GeneralDisorder

Any possilbilty of a part number for that beast? And how will that work with the cable clutch? Also how do I know which 2.5 kit I need (there's a number of them), and will the disc mate up to the 2.2 trans? GD

HAHA! Well what you guys are missing is stuff like this: "All the cars in the magazine's "Good bets" list are manufactured by Honda and Toyota" Gee, I wonder who's paying for the big print ads with CR and the other mags that are published by that company And most of the rigs in the "bad choice" section are luxury rigs - statistically people just don't keep those for long enough to care about that kind of mileage. It's not that Subaru couldn't hang with the "good bet" crowde - it's that they don't have to pay some magazine to reassure their consumers of that fact. GD

The senders aren't *that* much - by the time it's said and done with EA Subaru's a mechanical gauge will cost the same. Longer tubing (pump is really far from the dash), and metric adaptors that none of them include, etc. The senders can be had for about $25 - $30 at OEM parts houses. A half quart of ATF, while probably not a terrible idea for flushing the old EA81, will do exactly nothing for his SOLID LIFTER valves. GD

Should be the same sensor - displacement really has nothing to do with the oil pressure. But I was really refering to using a *mechanical* gauge to check the reading and verify the electric sender. You can get cheap pressure testers from Harbor Freight or the like for around $10. Or wall mart has a mechanical gauge that you can put in the cabin for like $6.99 - you may have to find a longer length of tubing for it and some adaptors but I put one in my EA82 sedan for about $30 total. GD

Castrol super clean wheel cleaner worked well for me - and a "wheel brush". The stuff is obscenely strong though so wear gloves. GD

Drop in an EA81.... you can get the oil pumps for them still. Or find a late 80's EA71 as they changed them to use the same oil pump as the EA81 and it would bolt to your bell-housing making a trans change uneccesary. But seriously - check your readings first - the senders are notoriously innacurate and you probably don't need a pump - the pushrod engines should only need new oil pumps every 150 - 200 thousand. GD

Sadly I don't have one anymore that's not Webered, but you should tell those that do if it's a feedback CA model or not. Big differences so we need to know which one. Also - to check for vac leaks spray around with carb cleaner - the RPM will go up when you find a leak with your spray. GD

First he needs to test the pressure - it's very possibly just the sender. GD

The clutch on my new 94 Legacy, while not in danger of giving out, doesn't lock up like I would like it to. It slips much too easily, and I'm naturally a spirited driver. What is a good reasonably priced clutch kit and perhaps a lightened flywheel that will do what I want? Not looking for racing parts, just something that will clamp when I let it out with a stock EJ22... GD

Hehe - good luck. 1600 oil pump aren't easy to come by. GD

I'm sure you'll be learning as you go, but first thing to learn is that the 82 EA81 has no hydraulic lifters, so it can't tick. It will making "clacking" noises once warm if the rockers need ajustment. Valve rocker adjustment is called for every 15,000 miles on the EA81 solid lifter engines. Also of note - the 82 and earlier EA81's have 2mm smaller intake valves, and as such are rated for 73 HP instead of the later 74 HP of the "big valve" heads. Speculation goes that hydro lifter engines are around 80 HP although Subaru never really said anything about that. All hydro EA81's are big valve, but not all big valve's are hydro's.... Oh - and the hydro EA81's never tick either - due to the lifters being in the block rather than the head, they are much closer to the oil supply, the pumps are not prone to sucking air, and there's no cam tower o-ring to fail and no cam spray bar with associated relief spring, etc. And the lifters are a different design as well. GD

You don't have hydro lifters so you need to adjust them every 15,000 - it's probably WAY overdue for a valve adjust. Oil pressure dropping with increased temp is normal - first you should confirm the *real* pressure with a good mechanical gauge set before you do anything else - the senders are notoriously unreliable with age. You may just need a new sending unit. Good oil pressure for the EA71 is around 50 psi hot cruise, and no less than 20 psi hot idle. GD

