Numbchux

They're pretty similar. the difference in gear location is mostly made up by the location of the mounting surface on the bellhousing. I've never had them side-by-side. But I've never been able to tell the difference AT v MT. from rockauto AT: MT:

XT6s are 5-lug, and have a very different rotor design. Something definitely isn't right, but we're just shooting in the dark....can you get some pictures of what you've got? then we might be able to tell if you've got the wrong parts, or maybe have them together wrong...

I would guess an issue with the sensors as well. They are pretty well sealed, but being submerged would be quite the test for them and the wiring going to them.

yep, me too.

get a water pump for a turbo EJ car. the tstat housing is on the front of the pump, instead of the bottom, for that very reason.

switch on top of the steering column

That has a lot to do with the EA82 suspension, alignment (mostly the camber) and skinny tires. as a FWD EJ has a TON more traction. This spring, my old FrankenWagon will be getting re-5-lug swapped, but is still PT4WD. So we'll see if dialing back the camber helps.

I owned an EJ D/R transmission here in the US for a couple years. But it used a standard EJ VLSD center diff (AWD). Not locking Full-Time 4WD, or selectable Part-Time 4WD.

I think this is definitely true. You could get dual-ranges at least up until the last few years. But once they started the EJ platform, they're all AWD. There was one guy in New Zealand claiming he had some EJ D/R FT4WD transmissions with a center diff lock, but he couldn't/wouldn't back up that information. Either way, there was no selectable FWD option. From a performance standpoint, AWD is much better in pretty much every way. The Viscous coupler in the center diff is very strong, so at slow speed offroad, it does not slip very much. But it does allow enough slip to be used on the pavement. And a little bit of slip helps the front tires bite on corner entry which combats understeer. Center diffs are fairly strange. In a performance situation, stronger is better, but actually mechanically locked is much worse. Really the only aspect of the car that would benefit from selectable FWD/4WD is fuel economy, and it's pretty obviously from the size and weight of subarus over the last 20 years, that fuel economy is not high on the list.

Things I learned this last weekend at 100 Acre Wood rally: STi axle ratios did change for 2006. So a Subaru 3.9 r180 donor would have to come from pre 2005. The 3.9 r180 in our rally car will need a rebuild before our next event. I may be able to get some measurements of the ring gear for you.

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Don't need to drill them all the way through to the trunk. When I did it on my loyale I just tapped threads into the frame rails. That was about 5 years and 100k miles ago. I never got the driveshaft carrier mounts right. I eventually had an EA81 1-piece driveshaft lengthened and used that. Yea, I absolutely hated the 3AT FWD in my loyale. While the 4WD swap added a good deal of work to the swap, I would still do it again. But you could certainly get a FWD 5MT and swap that in. The car would be much more driveable, especially on the freeway.

Yep, assuming it's an Ea82 (and yep, '87 doesn't mean it is), it will fit. It will require a different lower radiator hose as the output comes out a different angle. But that's easy. If you're car is an automatic, you will need a rad for an auto. if yours is a manual, either will work fine.

agreed that WD is not what you need. Liquid wrench would be a bit better, PB blaster would be great, SeaFoam Deep Creep would be ideal.

the 3AT gearing sucks for the highway, regardless of what's in front of it. Nothing wrong with going for mileage, but a FWD 5MT is the way to do it. Especially one with non-turbo gearing. Actually, a part-time 4WD transmission won't sacrifice much in mileage when in FWD. So don't put that out of your mind. Also, time for my obligatory plea against the RX trans (3.7 D/R FT4WD). It's a terrible match for the EJ22 in almost any condition. I ran that combo for a few years, and it was definitely not worth it. So many other options that are much more common and much better in so many ways.

