GeneralDisorder

Yes - set the intake to .008" and the exhaust to .010". It's a direct swap - the cam doesn't matter. Make sure the oil pump is not actually your problem - HLA's on these rarely fail (I've never seen it). GD

You can swap them, yes. I prefer the manual lifters personally. They are easy to adjust. GD

Why don't you give us more than a single sentance of information so we can help you?!?! We don't know what you are working with (equipment, time-frame, current state of your vehicle, etc, etc) so it's impossible for us to give you any kind of decent help. Either cough up with the info or just figure this out on your own kid. GD

That is not entirely correct. The Automatic's are 80/20 till the front's start to slip then the rear is engaged by the TCU. Manual's are entirely different (except the 6 speed's) - they are 50/50 but also have a center diff and viscous coupler that can heat up durring excessive wheel spin at one end or the other and transfer more torque to the end that had traction. Over time, differences in tire circumference will cause damage to the center diff/VC on the manual transmissions and will cause damage to the clutch pack on the automatics. It's a matter of them not being desinged to be in constant use - only used when turning and when wheels slip. The larger the differences in tire sizes, the faster these components spin while driving in a straight line, and thus the faster they overheat and wear out. It's that simple. So YES you should always run similar tires (brand and size)with similar wear and inflation. You don't have to be super anal about it - within 25% tread wear and within 5 psi inflation is accurate enough to insure a good long life for your transmission. GD

Only two things I will use on water pumps - OEM metal gasket (prefered in this case) or loctite 518 (which I use on EA's). Either will work fine. The 518 peels right off leaving a nice clean surface since it remains somewhat flexible. It seals like nothing else though. Subaru crankcase halves, oil pumps, water pumps, etc - it won't clog any passages since it doesn't dry except in the absence of oxygen. That Indian Head stuff is old tech. I wouldn't even consider using it on anything. There are now much better options even for 1950's gaskets. GD

The TCU requires some inputs from the Fuel Injection ECU for correct operation IIRC. So if you have a carb engine that might be a problem. I beleive the 4EAT's are larger and the car's did come with a bit larger tunnel, yes. GD

+1 - there are better looking options. They look aright and are definitely functional on a wheeler (where wider isn't neccesarily a bad thing), but on a street unit like that it's no the best choice of offset. GD

Lack of information - we need background on the car - how it came stock, how and why it was modified to a carb engine, and what (if any) of the original FI wireing and fuel system remain. FI is computer controlled - carbs are not. There's a big leap from one to the other and a lot of people have a hard time with this type of swap - even experienced mechanics. We need info and pictures, etc. We can't tell you anything useful from a one sentance question that potentially has very complex answers. GD

Excelent! Glad you found it - the spray pattern was probably due to poor/uneven manifold vacuum. GD

Don't just blow it out with carb cleaner - pull the e-tube out and really get it clean. Use a bit of bent wire (paper clip works) to pull the e-tube out of it's bore. Yes - the spray pattern should always be even - dripping, etc is a sign of some kind of problem with the circuit. GD

Not all EJ25 blocks are the same - but the frankenmotor generally consists of the EJ25D block with EJ22E heads (from any year you desire). The reason the 25D is used is because the pistons are taller and provide higher compression than the EJ251 and up. That and the EJ25D is the cheapest of the 2.5 blocks. Your local dealer doesn't know much about Subaru engine's apparently. But that's not uncommon - they don't do many engine tear downs and they surely haven't ever tried to fit a part from a 2.2 to a 2.5 - there would be no reason for them to do this. The DOHC head design goes all the way back to the first EJ20's built in the late 80's. The DOHC/SOHC has nothing to do with the head fitting to the block - only the way the cams fit to the heads. All EJ 4 cylinders have the same head/block mating with only minor changes in cooling ports, etc. GD

That's what the '97 EJ22 I did looked like - cutting torch style. I replaced the injectors on general principle but it could have been a valve clearance problem - It was so ugly and cought me off-gaurd with it being such a strange failure that I did not have the presence of mind to measure the clearance prior to taking it apart. With a hydro engine..... only thing I can figure is the lifter was bottomed out in it's travel or there was a serious lean condition. GD

99% of the time, the system just has a leak and has lost all it's refrigerant. You have a couple choices - charge it with a can of R134 - most of them have a stop-leak additive and that may work or at least it may be cold for a summer. Or replace all the o-rings in the system just on principle and then charge it - could still be a leaky evap core, etc but usually it's an o-ring problem, etc. GD

RTV is fine also - neither will likely ever leak. I also use the flange sealants - Loctite 518 or Permatex equivelent, but RTV is often easier to find and it's actually closer to what Subaru uses. I *prefer* the 518 but RTV is still ok. GD

They all spin clockwise - which is tighter. The tendancy should be for them to tighten with the rotation of the engine rather than loosen. But as you say - if they are torqued properly (sufficiently) then there's no problem. If you don't have a sense for how tight they should be then by all means - use a torque insturment. I haven't torqued a crank pulley or cam pulley bolt in many years but I also haven't had one come loose either - not just talking Subaru's either. GD

Don't worry about the timing belt cover seals - many of us run without the outside covers anyway. You can RTV it if you like but it's not really needed. Moving the cam pulley's is fine. Your engine is non-interferance anyway (meaning mechanically nothing can hit even if the timing belt is broken/gone). GD

