GeneralDisorder

Neither one will cause that kind of poor mileage. The first is just the idle cut solenoid to prevent dieseling on shutdown. Removing the needle was the correct thing to do. Make sure the bare wire doesn't short out on something though. The idle mixture adjustment screw that your dad messed with just changes the idle mixture to richer or leaner. That *can* have a minor effect on off-idle hessitation but it's very minor - mostly it can make another problem worse. The idle circuit has absolutely no involvement in mileage though because you are never driving it at idle. Anything over about 1500 RPM and the idle circuit receives no vacuum so cannot supply any fuel. Your mileage problems are related to something else. Probably an incorrectly operating feedback system, and potentially vacuum leaks by the sounds of things. GD

No - 7/16 is the next size up from the stock threads. 7/16 (coarse) works well as there is no drilling required. Get two taps - cut the taper off one of them and use it as a bottoming tap to get the last few threads cut. Then use all-thread or buy studs to finish the job right. GD

All things considered, that's a pretty rare phenomenon. At least I've never seen it personally in an EA soob. Drop the y-pipe, cut an access "flap" out of the top of the cat (die grinder or angle grinder - the cat's are stainless so don't try torching it open unless you use a steel overlay), and dump out the contents. Weld it back up and put the heat sheilds back on - no one will be the wiser. I've done many . GD

That would be a better option. I think you would want to plug the vac hose rather than connecting them together. GD

The general consensus is that the factory housings aren't suited to HID's. Better to either get a quality set of aftermarket driving lights, or to have one of us pick up some quality halogen bulbs from the US and ship them to you. There are some decent quality brands availible here. GD

That will most likely be a bad combination. The ECU will know the slow solenoid is disconnected and may go into limp mode as soon as it sees it's gone. GD

XT's were MPFI non-turbo and the gasket may be slightly different as they had the spider intake's. GD

I couldn't tell you for sure. It's related to the mixture being leaned out too far most likely. Weather that is because the duty solenoid isn't opening and closing the way it should, because of a vacuum leak, or because the ECU is telling it to be open/closed too much based on poor sensor inputs.... I do not know nor is there a way for me to tell. If you want to troubleshoot the feedback system there is no other way but for you to get a factory service manual (I don't have one covering the EA82 feedback) and go through all the testing and troubleshooting procedures. None as far as I know. They are sealed units that open/close at a high cycle-per-second rate. I wouldn't dissasemble one and expect it to work afterward anyway. They are only exposed to clean filtered air so there shouldn't be any contaminates in them. GD

Yes - fill the filter with a bit of oil to get the paper started absorbing it. It will absorb a lot more than you think. Then crank it without the coil wire hooked up till you see the oil pressure gauge start to rise, or about 15 seconds if you don't have an OP gauge. GD

I always bought them at Autozone. Had to order them online last time as the store wanted to charge 5 times the online price. I think they were $14.99 or so. GD

Temp sensor is fine actually - you need the *change* the fuel level sender (in the tank), and add the GL oil pressure sender. You can actually use the same wire that is used for the oil pressure idiot switch - you just repurpose it to be the pressure sender wire instead. The swap is straightforward enough - I went so far as to go from an 84 digi to an '81 vertical needle, orange cluster. That required adding some diodes to a few circuits, etc. Connie - did you get the scans? GD

That just isn't true. If it were, carbed engines would not start at WOT. Plus the accelerator pump is still working so every time he actuates the throttle fuel is being dumped in. The safe bet is to eliminate the fuel from the equation in any case. One cannot compare their numbers to anyone else's if there isn't a standardized testing method that virtually gaurantees the tests are done the same. GD

Hard to say for sure. If there was a solid correction factor then there would be no need to test in this manner. Each cylinder will get sucessively worse as you test because the unburned fuel washes the oil off the cylinder walls. GD

You should have all the plugs out so it turns over faster. Unplug the fuel pump and start the engine - run it till it dies. You don't want fuel washing down the cylinder walls while you are testing. GD

