idosubaru

sounds like you have a complete non-turbo motor that you want to put in a turbo vehicle? yes it can be done by removing the turbo bits. you'll also need a non-turbo header and intake parts and the vacuum lines will be different. year may matter as well...what year is the car, what year is the motor and are you swapping intake manifolds or not? basically....need more information on what exactly you're doing. there are issues, but nothing that can't be overcome. the non-turbo intake parts are particularly tricky to find. i posted and posted and called and searched and still don't know if i have everything for it. but certainly you can make something up as you go along if you don't mind it being non-stock. automatic, manual...trans details? i know the flywheels are different either between the turbo's and non-turbo's or AWD and FWD so that could be an issues depending what you have. i did it but haven't gotten the car running yet due to other issues. i'm fairly certainly it had ECU issues, but some may be conversion related as well...haven't looked into it recently.

here are some pictures of some work i did on the heads, gaskets and intake. http://www.xt6.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4169&highlight=intake+runner never noticed those fins on the XT6 - but they have dedicated ports for each intake, so that explains that.

yes i've done this to XT6 heads. XT6 heads are exactly like EA82 heads except with one extra cylinder slapped on the end. same mold basically, same valves, vavle seats, springs, etc. anyway, yes they are rather imperfect but i did not have that lump that you see in yours, nor do i recall any lumps like that in the EA82 heads that i've pulled. i'd grind them away myself. remove all the casting flash, there should be a nice line of it running down into the runners. also set the intake manifold gasket on the head without the intake. you'll also notice the gaskets protrude quite far (at least the Subaru and Fel-Pro gaskets i tried both did) into the intake stream. i'd cut those down to match. and the intake linkely won't match perfect either. cut the gasket to match the head then grind the intake to match the gasket so they all line up. bolt the gasket to the head so you know exactly how it will set. get a good grinder to save yourself some time. cheap grinders will take you forever. the goal is to smooth it out and take off as little material as possible. you're not aiming for a complete redesign and bench flow test of the head, but just smoothing them out as much as possible.

i don't know anything about the 3sp transmissions but i'd bet they easily swap. i don't even think the 3speeds have a TCU do they? even if it did have a TCU i would first guess they are identical anyway and second the plugs would likely be the same and you could just plug in the 2WD TCU if it mattered (doubtful).

first - i would make sure that no coolant is getting in the oil. if the previous owner added alot of water instead of coolant (which is often done since antifreeze can be quite expensive if you have to keep adding it at $5-$7 a bottle). water won't show up nearly as well in the oil as the antifreeze will. i have seen headgaskets leak only oil and no antifreeze, but that has been external leakage at the rear of the head gasket. if not coolant is getting in the oil it should be head gasket and not a cracked block or something bad like that.

might want to do a hydrocarbon test to verify exhaust in the coolant. if you fix it quickly it'll be fine. if it were bought this way and had possible previous overheating issues or has extensive water in the oil i wouldn't trust the motor. should be able to score a good condition 2.2 for not much money. swap motors and be done with it if the hydrocarbon test gives bad results.

you'll loose reliability if that matters at all. slap a turbo and intercooler on the car you have rather than trying to retrofit everything. keep the temps down and run low boost (due to the high compression non-turbo block). if you really want the turbo block, i'm not sure on models. All XT Turbo's, RX (only available with turbo) are EA82T engines. The GL-10 Turbo's are EA82T as well. loyale's...if they ever had turbo's would be an EA82T. justy won't work, that's a freak of an engine in the subaru world. 3 cylinder as well, completely incompatible with the EA series.

