el_freddo

I’d say the most effective way would be tank out and clean with whatever method of choice. You could source a good, clean tank, put that in and be done with it too.

DOHC EJs fit in an L series engine bay without chassis rail mods. The dual range gearbox is only good if you’re going offroad - or might have situations where towing up an incline requires traction and “leverage”. If you’re building a road hugger, I’d go with the AWD box for better traction under acceleration.

And in the back of it too

You need an AWD dual range box to achieve what you’re wanting to do. The single range AWD gearbox is a solid upper shaft and the bottom lay shaft is a tube that has the front pinion shaft run through it. AFAIK the dual range 4wd gearbox uses a setup with the drive gears mounted on the pinion shaft for the front diff. I know more about the AWD L series box with the locking centre diff than the specifics on the dual range 4wd pinion shaft setup as I’ve not pulled that section apart. We’re lucky in Oz because our market came with dual range AWD gearboxes right into the late naughties. These parts are somewhat interchangeable with that locking centre diff gearbox you have. For example: my L series “Ruby Scoo” runs a bastardised locking AWD gearbox with the following setup: - phase 2 front cases with matching drive gearsets - L series 1.59:1 low range - L series locking centre diff pinion shaft - modified for 4.111:1 diff ratio - matching rear locking centre diff housing, shift linkages and tailshaft - oil “feeders” over the low range gearset to lubricate and keep cool on long climbs. The key is a phase 1 dual range AWD gearset - if you manage to score one of these it will fit into your L series front cases. The low range hub internally will need a small amount of machining to fit the EJ upper gearset shaft. There are threads around that explain this. Your biggest hurdle is the EH dual range gearbox/gearset if you’re in the states.

Ooh good questions. OBDI or OBDII - it doesn’t matter really - the wiring cut down is basically the same. Find the FsM that matches the engine and ECU to get the wiring diagrams and work out what’s what. Sometimes the Haynes manual will have a good pinout of the ecu with accurate wire colours too. The auto EJ22 can be told it’s a manual and work as such. You need to ground a certain set of pins at the ECU to “tell” it that it’s a manual… The EJ22 is bullet proof. Gen1s are non interference, Gen2s are interference. The difference is hydraulic lifters (gen1) and roller rockers (gen2). The EJ25 - it depends on which model. I’d avoid the DOHC EJ25D. But I’d do the EJ251 any day. Replace the head gaskets with the STi turbo EJ25 MLS gaskets and never look back. The EJ251 is a wicked engine with a flat torque curve through the rev range. It just feels like it keeps pulling! I know as I daily a Gen3 RX Liberty with the EJ251 and manual. I didn’t think the L series coupes came with a 4 speed, only the MY hatch - but this model runs an EA81 and I don’t believe they were still building them in ‘89. Gearbox will need custom mounts, probably need shift linkage mods and a custom tailshaft if you can’t work out a combination from OEM parts. I also recommend getting a donor vehicle that’s running. This way you know you have everything you need. Unless you know what you’re doing I don’t recommend mix and matching engines and ECU/wiring looms. On that note, the “rule” is phase 1 sticks with phase 1 engine management and vice versa with phase 2 gear; generally the ECU, wiring loom and intake manifold need to be a match and need to be same phase as the engine phase being used. Hope this helps

That purge control solenoid is probably faulty. Best to test the way the workshop manual says to - which is probably with ohms rather than voltage. The question still remains - why does blocking the purge control line allow the engine to run properly? Is there another version already on the wagon so it’s sucking from atmosphere rather than the tank? Probably need to work out what’s different with the fuel system between the two systems this engine was run with. That will be difficult since the original one is no more.

Try replacing the coil pack. The one on our 2000 RX Liberty (EJ251) gave out at ~480,000km. This gave a jerky drive sensation and was most obvious under load. Initially it was random but got to the point that it would always do it under load. Higher load = worst cut out etc. And yes, MAP on these engines.

What’s your lift combination with the heights/block size for the strut block, engine crossmember blocks and the gearbox crossmember blocks? What sort of springs are you running in the front end? I’m wanting to understand how your lift is possibly effecting your CV angles to max them out. Can you also measure the distance between the ground and the highest point on the arch of your mud guard/fender when the car is sitting naturally and then when jacking it up right at the point that the rubber starts to lift off the ground. This should measure your droop or downwards travel amount in the suspension.

I second what Numbchux said about the single turbo conversion - it’s a very common conversion for the twin turbo “aids”. If you replace vacuum lines do this methodically - cut the old lines open once the new vac line is installed. You’re looking for restrictors known as “pills”. These need to be retained for the system to work properly. Otherwise the usual remains in terms of turbos and reliability. Harder you go the quicker things will need maintenance attentions and usually the wallet flogging.

A turbo beanie will probably suffice. Or you could fold up some sheet metal to do the same thing the original chimney did in the first place. I have an STi converted SF forester that’s a sleeper - built by a mate. This does not have a bonnet scoop, rather it sports a turbo beanie and a water to air intercooler. The paint on the bonnet is not effected and I dare say it’s seen more heat than your EA82t will ever generate.

