GeneralDisorder

The carb base line is right in front - there's a tube that runs into the manifold right under the front of the carb base. It's not just the hoses that can fail - without coolant being changed regularly corrosion will eat the hose barbs away and cause leaks too. You can just block the lines from the heater core bypass tube and the block that run to the carb base, and block the carb base tube as well. A pressure tester to pressurize the cooling system while it's cold would help to find leaks, but the system on the EA81's is so simple you might as well spend the time just replacing all the stuff and have the peace of mind of knowing it's all new and R&R'd. GD

Have you tried flushing the core? Both ways? The line from the top of the water pump is the "in" and the other is the "out". Try flushing both ways. Any indication of the heater control valve leaking under the dash? You say you can smell it.... those valves occasionally fail, and I've see leaks in heater core's where the coolant would run down under the carpet and out through the floor pan drain holes - leaving no indication on the carpet itself that you could see. GD

You don't need a stabilizer - you need power steering. Beleive me - this will never happen again and you will LOVE it. Just get the pump, lines, cross-member, and rack from any EA81 with power steering. Will work a thousand times better than any stabilizer. And as far as asking who's done it - all the folks that have ever brought it up have ended up going with power once they had a taste of it. I for one will NEVER have a lifted subaru without it. GD

It's all or nothing for tires this small. Either you want traction and tires that will self-clean or you don't. If you don't go with an Interco Swamper of some flavor or at least something with a BFG M/T style tread, then you might as well get street tires for all the good they will do you. GD

Test/replace the radiator cap. It shouldn't be overflowing like that. I doubt this is a heater core issue - when the coolant is low on an EA81 there won't be any flow through the core. If you have so little coolant that it's overheating then there's not going to be any flow through the core at all. You need to find all your cooling system leaks. If it were me I would be pulling the intake manifold, addressing both the gaskets, the heater core bypass tube, heater core return line, both heater core hoses, the small hose to the carb base and the return to the block, all the steel nipples, and upper and lower radiator hoses. Do it all at once and replace the radiator cap and thermostat with new OEM parts. Same goes for the thermostat housing gasket and the intake manifold gaskets (careful with the bolts - 12 fl/lbs after chasing threads and use anti-sieze). THEN and only then can you rule out stuff other than the heater core, heat control valve, and radiator itself. EA81's dont generally require much, if any "burping". Their cooling systems are well designed, and filling them when you first start the engine, and then once again after a cooldown is almost always sufficient. GD

The heat gun will get it hot enough - but not fast enough. What you want to do is heat the pipe AROUND the O2 sensor - ideally using an oxy-torch - you need a LOT of heat, and you need it NOW. But a mapp gas hand held might work as well. You are trying to expand the threads so you can get the O2 out - if you heat the O2 it will expand and be more difficult to unthread. Heat the pipe - ice the sensor if you have to. It will come out. GD

Fight for it - you'll win. I've done it twice. They have one BIG thing going against them. They fired 8 people at the same time. This looks VERY bad to the unemployment department investigation. Make sure you point this out when you apply. It will look as if they were looking for a reason - and that's all you need is doubt. The unemployment people will stick it to them with a big stick. They are just trying to scare you into not applying at all. Tell the employment department business was slow, and they were looking for a reason to get rid of people. Make sure you mention a number of people were fired at once. They will have no choice but to give you benefits. Incidentally - what did you do? I guess I'm lucky - we have no internet at work and probably never will. Otherwise I would have a problem Also - by law they have to warn you first. The employment department doesn't look kindly on them for not "trying to work things out" before just handing you a pink slip. You'll get benefits no questions asked if they didn't warn you adequately. GD

Sure - but most places have a dealership. They are usually stocked items. GD

Everything I've read says it just hooks straight up to the ECU tach signal as you have it. Perhaps a ground issue is at work here. GD

An RS-RA gearset will fix them nicely - but the cost is rather unpolite. GD

Nope - EA81T's used the same axles as N/A EA81's. I have heard rumor that early 2WD legacy DOJ's will swap to the 2WD EA81 axle shafts - but I haven't seen definitive evidence to support that. There's probably some combination that would work, but a 2WD EA81 axle isn't exaclty my idea of reliable with the HP the EJ can put down - they are wimpy, small, pathetic things. EA82T axles are longer - as all EA82 axles are. They will not fit the EA81 body width. Also the outer joint seal lip is the wrong size. Yes - it's the turbo Porsche style clutch's that are messy in the EA81 body. If you just want an NA, then that shouldn't be difficult. It won't. Visit legacycentral.org for lots of stories of failed trannies. The turbo tranny is stronger, and they still grenade them without any trouble at all. Usually strips 1st or 2nd gear right out of them. GD

There is no machine shop required. The stubs are not really pressed in by any functional definition of the term. They are a loose friction fit. The bearings are held in by a ring nut on the back of the arm. You can replace the bearings without removing the arm from the car easily. You just pound out the stub (inward - once it's loose from the axle), remove the ring nut, and drift out the old bearings & spacer. Drift the new bearings in, slap on the ring nut and drive the stub through the bearings. It's actually quite easy and the time is more than worth it considering you are getting NEW bearings instead of used. And if the turbo's trailing arms don't have the sway bar links, then there's no real reason to use them other than cheap used bearings. GD

Replace the hub. The nut will work loose every time if you don't. Replace the hub and the washer. The washer is VERY critical. If it's not smooth and perfect you'll never get more than a 100 miles or so before it starts clunking again and wears out the hub splines. It's extreemely critical that you understand this - if you don't replace BOTH - you'll be doing this over and over again till you do it right. And grinding the washer smooth doesn't work - don't ask how I know all this GD

