Snowman

Hmmm....... That is an interesting idea. It does sort of make sense. The three issues that could raise are: what would this do to the cat? would this increase rust? and I can't imagine that this temperature fluctuation is going to be good for the exhaust system. Maybe that stuff doesn't matter or is insignificant, I don't know. This is something to look into though.

I know that XT6 alternators can be adapted to fit on ea81 and ea82 subarus. How about a legacy or impreza alternator? Those cars are a lot more common, so alternators would be much easier to come by, as well as cheaper. Any ideas?

The EGR valve can be cleaned quite easily, although it can be difficult to remove on later carb models b/c of other stuff in the way. As far as I know, your two cars use the same one, and even if they aren't exactly identical, they can be interchanged without any problems. If you need to get a new one, just go to a junkyard and grab one after inspecting it and testing it's functionality (suck on the the vacuum hose that controls it, and if the little pin moves and opens the port, it's good).

Good thing I never actually read my Haynes manual. Maybe the axle is pressed in when it's new, but you don't have to take it to a shop to change the axle. Just continue tapping on the axle stub as you did. Only hit it as hard as is required to get it through, and hit it straight on, and you won't damage the bearings. Also be careful of the bearing seals when doing this. When installing the new axle, carefully work the stub through the bearings (pay attention to the spacer between the inner and outer bearings, as the axle can hang up on this if it's not lined up just right) until you can start pulling it through by cranking down on the big nut. When using the "cranking-on-nut" method, you can start out with just putting the big washer up against the inner race of the bearing, but be VERY careful not to to too far, as it will press-fit the washer onto the axle stub, which sucks big time. If the axle stub won't quite get far enough out to use this method yet, you can pry against the bearing housing with two screwdrivers jammed into opposing holes on the end of the stub. Again, be careful of the seal when doing this. Hope this helps.

Cool. It'll be a bit before I can get it done since I'm kinda busy right now, but I will get on it.

I am currently planning on using 14" Chevy LUV truck rims. They may cause the tires to stick out too much, which could be an issue since my car has no lift. So far, the rims with the closest-to-stock offset that I have seen were on an early-nineties Isuzu pickup. If I can score a set of those cheap I'll use them, but since the chevy rims were free (found an abandoned truck in pieces), I'll probably just make those work.

I'm sure that it is just my never ending urge to try to be helpful and make myself seem important and knowledgeable at the same time, but I have a topic that might be useful. If you have looked at my signature, you will notice that one of the listed mods is a strut brace. This is a really easy thing to make and install, and actually has proven very worthwhile so far. If you want, I could produce a very detailed writeup of the procedure complete with pictures. It's just a thought.

Since I am going to do this in the near future, I have done some research on this topic. The two methods that I am currently looking at are: Taking the rims to a machine shop, where they can put it on a machine that can turn that out in five minutes. I am also thinking about grabbing a brake drum, pounding out two opposing studs, bolting it up to the rim with the existing two studs, and using that as a guide. I'm sure there are other good ways to do it as well, which I would love to hear about.

I can't remember which system the problem lies in, I think it might be the AIS and not the EGR.

I don't mean to diss your answer or anything, Russ. Also, I am just going on my intuition here, so I am not a terribly reputable source. I think you have to get it timed correctly. Having it timed at the wrong top dead center would make it properly timed for the #1 cylinder, but the others would most likely be screwed up.

Well, good news and bad news. According to the big exhaust cheese in the city of Anchorage, my engine has japanese-spec emissions stuff, so it can never pass here. The area of concern is a little pipe that is either for exhaust or air that connects to the passenger side head near the exhaust port. Apparently it has to connect to the other side as well. If that is true, I'm hosed, or at least that engine is. However, there are a few lights at the end of this long dark tunnel. They did give me a temporary sticker that lasts until november first. I do have a car back in Haines that can pass (Ruby), which I can bring up during Thanksgiving break. I wouldn't like having Ruby as my primary car, though, because of her 3 speed auto, single range 4wd, and the fact that she isn't tricked out like Roxanne. Also, one of my professors here said that if I bring the car to class on saturday, he can figure it out and help me adjust the carb and things to get it to pass. He says that this Japanese-spec difference has to be B.S. and that the tailpipe readings that I had before are easily dealt with without any changing of carbs or anything major. In addition, if all of this fails and Roxanne is doomed in her present state, then ea82 turbo swap here we come! OR, maybe if I can use Ruby as my transportation for a while, Roxanne can be blessed with a healthy dose of EJ20T. So, my remaining question is: Does anybody know what the deal is with this Japanese vs. American emissions stuff? Any help can be appreciated, as this may deprive me of my dear sweet Roxanne except for during the summers when I'm in Haines.

