GeneralDisorder

There are stored transmission codes - you need to read the codes and repair what it's complaining about. Do a search on how to read the TCU codes and tell us what you get. GD

'95?!?! Everything I've read says Dexron II/III/IIIE (II on some of the older stuff but III is compatible with II) till like mid-'05 when the 5EAT came out (which takes the HP lubricant). They went to the HP on everything for simplicity I think more than anything. The 4EAT has been using regular Dexron for most of it's production life though. GD

I cut the end off the pipe, then cut the flared pipe section shorter, weld up the hole in the threaded fitting and install it with the shortened flare section back into the head. Cheap plug. But yeah - just use your '97 intake and plug the hole in the head. Get intake gaskets at the dealer. You will also need a new exhaust header since the '95 uses dual-port heads and the '97 you had was single-port. GD

He (Gary) is talking about me. I do work like this all the time but I may not be in your area. I'm in Portland, OR. Very likely my rate on that job would come in around $800 to $1000 - probably on the lower end if the timing belt has been done. And yes I do a lot more than most shops when I pull an engine - since I specialize in Subaru's I have the advantage of knowing what needs to be replaced, where to get the best parts at the best prices, etc. But if you have a shop you are comfortable with (really it's the *actual* mechanic that you have to trust not some counter jockey) then by all means take it there. The rate they are giving you isn't terribly outragous but it's no real bargain either. $1800 is very high and frankly $1400 is easily on-par with most dealerships which probably will use better parts and gaurantee their work for longer, etc. As Gary mentions - do all the cam/crank seals, have the oil pump removed and check the backing plate screws + reseal it (and new o-ring), replace the valve cover gaskets, and while the engine is out you should replace the heater core hoses, radiator hoses, and water pump bypass hose. If the water pump or any of the idlers/tensioner wasn't done when the timing belt was then do all that as well. The belt itself is less of a concern than the lower cogged idler and the water pump (+ OEM thermostat) at your kind of mileage. GD

The Addco sway bar does exist and does fit - I assisted with the install on renob123's Brat - it's not an EA82 part at all. GD

Yes - where are you located? There are many of us that do this type of work better and cheaper than the dealer. GD

I have seen the door panel sticker, but never the one from the windsheild. I have at least 2 maybe 3 of those distributor cover's in my shed. Not that rare - probably one out of 10 of the EA81's I see has one still. Personally I would swap the seats for EA82 (early '90s Loyale's are usually a good bet) because they don't have the vinyl. They are 100% fabric. Does require a bit of modification to fit the EA81 rails to the EA82 seats but it's not that bad and you can find something that will match pretty well most likely. Though it might be hard with that tan - come to think of it I haven't seen an EA82 tan interior that I can remember. GD

Yep - the log manifold is a terrible design. So is the head porting. As someonee recently put it - the EA engine's have the bottom-end geometry of an F1 race engine and the manifold/head setup of a tractor. :-p Being large bore/short stroke - they do like to rev and you have to if you want any power from them - shift at 5k. You will never hurt it at all doing that on every single shift. GD

The 22T is a great engine - but as for buying one and not doing much to it - that's a crap shoot. As with any turbo - after 100k things get cooked from the added heat. Hoses and rubber go first and if you spring a leak an overheat is just around the corner. The upper water tank nipples like to break off, PCV hoses get brittle, turbo ducting breaks, etc. Maintenance is the killer on them. Properly maintained they will run a long time (300k+). Improperly maintained.... the original engine out of my car (91 SS) died at 165k because they overheated it till things started to melt - blew out the heater core and radiator - cooked the turbo - seized the engine. I would not use one off-road. The low-end torque is not as good because you have to spool the turbo or it's a low-compression engine. The factory turbo is small so it does spool quick but it wouldn't be my choice. There's just too much complexity with a turbo engine and complicated = broken when you are talking about off-road situations. GD

Yep - axle nut/cone washer fitment issues, loose lug nuts, etc. Probably not calipers though. GD

How are you spinning it to check the comp.? Compression readings will depend on rotation speed..... you can't effectively check it by cranking it over with a wrench. GD

