GeneralDisorder

Sounds like a wheel bearing to me. GD

Really? I thought almost all Subaru rods were identical? I'm no expert though..... GD

As much as some people say fix that..... it's not worth it. You will need a front clip from the strut towers forward and at least that A pillar..... you are talking about a lot of labor in cutting, fitting, and welding. I've done partial front clips before and if you are careful it can look alright but it will never be the same again - and it will be worth basically nothing having been through that much damage repair (heck it wasn't worth a whole lot in pristene condition). At the end of the day it will be worth *maybe* $800 to $1000 and there's more than that sitting there in labor, bondo, paint, etc. From purely the $ involved - it's a poor investment of time and resources. That's all I'm saying. GD

Two bottles of conditioner should fix it right up. If that doesn't do it or it ever becomes not enough to do the job - replace the head gaskets. GD

Power steering is possible but you need the entire engine cross-member, power steering rack, hoses, pump, and pump brackets from an EA81. Also the thermostat housing and a new upper radiator hose if you use the EA81 PS pump. To use the EA81T stuff you need all of it or you will have to mix/match EA82 parts into the game to get the lines over on the passenger side. It also helps to use the EA82 intake manifold or you will have strange things going on with the PS lines and the upper radiator hose which want to occupy the same space.... The EA81T style also really needs the EA81T crank pulley, water pump, and alternator pulley. It's not as *simple* as people make it out to be. You need to find an intact donor car in the junk yard. GD

I have never had a single problem with OEM gaskets, properly prepped surfaces (soft wire wheel), chased block threads, wire wheeled bolts, and 12 Ft/lbs of torque. I have never had one come loose or leak when done right the first time. Back when I knew no better - I had multiple failures of Fel-Pro and other cardboard junk gaskets from the aftermarket suppliers. I haven't bought a set of those in years. GD

Two words - HELL NO. Not on the EJ's. OEM is the stuff. GD

Yep - head gasket fail. There's a leak that's only opening up when hot. That's a classic head gasket failure-prone engine. OEM gaskets are $34 each GD

Well - we put SOHC heads on DOHC blocks all the time so I really see no reason that this wouldn't work. EJ25 blocks are very hard to tell apart without their heads in place. All the EJ blocks are about the same really just different diameter bores for the different displacements. I beleive the combustion chambers on the DOHC heads are larger than the later SOHC heads due to the later SOHC block's having a shorter pistons that don't pop-up. So you might end up with low-rise pistons and large combustion chambers with that combo..... which means lower compression ratio. I don't see why it wouldn't run though. And you could always just swap the pistons out of your old block into the SOHC block and it should then be basically identical. GD

The estimates are based on various builds and people's dyno runs, etc over on NASIOC. This would be my guess: HP: ~180 Torque: ~200 (with the delta cams) Comp. Ratio is somewhere between 10.5:1 and 11.5:1 - depending on which gasket you use and what head/block combo. All I know for sure is that it's a kick-in-the-pants to drive. It's got more power/torque than a stock 2.5 DOHC/SOHC and fits in the engine bay of the EA's much better as well. GD

It sounds as though it's running alright now other than the ECS light. As such I wouldn't worry about it till you have the time and money. Just leave it alone and it should be ok. Most of the systems that fail on the feedback's won't keep them from running - just takes a big hit on the mileage generally. *If* it should stop running suddenly (such as at a stop light, etc) - unplug the O2 sensor. I once had one that failed and the feedback system gave the wrong signal to the slow speed metering solenoid and it died at idle on me. I unplugged the O2 and was able to drive it home. I probably have more experience with these than any other member on the board and I gave up on them years ago. The Weber is straightforward. How much experience does your husband have with such things? The carbs can be bought new and Redline (the US distributor for Weber's) makes an adaptor plate that fits the EA81's manifold (assuming you have a Hitachi - if you have the carter-weber single-barrel you will have to source a Hitachi manifold for it). It all pretty much bolts on and with a little adjustment will run like a new car. There are lots of threads here on the board detailing this swap. The two biggest hurdles for most people are the PCV hose routing (which a lot of folks have done wrong - not understanding how the system functions), and just getting over the initial shock of how much junk gets removed durring the swap. It changes the whole look of the engine bay. If you husband is a technical guy and enjoys a little project now and then - the engine can be swapped over to fuel injection from a newer model. Here's my guide on that: http://home.comcast.net/~trilinear/EA81_SPFI.html The FI conversion is the ultimate solution to fuel/ignition on the EA81 engine. The SPFI system was totally bullet-proof and generally would last the life of the car with no troubles at all. I have a complete FI system on one of mine that came from a '94 Loyale with 240k on it. Everything still works perfect. I won't kid you though - it's not the type of swap that's for people who aren't familair with cars or wiring, etc. Mechanically it's very simple but the electrical and high pressure fuel systems are too much for those without some experienced wrenching skills. GD