as the owner of over 15 of these things, i highly recommend converting to coil over suspension. as reliable as these cars can be, it's silly to keep the air suspension unless you really like it. i choose to keep it but i'm fairly proficient with it and have extra parts everywhere. otherwise i'd convert immediately. the car drives horrendous and is very unsafe when they don't air up, not worth it if you have to wait around for parts and can't trouble shoot it easily. let's assume you convert (best choice for most people). the rear is done. for the fronts you don't need to do any drilling unless you want to use the impreza bolts, they are larger and you can even use the adjustable camber bolts if you'd like to adjust camber. probably not necessary unless you want to race. so...instead just reuse your existing XT6 bottom strut bolts and you don't need to do anything. you'll only have to pry the bottom strut flange out enough to fit on the XT6 hub, it's very straight forward and only requires a long tool...pry bar, crow bar, digging bar, even a long wrench will do. any large item will be enough to spread them out until they fit. two struts and you're done, that's the best option. now if you want to keep the air suspension....... you can leave the rear coil overs and get the front to air up via the system. if you just disconnected the rears and the air lines and wires are hanging there, that's probably why the system isn't working correctly. you can not remove the rear air struts and expect the system to work properly without a little trickery. depending how you disconnected the rears, the fronts may not be airing up because the rears are disconnected. you have to "trick" the computer into thinking the rear is okay before proceeding. yo'ud have to make sure the air lines aren't open...otherwise all your pressure just vents to atmosphere. and there are two wires you'll need to cross i believe to make the computer think those air struts are in place and at the correct height. these systems can be very troublesome to work on...air bags, height sensors, solenoids, o-rings galore, broken connectors, electronics, computer, air tank, drier, compressor, pressure sensor...lots of stuff to go wrong. first - are you sure the front struts are bad? a bad compressor can feel like it's moving air but isn't really putting out nearly enough pressure to air the car up. there's a big difference between just moving air (feeling it) and actually raising something that weighs a couple thousand pounds. so i wouldn't rule the air compressor good just yet..until i saw it airing up a strut. also - if the car sets for awhile, even if the system is good sometimes the front struts just don't want to air up. they get "stuck". jacking the car up while letting it try to air up and prying them down manually to get them going can alleviate this problem. there are many possible causes to why your fronts aren't airing up...i would not bother replacing them or thinking they are the problem until you rule out some things or give us some more details (like how the rears were installed and how you left the air lines/solenoids?). the struts are not rebuildable. either recondition yours, or a used set. unless you want to buy new for $250 - $400 each which i don't recommend. good luck and have fun! sitting for awhile in general is bad for the air suspension. corrossion and time generally don't do good things to the compressor and air tank pressure sensor, or the struts. i have a thread over at http://www.xt6.net on how to recondition a set of non-failed struts. i have never had to replace any of mine yet.

he needs to check the fluid level and condition first. check to make sure the transmission pan isn't dented. a dent in the pan from underneath is a hard problem to diagnose if you don't look for it and restricts fluid flow since the sump is so close to the bottom of the pan. a dent will restrict that already tight clearance. these are simple checks that require no skill at all. you didn't mention if the AT light is blinking at all. that tells you the TCU knows there's a specific problem with the system. the code can be pulled and help narrow it down. aside from that....i'm betting it was sold because of this problem since you say he recently got it and it started doing this...and that would explain why he got it cheap. if he's interested in dumping it on someone else, tell him to email me. depending where it is in ohio i may buy it from him.

there's no leakage anywhere? no oil/coolant mixing? no bubbles in the overflow tank when it starts to get hot and is turned off? the problem is likely age related if it ends up being a head gasket. the radiator, hoses, clamps, overflow hose, radiator cap, thermostat, water pump and others may have never been replaced. likely something failed and caused the head gaskets to blow rather than the head gaskets blowing for no reason. if you fixed the gaskets or replaced the motor i'd be on the lookout for a bad radiator, water pump or something else cooling system related to make sure the new motor doesn't get hosed as well. 16 years is plenty of time for a part of the cooling system to fail. i picked up a new to me XT6 this summer with 100,000 miles. when i get a new one (even if i'm going to sell it) i install new hoses, water pump, radiator, thermostat, radiator caps..etc. better to know it's all good then hope and have one cheap part ruin a perfectly good motor.

