Nug

I KNEW it was something else, anyways, if you delve into the heads, I would check a few things. First, if they are perfectly flat. milling them is inexpensive enough. This might thwart a headgasket problem in the future. Valveguides- Don't know if they are easily replaceable. New ones are cool, but probably would cost more than having them knurled, which, if they aren't worn to badly, is perfectly acceptable. Cam lobes-How worn are they? I'd do some measuring, just to be sure. I don't guess subaru's have problems with lobes going flat, but it's easy enough to check. Finally, have the valve springs shimmed or replaced to get the seat pressure back to where it's suposed to be. Springs always degrade over time. Good luck and keep us posted!

for "u-joint park #" (sic) There was some discussion on whether or not they were replaceable, and someone produced some part #'s.

Knurling the valve guides and reaming them, and having a valve job done, umm, $250? I still think you have problems elsewhere.

sometimes it's stamped, or has a sticker. Sometimes not. The side with all the springs and stuff, that side goes to the pressure plate.

Pilot bearing and throwout bearing are 2 different animals. As for 4th gear, it's harder to move the car in forth. You'll run over your feet in first.

Smack the alignment dowels around with a punch and hammer. They always get stuck, and they might need more than a little persuasion.

You're damned right !

I have done an EA82 conversion on a Super beetle. To make a long story short, I don't reccomend it. First, the engine is too damn wide. You are going to have to cut out all the rear bumper supporting stuff. All of it. You are going to have to cut a hole in the firewall for the disty. Basically, everything is going to be carved out of the back of thae car. Also, it's pretty much impossible to get the engine in there with the rear apron intact. I ended up cutting that off too, and just bolting on a new one. There is no support for the rear apron and half of each fender as we speak, for right now, anyway. The engine is pretty easy to wire up, so that's a plus. Even the spfi is easy, as the whole harness comes out of the donor car in one piece. The other MAJOR problem is that the Kennedy adapter for the EA82 has NO provisions for setting timing. No hole in adapter to see flywheel, and the replacement flywheel has no timing marks. So timing belt replacement becomes VERY interesting, and timing is now set by ear. But let me tell you something. That bug HAULS rump roast! It's great! Kennedy recommends the EA81, hands down. It fits, it's easy to hook up, easy to work on, can make decent power, and there are no timing belts. The EJ series engine fits in there like a glove. I had to cut off a lip on the rear apron to get it to go in. I had to cut a hole in the firewall to be able to fit the intake hose on, although, if you feel like fabbing a place for the alternator to go, you could probably turn the intake around and mount it backward. The EJ's are a b$@%& to wire up, you NEED the FSM for the car you are working on. This, BTW, is the only engine that comes with a wiring diagram from Kennedy, cuz it's hard. The directions are geared more for putting the engine in a vanagon, but they are still helpful. I also took quite a bit out of the oil pan, for ground clearance, so if you are making a Cal looker out of it, keep this in mind. I don't know where you would put a turbo, but there is enough room in various places nearby, so don't consider it an impossibility. The radiator HAS TO GO UP FRONT, PERIOD! You can put it in other places, but up front is the only place that has enough airflow, and we all know how sensitive subies are to overheating. Finally, you have to include a way to preload the engine to the frame i.e. a rear engine mount, hooked to the body. The flexiblity of the bugs rear end will result in damaging wheel hop, no matter the engine, if drivin spiritedly. This can be as simple as a piece of square tubing, padded, against the oil pan, with thick threaded rod hooked to the body and run through each end of the tubing. You just need to tighten the tubing against the engine, and add another 1/4 inch of tightening, and that's it. Do a search for Gene Berg enterprises. They have the highest quality engine mounting systems availible for VW's, and the drag racers use a lot of berg parts with sucess. They are also designed to be streetable, which is what we want. If anyone has any questions, emaill me at camshaftprelube@yahoo.com. Eric

Snap! I forgot the pilot bearing is in the flywheel, not the crank. Just take the flywheel off and knock it out. The grease trick will work on everything else.

I doubt very seriously that some slop in the valve guides would cause the power loss you are describing. What was vacuum at idle? Did you try the test for a plugged exhaust with the vac gauge? Are your throttle butterflies opening all of the way? I just reread the part about your ignition timing. I think you need to pull the timing covers off and see if the driver's side timing belt is off a tooth.

I used a small oak tree for a leaf spring once. But I won't hijack this thread further.

You might be able to rent a pilot bearing puller from Autozone, but I have a method that works real well. Get some dowel (sp?) rod. You know, round wooden rod, that is the same diameter as the inner pilot bearing hole, where the trans input shaft goes in. Might take some whittling on the bench grinder. Now pack the pilot bearing bore with grease. Put the dowel rod up in there and smack it with a hammer. It will hydraulic the bearing right out of there.

The bore in the carb that accomodates the throttle shaft...is it worn to the point where you can move the throttle shaft up and down, back and forth? If so, it has vacuum leaks around the shaft and the butterfly isn't ever going to align correctly. If this is your problem, the carb is junk, no amount of rebuilding or adjusting will fix it completely. The throttle shaft bore can be rebushed, but this type of effort is reserved for Italian carbs ie weber IDA's and Dellortos.

I would break out with a voltmeter and start doing voltage drop tests on the big diameter wires (battery cables, starter wires, etc). And I'd make sure the starter is grounded properly. yeah, i know it's bolted directly to metal. That sometimes doesn't mean anything.

I don't know whats behind it, but i think there's loctite on the threads. If you are gentle with a propane torch, you can soften it enough to get it out without being barberic.

Don't worry about it. My S-10 does it, my girlfriends toyota celica and VW cabriolet do it, and my vw (with air-cooled engine) did it. It's engine mayonnaise.

Maybe it's the ignition switch. How often do they go bad?

Jay, I'll send your corndog box back. No hard feelings, ever. I'm just glad this is straightened out. On a side note, I'm having a major vw jones right now, and I need a fix. And this poor car has been clogging my dad's shop since ummm, September.

Please get the NSN off of that can of stuff.

Do a search...apparently forester rear wheel bearings are worthless, and It's common and accepted to replace them with legacy bearings.

Honda's have bleeders. So do cummins diesels. And most domestic straight sixes SHOULD have them. Sounds like a good idea.

The pictures are of the same thing. I think it's a TCU.

Who else agrees that the pictures are of a TCU, NOT an ECU?

It's showing three of the four. The block #'s at the bottom, there is another one, look at another page in the FSM and you'll see it. I have the car completely wired up. With a four block ECU. And 90-94 are supposed to be real close. I think there is a general misconception that the pictures I put up are of an ECU. I believe it's a pic of a TCU.

Legacy 777's site shows the ecu. It looks the same in the pic i posted, the same cadmium plating and all. But the number of plugs is wrong. The one I'm showing has three plugs, the one i'm looking for has four. Also, the ecu I'm looking to replace is grey in color, not the cadmium color.