All_talk

What... Nobody?? Do I smell or something (sniffs under arm)? Well fine then, I didn't wanna drive with any of you stinky poo poo heads anyway. :-p See you there doo doo faces. Gary

If its a stock '87 sedan it will be a 1.8 (EA82). The 2.2 and 2.0 are the later EJ series engines that came in the Legacys and Imprezas. Gary P.S. I see you're a east sider, I'm up the road a bit in Thorp (Ellensburg), welcome to the best place for old Subes.

I’m with Keith on this one, in my experience a plugged filter likely to cause shifting issues long before slipping issues, slipping in gear is more likely worn clutch packs. If you plan on rebuilding it, sooner will be better than later, the longer you let it slip the more heat and damage it will do to other parts. I learned the hard way on the trans in my Suburban, I knew it was going but figured the cost would be the same if I drove it tell it really broke… not true. What would have been about $1500 in wearable parts became a shattered sun gear/shell, planet gears and hub… $2500. Gary

My gut feeling is with NorthWet on this one, without seeing some real science to back it up I’m pretty skeptical. I’m not saying it doesn’t work, just show me why. Here’s an article that professes the greatness of acetone, but I still don’t see any real science. There is some “conspiracy” talk, which suggests some unreasonable bias and makes me question the validity. There are many unsupported quotes like this, “Acetone allows gasoline to behave more like the ideal automotive fuel which is PROPANE”. http://www.lubedev.com/articles/additive.htm And here are some comments on the subject from engineering types in the automotive field. http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=119611&page=6 Gary

The EA82 cars seem to have some issues with slow reacting and sticking speed-O heads. My RX is a bit slow, I haven't tore into it yet to see if there is a fix, nor have I heard of anyone who has. Replacment with a know good/low mile head might be best, for now I drive by the tach most of the time. Gary

It seems that every leak in a EA Sube makes its way to the exhaust... oil, 90w, ATF, CV boot, all of them. I think the general rule is if the car stops smoking/smelling you better check the fluid levels... you out of something. :-p Gary

There are screws behind the buttons/cubby, you are going to have to pull the steering wheel to get the dash completely free. Gary

Yep 90w stinks bad, one of the worst automotive smells, right up there with smoked clutch and burnt ATF. Gary

Not sure about the ABA vs. AAA in the code, maybe Jamie (Subie Gal) at Chaplins could look up the code breakdown for you? I doubt the TCU will be an issue, I'm running a '97 4EAT converted to 3.9:1 with the stock '92 TCU in my SS without issue. Gary

Looks like I'm gonna be out late on Friday night so I won't get the crack-O-dawn start I was hoping for, but I will be headed west from Ellensburg (I-90) Saturday morning and would be glad to caravan with others if the timing works out. I'm thinking I should be rolling by 7:00am or so. Still haven't made the final choice on which car yet, Turbo Legacy or RX... Currently leaning tword the Leg. Gary P.S. I'll have my toolbox and will be sure to help out any stranded Subies along the way.

I’m pretty sure that the outer seal is part of the glass assembly and can’t be replaced separately, but I’d check with a good auto glass shop. For more info on fixing leaky Legacy sunroofs do some looking around over at LegacyCentral. http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=183 Gary

I'll bet ya 50 cents its the radiator, classic symptoms. Given the age of these cars and the average mileage, most of them are due for a new radiator, so I'm not suprised you have two bum ones. My RX (with 300,000 miles) is on at least its third and when I replaced the one in my '87 wagon (at 250,000) it look like it had been done before too. Best way to check for a bad/plugged rad is to feel the core for temperature variations (engine off), it can be tough on an A/C equipped car, you might need to pull the fan. Gary

I refer to our white '97 Suburban as "The Great White Whale". Gary

Hey Jerry There are a few here that know a bit about the swap and you can get some good info, but to get the full scoop from those who have done it go over to LegacyCentral and do some searching. http://bbs.legacycentral.org/ Also search around the NASIOC board. http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/ Gary

Cut, fit & weld... its the only proper lasting way. Gary

No VC in the 4EAT, just a hyd clutch pack controlled by the TCU by varying the duty cycle to "Solenoid C". The front is driven directly, with only power transfer to the rear going through the clutch pack. More pics inside the EJ 4EAT here: http://photobucket.com/albums/v204/All_talk/Subaru/4EAT/ Yes, you can overpower the clutch pack, but you can overpower the VC in the 5MT aswell.

Your not the only one with this dream, but there is just no way to do it with the Subie gearbox. The shafts could de driven backward if you address the thrust surfaces (and build a motor to run backward ), but the final drive will still be pushing on the wrong (back) side of the gears. If you really want to do rear engine (and dont need a lot of HP), look into an adapter and a VW gearbox. Gary

You guys are gonna make me get out my calculator. :-p Gary

I know that full boosting freeway ramps will get me to 80mph or so in the top of third. I could check red line in first and second for you but I'm driving the Turbo Legacy to work tomorrow. :-p Gary P.S. you could look up the gear ratios and do some math, if you like that sort of thing.

If its on solid from start up and never goes out you're not "in" power mode. The power mode light functions as a "CEL" for the TCU, a CTL I guess. If its always on or flashing its telling you the TCU has stored or active codes. Somewhere here or over on Legacy Central there is a procedure for checking and clearing the TCU codes. Gary

Yep, TPS is what sets the "power mode". I'd bet you're getting a TCU error code without the TPS. Is the power light always on or flashing? Gary

HCCI is a valid technology on its own and there are working models (see link). Its major challenge is controlling the timing of the ignition event. It shows some immediate promise in fixed RPM applications like power generation. If I had the capital I would love to do some research into a HCCI diesel for hybrid vehicles, ought to yield near zero emissions and about 100+mpg in the average sedan. http://www.ca.sandia.gov/crf/research/combustionEngines/EGR.php http://www.ca.sandia.gov/crf/research/combustionEngines/DIE.php http://www.me.berkeley.edu/cal/HCCI/ Gary

Hmmm... just finish some reading on the how stuff works site and the quasiturbin site. Lots of marketing lingo and very little engineering talk to explain how they will overcome some major practical issues. Apparently the only working models are pneumatic not combustion driven, thats a pretty complicated air motor. I'm betting they are actively corting investors. Why does this remind me of Moller's Skycar. BTW: "Photo-ignition" is their marketing friendly re-label for homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI). Gary

Its hard to see the exact color from the pics, but they look to have a slight tan tone to them, true? if so they look pretty normal. Off boost these car run pretty lean. For best power they should be a little darker. Gary

mwatt covered it while I was hunting and pecking. redundant info deleted Gary