FWD XT6 struts are a direct bolt on. they are the only option up front that doesn't require some modification. the front of the car will sit lower than the rear due to the weight difference between AWD and FWD. trim a coil and a half off the rears to equal it out and it'll ride level and lower than stock. on the front, impreza/legacy struts can work but require the flange to be spread out or the hub of the XT6 to be ground down to fit. the impreza front struts have larger holes that accept the adjustable camber bolts. you'll either have to use the smaller XT6 bolts and torque them down snug in the larger impreza strut holes, or drill out the holes in the XT6 hub to accept the larger impreza bolts. in which case you'd have adjustable camber if you did it that way. for the rears you can use any EA series rear struts...that's the late model subaru's. no newer EJ stuff even comes close to fitting...completely different set up. i hear 4WD rear struts are better as they mount lower and therefore help the car set lower in the back (which helps alleviate the slanting affect of converting). huck has an excellent write up on constructing your own set of new coil over struts for the XT6 on http://www.xt6.net, you'd be well served to check that write-up out. remember - EJ struts (impreza/legacy) ONLY FOR THE FRONT. EJ stuff in the rear is completely different and won't even come close to fitting.

i haven't found any parts place that carries a direct fit stud. but...all good autoparts stores have one that will work. it's not exact, but works great. i've bought them many times. best bet is to go match them up and get the closest one. the auto parts stores will have ones that have a small un-threaded middle portion maybe a 1/4" wide. put the short threaded end in the engine side hole so the nut doesn't run into the unthreaded portion of the stud. (if that sounds confusing, it's really simple). almost all decent stores that have parts bins have these studs. but they won't be able to match them up by part number or computer, just look. i think they're 10x1.25 pitch threads. the harder thing to find is the thin walled nuts they use on those exhaust studs. they are nice for ease of use, but don't think they can be bought except used.

replace the radiator cap(s). make sure the hose from the radiator to the overflow tank is in good working order. no leaky and no cloggy. install a subaru thermostat. someone just posted a side by side picture of subaru thermostat and an aftermarket....amazing difference. i'm a believer as of last week when i saw that. and be very careful....overheating 17 year old gaskets and seals is not a good thing. while this is a great motor, bad things happen very quickly on seals and gaskets of this age. you don't want to blow a headgasket on such a good motor.

i missed the "had this problem before"....how long before? how many times? they may just be trying to blow you off, i'd be persistent and ask to speak with management. they don't make money by working on as many warranty claims as possible, sometimes some convincing will do the trick. like they say...the squeaky wheel gets the oil. which drives me crazy because i like to be fair and reasonable, i don't like being persistent and rude...but that is what usually gives results with moronic, questionalbe mechanics. after this issue....take your soob to the VW dealer!

sounds like your VW dealer is better to deal with than the subaru dealer. electrical issues are very very rare, even in 20 year old subaru's. unless they experienced some kind of damaging situation (already mentioned). if they worked on the problem before i agree with you, i'd expect them to fix it if it was a problem before the warranty expired. i would have disconnected the speedometer cable before rolling over the warranty mileage until they fixed it. with some persistence they may still fix this. can you take a look at your warranty contract and see if there's a grace period for pre-warranty issues? make sure you don't go beyond the time frame or mileage if there is before getting on their case. i'm not up on the warranty details, but you still could get this fixed.

look at trends and statistics, not individual experiences and results from questionable dealerships/mechanics. you are not a mechanic or well informed about cars, therefore your experience could easily be tainted by things not related to the vehicle at all. did you buy the car used? did you take it to more than one mechanic for a second oppinion? what kind of electrical issues? has this car ever been wrecked, flooded, damaged...etc? lots of info left out to make an "informed" decision. was the battery every connected backwards, car jump started? lots of things can cause issues that aren't attributable to the vehicle. VW's? if my friends could make it to 100,000 miles without loosing massive amounts of oil, mufflers, breaking down between maryland and west virginia, CE lights coming on and breaking hoses (all of these this year by the way) on their VW's (which i end up looking at and/or fixing)....maybe i wouldn't completely laugh at the thought of choosing one of those as my next vehicle.

