GeneralDisorder

No - the bolt circle is too large. GD

Heh - I meant that in the nicest possible way - what I meant was that they are worthless because the cars are old, common as dirt, and never seem to die. They are worthless in the same way that a used but good running 350 SBC is worthless..... you can't get any money for them because everyone has one or five in their shed taking up space . I meant "worthless" in the literal sense - they are worth very little money. The EA82 is an OK engine - the timing belts and lifter ticking are annoying and you occasionally have to change a head gasket, etc. But they rarely just up and fail. Personally I find it insulting that Subaru added the OHC's, poor lifter design, etc to the EA81 and only got like 10 to 15 HP from it. They could have easily got that with some bigger valves, larger carb, and a cam regrind on the EA81. But it was all about the marketing - being able to say they have a "New for 1985! SOHC engine with more power!". That's what it was about. GD

Yes - that's an excelent plan. You will gain experience and confidence in your car through fixing these problems yourself. Doing your own maintenance and repair is really the only way a car of this age makes any sense - otherwise you might as well buy a Kia with a 100k warrantee and pay the $199 a month. The "system" that car dealers have in place makes maintaining a vehicles beyond it's warantee prohibitively expensive - they do this so you will buy a new car. GD

New transmission is a huge mistake with that many miles on that model engine - the cost will be more than the car is worth and then you have an old used engine in there. That's a terrible investment when you have maybe 100k to go before the car and it's engine etc is used up and ready for the scrap heap anyway. Why go and buy a transmission that will be good for 300k? You are buying 200k miles of transmission for the guy that gets it when the car is shot. Used transmissions with around 100k on them and in good condition can be had for $750 or less (sometimes a lot less - $250 to $500 is not at all uncommon) - typically with a warantee (usually 90 days but many dismantlers will sell a 1 year extended, etc). Your mother needs her head examined if she thinks thats a good deal because of a warantee (which, BTW will not cover labor - only the part). I would also highly doubt that it needs a whole tranny - typically just a transfer clutch and solenoid (used of course) will fix them right up. The 4EAT automatic that you have in that car is well known as a reliable workhorse - they don't just fall apart. Torque bind because of poor tire maintenace, yes - but that's a repair not a replace sort of problem. Lets say you need a whole tranny - www.car-part.com is a great resource: Ace Auto Wrecking USA-CA(Sacramento): $400 Modesto Auto Wreckers USA-CA(Modesto): $400 That's just two options I pulled up for your area. You call these guys up - ask how much for a tranny with a warantee. You and your neighbor install it in a weekend. That's assuming you don't just need a $100 transfer clutch and a good duty-c solenoid. Don't let your mother waste her money - that's foolish and disrespectful IMO. You came here to get the answers so you could help her (and you) make good decisions. I can only show you the right path - I can't make you follow it - but I will laugh at you when you don't. Might as well just light the money on fire - at least that would be entertaining. :-\ GD

That is normal for these - they very often read 0 on the gauge when warm. Consult your owners manual - it's in there. I just installed a brand new factory oil pump and rebuilt lifters into an EA82 I own - runs absolutely perfect with no valve noises - gauge still reads 0 at idle when hot. If the guage doesn't come up to a higher pressure when the engine is reved then either the sending unit is shot (likely) or the pump is bad. You NEED to verify the pressure with a good shop gauge - the dash gauges are worse than useless. If you don't check the pressure with a second gauge then you don't really know anything and are just throwing parts at the problem (probably the wrong ones). If it's stalling when warm it's not because of a lack of oil. . Trust me on this - it's not getting "tight". You would be here asking where to buy a new engine if that happened even once. There is no choke - Loyale's are fuel injected. Sounds like you may have a bad Coolant Temp Sensor. Have the lifters rebuilt and inspect the oil pump - change the sending unit. Should be fine. These oil pumps don't just "fail" at 130k. I have pulled plenty that were still fine at 250k. Sounds like your mechanic is guessing when he should be testing. You need an oil pressure reading from a quality gauge.... and possibly a new mechanic. No need to tow it - if the lifters aren't ticking then you have adequate oil pressure. Just drive it over and have him test the oil pressure. Engines for these are very cheap - it is unlilkely that is a serious problem and even if it is - a good running EA82 should run you about $100 to $150. They are worthless. I think you are over-reacting frankly. Find out for certain what the problem is before you decide to junk the car - it's very likely a $45 sending unit or something equally mundane. GD