Classy. I approve

So jumpering the solenoid to 12V works out of the car, but not in? Has to be one of the other 2 connections then. Either an insufficient ground between the block and the battery, or the large cable running from the + battery terminal to the solenoid. If you have a voltage meter, test your voltage at the battery. Now move the + probe to the starter, and then switch them (+ back on the battery, - to the block, preferably near the starter). If the voltage drops with either of these configurations, there's your problem. Otherwise, trial and error. Check your connections at the battery. inspect the + cable going to the starter. There should be a ground cable going from a bracket on the upper starter bolt, straight to the - battery terminal. make sure this one is present and connected securely.

85 and 86 EA82s had the adjustables. I put them in my '88, adjusted all the way down they seemed about the same as with the stock struts. and then I went up an inch from there.

I've done the rislone thing too. It actually resurrected the synchros in my dad's old '94 LGT (couldn't shift it into 2nd when we first got the car). But, transmission bearing failure is what finally killed that car last summer, and I think the additive was a factor in that. Granted, we got almost 100k miles on it after that original trouble. If were to do it again, I'd just run straight ATF for a bit, and then switch to a nice gear oil (I'm partial to Castrol HypoyC).

nothing wrong with the axles. And with a basic 5-lug swap, the suspension is pretty easy to fix. I really don't understand the reason to go to the trouble of swapping the whole EJ rear suspension under an EA8x car. A whole lot of work, that has to be very accurately done, for....what?

That's pretty normal. When the gear oil is cold, the synchros will be sluggish to engage, especially as they age. There are options for gear oil that will help that, BUT all they are is thinner oil, which means the bearings won't be properly lubricated once the oil is warm. Subaru makes a great gear oil called Extra-S that will improve shifter feel without sacrificing lubrication. Unfortunately, it's only available by the drum. One of the dealers in the cities will transfer it into used ATF bottles and sell it by the quart, but that's pretty rare. If it bothers you, you can run ATF for a bit (500 miles or so) to clean it out, and then swap back to regular gear oil. But it's not a sign of failure. The RX trans that was in my wagon used to do that pretty badly in the winter because I ran 80w90 gear oil. I had to start it with the clutch in on really cold days, because the transmission would create enough friction to prevent the engine from starting.

Finally made some more progress on it today. Even with shelter, the cold made it difficult to get out there and work on it. Since my last post. I bought a marine oil-drain kit since the blazer was driver's side drop, the drain plug was right over the toyota front diff. Also got AA headers, monroe long travel shocks, and U-bolt flip. Today I dropped the gas tank, and removed the stock fuel lines and the vent line. got the headers in (had to pound a bit on one of the primaries to clear the steering shaft). I also got the hood on.....yea, going to need a little extra clearance over the IAC valve. I've been looking at some generic cowls and such, but haven't found anything that looks decent, especially considering how far forward it will have to be.

not necessarily, not too difficult to put EJ brakes on EA trailing arms. But, I do believe it was running the EJ suspension anyway. Considering the amount of fabrication required to mount the EJ crossmember and fabbing strut towers, making the track narrower while you're at it would not be difficult at all.

What front axles did you use? and how sure are you that the front and rear axle ratios match? Yes, the only way you have a transmission that matches that rear end, but is Part-time 4WD, is the '85-'86 RX (technically an option on GL-10s of the same year, but rare). But that would have 25-spline axles. that loyale would have 23 (assuming it wasn't turbo, I guess there were a handful of turbo '90 loyales). Anyway, yea. for street use, EA drivetrains leave a LOT to be desired. Although some of that is also the stock alignment setup too. Low caster angle, high camber angle.....yuck. If you're EJ swapping it, I would very much recommend an EJ transmission to go with it. The rear diff, however, is something special! Definitely hang onto that, and swap it to match whatever transmission you use.

RX is turbo. so 25 spline axle stubs and 3.7 axle ratios. I would highly recommend getting an EJ trans if you're going the street route. the RX gearing is awful, for every use (3.7 axle ratios means taller first gear than the 3.9 trans, but the .871 5th gear makes for awful freeway gears compared to the standard .780), as is the center diff. the axles will be the hardest part, either way. Might as well cut 2" out of your driveshaft and fab up a crossmember for a much better AND more common transmission.