A 20 cu ft cylinder is really rather small - personally I have an 80 cu ft cylinder on my welder and I feel that I could have gone to the next size and wouldn't have been sorry about it. I got really lucky when I bought my cylinder 6 or 8 years ago - the welding supply I frequent must have been having real good times because they were running a steep sale on tanks - I got my 80 for like $70 with gas. Now with the economy no one is running sales on tanks anymore. . My Oxy torch setup was rediculous - like over $200 for my O2 cylinder alone! As I said - check around for a place that will *rent* you a bottle for a year, etc. It will save you money and trips for refills to have at least a 40 cu ft bottle. A 20 will not last long at all. Especially with you being in the "practicing" mood. A good day (maybe half a day) of practice and you'll dry up that bottle. Refill pricing doesn't increase linearly with the size of the tank - it's cheaper per cu ft to fill a larger tank so you save money there. Check craigslist for used tanks - just make sure they aren't selling you a rental tank . In this case it pays to shop around. GD

Make sure the valves have been adjusted - should be done every 105k. If it's not done they can hang open an exhaust valve and burn it. GD

A good used assembly from the junk yard is the answer to your problem. These rarely fail and Subaru was kind enough to make them easy to change so it makes a used pump a viable option. If you can't pull one yourself - try this site: www.car-part.com GD

They are not plastic where the bolt engages them. I put them on with a low impact setting and call it good. They also all spin the direction that would tend to cause the bolt to tighten not loosen. GD

Gas sheilding IS a setup for thicker metal. It's just an all-around more pleasant process. The only thing that I would use flux-core for is farm welding with a portable 110v machine. Where it's superior penetration and ugly appearances are far, far away from my garage and my cars. You already have the punch to do 1/4" in a single pass (maybe 5/16") being as you have a 220v machine. You don't need the flux-core and you definitely won't like the price of the stuff - solid wire is cheaper so you save on wire which more or less pays for the gas - in the end it's a draw. When you consider your time to chip and clean all that slag..... it's a no-contest win for gas shielding. Flux-Core has it's place - but it's not in a garage where bottles are not a problem from a portability or storage standpoint. GD

You can't do that with Flux-Core - the slag inclusion will be outragous. He's using gas in that video - see how clean his welds are (I mean the metal is clean - his welds look like dookie)? Flux-core leaves a coating of "slag" (the burnt remnants of the flux used to sheild the weld puddle from the air) which has to be chipped off with a hammer to expose the clean metal - you can't remelt this slag back into your next weld or you will create a weak "pocket" of crud in your weld - if you did that method with flux-core I would almost gaurantee you a leak in your exhaust if not half a dozen or more. And his welds look like absolute garbage using his "method". I can run nice clean beads on new exhaust tubing using .023 and 75/25 on a low setting of my machine. It's all about your technique with sheet metal - you have to move to avoid burn through but not move so fast that you don't get good penetration.... this is what welding is about and that guy on youtube makes *me* look good - and I'm but an amature compared to the people I've learned from. GD

You've got a good start with the 220v machine - eventually you'll probably want something with a bit more features than the old Clarke but that's a much better starting point than a Chinese machine - and converting it to the Tweco stuff was a good move. I have a Thermal-Arc MIG machine made by Tweco's welder division and I love it! Learning with flux-core..... hhhhmmm. Can't say that's the best way to learn. Flux core is not well suited to small-guage work - for sheet metal type work you really want .023 and pure argon gas (carries less heat). Less heat means less spatter and burn-through. Exhaust falls into the same catagory as sheet unforunately. Flux-core has excelent penetration and is just fine for a lot of stuff - 1/8" and up it will run very well if you can stand the slag, spatter, and just generally uglier welding it produces. If your plan is to do exhaust I just don't think Flux-core is going to cut it. You'll have to turn the machine WAY down - if it can even go low enough. I'm sure money is a concern - but have you priced a 75/25 bottle rental? You can buy one at a later date but renting for now might be a good option. The machine may already have a regulator? If not they are relatively cheap. I wouldn't buy cheap flux-core. That's just a recipe for disaster. I will sometimes buy cheap solid MIG wire because it doesn't matter nearly as much. I would run whatever brand your friendly local welding supply sugests as a "good budget wire" - ask for that. Personally I don't like the Harbor Freight auto-darkening helments. I have one - I use it for friends/helpers when I'm welding and they are around. *I* use one of these: http://www.weldsafe.com/weldmark-5-1-4-x-4-1-2-variable-shade-auto-darkening-lens-Welding-Supplies-pr-415.html It's a $100 insert for a standard $30, 5-1/4" x 4-1/2" helment. Then if the helment wear out you can just swap it to another and you can also swap over to a full-size non-auto shade. These have a larger veiwing window than the HF models. Anyway - it's the cheapest route I've found that works for me. I love mine. GD

Have you cleaned out the air bleed and emulsion tube on the primary? Might have sucked something down in there. Sounds like the e-tube isn't working and you aren't getting a nice even spray pattern at the higher end of the venturi pressure.... GD

Yeah - it's amazing how expensive a decent compressor is. I used to be a compressor/vacuum pump tech. It was totally worth the experience I got with that job. I have the big daddy compressor in my garage - 22 CFM @ 150 psi - 5 HP/80 Gal.... Full industrial - it's a monster - just the pump weighs about 200 lbs. Best part - free after I did a $65 rebuild on it . I'm hoping that new right-angle impact will pretty much take off the crank pulley and cam bolts with a near-100% effectiveness.... we'll see. GD