idosubaru

If you insall everything but the rear axles, that's FWD. With an EA trans it's totally possible to run FWD just lock it in 4WD and you have FWD because the rear isn't there. But an EJ20 with spirited use is going to trash an EA trans particularly in a configuration like that. But then you need an adapter plate to make it work too. An EJ manual trans can't run FWD due to the nature of the viscous center diff, the auto's can. If you can find an EJ trans with torque bind, it's essentially "locked" in 4WD for good, you could use that and run it in FWD. I know someone doing that right now and they've been pushing more hp than your EJ20 for while through it.

Viscous Limited Slip - it's what all the Subaru's came with (the ones that had it anyway), so they're easy to find. 2" won't get you 10" in an OBW I don't think. You would need 3-4" for that I believe.

Sounds like there's no easy option if that's what you're after. Probably simpler to just get another EA82 or swap the loyale heads onto the XT block. What I think would be fun, and easy, would be to swap the Loyale harness onto the XT intake. Then just install the SPFI injector in the intake somewhere and bypass the MPFI injectors. That sounds like a fun project for me but i'm the wierdo with all the castrated Subaru's too. I already explained it all above, I meant the XT. There is no such thing as an 87.5 non-turbo XT. Yours is either an 87 or 88. The 87.5 designation is specifically for Subaru's goofy compilation of the unicorn - the FT4WD XT Turbo - the only XT Turbo with differing bumpers, intake, hood, etc. So by saying 87.5 I thought you were referring to the turbo model. You could cut the connectors and rewire. Probably end up saving you some time removing the nasty mess. Rather than all day removing the harness you can have he connectors out in 2 minutes. Then splice what you need.

I would keep this simple - because you could easily end up with a list of 132 things it *could* be but that doesn't help you. let's start with things you can do right now: First - how many miles? Has the timing belt every been changed? Any recent work or info? Is the check engine light on? Have you tried to read the codes read? Good chance there's a code to be read and that could help a lot. (readers are $30 on ebay, excellent thing to throw in the glove box) Or many auto stores do it for free - Advanced Auto, Autozone, etc. How old are the spark plug wires and are they Subaru wires? I've seen brand new aftermarket wires cause a no start - for this particular engine you should only have Subaru wires. Replace the coil with used one, they're a dime a dozen.

you suspect power steering issues and haven't checked the fluid level? how's the belt tension? yeah, pumps start to whine and need replaced. they are so easy to replace, not high failure items, and cheap to buy used that replacing with a new one is as good as tossing cash in a meat grinder. fluid loss or overly tight belts can strain and wear the bearing causing the pump to fail. the oring at the base of the reservoir should be replaced when you swap in another pump. they're very easy to replace.

gobs of opinion and options here, so it's hard to choose. did that tire-rack or whatever site you looked at have reviews, maybe those would help? Subaru rotors are pointless. Subaruoutback.org and nasioc have tremendous discussions on brake components, might want to check there. folks here are more practical and less emo and anal. have your existing rotors turned? shop across the street from my office does it for $15. not sure how it's worth their time but works for me!

i don't believe they have any temp gauges for the trans/fluid. some 4EAT's (maybe all?) circuits do use temperature input to prevent the trans from going into 4th until it warms up in very cold conditions. but that's probably more of a switch than it is a temp gauge for the fluid. are you looking to upgrade an existing set up or starting from scratch on a stock trans? there are "remote transmission filter kits" you can buy to add on a screw on filter to any vehicle. they can include temperature gauges too. if you're installing a gauge i'd do that first and keep an eye on readings before getting a cooler. trans coolers aren't an item where "more is better". the trans is designed to perform at a certain fluid operating temperature, there is no value (arguably it's bad) to reduce the fluid temps below that. that's good to know even if you've already decided to get one - as Subaru's should use the smallest coolers they sell - those are orders of magnitudes more efficient than the stock set up at dissipating heat.

