GeneralDisorder

It was in poor running condition when it showed up here in my driveway. With the EJ22 it's a monster - it's hands-down the fastest EA81 I've ridden in. GD

The two rear cover peices run about $30 to $35 each from the dealer. Most dealer's stock them since they break so frequently. I've bought a number of sets. If it were me I would replace them. GD

The EJ22 powered Brat I helped create will be there. renob123 is the owner/driver of said unit. I will not be there in person but I could have him bring you an autographed poster . GD (totally joking about the poster ).

That's a common size. www.mcmaster.com Part number:26015A232 I would not be drilling and tapping a body capture nut. They are only spot welded in place. You risk potentially breaking the bond between the body and the nut. If that happens you will be cutting out that section of the frame, welding in a new section and installing a riv-nut, etc. GD

It's embedded in all the fabric and carpet. You'll probably just have to cover it up (air fresheners, etc) till it fades with time. Used seats and carpet would likely make it dissapear more quickly. Or pull out everything and take it to a place that cleans upholstery, etc and have them profesionally cleaned. Wash down the floor-boards with pine-sol. Such is the nature of tobacco smoke. GD

SPFI is Subaru's version of TBI (which is a somewhat generic/GM term). It stands for "Single Point Fuel Injection" while TBI stands for "Throttle Body Injection". They are saying the same thing in different ways is all... with the exception that the TBI systems often include more than one injector inside the throttle body..... of course it's still technically a "single point" system vs. a multi-point injection system which typically has as many injectors as you have cylinders..... etc. GD

You DO NOT want the EA82 engine. It's not worth the trouble and you will seriously devalue the Brat if you did that. They are a much worse engine choice than the EA81. You DO want the SPFI off it (if it really is a late 80's EA82). See my write up here: http://home.comcast.net/~trilinear/EA81_SPFI.html That will solve all the running problems you are having with your EA81 and if you do a clean, correct job of the swap it will not hurt the value of the Brat. GD

It changed in '95. They did a major cost-cutting of the Legacy models in that year. The plastic tensioner nut on the '95 and up AC tensioners always breaks - it's a $6 part. But since you need the whole assemmbly, you need one from a '95 or newer. Just about anything you will find in a u-pull-it style yard that's 95 and up should have what you need. Don't shy away from one even if the nut is broken - as I said it's a $6 part and most dealers will stock them since they frequently break. GD

Block the air suction valves (ASV's) with quarters. GD

It will not fit. EJ alts can be had in 90 amp versions. I think the standard 90 to 94 EJ22 alt is a 65 or 70 amp, while later EJ's have been getting steadily more powerful. GD

That's a question best answered by searching the existing threads on the topic. Basically there is a solenoid actuator inside the transmission known as the "duty-c" solenoid. It gets gummed up from no one chaning the ATF and in cases where the TB is intermittant it can usually be solved by flushing the ATF and freeing up the stuck solenoid. You have to do the drain/fill game twice in order to get most of the old fluid out since there is a lot of fluid in them that gets trapped in the TC. There are other causes for TB, but in your case I think a flushing will do. GD

I run Chevron 10w30 year round (Oregon). It's a very good quality oil - I get it a Costco for $24 a case. Being a '96 it will have hydraulic lifters. I would pop the valve covers and have a look at how much varnish is inside the engine. If it's varnished up I would plan on running a quart of Rislone for the first few oil changes. If it's really nasty in there I would do a flush with ATF. Fill the engine with ATF and run it at idle for 15 minutes and then drain. As I've said before - synthetic is a waste unless you are going to do oil analysis. Don't bother. Change your oil and filter every 5k and you'll be good for as long as that car is likely to need an engine . Funny you mention your 90 y/o neighbor. My grandfather (who was 91 when he died) swore by Rislone. He had some pretty convincing stories too. I must say I've had good luck with it. MMO is ok too but I like the Rislone better. GD

