idosubaru

HA HA you're in colorado, is it hilly where you live? you might be in the "chugging" region on grade but fine were you on flat ground...meaning you still have some fuel in there, but it's slopping around and not always accessible to the fuel pump like those floridians. i get 15 gallons in mine, but i gotta run way dry to get to that point. after the light comes on i can get about 70 miles more (2.7 gallons are supposed to be left when the light comes on) on flat ground.

this is all for a 1987.5 XT Turbo FT4WD got most of the information i needed from here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20307&highlight=lug%2A awesome, thanks guys! do i need to use the XT6 control arms? looks like he mentioned "Lower Suspension Arm" for the front, but i don't see it in his pictures of the conversoin. i have a few XT6 parts cars so i have all the parts i need. the XT Turbo has air suspension, i'm thinking i can use XT6 front air struts after the swap. can't imagine why it wouldn't work, anyone else? i also want to swapp in the XT6 steering rack and using the XT6 cybrid electric power steering so i can remove the power steering pump from the motor. the 'puters/sensors might get hairy but i'll figure something out. anything i'm missing? the motor is coming out to and another going in it's place. but that's another story.

they're all over ebay for $10 - $30. i've never had one fail, i'd probably install a used one myself. probably get one of them from here for a few dollars. i think they're different somehow, but if an XT6 one fits yours i'll sell you one that i know is good. PM or email. post in the "parts wanted" forum, someone there will have one for you.

is the window sealing properly? maybe it's getting wet and freezing? i like the lube idea, that's a great one.

do a search for heat in the old and new generation forums, this kind of question has been covered often. i'd start with the buttons, pull them apart and see if the contacts are faulty inside. i've never had this issue before so i'll let someone else try to give you hints. it's all behind the dash though, the door opening/closing mechanism to channel the air so i can't imagine it would be that hard to figure out with a little looking around once you know the buttons are good. if it's working, but stuck on defrost i highly doubt it's fuse related.

what kind of car, motor, trans are good information to start with. has the belt been changed, checked? is it tensoined properly. belts needing to be readjusted in the cold is very typical.

running without a muffler will not hurt a subaru engine. you've posted 12 times, that's not a large statistical sampling. you take the replies of 2 people to be the sentiments of 5,000 members or whatever it is, that's not accurate deduction. anything loud can be annoying sometimes, everyone is entitled to an oppinion on that. trying to convince those that like being loud to be quiet is silly. for those that attempt to offend or find it funny to be loud just because it offends, awakens or otherwise upsets people well that's no different than the people that don't like it and you laugh at. it's a big circle you see. a pissing contest of sorts. can't we all just get along? not sure what you're looking for. this is a subaru board. there is information on here regarding rebuilding just about any subaru motor and transmission made and members that have actually done the work with their own hands. if you have a question about something specific that hasn't been answered, then start a new thread. most auto forums i've been on talk about what their mechanics or shops have done and technical info is limited, that is not the case here.

there's no magic pill for doing that. probably normal, there is no substitute for safe driving on ice. lots of things help, but there is no way to retain summer performance on ice.

probably just a vent hose (if it's not connected to anything, it's probably not supposed to be).

here's a permanent solution to the coolant temperature sensor issues. i highly recommend it as even new sensors do nothing to correct the old connector/contacts, corrossion and wires. even if you don't want to replace the wire, consider cutting off the stock connector as they will corrode easily at this point. http://www.xt6.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1767&highlight=coolant+temp+sensor

the fuel should "pour" out of the hose in the engine bay, not spray. but maybe your "spray" and my "pour" mean the same thing? if it's literaly spraying like a mist then it's not working right. should look like a mini-hose of sorts with gas instead of water pouring out steady. the coolant temp sensor is most likely bad contacts or wiring. the sensors rarely, if ever fail. a new sensor, if it fixes it will only be temporary or not help at all. i'll post a link to how i fix them for good and the additional issue of possible corrossion well up the electrical wires inside the harness from the CTS. i replaced about a foot of wiring on mine to get rid of all the green corroded wire underneath the wiring insulation between the CTS harness and the engine harness. link to my other post coming....

agreed. timing belts can break otherwise as well. failed water pumps or pulleys ruin even new belts on occassion. that's why i replace it all.

you're shouting?

friend of mine repaired one that broke a timing belt. said it wasn't that bad, had to replace a valve or two but otherwise no other damage. even the dealer said they've fixed them before with broken belts (Hanover, PA Subaru dealer). i trust my friend more than random conversation with a guy i don't know, but he said he has done it before and hadn't seen too many with block damage. but with any interference motor the possibilities are endless. give more details and we may be able to help more.

