GeneralDisorder

Shouldn't cause any issues. I wouldn't worry about the bottom end. That's the only part that they kept from the EA81's GD

Sounds like a syncro problem but it's hard to tell fom your description. GD

The carb hard-lines are fine - you just need some adaptor fittings to match up with the FI fuel pump and manifold. GD

The ER27 flywheel is shallower than the EA82 flywheel - you would be removing material from the PP mounting surface not the disc surface. Thus the flywheel bolts wouldn't be any closer to the disc. Even if they were you could just remove the same amount of material from the flywheel bolt circle. Find a machinist that thinks like a machinist. GD

If you are impressed with the EA82 (considered a low-point for Subaru engines by most here including myself), then you will be blown away with the early EJ22's or an EA81. Even the EA82's seem to last near forever despite the timing belt breakage and the ticking lifters..... and the swearing/cursing they get from me when I have to work on one :-\. Probably mostly due to them sharing the same basic bottom end as the EA81's. GD

This is a light interferance fit application. Interferance is normal and expected. The axle needs to be pulled through the bearings with a little bit of force. They do not typically just "slide" together unless the axle is slightly undersized and the bearings are cheap and oversized or something is worn. With all new components they will be tight and you will not be able to install the axle by hand. That is by design. Pry it through the bearings with some large screwdrivers or pry-bars using the axle nut/washers to pry on. The bearings are standard 6207's - you won't find any differences in the one's from the dealer other than a huge difference in price. Any bearing house stocks them for $5 to $10 each depending on the quality you want. They will also have -2RS sealed bearings. GD

The silver color to the gear oil is definitely bearing material. Seen it before. That's a classic rear main shaft bearing failure I'm sure. Tear it down and you'll see. GD

An oil change is probably needed. Could be the backing plate on the oil pump needs tightening or the o-ring between the pump and the block needs to be replaced. Front main should be done at the same time. GD

It's not specific to the '90 model year - it's a problem with the 5 speed's in general. When they went away from the 5 speed D/R with it's large front main shaft bearing they began having this problem with the rear main shaft bearings failing. It can be replaced - the EJ 5 speed's are simple transmissions. Just split the case, pull out the main shaft and press new bearings on. GD

Loosen the clutch cable and pull on the fork so the TO bearing isn't touching the pressure plate fingers - if the noise goes away then it's the TO bearing. If it doesn't then it's likely a transmission rear main shaft bearing. GD

It can be done but there isn't much benefit to it. Install the trans first then mate up the engine. GD

Pretty much any auto from 95 to 99 (98 for Forster) should work fine and possibly newer stuff as well though there might be wiring differences..... you may have to change to the matching rear diff for whatever you get or swap your original front diff over to the replacement if it's good. GD

IIRC, it goes in the main body and the small end of the cone shaped spring pushes against it. Thus the large end of the cone spring faces to the plate that screws down to the body..... does that make sense? GD

There should be a ball-bearing in there that is held to it's seat by the spring.... GD

Probably not going to hurt anything, no. Try the coolant conditioner just to see. GD

It can stop some kinds of leaks but it's not a permanent fix. The Subaru coolant conditioner (Holts) would probably be better and only costs $1.75 a bottle. GD

A compression test on an old engine with a relatively small leak won't tell you much. A 25 to 50 psi difference could just as easily be a burned valve seat as it could be a bad head gasket. I have one cylinder in my '83 hatch (EA81) that is 35 psi lower than the others. Doesn't leak or burn any coolant at all nor does it even run any different really. It affects the idle such that I have to richen it up a bit for it to run smooth - that's about it. If the cylinder were leaking badly enough to find it with a compression tester you would notice some really evident running problems - poor/rough idle, etc. To find a head gasket leak you really have to do a leak-down test and it needs to be performed correctly. Even then on an older engine it may be hard to tell as the valves probably leak a great deal on their own. You want to pressurize the cylinder and look for air bubbles comming up through the coolant, etc. GD

Lets see - a "valve problem" that causes a CEL and can't be fixed with factory parts and only occured in '96?? It's simply not possible. Many other years use the same parts or only slightly different parts that could simply be installed in their place. If that was the case with the EJ22 then you could just swap '95 heads/cams and a '95 dual-port exhaust header onto the '96 engine in place of the '96 parts and it would work fine. If that were the case with the EJ25D then you could replace the heads/cams with '97 parts for the same effect. Either this problem was more wide-spread than '96 - in which case we would have heard about on here , or it doesn't exist because many other years have heads/cams that will work just fine in place of the '96 stuff. I call BS. GD