Ok - so get this.... It IS a GT. But it's probably the only GT ever to have had the roof chopped off and a non-raised roof implanted in it's place. It seems (near as I can figure) that this car's "total" involved the roof. Only a guess, but I'm betting it was a fallen tree or something - storm damage total. They did a decent job of putting it back together although the finish work isn't the greatest - a bit wavy down the side of the car if you look close, and there's a few sags in the paint, but overall it's not a bad job at all. All other GT bits remain - interior, ameneties, rear sway bar, alloy rims, etc. Just no raised roof. WEIRD. Mechanically it's perfect - replaced the water pump and it's down the road no problem. Engine bay looks amazing - no rust anywhere and all the bolts just fell right out - no corrosion at all. I'm lovin it. Oh god.... just realized the whole damn collection is in that pic :-\. Glad to be getting rid of the two failed DD's though. One is sold and the other I'm giving away GD

Don't get me wrong, Brat's are awesome (Mine's an 85), and please don't take this the wrong way, but if you have a kid, a wife and limited income then I don't think an 82 *anything* is right for you - and most especially not at that price. Brat's are just like all other EA81's - they are carbed, and the stock carbs are finicky. The wireing in them generally sucks nuts, and while the EA81 engine itself is bulletproof you can't say the same for either the 4 speed or the 3AT transmissions that were possible. And the price being asked is outragously high for a DL. They simply aren't as desireable - no fun-tops, no tach, no oil pressure gauge (this killed a LOT of them off), no dual range, etc, etc. I'm not trying to pee on your donut, but cmon man! I just picked up a low mileage (132k) 94 Legacy that needed a water pump for $750. Probably an exceptional situation as she really didn't know what she had, but I see them all the time in running condition for the price you are paying. AC, heat that works, and power steering are really nice things to have..... take it from someone that did what you are doing - I bought the Brat first and am only now, after many uncomfortable years in beaters, getting something that I can actually not be ashamed to pick up friends in. Plus it allows for restoration of the Brat.... GD

I have double u-joints like that in my lifted EA81 - works great. GD

I rather like their tendancy to be boolean with respect to failure. If you have the right tools, and the knowledge needed to perform the proper tests then it's a simple process of elimination to get at the cause of the problem. Solid state components are much less likely to exhibit partial, or intermittant failure modes like many mechanical systems tend towards. But as with most things in life - often what works for one person/situation is entirely unappropriate for some other. There are places on this earth where I would rather have to fix a mechanical system than try to source a solid state replacement part. My policy personally is to use the right tools for the right job, and to know as much as possible about as wide a range of systems as possible so as to be confident in whatever equipment I happen to be using. If EFI is appropriate (as it often is in most developed nations), then I learn about EFI. If I were in lower-armpit Africa then I'm confident my knowledge of carbs and their fuel systems would serve me just as well. Sometimes all it takes is an Ethiopian in the fuel line to ruin your day. GD

It is a lot - considering he just joined a little over a year ago. Jeez.... have I really been here for 5 years? Good god. GD

You aren't mixing and matching hitachi & ND bits are you? The coil and disty should match in brand or you will stress one or the other. Also make sure the VR in your alt is putting out consistent 14.5 and no AC. GD

Sounds like the rubber donut has been removed, or replaced with a VW aftermarket urethane donut. I've done both - on my wagon because of the way the EA81's with power steering are setup it was easier to just remove the dang thing when I lifted it - thus no play at all in it's steering. On my Brat I used the VW urethane donut and it's also quite tight (and the donut is RED - COOL!). At any rate take a look at the steering linkage and see if someone didn't just remove it completely. Personally I like them tight and accurate like that..... it's a hell of a lot better than a 20 year old spongy rubber donut feel anyway. Just have to be careful about how you steer it. GD

It's a matter of skill - I can change a horizontal filter and never get a drop on me. Personally I don't care what the orientation is as long as it's easy to access. GD

Nope, not even close. GD

They are entirely different chassis generations - there's a few parts that will swap around (rear brakes, etc) but for the most part there aren't any real similarities other than you can see a logical evolution in most things. As stated, 84 was the last year EA81 FSM's were made. Any changes after that (and there were very few) were done with TSB's. As with most Subaru FSM's the 84 is availible from the dealer for about $80 GD

ALWAYS fill the filter with oil - it takes time for the oil to saturate the dry paper element. If you install it dry then the holes in the paper are large, and don't filter properly - plus it sucks air into the oiling system. GD

I see em all the time on craigslist - there's like three on there now. As for the wireing - just do it up with M/S GD

The spider motors were apparently higher HP, but that's not just the intake - the cam grind probably was changed too. I've heard claims of up to 130 HP for the later spider turbo's. Although I haven't seen hard documents to back that up. GD