GeneralDisorder

RTV is good if you are re-using old gaskets that are getting hard. New gaskets should not leak if the surfaces are properl cleaned. The o-ring is just that - a simple o-ring. the Fel-Pro kits come with them. They are NOT flat when you buy them, they just end up that way after years of being installed and getting hard and crispy. Any o-ring of the proper size and heat specification should work fine. To be safe tho, they are cheap so might as well get them at the dealer. GD

Ah yes - the infamous 4 spd shifter slop. Basically there is a roll pin "yoke" down there, and the pin is harder stuff than the shifter or the shift rod into the transaxle. I've really grown to hate the design. I've tried a number of things to fix it. Best bet is to drop the tranny down a bit and drill out the roll pin hole to 3/8" and run a new bolt through it, and reef it down as hard as possible. My next attempt would have been to tap two holes in the side of the shifter, and grind two flat spots on the tranny shift rod. Two bolts, or most likely two hex set screws on either side would probably fix the problem permanent. I say would have been because I'm going with a 5 speed, so the fix would be a waste of time. I might do it just to show people how tho. By far the Best (not easiest or cheapest) way to fix it, is to install a 5 speed and it's linkage. They shift a lot nicer anyway. GD

I have used the Krylon Fusion plastic paint very succesfully on things such as that - use it to make the mudflaps on my Brat look new. The Red is a perfect match for the 4WD lettering. Back is nice on bumpers and trim and such. The clear plastic over the chrome.... that stuff just flakes off and I don't think there is any fixing it really. Looks terrible, and I'm probably just going to remove the strip completely on mine and bondo the holes before it goes for paint. GD

Yeah - tach signal comes from the coil, so if it runs, then either the signal isn't there (wire) or the guage is frozen up. Usually a bad disty will jump around a lot, and give very high readings - mine was reading 7,000 RPM at idle when it needed bushings GD

Best to get them from the dealer, yes. They are not expensive. Aftermarket ones tend to not work correctly for some reason. Lots of people have reported oil being sucked into the air filter with them. Best to spend a couple dollars more and not worry about it. Carb kits - Napa sells the Elgin made kits (will be Napa branded, but Elgin is the OEM). People sugest these are of good enough quality that you should not be dissapointed. Be prepared to spend approx. $40, and a solid afernoon doing the rebuild. Get a nice clean work area - old white sheets are nice as you are not likely to lose anything. Also make sure you drain the coolant a bit before removal as it runs through the manifold to the bottom of the carb. Be careful during dissasembly to not lose the plastic accelerator pump check ball - it's small - about the size of a BB. The kit will come with another, but you should note it's location for reassembly. It goes under the accelerator pump spring. Also invest in one of those carb dip cans - the ones with the basket built in. Very usefull if you can afford it. GD

Actually, the EA82 is just an EA81 with different heads. The rest of the differences are there to accomidate the OHC design - the oil pump and water pump were changed to run off the timing belts, and some idlers and tensioners were added. But basically the engine is the same at it's core. Remove the heads from both, and it's easy to mix up which is which when the shortblocks are laying in the garage. Have to look for the cam on the EA81. There is almost no increase in HP from the EA81 hydro lifter to the EA82 hydro lifter (carb). The EA81 solid lifter with smaller intake valves makes 72 HP, but the hydro lifter engine with larger valves makes considerably more when coupled with a bigger carb and better flowing exhaust as the EA82 got standard. In reality, they both are the same engine just with different valve systems. The HP ratings are so close as to be dependant on things other than the core engine. GD

Sounds like you need to rebuild the carb - definately have some problems there. The EA71 Hitachi carb's are not as bad as the EA81 versions - pretty simple. The "shift boot" looking thing is just the seal for the accelerator pump, and they usually look a little wet from fuel when they get old. First thing I would do is replace the PCV valve (get from the dealer only)- you probably have pressure building up in the crankcase and it's blowing oil out from everywhere. Powerwash the engine bay at one of those DIY car washes. GD

