GeneralDisorder

Right - we knew about the bell housing. Just wondering about the shifter and when we can get a package deal with both. What's holding me up from buying is that I really am going to need the remote shifter as well for my project so I might as well wait (assuming it's going to get developed :-p) and purchase both at the same time. No rush - actually I probably won't need it for a year - maybe several. But I want to support your amazing product for our little community here - that's the only reason I ask . GD

Start by removing the guts from the thermostat - just leave the open metal ring to hold the gasket in place. That should suffice for a bit while you save money and decide what you want to do. If you like - you could drive it down to Portland with the gutted thermostat and I could do the HG repair on-the-cheap in one long-ish day. Would probably run about $320 labor and about $200 parts. That's just the gaskets, seals, etc from the dealer and R&R the engine, resurface the heads by hand, reassemble and drop it in. Assuming you reuse timing components, clutch (if applicable), etc it can be done on the cheap. It usually ends up running into the $1000 range because in my shop because people opt to do complete new timing components, clutch parts, plugs, wires, VC gaskets, etc. All that stuff adds up. GD

If that's your big concern then really it should not be ignored that the EA82 carbed engine bay is a NIGHTMARE prior to doing a Weber swap and even afterwards an EA81 is still much simpler yet. If you want to go the simplicity route - then you really need to get an EA81. You will find that my stable includes EA81's both running Weber's and running the EA82's SPFI system as well as EJ22's and EJ25 frankenmotors..... no where will you find any EA82's. Experience has shown they are not the right answer . Well - in all fairness the EA82 happens to be more cramped - the engine is overall the widest that Subaru ever made and thus there is very little room to get to things like valve cover gaskets, etc. Then there is that stupid (really, really stupid) mechanical water pump fan on the AC equipped models.... that's a whore to work around. The EJ's are simpler in a lot of ways - no silly cam towers, no cork oil pan gaskets, no poorly designed lubrication system complete with abundance of deterorated o-rings and ticking lifters, and no wacky dual-timing belts that last 50k on a good run. The EA82 is a collection of what-not-to-do and Subaru definately learned from their mistakes with the EJ's. I have personally not found any model of car or truck that is as cramped or as badly engineered as the 300ZX. That car is definitely in the top 5 of cars I enjoy taking a ride in but would never, ever consider owning because I don't have the hands of a 12 year old girl. And I can say that from experience since I was the one that put the engine in it :-p. GD

Definately. The GL is a POS by comparison and it will bite you. It bites everyone that owns them to one degree or another - many of the people that own and drive them are used to their nature and dismiss their tendancies to nickle and dime you but that's how they are. I understand that the body style of the early Legacy is not as cool and retro to a lot of folks as the EA82's but things bought because of looks and not for what you intend to use them for are often a poor fit in the end. You really, really should turn and run away from the EA82 chassis. It's not a bad platform for an engine swap but with how primitive they are by comparison (yet not nearly primitive enough to be rugged and ultra-dependable like the EA81's) to the Legacy it's just a silly purchase now that the price of GL's and Legacy's is nearly the same. You get 10x the car for your money with a Legacy. Trust me - I do this every day. Without fail if I tell someone to reconsider on the GL's and they buy one anyway - they regret it within a month. GD

Any year heads will work but there are three generations of heads - each more robust than the previous generation (supposedly). The 90 should have either gen 2 or gen 3 heads from the factory. The 2nd gen will have EA82 with a line under it cast into the head while the 3rd gen will have the the same EA82 inside a rectangle not just underlined. They all can and do crack however so it's really more important to take care of engine management and keep it from getting hot in the first place. Any year EA82 turbo will work yes. They are all the same. You should use the Fel-Pro head gasket by itself ONLY. The rest of their "kit" is garbage. Order everything else from the dealer. Turbo and non-turbo HG's are the same on the EA82's. Surface the heads for sure, and you should consider resurfacing the block as well. GD

The turbo is oil lubricated/cooled AND water cooled. Compression test is basically useless for determining HG failure. The difference that might show up on a running engine with a small HG leak is so small that it could just as easily be cylinder/ring wear or valve seat leaks. Do a hydrocarbon test of the coolant. And don't dismiss the possibility of intake gasket leakage. GD

Sure - but even the OBD-II cars have the SSM port and the D-check connectors, etc. For full diagnostic capability you might as well leave them. There are SSM's in the wild - Eulogious has one. GD