A basic Haynes manual from any parts store will do for now. Any questions you have can be answered here by searching or posting if you can't find anything. There are many of us that do this regularly and can walk you through the process. GD

Yes - it's in the alt. GD

+1. Do it right or have horrible camber. Eats tires like crazy when you build them like that. You need to build camber-adjusted strut tops since the mounts are not horizontal. GD

Some members have had issues with that at higher altitudes and low temps. There are ways to mitigate it though. GD

A few years ago they were fetching a decent amount out here - reason being the trucks they came in were still being used - we don't have that rust problem that you guys in NY have. I can see them being cheap when all those Fords are rusting away out there. Prohibitively expensive to ship though. As noted the bottom dropped out of the market - it was due to all those trucks reaching the end of their service life. Also - many of them were dually's - so not as desireable for the off-road market. GD

Last one I got was at the dealer. Try NASIOC for discussion on this - it's a common failure on the Imps. GD

Was the torque converter fully seated when you bolted up the engine? It should have been about 1/4" or so back from the flex-plate till the 4 mounting screws were installed. If they are not seated properly they can easily damage the oil pump inside the tranny. Same goes for pulling the engine out with the TC attached - the loads that can be placed on the tranny by doing that can easily break the pump. If that's the case you will have to find a replacement transmission. GD

Pretty common on the Honda's I'm afraid - their auto's are notorious for being junk. I can list off half a dozen friends that have been burned by those just off the top of my head. Shouldn't be a real hard swap - pull axles, unbolt and rebolt. Honda FWD transaxles aren't terribly difficult. Finding a good used one that will last a decent number of miles might be a challenge though. GD

+1 on the manual choke - I really prefer them on the Weber. The electric's are alright but seem to want adjustment seasonally and are never quite perfect. I set the electric's a little light (so they pull off quick and don't affect mileage as badly) and then allow them to warm up for 60 seconds or so on the fast idle before driving. Not a huge deal but I still don't like them. With the manual I just set it, start it, maybe add a fine adjustment, and I'm off. No fuss. Plus the installation is easier and they fit better - not at all close to the distributor cap on the EA81's and don't interfere with the PS on the EA82's. All around a cleaner, easier option. GD

Here's the problem - that's no kind of assurance. Here's why: 1. If you don't know when the belt was done (mileage) then you don't know when you need to replace it. If you wait too long - it breaks and you have BIG problems. Internal engine damage results. Therein lies the problem though - how long is too long?!? Impossible to say without the documentation thus their "check" of the belt isn't worth the paper it's printed on or the hot air of the person that made the claim. Since you don't know the mileage - you HAVE to replace it or potentially suffer the consequences. Are you prepared to roll the dice? 2. At the high-mileage you are running it's not even about the belt - that's about 33% of the concern. The bigger concern is the condition of the idler bearings and the water pump - for which inspecting the belt is a useless test and tells you nothing. Subaru does not indicate a replacement interval for these components but they DO have a limited life. Most dealerships will reccomend these be replaced with the belt but because of a general distrust of mechanics, etc - many people decline to replace these components. A new belt makes no difference if the cogged idler or water pump seizes - the belt will skip and you will be just as screwed as if the belt had broken. I have seen EJ water pumps last 135k and I have seen the cogged idlers go at a little over 160k. If you are still running the factory parts - you roll the dice every time you get in the car. Trust me - I've bought cars because of these failures. They won't be at fault - never happen. How would you prove it? It's an old car and can break at any time. You only drove it for a couple days - could have been an intermittant problem that only shows up once a week or once a month, etc. Could be a brand new problem..... You can prove nothing and they have no reason to help you - especially if you are declining to have them do any other work - what's in it for them to fix this issue if you are just going to leave anyway? See what I mean? Best to just take the car (on a tow truck if you have to) and take care of this yourself. GD

Model and year? If it's what I think it is - the wiper transmission is probably borked. They run about $65 or so IIRC. Pretty simple to change out. GD

Doesn't matter - they all break between 50k and 60k it seems. It's a poor belt routing and design. Just use whatever's cheap since they all last about the same. I go with the $65 shipped kits on ebay. GD

