GeneralDisorder

Are the housings for the removeable bulbs made of metal and glass? They probably are..... This is creating the ground needed for the lights to bypass the switch. In the EA81 the lights receive a constant 12v signal and the ground is switched. With metal backed housings the ground goes through the bucket and illuminates the bulbs. GD

Yep. And it's important to point out that he doesn't have hard evidence that it actually ran out of gas. Only that it was low enough that this *might* have happend. It could be something else and it could be a combination of that and something else failing. GD

Define "short".... what's going on exactly? GD

Rear filter was changed. Front is not clogged. Fuel pump is working - he took it loose from the carb and cranked it to check for fuel delivery. Adequate fuel was delivered. The engine won't start but will almost catch. Pouring fuel down the primary with the choke propped open and the throttle to the floor doesn't seem to help. Plugs are not fouled and gap is correct. They are newer NGK's. Wires have seen better days but after a cleaning and tightening they seem to be delivering spark to the plugs - checked with a paper clip. Coil checks out good on a meter. Module is pulsing correctly on a test light check. Nice hot blue spark at the coil wire. I verified ignition timing is at or around 8. He tells me compression is around 150 to 180. At this point I told him to get a proper can of starting fluid, new plug wires and a cap/rotor. My feeling is that it's part fuel delivery and part ignition. It stubbornly refuses to fire up even when it seemingly has everything it needs to do so. Sadly the car is 30+ miles from my shop and in a cold apartment parking lot.... not ideal diagnostic conditions. GD

Cheap alternator. They usually last about 6 months. Sad part is that this alternator was part of a recall through the dealer and quality Subaru reman's are only $65 for the 95 to 98 models. GD

DOHC gaskets were redesigned 4 times. The latest gasket is an MLS turbo-style gasket and is quite good. They have also redesigned the SOHC gaskets at least once. To correct a problem with the sealant washing away from the gasket and causing external leakage of coolant and oil - primarily on the driver's side head. I have personally replaced gaskets as new as '06 with external oil leakage. GD

Yeah I can understand the concern. But really you have like 8 bolts torqued to 55 ft/lbs. Chances of it moving are really freakin slim. If you really want to be careful make sure you thread in all the bolts and then rock the flywheel clockwise before torquing them. This will insure that the shock loading from engaging the clutch will tend to push against the bolts rather than against empty space. You could also get some peices of tubing to cut and put around the bolts to take up the space. Not really an issue in the real world though. GD

It will work when the disc is brand new. But it will slip easier and you will not get the full life out of the disc. With the larger step of the EA81 flywheel it's as if you had put a used clutch in that's at the last 25% of it's life. Sure it will still work but it's only got 25% left till it's too thin to hold without slipping. The larger holes in the EA82 flywheel are of no concern. You use the smaller EA81 bolts and you torque it properly. It does not cause a problem. I've run probably a dozen like this over the years and it's never been an issue. GD

You really need an 81 FSM for this stuff. Personally I'm much more familair with the 83+ wireing because it's a lot more common. I don't know what that timer or that relay are for. I would guess that this mini-harness and fuse tube are for some accessory that was after-the-fact but dealer installed. Like AC or Cruise control. It appears that it's only point is to intercept a main power lead, run it through a fuse, and to....? If it were me I would probably remove this mini-harness and just connect the two ends together. Make note of where it came from in case you need to put it back in later :-p. The combo switch does not need to be grounded. You are going to have to trace the circuit. You need power at the lights. The switch turns on and off the *ground* for the lights. Subaru used a ground controlled lighting system. When the ignition is on the bulbs should always have 12v present. They should only be grounded when the switch is on. Check for +12v at the bulbs. Then try grounding the other side - it should come on. That will narrrow it down to the power supply or the ground switching. There should be at least one or two grounds (ring terminal style) under the dash that are for the lights. And of course the relays. GD

That's all well and good - but the CEL only *flashes continuously* for one reason - continuous misfiring. That means excessive unburned fuel in the exhaust - which means RED HOT cat's (trust me I've seen it numerous times). This is a fire hazard and the car SHOULD NOT be driven. GD

Sorry I should have been more clear - I was just saying that if the seller has nothing to hide and has listed what's wrong with the car to the best of their knowledge (and thus why it's worth $800) then they shouldn't have a problem with someone having it inspected. If I sell something as-is and list what problems it has then I would expect an inspecting mechanic to find at least those problems and possibly anything I had missed (which hopefully I haven't but with an as-is type of sale it's possible even if unlikely). GD

