Snowman

I didn't see anything about ea82's on their website. It looks like they're primarily an aviation engine company, which eliminates the possibility of using ea82s due to the fact that they have timing belts (Just imagine what would happen if a belt went out while in the air. Not so good.) Something that I will look into if I ever build a hi-po ea82 is their forged pistons, which should cross over no problem. It's also possible that their intake setups would bolt up to the ea82.

Hey there Grant, welcome to the board! This discussion kind of died out after I got busy with a bunch of stuff, but we should resume pursuing this idea, especially since we've had a number of new AK members come on the board recently. I don't know of any wagons available at this time. So yeah, anybody from AK, please speak up with your ideas, suggestions, etc. We really need to try to meet up some time as well!

Hmmm.... NAPA show saying to change your coolant more often.... Um, yeah, can you say conflict of interist? That said, I am all for changing coolant every two years or so, as it does get contaminated and the additives "wear out" so to speak. Lots of people don't understand the importance of regular scheduled maintenance. If you change fluids, belts, hoses, plugs, etc more often, the engine is going to function better with less stress. Less stress makes for longer engine life. That's why I'm a real stickler about these sorts of things with my cars and those of my friends. I believe without a doubt that is one of the biggest reasons why my 18 year old car that's creeping up on 180k, with one exception that was a stupid mistake, has never left me stranded.

You've got the right idea. The rocker covers are a simple and quick replacement. To do the pan gasket, you have to unbolt the motor mounts and jack the engine up a few inches to get in there. I would recommend a light coating of RTV silicone on the pan gasket. As far as the oil from the timing covers, it can come from three places. The most likely, as you mentioned, is the oil pump. The front crank seal is another possibility, but they don't generally leak much. The cam seals, however, are very common leakers on this engine and probably need to be replaced. I would recommend doing the R/C gaskets, oil pan gasket, cam seals, crank seals, and oil pump seals all in conjunction with putting on new T-belts. All of this is relatively easy stuff and can be done in a weekend if you're a first timer at it. I would also look at the water pump while you're in there, as it's also a good time to replace that if it's ready. Oh yeah, note on the oil pump seal. If your car has any serious mileage on it and the the oil pump shaft seal is leaking, it most likely have a deep groove worn in the shaft that makes it nearly impossible to fix by just replacing the seal. If your oil pressure is not terrific and you've got a little cash to spare, you could just get a new oil pump from 1stsubaruparts.com for around $140. Another option is to get a replacement seal that is a couple millimeters deeper or shallower so that it rides on a non-grooved area of the shaft. If you're interested in that option, I can look up the part number for you.

http://www.ramengines.com/_wsn/page2.html

I know that feeling. My mom's outback is kinda hard to get moving without some jerking, and I've felt the same thing some other EJ soobs that I've driven, so I would think that there isn't anything "wrong" with that specific car. I would believe that soft motor/tranny mounts could contribute to this. Not sure what else though. The throttle return spring is about average for tension (significantly stronger than on my car but nothing compared to TBI Chevys), and it doesn't feel like the clutch is grabby. To describe it, at least what I feel, it's just like when you are first learning to drive and are getting used to engaging the clutch. If you're not careful, it's jerky when starting from a stop or accelerating from just a few mph.

Yeah, I know this is not directly related, but I still think it's worth mentioning. As brought up by hush777, the rockers can be difficult to keep in place when mounting the cam carrier. I've found it works fantabulously to "glue" them in place with a healthy dab of assembly lube in the little cup that contacts the HVLA. I've never had one fall out of place using that method.

Yes, they discontinued the carbed ea82 after the 87 model year entirely now that I think about it. Oh yeah, gleeful little tidbit: I'm soon going to have an 86 SPFI d/r wagon. Rare yes, because they never came from the factory!

Those guys recommend subaru all the time. Mostly the outback/forester.

I parted out an 89 that was d/r w/spfi, if that helps any. I think all 4wd non-turbos were carbed through 87.

Hey everybody, A friend of mine is looking at buying a 95? impreza coupe. It's got the EJ18 and five-speed manual. About 100k on it. It would be his first subaru, and I'm still pretty new to the EJ cars, so I was wondering, what are common issues that I should check for? We're going to have the car for about an hour tomorrow morning, but I can't bring it in and put it on the lift. I do have a jack and stuff, so I can at least pull a wheel or two to check the brakes. Of course I'm going to check all fluids, inspect the CVs and look for any leaks or anything out of place, as well as a pretty thorough driving test. What else should I look for on this car? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Welcome to the board! I'm in Anchorage as well (going to UAA). Where are you located? When was the last tune-up? Does it have an automatic transmission? If it's an auto, there really isn't too much hope:drunk: (5-speed swap isn't too hard). You would be amazed what new plugs, cap/rotor, and checking timing will do for these cars. Also, run a bottle or two of Chevron Techron fuel system cleaner. I swear by the stuff. After that, I would throw in an Accel coil and wires, cut out the bottom of the airbox for improved flow, and ditch the crappy stock muffler for a three-chamber. Those are simple mods that really do make a difference. If you're looking for real performance, as was said, you could swap in a turbo engine. EA82T's came in these cars from the factory, so they're a simple swap and have decent power. I really want to follow SB's idea with the EJ swap, but that's a project for one with extra time and money, of which I have neither. It is possible that at 180k, it's getting a bit tired, but these are really low-stress engines so the short block tends to remain in good shape for a LONG time. How's the fuel economy? You might do a compression test if you've got the tester, or you could borrow mine. Well, good luck. And don't sweat that "warm welcome". It's really nothing personal. It's just that the question of ea82 performance or lack thereof comes up on a weekly basis, so some get tired of it.

