GeneralDisorder

You may indeed not have a vac leak then. Start pulling plug wires one at a time as it idles and see which cylinder isn't firing. You may have an ignition problem. It just happens that many times when folks are messing with plug wires and such they knock loose an existing vacuum line. Actually I think it's well below those - IIRC it's in the "throttle base" of the carb - which is made of cast or sintered iron, and the roll pin is generally rusted in place. Those that I have seen removed were done so with a die grinder. Incidentally, the iron throttle base is the reason why the Hitachi's rarely suffer from primary throttle shaft wear. The Weber's are all-aluminium and as a result wear much faster. Bronze bushings or small pin bearings are often installed in the Weber's upon being professionally rebuilt - if the pin bearings are used they are basically indestructible, and for this reason rebuilt Weber's are often better than their (ostensibly) "new" bretheren which are now made in Mexico. The Mexican versions also sometimes aren't put together correctly as the quality control seems to have fallen. Still an excelent carb though as the quality issues, while being somewhat annoying, are generally easily rectified. At any rate, you should NOT have to adjust the idle mixture. Look elsewhere for your problem. I can't stress this enough. There's lots of good info in older posts. It's just wading through the thousands of threads, and 10's of thousands of posts (gawd - I still have a hard time accepting that I've got over 8,000...) on here. GD

Or you could just buy a $10 Nissan 240SX MAF adaptor GD

Not better for the environment, and they really aren't any more effecient than many of the early 90's vehicles - 2007 Prius = 46 MPG..... 1994 Suzuki Swift = 46 MPG. I'll take the Swift for a variety of reasons. If you truely do have a Loyale, then you have an SPFI computer controlled injection system complete with a bunch of sensors..... so exactly what's the difference? It's not really that simple (few thing are). I like the new Subaru's too, but that isn't really the point, and I wouldn't drive one for obvious economical reasons. I have no qualms about trading up to a (early) Legacy when one lands in my yard though. The EA82 is a decent engine, but it's got nothing that makes it more desireable than an EJ18 or EJ22. Definately not reliability, longevity, maintenance costs, or any other metric I can think of. If you have one and like it that's great, but as Subaru engines go I would take an EA81 or an EJ22 over an EA82 any day of the week. There's not a single purpose for which an EA82 is better suited than one or the other of those two options. GD

Replace your ignition switch, or add a relay to the crank circuit (my preference). Your problem is the contacts inside the ignition switch are burnt, or the wiring under the dash is burned from prolonged cranking attempts. Incidentally, DaveT's LED won't actully work for this problem as the culprit is not a *lack* of voltage, but a component that will not pass enough current to fully engage the starter solenoid. It's getting power, it's just sometimes not enough to overcome the solenoid spring. I probably sound like an a$$, but we see this problem a lot on here, and with what you have already R&R'd it's a sure bet that your switch is toast. GD

Not really as hard as you might think. Basically you have to lower the transmission mounts for the tranny to clear the tunnel, and adapt the EA82 mounts to the EA81 cross-member. The rest is a bolt-in operation. You need the tranny, mounts, linkage, and an EA82 clutch disc. If you call a few yards out here on the west coast you can get a tranny and have it shipped no problem. We have more than we can use. Probably, but it would be jinky and ghetto. Any dealer can lookup the parts and have them for you in 2 to 3 days no problem. And the parts are dirt cheap for what you need. Probably $25 or less for all of em. I don't even need to look at the pics - I know exactly what those parts turn into. That and I don't like to dwell on 4 speed's too much. Gives me heartburn thinking about them. If Subaru had made an EA81 Hatch body (or Brat with the Hatch wheelbase) with the 5 speed D/R, and a Weber DGV carb from the factory a lot of folks would be very, very happy. GD

Very pretty. Reagan - are you going to have EJ adaptor plates to bring to the show like last year? I will want a couple..... GD

There is an idle mix screw on all Hitachi's - it's blocked by a factory installed roll-pin in the front of the carb base. You need to spray around the whole engine to look for leaks. Not just the carb. GD