hmm a couple folks (mr. radon and legacy777 i think) have done FWD to AWD conversions but it's stretching my memory. the center carrier bearing for the driveshaft needed the holes drilled and tapped but that's easy and some FWD have had them before. either way the boss is there even if they aren't drilled, so simple. as for the rear diff. there's a bolt up top and the two in the rear mustache bar - those attachment points are needed but shouldn't require welding. you'll want the mustache bar from a 4WD for a direct bolt on swap. not sure if you can drill the FWD bar or what they look like. but given that work needed to mount the rear diff and the need to convert the rear hub assemblies to AWD in order to except the rear axles - i'd just plan on getting almost an entire rear end from an EA vehicle (or XT6 if you want to do 5 lug at the same time). EJ20 - so i guess you're going to an EJ trans too or retaining EA? probably better to go EJ if you have a choice.

lift and larger tires. get a rear VLSD if yours doesn't already have one. 2" lift is easy. there are a few vendors and fabricators on here that make lifts. SJR (who i've bought from), BYB, and Bill Omlin come to mind. The "offroad" vehicle discussions are silly but apparently we must endure another one. Any vehicle is limited, that's a comparison game or competition not offroading. Doesn't mean they aren't fun. Offroading is picking a place and enjoying it. Just because I'm sponsored to play a sport doesn't mean i think everyone else that plays that sport needs to be as well, they can still enjoy it without the practice, competitiveness and high end equipment that I have. Let folks enjoy it how they want even if that means they can only traverse 60% of the US instead of 60.2%

you didn't mention whether turbo or not? to swap the MPFI would require a full on engine swap, but it does bolt up and everything. but it'll need the engine wiring harness, body side wiring harness, and ECU. To make it more annoying the XT ECU is in the trunk so might be simpler to cut the plugs and try and splice together what you need. Whether all the pinouts are available to retain some of the stock loyale wiring and make it easier i'm not sure - but you have some wiring work ahead of you. An EJ swap would be the same amount of work with only one extra step of an adapter plate (unless you swapped to an EJ trans too). Too bad you can't track down the issue you have. Good luck, it's annoying trying to decide i'm sure.

I've always just matched them up in an autoparts store. Not sure what Subaru would have on hand.

"87.5" is terminology typically reserved only for turbo vehicles. the loyale is not a turbo, are you trying to swap a turbo engine into a non-turbo vehicle or something else? hmmm, EA stuff does have variances in clutch - but i believe it's just FWD and AWD? depending on clarification of above information the XT will have a FT4WD transmission, i'd personally swap that in place of the PT4WD trans if i was already doing all this work.

The oring is only a few cents, a few minutes, and very common to leak. Should be a real simple fix for you, good luck.

adjust it. there's a wheel - pull them off so they're not rubbing. if that's not doing it then pull the rotors, have them turned and reinstall. they might be rusted bad or you might find something else wrong when you get in there.

I replied to your other thread with instructions on finishing your job. \ Good luck .

Remove the cap and look down inside the reservoir - there's another bolt down there - 10 or 12mm. No need to remove the pump, you should be golden! If you end up getting the oring size or part number you could help everyone else by posting it.

What he said - smooth it out for sure - you're not looking to change anything just smooth it out and remove edges. The ones I've seen didn't actually leak. See where it is, it might be further in than the seal is pressed. If you're worried about it or it did leak I would imagine some anaerobic sealant would be a good bet. Not that I ever recommend sealant on a seal nor do i ever do it - but this might be one case. That being said - if this is the EJ22 then it's the one with the removable cam cap, just three bolts. Might want to just go ahead and replace it or it's easy enough to replace if it does leak.

right on - i already answered your question - no, it's not the same as your XT. XT6 and XT front struts are not the same, not interchangeable therefore this conversion will not work for you. now - it is possible to swap to XT6 front hubs...which essentially requires a full on 5 lug swap front and rear - that is possible in which case THEN you can swap to impreza/legacy front struts. if you're interested in that, start reading about 5 lug swaps, there's all sorts of options and info on it here but is obviously a much bigger job than just a strut swap.

