GeneralDisorder

Get a AAA membership. Saves the grief on occasions like that one. Sorry about the loss man. You'll find a better one though. GD

Actually that was supposed to be a compliment to you, and to indicate that if the OP isn't a mechanic (or does not wish to wrench) then he should probably avoid the 2.5 EA82's and EJ25's are the realm of the Subaru "mechanic". EA81's and EJ22's are for the masses. Just one guy's opinion. GD

Yes - it does sound rich. Pedal to the floor while cranking puts the computer in "flood clear mode" and cuts off fuel flow. I second the CTS possibility. Clean the contacts first. GD

"can" is relative. Physically, yes. Electrically is a different matter. It's been made to work - there's maybe a handful of people (myself included) that have ever succesfully done it (that I've heard about on this board and other's). The plugs are different, as are the pin-outs. Some stuff like the trip-computer simply cannot be made to work with an analog cluster. Basically you need the schematics for BOTH cars. All of them. Lots of circuits run through the cluster for warning lights, etc. And the fuel guage sending unit has to be swapped as the resistance values are different between the two. GD

Bad choice if you aren't a mechanic like Gary The 2.2 was made through 97 on some models. The 96 Outback's came with the 2.2 and the higher suspension package. You should look for either a 95 or 96 - those were the years after the body style change, but before the 2.5 was released to most model lines. GD

Engine temp goes up when you turn on the FAN because of the higher amp draw on the circuit that the gauge is hooked to. Sounds like you are burning coolant. Time for head gaskets. At least they are easy on the EA81's. GD

Shouldn't be shaft bushings - that would be tach jumping but no real change in engine speed. Your problem sounds possibly ignition related since the engine also tries to die. That's a real misfire, not just weird tach readings. GD

They really can't clog - there's nothing inside them. It's just an open space used as an "expansion" chamber for fuel pressure spikes. If the pickup tube in the tank sucks air for a few seconds, these smooth out the fuel flow so the injectors see constant pressure. Removing them is just stupid. It's costly (FI line is expensive), and uneccesary. And besides occasionally rusting out, they never fail either. GD

I think it has to do with the steering wheel lock mechanism integrated into the ignition switch. There's a big steel pawl that retracts when you turn the key - it's job is to lock the steering wheel from turning. After years of paranoid people locking the steering wheel when they park the car there are grooves worn in the locking pawl - this makes it difficult to retract and leads to the wrestling match as noted above. IE: I don't think that having a new key made will help. Really it needs a new (used) ignition switch - preferably with the locking pawl neutered Early 90's Legacy theft is pretty uncommon, and I think a kill switch is more effective anyway. Also - if it becomes a REAL wrestling match - just jack up the front end. GD

Talk to Qman - he had one (with normal, rear fireing exhaust ) fabbed up to his lifted Brat running a hi-po EA81. IIRC, he put a "U" shaped bend where the turbo would have gone and ran it out under the cross-member just like a stock y-pipe style exhaust. He said it took a lot of work, and probably wasn't worth it in the end. GD

Wagon, Sedan, and Coupe ('80 to '84) tanks should be similar enough to work, if not exactly the same. But they MUST be 4WD. The 2WD tanks are larger, and don't have the divit for the rear diff. They can be used if you are running a large enough lift though . Hatchback tanks will be a lot smaller, and may bolt in but not entirely correctly. Again only 4WD tanks will work. There's plenty to be had in the junk yards here. I won't be able to get out to them till after the 1st, but I could probably find one if you can't get one locally. GD

Ever been under the Brat? The interior extends BELOW the bed. The fuel pump wires for example exit the rear of the cab about 8" to 10" above the floor, and emerge just UNDER the bed sheet metal. Moving the cab wall backward would require massive amounts of re-working to the uni-body frame rails and unless very carefully done would leave the vehicle structurally unsound. Given a proper body shop, and unlimited amounts of money I'm sure it *could* be done (although no body shop would touch the job for liability reasons). But unless you have some serious skills in this department you are going to totally mess up the vehicle and ruin it's already relatively high value. GD

It would be a front half shaft - not a rear. You probably wouldn't be able to feel anything. You can pull back the boot and look at the condition of the grease. I've noticed that severe DOJ vibration is often caused by lack of grease IN the joint. It's either all leaked out into the boot because it's too runny, or there just isn't enough in there at all. If you add some grease it might go away for a while. GD

Just change the seats. I'm 6'2", and I know your pain. I switched to Isuzu Impulse seats and now I'm golden. Plenty of headroom, and more comfortable too. You just need to lower the seat - trust me. GD

Not true. The Redline shockproof is AWESOME. I run it along with the other contents of Scotty's. But I use two quarts of Redline in place of one of the quarts of castrol. The reason this "cocktail" is prefered by many Subaru enthusiasts is that the front hypoid diff requires the additives in gear oil, but the tranmission syncro's like a lighter weight oil. These are difficult to combine without making your own blend. The Redline is great for the syncro's, but doesn't have the correct additives for the front diff gears. Thus the Syncromesh, and the Castrol. At any rate I too tried a lot of gear oils, but the proof is in the performance. And based on the number of folks running Scotty's on Nasioc, LegacyCentral, and here the results are pretty clear. I used to get a slight grind going into second - with Scotty's - I CAN'T shift it fast enough to make it grind. Cold, hot - doesn't matter. GD

