idosubaru

the easy checks - are to pull the two caps and see if the valves look really wet and obviously leaky. those schrader valves have seals at the base that can leak, and they cost about 50 cents (at the high end places!). oh the poor folks that had $1,000 a/c repairs that were 50 cent schrader valves. but that's not terribly common. we need to know some things - is there any charge? does the clutch try to engage? is it complete empty? any previous accidents or work done? like nipper said there is an awful lot to a/c systems and it's not as simplistic as other things on a car. it's more dynamic. you can't simply "repair by replacing" a broken part unless you understand how they work. depending which part and how it failed...it could have damaged other parts or caused massive debris in the system that will damage new ones immediately...or over time. if you're a real DIY kind of person, read up about a/c stuff in general on the web. that's what i did and i do all my own (and friends) a/c stuff now. it's not that bad, but definitely requires some learning that isn't best done as you go....like most repairs i do!!! the best option for a beginner that's rather easy is to replace everything - the a/c compressor and condensor and receiver. condensor and compressor can be used parts and the receiver/drier should be new (though you *can* use used ones as well). buy them all and replace the orings at every juncture and replace the two schrader valves mentioned earlier. to acually replace one item you'll have to give us more information and probably learn a bit about A/C systems yourself. good chance you just need to find a leak and properly repair it. then there's the entire charging bit....properly done it needs to have a vacuumed pulled and charged with gauges. there are ways to do that at home or avoid doing those without that equipment, done it and seen it done many a times. but..there's too many unknowns to cover it all here.

if they're both EA81 - this is going to be cake for you. just swap away whatever is the best of either into the body you want. having donor cars makes swaps so stinking nice, you should be set. EA81 and EA82 are both available those years and both avaible in "GL's" - so whether it's a hatch (GL) or something else (87 GL wagon = EA82) will matter. "want" a carb? i think that requires treatment. ha ha, just kidding, but i can't imagine wanting to downgrade that much.

odd combo of syptoms for sure, particularly considering there aren't any typical failure items back there - ujoints would be the only that are "common". a few questions: if it's making a noise that should help immensely in tracking this down. is the noise at the hub (wheel), rear diff, or center of the car (driveshaft). the only two that could be close and hard to tell apart are the rear diff and last one (of three) driveshaft ujoints. can you tell if it's more noticeable left-to-right or more central? is there any history of repairs back there, accident, axle boot, etc? if you can see (not sure how much room you'll have to look), see if the struts appear wet, like they are loosing oil. did you read that check engine light code yet? i'd be suspicious of the rear axles too...but really only if there's been any previous work - like an accident or repaired boot. i've never seen a bad driveshaft not vibrate or only make noise when hitting a bump - but not saying that's impossible, particularly considering axles can be problematic.

i have a post here and/or on the xt forums about regreasing the speedo cable. there's actually a really simple way to do it without even pulling the cable sheath out from behind the instrument cluster. there's cable specific grease you want - graphite based something or another, availbable at any store. there's a good chance the cable is twisted, frayed and in need of replacement, so check it out when you get to it. the officer won't care that your speedo doesn't work - he would say it's your responsibility to have things like that fixed or inspected. it's not like they haven't had that excuse before! it could hose you in some states - they will reply with a repair order requiring you to have the odometer inspected and calibrated properly and documenting that repair to them within some time frame. that usually requires a visit to the police barracks or motor vehicle department within some time frame of receiving the repair order. good luck - just dig up that speedo cable thread.

