GeneralDisorder

What makes you think they are bad? The 5 speed mounts are usually pretty decent. Although maybe NY salt isn't as kind as OR is.... I could get you some nice firm ones from the yards around here if you like - lots of fairly low mileage 90's loyales in my yards - no rust or salt out here. Shouldn't be more than $5 each or so for the tranny mounts, maybe a bit more for the engine mounts and a few bucks for my hour's worth of labor. New ones.... you are looking at just slightly less than an a$$load. The 5 speed mounts aren't cheap - about $65 each, and you need two. Engine mounts are even more. Probably looking at over $200 for all four. GD

It's not the noise - it's the vibration that will suck. Dangerous to other parts of the machine unless you are purpose building it with everything else rubber mounted..... perhaps look into retrofitting some STi urethane units.... GD

+1. If you change your coolant at least bi-annually it *should* never need flushing. The anti-freeze has it's own anti-corrosion properties - it contains zinc and other ingredients to this end. Assuming the system is so bad it actually needs a flush, my experience has been that the heater core hoses should just be replaced as they are probably near failure anyway. $2 for 2' of 5/8" hose is cheaper than the silly flush kit with it's cheap plastic fittings. Also - the subaru heater core's have both the inlet and the outlet on the same side of the core about 2" apart. Flushing them almost never does any good at all - it just forces crud further into the core. GD

It's really very simple - our eyes work best in the spectrum of the sun, which is a white light, but somewhat towards yellow as well. Blue lights look cool, but are definately not better of the human eye. The silverstar's are not all that blue - they have a slight blue tint on the bulb surface, but the light itself is more white. They aren't the rice-tint blue you see on the hondar's. GD

Depends on the tranmission, year, and model. 5 speed mounts are very different from 4 speed, and auto's are yet entirely different from either of those. So we really can't comment without more info. GD

The "just some spray on stuff" is white lithium grease, and it's actually very similar to the original grease used. The spray helps to distribute the grease evenly, and get in spots that fingers can't go. It's actually an excelent product and we use it extensively in the military on all our trucks and equipment. You can get as thick a coating as you want with the spray. Unlike "rattle can" spray paint, grease in a can is not a "cheap solution", and is not frowned upon like you seem to think. GD

52 is solenoid valve 1, which according to my FSM controls the ASV(s). There are either one or two vacuum operated air suction valves comming off the spacers under each head. If you follow the vacuum supply line from one of these it will lead you back to solenoid 1. You can replace it with one from an SPFI soob or I hear the toyota ones are good too. Or a resistor should get the code gone. The ASV's aren't needed for proper operation and they tend to fail and suck junk into the carb anyway. GD

The Holley/Weber 5200 (Weber DFV series) has smaller venturi's in it (same size 32/36 barrels tho). While it will still give you a power increase, it won't be as much as a proper DGV Weber. Also it's more difficult to mount on an EA81 as it's a mirror image of the DGV with the throttle reversed. Fuel line has to be lengthened, and the the throttle cable routed differentely. I have about 3 or 4 of the DFV's and Holley's in a box around here and I don't use them. The SPFI coversion is THE way to go if you can get a cheap parts car. I'll take SPFI over a Weber, but I'll take a Weber over the Hitachi. GD

You can, but you really don't gain much - maybe 5 HP at the most. It's also nigh impossible on an EA81 unless you find EA81 turbo heads and manifold and put them on a non-turbo block. GD

For what exactly? I'm assuming it's probably a subaru?? GD

The pressure plate, being hydrualic, will probably be much too strong for the EA81 cable setup. Maybe retro-fit an EJ pedal and hydrualic assembly. Might also have the make a custom fork and release bearing, and I *think* the flywheel for the EJ is considerably thinner so you may need a spacer to move the flywheel back a bit. This is actually one of the reasons it's possible to build the adaptor plates from EJ to EA transmissions - the extra 1/2" of the adaptor plate is compenstated for by the extra thickness of the EA flywheel.... GD

Could you maybe get a pic of the EA81 that's got SPFI? I would love to see how that's setup... Also - what do you suppose they would charge for the ECU from it? All our "vortex's" were EA82's. Any idea how the EA81 SPFI was rated for HP and such? Sorry for the 20 questions, but in the US there really isn't much information on this stuff. GD