Those are fine. All plugs removed, fuel pump unplugged and throttle plates wide open? GD

Nope - different cluster. GD

A short is when you have a direct path to ground on a power circuit. That will blow fuses or start fires. If it doesn't do either of those then yes it will cause the alternator to overheat. I think you intended to ask about poor grounds, yes? If that's the case then no - poor grounds increase the resistance in the circuit - that causes many things including excessive heat. It uses less power as full voltage can't get to the accesories. The one exception to this is the sense circuit through the charge indicator lamp - if that circuit has too much resistance the alternator's VR will put out higher voltage to compensate for a perceived voltage drop that doesn't exist. But there aren't any grounds in that circuit - it's a fused power circuit from the battery positive, through the lamp, and to the VR's sensing line on the alt. Sometimes corrosion on the terminals at the back of the cluster can cause this - leaky windsheilds or cars that sit for a long time in damp climates often have that problem. GD

If you don't know a lot about mechanics, then an RX is not a good way to start your learning curve. For several reasons: 1. The EA82 Turbo (EA82T) is arguably the worst engine Subaru ever made. To quantify that statement it should be added that as a measure of poor engines goes, the EA82T is still quite a bit better than many products produced by manufacturers other than Subaru. The engine has a poor head/block interface, weak exhaust port castings, a primitive timing belt system, primitive HLA's, and an overall weak cooling system. 2. The problems you are likely to have are not condusive to "learning". You likely do not have the experience to know what needs addressing first, to see problems before they become extreeme, and to address them correctly. This almost certainly will result is a very bad experience with the EA82T. Overheat it just once or twice and you are looking at tearing it down to the block for a HG job and possibly expensive exhaust port repairs as the heads are prone to cracking. 3. The car has very little performance potential as a whole without swapping engines to an EJ series. You are not ready for that, nor do you have the money or the time. Seriously - get an early 90's Impreza or Legacy. Leave the old school turbo's to us crazy old farts that have the time and exprience to work on them properly. Take a look at my post count - how many kids like you do you suppose I've seen with ideas like your's? I know what's going to happen, and I knew it when I read your very first post. Be one of the few smart one's and don't waste any more time - sell it and get something that will get you around safely and without major mechanical work on a regular basis. GD

It's not a grounding issue. They blow when the alternator puts out AC or the VR fails high. Poor grounds will result in too little voltage, not too much. And the fan is entirely different. I've owned over a dozen EA81's and never had one with a fan switch or had one that didn't have a working fan with either a cleaning of the contacts, replacing the thermoswitch, or fixing the radiator ground strap. GD

The Hitachi's aren't terrible carbs, but most are pretty bad off after 25 years. Glad you got it running. The feedback system will cause problems eventually. It's only a matter of time with them. GD

Cooling system pressure should be 13 psi. EA81's do not need an overflow tank. Remove it. The system will seek it's own level - which is usually around 1 to 2 inches from the filler neck. It should not be full - it needs room for the coolant to expand as it heats. GD

Check to see that the timing belts aren't loose. I had an EA82 SPFI that would bog on takeoff's randomely. Turns out the belts were loose and when they snapped I did a belt/tensioner/water pump job and it's gone. GD

SPFI came out in '86. Only on the 2WD GL-10's. 85 GL-10's were MPFI non-turbo (like an XT, but without the spider and serp belts). '87 was a mixed year. Towards the end of the 87 model year they stopped using the carbs as the phase out of their production began prior to the end of the model year production so there wouldn't be overstock of production carb components - that's my guess. GD

I would never do just one anyway. If you are having your lifters rebuilt you should be installing a new oil pump anyway. But the lifters making noise is just annoying. I always replace the pump first because poor oil pressure can cause internal engine damage and the oil pump is easier to get to than the lifters. The first step in diagnosing lifter noise is always to check the oil pressure. The pumps usually look pretty ugly inside after a couple hundred thousand. GD

I think he means it was leaking water into the interior. It certainly isn't clear from his post though. Not much is.... GD