NorthWet

My first though has to do with how the axle was installed and tightened. Lots of graunching/grinding noises are caused by the axle being loose in the hub. There is a dished washer under the axle nut, and it needs to be installed so the convex side is against the nut. Also, some books misstate the tightening torque for the axle nut as around 100ft-lbs, whereas IIRC it should be 140ft-lbs.

Not significantly in the range that we are dealing with. All the pressure in the cooling system does is raise the point at which the coolant will boil.

Ditto. Non-closed-system cooling sytems require expansion room in the radiator. Typically, they are filled to about 2 inches below the filler neck for a crossflow radiator. If you put more coolant into a non-closed-system, it will dump out the excess.

For those who want to retain their covers, but don't want the hassels of stuck bolts and spun inserts, but also don't want to deal with zip-ties, a suggestion: Get a set of longer bolts, thread them in from the backside of the insert so they stick forwards, put the outer covers on and secure with nuts (I use NyLoks). Never a worry about spun inserts again, because you can put a wrench on the bolt head if you need to.

Front or rear?

Ah! "Two countries separated by a common language" Or in this case, separated by a generation. It was only a year ago that I learned about the current usage of "drift" and "drifting". I was using the term as Sterling Moss, and Colin Chapman might use it. Traction has its limits, and when on the edge of traction you are drifting. Beyond drifting you are sliding.

If this is referring to Subarujunkie's post, he was talking about the center diff and not the rear diff. The rear diff is plenty strong. The AWD-tranny's center diff was not designed for RWD only (duh! wouldn't be needed...), and the non-AWD trannies have a set of transfer gears that weren't designed for RWD only. For those who don't understand the attraction of RWD, you won't "get it" unless you try it. Nothing I have experienced in a soob (yet!!!) quite matches 4-wheel drifting my 510. (...and drop-throttle induced oversteer... and feeling the rear squat and grab traction when you floor the throttle again... AAAAAHHH!!!!)

Correct. Use whatever oil your R134a conversion used. You shouldn't have to add any oil unless the system depressurizes and you lose some. IIRC, the only way to check if system has proper amount of oil is to completely drain it and add the specified capacity of oil.

Air conditioning oil is mixed in with refrigerant. There should be no separate "oil tank" for the compressor. (Though most of the oil resides in the compresoor.)

Correction: Spark at the right time. This has not been verified. The distributor may have been removed and reinserted incorrectly, the spark plug wires may have been mixed up at either the dist. cap or at the plugs. It needs to be determined that the disty rotor is pointing at the #1 plug wire while the #1 cylinder is at/before TDC.

My 88 carb'd has a temp gauge sender (1-wire) and a 2-wire thermosensor right next to it. Matches what the (blech!!!!) Chilton's says (even if it says one is "left" of the other).

My usual suggestion is spark plugs and wires, but you seem to have gotten that. So... How about the connector to the CTS (coolant thermo sensor)? Contacts get corroded, old, flakey. Or, what is your timing set at, and was it set w/ green connectors connected and are they disconnected now? EGO ("O2") sensor? This is a stretch, as it kind of sounds like things run OK while in closed-loop mode, and then fall flat when you go to open-loop while on boost. BTW, 2k rpm is not too early for the turbo light to come on. The light signifies that you have gone slightly positive (1-2psi, maybe) on manifold pressure.

The fan apparently shares a temp sensor with the ECU, and this sensor, along with the temp-gauge sender, are located on the intake manifold almost directly under the thermostat outlet. I don't have a good enough manual, but I suspect that the ECU controls the fan, and that there is a relay somewheres.

Another thing to check, or just go ahead and replace, are the rubber donut bushings on the suspension leading arms (run from lower control arm back to tranny-tunnel area). These control fore/aft forces and movement of the front suspension, and if the bushings are "tired" will allow other forces (tire balance, etc) to set up an oscillation in the front suspension.

Necessary...hmmm... depends on whom you ask. But the practical answer is: Don't remove/leave off anything that you don't know what it does. All of the electrical connectors should be easy (or at least easier than it it seems). Subaru is pretty good at using unique connectors, so that each connector only has one mate. As far as hoses, it depends on what/how much you took apart. You should only have things like fuel supply and return, and vapor canister, and maybe one or two vacuum lines.

Again, tangential to Topic: The source of most hot oil smells is leaks dripping onto the hot exhaust system. If you do some creative work with some sheet metal to redirect drips away from the exhaust you will all but eliminate hot oil smells. Old oil smells are usually crankcase vapors. It is a sign of PCV system malfunction, allowing engine vapors to vent into the engine compartment. If the engine is producing smells, it will be difficult to prevent them getting sucked into the ventilation system while the car is stationary now matter how you vent the engine compartment.

Mis-set cam timing, mis-set ignition timing. Does your engine have a carb or SPFI/MPFI? Model Year?

Maybe I was a little confusing. My universal EGO sensor said to try to keep the total length from the new sensor to the wiring harness connector about the same as the original.

What engine and what vehicle would help. I would vote for the tranny having been shoved back; your reasoning for this not happening is a little unclear from your post. Not uncommon for old tranny mounts to give way, and the driveshaft has splines to allow for fore/aft issues. Anyways, I would work to get the input shaft/clutch splines to mesh, suck the tranny and engine together, and then see where you are. This is all a little easier with an engine hoist and jack under the tranny, but it sounds like you are missing the hoist at least. Once the engine and tranny are bolted together it should be easier to get the motor mounts to line up with the crossmember. I don't even bother thinking about motor mount bolts until then. Have faith.

I know you asked if it could be done, and not SHOULD it be done. But... It will likely be a cosmetic thing only. The aerodynamic reality is that that big open space under the engine compartment, exposed to lower pressure, will remove far more under hood air than a couple fender vents. But if you like the looks, go for it.

Check to see if the distributor rotor turns when the engine is cranked. If not, you most likely have a broken timing belt. (No big deal). If you have any doubts about whether or not if is getting fuel, try spraying a little carb cleaner into the intake tract. The cleaner is combustible enough to replace the need for fuel for a moment.

"Universal"s usually come with no connector, so yes, you have to cut off the connector of the original and splice on the new connector. Usually they say to not change the length of the sensor-to-connector wire. Couple bucks more probably would get you a direct fit EGO sensor.

Others have reported that RWD conversion has been rough on/destroyed their transfer gears. I think most of these are offroad types, though.

Tranny and front-diff are one in the same on Subarus. We speak generically of trannies, but they are really transaxles. GG's talking of EJ tranny was meant to let you know that you are not confined to getting a "Forester Transmission", that any 5-speed (within certain limitations) from a Subaru with an EJ-series engine (Legacy, Impreza, Forester) will work. Subarus are FWD with varying abilites to drive the rear wheels. If the problem is driving the front wheels, then the transaxle needs work.

Possibly due to misfiring? Have you checked ignition components? I would pull the spark plugs and see if waht they look like, especially differences between cylinders.