Numbchux

The timing belt cover has to come off for sure (crank pulley has to come off for that...). To do it correctly, the timing belts should be removed. You, evidently, have not done too many water pumps . There's a reason that it's frequently done preventatively on most timing belt jobs.

FYI, coolant does not run through either of those gaskets on an EJ like it does on an EA. Head gaskets, or cracked block/head is the only way I know of that coolant can get burned in an EJ. I probably would take a shot at that '99 you listed. It's a 2.2, so probably not something major. It'd be worth making a phone call, or even a visit to try to get more information about its symptoms. I wouldn't be surprised if it's something fairly simple.

You could do it that way. The way I would do it, would be to splice into the 2 wires at the ECU, and run them to a Double Pole (this would keep the 2 circuits separate when the switch is off) switch to ground. That way there's no load on the switch, and you're maintaining stock fuse and relay functionality. That does not protect against relay failure, but with 4 relays, the system is already pretty redundant. The way I mentioned wiring it, would use 3 of the 4 relays to control your 3 fans. So you could possibly re purpose one of them, there is another relay on that holder that is for the A/C compressor, that you obviously won't be using.

Do you have the part number for those squirters? I've looked before, and I didn't see them listed in the catalog. But with a part number, they certainly might be available.

You can typically get brake drum hardware kits from most aftermarket suppliers. I see many brands listed on RockAuto for an '84, and I see them on Autozone and Napa (napa would be a special order here, which usually costs more and takes quite awhile. Autozone would have it tomorrow with no extra charge).

I have also done a 4WD conversion. You'll need the transmission, driveshaft, and basically the entire rear suspension. driveshaft carrier bearing has nowhere to mount. Several ways to do it, I had a one-piece shaft made.... Rear diff hanger will have nowhere to bolt. I drilled and tapped, which worked great for something like 7 years and 60k miles (car was killed last summer when the last owner drove drunk and crashed it.....rear diff still attached). RWD....depends how you want to do it. Do a 4WD swap with a true 4WD Subaru transmission, lock it in 4WD, disassemble the front axle shafts, beat on it until it breaks. Transmission output will probably be the weak link. That's about the only way with the stock engine. there are several options for beefier RWD transmission that will bolt to an EJ/EG/EZ/FA/FB Subaru engine, but not for an EA. It is possible to make a custom adapter plate/flywheel/clutch to use something else...but it would be a one-off.

Definitely not

I'm having some seemingly conflicting symptoms. I'd like to put it down, and see if anyone has any suggestions. Car: 1989 4EAT AWD XT6. 117,5xx miles, so yea, it's been sitting more than driving. Specifically the last 6 years or so, outside with a drained and open (missing upper hose) cooling system. Rust and/or corrosion probably a major portion of the issue. Virtually stock cooling system (with the exception of one radiator cap....I'll mention later). Cooling/heating system worked perfect when parked. When I first started driving it again this fall, I let it idle several times up to operating temperature to make sure the system didn't leak when pressurized, and the fans worked correctly (check and check). Seemed to be very slow to warm up. New Subaru thermostat and gasket were installed, no change. The last week or 2 (it's been very cold, several mornings more than 10 below, may or may not be related), I've noticed occasionally that at a stop, the temperature creeps up. about 2/3 on the gauge, maybe a bit more. Not quite enough to be alarmed about, but definitely more than it should. As soon as I start driving again, it cools down, immediately. All the while, putting out pretty luke warm heat into the cabin. This all sounds to me like it's not getting very good circulation, clogged radiator and/or heater core and/or water pump etc. BUT, once I start driving, it cools down below "normal". This doesn't seem to make sense to me. I'm assuming the thermostat is closing as it should, and blocking off flow to the radiator, and it's certainly not dissipating a massive amount of heat through the heater core....how could it be overcooling? This doesn't usually happen for long, this morning, I tried revving the rpms to about 2500 while at a stop to try to isolate airflow vs. coolant flow, and it didn't seem to make any difference. This seems to me like it would point more towards a clogged radiator.... Thoughts? I think once it warms up, I'll flush the engine, radiator, and heater core separately. Any recommendations for a flush/cleanser product? Maybe throw the thermostat in a pot and make sure it actually stays closed as long as it should. I had a small coolant leak that I thought was the small bypass hose near the radiator cap over the thermostat housing. I replaced that cap with a higher pressure one (EJ 16psi, instead of the stock XT6 13psi). My thought process was that it might prevent the cap from releasing, and therefore reduce the pressure in that bypass hose. It did stop my leak, but I suspect it may have been the cap itself leaking. I'm now concerned that the fact that this cap isn't opening might be reducing flow to the thermostat housing, and preventing it from working as it should....somehow. I'm considering either buying one (or maybe two) new XT6 caps (my cost on OE or aftermarket is about the same, but OE is way less available), or one new EJ cap (considerably cheaper) to match the other. These would have the same effect of equalizing the pressure and restoring flow through the thermostat housing. On one hand, higher pressure would increase the boiling point, which shouldn't be an issue. It puts a little extra strain on the hoses and seals, but I don't think 3 psi is that big a deal. Am I missing something? I have no idea the condition or history of the timing belts/water pump. But being as this is just a daily/RallyX beater, and non-interference. I'd really rather not delve into that realm if I don't have to.

