85Sub4WD

A good friend of mine had an EA81 he put over 256k MILES before a rebuild that had hydraulic lifters - I don't think he ever had any problems with the lifters, but I have not asked him directly - the reason he had it rebuilt was that he needed new valve seals ... and he went a bit overboard

Seems I recall a fellow board member posting a question on how to retrieve a wrench dropped down that hole ..... It does have a purpose, as most other things on the car - while not critical it can save you headaches when gravity is at its best

I would replace the oil pump with a new OEM one - I think that shaft is shot, scoring is BAD on any surface that makes any sort of bearing contact with another surface - I resealed mine at 128k, and it had NO scoring - figure pump cost vs. price of new engine BTW - aftermarket seals are crap - had them on for 18k and I now have a delay before I get oil pressure of about two seconds, and I am ocassionally getting lash adjuster noise at startup (maybe once every 20 starts) - before it was gushing oil, but had good pressure :-\ - as always soob OEM is best

It's a SPFI car - one fuel injector - if it is not plugged in, nothing gets gas I would guess T-belt or wires (check resistance with multimeter - all four should be about the same)

if it was me I would locate it in the stump near the strainer - tells me the temp of the oil right before it goes through the pump - just make sure you don't impair the flow of oil through the strainer

ABOLUTELY the front brake pistons must be "turned" in to the calipers NOT PRESSED IN WITH A C CLAMP!! - any aftermarket manual covers the proceedure - basically you swing the caliper up, remove the old pads, then use something to "turn" the piston in - I'm pretty sure there are lots of posts about it - I did my front brakes less than six months ago - car is an '85 - all brake components are orig. and never rebuilt there is info on the proceedure here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/article.php?a=29

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/article.php?a=24 use that guide to double-check them - they should not necessarily be "on the mark" or look here for part of the FSM for an '89 - same engine - service proceedure very clear there too http://www.finleyweb.net/default.asp?id=142

granted yours is MPFI and mine is SPFI, but I had a similar situation when my coolant sensor got unplugged by accident - given the fact you have been getting an error code for it - I think it is HIGHLY likely

I don't think they came with marks from the factory - the timing alignment marks are a single small hole on each camshaft drive gear - they (the factory marks) are supposed to be 180-degrees off from each other - someone probably marked with chalk where the pulleys were and used that during a T-belt change - no problem there, won't hurt anything

if your turbo is having problems, this might interest you: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7970377623&category=33742 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7971164654&category=33742 may be a good idea to pick up a spare anyway don't feel too bad about your luck - it is STILL a great deal - I am truely envious of it !!GOOD LUCK!! the EA82 is a good engine - light and powerful - WJM has done wonders with it - it should also have the late gen heads (less prone to cracking) - that car is worth keeping original

Is it the 1980-1989? that one is very bad when it comes to covering ANYTHING about the EA82, the 1980-1994 is much better, but still not as good as a FSM - someone hit my car while it was parked today - not too bad, but getting that resolved has removed any chance of me being able to scan those manuals tonight (scanner is at home, I am at school) - the jerk just drove off, and left a BIG dent in my rear driver's side door - will try to get it done tomorrow - I have exams starting this thursday (and have to move out of my dorm), so if I don't get it done this weekend, it will be the middle of next week before I can get it done I have no doubt that the '89 is VERY different than the '85, but at least some of the specs for the '85 should be the same - I double-checked, and it looks like the two system's are actually pretty similar when it comes down to the performance characteristics, so you should be able to use the Panasonic condenser and reciever driver with the Hitachi compressor

very interesting idea - I have a grandfather into aviation so I understand what you are trying to do - oil lines would need to come off a spin-on type add-on oil cooler thingy - possible - coolant - I'm not sure - run it off the heater circuit? if you put SPFI pistons in a turbo block, or turbo heads & wiring on your block, you would make the setup the same as for a turbo soob, but with a 9.5:1 CR (on these engines CR is determined by the shape of the piston face) that would probably be easier to manage/do than adding it to the SPFI system my concern is that I think that the pressure difference between the ambient air and the pressureized engine could still cause problems - but if you are careful about your boost levels, it seems very possible

I'm VERY green right now - I sooo want the junky RX - what a project!!! (hey, I like pulling wrenches as much as driving) and they both have the 5-speed D/R FT4WD tranny!!!! BTW - it looks like someone put an '85/'86 grill on the junky one MAKE SURE YOU TOW IT WITH ALL 4 WHEELS OFF THE GROUND!! sorry, you probably already know that, but I had to throw it in there anyway

I do actually - I can't scan it until tomorrow though - the Haynes manual for the Subaru 1600 & 1800 MYs 1980-1994 also has the diagrams - probably the best non-FSM manual available. What year is your car by chance? I have the 1985 FSM which gives a good diagram/info on each system - I'll see how much I can scan for you - the manual has over fifty pages of info on the A/C system!!

probably does as I think hydraulics did not come out until 1983/1984 - easiest way is to check in your owner's manual (if you have it) - if it specs an interval at which the valves should be adjusted it is solid realize the engine may not be original too....

eek - um - I would try premium (I know for 1985 MY it spec's 90+ octane - I run 89) - yes fuel is EXTREMELY expensive, but it will probably help - timing should be 20-degrees BTDC too - 2-degrees can make a difference (I have failed once when mine was carbed b/c it was at 10-degrees BTDC - fixed it and passed) I assume you replaced the O2 sensor? - reguardless of what the tech guy said, it won't throw a trouble code unless it is WAYY off - cheap possibility here's a link to part of the 1989 FSM (look under EA82) - it does not have all the info on the turbo system, but it does have some of it: http://www.finleyweb.net/default.asp?id=142 Good Luck!!

