GeneralDisorder

If it's a single range, you can't "make" it a dual range by swapping the t-case. The low range gearset is inside the transmisson not the t-case (it has to be - the gear reduction must take place prior to the split between the front and rear diff, and the front diff is inside the tranny.... the low range by-pass is actually done before anything else in the power-flow of the tranny. It's the first driven gear right above the input shaft), and has a seperate shift linkage that's combined with the 4WD . The single range will not even have the holes in the main transmission machined for the shift rod. Basically, if it's a single range you are stuck with it. Unless you want to tear both tranny's apart and use the single range parts to repair your dual range. Also on the subject of over-drive - the 4 speed's 4th gear IS overdrive. The 4th gear in the 4 speed and the 5th gear in the 5 speed are nearly the same for the 83+ 4 speed, and only slightly higher in the 81/82 4 speed. The 5 speed has more "in-between" gears that make slow speed travel, and acceleration easier. With the 5 speed it's actually nice to drive in 3rd gear at 25 mph where the 4 either revs out in 2 or lugs in 3... GD

No - clearly not the EGR - this is obviously a direct result of the underpants gnomes living in the ASV ports. GD

I give up. Ruin it if you must. GD

The auto's really weren't much better. Probably worse if anything. The 3 speed auto isn't electronic, and has to rev really high to maintain 70 MPH. Plus the tranny is a heavy sucker. GD

The Hitachi's are crap. Especially the EA82 version, and most especially the EA82 feedback version. I've rebuilt/fixed/maintained them for years now, and I still hate them. After using and building Weber's, I decided to throw away all my Hitachi's and parts. I can't even stand to look at them. I'm going SPFI on all my rigs. And at some point a larger throttle body, and mega-squirt with crank fired ignition to eliminate the distributor. Built EA81 block with full FI and distributorless IG - totally waterproof for off-road. GD

Yes, it's different. The 90-94 SPFI has a "clutch switch" and "neutral switch", or an "inhibitor switch" if it's an auto. So far, my limited ability to research the SPFI system shows four distinct systems used, different wiring and some component differences with each, and slightly different ECU's as well. 1. 1986 2. 1987/1988 3. 1989 4. 1990-1994 Each requires slightly different tactics to retro-fit to non-spfi vehicles. GD

Yeah - I have to say that even the measly 16 HP increase I got with the EA82 SPFI engine and 5 speed dual range in my Brat - it moves pretty decent. Being light helps a LOT. Any weight I gained with the EA82 I lost when I tossed the 4 speed. So far I like it, and the more I tune up the SPFI the more I like it GD

Ford escort disty will bolt to the back of the passenger side head without much work. The aircraft guys do it a lot. GD

Resurface the flywheel - it's cheap, and usually a real quick turn-around (later the same day for my local NAPA) Just flush is fine. Check your PCV system - clogged up system can blow the seals right out of the engine. BIG leaks. Rope-trick - instead of bumping the starter (AKA - throwing heavy objects into the neighbors yard ), or jamming stuff in the flywheel teeth(AKA - dropping strange things in your bell-housing), thread some 1/4" nylon rope into the #1 cylinder at BDC of the comp. stroke to stop the engine from rotating safely. Removing old seals - use a couple small wood-screws and thread them into the rubber/metal part of the seal - grab with pliers and pull out the seal. GD

They are steel, and are basically just a friction fit. You will see the new ones you get are concave and the edges have a wedge shape. Use a socket that is near the same diameter with an extension on it to pound them in. No problem on the help - that's what we are all here for. Even I have questions now and then Oh - and you probably only need to replace the ones that have popped out GD

Poorly maintained carburetor. Time to take a trip into the ancient art of carb rebuilding. Or just get a Weber. GD

Mouse traps. Peanut butter. Or - seat covers, and a cat. GD

Anyone with a Loyale FSM that could scan me the ECU pinout? It's different than the 89 system, and my haynes manual is useless as usual. Or if you can't scan it could you tell me the names of the devices connected to pins 13, 14, and 15 of the F108 connector? Thanks. GD

Lots of threads on that! Here's some stuff from the online repair manual, and you should do some searches too. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49952 http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=54203 You should contact Bratsrus1 (Jerry). He makes a great little install kit that will make the whole process a breeze. GD

One of the corrections we are going to make to the manual for version 2 is to clarify the part about the neutral switch preventing the car from being started in gear. That's the job of the automatic transmission "inhibitor switch". I have the neutral switch installed in my Brat with SPFI, and I can start it in any position. Clutch in or out does not matter. For the car you are working on, it's not going to prevent you from starting it in gear - that part of the manual is mistaken I'm afraid. The neutral switch is there so the ECU knows when the car is in gear and can adjust the timing and fuel maps accordingly. It WILL affect your mileage - as stated in the quote I gave you above, the CEL will only light in U-Check when a component affecting driveability fails it's test parameters. Additionally, the ECU may never tell you about other system failures. It expects you to fix U-Check codes immediatly, and it's self-diagnosis programming will terminate as soon as it sees the neutral switch is missing or non-operational. Thus if you idle air control valve fails, the ECU will never tell you about it because it can't get past the neutral switch warning. By not installing everything as it was intended, you are circumventing the ECU's programming. Without downloading the EPROM in the computer and actually understanding every detail about the self-diagnostic procedure you are working blind. Don't mess with what you don't understand. I'm a software engineer, and I'm telling you it's very important to hook everything up. GD