Best fix is to install a 5 speed. The biggest drawback by far IMO is the shift linkage setup on the 4. The bushings aren't the least of it either. The rod/tube interface is worse. Other than that, go to the dealer and have them order all the bushings - there's one that goes into the tranny, and the white plastic (nylon) bushing snaps onto the bottom of the shifter - there's a metal nubbins that it clips to. They are a few bucks each. GD

Oil is produced this way on purpose (so yes) because blow-by gasses acidify the oil. The objective is to have the oil stay at a neutral PH for as long as possible. It starts out somewhat Base to accomplish this goal. As the engine uses some oil (all engines will use a little) new can be added to offset the increasing acidity. You also lose some each time you change the filter..... that's why you don't change synth as often - you top off, and do filter changes that restore the additive package, PH balance, and lubricity characteristics while lowering the paticaluates, etc. Remember that about 30% of your oil is additives package - visco modifiers, defoaming agents, detergents, etc. One thing to note is that oil refining has come a long, long way since the 3,000 mile interval was popularized. 10,000 is ubiquitous in the synth community, and I've seen studys pushing 15,000 or 20,000 from it without issue. A big part of this is NOT the oil but the additive package. A good, well refined dino oil can have just as good of an additive package, and in many cases the modern refined oils are nearly as good as the synth stuff - Castrol's synthetic is a good example - it's not synthetic in the classic sense of the word. It uses a special refining process but it is not made from a gasseous state. This caused a huge lawsuit a few years back. GD

The SPFI is far and away the best fuel system for the EA series engines. Better econemy, power, and reliability. Unless you run a water choke, you'll need a power wire for the choke (and possibly for the idle-cut solenoid as well which is nice to have), and there's going to be two vac hoses - one for the distributor (ported), and another for the EGR (late ported). Excersize in futility for most people. They are complex, and it's difficult to find quality rebuild parts for them. Took me 8 attempts before I was proficient (I mean really proficient - such that it runs as new) at rebuilding the Hitachi's - even then they don't have the power and are finiky because of the crappy chinese rebuild parts (sticking floats, etc). I got fed up with the Hitachi's and threw the dozen or so that I had in a dumpster one day and haven't looked back. I have two SPFI and two Weber's and........ no more problems :-p. GD

Yeah - I read that study too. But all I retained was what seemed pertinent to me at the time: use Wix or Napa. Easiest of the "good" filters to come by, and reasonably priced. GD

Funny you should use that analogy - the Pinto carb IS a weber. It's a Holley/Weber 5200 which is a licensed copy of the Weber DFV series (which itself is a mirror image of the DGV we all know and love). The Weber DGEV is simpler than the Pinto version by a pretty wide margin. I highly doubt you have seriously looked at a DGV if you are impressed with a Pinto version and not a straight DGV series. As carbs go they are nearly as simple as you can get for a two barrel. For the reccord you probably have a vac leak. Spray around with carb cleaner before you mess with the carb any. The idle mixture is factory set and should not require changing ever. I haven't run across many Hitachi's with worn throttle shafts - found a few Weber's with that problem but the Hitachi's don't seem to exhibit that deficiency too often. At 210,000 my sedan's Hitachi still ran *ok*. Startup was like waking the dead, but once it warmed it was fine. The biggest complaint I have about them is the low-end grunt - there isn't any. I'll take a Weber over a Hitachi (owned half a dozen of each), and SPFI over both of them. Incidentally have you considered the SPFI swap? If you have any kind of decent yards around you SPFI is cheaper than a new Weber. It seems daunting at first but after you have done a few it's not such a huge deal anymore. GD

Might have been purolator - I can't honestly recall. Pretty sure it was a "p" name. But come to think on it, it seems like it was white in color. But hell I don't know . Whatever it was it got replaced with a Napa (WIX) in short order. I do know that the Brat's engine had a Fram with the "hand grip" coating for easy removal. GD

