GeneralDisorder

Unless it forms an actual drip or starts overheating - don't worry about it. As much as we would like to think they are...... these just aren't swiss watches and a few minor leaks can be tollerated. It may stop as it ages. I would watch it and see. GD

Ignition timing? GD

Yes there will be play in the bearing assembly without the drum in place as it holds the outer bearing into it's race. You can do the bearings yourself though it does help to have the ring nut socket. You can use a punch to free the ring nut and spin it out if you don't have the socket. Once that is out, drift the bearing assembly out through the back of the arm, clean up the cavity, and install the new bearing outer race or assembly. Usually you can use part of the old bearing as a driver to install the new one. Make SURE you drive the axle stub out of the old bearings while it's still in the arm - before you remove the ring nut otherwise they can be difficult to remove once free of the arm. If you have access to a press it will be a simple matter. If not you can get the job done with a good sized hammer, some brass drifts, and a bit of injenuity. It's really a very simple thing. Most dealer's won't even bother to do a job like this. They will just send it out to a machine shop with a press. But half those monkey's don't know how to use a press or how to treat bearings. Bearings are delicate - you can't ever press or pound on a bearing in such a way as to transmit force through the balls. Every whack they take = -10% or more on their life. It can't be overstressed that it MUST be done correctly and in the correct order or the bearings will last 10,000 miles instead of 250,000. GD

The Hitachi is a two-barrel carb but runs primarily on the smaller of the two - thus only has a choke plate on the primary. So you should see a "flap" (properly termed they are a "butterfly" or just a "choke-plate" or "throttle plate") on the top of the primary, then if you look down past that one (open it with your finger, etc) then you will see the throttle plate. On the secondary side there is no choke plate so you can see right to the bottom where the secondary throttle plate is located. Sounds normal from your description. That doesn't mean there isn't something else wrong with the carb though. If you can get it started, look down in the carb as you manually rev the engine with the throttle wheel - observe the spray pattern from the primary nozzle (the center of the cross-peice above the throttle plate). It should look uniform and nicely aerated like the water from a sink faucet. If it's messy, dripping, and uneven then you probably have an internal blockage. Check for spark - with it running as slow as you can get it to - pull each plug wire in turn and see if it makes a difference. If it is running poorly, you pull a wire and it dies - that plug was working. If you then pull another wire and nothing changes at all - that cylinder isn't fireing for some reason. Then check for spark - if you pull a plug and nothing happens but it DOES have spark on that cylinder - time to run a compression test. Something could be amiss in the valve train. Another quick check - pull the outer cover on the passenger side timing belt. If that cam isn't turning you will lose both the #1 and #3 cylinders but because the distributor runs from the driver's side cam it will still run - just very poorly on two cylinders. 35 MPH top speed makes total sense for a 2 cylinder 0.9 liter engine with it's whole fireing order on 180 degree's of the crank. GD

Also check that the choke is opening. It's very common with the EA82 Hitachi carbs for the choke spring's to break where they attach to the lever that opens/closes them. If it broke and the choke were jammed shut then you would have similar symptoms. GD

My initial thought is that it might have blown an Air Injection Valve (the symptoms and the smell are good clues) - when this happens the hot exhaust will melt the soft plastic silencer (like a muffler) and that molten plastic gets sucked into the carb - it can jam throttle shafts, block ports, etc. First thing you should do is remove the air filter top and inspect - look for black peices of plastic down in the carb - look for oil in the airbox - is the filter completely soaked? Etc. If the PCV gets too blocked up it will suck engine oil into the filter and airbox and once the paper gets soaked it will choke off all the air to the engine. My other thought was the fuel filter - but unless it's severely clogged it shouldn't keep it from idleing. It's a possibility though. GD

Cracks between the valves are not a concern unless they are wide enough to fit your thumbnail into and/or the valve seats are loose. Make sure there are no cracks into the exhaust port as those will open into a water jacket. Get yourself a thick peice of glass large enough for a sheet of sandpaper and true up the head surface with some 220 grit, then some 400 grit. Use WD-40 for lube and to clean the paper. Use the Fel-Pro perma-torque gaskets. Torque them to 55 ft/lbs instead of the stock 47. Chase threads, oil, torque in sequence, etc. GD

Agree - sounds like either the hub splines are gone or they gave you a 25 spline axle (inner joint) for your 23 spline transmission. Mistakes happen like that with parts stores. GD

What were the conditions under which this occured? Did it stop or is it still doing it? Does it idle? Etc.... Need more info. Could be a lot of things. GD

I wouldn't worry about it. Sounds minor. Maybe do a retorque just to be safe. No - the gauge will not hurt the head gaskets. GD

That's what happened to the original engine from my lifted wagon. 165k - oil pump went bad and the lack of good oil pressure resulted in the #3 rod comming out of the top of the block. GD

