GeneralDisorder

Doubtful - if there were a problem of that magnitude inside the diff - you would hear it. Why not? That's like a 30 minute swap job. If you can't handle that..... RUN from the EA82T Could be rust on the rotor's causing the pads to drag.... that doesn't usually happen unless something sits for decades though. What else to check...... Hah! What NOT to check would be the question . Clearly you don't know the reputation of the EA82T. Start hoarding replacement engines - you'll need em. GD

I'm just not a fan of the EA82 if I can get near twice the HP, same economy, and much better appointments for the same or nearly the same money. $1500 to $2000 will buy a NICE 90 to 94 Legacy and they are typically much less troublesome in the long run. I can't reccomend any EA series car as a daily unless someone insists they must have 4WD. But really the AWD is just as good or better if you don't need low range (sounds unlikely). GD

Binding 4WD is normal. These cars ARE 4WD, not AWD. Reverse gear is always noisy - it's a spur gear. $1600 is a lot for an EA82. Look for a 90 to 94 Legacy. Much better cars. GD

There's a coolant hose behind the distributor - it's 5/16" stuff. It goes from the block to the intake manifold. There is another below the base of the carb on the front that runs to the heater core bypass tube. I would replace both of them. They are probably aged. What I do, and have done several times with cars I'm going to daily drive - have the dealership order EVERY SINGLE coolant line in the car. Otherwise you just never know when some rubber will fail. Hoses, belts, and seals - do those and you'll be ahead of the game. GD

The hill holder is entirely mechanical - it operates on one brake circuit of the dual-diagonal system therefore it operates on one front and one rear wheel. There are no sensors - in fact there is nothing even electrical. Just a cable from the clutch fork. GD

I beleive it has to be a feedback carb model. If you have the ECU (at least my '84 Hitachi feedback was this way) then it should only have a single ASV on the driver's side. It is also a vacuum controlled ASV and has a big vac cannistor on the top of it. Of course - all that stuff is long gone so that's all from memory The lack of a passenger side ASV (probably due to more efficient fuel metering of the feedback computer) is what indicates a blank spacer. GD

Certain years of the feedback carb (2WD and CA models) had the blank spacers. I think I had one on the old engine from my wagon since it was 2WD and a CA car - but the original motor threw a rod some years ago and went to the scrap yard. Right now it has the holes blocked with welded up pipe nuts and the last 3/8" of the pipe for it's 60 degree flare. GD

I think you are probably refering to the oil pressure idiot light switch. Hex shaped and with a single spade terminal on top? That would be the one. GD

Look for bad hoses. Might also be the intake manifold gaskets, yes. When you replace them be very careful not to break the bolts getting the manifold off, use OEM gaskets from the dealer ONLY, chase the threads with a tap & die and then torque to 12 ft/lbs. GD

I didn't say any of that stuff was safe or a good idea for long term. But he did say this was an "experiment". And yes - the ATF thing isn't good for the hypoid gear set long-term. But short term I use it to flush and clean out MT's. It's ok for a few hundred miles - especially if you are easy on it and you don't haul a whole bunch of weight around. The Subaru front diffs are built like tanks and frankly they rarely fail even if the gear oil is never changed. Fresh ATF isn't a lot worse than 20 y/o gear oil with 200k on it. And at the end of the day - EA82's are sub-$1000 cars. Hell you can buy one most any day of the week for under $500 anymore around here. So if you ruin one in the name of science then it's not really a big deal. Ultimately there isn't much you can do that won't sacrifice *something*. And I would bet that driven carefully, 60 psi and ATF would actually last a surprisingly long time. GD

