NorthWet

What do you consider a "unit"? Are you meaning just the turbocharger, or do you mean the entire engine?

I have read what I consider to be a lot of dubious advice on this thread. So pardon me if I offend anyone, but that is not my intention. It sounds like you have a serious overheating issue, not a minor "its not quite where it should be" issue. So... a 180deg F t-stat will not work any better than a 192-195deg F t-stat. In a normally functioning cooling system, all the 180degF one will do is cause your car to run cooler (and at the wrong times) than it was designed to do. Under load, all it will buy you is maybe one extra minute before the temperature climbs into the hot zone. It will NOT make your car run cooler under a load that would make the car overheat with a 195degF t-stat. However, T-stats do fail to function properly, even when relatively new, so a new t-stat is something to consider. Antifreeze/water ratios will NOT make a significant difference in the cooling ability of your car. If your cooling system is in perfect working order you could run 100% glycol and still not raise the temp above "normal". In a marginal system it might make a 10-15% difference. Don't sweat the small things right now. Weight of oil will NOT turn your car into an instant mosquito fogger. If it wasn't putting out oil smoke before the oil was changed than the viscosity of the new oil should not make a noticeable difference. It sounds like you were not sure if the "smoke" was oil-smoke or steam. If this is correct, figure it out. Oil smoke is slightly bluish and does not dissipate except by dilution with air/wind, while steam will dissipate "into thin air". Oil smoke smells oily, steam smells... well, steamy, maybe sweet with antifreeze. Back to your original problem: I think that you typed that you had only one fan? If so, what type (electric or engine driven), and which side (driver's passenger's) of radiator? If this is so, then bring your car up to operating temperature, and with the car running use the palm of your hand (or whatever is good for feeling temp... maybe a friends hand ) feel from top to bottom of the radiator; the tubes are horizontal and they seem to plug in groups either in the top, bottom, middle, or some combination. If you have 2 fans and if your car does NOT have A/C, you should be able to feel the front surface of the radiator. While the car is at operating temperature and running check the radiator top to bottom. If you have 2 fans and if your car has A/C, then I would recommend removing the (an?) electric fan, bringing the car up to operating temperature, and with the car running check the radiator top to bottom. My original guess from afar is that your radiator is plugged. Plugging is a very common problem; I just replaced my wife's radiator, and will need to do the same with an XT I recently bought. But the recent mention of smoke/steam might indicate something worse. I do think that if you haven't already done so that you check the water pump belt for proper adjustment, and check the hoses for general condition. When looking at a major problem, concentrate on major things. The likelyhood that 4 little problems came together to cause a big problem is small compared to one big problem happening. ("Occam's Razor" comes to mind...)

Not abso-posi-lute, but I believe that the Hitachi's cap has an Hitachi symbol (kind of flower-like, 4-petaled/leafed, kind of scrolly) molded into it. If you made yourself small and stuck your head near the distributor body, it should have some mention of Hitachi or ND. Do you still have the original engine? If so, you might look at its distributor for markings.

Skip, you take all of the fun out of "20 Questions"!

Not exactly on-topic, but close: Another thing to consider is that smoke under the hood could also be caused by a fracture of the exhaust crossover pipe (uppipe); this is a common failure and occurs right at the turbo mount flange. If/while you have the turbo off, you might as well take a look at this failure point.

No accurate info here; though if I had a scale I could weigh an EA81, an EA82 and an EJ22. But, having picked up all three, I would have to go with reportedly-CCRs shipping weight of 150 for the Ea82. By the time you subtract shipping materials (pallet) and add intake, et al, you are probably a bit above that. It is definitely not as light as 100 lbs. The EJ22 is considerably heavier then the EA82... I would guess at least 50 lbs more, maybe 75.

Not lazy, merely too trusting. I was prepped for my Soob parts experience with my Datsun: Had to know Nabco vs. Tokico, early71 vs. late 71, blah, blah, blah. So sounds like you should determine if your distributor is an Hitachi or NipponDenso. Then at least you can sound more intelligent than the counterperson.

