Numbchux

Absolutely. The imprezas of similar vintage were more commonly available without rear sway bars, so make sure you get a set of lateral links with sway bar mounts, but anything designed for a '93-'01 Impreza will fit your car.

Alright, I'll offer what I can. This project sounds like a nightmare, but more power to you if you can make it work!! There are a lot of electrical changes throughout the whole life of the EJ engine series. But my expertise is primarily '90-99. Some of this will apply to some of the newer stuff, but anything '02+ and factory turbo is going to be a completely different can of worms. I also have no experience with jdm setups. 1. There were 2 or 3 different combinations for OBD I. I know the early OBD II (96-99) harnesses are all the same. I think 95 is the same on the engine side. I know the later OBD I engine harness will actually plug into the OBD II ones, but I do not know if the pinouts are the same. 2. MAF, Ignitor, O2. On OBDI harnesses, crank, cam and knock sensors. on OBD II there is a MAP and vacuum solenoid (I believe it's canister purge, though) on the strut tower that also do not run through the engine. 3. IMO, yes 4. Only way I know of is used. Donor/junkyard cars. 5. I don't quite follow this question. An EJ swap requires what the management it's running off requires. And since this thread is about custom ground-up management, that is dependent on the program/tune within that management 6. Individually. Separate signal wires 7. Not sure off the top of my head. I know this stuff has been documented on the megasquirt sites. Crank sprocket teeth did not change from 1990 until the PZEV models in the 2000s 8. Really no clue. see 7 My $.02 on the project. I don't know much about microprocessors and programming. But my main concern about a universal management for "all" EJ swaps, is the tune. I don't think there's any chance to have a base tune that can hold a candle to an OEM tune. You might be able to program some auto-tune features into it, but I think ultimately each application will require a professional tune to get close to OEM performance. This custom-tune will not likely yield almost any extra power. I know the technology in the hardware has improved immensely, but I still find it very unlikely that an open-source low-budget option will have the software quality that Subaru put out.

Old subarus do have a very tight maximum steering angle.... But, they don't have to eat CVs. OEM ones can easily last 200k miles if the grease/boots are cared-for

I got $400 for the complete motor out of my '96 EJ25D. Guy I sold it to, got $250 for just the heads. These all needed rebuilding before use

This. That arm is what keep the wheel centered in the wheel well (front to back). That is my first thought. Ball joint is also my next thought. +1 to what Gary said. CV boot is no indication of anything else. If it was the wrong axle (EJ, or EA 25 spline) it would not have been able to drive out of the shop.... Also, tell the alignment tech to look at some factory specs before he runs his mouth off. OEM on EA82 subarus is positive camber. It is extremely strange, and a person would be correct with probably 99% of vehicles that negative is correct, but not here. Sounds like you need to go somewhere else. I don't know anything about Les Schwab (don't have them here...), but it sounds like you're getting screwed.

What it sounds like is happening: Your next step:

Not all aftermarket axles are alike. For a brand-new one, I could see that being normal-ish, if not a little low. For a remanufactured one, that sounds impossibly high. I've had a 100% failure rate within one year on remanufactured CV axles (note: I've never used a genuine Subaru remanufactured axle).

Call them. If they sent you the part number that's listed as correct, but it isn't. This isn't RockAuto's error, this is a manufacturer/catalog error. Tell them exactly what you just posted, and I bet you'll get exactly what you need. If that happened to one of MY customers, I'd refund 2 of them, and exchange all of them for 2 of a better brand (so you'd end up paying for one pair, and getting a better pair).

This is dead on. I work at an auto parts store. We use RockAuto ALL the time for reference. Best listings anywhere, if you use your head a little while using them. They are, however, a large network of distributors and warehouses. It's highly likely that you will get some NOS stuff that's been around awhile. Of course, this is possible anywhere. We ordered a pair of CV axles for my friend's '88 VW Scirrocco at work and the boxes looked like they're at least 15 years old. Heck, I've gotten some ancient packaging ordering straight from the dealer. My point is, it's absolutely possible. And I don't think there's a reliable way to prevent that entirely. RockAuto probably has more turnover than almost any other source, but they also probably have more inventory. Smaller sources might have fresher inventory, but they also will have less turnover, so there's just as much a chance of getting something that's been sitting around awhile. One thing I will say, is always inspect your products thoroughly when you receive them, and if anything looks fishy, don't bicker and badmouth on the internet CALL THEM. RockAuto has excellent customer service, and if they sent you something wrong, be it a human error, catalog error, shipping error, etc. In my experience (I've ordered from them probably 30 times or more) they will go way out of their way to make it right.

You keep talking about not using cheap parts......but you're using Wiseco pistons.....just sayin. I've also seen many strong-running engines using the 11mm oil pump. I know a couple guys who swear by them. I think your oil pressure issue was not related to the pump. And your bearing failure either related to the oil pressure issue, or possibly the mis-matched crank (I think the majority of the mis-matched shortblock projects I've seen have ended in catastrophic failure). Just my 2 Cents. I'm sure you'll get it buttoned up and back on the dyno/road soon.

That's very strange. The only parts in your shortblock that I would use are the ones that you're blaming for the failure.

Heck, that reminds me. I've seen rally cars where they just zip-tie or tape a hose onto the wiper arm. No nozzle or anything, just dump a crapload of fluid right onto the window....

I don't know the numbers off hand, but it's very unlikely that they would ever need to be changed unless they were run with a completely ruined pad (metal on metal).