Sorry I didn't get a chance to check my selection here. But new with a gaurantee is good and that's not at all a bad price. It's $50 just to have a vacuum pot rebuilt and they can't be sourced anymore through the usual channels so $200 shipped for a disty *and* coil are an excelent deal really. Especially since both are new and it should just be a bolt-on and never worry about it again. The Hitachi's often last twice as long as the ND's. The original ND in my '84 wagon died just shy of 150k and I had it rebuilt. But often the Hitachi's go the life of the car. My '83 hatch w/Hitachi has 260k on it and no signs of failure yet. The Hitachi units really are the better designed of the two. They will accept more wear on the shaft bushings before causing problems and they don't seem to die as easily as the ND's. In fact the only distributor's I've ever had fail on EA engines have been ND's. I've had both bushing and module failure on them while I've not yet had a Hitachi die on me. I'm always wary of the "rebuilt" stuff - here in OR (and since I've been doing Subaru's for a decade now) I haven't had any trouble finding good used distributors so the few failure's I've had haven't caused much issue for me - walk over to electrical parts shelf and grab another one . I have had one ND unit rebushed and the vacuum pot rebuilt about 6 or 7 years ago and the cost was $55 for both services (the price has since doubled or more) and it's been perfect ever since - but I looked the man in the eye that did the rebuild and that gives me more confidence than buying from some unknown "rebuilder" ya know. Hopefully you have no issues. I just had the exact same scenario with an '87 EA82 - also with the ND - it would start and run for a while then all of a sudden it wouldn't take throttle anymore and then shortly after it would die and not restart. Then after 20 minutes or the next day it would fire up again. I replaced it with a used Hitachi and Coil and it's doing fine now. GD

It is generally easier to pull the radiator first - you don't risk damage from the engine smacking into it and it's only two bolts once the coolant is drained. GD

I just remove the threaded end of the pipe's, toss a washer inside them and weld them up. Then just thread them in. Or I cut the pipe so there's about 2", hammer it flat and run a bead across it. Depends on what I want to do that day. GD

Won't do anything unless you turned it on. Otherwise it's just a belt turning a dis-engaged clutch. No load. The water pump driven fan also has basically no load unless things get pretty hot. It's on a thermostatic clutch. The electric fan already is the primary - you can remove the WP fan if you like as it is part of the AC system that you already removed. Don't bother unless it's plugged (if you are getting 32 then it's not). Best mileage is from part-throttle cruise. The cat is designed to flow at WOT - part throttle cruise is only demanding maybe 1/3 or less of the flow capability of the cat. There is no win from removing it unless it's damaged. Nope - won't do anything. That's excelent - get some used cheap tires and inflate them to 60 psi for less rolling resistance, run ATF in the manual transmission for less drag - pull the rear axles if you have a 4WD so that stuff isn't spinning.... Install a vacuum gauge (the original MPG meter) and learn to use it. Yep. GD

The EA82 cat will interfere with the radius rod plate unless you remove the heat sheild and do some grinding. The

What I am considering doing is putting a pit in my garage and then getting something like this: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200320827_200320827 Relatively inexpensive compared to post lifts and I couldn't fit a post lift in my garage anyway. Or even just the pit....as the plastic surgeons like to say..... "It's easier to dig a hole than make a pole." GD

I didn't even worry about the angle - I just offset the bottom plate from the top plate inward as far as what the body would allow and built my stut blocks to allow for camber adjustment. That way I can change control arm lengths and such later on at will and only have to slide the strut top in or out to compensate. They are more work to build, but for a one-off it's not that big of a deal. And it's going to pay off in the end since I'm likely going to use EA82 control arms and axles to get more articulation with flatter angles on the axle joints. And nothing on my lift components has to change. Planning ahead has it's benefits sometimes. As far as the body bolts - you don't need to buy any. Just use the one's that are one the car. For the bottom of the blocks use SAE grade 5 stuff since it's cheaper than metric. Use what size you like - 7/16" or 1/2" are typical here. GD

The 650 looks to be in decent shape for it's age. Isn't that a lot of bike for a new rider though? I don't really know - only what I've been told. Haven't ridden much myself - just some dirt bikes. I might have to pick your brain - I was gifted an '83 VF500 Magna a couple years ago. It's in my shed and hasn't run for probably 8 or 10 years. I have a bunch of new parts for it and some extra carbs, etc. Just haven't had the time to look at it. GD

They do not expose enough of the bottom of the car in my opinion. Too much crap in the way to be useful unless you are a tire/wheel/brake shop. Then they are economical but only for 2nd, 3rd lifts. You still need the primary lift to be a full height unit that exposes the full undercarriage. GD