5 speed D/R TOB is made from stamped materials unlike the 4 speed unit. There is not enough material to grind. Same with the fork - it's stamped and unless you grind and weld on it for reinforcing.... not going to happen. Personally I wouldn't mess with them - they already have a tendancy to crack when fatigued. Which is another reason that altering the PP finger location could be an issue down the road - the more force is required the harder the pedal will be and the more load you apply to the fork. Forks are known to crack and snap in half on occasion. GD

Fulltime didn't come out till '87. All the 85/86 RX's are part time transmissions with crappy low range. 87 to 89 RX (with diff lock and D/R) 88 and 89 FT4WD Turbo 5 speed's (diff lock but no D/R) Sound to me like what you need is an EJ AWD tranny. Fulltime doesn't have a center VC. Has a diff lock instead. GD

If you have never rebuilt a carb nor truely understand how they work - I would not start with an EA82 Hitachi. They are complex and a poor choice to learn on. What do you want to acheive with this rebuild? GD

With the newer vintage's of Subaru's - axles are just like any other FWD car axle. Any mechanic that's done a Honda, Toyoya, Mazda, Kia, etc axle will be able to do them. You also may be looking at rust issues so make sure you find someone capable of handling things should they go sideways. Not all shade-tree guys that are good with basic mechanics are good when things don't go the way they ought to. GD

Try it and see. Or - learn how to search. That's what all of us did! If you want to learn from other's then you need to first play our game and do as we ask. You may think that myself and the rest of the guys here are d-bags but we are actually pretty cool. But we aren't going to waste time answering silly questions that are answered in the FAQ stickies. An hour is nothing - I've researched things on here and elsewhere for DAYS and WEEKS before posting a question. GD

Caliper, caliper bracket, and rotor are different. The pads are the same. Usually if you order rebuilt calipers from like rockauto.com, etc they will come with brackets. Vented front rotors was an 83.5 deal. Some late 83's got them. All 84+ got them. They went to vented to stop them from warping and keep them cooler. Rear disc brakes are almost never vented. Even Outback's and GT's don't have rear vented discs. There are some anomoly's out there such as the 91 to 94 Legacy turbo and of course the STi's have them. EA82's were never equipped with such things and they wouldn't really be useful anyhow. The rear's do 20% of the braking and don't need that level of cooling. GD

I have had people take car's I'm selling to "their" mechanic. Never had a single complaint - in all cases they have completed the purchase. GD

Use this site - it's a parts directory for all the salvage yards in the US. You can search for the part you need and then sort the listings by distance and find one close to you, or sort by price and find a good deal then call them. www.car-part.com GD

That is the T/O you need to put the 5 speed clutch in a 4 speed application. I don't think that will fit the 5 speed D/R.... GD

Dealer only on the rubber boot. You don't really need it though. They are about $25 IIRC. GD

Very easy. Get the car high enough to work on, support the transmission with a bottle jack and then drop the cross-member and mount out. Replace the mount and reassemble. Do shifter bushings while you are in there for a nice tight shifter feel. GD

You have very little money - check. You have a cheap, old car with a laundry list of problems - check. You are taking the car to a mechanic - che.... DOH! You need to spend what little money you have more wisely. Use what you save by not going to a mechanic to buy a few critical tools (sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, etc). Special tools can be rented at places like Autozone, etc for free. The definition of a Lemon has clearly not been properly defined for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_law Around here we generally like Subaru's and the specific year and model you have purchased is widely regarded as one of Subaru's more reliable. With *proper* care they can easily last 300k+ miles. Oil pan leaks are uncommon unless they have been resealed in the past - they are effectively glued on from the factory and unless touched for some reason - I will go so far as to say they will NEVER leak. What you are probably seeing is cam seal leaks, cam support o-ring leaks, front main and possibly oil pump seal leaks. And likely valve covers. All these get old, the rubber gets hard, and they need replaced. In addition the engine may be burning oil. There is not really an easy solution to that so you will just have to budget for oil to put in the car if that's the case. Clicking and popping in turns is generally CV joints. But it can be hard to determine which of the front CV's is causing this. It's also not usually a big problem unless the boots are torn. Many people report driving 50k miles or more on clicking CV's. GD

Right - I was refering to the HG's by themselves. That's HG's, Intake, and exhaust gaskets..... I resurface all my heads in-house. I was trying to make the point that it *could* be done for about $100 in parts. Not that you *should* do that. I probably should have been more clear. GD

Call your insurance - it will fall under uninsured motorist coverage. Make sure you have a copy of the police report. Take it to a paintless dent removal place or call one of the mobile services. GD