I say DOJ as well. GD

Best way would be to get an AC idle-up solenoid, and a vacuum solenoid and wire it up to a switch on the dash. Adjust it to 1000, and then only turn it on when you need the idle that high. GD

Hard to tell what that 5 speed FWD came from - they were the same from 80 to 94... Subaru changed a lot of the ratio's in 83. There's not many folks that make study's of the FWD's so you may have to crack some FSM's to find out. GD

Depends on if you have an LSD/VLSD or not. For the gear oil, use the "Scotty's Cocktail" http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=920674&highlight=%22Uncle+Scotty%27s%22+cocktail GD

You're fine to talk about all models here. Nio worries. Find the nicest AWD 92 to 94 Legacy you can. Auto or manual - your preference. Shouldn't cost more than $2500 to $3000. You can then "add" Outback struts and springs for the higher ground clearance - also gives you room for larger tires. That will help out with those drifts. The 90 to 94 Legacy's have the most bulletproof engine - the EJ22. 300k miles no problem. Many others will agree - this has been discussed at long length around here. GD

It won't. The reason lies with the amerage draw of the motor. The draw is high enough to burn out all but some of the largest rheostat's (the "dimmer" switch you mention). A "dimmer" style switch large enough to disipate that kind of heat would be 3"+ in diameter, and might just melt the dash plastic anyway.... Thus completely impractical for a blower motor. An electric motor - any electric motor - draws a lot more amps than a high resistance light bulb. This is because electric motors use unductance coils to generate large magnetic fields - those coils have LOW resistance, and thus use large amounts of electrical current. The Subaru blower motors are rated at 160 watts - that's 11.5 amps at 14 volts. To run the motor at half speed you would have to dissipate about 80 watts of power..... Think about how hot a 100 watt light bulb gets - would you want to touch it? That's how much heat your switch would have to dissipate. A dimmer switch simply won't do it - that's why you never see infinitely variable fan speed knobs in cars..... they always have around 4 to 8 discreet speeds. Same reason you don't see infinitely variable speed wipers - it's intermitant (with varying timer settings), and then 2 or 3 discreet speeds. As for the result if you try - it won't blow a fuse or the motor. It will burn up the switch - lots of acrid smoke, if not outright flames. GD

It was probably missed because $1000 is a bit steep for that 86 EA82T flapper MAF doodad under the hood. That, and XT's that aren't appended with a "6" aren't real desireable. For the same price I could easily get a Legacy that would hand it the slap-up in the 1/4 mile - with no turbo even! And people avoid the air suspension like the plague.... Personally, the spider intake MPFI N/A XT, and the XT6 are the only ones I would touch with my 10-foot-pole. Nice looking though, and may increase in value in the comming years. And one of the most aerodynamic body's ever made in the world of production cars. Keep an eye (or five) on the temp - the XT's especially haven't got the radiator airflow of the other body types, and the EA82T is an eater of all things cooling system and head gasket related. GD

Fully charged you should see about 13 to 13.5 from the battery. 14.3 is alternator output levels. Most batteries will decay to around 12 to 12.5 volts or so after a period of a few days. I agree that the battery is likely leaking. Best to just replace it. GD

I think it's a Legacy and up thing. The XT6 and the EA82T's with the 4EAT had a pretty primitive version of it. Both were also more performance minded than raw traction minded vehicles. The XT6 especially with it's much lower stance. The outback transmissions definately do the 50/50 lock when they are in 1 or 2. And some have a "winter" mode or something along those lines that starts the drive pattern in 2nd to prevent over-acceleration from trying to start out in 1st. GD

Well I think you have a few misconceptions about the new systems. 1. You don't need the old low-range if you have the HP of the newer engines. What I mean by that is partially a result of the capability of the older Subaru's with respect to ground clearance and suspension travel (in stock form), and partially a result of their low range being only 1.59:1 (1.45:1 in the case of your '81). IE: the low range isn't very low, and the capability of the vehicle doesn't warrant anything lower in stock form. With AWD, limited slip differentials, and 150+ HP you no longer have a need for what the low-range provided. It was there only as a band-aid for lower performing engines (73 HP in the case of your 81). 2. If you still feel the need to have a torque multiplier then consider the 4EAT transmission (automatic). The torque converter IS a low range, and if you put the transmission selector in 1 or 2 the transmission locks up 50/50 power split just like a 4WD would. It also has the benefit of electronic traction control using wheel speed sensors - it can send power to where it's the most useful by altering the torque bias using it's viscous center coupling. If you still want a hatch for nostalgia, there's no problem there either. There's tons of them out here on the west coast for less than half what you are looking to pay. I got my 83 for $250 a few months ago - owner thought it needed a clutch but it was just the cable. If you go this route, swap out the 4 speed for the later 5 speed EA82 transmission. They are better designed and can be fitted to still look stock. You would just have an extra gear - which is always nice. Don't get me wrong here - if you are planning on lifting your rig, then the low range 4WD transmissions are the way to go (prefereably the 5 speed's from the 85 to 89 wagon, sedan, and three-door body's). But in stock form they are NOT more capable or more "unstoppable" than an AWD Legacy. I would challenge anyone, anyday to a contest of abilities between a stock EA series and my Legacy with snow tires. And I own both types. I have two Legacy's, a Brat, a Hatch, a lifted Wagon, and lots and lots of parts GD