el_freddo

Dashboards can be re-skinned, usually expensive but comes out like new! Well worth the effort for a much better looking instrument cluster. You’ll be right with this and the other swaps mate Cheers Bennie

Agree with what Al says. If you have the six gauge dash it’s worth the swap. Digit dash not so much but some ppl are into them! The power steering - the engine crossmember will fit the power steering rack no worries, but four spot welds on the hacking plate need to be removed. Replace with nuts and bolts - same as a factory PS setup. Definitely dash out for AC! Good time to swap in the longer dash and cluster of your choosing (digital or six gauge analogue - need the wiring specific to the instrument cluster!), or keep the factory dash with the AC wiring behind it. If you go with the touring wagon console and power windows, it basically an interior swap. But if you change the bracket that mounts the console to the dashboard, you can easily retain the factory brumby console without electric windows but with the long dash arrangement. I hope that makes sense! Cheers Bennie

- 5 speed box is either front wheel drive only or a conversion from an L series that retains 4wd. - power steering is a direct swap over - AC a direct swap over - power windows need some mods for the window to go all the way down. I’ve done it before. - power windows - I didn’t know these were an option!! That or it doesn’t have any. Power steering: a good time to put new boots, new rack ends and tie rod ends on the rack while it’s out. The gearbox swap should be straight forward. Fuel injection, you’ll need a later model L series SPFI unless you can dig up the rare EA81 turbo and fit that (L series turbo management will run it no worries). Cheers Bennie

The bolts are in a larger hole and the thickness of the bolt thread. So the hub can effectively move closer to, or away from the swing arm mount a few mm. And by raising the bolts relative to their holes, it twists/rotated the hub face so the tyre can have loads of positive or negative camber. I hope this helps Jono! Cheers Bennie

Welcome Rafavidmess! I say keep both of you can!! Which one is the better of the two? I didn’t understand if you were talking about the brumby/MV or the wagon. Cheers Bennie

I can tell you what they ARE doing: loosening the three bolts on the outer swing arm to make adjustments. These three bolts are set from factory or the dealer as part of the final inspection and are deemed “unadjustable”. You need a shop that can look at toe, camber and castor as one setting - those three bolts do all of that for the rear end - it all depends on how they move the hub part of the swing arm in relation to the front section of the swing arm with the three bolts. Tiny movement/changes at the two halves of the outer swing arm make big changes at the top, bottom, front and rear of the tyre. It’s not an easy adjustment to get right - and access to those bolts is limited. Cheers Bennie

Welcome Grennick! Cheers Bennie

It will work. The gearbox is probably an 8 bolt at the bell housing and your EJ22 will be a four bolt. Just use the four bolts to hold the gearbox and a engine together. You will need to arrange a stud for the lower starter motor mount as the gearbox uses this as a bolt in the 8 bolt setup. Or just use the top mount bolt to do the job. Ive done this with my L series - gen1 EJ22 four bolt engine, 2003 forester SG eight bolt (phase 2) gearbox. Cheers Bennie

If you connect that line to the radiator’s overflow line from the filler cap, you’ll just be pressurising this line from both ends. You’ll need to add an overflow bottle and have both of these lines end in the bottle. Or run two bottles - one for each line. Then you’ll know which cap is doing all the work Cheers Bennie

I understand the power plant swap and I’m all for it. If you want the sleeper look, don’t lift it! An AWD box in there will get the power to the ground and make the car very nice to drive without worrying about spinning front wheels all the time! Just throwing ideas out there if you really don’t need the lift. Cheers Bennie

Looking at some of those pics you have one very clean and tidy MY wagon! I’m kind of wishing you had something a bit more ratty to off-road in! For the EJ conversion, if not running AC, remove the wiring associated with the AC system. Otherwise it all stays where it is. You can either run wires from the EA81 engine loom plug to the likes of the oil pressure sender/oil warning light switch or cut down the small wiring loom to retain these two wires. To keep your factory temp gauge accurate as it is now, it’s a good time to have the coolant crossover pipe modified to fit the EA temp sensor in it. The EJ one is smaller and reads very low on the factory temp gauge when used. Alternatively run an aftermarket gauge plumber into the heater hoses on the outlet one. Cut down your EJ loom and lay it out over the factory wiring where possible. Parts of the wiring will naturally lay out in other areas. Some thought will need to go into this! Cheers Bennie