My local dealer (Lithia Subaru of Oregon City) stocks the t-stats, filters (air and oil), belts and most hoses for the EA81's and up. OEM stat is about $13 give or take. They aren't in short supply or anything, and if you bring in the part number I can't see why they wouldn't order it - that's just silly. I would ask to speak with a manager. GD

The EA82 engine in my Brat had a Fram Tough Gaurd on it when I got it - engine came from a 92 Loyale wagon with like 150k on it. Lifters tick randomely :-\. Seems to run alright, but I'm going to have to overhaul the lube system if I decide to drive it much. I resealed the pump but it didn't help any. One too many Fram filters perhaps...... my sedan had a pennzoil filter on it when I got it - 237k, and it's never ticked once - even after head gaskets..... I'm with Rob - I wouldn't trust one for any length of time given their reputation for catostrophic consequences. GD

Thank you for illustrating that there is indeed no way to fix stupid. GD

Once again I'll point out that the PH balance of the oil comes into play. If the oil doesn't need to be changed, then you are replacing a PH balanced crankcase of oil with one that is Alkaline and thus corrosive to aluminium, rubber, and other engine components. This will increase wear, not reduce it. Same goes for filters - their particulate size decreases with use, and a quality filter is designed to take advantage of this fact. A decent filter will have a long "middle" life of small particulate trappment, and high flow rate. GD

I disagree for many, many reasons which I'm not going to go into here. Suffice to say that your comment is neither educated about corporate practices nor in line with the generation of vehicles this thread (and section of the forum) is mostly in reference too. The average life of automobiles has been steadily increaseing for the entirety of their ~100 year history. Clearly you aren't seeing the forest for the trees. GD

Talk to Jerry (bratsrus1). He has a air system using an EA81 AC compressor in his lifted hatch. Works great. He used a semi tractor air tank, and it's got a pressure guage on the dash. I've seen it in action - pretty cool. This is a common mod for on-board air systems actually. The oil for the compressor largely stays IN the compressor (unless you roll the vehicle) and you can add a bit now and then just like with any air-tool as the ports are on top of the compressor. If all you want is to air up a tire, a lot of folks in the off-road community just carry two spares inflated to 70 psi, and a hose fitted with two locking shrader adaptors. This way you can repair a punctured tire then hookup one of the 70 psi spares to it and you will have two 35 psi inflated tires as the pressure will equalize between the two. Most quality tires have no issue with being inflated to this level - they are over engineered anyway, and remember that a 35 psi inflated tire will have quite a bit of expansion anyway as the road heats up the tire and air inside. A cool tire with 70 psi isn't much of a problem. SOA ran 60 psi in the little Justy LSR bonneville racer to reduce it's rolling resistance - those were 12" tires running at 120 MPH ! GD

That's what most large fleets, and even owner-operator truckers do. It's also what we do in the Army (AOAP=Army Oil Analysis Program). We don't change the oil unless the testing says so (or testing becomes unavailible due to circumstances) - occasionally that means they want a change, and then a retest after a specific operating condition. Usually this signifies something was amiss with the results and it occasionally results in the engine being overhauled at the depot level etc. The military uses near 30% of all the oil and fuel products consumed by the united states so it makes good sense to test - plus the military operates their own labs (both mobile and state-side) so the cost is negligible compared to the savings. Especially on a truck that uses dozens of quarts of oil to fill the case. GD

Exactly as I stated - the first change is a lower interval due to break in particulates. If you follow the rest of the schedule it's 7500 all the way down. GD

Yes - now that you are done editing your post and choking down your words. He is wrong - for a lot of reasons. GD

New oil is also somewhat Base, as continued use tends to Acidify it. Thus new oil corrodes aluminium and other parts of the engine. Changing your oil more frequently than required will actually harm the engine more than leaving it till the particulate size, PH, and lubricity are out of range for use. GD

Later they changed the filter to 15,000 except on turbo's. GD

So you are saying the SOA owners manuals are wrong, and have been for 20 years? GD