GeneralDisorder

Junk. This is a supercharged EA81 (200 HP dyno): GD

No worries - just tear into it and you'll be fine. GD

Could be a vast number of things - anything from loose leading rods, to bad tranny mounts, to loose axle nuts, to strut tops, to..... etc, etc. I've experienced no fewer than half a dozen reasons for "poping" or "clunking" when taking off. Just the nature of loose suspension components. You'll just have to troubleshoot and try to narrow it down. GD

It happens, and does happen, with every parts retailer and etailer on the planet. The way they handle the situation when it arises is the key. I've used them with good results but haven't had to return anything so YMMV. They have a decent reputation and you don't get that unless you create satisfied customers the vast preponderance of the time. For the parts that are easily screwed up (like clutch kits) I tend to go B&M with my purchases. I want to lay eyes on the part before I leave the shop.... and the shipping cost for a full clutch kit isn't usually a pleasant sensation on my anal sphincter. GD

Frankly MMO and Seafoam are both just heavy detergent oils. ATF works the same way but I trust it's lubricating properties more (there's specifications that ATF has to meet - there are none for these "miricle" products). Try cleaning your engine bay with ATF . Plus it's cheap. Buy the Seafoam or MMO if you must but the results (for this application) will be the same. It's only a few $$ either way but I like to keep my inventory of fluids small, and I can use the ATF in the power steering system too. The cam case o-rings are availible from the dealer, or from thepartsbin.com. Rockauto's shipping prices are too high for me. Try subaruparts.com or 1stsubaruparts.com - both are dealerships IIRC. Changing them isn't that big of a deal once you are already doing the timing belts - you just remove cam and it's case (8 - 12mm bolts), and then the rest is cleaning and reinstallation. I prefer RTV for the cam cases as that is what the FSM calls for. Anerobic is used by some, but it's very costly, and doesn't fill the groove in the cam case well enough for me. Careful application of RTV and allowing it to cure for a few hours before attempting to start the engine will insure that none of it breaks off and enters the lubrication system. GD

It's really preferable to use a relay rather than a button as it retains 100% stock functionality - many vehicles use a relay for this function anyway. Relays are very simple things - don't be afraid to learn about them. GD

You should definately do the cam case oil passage rings while you are that far into the engine. It's only 8 bolts per side, and some RTV to put them back. The o-rings themselves are like $3 each. They are a metal reinforced o-ring as the originals were not and will collapse and suck air. GD

Run Chevron 10w40. The higher mileage EA82's do better with the higher viscosity - helps with the pressure and the ticking. You can add 1 quart of Dexron ATF in place of a quart of oil if the ticking is persistent, but the real fix is to replace the oil pump seals, and the cam case oil passage o-rings to get the pressure up, and keep the air out of the oiling system. A new pump may even be required. I prefer to fix the ticking as it will eventually become irrepairable without rebuilt lifters. Air causes them to compress and uncompress rapidly, and while they will never fail, they will wear to a point where they will tick forever as the wear will not allow them to hold pressure. No - it will not "kill" anything. Your rod bearings will fail before a lifter goes (poor oil pressure, and Fram filters will contribute to rod failure). GD

No - that was left to the dealer/owner. Undercoating is ultra rare here on the left coast, and usually didn't help on the right. Glad your's is doing it's job. GD

Just ask for an 85 to 89 GL Wagon 5 speed 4WD transmission. Don't tell them what you *really* want it for cause they won't understand and don't need to know anyway. The 5 speed you want was *most often* found in wagons - the coupe 5 speed usually has a higher low range, and the sedans were rarely 4WD at all. Ask them for the clutch if they have it, and be specific that you want a GL transmission - the DL's were single range without the low gear. There should be a write up on it in the online repair manual - at the top of the page click the "USRM" link. As Bucky92 says - Subaru's are very, very easy to work on when you get used to their layout. Far easier than any other front wheel drive design because the engine isn't transverse. I find myself cursing and swearing anytime I have to work on a non-subaru. And I came from being a mechanic in the Army. GD

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