All_talk

I'm an old VW guy (and an Engineer). I doubt you would see measurable gain from polishing the crank and rods, there velocity alone will shed the oil quickly and I believe the subie engine has a good windage tray. RPM is a big factor in these kind of losses, and while 6000 isn't to bad its not the 12,000 that high end race engines run. Polishing the case could cause some trouble (I know it can be disastrous for a air/oil cooled VW), as it will reduce heat transfer. Polished surfaces have much less surface area than the raw casting, the oil will hold more heat instead of passing it out through the case and to the water jacket. In fact, one of the important things that oil does is transferring heat from the friction producing areas to cooler places in the engine so if it spends a little clinging to the case its really not a bad thing, as long as its not so slow that you’re pumping the sump dry. Gary

I don’t like where this one is headed, so before is gets to name calling (not sure that it hasn’t already :-\ ), I’d like to interject a point that is true here and just about everywhere else. There is more than one “right way”, what’s best for you is most likely not best for all. As for the argument at hand, its all about what YOU want to do. Some people would wonder why any of us spend a minute messing around with these old crummy little disposable import, if you want to off raod buy a jeep, if you want a sportscar get a Porsche... BS justifying logic aside, its because we want to, weather it makes since to anyone else or not. Armchair philosopher Gary

OK, here’s my dream … RX6 TT (twin turbo), just imagine the 2.7 with two EA82 turbos, and a WRX IC (making use of the twin inlets ), probably use EA82T pistons and regrind the cams to turbo spec, should be good for 175hp at least. I was looking under the hood of the RX the other day and I think there could be a way but I would want it to look pretty stock. If I switch the front trim out for the DL stuff and remove the inner lights I think the radiator could be moved well forward. There is certainly room to set the engine/trans back in the car, but it would put quite a bit of angle on the axels, they might even need to be a bit longer. The real trouble with this is that you would have to limit the angle of the inside wheel at full lock not to toast the outer CV. Shift linkage would need to be rearranged a bit too. How much longer is the ER27 than the EA82? I’d guess about 5” or so. I’m sure it wouldn’t be easy but if it were easy everybody would do it, right? I know many will say just go with the EJ, but that misses the point, the idea is to build a car that could-have-been, kinda like the factory specials that Detroit did in the ‘60s. And a mans gotta have a dream:banana: Gary

Sounds like it could be the start of the "governor problem", do a search and check out the fix here: http://usmb.net/repair/?CurrentDirectory=FOLDER_3f29b58f50d9b8.15492800/&FileType=Article&File=ARTICLE_3f57fdb83de231.34713659.art Gary

Kinda a long shot but since Nissan is a sister Co of Subaru you might look at similar vintage Nissans with larger engines. Gary

A clutch is a fairly major job (even in a sube), for all the time and effort involved it would be best to do it all while you're in there, disk, pressure plate, through out bearing, pilot bearing and flywheel resurface, rear main seal would be a good idea too. That said, I know about being broke and I have put used clutch parts in my VWs in the past. In the end its only you time and labor that may be wasted, and I know that some of us have a lot more of those than money. Tricks when using a used disk: look for one close to full thickness. If there is ANY sign of oil or grease find another. A soak in brake cleaner can never hurt. Use some fine emery paper to surface (glaze break) the flywheel, pressure plate and disk, use light pressure and a swirl pattern. Gary

3500-4000 for normal drivin around, 5500-6000 when I'm gettin after it. Note: I usually go a gear higher once up to speed so the cruse revs stay under about 3000. Car is a '87 RX (my wagon is a 3AT). Gary

I my opinion the EA82 is a very good engine, if treated well they will go 250,000 miles and still run great. And they have good bottom end torque which is great for off road, subie conversions are popular with the VW baja and sand rail guys. Snowman covered most of the possible quirks (I’d call them quirks as none of them are serous problems), however there is one thing I will add. The EA82 (as well as most all engines with aluminum heads) does not fair well when overheated, they will blow head gaskets, if overheated severely the heads will crack. If your cooling system is in good order this should be a non-issue, but I would suggest you install a good water temp gauge and keep an eye on it. Gary