+1 what Qman says I'll add that you should have someone step on the brakes while you loosen the HH cable nut - don't want a wild 83 wagon to roll off your trailer.... GD

Yeah - you are going to want new freeze plugs - usually once they have popped out they are not good to reuse. You don't want them to leak.... It probably froze with only water in the engine - the ice expands and blows the plugs out - it's a good thing because otherwise it would crack the heads or block. GD

Sadly, this indicates the governor drive gear inside the transmission is damaged. It can't be replaced without removing and dismantleing the transmission. Your best bet is to find anther tranny. Or even better - just put a 5 speed dual range into it. Easier to find, and many, many times more reliable that the 3AT. GD

You ever run this engine? Sounds like those are freeze plugs.... did the engine freeze at some point with only water in the cooling system? GD

The CEL is there to detect REAL problems. It won't even light up for most small things unless you put the system into D-Check. The only time the CEL will light while not in D-Check mode is when the ECU goes into open loop operation, and "driveability" is affected. Here's a quote from the FSM for you: "The U-Check is a user-oriented mode in which only the SPFI components necessary for start-up and drive are diagnosed. On occurance of a fualt, the warning lamp (CHECK ENGINE light) is lighted to indicate to the user that the dealer's inspection is necessary. The diagnosis of other parts which do not give significant adverse effect to start-up and drive are excluded from this mode in order to avoid unnecessary uneasiness to be taken by the user." The EGR sets it off not because of driveability concerns, but because the bunny huggers and the EPA mandated that the driver be warned of failures in the emissions systems. Not hooking up the neutral switch is stupid - it's extremely simple to do, only requireing the drivers plastic kick panel to be removed, and two wires soldered. The CEL will light without it every time the car is driven, and because you "think" the CEL is refering to the neutral switch, you will never bother to look at the codes, and could miss indications of impending failure of more important parts. The CEL is a warning and safety device. It's there to provide valuable feedback to prevent possible damage to your engine. Ignoring it because you *think* you know what code it's telling you about is just as ignorant as driving without your seatbelt on the wrong side of the road. And regardless what you "think" the EGR does, it's entirely passive. The EGR does not rob power, and there is nothing wrong with leaving it operational. Besides that, the solenoid code from the ECU is only telling you the solenoid itself is bad - it does not indicate anything about the EGR valve itself. You can replace the solenoid with a resistor and never have to look at that code either. GD

No - it's not that simple. The ECU looks for changes in the neutral switch corresponding to changes in the speed sensor. It takes a little while for the ECU to catch on, but basically if you are moving and the neutral switch continues to report you are in neutral, the ECU assumes something is wrong after a while. It won't do it right away as it doesn't want to complain about coasting, etc. But it will get angry, and when it did, it prevented the ECU from reporting the idle air code, and the purge solenoid code on mine - not cool. You would have to wire a switch to the dash and toggle it each time you let the clutch out. I really don't know why anyone would *not* install the switch - it takes about 10 minutes, and it's just one wire to the ECU and a ground. It's not like it's a huge deal or something. It's equipped on all cruise control vehicles for the cruise control, but unlike the speed sensor, it only exists if you really do have cruise control (or SPFI). GD

If you don't connect the neutral switch, the ECU will throw a code about it, and your CEL will be on all the time. This also causes the computer to ignore other potential problems. It's best to connect everything. GD

Correct - same for all Subaru's from 1982 on. 80 and 81 EA81's do not have one. All cars were equipped in case the dealer wished to install CC. The speed sensor is part of the guage cluster. It's a pulse signal generator atached to the speedometer. If you have cruise control, you can track down the CC computer, and tap into the speed sensor signal line from there, but if you do not, you will have to remove the guage cluster to get access to the plug. On the EA81's the speed sensor has two wires - the black one must be grounded. I'm not sure of the EA82 is self-grounding or not. Sorry - thought I got the right link - there's like three or four links floating around for it. I fixed it so now both work in the thread. GD

It's not real expensive to have a car shipped (around $700 give or take), and driving one back from out here is a possiblity too. GD

You shouldn't have "snipped" anything till you took the entire harness out of the donor. And even then there is very little cutting to do. Now it's going to be a real mess to figure out, as you probably don't have the dropping resistor for the coil, the diode pack under the dash, or the connector pin for the start signal from the ignition switch.... and maybe a mess of other things I can't remember right now. It's best to remove the ENTIRE harness from the vehicle, and sit down with the connector pin-outs and some wire cutters and carefully dismantle it. It's not as simple as looks. Snowman created a whole manual for this swap, and he and I are working to correct a few things, and add some EA81 information for version 2 of this document. Since you are doing an EA82, basically all of the information you need is here: http://www.mnchopshop.org/images/offroad/subaru/spfi_conversion_manual.pdf One thing I can tell you that isn't in the manual (yet), is that the Loyale ECU (the silver boxed version - older units were painted black) has some different programming, and requires both the neutral switch, and speed sensor to be connected or it will refuse to return accurate diagnostic data, and will not idle properly. BTW - you did get the oxygen sensor harness right? And you will need the 02 sensor in the exhaust of the new car. GD