Ooh, part of me says it’s not a good idea to back them off and go again on those head gaskets. The other part of me says go for it, they’ve not seen a heat cycle yet. Worst case scenario you pop a HG prematurely. It an EA82 and not too complicated at the end of the day - “just” your time and some money. Your call on replacing the HGs if you choose to back them off and inspect those bolts. Do a search looking for a post by General Disorder about doing this exact thing with reusing head gaskets. I can’t remember what he recommended.

Do under the bolt head too. Engine oil will suffice.

When you say rear wheel wobble do you mean vibration? This could be caused by many things as noted - start with the basics: - check mounting bushes of gearbox, diff and tail/propshaft; check centre bearing of the tailshaft for movement. - check uni joints for any play. ANY movement in one of these (where you can move one bearing cap closer to the other without the other one moving) means you need to replace it. Which means mods or a new tailshaft. - check rear CVs for any unexpected movement. Also realise that putting the 2wd fuse in will still see the rear drive shafts, diff and tailshaft spinning when the car moves. It just won’t receive power from the gearbox - assuming you have the auto from your description. What speeds do these vibrations occur? Is there a specific gear it happens in? Can you induce it by driving “manually” by selecting the gear the auto is to be in? If it occurs in all gears when accelerating my thoughts are it will be an issue with the auto.

Nope. Meant EA82. The EA81 shifter is completely different to the EA82. Ahhh… sorry, it just clicked, you’re talking about an EA81 5spd. I’m pretty sure these are more like the EA82 setup too. I’m not used to the EA81 wagons being a fwd 5spd - we only got that gearbox in the hardtop coupes over here. All wagons were 4wd 4spd boxes. So with your sloppy shifter, get under the car: If you see a uni joint on the selector shaft it’s same or very close to EA82. It probably needs a set of bushes, I did a repair to mine once with a piece of garden hose… If the selector shaft is horizontal and has a sleeve over it then that thread fix *should* be of use. Hope this helps - and clears up some confusion!

Zero. The EA82 5spd is essentially the predecessor to the EJ 5spd and shares far more with with that box than the 4spd.

That 3 digit code at the start of the VIN I believe denotes the model and possibly the market it was sold in. This is the start of my VIN for my L series: JF2 And my Brumby: JF3 Interesting that my L series is a 1988 DL and my Brumby a 1990 GL (came with AC). Other than that I can’t tell you much more than the above about VINs. I do collect different VINs to source genuine parts through online searches that use VINs as the reference point.

Good point re tie rods - I’m chasing a knock in the front of one of our Pajero/Montero/Shoguns and was thinking ball joints. They’re probably original and with 460,000km on the car it’s probably time to change them… I’ll check out the tie rods and go from there, thanks for the tip!

No it’s not! Try Subarino auto electrical. He’s based in Perth and will send stuff internationally. The strut with the welded seat bolts in. Subaru obviously realised these were cheaper to manufacture and no one used the “wind up suspension” feature of the earlier struts. @SuspiciousPizza - I can provide you with an AUDM VIN if you need it.

I’d put my money on the aftermarket shafts being the issue. Been there a few times ;( I do like the suggestions from bushytails. As for the front diff issues, I’ve never seen an issue with the manual transmissions and their front diffs.

Wouldn’t it be easier to get another front subframe and build the diff mounts to that? My thinking is you’ll need the steering rack lowered as well - and the rear subframe may not sit where you need it to accommodate the suspension pick up points and steering rack mounts. The way this was always done in the MY and L series models from the ‘80’s was to use a second engine crossmember. In saying that we don’t have a rear suspension crossmember or subframe as such in these models. I’m keen to see how this pans out!

That sounds awesome. What size lift will you run in the cross trek? Should be an interesting and capable vehicle!

I don’t recall the EA82 having head bolt holes that go into water jackets. I you have it on an engine stand turn the holes to be cleaned upside down and let gravity do its work. You might only need to agitate it with a piece of wire. Then run the thread chaser down each hole again. Or so it on the bench by “whacking” the deck into a soft surface like a newspaper or towel on the bench. Anything that doesn’t come out shouldn’t be a problem.

Measure whatever lift block you have on the subframe or above the strut. I believe you can get away with removing half an inch from this measurement and use this to fabricate the new trailing arm mounts. If you can make your own mounts, you have the advantage of making several sizes to see what works best for you and keeping your costs down in the process.

I have not done this and those that did this years ago are most likely long gone from the forum. One of the biggest factors is your driving style and mechanical sympathy. With a dual range gearbox and the dual range divorced transfer case and the addition of 4.44:1 diffs, you could run larger tyres and crawl really slowly - best of both worlds. What vehicle are you putting all of this into? If a vehicle with an AWD, you’ll need to weld the centre diff. Being a 1.44:1 low range it’s either an MY chassis or the sf forester (but I didn’t think you guys got the dual range gearbox from factory in the states).

I love your checklist of stuff you worked through, very systematic! Interesting about the low range, you’re probably keen to know what the issue is. I’m keen to see a low range for the 5spd! That redesigned rear knuckle “just paid for itself” (quote from “The Castle”) with that bolt on bearing replacement! I bet the rally crew would be interested in a set of these knuckles! Keep up the good effort!