They just updated the bracket - they are still using that stupid new style tensioner. It's more expensive and has to be replaced basically every 105k or you risk leakage or improper compressing durring assembly, etc. GD

As far as I know, that's correct. Subaru doesn't actually sell a "kit" but all the parts are the same as a CA spec (105k belt) EJ22 with the exception of the tensioner assembly and it's associated idler. All you need to do to run the older style tensioner is change the bracket. GD

The cover is but the plugs are steel. Thus drilling through them and then using an extractor or tapping and replaceing them is easily done. GD

Having the front end up in the air a bit (on an inexpensive set of 2 ton or 3 ton jack-stands or even a set of those drive-on ramps) helps to get more of the ATF to drain out. When I do it I usually have the front wheels about 4" off the floor and I typically get about 5.5 to 6 quarts out. I then drain that into milk jugs and asses how much needs to go back in, etc. I would do the job myself if I were you - the experience is more valuable than having the dealer do it for you. Changing/checking fluid levels, filters, brakes, etc are simple skills to obtain and require very few tools. If I had my way I would require people to learn these skills to get a license. Would make for safer roads and fewer breakdowns. And in general our society needs more "can do" attitude and less "can call someone that can do" attitude GD

Try one of the online Subaru dealer's - you can type in your part numbers and it will give you the price. Very handy tools. You also might try some of the transmission rebuild kit companies. They can usually help with stuff like that - even if they don't list a kit they can usually reference all the individual parts. GD

Depends on what you are doing with it - a mechanical non-turbo distributor isn't going to interface with any of the turbo ECU's so to use one would have to be part of a larger modification that would include ditching the stock ECU. For example - MegaSquirt could run the turbo engine using the non-turbo carbed EA82 distributor (if you used something like the Ford EDIS sensor). Without the CAS signal, the stock ECU wouldn't be able to time the injector pulses. Thus since the non-turbo mechanical distributor's do not have a CAS they are incapable of running the stock ECU's fueling program. GD

I'm glad that works for some people - makes for inexpensive, barely used good for folks like me . Seriously though - I would be up a poop creek if I ran by that rule. I do so many different things that certain tools go unused for years at times. But in the end they make possible a varied and interesting shop that can do almost anything - which is personal satisfaction for me. It's an addiction I'm sure - but I would go nuts if I didn't have something to do, and then something entirely different next week...... such is the curse of the active mind I suppose. Sometimes it takes weeks, months, or years for me to return to a project but it's often because it takes that long to suss out, in my mind, how to do it right. GD

They will probably swap over but it would be a waste of labor to install used syncro's if you have it torn down. The biggest job is tear down and reassembly - the relatively minor cost of the syncro rings would not warrent attempting to reuse a set. GD

If you can't get them out remove the rear cover, drill completely through the center of the plug and use a pipe-nipple extractor on it. Or just drill out the plug enough to run an NPT tap into the remaining portion and install brass plugs. GD

I did a lot of checking and searching and talking to resident experts about the TB problem while fixing a '91 I recently sold. There are ultimately three routes that it can go. With your level of symtpoms it's a very high probability that a simple drain/refill/drain/refill will fix the problem. Here's the three possilibities: 1. Drain/refill/.... typically solves more minor and intermittant TB. 2. Trans-X (or whatever the additive is that folks are using) - solves the majority of the one's that a simple flush does not. 3. Replacement of the clutch pack/duty-c solenoid. Not that hard and used parts are often availible. If you do the work yourself figure around $200 for parts - maybe less depending on if you go with a new solenoid or not. On the '91 I just did - the light was flashing and it would bind intermittantly hard enough to sometimes chirp the tires, etc. 3 gallons of ATF later and this has stopped plus it shifts smoother now. My customer is happy - cost us around $35 for the fluid. If it comes back we'll add the additive and if that doesn't work I'll tear it down and replace the clutch pack - it's not a difficult job and no special tools are required. GD

I'm around most weekends and usually a couple days durring the week as well. I tend to be away Monday's and Tuesday's for sure. I'm leaving pretty soon in fact PM me and we can work out a time. I'm in West Linn. GD

Find a mechanic that can use a MM. Should be a pretty simple fix. Voltage to the bulb, ground at the ECU. And if it's something inside the ECU or you can't otherwise fix it then wire it in so it comes on with the bulb check for the e-brake or something. It's just a bulb check - it's not a deal breaker as far as getting it to pass smog - you can fool those people by simply crossing a wire. GD

I'm not sure if that would work on a daily driver application and I would be worried simply because I would have no good way to test such a system. In theory a small opening at right angles to the flow of the exhaust would work just like a draft tube but the size and shape of the opening will make a big difference in how it operates - without being able to flow-test it you really wouldn't know if it were working correctly. Thus I would probably stick with more conventional methods just because all the math and testing has been done with them. GD