I log 175 miles a day in my ’87 RX (bone stock… for now), I’ve been running 87 octane with no real trouble. I have noticed some detonation as the boost just comes on, its seems more pronounced when the engine is cold. Now that the weather is getting warmer it seems to be a little worse and I may be getting some detonation at lower RPM full throttle. I think 87 is just a bit to low, I should try the mid grade and see if it makes a difference, I’d just run premium but money’s real tight right now (only working 32 hours a week) and the cost adds up. I’d like to get an intercooler installed, it might bring down the temp enough to make 87 useable. Gary

Subyluvr you are the man! So now the math... that makes the XT6 fronts 11% stiffer than the RX and the 4WD wagon rears are 10% stiffer. And since the wagon rears are a bit longer than the RX and the XT6 are shorter I will have to cut more off the rears to get the ride height correct and that will stiffen up the rears a bit more... looks like a GREAT match to me. Any info on the XTT/XT6 sway bars?

Hey guys I'm trying to gather information on all the stock spring, shock and sway bar combos. Buy now most of us have seem the posted chart (see pic), but its missing the data for the XTT & XT6. So if any body has the info for both front and rear: (I think the XT FSM would have it) spring rate damping force sway bar size I’m hoping to create a dual sport setup for my RX, lower and stiffer for street/autoX, with height adjustment for snow/rallyX. The plan as of right now is RX struts with 4wd wagon springs in the rear and XT6 springs up front (provided they are a similar increase in stiffness), both springs will most likely be cut down and adjustable spacers/top mounts added. I believe the XTT has a 20mm front sway bar, which would be good as long as there is a suitable upgrade for the rear to keep the balance. Gary

We’ll I finally checked the switches (it was a crazy weekend, son’s graduation/family reunion kind of thing), sorry for the delay. The top switch (single vac/pressure line) is the one for the boost gauge/”heavy load” signal. Its normal open and trips just above 0psi. The lower one appears to be the over boost/duty solenoid, the contacts are normally closed. I’m not sure exactly how this thing works, I could not get the switch to trip no mater how I pressured it, I think the contacts may just be for the coil in the duty solenoid. I’m going to have to do a bit more testing to figure out how this thing works. Gary

Yep, the Mitsubishi 3000GTS (aka Dodge Stealth R/T), was 4wd and 4ws. They were not the greatest performance car because they were a bit portly (about 3400lbs as memory serves). I think the rear steer angle is about 30% of the front and maybe locked out at some times. I know that the Prelude’s system counter steers at low speed, is inactive at moderate speeds and reverses to parallel steer at high speed (think lane change). Gary

The rear toe is adjusted by sliding the position between the di-angle arm and trailing arm at the three mounting bolts. I think the adjustment is pretty limited but slotting the holes should give more range (old VW trick). BTW, the caster can be fine tuned by tilting at the same location. Rear toe out will add oversteer but will be most effective on the corner exit due to weight transfer, its good to adjust out understeer when powering out. But be carefull adding toe out to help with turn in, the car may get real squirelly when you get back on the power. Gary

Just took a quick look under the hood, I don’t know how to tell one EJ from another so I cant say what size it is, its still in the project stage, looks like some wiring and shift linkage is wants left to do. Seems to fit well and the frame rails don’t appear to be modified, it has the EJ trans, couldn’t get a look at the main crossmember but mount under the trans looks to be based on a stock part, not hand made. I really don’t know the EA81/Brat stuff well enough to tell what’s been changed, one of the guys in the shop said “we had to do a s**t load of work under that thing”. I'll try to find out a bit more. Gary

I’m still running stock boost so I haven’t tackled it yet, if I get a chance tonight I’ll check the continuity of the switches. Gary