There's only one "rear" cam o-ring on the passenger side. The heads use the same casting and the driver's side head is turned around and the cam o-ring is on the front along with the cam seal - either one could have failed. GD

That's right - almost forgot about that thing. It's a vapor seperator tank. Definitely could be something to look at. Is the smell stronger in the back of the car? GD

Yep - not worth it. A rusty EA82 is worth basically nothing. It's a sub-$1000 car in mint condition and in rusted-out condition it's worth scrap value - around $250 - and thus not worth putting any real energy into rust repair. They are plentiful here for $500 or less (totally rust free) and can be shipped (as noted above) for about $1k give or take. Just call a car shipping company and arrange for them to pickup and deliver your new rust-free west coast gem. Then use your old rust-ball as a parts car. GD

Hot tank, resurface, valve grind, and stem seals runs me $80 per head. If a valve needs replaced due to being burnt, etc it's about $15 per burned valve. Usually $160 for a "normal" set of heads or about $180 to $190 for a burned valve set. GD

Unlikely - cost for full head rebuild is only about $80 per. Junkyard+rebuild is the way to go IMO since these heads never really "fail". Maybe burn a valve, etc - but that's only about $15 for a new valve. New or reman is likely going to be more expensive. A good used block isn't too hard to find since the Phase-I 2.5's often wreck their heads durring a timing belt break, or can be had with blown head gaskets for cheap. GD

Does that work for both EA81 and EA82? And do you know the range of cross-member lift-block sizes that it will work for? Like 3.5 to 4.5 or only 4.... etc? Good to know. Funny this has been brought up just now - I am actually in the process of building a new steering coupler for my lifted wagon due to a failed (rusted) u-joint. A bolt-in stock peice is certainly attractive over custom building something. I have 4" blocks on my cross member so I'll head to the yard and pickup an OBW coupler and check out the fitment. GD

Could last for years - especially if you remove the boot and repack it with new grease. There's no telling really. The clicking is because there is wear to the internal components. If they wear too much they will jam and the inner race or the cage will fracture and the joint will come apart. How long this takes is dependant on too many variables to give you an accurate answer. The dealer would tell you to replace it..... If it was me I would base my decision on two factors: 1. Is the axle an OEM or aftermarket unit? 2. Is the boot torn? If it's an OEM with an intact boot then I'm likely to remove the boot, clean the joint, and inspect it for wear. Depending on what I find I will either toss it or repack/reboot it and reinstall. If it's an aftermarket or the boot is torn and the grease has been contaminated/lost then I'm very likely to just toss it and get another one. They aren't expensive in the scheme of things and regrease/reboot procedure is more time consuming and messier than installing an axle assembly. GD

You need a relay. The fan pulls too many amps for a cheap switch. Use the switch to close the relay (take the power for it from an ignition switched hot) and then run fused battery power through the relay contacts and to the fan. GD

That's a good point. I think either one will work fine.... just something about the secondary O2 sensor stuff rubs me the wrong way. I don't like extraneous sensors on my wheeling rig.... I guess in the scheme of things it's minor. I haven't done an OBD-II swap yet but I do see the attractiveness of the OBD-II port. I like the OBD-I port's ability to interface with an old laptop with just the free utility that the guy over on LegacyCentral built. It's neat to be able to read sensor output's, etc in real time with inexpensive hardware. The right scanner can do it on the OBD-II stuff too but it's not quite as targeted and definitely not as cheap. GD

Yeah - I fought with plug wires on mine as well - since I have an HEI distributor you actually can't buy plug wires that fit the distributor and work with the rams-horn exhaust manifolds. I had to get the MSD wire kit that you cut to fit and use the boots of your choice on the distributor end ($80 - ouch!). With some stand-offs on the valve covers they work no problem.... I still think the rams-horn manifolds are silly things the way they cover the plug holes but what do I know? GD

I generally use WIX filters or OEM depending on application. For your application I would go with a WIX filter. BTW - don't change that engine to synthetic or anything - you'll just make the oil leaks on the heads worse. FWIW, I have a '99 Forester (same engine as your OBW) with 240k on it. It does weep a little oil (basically looks like your's there) and was leaking a TON of coolant. The Subaru stop leak (two bottles as reccomended by my Subaru parts guy) fixed it completely and it hasn't lost a drop in the last 6 months. GD

Since you have a carb model - the best upgrade you can get is a Weber carb. GD

Yep - that would be the feedback carb. Definitely swap that out for a Weber. EA71's didn't come in wagons in '83. GD