If the transmission were slipping then it could affect MPG, yes. That could be the difference you feel. Not good to run the ATF out of the auto's. Slipping of any kind (for whatever reason) can lead to accelerated wear. Hope no permanent damage was done. I wouldn't worry about the front diff gear oil or the rear diff gear oil - those rarely need to be changed. There's no combustion products to break them down and I've seen subaru diffs easily go 300k on the factory gear oil fill. That's just not an issue. I would take it to the dealer but focus on the ATF only. Don't worry about the gear oil except to check the level. GD

Sounds like wheel bearings or CV's. If the caliper is bad you would either have a mushy pedal (possibly with leakage of fluid), or it would be giving off an odor from burning brake pads, or possibly even pulling to that side if it's really stuck, etc. The cables are probably shot - corrosion can do that. But I wouldn't jump to the idea that the calipers are bad. Dissasemble and inspect. I think you will find bad bearings or CV's. GD

That's completely normal and doing fine. The engine makes 90 HP at the crank - all things considered it's doing pretty well to put 77 to the ground. Nope - replace the solenoid with a 33 Ohm, 5 watt resistor. It's just an annoyance CEL though. Does not affect power. GD

Mileage is a factor - inspect the head gaskets. If they are 3-layer MLS then they are original. If they are 4-layer gaskets they have been replaced. If they are original IT WILL EVENTUALLY FAIL. It's a matter of time with these. The higher the mileage on them the more likely they will fail soon. It's possible for them to make some decently high mileage without blowing - I just did a burned exhaust valve repair to a '97 OBW that had the original gaskets at 169k. Bought it from the orginal owners and got all the service reccords - had to remove the heads anyway because of the valve and the gaskets were definately factory. So it does happen, yes. GD

It shouldn't hurt the calipers any - I have removed plenty of parking brake cables from caliper lever's without any issues. Unless there is other problems with the calipers that you didn't mention. GD

Yep - liquid dish soap and water - heavy on the soap. That's what we used when I had to put graphics on machinery. I liked to use a mister bottle to spray down both surfaces before application. Get a small squeegee too - like one that is 3" wide. Will help to get in small areas and work out the bubbles. GD

I concur on the EA82 double-DOJ axles - I think that could go a long way to solving your problem. I have about 4" of suspension and 1" of body lift in the rear of my EA81 wagon and I also use EA82 DOJ's (deeper by about 1/2" each) and I haven't broken a rear axle in a while now. I'm also welded so it puts a lot of stress on them and EA81's are narrower so 4" for me is more than 4" for an EA82 (talking axle angles) since the width helps on the EA82's. I had thought about using limiting straps as well since it seems that they most commonly break when the wheel is off the ground and the tire is spinning. GD

Interferance vs. non-interferance isn't an issue in the real world - that's an issue of people coming over from the EA side and thinking these are like EA82's and are going to break a timing belt at any moment. The reality is that I've worked on dozens and dozens of EJ's - replaced countless timing belts..... I haven't yet seen a failure even when run far past the reccomended change interval, drug over seized water pumps and idler's..... just doesn't happen in the real world. You occasionally hear about it but it's usually from massive neglect. '97 and '98 are my preference for phase-I EJ22's because they have solid lifters. GD

Why don't you just heat that sucker up and bend it back straight? Wrap the end with the bushing in wet rags...... If you have access to a press you could straighten it that way as well. Bring it over if you like - I can straighten that in about 20 minutes. GD

I think they are refering to some function that attempts to prevents damage to the cat's by reading the exhaust gas immediately after them and then also farther downstream...... That's what it sounds like anyhow. GD

The cat destroys sensor data - sensors after the cat cannot be used for tuning. GD

It really sounds like you are over-reacting and this is a very minor leak. Machines sometimes do that. And going nuts on it with new seals and gaskets is uneccesary, expensive, and generally a huge waste of time. Cam seals do often leak but it will not contaminate the timing belt on the EJ engines. It will drip down and out under the belt cover. It is my experienced opinion that you should wait to address this at the next timing belt change. Clean the area with brake cleaner and monitor it. GD

Remove the rocker assembly (no you won't disturb the head gaskets) - there are access holes in the frame rails to pull the bolts through. You can probably do it with it in the car. GD

Oil filter leak would likely be dripping off the bottom of the filter. That's been my experience. How much oil are we talking about here? Pictures? GD