GeneralDisorder

Does the car say "Full Time 4WD Turbo" on the side? If not, it's a typical 3AT. Only the FT4WD's were 4EAT's (or some manual's). You should just convert it to a manual anyway. Easy, and much more reliable, and better performing. GD

Incorrect - D-Check is the prefered way to verify codes, and to test that they have been repaired succesfully. It does not require the "dealer" to operate it. You connect the green connectors, turn the ignition ON, depress the accelerator pedal completely, return to half throttle for 2 seconds then start and drive the car till either you get a code, or the systems flashes the CEL repeatedly to indicate no codes were found. It is MUCH more accurate than U-Check, and will find faults that will not show in U-Check.... to "prevent uneccesary uneasiness to be taken by the user".... directly from the FSM. It's quite useful, and very friendly to the home mechanic. GD

Fuel level in the bowl does affect the mixture. The level dictates how much fuel pressure flows through the jets. Think of it as a siphon effect. The higher the level in the bowl, the more fuel will flow when it's sucked out into the venturi. You can adjust the float for off-road, there's a seperate measurement for that, but it does not mean you won't have to change jets or air bleeds to compensate, or possibly just live with crappy mileage. The measurements for the float can be found on the web - I can't remember where I last got them, but you hold the carb top vertical and measure it with the float dangling. GD

The CAS distributors rarely fail unless the bearings go bad. Check for shaft play. Have you tested the coil, and tried another one? They can test good but still not function sometimes. Basically you just have to trace it down - you have three parts that could be bad - coil, ignitor, and distributor. Check each one with spare's (junk yard is fine). And verify that the coil is getting voltage, and the bracket is grounded well. If the bracket is not grounding, you will get NO spark, or intermittant like you are experienceing. GD

That's a real possibility actually. I've seen pictures of it more than once - where the rear coil-overs just bust right through into the cargo area. Makes a nasty mess. If you have enough rust that you even suspect something might break DO NOT lift it. The lift will put stresses on the frame rails in ways that can rip apart a good body if you aren't careful, let alone a rusty one. It will all bolt right up. Just did one a few months back actually. You have to swap the entire rear suspension, but it's not difficult if you have the space to get them both up in the air. Wagon is better for off-road anyway as it's got some cargo space for tool and equipment. The sedan would be really tight. GD

No problem. It's annoying to have that dieseling. GD

To put it bluntly, No. The castings and guts are different to such an extent as to make it virtually impossible. At any rate it would be far more complex than just swapping the gears. GD

Yes - 3rd and 4th are geared higher on the 83+ 4 speed. People complained about the 81/82 giving poor mileage at speeds over 55 MPH so subaru changed 3rd and 4th - the jump from 2nd to 3rd is much too high in the 83+ and makes driving at 25 Mph a pain in the butt. Either you are reving out in 2nd, or bogging in 3rd. And it is the WORST transmission for a lifted rig as 4th gear is almost unusable. The 81/82 4 speed is much better. Best solution is to just go with a 5 speed. It's the best of both worlds as it's first 4 gears are like the eary 4 speed, and you also have 5th for high speed cruise. Plus the 5 speed does not suffer from the same syncro problems the 4's have, has better reliability, lower LO range, and has a vastly superior shift linkage. Dollar for dollar, the 5 speed D/R is the best upgrade you can get for an EA81. GD

It can and has been done. But without custom heads you still have basically the same problem. You have eliminated some twists in the intake runner, but the head itself still has ports that are too small, valves that are too small, and too many twists and turns to it's internal runner. GD

Um - you can't change the gear ratio's of a manual tranny. They are set in stone from the factory. On the carb issue - get a new Weber from Redline. You'll be much better off going that route. Otherwise you'll spend an eternity tinkering with that old Hitachi and probably still end up with a pile of loose, stumbling, garbage. GD

Changing the front seals is easy. Don't worry about it. Just thread a wood screw into the seal and yank it out. Push in the new seal and you are done. Doesn't that kit from ebay come with them? GD

The hidden truth is that this is THE way to derail BDG's threads. Turn them into a circus side show. Hey - at least we get to laugh a little. GD

