GeneralDisorder

Personally I won't run an EA82 off-road - more because of the whole complexity of the timing system, and the bearings being exposed to water and silt. But there's been plenty of people on here that claim to have run them through mud and water without covers. You have to grasp just how fast they are spinning - 350 RPM even at idle. Much to fast for anything to "stick". The belt material itself is pretty tough - being nylon impregnated rubber. Try to tear one in half by hand sometime to see what I mean. Pound on one with a hammer if you like - no, I think rocks are not going to snap one. GD

Interesting - sounds like maybe a fuel delivery issue. Sounds like the ECU is trying to fire, but the fuel just isn't there. I'm pretty sure that if the ECU was bad or the disty was bad you would have no spark at all. Check the fuel pressure going to the injector perhaps? Do you have the carb pump still installed and using the SPFI pump under the hood or the SPFI pump under the car in the stock pump's location? Maybe double check the fuel line connections to be sure the supply isn't connected to the return or something simple like that. Also - It sounds like your fuel pump is geting power while cranking but maybe not when the key returns to the run position. So maybe a wireing issue but I imagine you have checked that already with Snowman... I think dribbling some gas down the throat to see if it will run for a few on it's own is a good idea. Might at least narrow your search down to fuel system.... GD

And this has what to do with this thread? GD

Oh? Proof? Lots have done it - no bad reports. Come up with one... if you can. Also very popular in the VW community. GD

Should pass fine without it - I've run through both ways, and the cruise emmissions dropped a tiny bit with it, but were well under without it. Idle emmissions were the same. Block it by unscrewing the pump and putting a quarter in the inlet pipe and screwing it back together. On any engine I have out of the car, I remove them, cut the pipe and use the end of the pipe as a plug, I generally select a washer as filler - weld around the outside and fill the hole in the middle of the washer with weld too. Or on the EA82 I just cut the end off the flange and weld the hole closed. Bolt it back to the head. GD

I totally understand what you mean - I've replaced many a ball joint on these cars as well. That certainly is a valid way to do it, and if I was going to sugest a generic method that would work on most cars yours would be it. Perfectly valid method. Now - I do not choose that method in the specific Subaru case for a couple reasons. 1 - the top of the ball joint where the pinch bolt is located in the knuckle is more complicated than just a simple bolt removal. you have to remove the bolt, which because of the split "pinch" style joint is exposed to water and elements and likes to snap right off just below the head. Now you are really hating life. If it doesn't snap and all goes well it's a sure bet that the top of the ball joint is lodged in the knuckle with a bunch of rust and other nasty crud. To dislodge this it's usually a pentrating oil, hammering operation with a chisel or screwdriver lodged in the split joint to loosen it. Now you have to pry it out and downward, and there is no good place to use a prybar on it - the edge of the knuckle is small, and there is very little purchase on it, plus nothing really to lever downward on except the lower control arm. PITA. 2. Now that you hopefully have the ball joint loose from the knuckle you have to lever the control arm downward and hold it there or remove the leading rod and swaybar link to allow it to drop out of the way. 3. Getting it back together sucks - especially if the ball joint is new as they are very stiff and do not like to line up. Then you have to beat the hell out of them to get them back in the knuckle (again with the chisel or screwdriver jammed in the pinch slot to keep it open). So why not save all the trouble and remove the single, simple bolt on the inner control arm and the swaybar link letting the whole assembly complete with the control arm swing out? Great thing about this bolt joint is that if the vehicle has been driven in the last year that joing will move freely and have no corrosion - moss on a rolling stone and all that hoopla. Never had one snap off either, and if it did, it's easily replaced, and will just slide out as it slides in from either direction.... simple, simple. I really have tried them all - even taking the strut top bolts loose - but that's the same problem as the ball joint - you have to basically stand on the thing to get enough room to pull the axle off the tranny - you have to overpower the leading rod bushing and the sway bar.... I can't even count how many subaru axles I've done anymore - hell I don't even remember how many times I've done it to just one car, and I've had over 15 in the last 5 years. I've done a few other random brands as well - toyota, audi, and honda, and one Hyundia (which I'm betting is really a mitsu...), and the best method varies for each I'm sure. Just messing with the ball joint is more difficult and very often more time consuming than the control arm bolt. GD

That's very strange - I've never heard of a clutch problem that went away once the engine warms... not sure what to tell you. Have you checked the cable adjustment? Perhaps it's too tight, and once the clutch pack and flywheel heat up they expand and take up the slack. I'm just shooting blind here. GD

Florida? Your local dealer won't touch an EA82 most likely. And their diagnosis will be "Over here we have a very nice Legacy - what will it take to get you into that today?" GD

SVX is a different beast - if you want the LSD you'll need to locate one from a Full Time 4WD 5 speed turbo - 88 or 89. GD

