GeneralDisorder

It may have originally been an automatic - there were some years of Automatic GL Brat's didn't get the fun-tops. Can't remember the specifics at the moment but they did exist. That is definitely an '82 GL though - center lamp gives it away. Along with all the others stuff being a GL.... my guess is that it was an auto or had a serious amount of swappage done in it's past to get all that GL stuff on it. The power steering is definitely not factory so could point to upgrade/swappage. No Brat's came with power steering except the '83/'84 Turbo Brat's (as did all EA81T's). GD

Actually I don't think you will have to do anything special. The inhibitor switch system is in the crank circuit - thus once the harness is stripped of everything not relating to the SPFI this is removed and you'll be using the Brat's crank circuit which should work fine. The only question mark for me is the kickdown system - I don't know if the ECU would throw a code or not for the kickdown relay, etc. Of course you could easily fool it by installing a 5 watt resistor of appropriate resistance to make it think it was controlling a relay. If that's all that is needed then it actually might work out better than the MT ECU's since they need the neutral switch similulated and that's not as easy. But here's the coolest part - even if the auto ECU doesn't work out like you would like - just install a manual ECU. They are 100% compatible and all you would have to do is insure you have a wire in the right pin for the neutral switch (easy - they are removable) and you would be golden. So worst-case scenario: change the ECU. Every other component is going to work the same. GD

Wish I could make it - busy here . GD

I agree with that. I think with the syncronous carb you just don't have enough vacuum signal to pull fuel from the primaries. Larger idle jet and maybe a larger pump jet might help. Some vacuum/RPM numbers would be helpful. I think you would have more luck with a 32/36. They can be jetted for upwards of a 3+ liter engine and are considered "upgrades" for the stock carbs on many. You wouldn't be splitting the vacuum signal at low RPM and thus it should run easier on the sequential style carb. You might be able to get a kit for the 38/38 that would allow it to be converted to sequential. Ultimately though - that carb is really just too large for the EA81 - even with mods. GD

Some engines more so than other's. There are engines out there (*cough* Jaguar *cough, cough*) that will lose all their compression if the oil is washed out of the cylinders. You're fine - not to worry. Most of them are entirely clueless when presented with a carb of any sort. It's not in their training anymore. GD

Only in some places, and even then only if it's driven on public roads. Off-road and race vehicles have no such restrictions anywhere that I know of. Just pointing out that it doesn't apply to everyone's car - there's lots of folks around here that have race vehicles with no cat's and just need a way to shut off the damn light. Under those circumstances, no amount of "legitimate" repair is going to solve the problem for them. GD

Don't know if it works on the auto's or not - but on the MT's you can count the ring gear teeth through the gear oil drain plug hole using a flashlight. That will get you the ratio. It's probably 3.9 though - the early Legacy MT's were 4.111. Auto's are typically the higher geared of the two. GD

So when you say it wobbles.... do you mean the car vibrates? Like a warped rotor vibration? Sounds like warped rotors to me. I wouldn't mess with the rear drums much - them being pretty worthless when rear discs are a simple swap out. You could loosen the rear shoes and brake using only the front's to see if the vibration is still there. I have never seen an EA series rear drum be out of round. Mostly they just don't work since no one ever adjusts them. GD

Broken CV or stripped hub splines. GD

I agree - if you are looking for a serious problem then it would be ok to go with only a single plug out. But really - for the type of problems that could actually be found using a leak-down test - wouldn't you want the most accurate readings possible so you have an idea what you are getting into? Most of the problems located with these types of tests will involve tearing down the motor at least partially to make an effective repair..... though I did lose a rocker arm on my 350 SBC that I located with a leak down test and *that* was a relatively easy fix - replaced it and did a valve adjustment . But if you are just looking for a general pass/fail from the compression test then it will work. Don't bother writing down any of the numbers though. GD

Check the temperature of the radiator - feel around for cold spots on the surface. That can indicate a section that's clogged. If you don't have one, it would be a good idea to invest $25 in a laser temp gun that you can check the suface temp of the radiator as well as the inlet and outlet temp's to see what kind of cooling you are getting across it. The stock gauges are not trustworthy so the gun also serves as a double-check of the gauge. GD

Won't matter on a carbed engine - still have to pull the plugs or run the float bowl dry. But yeah - remote crank button helps for reading the gauge, etc. GD

Wouldn't that affect the idle as well? Seems like if it can hold a decent idle then it should be able to handle progression through to high-RPM if the carb were jetted properly. I agree it's probably a high-RPM HP type of cam grind with lots of overlap, but if it idle's ok then I'm thinking it's got to be jetting problems. Wish I could help more - I haven't got any experience with the syncronous 38/38 Weber. GD