Just plain ATF - any brand will do as long as it's new. You will need about 3 gallons. Don't touch the rear diff unless it's leaking. It doesn't take ATF - it takes 75w90 gear oil. For that matter - don't touch the front diff gear oil either. And make sure you pour the ATF into the right dip-stick tube. It will be the one on the driver's side of the transmission. The short one on the passenger side is for the front diff gear oil. GD

Drain and refill the ATF twice - drive it 5 or 10 miles between the changes. GD

Mostly overkill. I wouldn't bother with the plasti-gauge unless I had the crank ground and was using undersized bearing inserts, etc..... that said - the fact that is has a rod knock might very well mean that the rod journals are scored. But plasti-guaging a rod journal is a lot easier than a main journal since you don't have to assemble and re-split the case. Definitely Mic. the crank and check for scoring, etc. Replace main and rod inserts, break up the glazing on the cylinders with a brush-hone so the new rings will seat..... slap it back together. GD

Change the PCV valve and filter (only buy at the dealer), and clean all the lines and fittings. The system is clogged. GD

If you know what you are doing with bearings - Harbor Feight sells a "FWD service kit" that is like the chinese equivelent of a Hub Tamer but for $79. I've done Legacy wheel bearings with it and while it's not simple, comes with virtually no instructions, etc. It can be done and does come with enough bits and peices to get the job done without damageing the new bearings. GD

They were cool, but best left to fond memories just like hair bands and Tron. Unreliable, hard to read, and not worth the effort required to wire them in. GD

'95 would be *truely* plug and play because it's both OBD-II and has dual-port exhaust. '96 to '99 is going to require the header to be changed along with the engine as they are single port exhaust. Have you called the auto-wreckers in your area? Best bet is going to be a running engine from a wrecked donor. Not really, and it depends on what year you get. They increased the power of the EJ22's starting '97 with a second-generation engine that puts out 147 HP instead of the '90 to '96 which put out 135 HP. The EJ25 you have now is 165 HP. Yes you are going to lose some, but no - it's not at all "under-powered" really. Remember that up till '97 the Outback's were using the EJ22 from the factory and non-outback Legacy's continued to use them after the OB's switched to the 2.5. That's what we're here for. It's a good car really - just has a problematic engine. Once you get that taken care of it should be good for a long stretch. GD

The local machine shop is WAY out of line. 1. Going rate is $35 per head for a surface grind. 2. Pressure testing is not reccomended or needed with your engine, symptoms, etc. These heads rarely crack and there would be no reason to suspect a crack given your intention is to remove the heads to replace the stem seals. 3. There is no need to even remove the heads for a valve stem seal change. You get an adaptor to run compressed air into the cylinders, remove the springs, replace the seals and re-install the springs. GD

Nope - you will have to swap the heads. Why are you swapping out motors because of valve stem seals That's lame. Just fix the seals :-\ GD

Not on these little engines - engine speed is relative to design and displacement in most cases - these are small displacement, high RPM engines. Take them right to redline if you want - won't hurt them any. If this were a 400+ cubic inch big block then you would be right. GD

I wasn't trying to be rude - just saying that the dealer tech's don't train on the old stuff much if at all. And he says it has zero compression on #3 - if the rod wasn't broken then that likely wouldn't be the case. While it could be a rod, it could also be a severe valve train issue. I would at least pull the valve cover and look. While it is true that you can stop running the engine before a rod knock develops into a broken rod, that is the exception rather than the rule. More so on the EA's it would seem. I've heard a lot more stories of EJ rod knocks that didn't result in block damage (and a few that did) than I have heard of on the EA's. Even my relatively keen ear and penchant for maintenance didn't catch one a few years ago before the rod punched out the block on the freeway. GD

It has to be a turbo axle unless the car is a 3AT automatic. The inner joint is a 25 spline on turbo's vs. a 23 spline on non-turbo's. The hub (lug nut part) is the same on all 4-lug EA81's and EA82's. GD

27 to 28 is typical of 4WD Subaru's in mixed driving. 30 to 32 is possible but typically only on freeway only trips. GD