People are funnay - it's amazing how many people will push a car when they could easily just crank the starter in first gear.... everyone knows this trick because they have all tried to start the car in gear, and know that the starter will move the whole car - they just can't think outside the box enough to figure it out when they really need it. Same with the cable - the car isn't broken and they could save themselves a nasty tow bill by just driving it. It's not even hard - upshifts are normal, and downshifts you just have to rev the engine and then apply a little pressure to the gear you want and when the revs match it will drop in. With a fully syncro equipped trans, it's doesn't even grind. GD

Yeah - the inner tie rods do get sloppy - especially if the accordian boot rips and you get muddy silt in there from crossing creek beds and such. I've had to replace a few, and come to find that almost every one I checked at the junk yards was also worn. They usually have maybe 1/32" of play or so, although I've seen worse too. This translates to quite a bit of play at the outside of the tire - especially with the big tires a lot of us lifted types run. It's really amazing how small amounts of wear are magnified and quickened by larger tires. Good prices on inner and outer tie rod bits: www.rockauto.com GD

The pinch bolt on the ball joint is harder to mess with since the sway bar keeps the control arm from moving, so you have to exert pressure on the lower control arm to keep it out of your way. Also working near that ball joint boot is asking to rip it open. Beleive me - I've tried every method out there. GD

Since it's temp related it sounds more like a cold running condition of the engine than a clutch issue.... like the engine is bucking under load when cold. I would start with a tune up and vacuum test of the engine when cold. GD

I said "usually" in my post. There are of course other reasons, and when you are talking lifted or lowered vehicles with mods, then all this discussion is out the window. With a stock setup and stock tires the toe adjustment is the only one. As long as your ball joints, tie rods/ends, and bushings (control arm, and strut top) are in good shape, the alignment is a factory setting that cannot be changed. This makes it pretty easy to figure out your alignment - set the toe where it was before, and replace any worn parts - shazam - car is aligned. Bad ball joints are the usual tire wear problem points - when they get sloppy the outer edge of the tire will wear badly on turns as the weight of the vehicle is being pushed against the ball joint and causes the tire to ride up on it's edge. GD

Your problems are PCV valve, hoses, and filter Broken rings will smoke out the tailpipe - a LOT, besides they are uncommon (very), and you would know it.... like it would probably snap a rod. Air comming out of the oil filler is normal - the crankcase is under pressure - hence the one way check valve in the PCV. Your filler cap rubber gasket may be ill-fitting as well - some of them get flat and loose. GD

The easy way: Step 1 disconnect the lower control arm bolt (1 long bolt) on the inner end of the control arm where it attaches to the engine cross member. Step 2 disconnect the sway bar link. Step 3 pull axle off tranny. You will have more than enough room - probably a good 1" extra. GD

First time - set aside 6 to 8 hours for the whole job. Leave the belt covers in the trash can too. GD

SPFI come from an Auto? Neutral safety switch? Just a guess. Did the donor have the auto seatbelts? I wonder if there is something with those being that they connect to the ECU.... When you crank it do you get spark but no fuel or fuel and no spark? Or neither? GD

The cables can frey where they pass through the firewall and eventually snap. Also inside the cable is a plastic jacket around the cable, and it's filled with a dry lubricant. The plastic eventually wears through, and the cable gets very hard to operate. On the other hand, I've had pressure plates wear out and be tough the disengage as well. Best thing is to try the cable as it's cheap and you obviously need one anyway. Then if it's still extremely tight just replace the whole clutch. It's not hard and the engine does not need to be pulled. Just remove the radiator and pull the engine forward enough to get the clutch out. You can drive the car with no cable at all - you just the rev-match to shift, and start the engine in first gear. Warm it up in neutral and then shut it off and restart in first gear. GD

I'm 6'2" and 210 lbs, and I can fit fine in my Gen 2. I did replace the seats with Izuzu Impulse seats, which sit about 2" lower. Gives more legroom and headroom. But I could and did drive it with the stock seats as well. GD

I've never required an alignment on any soob I've owned. If you mark where the threads were on the old parts, you can match it up perfectly. The only adjustment on a soob is the tie rod ends. As long as you have that right, the alignment is set. Tire wear is usually a result of bad ball joints, or bad inflation. As for replacement - remove the boot, and use a hammer and chisel to bend the washer back on the nut - then use a big wrench to unscrew the rod. GD

Sounds electrical to me - like the fuel pump is running in the crank position, but not in the run. GD

Holy crap that's cheap. Nice find. GD

But his symptoms are oil IN the airbox, not "burning" oil..... it's getting sucked up through the valve covers, yes - but there is oil present there for the cam lobes and such in great quantity regardless of the shape the valve stem seals are in - preventing the oil from entering the airbox will solve his problem, and that's the job of the PCV system. GD

Normal - grind on the adaptor if you like, but I've ground a few, and not ground others - doesn't seem to matter. If you are really up for a project - get an EA82 intake, and the adaptor for it. They flow better, and the adaptor fits a little better too. Sorry you bought the kit - I made that same mistake my first time. Such a rip off for what you get. GD