All_talk

Hey Keith Well maintained Subaru bottom ends seem to be good for 300k+, but it does make sense to do it all while you're there, only difference is with the Subie (compared to other engines) if you leave the bearings you dont have to split the case. You gonna re-ring it too? Then again there is the sleeping dog theory... On re-reading, this post may be of little use to you, lol. Gary

No the ring gear in the Subaru transaxle cannot be flipped and no the VW parts will not fit. The VW boxes use a spiral bevel gear set which has the pinion shaft on center of the axle, the Subaru (and most other cars) use a Hypoid type gear set, similar to the spiral bevel but the pinion shaft runs below the center line of the axle. Gary P.S. Yes, you can run the rear diff upside down (its been done), but the higher fluid level required will add some drag and could cause some issues with oil foaming.

Yes Gary

I may be reading this wrong but it sounds like you are saying the rear wheels are driven hydraulically driven? Not true, the inner shell is attached to the end of the main output shaft, the rear wheels are mechanically driven by the same shaft as the front wheels, the line pressure only engages the clutch pack. But yes, there is no center diff, the 4EAT is like a FWD trans with a PTO to drive the rear. Gary

Hey Keith The rear drive clutch pack is open with no pressure applied, but the duty solenoid works opposite of what you’d think, it applies full pressure at low voltage and no pressure at full voltage. So the FWD fuse puts full voltage to the solenoid and removes the pressure from the clutch pack. From what I have read there are two common causes for torque bind, In the older (pre ’97 I think) the tail shaft runs directly in the aluminum tail housing without bearings, and once worn it can bind or ratchet in the housing. The second is the failed (or failing) duty solenoid “C” which leaves you locked in AWD. If installing the FWD fuse removes the torque bind then the solenoid is good and the problem is something else. Here's a pic of the clutch pack and solenoid C, more pics inside the 4EAT here: http://photobucket.com/albums/v204/All_talk/Subaru/4EAT/ Gary

I'm pretty sure the XT6 has them. Gary

yeah, the EA82 is overhead cam, the older EA81 is the 1.8 overhead valve (cam in the case, just like a VW engine). Kennedy has a great rep, they should deal you straight. Gary

Another (third) possibility... rings seal in two places (well three), the cylinder wall and the ring lands in the piston. How did you prep the ring lands for the new rings? New rings also require break in, you want to avoid constant engine speed, accel/deccel is the normal procedure to get both the uppper and lower lands to seat. Just a thought Gary

Yeah, I'm with Pat on this one, that wear pattern looks pretty normal. But you're right only a measure will tell for sure. Gary

You do what you want with your pineapple and dont tell me what to do with mine! Pineapple Nazi !

If they're new then no, but if they came out of that block then its a VERY good idea to put them back into the same bores. Gary

All HALE THE PINEAPPLE THE PINEAPPLE RULES !!!

It really depends on what you wany the car to do (or do differently than it does now). In stock form most cars understeer qiute a bit (its a safety thing), so a good place to start is a bigger rear sway bar. If overall tightening is your goal you really should look at some stiffer springs, but the stock struts wont be enough to control them... one thing leads to the next. You really need to look at it as a complete system, decide what you want from the car and do your research. Gary

Hey Sandsuby, is that a JDM twin turbo I spy in those pics? Sweet! Nice setup, looks like a screamer. Gary

NOW THATS KICKIN IT OLD SCHOOL !!! You're livin my dream, good show man. Gary

I'm a fellow VW guy and am also hatching plans for a Subie powered AWD VW, a couple of things to note right off the start... What drive layout are you going with? If you plan to use the Subaru transaxel then I assume it will be front engine? If its a Beetle the engine is gonna hang WAY out the front, might work in a Ghia or type III or IV. If you were hoping for a rear engine layout, like many before, you will be disappointed to learn that the Subaru diff can NOT be flipped like the VW unit, which will yield 5 speeds reverse, one forward. A mid engine/rear wheel drive setup could be done with a 2WD Subie trans. My hopeful version will be mid-engined with a modified AWD trans to feed a drive shaft forward along side the trans/engine to a Nissan truck front diff, I'm still early in the engineering phase on this one. baccaruda is dead on the axel issue, wheel base isn't the problem (easily changed with a custom length driveshaft), wheel track is gonna be the problem. The XT/GL stuff is about 4 inches to wide (outside to outside with stock wheels), wide fiberglass fenders could be a solution if you like that look (I dont). The earlier EA81 Subie axels may get you very close, but I dont have a confirmed width on that setup. Just my first thoughts, I'll be happy to share what I've learned to this point. Gary BTW, my (someday) project will use a Turbo Legacy drivetrain tucked under my '57 Oval.

Are we not suppose to do that? Gary

Looks sweet Corky, I'd think about coming over an hanging out a while but we're havin a B-day party for my dad on the 20th, he's 65, big ta-do and all. Gary

Just a thought, the front outers have to be good for at least as far as the inside wheel turns, I'm bettin its a bit more than 14 Deg. I would think its the inner DOJ is the limiting factor. Gary

I know them well, yes they are simple and can perform well for a modest price (at least on a VW engine). If you're shopping VW carbs this page has some great info (including the carbs in question): http://aircooled.net/gnrlsite/resource/articles/carbs101.htm Gary

Blizzaks are good no doubt, but if you're gonna spend big money on top line snow tires you should give the Nokians a look. http://www.nokiantires.com/newsite/tiresub.cfm?cid=1&sid=1 Gary

I think you're gonna have to buy yourself some cork gasket sheet and start cuttin. Gary

Could be a bad radiator, but they normally have trouble with higher load (the faster you go the hotter it gets). Try running the heat on full (miserable I know), if its the rad that should help. You say the electric fan is working so that kills my first guess. Can you hear the clutch fan pulling? I always know when mine is on, it whirrs like a turbine. This sounds more like a coolant flow issue, water pump falure is unlikely (but posable), I'd check out the thermostat, just cause its newer don't mean it's good. Is it an OEM or aftermarket thermostat? I personaly haven't had an issue with the generic type in a subie, but I've had them bad right out of the box for other cars. And I have noticed that the OEM Subaru thermostat has a larger opening (disk diameter). I'd pull the thermostat and run it like that for a day or to and see how it does. Gary

The 914 is mid-engine (engine in front of the axle), Its a type IV VW engine in the 914/4 and a Porsche flat 6 in the 914/6, but the trans is Porsche. Gary

Bugger, just did some searchin (should have tried that first). Looks like the digi to analog dash swap is a big pain. I guess I could just swap in the 4WD mechanicals, but I hate to do stuff half-a$$ed, the idea of leaving the 2WD auto dash in there make the swap much less appealing and I just don’t have the time or energy for the full harness swap. This car is just gonna be a driver for my kid, maybe its stays 2WD auto if I buy it. Bummer. Gary