a manual trans in general is a better bet for reliability assuming the clutch and associated throw out bearing, pilot bearing and pressure plate are in good condition. and they have the added bonus of being "startable" if the battery ever fails. the older AWD trans are fine for reliability. change the ATF and install an aftermarket trans cooler and you're golden. i see more problems with the newer trans, the clutchpacks - search on torque bind and you'll see what i mean, than the older 4EAT's that don't typically have that issue. the auto's are sensitive to proper maintenance, overheating and tire sizes so they are more prone to being in worse shape due to poor maintenance of previous owner than a manual trans. check the fluid (smell it, look at it), check the tires, check the radiator (since the ATF coolant lines run through it), look for leakage and install an aftermarket cooler. i've seen more auto trans fail than manual trans that's for sure. but in that time a manual trans will need a clutch job anyway, so for someone like me that does their own labor and has extra parts it doesn't make much difference. but i would consider the 4EAT to have significant failure rates. i abused mine and had to replace the trans at 156,000 miles. i'm guessing my tire choices probably did it in as in college i would buy used tires on a regular basis.

describe the noise. swapping a used unit is very easy and very cheap and a great option as diff's rarely fail under normal use. like he said, they can go a long time without failing, giving you time to source a used one for $100 or less.

the ECU is small and lightweight, just carry an extra one somewhere. great insurance if you're worried about it, takes about 3 minutes to swap. extra alt, ECU, coil, starter, ignitor, fusible links, full size spare and you're golden (assuming your t-belts and ignition are good, which i assume would be on a long trip).

EA82 headgaskets are easy to do. i'd replace the head gaskets depending on mileage and how bad it overheated before you finally quit driving it. they aren't hard to do in my oppinion but i'm familiar with cars. no special tools required. you can usually score EA82 engines for $200 or less, so if you can swap an engine out yourself (easy if you have a lift) then at least look for an EA82. then you'd be done for $200 or less. fix your other and hold it, sell it or sell the parts off of it. swap an EJ22 is probably not what you want to do. requires wiring, ECU and custom work that will cost $. if you can do it all yourself that's great, but locating one cheap and doing it yourself aren't what i would call 'easy', but yes it is possible.

use "D". 2.5's have headgasket issues, the "search" function is your friend. practice with it and it'll give you lots of help. you'll see lots of headgasket issues with the 2.5 liter of that vintage. of course hoses, leaks, radiator caps should be checked first. does the temp gauge hold steady or move around? have you popped the hood and checked for coolant loss or to see where the smell/fluid is coming from? first thing you should do is put a couple gallons of antifree in the car, just in case. best to have some for back up than blow the motor if it starts to overheat.

fuel injectors tick, be sure it's not an extra noisey injector. reseal the oil pump. if it's an EA82 engine, new oil pump to engine block, oring and front seal are in order. (if it's an EA81 then i'm not sure.) do a search for "tick" or "ticking" or "tick of death" or "TOD", you'll see tons of information about this. it could be a hydraulic valve lash adjuster sticking. if it's an EA82 the valves are not adjustable, it uses the HLA's i just mentioned. if that's the case then MMO, seafoam or ATF added to the oil may help. sometimes works immediately, sometimes over a few months of frequent oil changes it'll clear up. frequent oil changes are a must on these motors, the HLA's don't like to be dirty.

did you paint it between those two shots or just clean it? looks really nice, the work, body, all of the above. great job, thanks for showing.

agreed on the torquing aspect. i've had subaru gaskets do the same thing if the exhaust isn't bolted up tight (like on something i fabricated). but on good, tight connections i've reused the old exhaust gaskets before with no problems. i've reused the exhaust manifold gaskets before that looked terrible but didn't leak. but i've also installed new gaskets with stripped out head studs that leaked in well under a year. seems any small leakage will cause the gasket to degrade quick. heat i guess?

some combination of baking it, solvent and washing it out, drying...etc.

pull the engine and trans together at the same time. leave them bolted together and they'll come out. make sure the diff ratio of the trans you're installing matches the ratio of the rear differential. if they don't you'll have immediate issues.

i PM'ed you instructions, maybe you can copy/paste my PM here for future reference/others. basically what hocrest said...be sure you're "coming out" in a push/pull method and not just turning and pushing. turning while pushing won't do any good (normally, unless you're lucky).