GCK Ftw. They do not suck. Better than the OEM ones possibly. GD

That's true - but it's not difficult to rig up a little longer hot-air riser from the exhaust as the Hitachi has - just need a little longer "flexi-hose" thing. Almost all backfireing is related to either the Air Suction Valves, or leaks in the exhaust. None of my Weber's backfire - have you blocked the ASV ports with quarters or welded them up? GD

Weber all the way. The "kit" comes with the 2.5" filter, but that often does not fit, and you have to pick up the 1.75" one for $12 or so. I don't personally like the Redline "kit". I just get the carb (usually used, and do the rebuild myself) and the base-plate seperately. The kit doesn't come with the right air filter, and doesn't have anything in it other than the base adaptor, carb (properly jetted and NEW, which is nice) and filter that doesn't fit. EA81's are easy to do Weber's on. If you buy the kit then it should just start right up and require minimal tuning. If you get a used one you may have to change some jets, and do a little more tuning. Heck, even the EA82's aren't that hard. I even have mine setup with the AC idle up working although that did require a little welding and such. Most EA81's I can install a Weber in 2 hours or less. GD

+1 - carbide will cut it easily. Dremel will work too if you don't have a proper die grinder. GD

Yes - and farm supply places are good too. GD

Yeah - I have no love for being the "towee". It has much of the "suckage" GD

Well - the "crank" circuit is VERY simple. I would deal with that circuit top to bottom as my first troubleshooting step. You might solve all your problems when you find the problem there. Check the fuseable links first as pointed out - that's an easy one. Also check the battery terminals. If all that checks out, pull the plastic under the column and take a look at the pink 6 prong connector for the ignition switch itself - sometimes there is so much heat from repeat cranking attempts that the wires will melt the plastic and short out. If you find nothing still, then install a relay on the firewall near the starter. Power it with a fused 12 guage from the battery positive to the solenoid terminal on the starter. Use the existing wire going to the starter terminal to control the relay. Basically you are using the existing ignition switch crank circuit to power up the relay which will give the starter perfect, clean power directly from the battery and by-pass the corroded, pitted contacts of the ignition switch. See the link above the Dearon gave for more info on this. Having to add a relay here is VERY common. It's so common in fact that at the show this year I started someone's car with a small jumper wire because their switch went bad and would only click. GD

All my ECU's turn on the pump for just a few secconds when you power the ECU up. You might just have a quiet pump or are too busy getting it started.... GD

Not very wise, as they can come apart. A flailing driveshaft can cause pretty gnarly damage. Beleive me, I've had it happen 3 times now - 4 if you count that one rear axle.... it made such a racket I pulled over and took it out though. GD

I've flat towed with a strap locally using many different EA series subaru's. As long as the towee know's how to do his job on the Brakes, and you carry some two-way radio's it's generally fine. Slow speeds, lots of hand signals, etc. Wrap the ends of the strap in duct tape over a peice of sliced radiator hose to prevent the strap from chafing on any body parts, and to keep it from falling off the tow hook. With a strap it's doable - because rolling weight is not the same as towing weight, and because you have the added stopping ability of the towee's braking system. In some ways it's actually prefereable to have a marginally larger vehicle being towed this way as it will have larger brakes. You also completely eliminate the tendancy for a large trailer to "push" the rear end under brakeing, and the two cars being not hard linked together helps with emergency stoping. *I* would probably do it, but NOT with a trailer, tow bar, or dolly. ONLY with a strap, another expert at strap towing in the towee vehicle, and long distances I would probably shy away from. I've done 50 miles or so with a strap and it gets on your neves after a while. GD

+1, but I like to use white lithium grease in the spray can - good for door locks, hinges, and other stuff that comes in contact with moisture a lot. GD

It's not the compressor I'm refering to - it's the compressor belt clutch. It does have a switch - that's how the compressor is turned on and off when you select AC or Defrost. Now that I think on it, there probably is a switch for the regular fan. I think the regular radiator fan is supposed to cut on when the AC is turned on as well. No idea where that's located tho. GD

Interstate makes the optima, and they make a regular "Interstate" branded unit with the same specs. I'm partial to Interstate batteries myself - not specifically the optima's, but like anything, you pay for the extra cool name, and the colored plastic. Look for a regular Interstate dealer. GD