GeneralDisorder

Not a huge loss, but EA81's with power steering are comparitively rare and so I hate to see a PS rack and cross-member (the whole thing is different for PS) go to the crusher. A reman rack is about $250 to $300 though they rarely fail. They can be resealed easily. I have three of them personally - one normal and two Turbo setups. That's all I'll ever need but since Brat's NEVER came with PS it's a nice upgrade for that crowd. The value of Brat's is increasing every year and those that can afford them can afford to buy a nice PS setup for them as well. I like to keep stuff like that for resale later. EA81's are getting scarce in the yards even here in the NW. GD

I agree with jerry - but put a roll-cage/truck rack/soft-top frame on it - the wagons are pretty flimsy without the roof so you need some reinforcement. Would be pretty neat as a convertible though. GD

Tell ya what - you bring it out here and I'll buy a wagon and help you get anything you need transfered over. I even have a room you can stay in. It will be a fun project, and you can go to the WCSS and meet a lot of people. Good times. GD

I would totally donate an EA82 body to you if you were closer. Come out for the WCSS and get a nice straight, clean body from the west coast. Seriously that's a ton of work sitting there. I know you love the thing, but..... it's in a sad state and they are so plentiful here. GD

Sounds like an input shaft bearing. The diffs in Subaru transaxles are tough - failures are simply unheard of in that department. I have heard of some input shaft bearing failures, but there's also stub shaft bearings and several other's inside the unit. Frankly it could be anything - you are probably correct about it being stressed due to the VC failures. I would say the tranny probably has seen better days all around. GD

*most* of the suspension bits you need are from an XT6. The legacy front struts will work and possibly some of the brake bits - maybe the axles. The knucles and the entire rear end will have to come from an XT6 to swap the GL over to 5 lug. If it's got a lift already - why aren't you going to chevy 6 lug? 5 lug doesn't have the proper wheel selection for wheeling. GD

Ok - let me get this straight- you installed head gaskets and you don't know where the thermostat is located? Anyone that can do the math for me? If you want a reliable daily driver - this isn't the car for you at your present skill level. GD

Doors, fenders, windsheild, corner markers..... oh yeah there's a LOT left to do. That thing has a power steering cross-member in it! YUUMM! Someone would love to have it for their wheeler...... GD

Apparently they don't have a sawzall. Last one I parted left in 16 peices. But I like to save suspension and drivetrain bits as well. I'm a collector. GD

It has a cooling problem because it's an old turbocharged car. And none of those items are your issue. FIRST you need a new radiator, thermostat, and a complete cooling system flush just to see where you stand. Most likely you are going to be replacing both head gaskets - not a fun job on that engine. Unfortunately, if you don't know what that stuff is, or can't find out easily, I'm here to tell you that an EA82T is way over into the deep end of the pool for you. An intercooler isn't going to help cool the engine. And installing a front-mount is going to be a huge job. First you have to have room for it - that's going to take modifications to the bumper, grill, etc. Removing the AC evaporator is almost a sure bet. Then there's the plumbing - that's going to be interesting to say the least. There's a reason people put top-mount's on these engines. Less lag too. GD

If you are moving the diff, the whole mustache bar gets spaced down generally. There are other methods but it sounds like that's they type your's is. GD

EMPI is a VW aftermarket brand that has (in the last couple years) brached out into manufacturing aftermarket parts for other makes. One of their recent product line additions is CV shaft line for nearly every application around. You can order them through any EMPI dealer. Check out their web site - maybe they will have some suppliers in your area. I get mine from a local import parts house called "Discount Import Parts". They only have two locations in Portland Oregon though I'm afraid. I was impressed with the quality of manufacturing on them. I've had a set in my hatch for a couple years now. I replaced the engine mounts and tranny mounts at the same time as I would sugest you do. Bad mounts will destroy axles in short order. Check out www.rockauto.com for mounts. GD

The outer race is - the inner race is seperated by the spacer. The inner and outer races need to be aligned obviously - thus his question on the dimention. If the spacer were worn then the inner races would be crushed together and you would have a very high axial load on the bearings. GD

Ah - didn't know that! I haven't owned a Gen 2 or newer Legacy. I assumed they adopted the hydro's from the Gen 1 turbo in the Gen 2's.... guess not. And that's only correct then for the NA models. All the 91 to 94 Turbo sport sedan's were hydro clutch. GD

