole reason it leaks is because the sealant on either side of the gasket has failed and quite literally "washed away" - leaving bare head surfaces and a thin strip of head gasket metal - what the hell would it be conditioning? There simple is nothing left to condition. It is DEFINITELY worth a try. Could buy you years - might not ever have to do them. My parts guy says many times the stop leak cures the problem forever and they never come back. GD

I'm with Gary on replacing only the bad struts and not both sides or all four - at least with Subaru's the rate of strut failure is very low so I lean that way. On other makes/models I often find that by the time I get in there they are all bad anyway - especially trucks, vans, etc. It also seems that shocks fail more often than struts..... at least it seems that way to me. Probably because shocks are often used on heavier vehicles. Subaru struts are actually a pretty rare failure in my experience. I've seen many still functioning at 200k or more. GD

You had to. Pretty much that simple. Heads don't come off with the intake attached - not possible on a Subaru boxer of any kind. It's also a simple repair to replace the intake gaskets that you didn't replace..... might not be that hard to fix - here those gaskets are $3 each. GD

You can't remove the heads without removing the manifold (intake AND exhaust actually) so if you didn't remove the manifold then you didn't remove the heads or the head gaskets..... so what did you put goo on? GD

The source of the leak is probably the cam-case o-ring between the head and the cam carrier. Don't fix leaks with bottles of strange fluids - bad idea. Especially on an engine already prone to hydraulic lifter problems. Not likely to be a head gasket - the EA head gaskets are not known for weeping oil. Probably cracked cam carrier o-rings. GD

The AWIC's are sweet - used on a lot of the earlier EJ stuff from JDM land. They can be found and hooked up - just make sure you know what you are getting into with one. That's a whole different animal and most people aren't equipped to retrofit one to an EA due to their higher level of complexity. An EJ would be cheaper..... just saying..... I love my EJ's GD

That is BAD. You cannot reuse the manifold gaskets. They WILL leak. That is VERY, VERY, VERY BAD! You may have shot yourself in the foot with the goo. That will prevent the HG from sealing properly. The head gaskets are of a grapite impregnated metal design (composite) which is designed to adhere to bare, clean metal. Use of any kind of sealant will comprimise that seal. Two strikes...... time to redo the whole job. Don't blame the poor Subaru or send it to the crusher - use it as a learning experience. I know you had the best intentions for the work and used the goo to insure a better job but in this case you should have done your homework first - a couple searches or a forum post before you started the job would have steered you in the right direction.... live and learn eh? GD