GeneralDisorder

So rough estimate I can figure it will come in under $200 in parts. Sounds good. Thanks. GD

What is the problem with the driveshaft? If it's just u-joints they can be replaced - you have to grind out the stakeing to remove the old one's and the replacement's are for a toyota IIRC. The center carrier bearing is not serviceable. Best bet is just to get a complete used driveline - they are plentiful and cheap. Your EGR code is not the valve - it's the control solenoid near the thermostat housing. You can just replace it with a 33 Ohm, 5 Watt resistor and that will clear the code. You don't need the EGR or the solenoid. The rest of the stuff is minor and can all be fixed at the next timing belt interval. At 177k you still have a fair amount of miles left in it. It's not at all uncommon for your engine to last past 300k. GD

I'm looking at doing a HG on a 99 Forester with the phase II 2.5 What is the parts cost associated with the job? Probably just doing HG's as the engine has been maintained at the dealer and is not currently in need of a complete t-belt job. Anything I should definitely replace while I'm in there with the HG's? Who here also replaces the bolts? Experiences with/without replacing them? Thanks GD

Check for spark when it dies. If there is none, then you have an ignition problem - which could indeed be the amp module on the coil bracket. Anything that shuts down the ECU would also have the same effect as the ECU will not fire the plugs if it doesn't have power. Fuel, spark, air, valve timing, ignition timing - one is missing but I can't tell you which one. GD

Some Loctite on the OD of the seal will stop that. Doesn't help if you have never replaced the original seal though... GD

Twin Harley carbs. Seriously - look them up - they are cheap and well suited to the size you need if you use two of them. They are variable venturi carbs and are very simple to tune. No one wants the stock one's so they are dirt cheap. GD

Dexon ATF has an ISO rating of around 29 or 30.... 10 weight oil has an ISO of 32 for comparison. So ATF is a schosh thinner than 10 weight - it's hydraulic oil so this makes sense. But it's also rated as a gear oil - obviously it has to protect the same gears that generally run in 90 weight gear oil - thus it's fortified with a lot of additives to counter it's thinness. GD

Usually means the drive cable is going out. My Brat has done it at low speeds for years - different clutster's, different transmissions - only thing that hasn't changed is the cable itself. GD

22E's have shown to be pretty reliable if you keep the boost to about 5 pounds. And they are a dime a dozen from the 90 to 94 legacy's so if you blow one it's not really a big deal to find another. As for management - you should look into MegaSquirt. It's right up the alley of a college student and very configureable. GD

ATF will not attack seals. Buna, Nitrile, and Viton are all rated for use with ATF. It is also petroleum based but it has a large amount of degreasers and solvents in it. It is rated for use in automatic transmissions after all . Most of the stuff out there - MMO, Rislone, engine flush/diesel, etc will not do any better than ATF. Not worth the difference in price IMO. Remember that post about the magazine that rated rust-busting fluids? You remember what was ranked the highest? 50/50 mix of ATF and Acetone. I have a can of Deep Creep in the garage but I wasn't that impressed with it. Yield is much better although I do want to try the 50/50 mix when I aquire some high-concentration Acetone. GD

Spray around the engine bay with something flammable. Carb cleaner, degreaser, etc. When the engine changes pitch you have found a leak. GD

I've usually had that problem with worn-out throttle cables. Check to make sure it's not the wire trying to eat into the cable sheath. Either way - pedal assembly or wire - should be an easy fix. GD

Nothing wrong with carbs - run several myself and just bought another. But here's the drawbacks of *not* using the FI: 1. Bastardized engine. You will have many non-off-the-shelf parts. 2. Lower performance. You'll never tune the carb to be as perfect as the MPFI is across the whole RPM range. It's not the right technology for that. Of course you will still get a LOT more than the EA81. 3. Driveability will decrease somewhat. Cold running will be worse. The MPFI does things like keeping the RPM up a few hundred when the vehicle is rolling, and smoothes out things like abrupt throttle changes. 4. Economy will decrease somewhat. The MPFI can do things the carb cannot - such as completely shut down the injectors under closed throttle coasting. I would expect a couple MPG decrease on a stock height vehicle. Personally, the MPFI is my choice. Easy access to replacement parts, simple self-diagnostic ECU. Few sensors and even fewer moving parts. A small box of spares and a DMM will net you more reliability than any carb owner could ever dream of. There is a learning curve though and if you don't enjoy that sort of thing or have the time then the carb might be for you. GD

