GeneralDisorder

With the rain like it's been, the mud will be pretty ugly - there will be much stuckness even with a locked diff. I would just rather not spend my day pulling stock soobs from huge, soob-swallowing mud holes. And there are some steep, very slick areas that need a good run at speed, with MT's and locked diffs to get up. Without the locker and the MT's, you'll never get up, and beleive me - none of us could pull someone up them. Anyone have an 5,000 lb winch? I don't.... Trails I know about are between scapoose and vernonia - there are some cool areas out there. GD

If you switch to the ND disty, they actually have rubber seals that WORK:banana: Unlike the Hitachi. Disty in my lifted wagon has NEVER been wet inside - even after drowning the engine out with water - multiple times. I need a snorkel, but the disty isn't an issue. GD

Check the engine and tranny mounts - likely they have sheared away. The rubber in them gets old... GD

The increased voltage from the bad alternator may have burned out the elements in the sealed beams - no recourse for that but to replace them. I get them from the Junk Yard - $2 each! Check the fuses as well - bad alternators can do horrible things to fuses. GD

The way the cam sprokets are designed, and the way the belts are routed, oil never really touches them. There is a healthy gap there that that oil does not cross. Besides that, a little oil would not hurt, and will be flung off by the belts - they travel rather fast. The oil burning smell could either be oil dripping down the heads and onto the exhaust, or could be bad CV boots have flung CV joint grease onto the hot catalytic converter - that will smell similar. At any rate it's more of an annoyance than anything. Valve cover gaskets are likely pretty scorched by now. Those are cheap, and easy to install. Anyone with a 10mm wrench can accomplish that in less than 1 hour. Vibration - have you had your tires rotated and balanced recently? GD

Personally I drill out chevy white spokes - they are ~$30 brand new literally anywhere, are stamped from some pretty formidable material, and are WAY overkill for the weight of a soob. I've thrashed them pretty hard, and I can say that you will break axles and diffs long before you break one of those rims. Drilliing them does not weaken the rim in the slightest. Now - if you are going with a divorced t-case or some other big crawl ratio setup, then it would be best to drill the hubs for 6 lugs. Not because you will weaken the rim, but rather you can break off the lug nuts being there are only 4 of them. 6 will make it a little stronger and harder to snap them off. GD

Well - if they were done only 34k ago, and the oil leak isn't literally running out of the engine in a stream, then it's going to be much cheaper to just add a quart of oil every week. A little oil leak is not a bad thing - in fact we like to say here that older Subaru's tend to "mark" their territory rather like a pet. Those seals should last another 15k till you are really ready for timing belts. Save your money and get the full mileage from the belts they were designed for. When you do get to 55 or 60k on the belts, then do all the seals too - they are right there and are a normal part of timing belt changes anyway. Do the seals, both tensioners, idler, and water pump. Probably good to change the oil pump at that time as well. You are looking at around a $500 job with labor, but wait that 15k and save up the money while you do. Add a quart of oil a week if you need it to keep it full. As long as it has oil (between 3 and 4 quarts), a small leak is no problem. As for additives, personally I think they are bunk. I'll run a little detergent (ATF, or MMO) through to loosen gunk buildup and free up lifters occasionally, but largely plain old oil will do you just fine. Have a Costco membership? Buy chevron 15w40 and call it good. They hold the patents, and manufacture most of the oil refining equipment used by everyone else, and their oil is very good quality, and cheap since they don't have to pay royalties on their own equipment. GD

Well - I could probably join in on this one. Need to relocate my oil pressure sender, and a tighten up a couple odds and ends. I'll try to be ready. I know some good trails in scapoose, but you unlifted and unlocked types beware - you won't make it without at least lift+locked+MT's. GD

Doubtfull. I'm sure they could make you one tho if you really, really wanted it that way. But why? Just extra weight where there is no need. GD

Catalytic converter should be fine at 150k. Sounds like you are scared to really use the engine. The EA82 makes it's best power around 3500 - 4000 RPM. My 86 sedan (same engine as yours) with 214k on it will do 65 over the mountains if I choose. I generally keep it to 55 myself. You just need to use 3rd gear. Mechanic will take huge advantage of your lack of faith in the ability of the engine to work for you. GD

Yeah - that's one reason I don't go for rebuilds. On the EA81's it's just the opposite. The 2WD uses a smaller shaft diameter and smaller diameter joints. Parts counters do not differentiate at all, so you get what you get. The GCK ones I mentioned for the EA81 are totally BEEF - they are beyond 4WD spec. GD