From what I remember off the top of my head... You'll have to swap all the wiring on the engine, including the crank/cam sensors. The engine/wiring in that car may or may not have provisions for an EGR valve, but I think your '91 engine will have it regardless, worst case, you have to block some or all of it off. The '91 engine definitely will have dual exhaust ports on the head, the '95 engine should as well....but depending on the production date, or whether it's actually a '95 (we've probably all bought cars with an engine swap, or even just loose engines, that turned out to be different than advertised), it might be single port. In which case, you'll need some exhaust. The 90-94 2.2 stuff is a pretty different configuration, but if you get a "manifold" from a 2.5 (or aftermarket, Borla or similar), it should bolt onto the existing cat pipe with no other mods.

Not much. I probably wouldn't bother with a transmission flush, but a drain-and-fill is probably a good idea (just pull the drain plug and let it drain, and then replace the ~5qts that came out). Replacing the transmission filter is probably a good idea, it's a spin-on, mounted in kind of a goofy place, behind the bumper, under the battery, probably best-accessed from the wheel well, or directly underneath. Last year for the replaceable, external fuel filter. Front and rear diff gear oil would be a good idea. Something about the accessory belt drive on these cars seems to be prone to idler/tensioner failure with very little warning. The idler is bolted to an aluminum bracket that also supports the A/C compressor. We stock them, as they do get ruined more than occasionally. Subaru, and most aftermarket sources, will only list an entire tensioner assembly, even though you just need the pulley. I've heard that the idler pulley can be used on the tensioner, I know from experience that there's a cheap bearing available locally that can be pressed into the stock steel pulley. That's about it, really for preventative maintenance. It's fairly common for the valve covers to leak, so it may need those. Easiest to replace the spark plugs while the covers are off...

2010-2012 Outbacks have the Old EJ25. Basically the same engine they've been using since 1999. A little less prone to head gasket failure, but still present. 2013+ have FB25. As mentioned, timing chain, virtually zero head gasket issues. There was a batch of bad piston rings causing oil consumption problems right from new. Subaru has honored many many warranty claims on these to replace the entire shortblock (initially it was just the rings, but most have gotten whole shortblocks). And, there was just a class-action law suit settled, and letters will begin going out to current owners extending the warranty to 100,000 (or if that's already reached, one-year from letter postmark). Only transmission options for 4-cyl cars in this range are 6-speed manual, or CVT (this may be in the pro or con list depending on your personal preference. I think the CVT is pretty cool, even though it's pretty weird to drive. We haven't had too many issues with them, and getting good used ones is relatively easy). Than it was not an FB.

Right....now I remember why I don't mess with that convoluted nonsense. ASSuming your donor EJ had A/C (I haven't seen one without, but theoretically they exist), it has 4 relays. Stock fans are 2 speed. 3 Pin connectors, Black is ground on pin 1 on both of them. Main control on the ECU, activates the fan relay in the fuse box, and one in the A/C relay holder (IIRC, 2 fuses and 4 relays right next to the fuse box) giving 12v to pin 3 on both fans (Yellow with Red stripe on main fain, White with Blue stripe on Sub fan). Secondary ECU control activates the other 2 relays in the A/C holder, which gives 12v to the pin 2 on both fans as well (Light Green with Black stripe on main fan, and Yellow with Green stripe on sub fan), kicking them into high speed. So yea, I'd probably use the low speed wire (as it comes on first) from one of the fans to a single fan, with the best airflow. And then use each of the high speed wires to power your other 2 fans.