LOL, that was quick, I figured there might be a little interest, I'll see what I can do, maybe get some pics. If I talk with the owner I'll suggest he join our little board and tell us all about it. Gary

You're right, but you would with the tow bar. Gary

The Shop behind my work is working on a Brat with an EJ, I could only get the hood up enough to recognize the intake runners (I dont know EJs well). I’m sure it’s a real tight fit, if anyone wants more info on it I’m sure I can get a closer look, maybe even chat with the owner, let me know. Gary

Look here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14610&highlight=hot+wire+fuel Gary

I can probably help you out, I’ve got 2 tow rigs (’90 Ford diesel van and ’97 Suburban), a tow bar and an 18’ flat bed trailer, so all angles are covered. And I’m sure there is some things on a XT6 that I could use on my RX. To be legal the car needs current tags, you could get a “trip permit” if all the paper is in order, or take a chance but I don’t want the ticket on my license. I’ll PM you my cell number, when were you thinking of making the run? Gary

I’ve spent all my years driving old worn out cars that others threw away (I’m only 35 so not all that long), and for the last 9 years I’ve been using them for a 175 mile a day commute over a mountain pas (in the snow… barefoot… up hill… both ways), here’s a few things I’ve learned… Consistent daily use will show the week points… Make daily checks of all fluids and note there usage based on mileage (not days), this will become very important when you are logging hundreds of miles a day. If there are leaks or even damp spots find out where its coming from, you may not need to fix it right away but knowing the source will help you decide if it’s a pending failure. Note on finding leaks on old cars with wet dirty bottoms: after a drive, park on a clean floor or sheet of cardboard, trace any spots straight up (gravity you know ), follow the path from there. Make a note of gauges under various driving conditions, trends, quirks. Listen and feel, get to know the car, you’ll be better at detecting abnormal if you have a good sense of normal. Special note: if you sense something is amiss, turn down the stereo and listen! SMELL, your nose can be your first indicator of impending doom. Don’t ignore what you know, if there is something that need attention, get to it. Almost all of my on-the-road failures have been due to things I procrastinated on. Similarly, don’t make half-assed repairs, they will ALWAYS come back to bite you, and at the worst time. Emergences are excluded from the half-assed rule, but don’t let the roadside repair stand as permanent. Take note of the tools you use when working on the car at home, take as many of then with you as is practical. Be careful using air tools and such in the shop, you may find yourself cursing that ½" drive impact gun when facing a stubborn lug nut or pulley bolt on the side of the road. Bring all the stuff GD mentioned plus a flashlight, manual, rags, some wire, duct tape, zip ties and a cell phone. Have a good, REAL spare tire, a temp may be fine to get to the service station around the corner, but out on the highway 100 miles from anywhere it has no place. Catastrophic failures are normally preceded buy ample warning. Be prepared for what you can, deal the rest as it comes. And despite what some will tell you… Poop rarely just happens, its typically provoked. Gary

Looks like its desinged to work with a MAP sensor, may not be compatable with the Subes MAF system. For the '86 and earlier cars with the vane type MAF I believe all you need to do is unplug the connector (I'm sure other can confirm this). For the later hotwire type MAF the FSM tells tail of an over pressure switch to activate the fuel cut, you should be able to dissconnect or bypass it. I'm still running stock boost so I haven't tackled the issue yet. Gary

Seems like it might be a little messy on a top mount, have you noticed any issues? I would think the ideal set up might be to have it boost/charge temp controlled with a manual override. It would be nice to see the affect on charge temp during a hard pull, any measured or seat-of-pants data? Gary

yeah, I say go for the 5-lug and sell me the pug's. And if you (or anyone) is really looking for a Z-car... Have I got the car for you... Here's my '74 260 2+2 I've got set of 15" alloys lined up to finish the look, carpet and dash cover inside and then shes ready to roll.