GeneralDisorder

Ok.... 1. The SPFI doesn't use AIS. It was only on carbed EA82's. You should not require it as the SPFI is not setup for it anyway. 2. The type of catalytic converter makes a difference here. The SPFI's cat was a different type than that used on the carbs and does not reuire the additional oxygen. Didn't you say you already added a new cat? 3. I have passed OR emissions with the AIS disabled. I've run the same engine through with it working, and with it disabled. The emissions did go up, but by so small a percentage that it wasn't even worth having it. 4. Most of the flunkies looking for smog "pumps" or AIS type systems are looking for an auxilllery input to the cat. Most have a seperate hose that feeds the O2 into the cat from the smog pump, etc. I have actually had the morons at the testing station mark N/A next to the check-off item pertaining to the air injection system because they didn't understand that the EA81 injects right under the heads. So chances are they will think it never had one anyway - even if you leave it on. The ways of older Subaru's are seldom understood by the layperson. 5. You can leave it in place and block the reed valves at the pipe with a quarter. On the vehicles that I haven't welded the bung's up for the pipe that's what I have done. GD

Mechanical - it's a cable clutch. What proplems are you having specifically? If it's releasing closer and closer to the floor the cable may be stretching and could fail soon. If you install a new one (easy), then you should route the cable UNDER both the steering shaft and the heater core lines. It's a common mistake to route them above and end up with a cable that lasts 100 miles. GD

Well - that's heavier bar than it needs to be... or if that's tubing then it's not nearly heavy enough. All the joints are failure points that will allow it to flex. And the gusseting you did isn't needed as the bar is not weak in the vertical plane. Only the horizontal plane. I'm just saying I wouldn't have done it that way is all. This is what I did (as described above): Others have done it before I did, and the results are awesome. And no - I would not hard mount it. GD

The distributor does not receive any signals. The ECU doesn't send it any. So their statement makes no sense. The distributor is nothing more than a sensor - like the MAF, or the TPS, or any of those. It tells the ECU the location of the crank. It cannot receive anything. The ignition amplifier on the other hand has been known to fail as Skip pointed out. Those do receive a signal from the ECU. GD

But at the end of the day it's still a 75 HP engine. Not worth the effort when the stock ECM is nearly free by comparison. I understand the desire - I was a software engineer. But the effort is mis-directed. Drop the stock stuff on the SPFI system and use the MS for something it can really play with. EJ22T for example. Something that HAS the potential that MS offers. The potential of the EA81 is maybe a few HP. All the work will be for naught when it's really not any fun to tune it. You know how the adage goes - "polish that turd too much and it will melt" If you want to do it, get some EA81T heads, a turbo, and run MPFI. At least that would have some potential with forced induction. Also - without seperate cam and crank signals, or at least code to understand the CAS distributor used by the stock SPFI ECM (which I've considered writing, but again with the effort thing...) the tuning abilities of MS are severely hampered. The CAS distributor has a weird slot pattern that is not understood by MS - at least not as of the last time I looked into it. GD

$500.... wouldn't cover your time. Selling it for $1800 would be a chore given it's age. It's a wagon - not sporty or otherwise desireable. Not an Outback, not particularly good on mileage. Other than a Soob-head who's going to buy it? (right now) I like cars that are good on mileage - lots of folks looking to pickup and older second car that is better on mileage than their excursion or truck or whatever. Corrola's, Civic's, Tercel's.... Maybe an Imp. Outbacks of course are always popular. But a regular wagon won't command much attention in the market. The object is to get it gone as soon as possible. GD

Sound like one of two things. Either you have some igntion timing issues, and what you are experienceing is pre-detonation, or "ping". Usually a problem in hot weather, etc. The SPFI engine is fairly high-compression so that's definately possible. You might try one notch better grade of gasoline. Could be carbon build-up in the cylinders, or just improper timing. Should be se to 20 degrees BTDC with the test mode connectors (green) connected to disable ECU advance. Or..... Typical EA series rod knock. One day you'll be doing 65 and the rod will come out and say hello. Generally it's a softball sized hole under the intake manifold accompanied by large quantities of smoke, oil, and coolant. As well as a dissapointing loss of power.... "Hello.....AAA?.... got a problem here...." And no, I'm not kidding. What you described is boxer rod knock to a disturbing exactness. Only usually heard under load, and that's generally at WOT, and up hills, etc. GD

There's almost no aftermarket for Loyales. What few things can be done to them are mostly hacks or straight using parts from newer Subaru's. What types of things are you looking for? The Loyale was the red-headed little sister to the Legacy. It was renamed the Loyale in 90 when the Legacy became the flagship Subaru model. It's the same as any of the 85 to 89 GL's, which are also known as the Leone series. GL's and Loyale are both members of the Leone chassis series. As such, the Loyale is a stripped down version of the 89 GL wagon. Stripped of the goodies the GL's and GL-10's got so as not to compete with the Legacy lineup. So you have to understand - you are dealing with what amounts to a 23 year old chassis design, and by the time the Loyales came along in 90 to 94 they were entry level, low end vehicles who's days were already numbered. Any aftermarket suppliers knew this and discontinued anything they once made for these many years ago in favor of supporting the newer Legacy chassis. So while it may not seem all that old from it's model year, in actuality it's much older with respect to the aftermarket. Nearly all of the pitiful quantity of aftermarket parts for these that were ever made have been out of production since the early 90's. GD

