GeneralDisorder

NEW radiators are $120. You can have an old one recored for $80. I would offer the guy $50 if it really looks "almost new" as he claims. Dissasembled engine.... I wouldn't even take it for free unless you like a big project. $25 for the scrap metal value. GD

Useing the Brake AND the clutch can "simulate" a locker or LSD in certain situations. By modulating the brake you can get traction to wheels that are grounded by locking up those that are not. That's the technical aspect of what is going on - and thus the need for something to hold the throttle while attempting this sort of thing. I used to do this a lot in the ARMY H1's since they have open diffs, but since they are all automatics I didn't need a hand throttle. The trick with using the brakes works surprisingly well although generally an air or detroit style locker is better. LSD's are virtually useless for real crawling. Especially the soob versions as they were for rally and street use - ie: no good for low speeds - the clutch packs in them are too small for the high torque at low speeds. GD

Fo-Sho that's a Lada Niva - probably taken in Canada... Actually - by the look of the URL - might actually be IN russia. Didn't know they got ru's. GD

While this may seem like a good idea at first...... you have to remember the cam and crank seals, plus the water pump and oil pump are all inaccesible without the timing "system" (whatever you use) removed. While the chain may last 300k, the water pump will not, and the oil pump will need at least a reseal - likely a replacement sometime after 200k. GD

I've had excelent service from both of these: www.thepartsbin.com :Good for OEM stuff, and most "common" parts www.rockauto.com :Pretty good selection of harder to find stuff. Shipping isn't cheap, but their prices are really low on a lot of things to offset that. Ring and bearing sets - Fel-Pro gasket sets - etc. Got my chrome rings, and full Fel-Pro sets from them. GD

Miles - you rarely keep a car/engine long enough to find out ... and do you even *really* have mud in Indianna? J/K It's not just that they are replete with bearings of all shapes and sizes, it's how much easier the whole front of the EA81 is to work on. Sure - without the covers you *could* replace the belts quickly - even in the mud, but who wants to have to do this? Not I. It's all preference really. Some people prefer Jeeps too - are they wrong?...... yes they are, but they just haven't figured it out yet. People (lots of people - myself somewhat included) are also very apt to defend the stuff they already have - admitting that your car/engine/whatever choice wasn't the smartest is hard to do. I like the EA81 because I have two EA81 vehicles, and plenty of backup engines and parts. That in itself is a big factor. I have an EA82 as well and it runs very well - I just don't like working on it as much..... and I just can't see those belts running UNDER muddy water and doing it reliably for a long period. I enjoy deep water on occasion (well - "on occasion" actually works out to be every chance I get, so maybe more often than that), and having a belt idler chew itself to bits a mile down the trail is just NOT cool. One less thing to worry about in my opinion - actually five or six if you count all the parts I don't worry about on my trail unit GD

Did the same thing to one of my EA81's - always seems to occur right there under the manifold, and always out the top - never seen one go through the bottom.... :-\ GD

Find someone with a diamond grinding wheel - it won't cut into your flesh. Use a lot of water to keep the metal cool too. Better to soak it in HOT water and make the metal expand - then use baby oil on it. GD

Yep - you would be appalled by the things I've broken, and seen others break. Only had to tow it home once so far tho - my fault for running a 2WD clutch... that was years ago. My rule is that if I break it - the next version is bigger and stronger, or in some cases it's eliminated if possible. I just broke out a rear window for example - replaced with plexi. GD

The 4WD gear takes the place of the 5th gear, so no - you would still be 2WD if you actually managed to make it work (doubful they would fit anyway). And yes - MUCH easier to just install a 5 spd D/R. That, and the 5 spd has a lower low range, nicer shifter setup, and WAY better syncro's. In fact the 4 speeds are pretty crappy overall. GD

The Weber's are nice too - good low end from the progressive linkage. I'm going with the SPFI because it will run at any angle, and scales with the engine easier than changing jets, etc. Plus I want to play with mega-squirt too. GD

If you have an Autozone near you, get the GCK axles - they are hands down the best (and they finally started makin them for EA82's!). Brand new too so no core charge. I'm sure other retailers can get them as well... www.gck.com GCK part number: SB-8004 GD

Probably the pressure plate has broken, or the clutch fork. Either way you are doing a clutch replacement. Pull Engine or Tranny. GD

