NorthWet

I was assuming that the tailpipe EGO sensor was dyno monitoring only, not connected to ECU.

Not answering your question: Along with what MorganM wrote, intake manifold gaskets can leak coolant into the intake. More to your question: How much money and work do you wish to expend? I assume that your 79 really has the EA71 (1600cc) engine. (all of the below is disclaimed with "IIRC" :-\ ) This has a different engine rear cover (bellhousing) than the later EA81 and EA82 engines. This would imply that you would need an EA81/EA82 tranny to bolt up a later engine, OR you can bolt the EA71's back cover on to an EA81 engine and use your EA71 tranny. If you really have an EA81, then yoo can bolt another EA81 engine to it. (Duh!) Gen1 Brats are supposed to have a narrower distance between its frame rails than a Gen2 Brat, so from what I have heard an EA82 engine is either a tight fit or an impractical fit.

This may not be related, but may give you something to think about and look for: I was doing a test/diagnostic drive on an XT, got half way down the block and it was pinging badly under throttle. Got one mile down the road and the temp guage had started to rise. Started back, and then the oil pressure guage dropped to zero. tack, tack, tack, tack. Shut the engine down and coasted the mile home. REALLY nice slope on that road! Checked things over, oil level/condition ok, radiator was cold and rad hoses were hot. Let things cool down, started engine and had good oil pressure. Finally figured out that coolant was overheating due to blown HGs. I havent verified yet, but I believe that the pressure drop was from the overheated coolant, and the oil overheating/thinning because of that. The Point: Have you started the engine since it has had a chance to cool down?

Ummm... nit pick coming: First, RallyKeith is basically right. Added tire/rim mass, especially further out from the center of rotation, has a much greater effect on a vehicle's ability to accelerate than if the weight was merely sitting in the vehicle. An old bicycle saying is, "an once on the wheel is worth a pound on the bike". The nit is this is not "unsprung weight" per se, but a problem with rotating mass and its Polar Moment of Inertia (PMI). Unsprung weight more properly applies to that mass which must be moved up and down each time a tire moves vertically. A car with chassis bolted directly to the wheel's axles (no springs) has the entire car's weight (mass, really) as unsprung weight (mass). Sprung solid axles have less unsprung weight, and independent suspension (usually) has even less. Sorry for the nit picking. But the inceased PMI is significant. You should also consider whether the increased height (if any) and the increased peripheral mass will be too much for your suspension to handle.

So, the A/F readings were from your wideband EGO sensor? If so, I would think that it would show misfire as a lean A/F ratio: It senses free O2, not HC, and there should be lots of free O2 in a misfiring exhaust stream. Does this sound reasonable?

As others have mentioned, you do not "know" what happened with the previous owner, so don't put a lot of weight in what you believe that the PO told you. "Quit working" seems like reliable info at this point, but how and when are not. Basics, basics, basics.

Gee, that makes you unique around here! Yeah, going all out on your first try is probably not the way to go. A re-ring kit would probably work for you, unless you know that the crankshaft bearings are really bad. Doing the top half will give you the experience without you risking getting in way over your head and ending up with a couple boxes of dirty, oily parts. There is not much to do on the head that wouldn't be covered by the machine shop doing the valves.

Miles to the rescue!!! Thanks, Miles. I was typing quickly from recent experience; figured that something basic was better than nothing. And touching the basics would take some of the anxiety out of the job.

I believe that this movement could also be caused by worn balljoint, bad inner suspension arm bushing, or both.

OK, back to original problem... A leaking/blown camshaft seal should not cause a total loss of oil pressure; all it will do is leak oil that is splashing around in the cam carrier. (We ARE talking an EA82 here, right?) Check your oil level, and if it is reasonably OK, the cam seal is NOT your main problem. What do you mean by "I could hear that no oil was moving"??? How do you hear oil? Total loss of oil pressure means something significant has happened. Timing belt broke, oil pump seized (breaking/ruining t-belt), oil-pump rotor-to-shaft pin sheared, oil pump pressure relief valve jammed open, total failure of the "mickey mouse" seal, (maybe) massive failure of an engine bearing or oil gallery plug (if the EA82 has such). It could also be that the oil pressure sender/wire/gauge quit working.

Rather unlikely in a fuel injected vehicle. So, is it accurate to say that the current basic problem is that the starter does not turn the engine, clicking instead of engaging? Basic things are battery condition, cable and connection condition, and starter condition. The battery may seem charged, but might not actually have an adequate charge. This can be tested by doing a proper load test, trying it in another car, or doing a backalley loadtest (turn on headlights and activate the starter and see how much the lights dim). A bad showing on this last test could indicate bad cables and/or connections, also. The cables and their connections are a common problem area in Subarus. The connections get bad even though they look ok. Clean all power cable connections, including both power and ground at the starter. You can also bypass the connections by jumpstarting the car directly to the starter (both power AND ground; very important to do both). If the above still yields just clicking, try activating the starter solenoid directly at the starter.

Oops... forgot a couple minor things re: oil dipstick and sender wire. (I remembered them while showering. I guess it beats trying to sing, but I seriously need to get a life! ) I will update the previous description.

I believe that the difference between carb and SPFI pistons is 9.0:1 vs 9.5:1. Thermal efficiency increase approx 10% for every "point" (1.0) of increase in CR in this range. So you are looking at about a 5% increase in power. Not worth chasing after, but worth it if it drops in your lap.