The code refers to the difference in reading between the front and the rear O2 sensors. It's looking for a specific percentage effeciency from the cat. Since you replaced both sensors, it is likely that you either have an exhaust leak that is reducing the temperature (and therefore the effeciency) inside the cat, or the cat is actually bad. Aftermarket cat's don't work out for a lot of people - they either aren't effecient enough to keep the code away or they don't fit well enough to seal and stay hot. Subaru cats are horrifically expensive but generally solve the problem. You can install a spark-plug non-fouler between the rear O2 sensor and the exhaust bung. This will cause the rear sensor to read lean and eliminate the code. The non-foulers are about $4 to $8 at any auto parts store. This problem has been discussed at length on this forum - do some searches and you'll find whole discussions about it's repair and how morally bankrupt a bunch of us are since we opt for the $4 fix and get on with our lives. And there is only a single bank on Subaru's in general with respect to O2 sensors. "Bank 1/Bank 2" refers to larger engines that have (typically) a 4 sensor system where there are two front's, two rear's, and two cats. Then you will have a right/left bank associated with either side of a V6 or V8 engine. On a Subaru you will only ever see "Bank 1" related codes. Oh - and for sensor brands - I use NTK, which is NGK spark plug's sensor division. I have never had a problem with any of NGK's products and I use their plugs/sensors exclusively for all my Subaru work. I also have one of their wide-band tuning sensors and it's a great product: http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/products/oxygen_sensors/index.asp GD

Ebay - Chicago Pnumatic, Snap-On, Ingersol-Rand, Mac, Matco.... in that order of preference. Don't be afraid to buy stuff that's used - most quality air tools can easily be rebuilt. Air motors are simple. With your budget you probably want to initially get some die-grinders and such from Harbor Frieght. Frankly - $700 to $800 for a box, hand tools, and air tools isn't much. My 1980's Snap-On box was $750 by itself. Have you talked with the Snap-On guy that services your shop? I got a $1000 "truck account" with mine - that's just credit with him personally, not Snap-On corporate. I didn't want any intrest nor a huge account balance so I went with the on-truck account. Being that you work for the dealership and have for a long time your driver should be able to hook you up without credit check's or anything like that. He got me my box used (he takes trade-in's and stores them) and a couple other things. I'm paid up now but if I need a tool I just call Gordon and tell him what I need - don't need to have the cash on hand which is really useful sometimes when money is tight and I need to finish a job to get paid, etc. I say look into getting a truck account started with your Snap-On rep - put say $100 toward the account right away as a good faith gesture then setup a payment plan of $25 a week (I make it a point to overpay each week), etc. Then use the other $700 you have to spend on ebay, craigslist, etc. Get yourself a used box if he has one and a set of 80 tooth ratchets - maybe a set of ratcheting box wrenches if you can swing it on the truck. Don't buy a lot of cheap tools - Craftsman is the bottom of the line for me on hand tools, etc. You can buy a nice big socket set there and then replace the ratchets from the Snap-On truck. GD

I coat the cork in a thin layer of RTV and let it dry. Keeps the cork from absorbing oil and dramatically extends it's life and sealing ability. All cork is NOT the same. Only get your pan and valve cover gaskets from the dealer. Aftermarket is junk - especially on the pan gasket. GD

When you pull the manifold you should be able to tell if they were leaking or not. If they weren't leaking then just keep going till you get the heads off. You don't need to jack the engine up. Everything is accesible with it in place. You will want a 10mm ratcheting wrench for the valve covers though. GD

It's probably just intake manifold gaskets. Don't jump to the head gaskets till you remove the intake manifold and inspect the gaskets. Replace them with ONLY manifold gaskets from the dealership. Other's are not even close to the same. Torque to 12 ft/lbs. GD

I haven't done a rear but I've done a couple front's using that adaptor set. Worked out fine - how familair are you with installing bearings in general? You also need a small puller to remove the outer cone from the hub or a bearing seperator and a press...... You have to decide if you are going to add this tool set and type of work to your garage or not. If it's just a single bearing then it's hard to justify owning the tool as it probably won't cost much more than that to take the knuckle somewhere and have the new bearing installed. The other option, since these fail so rarely (usually it's front's if anything on the early EJ's), is to just replace the whole knuckle with a good used one. That will take less time and probably cost less than just the bearing by itself. By far the quickest and cheapest way to go - but there's always the potential of having to do it a couple times. GD

I reached down between the fan blades and felt the radiator surface (unplug the fan) - it was hot along the top edge and at the inlet/outlet but cold/lukewarm over much of the center of the radiator - this was with the engine starting to climb above half. Replacement radiator is hot all over. Still has bad head gaskets but takes a lot longer to overheat . They probably just made it worse trying to fix the problem with a "repair in a bottle". etc. People talk about having them boiled out, etc - but I get them for right around $100 and I've seen too many of these plastic tank units crack and leak when they get old. They are throw-away radiators IMO. GD