idosubaru

The bands weren't what I was expecting. It has "notches" on the top of it so to speak. Tempted to use hose clamps, though I know they are too wide and lots of folks say not to do that.

that's what I was thinking. Not sure about the early 80's, but I'd think they're about the same as late 80's. I don't see/have enough issues with late 80's stuff to justify the expense of a complete rebuild. Though I can understand wanting to do it right and have it done for sure.

As a general rule I have always avoided CV axles because grease is annoying. So this is my first one. I bought the boot kit, is the packet of grease usually right, too little or too much? on a side note - why doesn't the grease end up just getting pushed out into the convolutions of the boot? The packet doesn't seem like enough to fill the DOJ housing, but I haven't done it yet so maybe it does?

actually there's a good chance your impreza is heavier. the impreza is also 13 years newer, almost 30 hp more, and a manual verse auto on the leg.

that's 50% right - the manual trans OBW got the EJ22 in 1996.

drivers side under the washer reservoir on top of the valve cover body. if subaru sent me the right valve, it's smaller than EA/EJ vehicles of the past 20 years.

OBS won't have the EJ25, so no head gasket issues to worry about. If you're looking at the car for room considerations then you might want to consider legacy wagon's as well. Might as well get more room and have more options as you're looking. We ended up getting rid of our OBS for that reason, wanted more room. OBS is a great car. The impreza's tend to be lower trimmed than the Legacy (except some older L and brighton models with crank windows and crap seats). They're a bit noisier and not as nice with fewer options (heated seats, power seats, trim, etc). But that also means they're on average easier to find good deals on. And they only came with the EJ22, which is a fantastic motor. 1990-2000 Legacy's and Impreza's don't differ much - same couple engines and transmissions used in them all. Once you know the engines and transmissions then it's just down to personal preference.

go to tire rack and see if they have reviews on brake pads.

clutch and trans are definitely not a problem. not sure about heads bolting up.

be sure to use Subaru exhaust gaskets too, not familiar with the EA81 but with everything else they are typically much higher quality. i've reused so many Subaru OEM used exhaust gaskets it's not funny, the manifold gaskets seal well in my experience. i'm with GD i wouldn't over complicate it. now that you've got the threads repaired your next obstacle is keeping the studs/nuts from rusting away.

I don't think TCU fixes tire size/speedometer being off issues. I need to hear more about that if it's the case, sounds interesting. I wouldn't think you need to swap TCU's, I think it'll run just fine. I've interchanged 2.2 and 2.5 TCU's without noticing any difference so if you decide to change it probably won't make much difference. I'd lean towards the 2.2 if you have a choice, particularly considering not just engine size but the 2.5 auto's got the 4.44 gears.

a set of steel wheels should be easy to find. i wouldn't even worry about getting 16"ers. I'd just get some 15's as they're easier to find. a little sooner and we may have worked something out, i drove through indy twice last week and have some wheels.

legacy and XT6 axles differ a bit, so i'd have to do more than just change the axle though. good point, i would go ahead and swap to legacy stuff then in the future based on that, EJ stuff being made for heavier and more powerful vehicles.

have the fluid changed. folks often never replace ATF (or rarely), so it may have never been changed before you got it. everyone knows to "change oil every 3,000" but will go 100,000 without changing ATF. this is a true 4WD transmission, make sure the tires are the same size, properly inflated, properly roated, and never improperly towed. i suggest reading the owners manual if you're not familiar with 4WD/AWD stuff like this.

makes it much easier if you remove the radiator as well, more room to work with. it's just annoying, go slow and expect it to take 5 times longer than it should (then you're happy if it only takes twice as long as it should!). i just use a screw driver to pull them out. once you see how their in and designed it's rather easy to get them out. there's a lip on the seal the OD that actually contacts the metal cam housing. if you place a thin enough screw driver properly behind the seal against that lip, you can't scratch the housing if you proceed carefully. reinstalling is what i find annoying, having the radiator out of the way is a really good idea for the first time.

nah, just do the axles.

right on chux, i concur. hard to beat a reliable 230 hp out of cheap and easy to find EG33's/SVX's.

subaruxt.com, where I and all the other XT folks hang out, most of them are members here as well but more activity there for XT stuff. a number of folks have done it, dyno tested it, and results are there. it's all custom, but parts are easily gotten off ebay.

that's what i would think too. i typically remove mine by hand.

yeah, life is great. how it goes for me...i thought that when i was 20...then again when i was 23...then again when i was 25...then again...i think you see the pattern here!

right on, i don't know how MWE does it. i know he buys "new" parts of some sort, but not sure what. he's been rebuilding Subaru axles for a really long time and has a great reputation. good point, wondering what the differences are and what you're paying for. i do not know.

copy that, the EG33 is definitely a beast in terms of power and inexpensive availability. considering you were talking a rebuild, the cost factor did not seem to be much of an issue since rebuilds are rather pricey to do right. you should even be able to get one cheaper than that. if you're rebuilding it then mileage and such doesn't much matter. with the scope of this project i personally wouldn't worry about OBDI or OBDII. none of the existing harness is really going to be used. you're going to be swapping the entire engine, body side, and ECU harness into the car to make it work. so doesn't seem like it would make much difference. EJ22's are dirt cheap. might be worth looking into rebuilding one of those with turbo pistons then you're not out the expense of the expensive EJ22T.

no. the hair line cracks between valve seats are NOMINAL. what happens beyond that - yes can be caused by excessive heat, poor maintenance. keep your cooling and oiling system in check and you'll be fine. much harder to do with turbo's where those cracks are most likely to become fatal. have you been to the northwest, colorado, mountains in the east...there are thousands of 20+ year old Subaru's. Most of them have had those hair line cracks for a decade or more, they are benign if you keep the system running and maintained properly.

shame on me to ruin this thread with an actual picture, what a waste! guess i missed it, but i didn't see a picture in the thread nor a need to start another one.

Currently run MWE axles on a 2" lifted (strut extensions) XT6 with all stock XT6 suspension. I'm wondering if I swap to EJ stuff if they'll be more forgiving or less when it comes to axles angles, wear, etc? The current XT6 axles seem to be doing fine (though not a ton of miles on the lift yet). I'd hate to switch to EJ axles and have them be less reliable than the XT6. Anyone with experience here?