NorthWet

You might want to discuss this with bluto5, as he seems to have a fair amount of practical knowledge of MS. (He has a thread where he talks about converting from coil pack to COP on his MS.) My impression is that you can probably get off easier than $600... and that is still less than just the COPs.

All the more reason to consider MegaSquirt: A cheaper alternative that allows you the flexibility to run a non-stock configuration.

In case you were unaware, the 85's distributor will not work in your Loyale.

Watch MilesFox's video as posted above. Common mistakes are using the TDC/timing-marks on the flywheel instead of the 3 hash marks, not rotating the crank 360 degrees before putting on the second belt (one cam-dot should be up and the other down). The purpose of applying backwards torque on the camsprocket is just to help set the tension correctly when you release and tighten the tensioners. Few people seem to follow that procedure.

Are you sure that the gear is stripped? I can't imagine any realistic way that that could happen. The only stress on it is from the distributor, and it is a pretty hefty gear. Did you actually see the teeth stripped off of it? It is more likely that it sheared the woodruff key that keys it to the camshaft. It is even more likely that something else more common is the issue. If it really is stripped, I have several spares.

I am not an expert on EJ engines (or much else), but this should be reasonably accurate: The EJ18 has the same weight and external dimensions as the EJ22, but less power. Most people seem interested in more power if they do an EJ conversion. In the US, the EJ18 came on the down-market Imprezas; should be lots of them around the PNW. The EJ18 lacked some sophistication in engine management, most notably lacking a knock sensor; this would result in more conservative factory tuning. EJ22 intake manifold/wiring/engine control is supposed to be a direct fit to the EJ18 engine, mitigating this disadvantage.

The waterpump is rock-simple; unlikely to be an issue unless it is leaking or obviously broken. Belt driven, no clutch. Speaking of belts, what condition is your belt in? Reasonably new, not glazed or cracked, decently tensioned? A slipping belt might not be noticed at speed; I have had this happen on belts on other makes. (This tends to cause an issue at speed rather than while driving slow or idling.) How do you have the heater hoses set up? I am not sure what is the proper way to plumb them on an EA81 in an EA82 body. This might make a difference.

+1

I can't imagine that the HLAs have enough stroke to allow the followers to fall off (I could well be mistaken). I would be more inclined to believe that the valves hung open. Did you just do the HGs, or did you also do some valve work?

I seldom run anything other than Regular-grade gasoline in my MPFI and SPFI cars. There should be little concern here. The distributors function differently, so you will need to keep your carb-distributor. As I typed in an earlier post, might be simplest to swap your distributor-side cam-carrier (w/distributor) between the 2 engines. Heads should get surfaced one way or the other: The head tends to get an indentation/groove from the HG's fire ring, and if this is not removed by surfacing your new HG will not seal properly. Machine-shop, GD's method, or even more primitive ways (I used a 7" sander/grinder on mine) should be done. Mitzpah's service sounds like a good idea, and resealing or replacing the oil pump should also be done. Don't forget to get the cam-carrier O-seals for the oil-passage: Very few places other than the dealer carry these. Intake and exhaust gaskets are often claimed to be better from the Dealer. Flywheel and clutch should be considered in advance. Oil sender unit might need to be swapped between engines, if one is just an idiot-light sender and the other is a gauge sender.

The 6-bolt lug pattern found on Toyotas, Nissans, Mitsubishi, and many other brands has the same bolt spacing between opposing lugs as the Subaru has between its opposing lugs. What this means is that you can either drill 2 new bolt holes int the rims to make it a 4-bolt pattern, or you can have your hubs redrilled to a 6-bolt pattern. Be aware that the subaru has a large hub opening, so the 6-bolt wheels also need that large opening... such as wheels off a 4WD truck. Beyond that, choices are almost nonexistent.

Three are 2 main types of "head cracks". The severe one is a crack in the exhaust port divider in MPFI heads, and is usually restricted to turbo motors. The MPFI (dual-port for intakes) is a completely different casting than non-dual-port, and the exhaust divider does not exist as such in non-dual-port heads. The other commonly mentioned "crack" can happen to any head, as it is a crack in the combustion chamber between the intake and exhaust valve seats. Nearly every head will have these, but they are typically superficial and Subaru's TSB for this issue basically says to ignore them.

So, are you saying that your 93 has an MPFI/Turbo motor in it?

The manifold Q was most likely about whether they would fit on the motor, not re: compression. (It will.) "Gen 3 head" is not relevant, as carb/SPFI heads are not prone to the exhaust divider cracking that MPFI "Gen 3" heads are supposed to help. (Unsubstantiated claim.) If you just swap complete cam carrier, you won't need to fuss with the distributor and trying to re-orient it.

The significant difference is just in the pistons. Blocks and heads are essentially the same. There might be a difference as far as EGR, but I honestly can't remember at the moment.

Just to add info for future searchers, the XT's unit is on the right side just in front of the right-rear wheel arch, under the interior panel. For anyone that has a dead controller, the Legacy controllers will (functionally) fit if you use (cut and splice) the Legacy power connector on to the EA82 wiring harness, and adapt the mounting.

If any part of the PCV system vents to the atmosphere, you are likely to get nasty oil smells. Or, as was pointed out, it could just be burn-off from parts that got oil on them.

What did you do regarding the PCV system?

In my experience, it is better to get the pin started before sliding over the stub. Does the pin start into the cup, but you can't get it to go through the stub? If so, you may have the cup off either a full spline or a half spline (axle 180deg out of phase with the stub).

MilesFox is seldom wrong (or at least seldom far from correct), and Chilton's tends to be next to worthless. Chilton's crams a lot of different models into one manual, and it is easy for them or for you to grab the wrong info.

There is s little breather box in the valve covers that those tubes go into, and there can be quite a bit of crud in there... but the main concern would be the tubes themselves. The breather hose(es) that go to those tubes can also build up crud. Is your PCV system "stock" to the best of your knowledge?

The oil is coming up through the PCV system. I don't have any carb'd EA82s, so my help is somewhat generic. On the filter housing, there should be a hose that runs to at least one of the valve covers. You will probably find that this is where the oil is coming from. Check the metal tubes coming out of the valve covers, as these tend to crud up and restrict flow through them, with the result that oil can "pump up" into the PCV system and not drain back into the valve covers.

I would bet that the sudden lowering of engine temperatures is due to water on the engine surfaces in general, rapidly drawing off heat from the water jackets. These engines can dissipate a lot of heat from the engine just to the surrounding air... enough so that a radiator is hardly needed in cold weather. Imagine what happens when water is sprayed all over it?

Glad to be of service. Far more common than you might imagine. I assume that the front differential now has clean hypoid gear oil in it?

ummm.... where did he fill? Could he have filled the front diff instead of the transmission sections? It would take many gallons of ATF to fill the tranny to overflow. Differential oil fill is on top of the transmission, just to car-right of the centerline, and is a stubby little stick. ATF fill is roughly in front of the brake booster, bit of a pain to get at, and has a several foot long dipstick.