GeneralDisorder

It's not the starter or the solenoid. It's the car's wireing. Add a relay to apply full battery current to the starter solenoid - your problem is you don't have enough current to fully engage the solenoid. GD

Interesting - someone around here swore they did for a short time. But I suppose they could have just run across some that had been converted. GD

Head gaskets Intake/exhaust gaskets Cam/crank seals and cam support o-rings Timing belt/2 smooth idlers/1 cogged idler/1 tensioner idler Water pump Valve cover gaskets/bolt grommets Don't touch the rear main unless it's leaking and don't touch the oil pan unless it's obviously leaking, dented, etc - they are RTV from the factory and almost never fail. GD

Remove the pinch bolt for the ball joint and pull it free from the knuckle. Or if that's too rusty you can undo the bolts for the strut - mark them first though as they are the camber adjustment. As you surmised - pickle fork is a last resort and will destroy the ball joint boot. It is actually possible to replace the boots without even removing the axle from the hub side. Though on the EJ's this is usually so trivial that it's not an issue. No boot spreader needed, but you will need a pair of snap-ring pliers - the $3 one's from harbor frieght will work, etc. Here's a write-up I did on EA81 axles - the joint dissasembly is the same though so you can get an idea of how they come apart: http://home.comcast.net/~trilinear/axle_rebuilding.html GD

Yes - those are meant to be removeable. Later EJ rear axles (like '95/'96) are single peices and use the "innie" diffs. You have an innie diff with adaptor stubs which was done for a short time around 94/95. Just reinstall them and you'll be fine. GD

The EMPI kits use these ("Ear type"): http://www.oetiker.com/content.asp?l=4&idNavig=183 They are not the stock fold-over style. They use a special installation tool which was about $10 IIRC - from the same place I get my boot kits. It's this one: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&expIds=25657,25907,26515,26565&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=performance+tool+boot+clamp&cp=27&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&wrapid=tljp1284743301259116&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=12012613235868072141&ei=l6CTTOWPJYP4swOJ2Ny_Cg&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBoQ8wIwAA# GD

Typically - heavier flywheels are chosen for larger engines to make them idle smoother. Larger displacement = bigger BANG when a cylinder fires. More weight on the flywheel causes it to coast easier to the next cylinder in the fireing order. It also causes it to accelerate and decelerate slower given the same displacement - inertia is the key player here. Lightweight flywheels are sold that will work with any of the EJ's - causing a rougher idle and a quicker throttle response and RPM drop between shifts. The weight of the flywheel's is dependent on the displacement and application for sure - but it doesn't directly affect fitment or correct operation in the case of EJ25 vs. EJ22 (or even EJ18 for that matter). They are functionally equivelent. Typically for an off-road wheeler you would want a heavy flywheel to maintain inertia and smooth clutch operation at low RPM, while for a street performance or racing application you would want a lighter one. Stock are usually on the heavy side for smooth idling and driveability reasons. GD

Yep - should work fine. All the EJ's use the same crank pattern, etc so the block you use doesn't matter. Pretty much all the non-turbo clutch and flywheel's are the same too so you shouldn't have any trouble with the Imp's transmission other than probably having more power than it will handle . GD

A matter of a few thou - I'm not even sure why they bothered. But yeah I've seen that as well on some. I've also seen deeper steps worn into flywheels that weren't supposed to have them at all. I agree - shouldn't matter. GD

Yep - you need to add a relay to provide full battery current to the solenoid. Do a search or check the related threads at the bottom of this post. This is covered once a week around here. GD

The "AT temp" lamp flashes indicating stored codes for the TCU, not the CEL. And it only does it on some models if you turn the ign. on/off/on in rapid succession. The CEL will not indicate faults with the TCU - they are not hooked together. GD

Should all be the same - the EJ22's are 8 bolt at the crank.... which all Subaru engines are at least back to the EA71. In fact the only reason the EA's have a different bolt pattern is they made it asymetrical in order to insure there was only a single orientation for the flywheel-to-crank mating so the timing marks would line up. The EJ have no timing marks so they are a symetrical pattern but same number of bolts. I doubt you will have any problems with it. GD

I'm sure a Tribeca could do it as well as the H6 OBW. 1000 lbs of trailer isn't unreasonable for a Subaru but if it were going to be a regular occurance then I would want something with one of the H6's for the power. Transmission cooler and engine oil cooler (if not already equipped) would be an absolute must IMO - cheap insurance. GD