Take it apart and replace the seals. Shouldn't be too hard to do. You may have just had the cable mis-adjusted. They really don't fail all that often. GD

First, the 94 Imp didn't come with the EJ25. The EJ25 is a poor choice of engine anyway. EJ22 is what you would want if anything. Second, it's a BIG project to swap any EJ engine in. Do a search for EA to EJ conversion. It's not actually - it's just that your's is typical of a 25 year old EA81. It likely needs a lot of tuneup. Valve adjustment (unless it's an auto) should be priority #1. Then all the ignition components - verify smooth operation of the vacuum advance, clean the EGR, and address any throttle/carb issues it has. Check your oil pressure too - biggest killer of these engines is overheating, and rod bearings (respectively). Due to being all alumnium they rely on good oil circulation for part of their heat dissipation. Inspection/Replacement of the oil pump is a good idea every 100k miles - if it is within spec the seals still need replacing. The sending unit's are usually leaky and should be replaced as well for proper readings. An EJ swap is a poor choice to fix what amounts to a few tuneup issues. It's not the terribly slow car that a lot of people think it is - it's just that they have no real idea how to properly maintain them. GD

It's been done. Axles aren't impossible if you have skills with metal. The hydro clutch swap is actually worse than the axle IMO. Although the early legacy trannies are cable if you aren't going to run much in the way of HP above a stock phase 1 EJ22..... Talk to Rguyver - Reagan has a complete WRX drivetrain in his Brat. GD

Lets see..... 1. Expensive. (you need more than just the tank too). 2. Small. 3. Smelly (inside the cabin on a hatchback). 4. Inconveient - takes up cargo space, have to open the hatch to fill it, etc. Not to mention there's just no need. You can make a surge tank from some parts out of home depot for like $30. I WILL be using a fuel cell eventually on my Hatch - but it's a totally different animal. The only real good reason is to prevent stuff from smacking into the tank off-road - but unless you are going with a t-case lift you won't be getting into situations where that's really a problem. Plus in my case I'm removing the rear seats entirely for extra space and I'm going to sink the floor down where the existing tank is located.... there's a time and a place for fuel cell's, but not on a rig like his. GD

Loyale is different. You don't have to touch the evap core. My former comments were before the post was edited to reflect Loyale instead of Legacy. It's still an 8 hour job, but it's easier than a Legacy. It's a lot easier to take the Loyale's apart. GD

Last year for carbs was 87. Either you have SPFI, it's a swap of some kind, or it's not an 88. Might be an RX, but then again it's probably not. There were non-RX turbo coupe's made. If it's white with the D/R 5 speed and diff-lock then it's probably an RX or close to one. Turbo's use dual port heads so you would have to swap the heads, cams, and the entire electrical system. Also upgrade the fuel system, and change the fuel tank to a baffled tank if you really do have a carbed wagon. Driveshaft is two-peice and the rear section is the same. You will have to change to the 5 speed front section. The rest should be similar. You will have to bypass the neutral safety switch by jumpering the terminals in the plug that goes to the old auto shifter. . More work that you realize. Too much to be worth it really. Yes. Heh. Well, if it's something you really, really want..... it can be done. But it's not worth it for an EA82 wagon.... IMO. Swaps of this magnitude are rarely a good idea. You are basically talking about gutting both cars and building a whole new one using all the business end of one, and the body of the other. HUGE job. Do so searches on the subject. GD

It's often the seals that go first - if they go unoticed then the bearings go. You have probably caught it prior to bearing failure. There are two weep holes - one on the top of the pump, and one on the bottom. The top one never leaks - it's always the bottom one. Remove the timing belt covers and inspect the pump housing for evidence if coolant tracking/caking around the hole. Also check the heater core bypass hose on top of the pump. The nipple on the pump, and especially the one on the bypass tube that it connects to like to rot out, and people neglect to change this hose, or to change the cooant that protects against corrosion. I've seen them leak, and I've seen them blow out. Be sure to change it if you determine the pump is bad. GD

Tons of places - everywhere from Isreal to Barbados to the Netherlands.... Usually it was the EA71's that got put into the EA82 body though, not the EA81. I say it was most likely a swap. There's ways to tell, but they are difficult to explain. I'm sure if I saw it in person I could tell withing a few minutes if it was stock in that car or not. Also if it wasn't a US car it would be labled as a Leone rather than a GL/DL. GD

Nope. Both are different. The Legacy core is VERY different. The XT core is more similar I think, but they don't interchange. I've installed a couple used EA82 core's - I wouldn't be to worried about those - they are brass. Unlike the legacy core that is all aluminium. GD

Only if it's an XT, a Turbo, or an '85 model year. Otherwise it would be SPFI. The cap thing is true, but all the distributors are pin-compatible if you swap the correct plug on. You just have to stay hot-wire to hot-wire, and flapper to flapper MAF style. GD

You're grounded! That's a mess Seriously - time to invest in some plastic condiut. I see butt splices - didn't your mommy teach you how to solder and heat shrink? Here's a tip - put some RTV on the connection right before you heat shrink it. GD

8 to 10 hours. If you have A/C all the books call for removal of the evap core (losing the charge, etc) as well. I found that with some difficulty I was able to squeeze the heater core box out by undoing all the AC lines in the engine bay and pulling the evap core away from the firewall as much as possible. It's tricky, but it CAN be done. I just did the core replacement on my 91 SS a couple months ago. $196 for the core (wholesale) - ouch! I wouldn't install a used one - takes too long to pull them from a yard, and you don't have any idea of the condition of it. They are aluminium and pretty fragile. My 91 had a major malfunction of the cooling system (previous owner) that took out the engine, radiator, and burst the core along the bottom tank seam. This should also be in the "new gen" forum. GD