GeneralDisorder

Wow! That is really bizzare! I'll have to look into that one for you. I have never heard of that or seen it before either. The speed sensor is obviously working since the ECU is not complaining and the speedo works. This could be related to the possible odometer roll-back we uncovered with the car-fax on that one. They may have dissasembled the cluster and tried to manually flip the odometer wheels back - possibly damaging something in the process. That would be my first guess. I would replace the whole gauge cluster probably - but there are alternatives. If you have GPS that will tell you mileage (probably cumbersome though), or you can mount a 12v hour-meter and track the hours of engine-on-time (which is actually a more accurate way of doing maintenance anyway). I can likely find you a gauge cluster if you want to change it. Other than some screws in weird places it's pretty simple - remove the surround, unbolt the cluster, and bolt the new one in place. If you want me to find you one you can have it for what the yard charges me - I'll consider it a warantee job. I'll swap if for you if you want to take a road trip :-p GD

Ah - I see how you did it. Most people route the cable around to the front, etc. I suppose that will work too though. GD

Technically - only another '99 since that's the 8-bolt phase-I EJ25D. But with a few simple modifications any older 4 bolt tranny will work. You might have to swap the TCU as part of the swap and you will have to insure that the tranny going in has the same final drive ratio as the one that came out - or swap the diff to match. Pretty much the 4EAT tranny's are interchangeable if you remember to swap the diff to match. GD

Why they put them in N/A Foresters? Got me.... I think they were afraid of something that didn't end up being a problem - the Forester and 2.5 RS both got the SOHC EJ25 phase-II one year before the Legacy line. Probably some kind of CYA thing. Mostly it's a turbo-only item. GD

The oil cooler has been used on the EJ's since they were designed - just not on many US models. The first US model (and only one till I think the Forester's) to have the oil cooler was the '91 Turbo Sport Sedan (I own one) - they were dropped from the SS/TTW after the first year. The oil "cooler" is technically an oil-over-coolant heat exhchanger that keeps the oil temp closer to the coolant temp by circulating coolant through that "sandwitch" between the block and filter - it can be installed on any EJ engine if you buy the right part number water pump, the coolant sandwitch and it's associated coolant tubing and hoses. GD

I would imagine a good shop could take a set of EA82 tanks and core it with a dual-row core..... I know the guy I use has talked about having to "recore" stuff - he does a lot of non-automotive. Semi-trucks, equipment, generators, etc. I can ask if someone is really, super intersted in having one built. The cost might not be super-cheap but for something that you now can't buy on the open market..... maybe $200 or so would be worth it. GD

Yes - that looks fine. Not the way I usually do them but looks effective. GD

Replace the EGR valve with one from a Legacy/Impreza (EJ), or one from an SPFI car - that will eliminate that pipe (which is a GIGANTIC vacuum leak) and toss the other valve up in the corner - that's an anti-afterburn valve and you don't need it. No - just cap the manifold ports. The hard line assembly has no supply if you remove the hoses from the manifold ports and cap them. The cable has to be OVER the wheel - that won't work. Try it and you'll understand . GD

Dealer - about $100 for the two driver's side rails and about $75 for the passenger rails. GD

If you find anything in the oil itself then toss the motor in the dumpster . If you really want to look for shavings you need to cut open the oil filter, stretch out the element, and look in the deepest part of the corrugations for metal. Typically I use a clean magnet and then wipe it off onto a white paper towel and inspect closely. Getting the oil filter apart without *creating* a bunch of metal shavings..... I'll leave that up to your imagination. GD

Have you checked the driveline u-joints? The front diff bearings are not serviceable - they are pressed onto the diff carrier and cannot be removed and installed without removeing the diff from the transmission - which requires complete dissasembly. I have never seen these cause any sort of vibration - you can tighten the bearings by threading in the outer race/seal holders but you have to be careful as these also set the front diff R&P clearance. If you were to tighten them (I'm not sure I would even bother - just find another tranny), then you would want to adust them BOTH equally to avoid any massive changes to the R&P setup. At any rate that play is not the cause of your vibration nor is it likely even important to mess with it. The play you are feeling might just be in the stubs themselves and not the bearings - they are seperate entities. GD