I should have been more specific. But I didn't say EA for a reason. I've done lots of compression tests, never on an EA. But that's sort of my point, I don't think the math is simple. But by your math, the only engine variable that matters is compression ratio, and 9:1 is on the high end of what I've done. I've seen Turbo EJs with 8:1 or less put out 150psi, which by that equation (14.7x8=117.6) is not even remotely possible.

That sounds low. At "normal" altitudes (I live at just over 1k ft, or so), a healthy engine can easily put out 160-175psi. I find it hard to believe that it would be less than 60% of that! But, either way. What's more important than what the number is, is that all 4 are pretty close. When you have 1 or 2 that are drastically out of whack from the rest, that's when you have a real problem.

spec has been offering those long before the EJ swap was common. I'm assuming someone built (or was building) some crazy EA82t, and ponied up the cash for the R&D for spec to develop those. Don't think I've ever heard of anyone buying one though.

I don't think the bottleneck is the pump itself, but the nozzles. I added a pair of '85-86 cowl-mounted sprayers to my '88, in addition to the stock hood-mounted ones, with just the single stock pump, and I would definitely say it double the volume of water hitting the windshield. I can't imagine that the EJ pumps are drastically less efficient. I would start by adding more nozzles. Dorman makes some really nice, fan-pattern ones that don't clip in, but have a nut on the bottom. This makes them very easy to drill a hole anywhere and mount them (I tried them, since I had to relocate them onto the cowl on my 4runner. I now have them on all my cars...). We have them in stock at the AutoZone where I work. I would add at least one more pair, and then decide if you need to upgrade your pump.

I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I didn't realize you were asking about adding a trans cooler to reduce your engine temps. No, I highly doubt that would work. You need to focus on the engine cooling. 4 things you can look into. 1. Increasing your coolant-cooling capacity. i.e. larger radiator. I know that's not an easy solution, but adding some sort of cooler inline with the heater core lines might be an option (grab a junkyard heater core and plumb it in with a manual water valve....) 2. Increasing the efficiency of your coolant. i.e. changing the antifreeze mix. Of course, use caution, increasing the percentage of water in your system will increase the cooling efficiency, but will also increase the freezing point. IMO this is not an option in MN.... 3. Oil cooler. Not much more to say there....I know ones with a thermostat in them exist. Add a little extra cooling capacity to the other fluid in the engine. 4. Increase the airflow. Car engine bays are almost always a high air pressure zone. Lots of air going in, not much coming out. There are hundreds of ways to do this....Everything from spacing the hinges up and removing the rear hood seal to allow air out the back, to cutting/drilling holes in the hood, legit hood cowls, scoops mounted backwards, new vents, junkyard vents etc. etc. here's a thread with some ideas: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1977436 I know a friend of mine added a WRC-style vent right behind his radiator, and it drastically lowered ambient temps in his entire engine bay, lowered average coolant temperatures, and intake temperatures (he had a front-mount IC as well). I'm not sure where he got it, but similar to the real thing seen here:

The axle stubs have to match the diff carrier. So you could take the LSD that was in the RX, and put the LSD carrier in the 4.444 case with it's gears, and then you could use the EA82 stubs and axles with no trouble. Otherwise, in order to use the impreza diff as-is, you will need hybrid axles.

Yes, EA81 and EA82 are different. With the engine listings there, OHV (over head valve...i.e. pushrods) is EA81, and SOHC is EA82. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but those parts should be the same for all EA82s. When I'm looking up stuff for an EA82, I look them up for a 1989 (the least overlap in body styles). Or, look them up for the 85, but then click on the part number and look at the year ranges and models they fit, make sure brat, or anything 1984 or older is NOT on the list. As always with RockAuto. The full Year Make Model Engine lookup is not perfect, frequently they're only reliable to Year Make Model (not even to the model with EA Subarus, as the "model" name is actually a trim level, and has nothing to do with body style). But what makes RockAuto so awesome, is they give you as much information as is available from the manufacturer about the part. In the part description it will list body styles, and other application notes, frequently even dimensions. As for which pads to get, that's sort of a crapshoot. You can always find someone that has a horror story about everything. I've always had really good experiences with Beck/Arnley products (although I've never used their brake pads, I put a set of their shoes on my girlfriend's car). OE material on EA82s was organic, which is typically the cheapest type of pad available, so you can't really under-do it.

The ECU case doesn't need to be grounded. It gets everything it needs through the harness. Yea, when I've done EJ swap harnesses, they require no ground hookup. Just plug into the engine harness, and everything needed is right there on the block. Simple, and extremely functional.

Yep. All engine related parts should be grounded to the engine block. Adding a contact to the chassis isn't going to hurt anything, but if the wires to the block were removed, that could.

I call BS on that last sentence. Different part numbers doesn't mean not interchangeable, or even different at all. I've had many of them apart, mixed and matched, and the only significant difference I've noticed is the tabs for the forward rear diff hanger (FWD vs 4WD). The '85-86 ones had tabs for little flaps to deflect debris away from the axle boots. And I think the turbo ones had a slightly different exhaust hanger on it.... My '92 Loyale got one from an 85 GL wagon originally with the 4WD swap, then I swapped in the whole mess from an '86 XT turbo (sway bar mounts on the arms themselves), and that recently failed in a similar way to what's shown here, and I believe it got one from a later turbo wagon (the car has changed hands a couple times since I owned it....so I'm not 100% sure).

This is what I suspected. You're not looking at ignition components, as you have a bigger/simpler problem. Your ECU is not powering up correctly. Pull up an ECU pinout for your ECU, and triple check that you have good power and ground to all the wires that need it.

Correction, '93-'94 FWD 5MT Impreza. The FWD autos had 25-spline.