GeneralDisorder

Dealership. And this should be in the "New Generation" forum. Old gen is for pre-1990 and Loyale's. Us old farts don't know from Baja's. GD

Please read my first installment to this Hitachi series here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=86141 When we left our hero in the last episode, he had removed the AAV system, and the thermo-valve that controls the air supply for the mixture ports. Now lets discuss the choke system . This system is just silly. It has: 1. Electric choke heater. 2. Choke idle-up cam system (increases idle speed with the choke on). 3. Mechanical choke pull-off (pulls the choke open with throttle movement). 4. Vacuum choke pull-off (pulls the choke open with manifold vacuum). 5. Vacuum choke pull-off limiter (pulls the choke closed with orificed vacuum). The Weber's seem to do fine with only the first 3. This whole vacuum system is basically unnecessary. Good chance it leaks too. Furthermore, the mechanical choke pull-off is adjustable. This is most excellent because it allows us to compensate for the removal of the vacuum pull-off system. Lets see some pics: In the below pic, #1 is the choke pull-off vacuum pot. Go ahead and disconnect it - there is no need to plug the ports on it. #2 is the manifold vacuum supply port. Plug that sucker. Below you can see under the passenger side of the air cleaner - #4 is the port for filtered air to the thermo-vacuum valve, and #3 is the valve itself. Remove any lines to them, and plug the air cleaner port. There is no need to plug the themo-valve. Remember to make any necessary adjustments to the idle and mixture after doing this. I noticed my idle smoothed out a bit more with the removal of this pot. It probably leaks, or the thermo-valve leaks. Either way I had to adjust my mixture and idle speed again. I've had mine this way for about a week. I did have to adjust the choke a bit, but other than that you really can't tell it's gone. I haven't adjusted the choke pull-off on mine, but I may do that soon. I'll update this with a picture of the pull-off adjustment bolt, and any changes I made to my stock adjustment. The good thing about this mod is that it really only affects your COLD idle. If you get the settings all messed up, once the choke pulls off it will be normal again. Adjusting the choke, and adjusting the mechanical pull-off should be enough to compensate for the removal of this system. Much like a Weber, you may have to re-adjust things seasonally. The complicated thermo-vacuum pull-off system is designed to make seasonal adjustment unnecessary, but at this point the system has leaks, and a questionable thermo-valve. Better to dump it and adjust it to your needs in my opinion. GD

24 isn't bad - but it should be around 27+ with the SPFI. Air filter, tire pressure. Start there. Most find better tire wear and mileage with the front slightly higher than the rear. I run about 38 psi in the front, and about 36 in the back. When was the last time the O2 sensor was replaced? They get slow to respond with age. They are also inexpensive, and if they haven't been done in a long time it's a good idea to replace them if for no other reason than they tend to get really, really stuck in the y-pipe and are a pain to remove. Replaceing them after chasing the threads and applying a sufficient quantity of anti-sieze will help make sure that doesn't happen. I would start there. Unless you are willing to invest in a wide-band O2 sensor, there is no good way to diagnose this stuff without throwing some parts at it. A wideband sure is a nice tool to have. About $250 for a simple setup is more than most people are willing to shell out though. GD

The ECU is possibly getting intermittant signals from the optical pickup. Could be dirty, or it could be the shaft bearings going out. Could last a long time that way but chances are good you'll notice a bit better running if you replace or rebuild it. Pedal to the floor tells the ECU to shut off the injector. It's called "flood clear mode". Sounds like you may have mixture issues or a leaking injector. What's your fuel mileage look like? The SPFI is self-compensating. That's what fuel injection is for. The hot-wire MAF used by the SPFI tells it the mass of the incoming air - this type of air sensor does not require altitude compensation by the very nature of it's design. DO NOT touch your timing other than the verify that it is at 20 degrees BTDC with the test mode connectors plugged in. GD

Not really - it's more like a 2WD Audi than it is a Honda. Subaru's are not transverse. GD

Probably 2WD from the sounds of it. GD

Figured perhaps some of your historic guys might find this useful. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=86901 GD

Won't work as the '80 has the wrong engine/tranny bell-housing. Look at the location of the starter and you'll understand. With the introduction of the EA81 they moved to the side mount starter instead of the top mount with the result that the older transmissions will not bolt up to newer engines. GD

There are baffles inside the valve covers to prevent that. But there's always oil in vapor form that is condensing inside the PCV system. Thus it eventually needs cleaning even if there's nothing wrong with the engine internally. GD