Ok: 1. Figure about $2000 if it needs them. You live in an expensive area and at that mileage you are about due for the second timing belt change and definitely will want to replace the water pump, all the belt tensioners, and all the front seals. A full head rebuild is in order since it's due for valve adjustment as well and the guides and valves/seats will probably be shot not to mention the valve stem seals. Even if you did all this yourself you are looking at ~$500 for the machine work on the heads, about $250 for the complete timing belt kit with water pump from ebay, and then head/intake/exhaust gaskets from the dealer along with hoses and accessory belts and misc stuff you are still looking at $1000 in parts and machine work even if you do the labor. 2. The duty-c solenoid is another chunk of money - unless you get the parts used from a wrecking yard the transfer clutch is ~$750 and the duty-c solenoid is (off the top of my head) like $75 or so. Add in some misc. gaskets, fluids, etc and you are near another $1000. 3. Stalling issue..... totally unknown at this point. That's a question mark. So.... worst case you are looking at $3000 or more - which is not a good investment on a car with near 200k on it. Best case you get off with replacing just the solenoid (closer to $250 or less), a timing belt/water pump job ($500 or so), and the stalling issue was a bad/low tank of gas. At this point it's all speculation - you won't know for sure till you get the car back and start investigating. That's great that you have help. Hopefully it's enough. Sure - but take what they say with a grain of salt. They don't always know what's best for your wallet and won't even give you some options that you have if you take it elsewhere or do it yourself. I wouldn't - but understand that the ONLY time I've ever had a dealer service department (or any shop for that matter) touch one of my cars has been for warantee work.... and I don't really even feel great about allowing them to do that - I don't like other cooks in my kitchen . GD

How many miles are on the car? It's possible they have been changed but you would need the car availible for you to inspect them. Unfortunately with this engine it is not a matter of *if* - it's just a matter of *when*. If you find they are the older style and there's no evidence they have been changed - you will definitely want to schedule that. It's not a cheap repair (around $600 to $800 with parts and machine work) nor something that is typically accomplished by a lot of DIY mechanics - being good with computer repair, etc does not prepare one for automotive work where many specialized tools and the proper environment and experience are neccesary for a correct and lasting repair job.... and the parts are a lot heavier . What do you have to work with? You are going to need a good selection of tools, etc. For the head gaskets you will have to pull out the engine - engine hoist, general tools and at least a torque wrench. For the duty-c and possible clutch pack you need the car on 4 jack stands that are tall enough that you can easily work under it - exhaust and driveline have to be removed and the rear output section of the transmission dissasembled. I'm sure that picking it up won't be the problem - but if you don't have some tools or access to them and a dry, warm place to work you are looking at quite the obstacle to doing the job right. The money you could spend on the tools, etc might make any cost savings for doing the job yourself dissapear. I think you need to find out *precisely* what the issue is. "stalling" is only a symptom. When is it occuring? Is there any ECU codes? Is the gas tank empty?!?..... etc. I would remove it from the dealer ASAP. They cannot help you for an affordable price. You need affordable help or you need to tow it home and start your learning curve on the deep end . GD

Lost my crystal ball..... GD

*I* could put on a Weber and drive across America the next day - the *Weber* is a wonderfully simple unit and if you use a brand new one or a quality rebuild you are unlikely to have any issues with it directly - however the quality of the *installation* is what creates the "reliability"..... YMMV according to your skill and availibile resources. If all you have is an apartment parking lot and a crescent wrench - might not be a wise move . GD

Yeah - the whole front of the engine is new and the noise was apparently there before (though it wouldn't do it for me of course) - it is unchanged by the replacement of the complete timing set. So we can rule out all that for certain. Thus I would think it's either a valve train noise, or something to do with the clutch components - those are the two theories right now. Since it hasn't blown a rod out the top of the engine I would tend to rule that out as well since it's being daily driven. As loud as it is it would have let go by now. GD

I let him know that I have an '84 FSM he can borrow (since I doubt his ECU is bad) - I just haven't had any time at all to drive out and take a look at it. I have my hands full with broken cars and projects. GD

+1 - could be the rotor screw. All the optical distributors have that damn screw and I too have seen them fall out. GD

Sounds to me like one of the timing belts lost some teeth, etc. GD