Not enough information here to say whether that's accurate or not. First off, more information about your car. I assume that since we're talking about an oil leak from the timing cover, that we're talking about a timing chain engine, which narrows it down to the 6-cylinders, or the FB-series 4-cylinder (2013+ Legacy/Outback, 2011+ Forester, 2012+ Impreza). But still, that only gets us to 2 engines, and about 10 years.... It would also be pertinent to know what kind of mileage is on the car, any other issues you've had, maintenance, etc. Also doesn't seem like I have enough information to know what they're doing. Both of those engine options have a front timing cover, which does need to be resealed occasionally, but it's not a huge job. Neither has a rear timing cover that I know of, the front cover bolts to surfaces right on the cam carrier, cylinder head, and engine block. Do you have any written quote information? A parts list? Replacing an axle boot is a common job, and not terribly difficult. Probably $50 in parts, I'd guess 0.8 - 1 hour in labor (We charge $110/hr here).

Oh, you've run the FULL EJ harness, out to the fan plug. What year and model is your EJ donor, and I'll look at the diagrams. I've never done it that way... You are exactly correct. The EJ fans are controlled by the ECU, which uses a temp sensor in the coolant bridge. I was thinking you were talking about plugging the fans into the EA81 harness, which would have used a switch on the radiator.

wheel width and offset are both extremely important factors here....

Well, if it's got an EJ engine, ECU, and radiator, it doesn't really matter what the pins on the stock plug did, as they probably aren't attached to anything anyway (I think the stock fan was controlled by a simple thermoswitch, but that was in the radiator end tank. EA82 for sure). EJ ECU has 2 fan relay control wires, they are grounded to activate a relay, which would supply power to the fan. One wire on the fan needs to be grounded, and the other gets power. Reversing those makes the fan spin the other way. The better ones have a curved blade that has to be flipped on the motor to be most efficient. If I were actually wiring 3 fans up, I'd probably put one on the main control, and 2 on the sub control. Although, I rarely even needed one fan (literally....I think I put more miles on my loyale without a functioning fan than with)! Alternatively, there are universal fan control units, but I've used a couple of those with mediocre long-term reliability. Or you could use a switch (or 2....or 3) to control a relay(s).

Well, the components are mounted in different places depending whether it had factory A/C, dealer A/C, or without (3 different options). Here's the factory A/C setup (looks like the A/C belt is removed): Here's (basically, that looks like a different alternator, but it's the best picture I could find that shows the location of the components) dealer-installed: Here's no-A/C So, if you have factory A/C, remove the compressor, but leave the alternator where it was (which isn't great, as the compressor itself is much of the support for the alternator, but I've done it), The belt for a car without A/C will definitely be considerably short. I think when I did it that way, I used the stock alternator belt (as it just bumps up slightly onto the A/C compressor), which was within the adjustment range, and then left off the A/C belt.

no. 2" strut tops and 1.25 crossmember is absolutely fine. EA82s have quite a bit of positive camber stock, a lift and larger tires makes it look worse, even if it isn't (seriously, can we have a sticky on this yet? I swear it gets asked several times a month). Make sure the strut tops were installed in the correct direction, and you're good.

Probably eventually. I've done it for years. The CB radio antenna cable pictured made it onto a few different cars. You could do the exact same thing but go through the back door opening. That would probably drastically reduce the use.

On a few vehicles, I've tucked it behind the interior trim on the b-pillar up to the roof line, and pinch it in with the weatherstripping around the door:

It's true, the DOHC engines are too big to fit in an EA81 chassis without modification. The Phase 2 SOHC (like that 2.5) heads are larger than the phase 1 heads, which I know do fit. So.....I dunno Someone must have tried it! Other than that, it'll be pretty much identical to most OBDII setups.

I assume "factory rally model with a 10 speed" is an RX with the D/R FT4WD 5MT.

I can't speak to the first question. But the second, an ABS 4-cyl EJ master will be 1 1/16" bore with 2 ports. Non-ABS EJ will be 1" bore with 4 ports. FWD/non-ABS SVX master will be 1 1/16" with 4 ports.

donor car is definitely the best way for your first one. I have pieced them together, and even with my experience, there are things that get missed. Adapter plate to the stock transmission works wonderfully.

Really not worth it. The ER27 is a neat engine, but IMO not worth the work of swapping it in. For the cost and labor involved, you could have a much more powerful, reliable, better-supported engine.