Ditto Calebz experiences with low battery/low voltage. When my alt was going bad the voltage would sag really low at idle and low revs, and the engine would be flat until the revs got up enough for the voltage to come up. My Ea82Ts don't "feel" the same while misfiring as any other vehicle that I have owned. All of the others had an obvious "miss", while my subes just feel down on power but smooth.

Yes, technically the Hatch is the EA81, as are a few other models. And most computerized parts systems aren't set up to deal with Subaru differences. (Every time I get parts for my EA82Turbos, I get asked if this is a 1600cc engine... which AFAIK was not offered in the US during any of the years of the EA82.) The underlying problem is that no one except the person that entered the term "Hatch" into the computerized system have a clue what it really refers to. "Sedan" and "coupe" also have the same problem. I am amazed how many times that I have seen obviously wrong combinations of models for parts that are exclusive to either the EA81 or EA82 engine. My salvation at my NAPA was having a counterperson who owned a Subaru and knew what to look for. (Unfortunately he is no longer there.) My advice is to take your part with you and compare. I have had to use this advice even for my plain-vanilla Aerostar. Millions on the road and the parts systems still don't have a clue. Ok, so I own an Aerostar; it was $500 and I am a youth soccer coach. I can't pile 6 kids and a mound of equipment into my twagon... YET!

Axles are held to rear diff stub axles by roll-pins just like the front. Bring something like a crow bar to break the joint cup loose from the axle stub... sometimes they stick due to rust, gunk, etc. You may need to drop the diff down before removing joint cup from axle stub. No oil should come out unless you turn it upside down and then the vent will leak some. Driveshaft has a bolted flange at the diff end. Bring a PAIR of wrenches (12mm IIRC), preferably combos as the nut will prob require a boxend (6-point box best). Unbolting the diff should be pretty straightforward, except that it is probably easier to remove the 2 large nuts on the ends of the moustache bar and taking the bar out with the diff. Once removed and cleaned up, carefully box it up and ship it to zip 98312 LOL!

Depending on where they were originally sold, the pre-83s might or might not have an ECU. I am not sure if that changed after 82. The EA81's have the ECU mostly for emissions control. The carb doesn't need it to function. I don't think that the '83's ignition goes throught the ECU, but I could easily be wrong. And I really do no know whether or not the ECU is involved with fuel pump activation. I hope that thes lack of certain information has helped you.

Not to beat a dead horse, but how did you check the rad for cold spots? did you remove one of the fans (e.g. - the electric fan) and felt top to bottom?

My vote goes with 86subaru and Miles: Spark plugs and wires can cause some pretty bizarre behavior with the EA82T. (Bad wires left me with power holes in various places in rev range, but full power above about 4k rpm.) The coolant thermosensor that Miles mentioned can also cause this, especially the ECU light coming on (by the way, did you check the ECU code???). It sets the engine temp condition for the fuel injection so bad/no output from it can really confuse the ECU. (Mine has had bad contact problems for some time, and occaionally driving steady state on the freeway the engine will go flat and the ECU light wil come on, but it seems that the jerking from the power loss jiggles the contacts back working and the ECU light goes off and the engine comes back on song.) The turbo going bad will more likely feel like you are driving a Yugo... no real driveability problems, just no power.

Alan, that does look like either PCV gunk, or maybe ASV problems (though I don't think your SPFI uses air suction valves). I would use throttle body cleaner and clean it up, but also look back as best I could through the intake plumbing to see where the gunk is coming from. If it is PCV it may need cleaning/replacing hoses and valve. If it is indeed an ASV issue (again, don't think so on your wagon) the ASV reed valves would need replacing.

Miles, that is also probably a solder-joint or dirty-contact issue. The clock itself is pretty self-contained and sturdy, so any problems are usually in the solder joints. Bill, thanks for the compliments, but I am still embarrassed that it didn't work when you got it. My self-expectation is that if I fix it it stays fixed.