Sounds like what moosens said - disconnected speedo cable. This will throw a code for the vehicle speed sensor as that is in the instrument cluster, driven by the speedo cable. No need to pull the cluster or the ECU. Cheers Bennie

Yes, the cam markings that are lines. I wanted to be specific about this as the arrow on the cam wheel is used to indicate which cylinder is at top dead centre. Some people use this arrow to line up their timing and wonder why the engine won’t run - then wonder why the arrow is there! Cheers Bennie

Welcome Riverrag! There will be plenty of ppl with experience in the outback model Cheers Bennie

I have not ever counted teeth on the belt. Waste of time! Line up the lines on each of the wheels with the corresponding marks on the cam covers and crank angle sensor mount. Install belt (May have to rotate one cam slightly to allow for slack in the belt AND keep the correct alignment). Once everything is lined up and belt installed, pull the magic pin. Rotate crank twice, lining up the crank mark. Both cam wheel lines should be within a mm or two of the cam cover marks if they’re not bang on. If they’re more than this, do it again! If it’s consistently off (with adjustments in your figment method) I’d recommend changing the belt for a genuine new unit. Cheers Bennie

Dunno mate, you’d have to look into it. Is the thumb wheel for the cluster illumination lights plugged in? If so, do you have a second one to swap in and try? Cheers Bennie

I reckon that particular tensioner is not a genuine item. I’d be very surprised if it is. If genuine, you should see the Fuji Heavy Industries logo cast into the side of it. It’s a boomerang looking logo (did I get that right @Steptoe ) I’ve compressed them using a G clamp as previously mentioned, always on their side. An Allen key or a nail/pop rivet (used pin or new unit) works a treat to hold the tension! Cheers Bennie

Will definitely need mods to fit: - new tailshaft or use the ‘88 unit with the centre bearing mounted to the floor somehow. - if the output stubs are 23 spline count, this will use the factory shafts on your EA81 vehicle. - flywheel needs machining to change the height of the step, this gives the correct space to clamp the clutch disc. Use the EA82 clutch pressure plate, throw out bearing and clutch fork. - shifter linkages: can fit the EA82 units with the matching console, OR use the gear lever from the EA82, and mod the EA81 4wd lever to mate to the EA82 gear under the car. This retains the stock interior. Do a search on here. Plenty of threads about it. There are several ways to do the gearbox mounts from what I’ve read Cheers Bennie PS pls use capital letters only at the start of sentences, and for names etc. It will make it easier to read your posts

Could be a dodgy earth, or a loose connection behind the instrument cluster. The back lights could be the dimmer wheel not plugged in, faulty or set to the lowest setting (off!). Cheers Bennie

Maybe one that didn’t come back? Cheers Bennie

Nothing wrong with these tensioners. Just make sure it’s genuine. If you want to swap over to the later tensioner, you’ll need the matching mounting plate. And also check out YouTube videos of their knocking tensioners when the seal breaks on them. Always go genuine with the tensioner for this reason! Cheers Bennie

Yeah wow, I’ve never seen a tensioner like that before! I’d get a second hand one. Install it, reset the cam and crank timing, and get the engine started. THEN look into buying a full cam kit. Don’t get the kit until the engine is running, otherwise it’s a potential loss of money in the event you can’t get the engine running. Cheers Bennie

Welcome to the forum MM. Not too many XV owners around on the forum - maybe you’ll be the start of that trend?? Cheers Bennie

Use the crank key way as the reference. From memory it’s 180* out from the timing mark on the crank timing gear. If the keyway is at 6 o’clock and the cam markers don’t line up, you’ve found your issue. Make sure you use the little line on the cam wheels to line things up, not the arrow! Cheers Bennie

PS: actually, grounding to the door switch wouldn’t work I don’t think. I’ve confused myself on this one now...