If it's got spark to the cap, but not to the plugs then you need a cap, rotor, and new plugs/wires AT THE MOST. The distributor itself has nothing to do with the transmission of spark from the coil to the plugs - only in that it turns the rotor and directs spark at the appropriate tower on the cap. GD

Of course there is . You burn the old one's out with a torch and either bake new one's in with urethane, or you find some bushings that are similar and make them work. Last resort would be to redesign the entire bar using something more "off the shelf". Reinforcing the bar is easy - you run a 1" wide x 1/4" thick peice of mild-steel flat bar along the bar - bent to the shape of the bar. Welded in place it makes the bar into a half-I beam, and will be easily stronger than the mounts that hold the bar to the rails. I know because I've had mine supporting the whole rig - slammed it down onto a fallen tree stump once. Didn't flex a mm. GD

Most of them have failed by now. There's a check ball that's held in by a pin - the pins rust through. And the diaphraghms in them are 20 years old as well. GD

Replace the oil pressure sender. If that doesn't cure it, then it's time for a new oil pump and seals, and probably new cam tower o-rings. GD

All 87+ FI, and 86 SPFI distributors are the same. Some have different plugs but they are all 100% interchangable. GD

That makes no sense. The distributor doesn't receive anything - it's an optical crank angle sensor. It tells the ECU what posistion the cam is in. The ECU then sends a signal to the transistorized ignitor, which fires the coil, sending spark through the coil lead, through the distributor cap, through the rotor, and down the proper lead to the proper spark plug. Chances are they have no idea what's wrong with your car if that's the explanation you got from them. GD

Huh - here you only pay the fines. None of this surcharge or court fees. That's pretty silly. Revenue generator I suppose. Here they rarely write the BS tickets like that. I've been pulled over a half a dozen times at least in several vehicles for cracked winsheilds - never have they actually written it. Generally it's just a friendly warning. The GF's '07 OBS has 15% on everything but the windsheild. They have never said anything here in OR or in NV. GD

If you are going to flip cars, you want stuff REALLY cheap, and prefereably with problems that are easy to fix but make the car undrivable. Bad axles (that the owner has been led to believe is the tranny), blown non-interferance timing belts, etc. Less than $500 on the car is the rule with something that old. Because otherwise it's going to take a decade to find a buyer. GD

But for that money you could just get a set of lightly used phase II 2.5 heads and change the cams. GD

Have it professionally done. It's well worth the few hundred to have it done right. The stuff is no end of trouble without the right tools. If the cops give you grief tell them you have skin cancer and can't be exposed to UV. Besides - the most you'll likely get is a warning unless you are doing something else as well. The fine is not large enough for them to actually write it. GD

That is the anti-afterburn valve. It's function was to shut off fuel flow to the idle circuit under closed throttle coasting. Thus preventing the small poping noises of fuel combusting in your muffler. It's entirely useless in your case. GD

No - the outback will have the dual piston calipers/larger rotors and they won't fit over them in the front. 14's won't even fit on my 91 SS with basically the same brakes as your Outback (in the front). 15's should fit though. GD

They are on 90-94 non turbo's as well, and I believe on 95-?? non-outbacks as well. Single piston front's are fine - just need to swap the rears for discs of any sort. Well - unless Subaru makes Skateboards that's what it is. It's not a bad thing - less stuff to break. Also easier wiring for JDM swaps, etc. I would rock one, but I don't call them anything but what they are. GD

I doubt there's more than a handful of people in the US that even know about that. It stems from the appearance, the similar vintage, and the common knowledge that they are "that weird 3 cylinder". People's assumptions take over from there. GD

Yeah - you need a dealer that will give you wholesale. My dealer charges just a tiny bit more than the online dealers, but I save the shipping. Thermo's are $11 something. Heater core for my 91 SS was listed at $265. Online it was $190 + $35 shipping. My dealer was $197 cash and carry You have to know the parts counter people. Also it helps to say "Awe! You can do better than that!". Maybe they get the drift, maybe they don't care. At least they will know that you know their prices are silly. GD

The Krylon Fusion plastic paint works awesome. I painted the "4WD" on the back of my Brat's mudflaps about 3 years ago and it still looks like the day I painted it. I'm sure it would be awesome on interior as well. GD

Body code? As in the VIN body code? It's BC for the sedan, or BF for the wagon. LOTS. As in virtually everything made for the suspensions (up to '06 or so), wheels, etc. All the tranny's share the same bell-housing. Shift linkage is very, very similar. Axles, diffs, etc, etc. The Gen 1 Legacy (90 to 94) is the first generation of the EJ series. They are still working off that same platform as of '08 (with many changes of course, but basically the same design engine and tranny wise). Yes. The wireing is a LOT easier. I would ask around on NASIOC - lots more folks there with experience on the JDM vendor side of things. Legacycentral.org as well - which is an excelent resource for those of us with (or thinking of getting) an EJ22T. I beleive that is correct. If not then they switched rather quickly. It's understandable. I just hate to see so much effort thrown at a project like this and then have you feel like it was a waste of money. Anything can be done, but you mentioned you have a budget. I think the cost-overuns would put you in the poor house. The Gen 1 Legacy turbo is a sweet machine. Colin McRea actually rallied one for a year or two.... GD