Something isn't right with your tranmission. If it were me I would probably just replace the thing on principle. There are TONS of 5 speed AWD's out there that have never had a single issue. I have 170,000 on my '91 Turbo (similar HP and greater torque than your 2000). It hasn't had any issues other than the 2nd gear syncro grinds a bit. I'm not even particular about the tires I run. Within 1/8" tread wear is all the closer I look at them. Something is fishy about the warantee issue and the subsequent multiple VC failures. I would say your dealer doesn't know what they are doing inside that tranny or something was incorrectly assembled when they fixed that shifter issue. My opinion - dump the tranny and get a used one that hasn't been messed with half a dozen times. GD

Last set I got from EMPI are excelent quality. Cheaper than MWE or Subaru. I think I payed $58 each or so. GD

You got the cam timing wrong or you need to re-time the distributor. Belts should be installed using the VALVE timing marks on the flywheel - you put the mark on the drivers side cam straight up, and the mark on the passenger side cam straight down. Install both belts. Then you have to time the distributor. Rotote the engine so the #1 (passenger side closest to the radiator) piston is at TDC on the comp. stroke (you feel air pushing past the plug hole). Line up the INGNITION timing mark on the flywheel with 0. Install the distributor so the rotor is pointing to the plug tower you wish to be #1. Install the cap and install the wires counter-clockwise starting from the one you chose to be #1 in the order 1,3,2,4. Gentleman.... start your engines. GD

EA81's are different. ALL 4WD's got the Hitachi, ALL 2WD's got the ND. Even the FSM differentiates between "4WD" and "2WD" distributors - they don't mention the brand, but that is of course obvious from the tear-down procedures and pictures. I also know this from raw experience - hundreds of trips to the junk yards - there aren't many absolutes but one of them is that every single Brat made for the US market came stock with a Hitachi distributor. That is true, but I would caution that ONLY a resistance test of the windings with a DMM will tell you for sure if the coil is compatible. Hitachi made coils for the SPFI, MPFI, and Turbo cars - all with different resistance values. Brand means little here - each manufacturer made a whole range of coils. For the carb distributors you can do that, yes. All the forms of fuel injection were different though. GD

That would be an '85 GL then. Nothing weird about it at all. Pictured in the original post is an '85 DL. Only difference is the headlights - grills are the same for a given model year / body style - except for certain years of the RX's where they had body colored grills as part of the overall "sport" ground effect package. GD

Someday you'll learn to spot them down to the model year and trim level from a tiny picture or even just a small peice of one. Of trim levels there are many - we call them "GL's" to differentiate them from the Loyale's and the Legacy's, etc. They came in many actual trim levels - GL, DL, STD, GL-5, GL-10, DL-5, GLF, GFT, etc, etc. Trim levels from 1970 to 1989 differ a great deal but everything from the early 70's to 89 is refered to as a "GL" or a "1600/1800" (or 1400 for the real old stuff). You just have to know when certain body styles came and went and which body type that applies to in what year. Encyclopedic knowledge like that doesn't come overnight though I'm afraid. GD

Easily done. Just carry an extra sensor for each of the major units, an extra ECU, and a DMM. (and your brain). Takes about the same amount of space and you will probably never use any of it. GD

At this point I wouldn't suspect a CV either. If anything it would be a DOJ that would cause that much issue. BUT - the axle itself generally doesn't cause any "pulling" of the steering like you describe. In extreme cases it might be possible but I've only exprienced one that did that and it was pretty obviously the DOJ that had failed. When they go in that manner they have a "lumpy" feel - feels like you are driving over softballs under one tire..... Replace your tie-rod ends and ball joints. Check the INNER tie rod joints as well. And check the steering u-joint for binding and have a look at the rag joint - that can cause strange steering issues as well. The VW beetle urethane rag joint replacements are a direct bolt in for the stock rubber one's. Then road test it and see what you find. GD

Yes - should bolt right up. Minimal changes required. Only thing I'm not sure about is if the FWD tranmissions came with cable clutch's or hydraulic. I would think the 95/96 models would have been hydro. 90 to 94 would be cable. But they might have continued on with the cable in 95 and 96. I would ask over on legacycentral.org - someone there will likely know. GD