Numbchux

The concern is not the temperature rating. It's how reliably it works, the size of the opening, and location/quality of the "jiggle" valve. IMO you'd be better off putting some cardboard in front of the rad for a week while you wait for one to get shipped from you from 1stsubaru (now http://www.discountedsubaruparts.com )

I work at Autozone. They're made in Israel. If someone walks in and asks for a tstat, I'll sell them one. But I don't buy them.

Blocking off the radiator might help, but it's a bandaid. The heater core is not enough to keep the engine below operating temp unless it's REALLY cold outside. Which means you're getting circulation through the radiator. which can only mean your tstat isn't operating correctly. Get an OEM one, and report back.

This is my thought. If there's fluid in the radiator, but it's not circulating through the engine/heater core at all, it sounds like the tstat and pump are still in air, which means it isn't getting from the rad to the engine. Also, a clean gear oil bottle with the bottom cut out works great for bleeding out air in the same way.

Sounds like you're having some sort of clog between the radiator and the water pump.....kinked hose? something stuck in the tstat?

Moog is basically just a distributor. You can easily get 2 boxes, with the same part numbers on them, with 2 different manufacturers' parts in them. That said, I've had great experiences with them. Basically all I use, although I don't get them on ebay :-p The boot should absolutely come pre-installed. It's supposed to be an extremely tight fit, because they're not supposed to come off. And yes, a ball joint that you can move around by hand is junk. New ones should be very stiff. Same goes for tie rod ends. And no, they rarely pop out of the control arm easily. I've learned the hard way. Undo the nut on the bottom, and use your leverage system to break it free from the control arm first. Then put it back, thread the nut on hand-tight, and start over to pull it out of the knuckle. Also, (in case you didn't figure this out, although I suspect you did) disconnecting the sway bar is extremely helpful. Don't want any more force on the control arm then you have to.

Hello new gen section! A good friend of mine just bought a 2013 Forester. He seems pretty excited about it, but wants to give it a little boost. Does anyone know if the SJR 2" kit for a '00-'04 Legacy would fit? It's almost the exact same suspension design....so.....it should work, right??

Yep, I did, and WJM did before me. We had the same issue. The Multilink rear suspension ('00+ Legacy/Baja/Outback, '08+ Impreza/Forester) does not pivot front to back at all, and so there isn't a big bushing in the top mount. WJM and I both removed that bushing, and solid-mounted the shock to the mount.....and we both broke the shock shaft. Subaru multilinks also use a larger bolt in the bottom mount, so a bushing is required to take up that slack. Not impossible, but another hoop to jump through. My thread on the subject (I actually used NA chassis Miata shocks, but they're almost identical). And how it resulted (cliff notes: with coilover sleeve springs, NB miata shocks are a perfect fit). http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=78684 Someone on the XT boards made an extension for the shaft so he could use '08+ STi shocks on his XT and maintain that upper bushing. He had minor issues with the spring perches (larger diameter than the EA82s) rubbing on the chassis, but he was able to clearance it. His thread: http://subaruxt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=138146#p138146

I haven't had any bad luck with aftermarket pumps, just aftermarket gaskets. Get an OEM gasket (they're not expensive), and you'll be much happier.

Yea, I'm thinking the same thing. Would be awesome in my Brat. But, I'm going to drive it some with the VLSD before I dump more money into it just because it would be cool. And if it seems to be a problem, it's not too hard to upgrade. I think with the body lift, I could probably do it without dropping the transmission.

phase 1 and 2 center diff housings are interchangeable. So yes, it absolutely is possible...just a matter of money. 5MT DCCD centers are not cheap.

Agreed. I've done it both ways.....and I'll never do it with a punch again. Even the ones that aren't rusted solid, it's so much easier to just slap the pin socket on an impact and buzz it out.