Check with a radiator shop - they can "recore" a good metal tank radiator and may be able to build something that's even better than a stock 2 row. Radiator shops are an interesting place with some very interesting people who often have skills that aren't "common" anymore. For about 15 to 20 years now the radiators that have been used by the automotive industry are "throw away" units with plastic tanks and aluminium cores - they cannot be repaired in a cost effective way compared to the price of a new one - but with the older stuff that is not the case. I just had my ORIGINAL EA81 radiator for my '84 wagon gone through - fixed a couple leaks, changed the (broken off) plastic drain plug to a brass pet-cock (soldered in), flushed, cleaned and repainted - $48 out the door. That's less than half the cost of a new one and it's an OEM radiator which runs about $300 from the dealer. Custom aluminium radiators are possible as well and while they may not cool as well as the brass/copper of old they can be built to any specs so can be enlarged to compensate. Also useful to note that radiator shops can do things like - change the inlet/outlet sizes for EJ swaps, change the filler neck size/location, eliminate troublesome plastic drain plugs, and all sorts of other cool and unique things that most people don't know about. Most of them have somone that's skilled at TIG welding also. And the few that are in business still will appreciate your business and make you a great deal because frankly most of them are starving. The shop I use is just a two-man operation - the owner (who has been doing it for 25 years), and a college kid he hires part time. I take them business when I can. GD

I haven't listened to it yet (no sound on this machine), but rod knocks tend to change under load - they will get louder under load, and then when you let off the hammer you get a "decel knock" that changes pitch as the loose rod slaps the crank in a different way..... a startup noise on the EJ25D's is typically piston slap - which is a tiny bit annying but not in any way detrimental. Most of them have it to one degree or another and it doesn't seem to affect them lasting 300k+ just like any other Subaru engine. Rod knocks get *louder* as the engine warms due to the oil thinning out to it's proper SAE viscocity. If the noise goes away (or just gets quieter) with increased engine temp then it's either valve train noise (on hydro lifter engines which your's is not), piston slap, or an accesory item like a t-belt idler, alternator bearing, AC idler, etc. GD

Here is the 8002 set on my '83 Hatch: Since the distributor and coil location on the EA81's never changes between models, I'm guessing they are selling you guys an EA82 set - EA82's have the coil on the driver's side strut tower and the distributor on the back of the driver's side cam tower - very close together which results in about a 10" coil wire but similar length plug wires since you have two short for the driver's side and two long for the passenger side. NGK wires are numbered so if you find you have to use the 2/4 wires on the 1/3 cylinders then you have an EA82 set. GD

Could be - but Subaru has been using that same system (1/4" vacuum breaker line to the air filter from the driver's side valve-cover-to-PCV-hose) since at least the late 70's as far as I know - and on up into the SPFI EA82's, etc. The line allows positive flow from the passenger valve cover, through the crankcase, and out the driver's side valve cover using manifold vacuum provided by the PCV valve - the 1/4" line is there to *limit* the suction and prevent it from sucking oil out of the driver's side valve cover - without that line it will pull oil into the manifold or if that line is too large there will be no positive flow through the system because the PCV valve will just suck air straight from the air filter instead - if all the lines are equally sized then what stops the PCV valve from sucking fresh air more easily than crankcase air? See what I mean? Here's some pics of the setup on my hatch - I'm using a "special" hose from a late '70s EA71 that necks down from 5/8" to 1/4" instead of using a second reducer for the Weber. Great if you can find one or possibly somone could figure out the part number - I've seen them on '79s. GD

The stock hoses have a "T" fitting that is 5/8" on two sides (PCV and Driver's side valve cover) and is 1/4" on the remaining port that goes to the air-box. That should not be changed - it is designed that way for proper PCV flow. Otherwise there is no positive flow in the system. GD

The curves are published in the factory service manuals - I can look in my '85 manual and possibly scan them. You planning on recurving it or something? GD

Depends on the engine - with a Weber most of us run 10* initial advance and just let the distributor do it's thing. If it pings under heavy load knock it back a degree or two. GD

That will work for the moment but is not correct. You need to keep the 1/4" line from the drivers side head to the air filter to create positive flow AND prevent sucking oil from the valve cover. GD

That's a Weber DFV or Holley/Weber 5200. They are a mirror image carb of the 32/36 DGV but often have smaller venturi's, etc. They were common on many Fords - Mustang II's, Pinto's, Cortina's, etc. GD

96 and up 2.5's and 97 and up 2.2's. Everything after that is interference. GD

My experience is that without welding on a new front, it will never hold the headlights, grill, fender, etc straight and perfect again. A come-along and bashing it around with hammers and punches, etc can help a lot but it won't ever really be straight again. That's just my experience though - perhaps someone more patient than I could get it straight again - going to need a torch to heat stuff up with though. GD

Try www.car-part.com - should be able to get one pretty cheap. GD

I just noticed you *didn't* pay $350 (thought you did at first)...... $100 is worth it for a parts car. Not too bad of a deal. Though I'm not sure it's worth it to fix the front end. That looks pretty ugly - I've done a LOT of work to fix stuff that didn't look as bad. GD

Understandable . I'll keep my eyes open for something. GD