Replaced sender with another from a loyale (identical looking). No change in guage.... I wonder if this is a victim of the mice? GD

Sure you can - just cut out the bottom of the stock air box to accept the weber instead of the Hitachi, or get one of the weber adaptors that converts to a round filter inlet. This way they will never know what's under there.... like this: GD

Lots of people use Vaseline too - seems to do the job. Engine assembly lube will work as well. Personally I just turn the car on it's side, and hold it there with one hand while I put on the cam case with the other. Gd

Loose t-belts too. GD

You mean these? I'm not totally sure, but they actually might still be availible through Les - ask and see. I know they can get brand new 4x140 13's, and I'm pretty sure these are them.... GD

Just a note - those rims won't fit over the front calipers of an EA82 without grinding on the calipers. Wagon wheels are not the same for EA81 vs. EA82. Bumper will not mount on anything but a 2WD EA81 as well - 2WD's have the 5 mph shocks, and 4WD's have a solid mount bumper. They do not interchange. GD

I think the difference you refer to Ed is the difference in the large valve heads vs. the small valve heads. All the 83/84 manual transmission vehicles had the large valves and still had the solid adjustable lifter system. So those he has may or may not have the hydro lifters.... GD

No - your help is appreciated - just wanted everyone else to know that the information isn't quite the same for the EA81. The oil pump issue applies.... sort of. Not the same pump or the same lifters, and completely different oil supply system. GD

Suzuki? We have a Suzuki Vitara here in the states.... never heard of anyone putting a soob motor in, but sounds cool.... GD

Likely a bad voltage regulator - voltage should not go over 14.5 or so. Test it with a MM. GD

That's interesting - I've not noticed the pump alignment without the OE gasket - perhaps that's only with some aftermarket pumps.... I seem to recall last time I did the one on my Brat I didn't have a gasket and just used straight RTV - works fine. Have put over 10k on it, and pretty sure I haven't changed the belt. In the case of water pumps, the RTV seems like a good choice even with the gasket - especially the cardboard. Makes removal later a lot easier. I have noticed that the stamped impeller doesn't seem to cool as well as the forged impeller type pumps. If possible get the forged style. I know Discount Import Parts around here sells them but other than that I can't comment. On the topic of mileage - I have seen a lot of EA81's at the junk yard with what appeared to be the original blue painted subaru factory pump. Usually with well over 200k on them. They do seem to last a long, long time. I think premature failure will result from changing/tightening the alternator belt by the maintenance schedule - the tight belt will eventually chew the bearings. Funny that NOT doing the maintenace and having sloppy belt tension has probably made the water pumps last far longer than anticipated. GD

Just be careful not to snap off more than say.... 1 of the 5 bolts. With some RTV they will seal down with 4 of the 5, but the water pump bolts do tend to sieze up easily being exposed to coolant - especially haveing been in there for 300k. I would sugest a good pre-soak in PB Blaster, and then work them back and forth a lot. I like to slightly tighten them first to try and break them free before I turn them out - and if they start getting stuck, then tighten them up a little and try again - work them back and forth to crush the rust and scale. Also make sure to use a little anti-sieze after properly cleaning the bolts with a wire brush. Not trying to scare you - it really is about the easiest water pump to replace..... ever. But we don't want to over-simplify and break something. GD

I'm sure anything could be made to work with enough effort, but why not just put on the stock fuel injection from a loyale and call it good? I suspect the mount is different between the two types of Hitachi's - as it is between the two types for the EA series. Probably would need to make an adaptor plate, and if you are going that route, then just get the pre-made adaptor from Redline for the DGV, DFV series, and put on a Holley/Weber 5200 off an 80's ford (DFV series licensed by Holley). That will have all the "emmissions" stuff you refer to, which really only amounts to the passive evap systems - float vent solenoid, and idle cut solenoid. Personally I don't count that as "emmissions", but maybe that's just me. As far as I'm concerened, unless you are talking about the feedback carbs with the computer, the carb has little if nothing to do with the emmissions systems on early subaru's. They are pretty much standalone systems that will work with any carb given they are connected properly. The Hitachi's (all of them) are overly complex carbs, and the vacuum secondary is not fun to drive after you are used to a mechanical on the Weber, or the very large throttle body of the SPFI - both have a ton more low end grunt than the Hitachi's do. GD

Cool - glad it got you going again. GD