Apply hammer I fit 215/75r15s (calculate to about 27.5) on my '88 with a 4" AA lift with just some pounding: This car had 235/75r15s (about 29") on only a 3" lift. More cutting was needed for that.

yes, they will fit. lateral links will not allow camber adjustment, though. They're just too far away from the pivot point (upper strut mount) to change the camber angle much without causing issues with the axles. We have adjustable links ( http://www.tssfab.us ) on our #171 rally car. We accidently had one side adjusted way out. Easily had it aligned, but when we started driving it, kept having one axle popping out of the diff. We cranked them back in so they would stop ruining axles.....and the camber change was negligible. Camber bolts is the only way to do it. Also, pillowball/heim joints are very noisy. They'll rattle and clank over every little bump. Not recommended for anything but a purpose-built rig.

Are those r180 backing plates? I think I remember the center hole being a smaller on the r160 ones and not needing the centering ring welded in. I don't see adapters for the calipers, so I assume they're r180....

yes. Running into something straight on is always safer than hitting it sideways.

Can an EA82 front strut fit in an EA81 knuckle? Vice Versa? I was looking up front struts at work today, and noticed that the EA81 fronts have a substantially shorter stroke than EA82. My Brat front struts are junk, but I have some decent used EA82 ones here.....

fixed.

more than a little incorrect information there.... The modification is only necessary with 200SX calipers on 4-lug hubs. 240SX calipers work with 4-lug or 5-lug without modification. 200SX work with 5-lug without modification. When using either Tokico option, you use the subaru caliper bracket. Which means subaru pads and clips.

I had the dual ebrake setup on one of my lifted wagons, it worked pretty well, and would probably be pretty effective with a torsen. But, I'm not using the POS OBX, Cusco and Modena are very expensive. None of those options can be done with 23 spline stubs, and probably still wouldn't solve my clearance issues. I think with the EJ swap and a nice, forgiving clutch I wouldn't NEED the extra gearing. So I'm leaning more towards the LSD.

It should be fine in an RX trans, as the stock low range gearset in that is a 1.19:1, which is much smaller. My Carbonetic front diff has pretty good clearance from the 1.19 gearset, it's the 1.59:1 low range swap that's causing the problem for me.

Because a helical diff does not work unless there's some resistance at both wheels. It works fine in the sand, gravel, snow, even pretty well on ice. But if you lift a wheel off the ground, you've got basically nothing. And yea, going in a brat. 23 spline very preferred.

Common misconception. But the truth is that those trans coolers should always be used in addition to one built into the radiator. ATF operates hotter than engine coolant, and the heat transfer is much more effective from one fluid to another than with air. The 3AT is already a fairly fragile trans, don't cheap out on the cooling system, only to fry the trans. IMO, plastic end tanks are fine, as all metal ones are not always available. It's interesting you should bring that up, I work at AutoZone, and when I looked it up today, there's both the '85-'89 style rad (upturned lower port), and the '90-'94 one (straight out lower port) listed. Either can be used, but you will need the lower hose to match. The plastic-tank version you mention, is a spectra. Good part, I have one in my Celica. For that price, I probably wouldn't bother with the all-metal one.

No way to know whether the radiator in that car has a trans cooler or not without looking at it. If it is the original rad, it likely doesn't. But aftermarket radiators usually have the cooler and lines there, but just cap them off, so if it's been replaced, it probably does. New radiators are not terribly expensive. You can get an all metal one shipped to your door for $150: https://shop.performanceradiator.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=1_32557_32785_32790_32791&product_id=10879 I've used that rad on 2 cars, I'm VERY happy with them.

Bah. After some measuring and consultation, I've decided that modifying this diff would be an extremely bad idea. I would have to take about 80% of the material off, all the way around. And while it's not massively load bearing, it would still probably ruin a brand-new diff that retails for more than I've paid for most of the cars I've owned.... So..... 1.2:1 Low range. Would give me about an 18.8:1 Crawl Ratio. Which is, meh. But, would mean I could plow on with what I have. Use an open front diff. This would require new front axle stubs, as the ones I have have been modified for the Carbonetic front diff. I'd get to keep the awesome gears, but loose the awesome front LSD. Or, find a different brand front LSD that might be a bit smaller where it counts. EDIT: Just did some research on this front. Most front LSDs are Helical (don't want), and/or have male 25-spline axle stubs built into them. Either of these are deal breakers..... I don't really like any of those options.