Nothing wrong with flushing - but I prefer using a mixture of ATF and inexpensive engine oil. It's cheaper, just as effective, and you can leave it in for a 100 miles or so then drain out the black mess. GD

Weber's are made in Spain. Does he mean they were built for the Brazilian VW market or something? As far as I know, no Weber's have ever been produced in south America. I don't see any issue with a 24/24 design but a larger single barrel would be easier and simpler to tune. You can do a LOT even with a 32/36. I have been engaged in the development of a turbo-charged Suzuki Samurai using one - in fact the carb is one I rebuilt and ran myself for a couple years before passing it to a co-worker. Make no mistake - this is NOT a good carb to use for a blow-through turbo setup - but he's a determined and pig-headed individual and after many months of tuning and about a dozen times on my wide-band setup he's got it going OK. You can't imagine the problems he's had.... in the process we both learned a TON about the carbs and how air-bleed and emulsion tubes interact etc. It was an amazing learing experience but you definitely want something simpler if you are planning on running twin carbs. GD

EA81's of the vintage being discussed here have solid lifters and do not use oil pressure to inflate them. So valve noise would be the same even if you drained the oil or stopped the pump. Re-evaluate the situation after you do a valve lash adjustment. GD

Try a different distributor. I've had one's with clean spark that still didn't run worth a damn. GD

Nope - they list the whole carb for $238 but no rebuilt kit. I have several bare manifolds around here that I don't need if you are looking to do a Weber swap. I also have a Hitachi that I've rebuilt and stripped of all the uneccesary paraphenalia, but it's been modified to accept a manual choke. You can get manual choke control cable kits from most parts stores - I think the one I used in my '83 hatch was $15... but that may not be how you want to set up the car for your daughter. This carb was my final effort, after 10 years of tinkering with them, to modify away the shortcommings of the stock Hitachi carb. It works well but it will never be a Weber or throttle body injection. I don't *really* want to part with it due to the efforts I put into making it run without all it's jewerly, but I also don't have any future plans for the poor thing and I know you need one built this way so.... make it worth my while and I'll send it attached to a manifold and ready to bolt on. As I said you will have to install a manual choke cable and teach her how to use it because I don't have the time nor the inclination to try and put it back to an electric choke - don't think I have the parts to do so either. GD

It is likely very close to 1 7/8" Anyway that should be close enough to do the job. GD

88 and 89 GL turbo's were often equipped with the Full Time 4WD single range 5 speed with diff lock or the Full Time 4WD 4EAT automatic. It is NOT AWD - it is FT4WD - there is no VC, only a center diff (lockable for true 4WD in the 5 speed). If you hang one wheel off a ciff you will be stuck unless you lock the diff. Not so with AWD - hang a wheel out over a cliff (or several) and you will still drive away without locking anything. XT6's got a similar transmission but in 3.9 final drive. GD

1.5 to 2.5 GD

The 32/36 would not be a good choice due to it's progressive linkage - it would be difficult to get both secondaries timed just right and I think you would have a nightmare of a time getting all the transitions correct. They can be modified for simultaneous linkage, but the different barrel sizes will play havoc with tuning them. I think you would be better off going with two single-barrel carbs or even something like the 38 DGAS. Why not drop the manifold and just bolt a carb to each head? You would need to fab a coolant cross-over and a way to do hook in the upper radiator hose but that's doable... GD

Mixture screw is only for idle mixture - base setting is 2.5 turns out from bottomed. I still think your timing is off. Are you sure you got the fireing order correct and in counter-clockwise order starting from 1? The distributor rotates counter-clockwise which is not intuitive.... at least for me. I have to get it straight in my head every time I do it. GD

Pull the plug and stick your finger in the hole. The comp. stroke will push air past your finger. GD

With #1 at TDC on the comp. stroke, turn the flywheel BACK till you get to 8 degrees. The rotor then points at whichever plug tower on the cap you want to be #1. The fireing sequence is 1,3,2,4 so you install the wires from the #1 tower in counter-clockwise order. GD