Numbchux

Generally speaking, newer is better. The issues changed, but the parts and knowledge to repair them are simpler with newer cars. For a daily driver, I would say avoid a turbo car. The extra complexity is generally not worth it. The 6 cylinders are typically much more reliable, and hold their value extremely well (which also means they're generally more expensive to buy). I'd go as new as your budget can allow. IMO, each generation is much nicer to drive than the last.

Yep, there are 5 countersunk holes in the hub that I assume are for an ABS tone ring (I've never actually seen one....). There are also 2 smaller threaded holes in the hub, these had screws that hold the rotor to the hub. You can see a piece of the screw in one of them in this picture, because I had to drill them out to get the rotor off: Those line up with the countersunk holes in the rotor: The Rotor also has 2 threaded holes that do not require any provision in the hub, these are there to assist in the removal of the rotor from the hub.

Mileage on the car? Head gasket history? Any issues with it overheating before the failure? Thermostats virtually never fail shut (I say "virtually" to give the benefit of the doubt. I've tested many, and never seen it happen, and never heard of or seen a situation where a new thermostat solved an overheating issue and been convinced that it wasn't just the fresh coolant/burping). IMO, replacing your thermostat would be a waste of energy and money. Good heat means you've got good coolant circulation, which pretty much guarantees that you don't have an air bubble. First thing I would do, is get my hands on an OBDII scanner, just to get a second opinion on the temperature. But, the fact that it doesn't run warm at idle, and it does under load sort of screams head gasket to me. It's possible the overheating from the failed radiator caused head gasket failure, or even head warpage. Next thing I would do is get a chemical "block tester" kit (a little clear plastic container that you put in the radiator neck, and fill with a blue chemical, and draw air through it from the half-empty cooling system, and if there are combustion gasses in the coolant, the chemical will change yellowish. I know when I worked at AutoZone, we had the tool for rent for free, and the chemical was like $7 for a bottle) and see if it that is the issue.

The brake booster hose already has a check valve so that it will hold vacuum even with the engine isn't building it. I hadn't considered the HVAC stuff, although I'd be willing to bet there's a similar system there, otherwise your HVAC controls would only work at closed throttle.

Yes, there are 2 vacuum hoses from the solenoids to the diaphragm. Only one should get vacuum at a time, as they connect to opposite sides of the diaphragm, therefore pushing and pulling on the cable. There is a switch on the transmission that is activated by the center diff lock mechanism (looks and functions almost identically to the neutral and reverse switch). That's what activates the indicator light. It is certainly possible that this switch is failing, or the wiring to it, which could cause all of the symptoms you're describing.

I will continue to ASSume that this would all be used in an EJ swap into something else. From an engine control standpoint, yes, it will be fine. But the rest of the bulkhead harness between a Legacy and Impreza are very different. I just noticed your location. I would DEFINITELY drive down to UPull Rosemount, they have 4 '96-'99 Donor cars that probably have 2.2s.

There are a lot of different components to that system, first step is to isolate them as best you can to figure out the problem. There's an electric switch, that operates those solenoids, that routes engine vacuum to a diaphragm, which pulls a cable, which moves a lever on the side of transmission, which moves a fork in the transmission, which engages the diff lock, and trips a switch, which lights the indicator light. I would start by making sure it's actually not locking (you may have done this, but I'll say it just in case). Push the button, and make some tight turns to see if you can feel it binding. There's a chance the switch, or wiring for it, for the indicator light is failing. Next thing I would do is bypass the solenoids. Connect the engine vacuum directly to one of the hoses that goes down to the diaphragm, and drive it a bit (shouldn't take much...IIRC my RX box would usually engage at idle), if that doesn't work, try the other hose. (Also, start the car with that disconnected, and put your thumb over it and see if there's good vacuum getting to the solenoids) If that works, then check for voltage going into the solenoids (testing the switch, basically). If you've got power there, the solenoid(s) isn't working, if not, you have an electrical problem. If connecting vacuum to it doesn't work, then I would jack the car up, and climb underneath, and see if I could get the locker lever on the side of the transmission to move by hand, that would tell you if it's a transmission problem, or the diaphragm/cable.

I ASSume this is a donor for an EJ swap? As the wiring harnesses are pretty different between the platforms. But for a swap, that would work just fine. Maybe someone else will chime in (or you can verify for yourself) there are some variation through the '90s of cars that do and do not have EGR systems. If your ECU is looking for it, and the engine doesn't have provisions for it, you will probably have a check engine light always on, but the car will run fine. Just be aware, that the '95 2.2 ECU/body harness are unique to that year and engine, and are a little hard to find information for. Just something to be aware of as you're doing this project. The '96-'99 setup is preferable, but I wouldn't pay much more for it.

+1 for probably failed regulator, maybe more damage. If it was my only car, I'd go to my local parts house and buy a reman alternator. If I had another car and/or alternator, I'd give it some time before buying a new one, but definitely don't drive it like that.

+1 on this to start. The fact that your fans don't seem to be kicking on is strange, I'd start there. Although once you're moving almost at all, it shouldn't matter.