Huh, I never thought of that being a possibility for setting timing. I don't have a vacuum gauge yet, but I will have a timing light in a couple of weeks, since it is on the tool list for the auto classes I'm taking at the university.

It would appear that a visual inspection is required even if it passes tailpipe emissions, but maybe that was just as the a$$hole-nazi place that I went the first time, and yes, there apparently is an invisible air shield around the UAA campus. I now have a plan: Tomorrow morning, the car is going to what appears to be a pretty reasonable I.M. place that also does repairs. I have already returned everything to stock and adjusted the idle mixture a bit lean. The place I'm going to this time actually gets it that the O2 sensor can just sit there, and they did suggest the plug idea as well. Just before I go, the car (not me) is going to ingest a large quantitiy of alcohol. If I can get it to pass this time, then I can figure out what to do next. A redline weber is probably the way to go if that will pass I.M. The more likely solution will be putting on my good spare carb when I go home for Thanksgiving, or maybe have it mailed to me. If it doesn't pass this time, I will park it at a friend's house until I can get a different carb on it. The biggest problem arises in the fact that my dad has no respect for my mechanical abilities, for my car as a whole, or for vehicle modifications such as weber carbs, so he will probably make me get if professionally fixed and kept stock, which will just run up a huge bill for me and I will end up with a stock vehicle that still doesn't run any better than it does now. Also, I suspect that the ignition timing is a couple degrees behind what it should be, since I haven't set it for a year and a half. What sort of effect could this have? I don't have a timing light at this point, so it can't really help anyway, but I would like to find out.

Just moved to the big city to go to college, and I just miserably failed an emissions test. The car is now in the hands of a competent mechanic who also can do I.M.s. If anybody has any suggestions or ideas on what to do or where to start, it would help, because it could be expensive to fix. Here's the story in full: Tailpipe emissions:boohoo: : HC and CO2 levels are through the roof. Probably too much so to try the alcohol trick. The mechanic says that it's running way rich. I also have noticed a drop in fuel economy recently, and the two rear spark plugs seem kinda dark and much darker than the front two. He seems to think that the carb is dumping fuel in. I'm thinking I need to get the carb rebuilt. Visual inspection:madder: : (here's the ugly part) What the report says: Major vacuum leaks, vacuum lines/wiring modified, oxygen sensor inoperable, egr removed, warm air valve modified. What I make of this: The car runs great so there can't be any major vacuum leaks. I have experimented with some vacuum stuff to get the secondary to open better, which is now disconnected and not doing anything,but still there with some open lines that are plugged on the other end. My car has a two-barrel Hitachi, which to the best of my knowledge has NO computers whatsoever,and did not come with an O2 sensor. There is an O2 sensor on the vehicle, however, because I installed a new Y-pipe from a later-year car that has a sensor in it. There is nothing to connect the sensor to. WTF? They say that the egr was removed or modified. I find that interesting because I have inspected the egr and its operation in great detail, and it is all there and in perfect working condition. The warm air valve was in fact disconnected as part of a successful experiment. Until I pass the I.M., I can't park on campus, so it has to be done even if it costs several hundred dollars to do so. GRRRRRRRR. Any helpful ideas?

I bow down to thee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All along I knew that you could do it, and I too am waiting for the video and pics.

Those little plastic ties are the best thing since sliced bread. I used two of those in place of a CV boot clamp, and they lasted for quite a while. They never failed, I just replaced the axle eventually. I also have an inordinate amount of them holding things onto my car in various locations.