Awesome! that looks great. i'm only going with 2", hope i'm not terribly disappointed after seeing this. less than half of what you got here sounds awfully small. not sure why - but i never saw the thread until now?

some later model EJ22's are interchangeable with EJ25's. for instance - if your EJ25 was a 2000 i think it would work. but 1999 was a year where both varieties of EJ25's were avaiable SOHC and DOHC. i forget which the legacy had then, but apparently emily knows it's not the right one. SHE would know! is the legacy the DOHC or SOHC?

heat shields? easy enough to check.

the "grinding in neutral" probably concerns me the most. what i would be interested to know is if you unplug the transmission wiring harness, how does it drive? there are two plugs i believe...or maybe just one, to the transmission. if you unplug those completely the transmission will run in mechanical mode and bypass all electronics. by default it runs in 3rd gear so it's completely gutless and slow at take off - but it runs and drives fine and can run up to 60...70 mph highway speeds just fine since it's in 3rd gear. the only bad thing is that your 4WD will be permanently "locked" and you'll notice binding around turns...particularly tight turns. but i've driven a few hundred miles and a few months of daily driving like that with no problems at all. i eventually installed a switch to just power the Duty C solenoid to "unlock" the 4WD thereby giving me the benefits of both worlds. the trans would rarely shift out of first - so unplugging it made it completely reliable as a daily driver, and the switch kept me out of 4WD...unless i needed it! something to try at least to get your by or possibly give some more information about the trans. if it really is the "lip seals" then the problem should still show itself by unplugging i would think. what year/model is the car and what year/model did the trans come out of? used transmissions are easy to find cheap and in general they're reliable so they're a good option. sorry you got hosed this time, i'm sure that leaves a bad taste, but that's usually a good way to go. i got one last fall with 100,00 miles for $150 and 6 month warranty - runs and shifts great. good luck, trans problems are very annoying, hang tough.

probably some of the best advice to note. i'd add to it that PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench, and Deep Creep are actual penetrants that are far better than WD40. spray down the day before anything you think you need to remove that looks rusty - exhaust bolts, trans bolts, etc. heat is your friend too when you go to remove rusty nuts.

sounds like you're on the right track, the EA82 may be the best fit for you. the EJ swap is not "easy" but it's not the end of the world either. no US EJ engines were every carbed so to install one you'd have to do a bunch of wiring work OR the easier route might be to convert it to carb. i know there are guys doing carb and distributor conversions, if that's something you feel like doing. you would also need an adapter plate since the EJ engine does not bolt up to any EA series transmissions. or you'd have to also install the entire lump - EJ engine and trans both. sounds like more than you're wanting to spend/get into. but if you keep your eyes out and you're in a good soob area you can find a subaru with issues for very cheap. wrecked, needing lots of work (exhaust, bearings, axles)....etc.

what did you end up doing about the engine and oil pump? used engine? leave the oil pump alone? good luck and enjoy the gas mileage!

if they're gone it's probably in large part due to the datsun crowd. few of them on Subaru's are ever rebuilt, there's rarely a need. i'd be interested too if this works out. i'd be interested in increasing the clutch force too, i think that's "adjustable" to a degree.

ha ha - nice user name for a nor-easter. would he have the option of converting an EJ22 to carb/distributor and running that to avoid the wiring issues? if he can swap an engine he can probably do that right? i've seen people do those things to an EJ22. i can't imagine wanting a carb but hey an EJ22 is a nice freaking engine to have. i suppose he can search here for that, i've seen pictures but have no idea how complex that is.

really? i just assumed all cars could do that. even the first 4EAT subaru used in the late 1980's does that. that's in my XT6's and they allow shifting while retaining cruise speeds as well.

there's also a non-subaru discussion forum i believe. this thread might end up there if you can't find it.

hang tight - i think this might turn out to be the simplest of all possibilities - the oil pump. this problem is very common, so it's a great place to start.

yes that's the relief spring mentioned earlier. you took care of that, but unlikely to be the cause here. any chance you might try the oil pump before getting back into the engine? that's probably what i would do. it might just need resealed. there are three oil pumps gaskets/seals - did you replace all 3? 1 oil pump to engine block gasket (mickey mouse) 2 oil pump shaft seal 3 oil pump oring - large diameter oring that goes in the groove so this car has never run without making a ton of noise for you? has the oil pan ever been removed that you know of? does it look like it, does the gasket look original, is there sealant on the oil pan (indicating it's been replaced before)?