It is certainly similar. Stock Subaru ~50mm offset 5-lug wheels fit very nicely on a 5-lug converted EA82.

What year is your car? Either of those brands are decent. I'd probably prefer the gates pulleys, but GMB is certainly quality. I would definitely prefer the Aisin pump, but whatever. I think you've figured it out, but I'll mention it anyway. Those Gates kits are not interchangeable. They use a different tensioner (belt and other pulleys are the same, water pump is probably the same).

I've spent some time this week perusing Jerry Winker's photography website this week, some pretty awesome pictures, and really well documented by year and event, with captions showing driver/co-driver/car number/location Anyway, I stumbled across this picture (linked to respect his copyright) http://www.comicozzie.com/gallery2/v/2001/pf01/01-PF-049.jpg.html First off, pretty cool to see an RX actually rallied, but not the only time I've seen it. What is cool, is seeing one with a 5-lug swap. Also notice, this picture was taken in 2001. Long before this was so well-documented on the internet (I was trying to date Corky's page when he built the Ultimate RX.....I think 2004 or so).

It has been done, but the vast majority (if not all) of the 6-lug wheels out there do not have enough offset, so the tires will not tuck properly into the fender. What?

90% of the time, or more, "no spark" with an engine swap actually means no engine management functionality at all. Is your fuel pump being activated by the ECU as it should (prime when the key is first turned on, and on while cranking)? If so, have you tested to see if the ECU is triggering the injectors (with noid lights)?

That's true, I should look into trying to find another option that might be more readily available. I agree. 225 is a lot of tire. D3F0. Start a build thread or something, and I'll post some pics of the rear shock setup I had that was rubbing. I don't want to get into it here.

I've heard of people having issues with the axles bottoming out, but I haven't encountered it. I drove to work this morning in my XT6 with '92 FWD Legacy front knuckles and axles in it. EA81 rod ends are the ticket, same threads/taper, but shorter overall length. I, too, had rubbing issues with 225 on WRX wheels (225/60r16, IIRC), both on the trailing arm and the spring perch (Miata shocks, at the time). But I had plenty of clearance with the fender. And my 215s on my 17x8+48 Rotas had plenty of clearance with the arm, and was crazy tight against the body (and still rubbed against the frame rail in the front while turning). So I think a 225 could be done with the right offset wheel. But anything beyond that would require fairly significant modification. And you can get a lot of grip out of a 225!

When you say you're pushing on the throttle, how far? All the way to the floor? If that's the case, that is telling the computer to cut fuel entirely to clear a flood-scenario. I can think of a few things that could cause this... Fuel pressure regulator (I don't think quite matches up with your symptoms, but free and easy to check. Pull the vacuum line and see if there is fuel in it. The diaphragm in the regulator can fail, causing fuel to leak past it, and into the vacuum line) Fuel injector O-rings. Harder to diagnose. Very cheap part, fairly easy to do, but slightly time consuming (good DIY job, but still might be costly if you're paying for shop time). Coolant temp sensor. If the ECU thinks the engine is cold, it will use a lot more fuel when starting. I *thought* these usually fail the other way around (ECU thinks the engine is warm, and therefore doesn't get enough cold-start enrichment when it's cold)....but I could be wrong. Not a terribly expensive part, but kind of annoying to get to, even to test....

+1 for KYBs, through RockAuto. RockAuto's catalog is fairly accurate but it doesn't do all the work for you, just be sure to read the description of each part to make sure it fits your car. Google "RockAuto Discount Code". They send out a 5% off code after almost every order that's good for a short time. It's not much, but it usually covers shipping.

Hybrid transmission is definitely possible, and has been done. We did that in my friend's rally car, as he has a phase 1 jdm 4.111 transmission in it, but we wanted to put the sweet Group N 10 NM center diff, which is phase 2. Got the whole housing, transfer gears, and diff, and swapped it all over. Doable in the car. Much easier than swapping the whole trans.

Oh yea, those wheels look great on old-gen cars! And after I painted them bronze With EJ knuckle/strut, camber adjustment is easy. I've had EJ knuckles/axles with stock XT6 control arms in 3 different cars now, never had any bind....

Cool I just know that an EJ knuckle and tie rod end, with an EA82/XT6 inner tie rod, rack, and control arm, zero toe (or really anywhere near it) is not obtainable. And it appears that there is quite a bit more than 10mm of thread exposed on that tie rod there... Have you had it on an alignment rack? What was your reasoning for the control arm lengthening?

So, EA82 inner bushing, welded onto an XT6 arm. Only a bit longer. But the tie rod combination/adjustment is a lot longer than what I'm running. XT6 knuckles? or just a ton of toe-out in that picture?

Remove the pads completely, and then put the caliper back on. That way you can move the caliper back and forth on the slide pins to make sure those are all moving freely. Then make sure the pads move freely on the clips, and nothing is binding.

It's virtually the exact same pump on all EA82s (2 different hub heights, but same idea). I've done it on a '92, '88, and '85 for sure....probably more. there's a bolt under the alternator that holds that water pipe to the head, then it should come out of the housing fairly easily, there's just an O-ring there, (helps to remove that radiator hose, too).