you have to define what you mean by "hybrid swap" as there's a few ways to do it. but if you mean the EJ (impreza/legacy) swap, then no. Front struts: XT and XT6 are NOT the same and not interchangeable Rears: Interchangeable. so i think the answer to your question is "no".

these old style tensioners are very reliable, it's not going to need replaced. your pulleys will be far from new condition. at the very least the toothed idler is the most common to be noisy. if the belt was replaced at 60,000 miles why would you replace the belt but not the 15+ year old pulleys? i'd do the opposite - leave the belt and replace the pulleys. they will not be smooth like a new pulley, you should feel one if you never have before. a new timing belt is worthless with bad or failed pulleys between now and 140k. depends what you think about reliability, it's not worth the couple dollars to me. non interference engine so when your pulleys/timing belt fail you won't have any damage you'll just be stranded, so that's the good news. $80 ebay kits all the way. as for the cam seals - yes they can start leaking and yes they can make 140,000 miles. this is about percentages not quantitative black and white. you got a very rough 50/50 chance of them making it 140,000 miles.

You're pointing at the heat shields - those aren't causing any stinky unless there are actually holes there in the exhaust (heat shields have nothing to do with leaking exhaust). I rip them off, yours are already partially missing, including the most important parts, those upper parts are useless, just remove them. Or you can hose clamp them....then hose clamp them again in a month, then one falls off and you do it again, then they're loose up top next year - they're totally annoying. Like nip said - your stinky is coming further back where the two pipes meet, where it's all wet. Internal combustion engine = stuff exploding = hot exhaust = no touchy. You have oil on that and it's burning off. All sorts of different leaks end up back there, so keep your eye out on typical leakage points, most aren't too hard to fix or should be fixed with a normal timing belt job.

great motor you got there. sounds like your crank seal is leaking. that's easy, just pop it out after you remove the oil pump. you'll want to reseal the oil pump, which the crank seal is seated into. you remove the oil pump, tighten the rear backing screws (locktite any that are loose), replace the crank seal, replace the oring and seal it with anaerobic sealant. it's simple. you're not supposed to but i always install the crank seal before installing the oil pump back to the engine. you're not supposed to do that but it's so much easier i don't care. as for the cam seals. if they really aren't wet at all, you can leave them. timing belt interval is 60,000 miles on this engine so you can plan on doing those next time. so you could avoid all the "harder" stuff now - not remove the cam sprockets and replace the crank seal with the oil pump out of the car. basically removing all the trickier parts of the job. personally i'd just do it all right now - replace those cam seals and the orings. but if they aren't leaking and you don't want to mess with those cam bolts, not a huge deal you can do them with the next timing belt at 60,000 miles. for the front seals and orings i use all Subaru stuff - they're a much better quality. as for the timing belt - get the ebay timing belt kits. they're awesome, onlye $80 and you get the belt and all new pulleys, great deal. it's almost impossible for your 15+ year old pulleys to be in great shape by now. if the timing belt is wet, replace it very soon as oil degrades the belt and makes them break. i've seen brand new ones only last a matter of months when soaked in oil. steering rack is leaking - those aren't that hard to replace at all actually. they fail so infrequently you should just get a used one. probably get a known good one right off aboard member here in the parts wanted forum. they fail so rarely there's hardly any demand - i didn't even bother removing it from the 96 Legacy i just sent to the junk yard a couple weeks ago.

yeah you're right Qman, I actually thought it was all 2WD EA82's though, not just XT's? But yeah that's it - the mounting point on the rear arm is located differently (although it's exactly the same kind of fitting) so the strut is a different length but still interchanges.

they'll bolt right in if that's what you're asking. if they're longer i'm fairly certain it's a very minor amount. the only major height/length difference in rear EA82 struts are between 4WD and FWD, are you sure that's not what you were looking at?

subaru installed some AUX in units through the 90's but they were sparse. i wonder if those are based on another non-AUX in unit you could find out how they're wired? or - you could just buy one of those units. being 10+ years old and undesirable, they're likely to be cheap. the subaru stereos i have seem to have two plugs in the back, i've always wondered what the the two of these do? i mean one is for the standard plug - the other is usually empty?