i drove one of my old school subaru's for a long time with that symptom. it never got worse or caused any issues. i didn't know much about it at the time except the car drove fine. that pause before going anywhere was odd though.

you can find an entire steeering rack (which will have the tie rods on it) and swap steering racks. they can be had for cheap, $25-$50 and aren't that hard to replace if you can do it yourself. the control arm and strut could have issues, but replacing the tie rod will get you back on the road. if you're trying to save on the expense, drive it and see if it pulls or your tires wear unevenly before deciding on replacing the rest, or an alignment shop may be able to tell you if your strut or control arms are bent, because then your tire would be out of alignment.

you'd get a ton of information using the search button. you can wait for responses of course, but you'll learn alot more by spending some time with the search button. i have limited experience with turbo's so i got nothing to add.

what motor/vehicle? EA81 or EA82? you can't have both - drive it for a month - and fix it later. pick one, or pick the other, but doing both won't cut it. if you drive it like that for a month, the short block won't be worth putting any work into it as the coolant/water in the oil will destroy the bearings. i did this myself and had very little oil/coolant mixing. after installing new headgaskets the motor didn't last very long. developed a severe rod knock, which i can almost gaurantee was due to the water/coolant in the oil. i swapped engines shortly afterwards. run it now and replace the motor later. or fix it now and save that motor. if you fix it now the beauty is that your motor is good, you won't have to pull it and you save yourself that agrivation in the future.

i will second this thumbs up. i've bought many hundreds of dollars of parts from them. XT6 parts are easily screwed up by others, but they have yet to get one part wrong. i like that they even carry that metal reinforced OEM like o-ring for the cam carrier housing on ER27's and EA82's/EA82T's. never seen another store carry those. i've seen insane turn around times as well. call and it arrives the next day and a half. not always, it's variable, but occasionally super quick.

big end gone? what does that mean? the metal noise should have warranted an inspection before continuing. i'd guess oil pump related, but sounds very strange if the oil level is fine. i'd expect a leak to cause this. make sure the engine is as bad as you think, could it be something simpler? timing belt, bad pulley bearing?

yep! what he said (whatever that means)

check the CTS for corrossion and green stuff on the contacts. very common. how old is the ignition stuff...cap, rotor, plugs, wires? ignition wires are all plugged into the right place? i know on the EA82 (non-turbo), the ones i've worked on would bog down and cut off or idle horribly if the oil cap wasn't on. i noticed on one that i couldn't get to idle that it idled fine every time i leaned into the engine to try and find out what was wrong. turned out i was pressing on the oil cap. there's a rubber seal under neath of that oil cap. i replaced that oil seal under the cap (comes in the head gasket set...never knew what it was until then) and it idled fine. that's the simple stuff to check. you're positive the timing belts are dead on and installed properly?

is the fuel leaking all the time, only when the car is running or you don't know? is it leaks when you're driving, then it's likely affecting the supply of fuel to the engine and could cause idling that bad...but it would have to be a terrible leak. i've seen fuel pumps spewing gas everywhere but the vehicles would still start, idle and run okay. by the sounds of it being at the seam or fuel sender related i'd say it's probably not related to your idling, but you'll know more once someone looks at it. should be obvious once you nail down the exact source of the leak. you can try pulling codes or diagnostic, but probably won't find anything. a very important question...has there been any recent work done to the vehicle? how old are the ignition components? plugs, wires? air filter? i'd install new plugs and wires (Subaru only on the wires) and then the coil pack if those items don't fix it. then get back to us. ignition issues cause a majority of the rough idle, rough start issues that come my way.