YES - and they look cool too. Thanks for reminding me! GD

Believe me - you would NEED it if you tried to take your outback where a lot of us old gen types are going. Not saying an outback couldn't do it - but why trash a $10k car needlessly? I'm sure their day will come too. Have to cut some weight and add gearing tho. It may just never really be feasible except for a few people (there will always be a few ). The new gen is just too heavy, and otherwise ill-equipped for serious trail use without a lot of mods. This is the exact reason people (a LOT of people) have done, or are seriously considering doing, the EJ swap into an EA chassis. We love your engines, but hate the rest of the car. It's like a newer Land Rover - more for shuttling kids and "rustic family outings" like camping with the young-uns in tow. GD

Les Schwab, Tire Factory, etc. Got mine for $25 each from a local tire factory. Just tell them you want the basic white "trailer" rim in a chevy 6 lug. It's going to be cheaper from a tire shop as they will order them and get them with their usual shipment - shipping for online purchase would be spendy.... probably more than the rims themselves. Try Mazda rims for a more subaru like offset, or stock Toyota rims. GD

Sammuri t-case can be geared up to 6:1... that's 132:1... that's my route anyway. More gearing will put more strain on the axles, but such is life. That's what everyone deals with - Ford, Chevy, Yota, Suzuki - they all break em. But I can tell you from experience that 22:1 with a soob and "powering up" to get over stuff is just as bad - in fact it often breaks more than just axles. Slower is better. GD

What is your oil pressure at? Should be ~20+ hot idle, and 50+ at cruise. Before you do ANYTHING else, adjust the valves. Yes - I know you are thinking they don't require it, but the EA81 was retro-fitted with hydro lifters later in it's life. The adjusters are still present, and there is a procedure for adjusting them - such as when the heads are milled, etc. Do a search on here - I posted it once I think. It's not difficult, but involves waiting 15 minutes with each set of valves compressed for them to "bleed down" to adjustment pressure. Most likely either the lifters are in need of adjustment (perhaps someone didn't heed the warning labels on the valve covers and did a solid lifter adjustment procedure to them. Milled the heads and didn't adjust them, etc...), they are shot (unlikely), or the mains (more likely) and/or rods are shot and thus the lifters can't get good pressure. You can remove the lifters with the oil pan removed - they slide out once the pushrods are removed. The hydro lifter block is cast different to allow their removal where the solid block is not. I had to adjust the ones in my Brat after milling my heads. They tapped ferociously for a couple hours till they were bled out. Officially Subaru states it can take up to 2 hours (of running!) for lifters to expel all air and stop tapping. GD

Shawn has a good point - might be that your secondary barrel is jammed closed by melted silencer. GD

www.philbingroup.com Distributors are all the same shaft size - EA71, EA81, and EA82. Brand doesn't matter. 2WD and 4WD are the same curve. Use whichever one you like, but note the ND fits the Weber choke better. EA71 pistons are almost not worth the effort unless like me you had to actually pull a set to measure them and compare against the EA81 pistons since no one else on this board bothers to check their numbers. They are about 15 thousandths taller.... or the wrist pin is that much lower. SPFI pistons would be a better choice and easier to find. The 1600 ones will work, and will increase compression slightly, but the rings and ring lands are smaller, and weaker. I'm hoping this is not a problem - especially since I'm not going for more than ~100 HP. I'm going with SPFI and EA82 y-pipe (already has the O2 sensor as well) for my build. The MPFI EA82 is good for 95 HP, and that's about what I expect to get from the EA81. 100 HP or so. SPFI will scale to that easily, and the EA82 y-pipe will flow fine for those numbers. Reality sucks, but without major head modifications or forced induction the EA81 is not capable of more than 100 HP. Getting from 74 to ~100 is a pretty big accomplishment when you think about it. As for all this OHC talk - yay for all you folks. I'll laugh when all your belts and bearings lock up and eat themselves in the mud. I have enough problems with my power steering idler, and alternator bearings. GD

I totally agree with the EJ swap for street. I plan one for myself in fact. My beef is off the street. Not really the belt itself - the tensioner and ilders and the general lack of easily maintained accesories. Water,Mud,Dirt and dust just don't mix with the timing belt system, and I don't see that changing. GD

Ghetto. If you really want the hitachi to work, rotate it a bit - have to slot out or relocate the mount tho. Or get a LOT of spacers to lift the Weber up out of the way. No more power - seals out water better tho. The cap seal is one peice instead of four. That and the Weber fitment are why I use them. But be ghetto if you must - I don't want pics tho. GD

No - they are not related to power. But your exhaust leak is. No exaust scavenging. Fix your leaks. GD

Last two posters: NOT AN EA82. Big difference. GD

Timing belts :-\ GD