i wouldn't worry about priming the HLA's. i've assembled a ton of subaru motors and putting them in fully pumped up or not even touching them makes no difference. with everything else functioning properly they'll pump up in no time. make sure they're properly lubed and all but *pumping them up* won't gain you anything in the end. except maybe the ticking goes away 13 seconds sooner that way!? i wouldn't pull the heads off, doubt there's anything wrong there. it might be as simple as the oil pump, that's easy enough so you might want to start there. reseal it - or buy a known good one.

is there any chance it's simply stuck in gear but the shifter isn't working. cable is broke, stretched, frayed, seized, etc? i wouldn't use an AWD transmission unless you can find one with a seized center differential. it's easy with older Subaru transmissiong, but on yours the way the EJ transmissions center diffs work aren't conducive to using an AWD trans as a FWD. that's why he's talking about welding and such. on the automatics it's really easy to convert the trans from FWD to AWD or AWD to FWD without even getting into the transmission. you just swap the rear housing of the trans which is easy and can actually be done on the car. i doubt manuals are this way but worth asking.

not all FWD EJ trans are 23 spline - i think it's only 93 impreza FWD.

yep! eeewwww!!! no. that's it! don't you like good news?! not really anything to it, like you already figured out. it would be almost as complicated as a DIY for filling your water glass. don't sweat it, just ignore your Chiltonofcrap.

during my many forays of off roading the grass probably burned up and just never ignited the field? another good reason not to live in california i guess!! hard to believe i never saw smoke/fire with those numbers - burn at 180 - exhaust at 500+ degrees. i won't forget that from here on out!

he covered that in his next sentence: what he is saying is use all XT6 stuff or all impreza stuff (axles, hubs, knuckles, struts, etc). but you bring up the possibility of just modifying the impreza knuckles/XT6 struts to fit. the XT6 struts would need to be drilled out for the larger holes. and the spacing dealt with too. that wouldn't be too difficult.

that's why i asked you over on the XT forum about the cam orings - that's more than likely your issue. normally i'd say run it some more - "new" or fresh engines can take a long time to settle down, particularly the HLA style valve train...BUT...if you plan on keeping this car any length of time you need to replace those orings in my opinion. very likely the HLA's are flat because there's air getting sucked past the HLA's. probably more likely that he didn't know, misinterpreted something or is mistaken. every dealer i've gone to actually has them in stock. used to be $2.13 a piece...i've since bought a butt ton of them and haven't had to buy any in awhile. either way, not all dealers do this, and none of the couple i've frequented. http://www.thepartsbin.com used to carry them but wasn't any cheaper than Subaru, so if the local dealer isn't helpful go somewhere else that is. i've gotten then from a number of different dealers in multiple states, never had a problem. what head gaskets did you use and if it wasn't fel-pro PT's did you retorque them? you might want to go back in there anyway if that's the case.

probably has a bad ujoint in the drive shaft. there's a possibility it could be the carrier bearing for the driveshaft as well. crawl under and grab/shake both halves (front and rear) of the driveshaft. you might be able to detect some looseness or play in it if it's really bad (sounds like it is). just keep in mind that if it's "solid and tight" that does not at all rule out the driveshaft. they can easily stay in place and appear fine until you pull them to inspect. a seized joint feels solid on the car but causes terrible things. it's possible one of the rear CV's is bad. if the boots are intact and don't look recently replaced and the axles don't look new then the rear CV's are probably fine. they could be bad, but doubt it. i doubt it's your rear diff by your description. if you pull the shaft you'll be able to tell which ujoint is bad or if it's the carrier bearing. driveshafts (ujoints) are very common, so that would be my guess. it'll be really lumpy or by the sounds of it - completely or nearly seized.