I am definitely NOT well versed on Legacy and newer, but I have been told that my 90 would take any tranny up to (through?) 96. BTW, what "issues" does your tranny have?

Please reread Legacy777's last post: Red and blue caps => R134a So, if you have red and blue caps, and R134a stickers, pretty good bet that it is R134a. I have not looked at R134a fittings yet, but R12 fittings look like tire valves: externally threaded, with a tire-style valve core inside.

DON'T PANIC! (courtesy, Douglas Adams) Look for the already suggested simple stuff first: Pull the spark plugs and rotate by hand; check the t-belts to see if they are broken and wrapped around something. Try to describe the "indescribable noise". Was it one loud and sudden clank, a series of clanks, a screaming/screeching noise (hi-pitch or low pitch?). What mechanical resources do you have available? At the least, it sounds like a broken timing belt, but more likely a blown headgasket or worse. Can you or your friends replace a headgasket? If not, you realistically are looking at finding a replacement engine regardless of how bad the damage really is. (Having a mechanic replace a headgasket is probably as expensive as getting a replacement engine.) Just because a mechanic says an engine is locked and needs replacing doesn't make it so. Many mechanics know little about Subaru engines and their oddities, and very few seem willing to tackle replacing a headgasket. Again, don't panic... yet. TTFN!

Sounds like you are talking about the Air Suction Valve(s) (ASV). There were a couple of threads about this recently, one started by Karinvail but can't remember who started the second one. I know that Skip gave some good links to follow. If these are part of tha ASV plumbing, I can't think of a good reason for the ratty idle unless all of the plumbing is still connected and the reeds are damaged (dumping exhaust into intake).

Your "dielectric grease" may be the same thing as my "bulb grease"... I recently ran across this confusion at a parts store, but did not try what they were suggesting. True dielectric grease is usually used to allow thermal conductivity but electrical isolation (as in transistor heatsink compound), and would be worse than smearing bearing grease on the connection. The most common automotive use for dielectric grease would be around sparkplug boots where you want the seal but absolutely no conductivity.

I can't claim credit for finding the quote... it was on the wall in one of my 16YrOld's classrooms. However, I do agree with it wholeheartedly. I also believe that you don't really know something unless you can explain it clearly to another. Ground loops can be pretty troublesome. Just think of the corrosion potential... (pun not intended, but seems appropriate now that I noticed it).

A few notes from my reading this thread: Do NOT use "dielectric" grease; dielectric by definition is electrically insulative. Use a conductive grease instead, such as "bulb grease". Solder will make a mechanically stronger joint than a simple crimp, but as was pointed out it also causes a sharp stiff-to-flexible transition that will be a major stress (and failure) point unless some form of strain-relief is used. Silver is a MUCH better conductor than lead, so a high-silver content solder will probably conduct better than a high-lead content solder. And, yes, silver solder has a significantly higher melt-point than does lead-based solder. Something not yet brought up is that more grounds is not always good, and in fact can cause all sorts of mischief. More grounds creates more electrical return paths, each with its own resistance, however slight. With current flowing through resistance you get voltages. This is not usually a problem with simple loads like motors and lights, but can wreak havoc on the functioning of electronics like ECUs and sensors. In a (my???) perfect world, all devices would have their own power and ground leads, or at least be part of a hub-based power-and-ground setup. (e.g. - The ECU gets a power and ground, and then provides power and ground lines to its sensors/actuators.)

You *stand* while typing??? You are a better person than I am! I hadn't noticed an air pipe on any of mine, but the '88s are kind of new for me.

My reading of this is that you imply that there were no 4WD GL-10 Turbos in '85. If I misinterpreted that, my apologies; otherwise, I own an '85 4WD gl-10 turbo. And, more to the point of the thread, the MPFI/turbo heads still have a siamesed exhaust port, so it is not a true dual-port in the same was as the Ram's heads.

Did the DOJ cup slide off of the tranny axle-stub, or did the axle pull loose from the DOJ cup (i.e. - DOJ slid apart)?