BTW, I just pulled an EA82 today to do the headgaskets. I had just replaced the t-belts and resealed the oil pump last week, and was surprised with how easy it was in the XT; more room than my T-wagons. I started to do the HGs with engine in situ, thinking I had enough room after my t-belt success. My hands failed me on the driver's side, so out it came. If you need pics while I reassemble the t-belts I can do that. But it really is simple as long as you have access and that darn crank bolt comes loose.

Easy to do, even without a detailed description of How-To. I have large, clumsy hands, plus I like a little working room; so first thing I do is pull the radiator. (Careful with coolant; it attracts animals and is deadly to them.) If you have A/C this will require removal of engine driven fan and its shroud; on my wagon it also requires removal of the electric fan for clearance reasons. Once the radiator is out (or you have enough clearance), break loose the crank-pulley bolt (22mm) and the waterpump pulley bolts/nuts (style-dependent). These can be broken loose later, but might be a little easier with acc-drive belts in place.) Once these are broken loose, loosen alt (and A/C) so that acc-drive ("fan") belts can be removed. Remove crank-pulley bolt and the waterpump pulley bolts/nuts, and their pulleys. Unbolt the oil dipstick tube (12mm head on top of block) and remove. Unplug oil pressure sender wire and move aside. Remove the bolts that hold on the t-belt covers (10mm); 2 of the lower bolts on the "driver's" (left, distributor) side have nuts on their backsides. (Sometimes these bolts seize in the brass captive nuts in the plastic housing, and if this happens things get complicated.) Remove the outer covers and the center cover. At this point the t-belts will be totally exposed. rotate the crankshaft until you can view 3 closely spaced lines on the flywheel through the timing hole; you will want to line things up using the center line of the 3. If your driver's belt is intact, check to see if the dot on the driver's side camsprocket is upwards, near the notch in the back timing cover; if it is pointed down, rotate the crankshaft 360 degrees until the dot is upwards. If belt is broken, just rotate the camshaft sprocket until the dot is aligned with the cover notch. On each side of the crankshaft sprockets are tensioners that have smooth pulleys; loosen both bolts on both tensioners, move them away from the belt, and tighten the bolt on the slotted part of the bracket. Remove old belts. Install driver's side belt over crankshaft, oil pump and camshaft sprockets and under the tensioner. Check to make sure that the flywheel marks are still lined up on the center line, and that the camshaft sprocket dot lines up with the cover notch. Once this is right, loosen the tensioner's "slot" bolt, then tighten both bolts. Rotate the engine 360 degrees, so that once again the flywheel is lined up on the center of the 3 lines. Driver's side cam dot should be "down". Turn the passenger side cam sprocket until its dot is upwards and lined up with the notch in its cover. Place passenger side belt over the crankshaft and camshaft sprockets and over the tensioner puley. and make sure that the flywheel is still lined up on center line and cam dot is lined up with notch. Once this is so, loosen the tensioner's "slot" bolt and then tighten both bolts. Rotate the engine and check that both cams are still aligned as you intended (don't be surprised if you are off a tooth.) If the alignment is off, just loosen its tensioner as before and reset the belt; no biggie. Once you are satisfied with the alignment, reverse disassembly steps. Covers and bolts, pulleys and bolts, belt(s), tighten crankshaft bolt and waterpump pulley bolts, radiator, fan. And coolant.

Assuming that technology didn't pass me by, and your engine is still turbocharged, I would stick with a small period of valve overlap.

I believe the problem arises from updated software that was recently installed, and the updates did not include fixes for security issues with certain portions of the website. The USRM, unfortunately, was one of them.

I agree that it sounds like the infamous "binding" problem caused by problems with the transfer clutch pack and actuator. From what I have read here, this can be a very expensive problem to fix, on the order of $1500-2500. I do not know if simply replacing the "Duty-C Solenoid" fixes the problem or if they have to replace the clutch pack components also. But before you buy this car find out how they fixed it and run it past the knowledgeable New Gen folks.

North???? That would be Canada, eh! How 'bout south into WI, then North to yuper-land.

No big deal; a healthy system will reach equilibrium by pushing excess coolant out the overflow. I guess it could confuse the unknowing by looking like it is dumping coolant and the level dropping. Doesn't harm the cooling system, though. Newer systems do the same thing, just into an expansion tank.

Well???

I was actually meaning it the other way around :-p : Loosen the cap to keep pressure from building up and pushing water out of any loose connections or leaky gaskets. If water is rising high enough and under enough pressure to go out of the overflow and empty his radiator, then there are serious things wrong. The normal water level in that radiator should be about 2 inches below the rad cap. Water at the rad cap level when the total volume of water is low would be a bad sign.

Do you like your cars? If so, be VERY careful about putting any non-gasoline, non-major-brand additive into it. Despite what conspiracy theorists might say, the individual oil companies have an interest in selling you decent-quality product. If one could offer you something that would give you 10-30% better mileage, then they would have to beat the customers away with a stick. Acetone is a strong solvent, used for removing fingernail polish and paint. Unless it has a higher energy density then gasoline (I don't think so!) it is unlikely to increase your fuel economy. I seem to remember that it has a lower knock resistance ("octane rating") then gasoline (many years since I would have read that, though), so it could cause some serious engine problems in addition to fuel system problems. If it sounds too good, it probably is.

Have you checked the ASV(s) to see if they are not bad? As in, I would remove the ASV hose(s) to the air cleaner and see of the noise is coming from them.

Ummm... what do you mean exactly by "backfires"??? Is this coming out of the tailpipe? Or is the noise heard in the air-cleaner/intake area?