I prefer the term "Mongoloid" But in general I would tend to agree with you GD

Correct - Any EA81 distributor will work. Just get the matching coil. GD

True - never a bad idea to check them. I concluded that his problem was not fuel pump power - since he didn't realize that you can only check for fuel pump power while cranking or running. And when it dies he loses spark. He needs to address the no-spark issue before worring about fuel pump power. GD

Interesting.... I also prefer the power of my 22T, but for the most part a stock height hatch goes pretty good. I guess it's down to how aggressive you drive on a daily basis. Actually I kind of prefer the hatch because it can keep me out of trouble In my defense - I was talking more about their manueverablity on the street - such as for backing up, tight cornering, u-turns, etc. The short wheelbase means they turn sharper than any other Subaru I've ever driven. But off-road visibility and manuevering improves similarly. But you are right that the biggest win is the lower weight. Again, a preference thing I suppose. While you can in fact put a quad or a motorcycle in the back of one...... well.... I've hauled a Honda Magna 500 in my Brat once and it maxed out the suspention and wasn't handling real well nor did it have any power. A dirt bike etc would probably be much lighter I'm sure. If I had nothing else to do the job then maybe..... but my Brat just annoyed me most of the time - I don't like the look of the canopy's, and the one thing that bother's me the most is that I can't lean the seat back! . This is hell on long trips if you are a bit taller than some. Being 6' 2" I realize is a disadvantage..... At any rate the Hatch has plenty of inside cargo and could probably pull a motorcycle or small quad trailer which would be a much better way to go than loading/unloading into a brat and potentially blowing out your rare and desireable bed trim . I have found that being a car guy - I need vehicles for specific jobs. Thus I have the wheeler, the sports car, the daily, the truck, the trailer, etc, etc...... . Unfortunately I don't have a need for a Brat anymore other than as a collectible. GD

Same or better typically. But you will have a tendancy to drive more "aggressively" just because of the extra performance. If you drive normally (I don't) you can expect around 27 city, and I've seen near 31 highway on my hatch. Even driving like I stole the car - I still average about 25 which I'm perfectly alright with. I hate the gutless, "I'm about to get wiped off the earth by that semi", feeling of the Hitachi. :-\ GD

I went from wagon to brat to hatch...... I found the wagons to be big and ugly - mostly never use the cargo space. Brat is just painful and annoying. No cargo room that's dry - can't lean the seat back. Mine just sits collecting green stuff and cobwebs beside my garage. I've done the EA81 wagon thing, and I don't mind my lifted wagon but it's still too long and big. Did the Legacy wagon thing.... too big. Ugly. Nothing special really though I enjoyed the GT 5 speed I had like yours. Great commuter and road-trip car. My '83 Hatch is "just right" as goldilocks would put it. Enough cargo space that I can carry tools, most car parts - I've shoved a surprising amount of crap into it at the junk yard, etc. It's shorter wheelbase, no honking rump roast hanging over the rear, and light weight make it more manueverable than the wagons. I don't miss the other two doors and remember the hatch doors are like a door and a half anyway. Since you haven't done the EA81 thing much - stick with an '82+ for starters. '85 through '89 have hydro lifter engines but are otherwise pretty much all 84's otherwise. If you don't want to do engine swaps and a bunch of work to get all the features you should probably stick with the GL's. Look for an '82 to '89 GL would be my reccomendation. You'll want to pickup rear discs, a power steering setup, and a 5 speed before going with the lift, etc. I've done quite a few SPFI swaps now so that's also something you might consider - I can put together a harness for you pretty easily. I love everything about it. I'll probably pick up another after I lift this one - just for daily street duty. The Brat is what initially attracted me to the EA81 Subaru - but in the end it's definitely not the one I like the best. Everyone wants them but once you have owned and driven a few it's not at all a practical vehicle for a number of reasons and they quickly lose their appeal. I would still like to restore mine and all, but I don't see myself driving it as a daily again - I would much rather have a hatch or drive my '91 SS. I totally encourage you to go with your gut on this one - get a hatch - you'll love it and you won't leave it like you have your wagons . If I could only have two Subaru's it would be a lifted EA81 hatch and my '91 SS. The rest could dissapear tomorrow and I wouldn't lose much sleep. GD