What exactly does driving it or owning it have to do with anything at all? Actually taking one apart and (successfully) rebuilding it might give you some insight, but you haven't done that have you? You have fallen into the same trap as BDG - just cause you own it, it MUST be ok. You have a low mileage CVT - it could go at any time, or it could last a while. You have no way of knowing. But the point is that it's going to do whatever it does REGARDLESS of you being the owner or not. You are taking our comments personally when they are not even directed at you. And exactly where are you going to source the fluid (dust)? Don't you suppose there's a good reason Subaru told the dealer's not to open them up? Besides ALL of this, what's wrong with a manual? Why bother with a questionable CVT auto when plenty of reliable manual tranmissions are availbile. It is widely agreed that the CVT had problems in the Justy. Subaru still makes the CVT in japan, but only on it's "micro" cars - smaller than the Justy. It was not appropriate for a car that size, and that's why it's no longer offered in one. GD

Well said, well said. You definately need to adopt a new avatar title in lieu of your new found knowledge and inebrieation... GD

Fix your codes before you try to set the timing. You could have an intermittant wireing connection at the manifold harness connectors or something. Without the IAC, it won't run in test mode. It *may* run when not in test mode, but not well. The computer is telling you what to do - follow it's lead. GD

You need to trace the wires from the ECU. It's not a simple task, and sorry to say you are pretty much on your own. Get some wireing diagrams and go to town. Very few people have done this, and you are going to have to work out what each of those parts is for and if you need it or not. GD

Usually, once the gasket is bad enough to start leaking, tightening the bolts won't do any good. And for the amount of work needed to get at the bolts, you may as well just put in a new HG. I have never seen an EA82 head gasket leak externally. Not saying it's impossible, but all the ones I've seen were internal leaks. Looking at the oreintation of the cylinders and the water jacket passages..... doesn't look very likely unless the gasket was improperly installed. GD

Being that the belts only last about 50 to 60k anyway, I would go with the cheap kit, and then use dealer belts. Save the cheap belts for spares. I can't see you haveing problems with the cheap tensioners and idler - not in 60k anyway. Leave your covers off though - in case they really are crap, it won't be hard to change them. GD

Should all be in there, yeah. The black ECU should work fine with the loyale wireing. Just make sure you get an ECU from a 5 speed (2WD or 4WD - doesn't matter). GD

Weight is weight. Period. You can't change the weight of a car by adjusting the suspension. Physics does NOT work that way. Can you just leave please? GD

As carfreak already said it's the HEADS. Subaru knew this - that's why the Turbo's got dual port heads. With forced induction the turbo's were capable of 170 HP in race spec. RAM engines knows this - their dual port EA81 heads run 140 HP N/A, and 200 HP supercharged. It's all in the heads and the intake/exhaust. Your precious coolant passage in the intake has almost nothing to do with it. And you can't do away with it - it's a major part of the coolant flow to the heads. You would have to build a new intake and re-route it through a seperate hose. RAM does that with their intake's, but you almost have to if you are building a new intake unless you have casting ability. GD

I got $32 for it! It will live on as a chevy or something probably. GD

Probably, but it doesn't hurt it to twist it a little, and there's like thousands of those mounts in the yards. I guess if I ever have a problem I might bother slotting it or something. I think I stole that nut for the mount actually. But I can't remember. Only noticed it wasn't there when I took the pic. Doesn't affect it really. None of that stuff is load bearing - it's just there to hold the linkage so it has a pivot point for the shifter. I've been thinking about seeing how a legacy or impreza linkage would fit in there. From pictures I've seen the design is basically the same with just some changes to make it smoother and tighter, and a shorter throw. GD

Orginally designed as a snowmobile transmission. The Justy's with CVT's rarely made it past 100k, and usually not even that much. The CVT Justy made it on the list of 100 worst cars of all time. The transmissions are no longer made, and are no longer availible from Subaru. When they were, the cost was around $6,000. They cannot be rebuilt easily. In fact dealerships were instructed not to dissasemble them as they were not equipped for the job. They contain a magnetically charged "dust", and after around 100k miles of service, the continuous heating/cooling cylcing of the transmission fluid causes the failure of the cone/dust setup. They can be converted to 5 speeds if you get the parts together. GD

You can read my write up on it here: http://home.comcast.net/~trilinear/EA81_SPFI.html GD