NorthWet

Does that mean that the gearbox doesn't have a mount bolt-hole/boss near the stub-axle area? Or does the downpipe not have a mount ear?

Amplification: Rubber cap is near the centerline of the car.

See remark about my wife driving the car... Not married, are you?

For years I did the "mental adjustment" to the speed in my Datsun (non-original tranny w/different speedo gear), but after about 200k miles this got old. (A matching diff solved that problem!!!) And I was the only driver of my Datsun. With my t-wagon, there is the possibility that my wife might drive it (since it used to be hers), and she would not appreciate the unnecessary calculations. Go figure. :-\ Well, I was hoping for a ready-made, adjustable converter, but that seems unlikely. I could make one, but that seems like too much work and not enough flash. I could go oddcomp's digital route, but I like analog and not video game... Grew out of "Oooh! Pretty lights!" some time ago; much prefer function. Maybe I'll look into building an encoder and use its massaged output to control a motor to drive the speedo cable. Anybody got a dead/unused speedo that I can cannibalize?

There was another thread about this car a while ago. Take a look at: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=23639

Did you see WJM's comment about Carb models having an ECU if it has an oxygen sensor in the exhaust?

Actually, there is cause to reflect on whether this might cause a problem. The "timing" relationship depends on the pull side of the belt; when you rotate the engine backwards, there is the chance that the tolerances on the slack side might cause the crank-to-valve relationship to be different. On a tight-tolerance design, this could cause problems. I am NOT saying that this is a problem with this or any particular engine, just that it is good to think and ask first.

Sorry... all mine are LHD. Does your turbo still have all of its heat shielding? How about the spare tire mount? Are any of these in a good place to secure the cable? Which mount do you have, the one along the side of the downpipe near the cat, or the one mounted on the tranny crossmember that supports the tail end of the downpipe?

I broke one once. Mixed up some epoxy, put the tube back on and built up a reinforcing fillet.

I haven't opened up my Soob's wiper, but have done other Japanese units. Yes, it is usually possible to put it back together, it jsut needs some patience.

Well, yes, given the right situation you can use the right equipment. But this requires that the car be significantly raised up in the air. My 10-ton floor jack and 6-ton stands wouldn't give me enough height to do this. Plus, you really need either a tranny jack or a device on the jack saddle to handle the tranny.

This might be better in OffRoad Forum, but thought I would try the general group first. How do people with taller-than-stock tires deal with the introduced speedometer error? I would like to go to larger diameter road wheels, with normal profile tires, to give better highway gearing. But I really would like my speedometer to be somewhat accurate. Anyone have a way of regearing the tranny, using an intermediate device between the tranny and the speedo head, or whatever, to compensate for the difference?

Regarding the sticking speedo needle, my '87 does it also. The speedo cable should not be the fault, but rather the speedo internals. The cable (at least in other speedos; haven't torn a soobs apart... yet) turns an aluminum drum that, through FM, causes the concentric drum to which the needle is attached to move. This drum (with needle) has a light spring that returns it to the zero position. I had thought that the problem with mine was a worn spot in the bearing, but now I think it is just gummy/dry bearing problem.

Haven't looked at my FSM, so take this with a grain of salt. The seals should be accessible after removing the side retainers (the ribbed screw-in things). Yes, these retainers provide preload to the bearings (and I believe the diff carrier). Their current "set" needs to marked and remembered, also the number of turns that they are turned in. As long as you reinstall to these settings you should be OK; if you replace side bearings it may be different. The seals should be accessible, as you are supposed to be able replace the side bearings this way.

IMHO: DON'T pull the tranny out. It weighs a ton, and is very hard to bench press back into place. Pulling the engine is my favorite way, though others prefer to just separate the engine and tranny and move one or the other back a little to gain working space (I haven't tried this... yet :-\ ). If you do pull the engine, and if you have A/C, don't disconnect/depressurize the system. Just unbolt A/C mount bracket and lay the compressor to the side and out of the way. Not a hard job.

WAG, he was differentiating (no pun intended) between front and back diff, although you said side of tranny. As I said, WAG. The 4EAT is the 4-speed automatic. So, the question is whether you have a 3-speed of 4-speed tranny. (If in doubt, look at shifter. )

A wagon, I assume? A trouble spot for the EA82 wagons is in the tailgate, where there is a connector that tends to melt and/or wires pull out. IIRC, the connector is near the gate latch mechanism (under neath the gate trim panel) and is "mounted" to one of the supports in that region.

I have actually "rodded" out the honeycomb on a cat before, so, yes, I know how narrow the passages are. The combustion chamber deposits occur over 20k-50k miles; the cat will not clog because of a few dozen tanks of leaded. Soapbox time: The CatCons are on the car for a reason. They are the single most effective means of lowering harmful/poisonous emissions from the car. Properly designed and implemented, they have no negative effect on road-going engines. The "gas smell" are emissions that you would not want yourself or your family to breathe, so why make others do so? Your area may not require testing, but that doesn't mean that what you do doesn't effect everybody down wind from you. Please be environmentally responsible. OK, I am off my soapbox.

Another thought (while driving home at 2am) was that you may have a vacuum/boost leak in the intake system.

Brake boosters have one-way check valves, store enough "vacuum" for a couple of uses, and rarely are used under boost conditions. Distributor doesn't want to see vacuum for advance under boost. Some systems (not necessarily Subaru) use a pressure retard on the disty.

The wastegate wouldn't be open at idle, just not enough exhaust flow to spin the turbine fast enough to boost. Boost will be dependent on engine load and rpm... so max boost possible in first (though unlikely unless going up a grade). Overheating is contraindicative of turbo failure... no boost would equal less power and less need to dissipate heat. Cooling system issues (radiator, fans, and thermostat) or headgasket issues are likely causes of overheating. Possibly clogged cat-con or collapsed exhaust might cause both overheating and power loss. Also, may be slipped ignition timing. Overheating and power loss might be coincidental and unrelated. My sparkplugs went bad within 20 miles, caused low-speed bogging and on-boost bogging. Threw in a fresh set of NGKs and I am a happy camper again.

What the heck is in Tehuya worth driving to????

I would think axle also. I assume that this is a 3-speed auto? Same problem if selector is in "1" instead of "D"? How about reverse?

Until someone truly helpful comes along, I will ask a question. If you look down the throat of the carburetor and open the throttle, does gas shoot out and down the throat? If so, unlikely to be a gas problem. (BTW, most "won't start" or "runs bad" are ignition related.)

As naru said, the lead will "poison" the catalyst and the O2 sensor. It doesn't clog, but coats and/or binds to the surface, deactivating the device. It also depends on how much leaded gas is used, how leaded it is, etc. Sometimes if it is just a little contamination the devices will still function. I think that there was some snake-oil that was marketed once that was supposed to help protect the cat, but can't remember if it really worked or not. As far as the O2 sensor goes, it is cheap to replace. Do so after your trip regardless. And the carb and ECU may just run "open loop" if the O2 sensor gets poisoned, or it may run rich or lean (I'm not sure). Force it open loop by unplugging the O2 sensor, or just remove it and plug the hole. (I believe that it is the same thread as standard spark plug.) Use of leaded gas for a short period of time will have no obvious effects on your engine. If used for long periods of time, you can get deposit buildups in the combustion chambers, and it will shorten the effective life of your spark plugs. Happy travels!