The hard reality is that the dual-range (which is not a seperate transfer case) is not that special - especially with larger tires which the EA82 isn't that great at turning. Ultimately, unless you build a custom transmission you are stuck with 3.9:1 final drive ratio and the measly 1.6:1 reduction of the dual-range is eaten up by larger tires almost immediately. Then you have the 90 HP engine that can't turn large tires for beans...... and EA82's are a pain to work on and widely regarded as one of Subaru's worst engines.... What this all amounts to is that a 90 to 94 Legacy is a much better option. Both in price (around $1500 to $2k for a prime example and I've been given them for free on the low end) and performance - especially the automatic's as the torque converter acts like a low-range when off-road and they have traction advantages over the part-time systems. In addtion you can bolt-in final drive ratio's as low as 4.444:1 and Outback struts/springs/tires for a "factory" lift kit that's good for about 3" without any hassle. I'll take an automatic, stock height Forester with a welded rear diff and some agressive tires anywhere a 4" lifted GL with a dual-range will go and be more comfortable and have spent less money doing it. With as old as the EA's are getting and as many miles as most of them have - the Legacy's are just an all-around better choice. Higher quality, more power, easier to work on, etc. The one exception would be the EA81 hatchbacks. They have the light and small advantage that no EA82 can claim. They have potential but it still takes more work to realize it than just going with a Forester, etc. GD

Nice score! Were you not able to find the proper PCV routing parts for the oil-burning retro-fit? GD

Weak point will still be the transfer gears - they aren't designed to hold that much torque. That's pulling 3k lbs of vehicle along with about a 2.5" diameter gearset that has 3/4" wide teeth. Inadequate. Also not geared for that size tire - so you pretty much end up in low range all the time - making the D/R a redundant addition. A Toyota truck transmission has much more favorable high range gearing and you can get inexpensive transfer case gears in any ratio you could ever want. Sammie case has the benefit of a reduction in high range but is still not going to help much with the extension housing gear problem. GD

So - is the remote shifter and bell-housing package now orderable? I read through the last few pages but I'm not certain if it's out of "beta" testing or not yet? Thanks, GD

That's basically the combo my hatch has - but with the EA81. Don't bother with the 5 speed D/R - the extension housing gears are not burly enough to handle all the driving needs nor will they hold up to the EJ22's power. Mine is on it's second transmission because of that problem. Just go straight to the toyota transmission conversion and use the toyota transfer case as well. GD

Indeed. I went overboard with the first harness I stripped also. You can also leave all the dealer diagnostic connectors - just in case you get the opportunity to use the Subaru Select Monitor, etc. GD

If you plan on doing a lot of them - then something like this would be ideal: http://www.ebay.com/itm/18-x-24-BLACK-GRANITE-GRADE-B-SURFACE-PLATE-STAND-/230290100102?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item359e5c0f86 GD

Compression depends on block, piston, and HG combo. Can be anywhere from 10.4 to 12. GD

My glass peice may be quite old - I really don't know. They may not make 5/16 anymore for all I know. GD

Why didn't you save the fuel pump and ignition relay's? It's easier to just wire power to them and then route the fuel pump power wire to the fuel pump via the existing rear harness. GD

A few windows, headlights, some interior, a HG job, and a flat-black rattle can job is cheaper and quicker than an EJ swap. That generation of Legacy is very common in the yards here in the NW and parts availability is really good. Even a beat up and broken down Legacy is twice the car that a GL is - they are just all-around a better machine. GD

Wow - expensive glass shops..... I don't know the value on my glass since it's a peice of 5/16" that was just hanging around. Probably from a small table, etc. My father refinished furniture for decades and I pulled it from his collection of glass remnants. You could look for a glass table top at goodwill.... :-p I suppose you could stack it, yeah. use some contact cement in the corners. I don't see why that wouldn't work. Any peice larger than the paper should be fine. 18x18 should work. GD

You have bad ball joints or leading rod bushings and probably need a wheel balance. Ball joints are in the neighborhood of $15 each and aren't that hard to change if you are physically able and have some basic hand tools. Leading rod bushings are similar. EA's tend to like their tires balanced better than a lot of shops sem to be able to do it. Try the place you bought the tires - they *should* balance them for free. If you ever get down to the Portland area I could take care of that for about $40 plus the parts. GD

You can use the later electronic distributor and ditch your external ignition components - just get a matching distributor and coil from an 82+ EA81 and drop them in. GD

Why don't you just fix the Legacy and sell the EA turd? 5 speed Legacy is pretty sweet. Really no reason to drop it into a GL body with a bad D/R. Get some Outback struts and springs for the Legacy and just drive it. GD

Dealer only - or junk yard. That's not a generic part. GD

It is unlikely that any shop can offer you reasonable repair rates on a turbo model of that vintage. They are a whore to work on and parts availability can be a problem. Depending on what you need done of course - but with an aging turbo of that specific vintage - you're best course of action is to either do the work yourself or find a board member in your area that knows the in's/out's of the EA82T. A shop will be expensive and you can rapidly approach the resale value of the car making it a losing proposition. GD

It's not a resistance type of device - it's signal is a sine wave that bounces between lean and rich. You can't approximate it without a signal generator circuit. You could put a non-fouler in the exhaust before the sensor to pull it out of the exhaust stream and that will fool the computer if your exhaust is clean enough. GD