It was lame and mis-informed but it's not worth going into orbit over - newbs will say funny things like that at times . I'm sure he'll really stick his foot in his mouth on something else. I'll wait till it's something really juicy. And to the OP - check your manifold gaskets before you tear your engine to peices. GD

EJ22's are so common that it's almost pointless to rebuild one unless you plan on upgrades for it at the same time. But then on an N/A engine that basically means cams and head work and neither require splitting the block. GD

It can eventually destroy the rear output gears on the transaxle but it would take a lot of abuse to do it. It has happened to the guys running 5 speed D/R's in front of a transfer case. GD

That's a common 6203-2RS-C3. Any bearing house will have a stack of them for $5 each. GD

If you live in WA as your info say - RUN. That is not at all typical here. It spent time on the coast or in the mid-west/east. GD

Well - the other plugs are removed in order to get the enging to turn over easier.... and therefore faster - causing a more accurate reading as compression takes place at RPM's far higher than cranking RPM's (which is as low as 100 RPM or less). The faster you can crank it the more accurate your test will be since even at idle you are turning 700 RPM. Basically that means that small leaks in valve seats and rings don't matter as much so you will get a higher, and therefore more correct, reading with all the plugs removed. Think of it this way - if there were NO leaks in an engine it simply wouldn't turn over at all by hand and you would need some kind of compression release mechanism to even start them. So even new engines have *some* blow-by and such - allowing them to be turned over. Those leaks will contribute to a lower compression test - they will contribute *more* and become a bigger problem the slower you crank it durring the test. It also takes fewer amps from the battery to crank it when the plugs are out - leading to less testing innacuracy due to the battery draining as you move from cylinder to cylinder. Then there's the concern with carbed engines that if you have three plugs in it's going to suck fuel into the engine and wash the lubricating oil off the cylinders leading to more false low readings. Not a concern on FI motors if you pull the fuel pump fuse and crank them over till they run out pressure in the injector supply. So there's a lot of reasons to not want to do it that way. GD

No - it's the inner CV joint - known as a "Double Offset Joint" or DOJ. When they are dry on grease or very worn they will bind as they turn under load causing severe vibration - sometimes breaking transmission and engine mounts in the process. It's the big cup shaped portion that you unpin from the tranny. You could probably stop the vibration for a short time just by packing some grease into the joint since the boot is ripped. But sometimes not - I've seen them fail in this way with the boots intact. Just wear on the DOJ components causes binding under load. GD

Inner axle joints - pretty common when those go. Change the front axles. You could drop by my garage and I'll show you how it's done if you like. GD

Only in '82. All the Subaru's in '82 had chrome bumpers. Post-'82 the 4WD's went to a black plastic bumper while the 2WD's retained the chrome..... but 2WD and 4WD are not interchangeable as the 2WD's were required by law to comply with a 5 MPH no-damage impact test (shock mount). So for the front, you need an '82 or older 4WD bumper, and for the rear you need an '82 Brat bumper or take a later one and have it stripped and chromed..... or build custom bumpers (best option). GD

No - the gears won't hold that much torque. They aren't designed for that much power. Even the earlier WRX 5 speed's couldn't handle the 240 HP those cars were making. Since they switched to using the wide RA gears in them they are much better now. The EA's are built for longevity - not power handling. The EJ's are built for power and not as much for longevity. When new (and for 100k easily) they will handle gobs of power. But the bearing arrangment won't last. For an EZ30, the only sensible options are the newer WRX 5 speed's with the RA gears, or a 6 speed. Either way you'll have to convert to a hydrualic turbo clutch as well. Anything less would probably be a waste of time and money with that much power. GD

With the big, heavy Legacy body and the phase-I 2.2 I didn't notice much difference to be honest. It had ok power, but not really anything special. The primary reason was that I got the tranny and rear diff together for a reasonable price and needed them to match so I could sell the car...... I think it's still got the factory 14" steel's on it Nothing like Jacob's Brat that we just built (I think you'll actually get to see it motivate around the track this next time - he had an ignitor failure and transmission linkage issues last time). Seems pretty well ironed out now though. GD

Yep - and that picture was of a 2.2 plain-jane L series sedan ('96) - with only 113k miles on it! It was neglected to be sure, but that doesn't usually cause that kind of devastation - either really bad driver or serious abusive driving - but the body, interior, and engine didn't show any signs of rally racing or abusivness - and the owner was a middle-aged man who got it from his sister.... not kids. I frankly have no idea what happened - I bought it that way. I put in a tranny from a '90 Legacy, swapped the rear diff, and now it's a 4.11 car and owned and cared for by a friend's daughter. GD