knock?? - caused by ignition or something serious??? - if so stick it to whoever you got it from before it shoots a rod out the side!! double check all things like timing, plugs, wires, cap & rotor - as well as carb mixture adjustment otherwise - sounds like a bad carb to me - (one of) my carbs got so bad that it shot a black plume of smoke out when I went WOT because it was running so rich - sounds like a carb rebuild is in order -take it to a different mechanic- a GOOD oldschool one! - mom and pop kinda place, sorta on the not-so-lucky side of town - those are the best shops for older cars

the entire systems are different as far as specs - the hitachi has a bigger condensor and evaporator that said, it is probably very do-able - I (ignorantly) converted mine from Hitachi to Panasonic - worked until the Panisonic suddenly blew a seal - (that was about a week after doing the conversion, but it was a JY compressor) the big concerns are getting the pulser assembly to hook up (I think the Hitachi pulser will work), and getting the extra cutoff switches for the Panasonic bypassed (the extra thermal one on the compressor body) now would also be a good time to convert to R-134a - use ester oil - PAG is NOT compatible with the mineral oil currently in the system all this said - unless you are having a problem with the panasonic - DON'T MESS WITH IT - A/C systems are finicky anyway, and if the system is working, why fix it??

carbed car - a non-turbo EA81 Brat won't have one unscrew the idle mixture adjustment screw and shoot carb cleaner down in there, and try again (make sure you know how many turns it should go) sometimes they crap up the anti-dieseling solanoid could also be the culprit as it cuts fuel off to the idle circuit when engaged - could have gotten stuck or something

depends - if it is a carbed car, they can go bad, but they are rebuildable - not firing on one cylinder points to something like a bad cap, wire or plug though because the mechanism that makes the coil fire is the same for all four cylinders - the disty pickup should be fine then - check for free play on the disty shaft - if there is any, you need to have it rebuilt/replaced - that said, I have worked on a number of cars at this point and have never seen one fail, so I think it is unlikely if it is a carbed car, it sounds a lot like the expierence I had when my carb died - was very difficult to rebuild (I tried 5 times following specs...), so I trashed it and went SPFI - been pleased since, but it is a good bit of work Good Luck

Try running a tank with CRC Guarenteed to Pass (G2P) - has worked wonders for me - FOLLOW DIRECTIONS ON THE CONTAINER!!! - use highest octane gas too - Chevron's Techron fuel additive works well too Check wires, plugs, cap and rotor - all should be OEM (NGK for plugs) - failing at high rpm makes me think it is something along those lines, or dirty injectors (fuel additive cleans system) the BIGGEST concern is that it needs to be at normal temp at the time of the inspection, I have "busted" shops for inspecting my car below normal temp and failing it (shop was less than a mile from my house, guy inspected it while I was on the phone to him, failed it, I went over immediately, and temp gague did not lift at all - after being off for less than five minutes) - doing so is a direct violation of the proceedure they are legally obligated to follow, and it will cause ANY car to fail inspection - unfortunately I did not have any friends at the DMV emissions office until recently...... Good Luck - getting these cars to pass emissions can be a real pain in the !@# sometimes

that tranny was only offered on turbos 1988-1990 (yours is a 92' so your FSM would not cover it) - I have never heard any complaints about it - in fact I had a soob JY guru tell me that if I had an auto, and wanted to keep the auto to conver to it - it is harder to T-shoot, b/c of the electronic control system - the regular 3-speed has bigger issues tho A good, solid stickshift is still better!

actually the 4-speed (only came with turbo) is a good tranny - it is very complicated electronically, but it is basically the same as the early Legacy's - that said, I think manuals are generally better anyway, if nothing else they are more reliable/predictable/efficent yes - the electronic 4-speed auto is computer controlled - it only came with turbo cars, so if the donor isn't a turbo, then the tranny was added - other problems you may run into are that the tranny is geared very high (engine will be at very low rpm doing work); also the front axles will have to be swapped as your current ones are 23-spline and the 4-speed's are 25 spline you should not have any problems with that, as I think the systems are seperate - the computer control box for the air suspension system is (I think) under the driver's seat Is there any other special thing I have to be aware of? I have already put on the rear disc brakes, and I also know that the rear diff will have to be changed. This is quite a bit of work, so I hope it all works out! if the donor has a rear sway bar, I would grab that as well - that requires swapping rear trailing arms, so it is a big job, but it will improve handeling (most people who own RX's really like them, and I plan to add one this summer) Good Luck!!

what "can stuff" were you using? and what oil did your engine have in it? I and mechanic friends of mine who have been working on cars since the 1950's have all used MMO for some time now with great success - knock off stuff like "Motor Honey" we never use Motor Honey is an unstable polymer - really screws around with your oil, because of that reason; it can do more harm than good - can stuff is fine so long as you are careful about what you are using and what problem you are trying to fix with it - it is also just about the only way to clean the HLA's, you will have to do it chemically even if you do pull them anyway, may as well clean them in the engine, and all the other working parts as well .......

yes it is possible, I do not know if the axles match up (it would not be hard to swap them), but you will also have to swap the rear diff as the turbo's has a 3.7:1 ratio, and the 5-speed D/R tranny has a 3.9:1 ratio BTW - check to see if you have a rear LSD (limited slip differential) they are a nice luxury, and can be converted from a 3.7:1 to 3.9:1 ratio http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/article.php?a=36