So over a discussion about a better alternative to the 4 speed shifter slop problem with a machinist friend of mine we came up with an extremely simple, yet effective way to permanently rid the 4 speed of the slop. What we noticed was that the original hole for the roll pin is 8mm. That's .3149". One popular method is to drill this out to 3/8 and install a bolt. Now - if you look at a tap/drill chart you will notice that the proper tap drill for 3/8 x 16 is 5/16" (.3125") for 75% thread engagement, or "Q" (.3320") for 50% thread engagement. This makes the original hole only slightly larger than a 75% thread engagement tap drill with 3/8 x 16 thread. So I tapped the shifter and the rod (while still installed in the car) using a 3/8 x 16 tap. I tapped them together from underneath so the threads would perfectly line up. I then installed a grade 5 bolt (100% thread) from the top. You can get a box-end 9/16" wrench on the bolt if you rack the shifter all the way to the drivers side while you do it. I tightened this down, and then installed a 1/2 nut on the remaining bolt thread on the bottom as a locker. I only had to remove the transmission exhaust support bracket to do the whole job. The slop is GONE from that portion of the linkage. I still have some from worn bushings and the bottom pivot bushing as they are shot. But even with those completely shot it's only around 2" of slop while in gear - not the crazy, bowl-of-oatmeal feel it had before. This is a great alternative to the somewhat effective slop-fixes of old. It requires almost no dissasembly, and only a tap and hand tools. No drilling, cutting or other messy practices involved. Took me 30 minutes tops to make it happen. I am fairly certain this will NEVER loosen. The reason is that once it's threaded, the whole mechanism is locked together by thread tension. The reason the original system, and the various "clamp" type systems eventually fail is because there is always a tiny bit of movement - this only gets larger over time. With it threaded it can never start to move, so it will not wear out. There just isn't any way for it to work loose with over 1" of threads holding it together. Try it - you'll like it. Here's a shot of it installed: GD

That's one of those experience things. The only really bulleproof way to tell is to remove them, dissasemble them, and inspect them for wear. Order new boots, and buy NLGI #2 moly grease for the job. Clean them out, inspect them, and reboot them with new grease. Chances are about 50/50 the axles aren't bad - they may have old grease that's turned to goo - that in itself will eventually kill them though so again it's a WAG as to the condition of the axles without a detailed inspection. Anyone that tells you different hasn't done enough axles. The condition of your transmission mounts and your struts play into all of this. A bad set of mounts, or a bad set of gas struts can cause severe vibration in the drivetrain - eventually leading to CV and DOJ failure. GD

The crankcase is part of the manifold vacuum system. If your oil cap is loose and rattling then your mixture won't be correct. Any leaks like the filler cap or the o-ring around the dipstick ARE vacuum leaks to a fuel injected engine. They should be treated accordingly. Replace the rubber under the filler cap and adjust the ears till it's tight. R&R the entire PCV system including the ports on the valve covers. They like to carbon up something feirce. It's best to remove the valve covers and get everything clean. Replacing the hoses isn't a bad idea, but the old one's can usually be cleaned with some effort. GD

It's easy - you don't need help. GD

He stated it was a 4WD. GD

The DSV's are run from a square wave produced by the ECU. I beleive it's controlling the ground for them. The ECU will report a code if there is a problem with them - 31 and 32 indicate circuit faults. Testing them for proper opening and closing should be simple with a peice of hose to blow through when they are energized. This is a huge can of worms though. You could just rejet the carb to a non-feedback and rip all that crap out. You are better off that way in the long run. The whole feedback system is messy, and expensive for almost no benefit. You *might* see 1 MPG, but probably not. It was there to comply with emissions regs not to provide better fuel economy. If it did they they would have made them all that way. I battled with the feedback for a long time before I decided it was a lost cause. It's too old, too primitive, and too much work to use it. GD

Unless it's a CA model, it shouldn't have an ECU. I prefer the 84+ Hitachi's myself. Or an 82/83 that's been converted to the 84+ style choke vacuum pull-off. GD

If the engine was not running when the second fuse blew, then your problem is NOT the alternator. You have a short somewhere. The alternator does sound weak though - should be 14.2 to 14.8. Most in good condition will be right at 14.5 at the sensor junction. GD

If you can't see any connectors that you haven't connected, then first try to tighten each set - make sure they are fully seated. If that fails then you need to start tracing the power and ground leads to the ECU as it controls fuel pump operation and ignition system operation. You are missing fuel or spark by the sounds of it. Could be as simple as the fuel pump relay not being plugged in. GD

Yes. Price is difficult. Both items are rare. Probably: Tranny - $200 to $300 LSD rear - $150 to $200 Maybe less if you get lucky at a u-pull yard - you could go for years and not see either though. GD

Yeah - they will do a *little* for large groups like that, but they offer their discounts based on how much you spend with them rather than your potential buying power. My company has over 200 employees across 4 states - not to mention the company's buying power itself. They won't do anything for us. Their parts are crap anyway - the only place that's worse is Shucks. I would rather go to Autozone - at least their crappy parts are cheap. GD

Yeah, they suck, they are expensive, and they don't give decent discounts till you spend a LOT of money with them in a regular basis. I work for a large machinery company and we can't get any breaks with Napa. Do your business with discount dealerships, or from online vendors. GD

So bend it back if it's in the way. You don't even need an overflow - EA81's never had them in the first place. As long as the system is tight and operating correctly, you won't lose any coolant. GD

It's shot. The problem resulted from a loose linkage - the shift dog doesn't engage far enough when the linkage is loose like that, and eventually shears off. Now that it's gone though, there is no point in fixing it - too expensive and labor intensive. Just replace the tranny. GD

Between the valves isn't the problem. That type of cracking is known, and was addressed by Subaru as unimportant. The problem with them is they crack in the exhaust ports, and leak coolant, and they can't hold head gaskets due to the weak bolt system. Studs are near impossible to find for a reasonable amount of money due to them being a strange metric size. This has all been addressed - do some searches if you want to know. GD

You'll be fine as long as you swap the whole brake assembly. Backing plate, wheel cylinders, and shoes. Some of the EA82 rear drum assemblies are self adjusting as well. GD