Welcome, Ed. CV's are a GREAT way to learn more about how soobs work! That was the first job I did by myself on my car. If you need simple parts like brakes, belts, hoses, etc. I would just go to NAPA. For anything more, I would order from 1stsubaruparts.com. Call them rather than ordering online though. They've got SOA parts at better prices than NAPA usually does, and shipping isn't bad. If you need used parts, I may be able to help you out on that if you can wait a while, as I have all the parts I could possibly strip off of an 89 GL wagon sitting at my house in Haines. Good luck!

I would seriously consider resealing your engine if it's got that many miles on it. Just switching back will not cure the leaks, it will just be leaking cheaper oil. If it's coming from the rocker covers or the front of the engine, those seals/gaskets are a piece of cake to replace. The rear main seal is a different story if you don't have a cherry picker or some other way to yank the engine, but those don't tend to leak much as far as I know. The head to cam case mating surface isn't too bad to do, but it does take some time. I would guess that the O-rings in there are probably leaking a bit too. It all depends on how much time you want to spend and how anal-retentive you are about oil leaks. If you do want to replace any seals, get genuine subaru parts, as they are the ONLY way to go. 1stsubaruparts.com is a great discount outlet for SOA stuff. I've mentioned them so many times on the board not because I'm getting kickbacks, but because I'm an extremely satisfied customer.

As far as the three marks (why there are three is a mystery to me), those DON'T indicate TDC on #1. That's indicated by the degreed portion that you set the ignition timing from. I honestly don't know why those marks are where they are. Why didn't they just time it at TDC and adjust the marks on the cams accordingly? If anybody knows, I would love to learn why. If you've got any more questions, don't be afraid to ask. I may have some for you when I tear down my turbo motor at Christmas break.

Yes there are. They are both made out or cork or similar stuff. If your engine doesn't have them, then there might be some issues:lol: .

Oh, sorry about that! Please send to the Anchorage address. Thanks!

If you've got a 3-stone (non bottle-brush) hone, you might be able to get the rod to balance upright and hone around it. I don't know if that would work, but it's a thought.

Toybuilder is right on. I've used that method several times. Just be careful and you shouldn't have to worry about damaging the wrist pin or anything like that.

Alright, thanks guys! Wow, that makes me really happy that our cars don't have proportioning/metering valves or any of that crap that can go wrong. And with the pressures being the same as you say, that really goes to show that Subaru did believe in the "Lego engineering" philosophy (note: not the same as and much better than GM parts-bin engineering). I'll start looking for the parts immediately, hee hee!

I saw a black RX with 4EAT last year that looked too nice to be an owner install.

I'm not sure of the specifics on exhaust, but for torque I would go with relatively small diameter dual exhaust that's joined together with an X-pipe setup about where the stock Y-pipe joins. Run a three-chamber muffler on each pipe with no cats (Cartman: No kittie, that's a bad kittie!!!!). Others can tell you a lot more about exhaust for subies, I was just trying to point you in the general direction. For induction, I would recommend going one of two ways. As mentioned, you can swap on an ea82 carbed setup, either with the stock Hitachi or with a Weber. I would recommend a Weber and some experimentation with carb spacers for better low-end. If you are handy with wiring and have a good JY nearby, you could swap on an ea82 SPFI fuel injection setup, which would give similar power compared to a Weber but with better drivability characteristics, which is good for offroading. You can also probably get away with a bit more ignition timing advance than the factory setting. Stock is 8 degrees, and you can usually run around 12 on regular gas. Just listen carefully for any pinging. If you've got the cash, you might go for an MSD ignition setup, but that's a pretty penny. And of course, we must remember that before doing ANY mods, you should make sure that your engine runs its best, as a poorly tuned mod motor probably won't do as well as a stock engine that runs like a top. Get a new cap and rotor, plugs, 8mm or other large plug wires, Accel or similar high voltage coil, and if yours has solid lifters, check the valve lash settings. Best of luck!

Okay, so I was talking to my automotive professor about doing the rear disc conversion on Roxanne now that I've got bigger tires and stuff. I explained that it's been done countless times before with pretty good results. The only thing that we're worried about is the proportionin, metering, etc. valves. Before going fourth with this conversion, I need to get ABSOLUTE proof (i.e.: identical part numbers or extensive first-hand testing) that the hydraulic system doesn't need any modification, or if it does, what modification, in order to function as if the rear discs came with the car from the factory. Any concrete information or pointing me in the right direction to research would be great!

I would start checking around in the switch and relay area. A guy's wagon that I worked on had the low beams work intermittently but the high beams always worked perfect. I never delved into the problem, but I think that's where it may lie.

You guys are lucky! I had to post bond on the car for half of it's bluebook value, which I should be able to get back pretty soon as the mandatory wait period is over or close to it.