I've noticed that my mud tires are not a great choice for snow covered pavement. It's pretty squirrely. I tend not to drive my lifted wagon unless I'm taking it off-road. Lifted EA's with mud tires just don't make very good daily's - the tires are too expensive for one thing. GD

I agree - this would be the best solution. GD

Doesn't the OBD-II advanced code reader tell you when/if there is knock detected? Seems like a possible way to check the signal from it..... definitely sounds like a plausible cause of the idleing problem. This sounds very much like what's going on with the frankenmotor swap renob123 and myself did. It's hunting at idle something fierce and it definitely could be knock related since it's a high compression build and is running the relatively primitive OBD-I ECU. Once you get away from idle it runs perfect and there are no codes present so we have been unable thus far to figure out what it's issue is. Our next step is going to be to run a diagnostic using the Subaru Select monitor interface and a laptop but we haven't got a chance yet. GD

If you used big, strong ties it would probably work. The trouble is going to be in tightening them enough to ensure the boot won't pull free. It will be a fight between the tensile strength of the zip tie, the tools you have for tightening them, how flexible the tie material is, and how "squishy" the boot rubber is. Sounds like a real mess to me and I wouldn't go that route unless I had no other options. The metal boot clamps are REALLY TIGHT when done properly - they compress the rubber of the boot in a serious way. The boots will pull out from under the clamp or off the cup unless they are very tight. GD

The clutch is going to be the major issue as the T/O assembly and spline count of the 2WD 5 speed's is totally different than the 4WD 5 speed's. GD

You need to pull the codes per the instructions in wtdash's post above. We can't really help you till you do that. GD

It can and probably will under the usage patterns that it is likely to see. Filters don't filter very well out of the box - they actually filter better as they age - to a point of course. More capacity means it doesn't age as quickly and thus the particulate size trapped will be larger for a longer period of time. The stock Subaru filter is designed to be used for 15,000 miles. Part of the reason is that it filters better as it ages so that changing it continuously resets the filtration particulate size to the base media size and never filters out the small stuff. I can't see needing a larger capacity (thus a filter that lasts longer) in an application where 3,000 mile oil changes are the "conventional wisdom" and the Subaru filter is designed for 15,000. Frankly most people are changing them much too soon anyway.... GD

Pretty much you just remove the bolts on either end, shove the joint farther up the steering shaft till it clears the rack input, rotate that end out of the way and pull it off the steering shaft. Lubrication of the splines and sometimes a little gentle spreading of the ears on the ends of the joint with a screwdriver, etc is helpful. Depending on the design there might be a need to unbolt a rag joint, etc - it should be pretty obvious when you inspect it. GD

REMOVE the joint and inspect it. Clean/lubricate if needed. Or you may find it's not the culprit. Either way a proper inspection is needed. They are relatively easy to remove. GD

Capacity for what? "300% greater" than what? Why do you beleive you need this? More directly - why do you beleive that the OEM filter is inferior? Please elaborate - note that I am asking what you are trying to accomplish here - not for a quotation from some marketing materials about the superiority of their filtering media. Filtration is a tricky subject and the statement "300% greater capacity" means absolutely nothing. It sounds really great to most people but means very little without elaboration. GD

Stainless aircraft lock wire would be a better choice but both are inferior to a 1/4" or 6mm wide worm clamp as they are 100% reusable with only a screwdriver. GD

All the boot kits I use are the EMPI boot kits and I've not had a single problem with installation or complaint about them yet. I did get a set once that was too small for the cup it needed to go on but I went back and brought the axle and a match was found using a part number for a different model/year. All the boot kits are $12 at my retailer and come with new spring clips and grease packs, etc. You do need a boot clamp tool for the clamps included - about $15 IIRC. I used hose clamps on my rear axle boots in my lifted wagon. They will work. I did it for ease of field replacement. I just used stainless hardware store clamps but it would be really nice to get some of the 6mm wide VW axle boot worm clamps. I've seen them in kits but haven't tried real hard to source them individually. EMPI axles are pretty decent in my experience. I've had one boot failure on my hatch after about 4 years of daily driving. Another member just arranged to get a set from my source for $69 each and have another member (renob123/Jacob - I think you have met him) drop them off up in the Seattle area to him. You might contact Jacob and see if he can get you a set and bring them up on Friday at the same time..... or just the boot kits for $12 each if you want those. GD