EXACTLY what I would love to know - if they somehow improved the axles to take more punishment all of us off-roaders would surely benifit from seeing how it was setup. But more likely I suspect it's probably just a VW trans. Those look very much like VW transaxle CV's - perhaps Porsche 930 joints. Very popular upgrades for Baja Bug's and such. GD

Subaru max states .015" off the heads. That's what I took off mine. I've heard .020" is possible and the intake will still bolt on. Any more than that, and you *could* make the holes in the manifold a little bigger and get it to work, but you are decreasing the sealing area between the intake runner and the coolant passage. Even stock this is a weak point, so I wouldn't make it any smaller than it has to be. If you want more comp. then you can install SPFI pistons, or EA71 pistons for a little bit. I calculated it out once, and with the heads decked .015", and EA71 pistons you should be around 9.3:1 - 9.5:1 or so. SPFI pistons would give you 9.5:1 with NO decking of the heads, probably close to 9.8:1 with the heads decked. GD

The cracks between the vavles are normal for EA82 heads and are not a cause for concern. Be more concerned about how flat the heads are. There was a TSB on the cracks, and it has been noted by CCR as well that they don't make any difference. I've heard of people closing them with a punch, but they will open back up again anyway. Best to just leave it alone. GD

This flange: The flange bolts, and the CV joint can clearly be seen (ie: no DOJ is present - this is very un-subaru-like): GD

Not sure, but have you considered locating the electric power steering from an XT6? GD

IIRC, the pan bolts are rated in inch pounds. GD

Just for the record - I have done that too. Found that it was due to cheap aftermarket pan gaskets. In fact, the pan gaskets are one of those magical items that I get from the dealer only. The dealer ones seem to have more glue, and the aftermarket ones absorb the oil and begin to breakdown and get mushy - then the bolts are loose. I've even tried RTV - the bolts just loosen due to the gasket getting oily and mushy. They are like $8 from the dealer.... GD

From the pictures, you can see that the front axles are bolted to the tranny with a flange. Now either this is a seriously modified Subaru trans, or they did the bad dance, and put in a VW tranny with an adaptor plate. So I think it's FWD. I sent a question the auction winner to see if he would be willing to answer some questions about it once he takes possesion. We'll see. Also in the same picture is a blue hydraulic looking device - I suspect that's a hydraulic clutch setup for the VW tranny. At any rate, I want to find out more GD

Actually - I have a HF MIG box - works quite well for the light duty stuff. I wanted a small MIG that would be 110, and could use flux-cored to be as portable as possible. Doesn't need any special circuit - runs off any outlet like a vacuum cleaner. Perfect for exhaust work - tack welding while test fitting things. Just nice to have as an extra setup. I noticed that I can literally weld with it in a T-shirt as it makes very little splatter. Pretty neat. Not much use for anything over 1/8" tho. I have a miller 220 with gas for that - or the blue wrench. GD

It can be a real pain - between dropping the rear end out of the way, and getting the filler tube, and all the lines off it, it's got to be one of the messiest underside jobs on a soob. GD

How about a mechanical hand that flips over and slaps the driver? Or perhaps pass the coil current through some plates on the steering wheel? GD

My guess is that it's some sort of evap canister. Basically to trap wayward gasoline vapor from the tank. One solution would be to purchase a vented fuel tank cap and then as you sugested plug all the lines and rip the sucker out. Other ideas.... well I would clean up the area where you broke that fitting off, and probably make up a new fitting - can't weld down there without taking the tank off the car, and treating it first, so I would sugest a careful application of JB Weld - it is impervious to fuel, and real strong stuff when used for the right application. Other option.... perhaps use a low-speed drill and tap it for a nipple of some sort - have to look around at what's availible. Have to use your imagination. GD

Well - that's an EA82 without PS - which is not common. Mostly the carb has to be turned around the other way so the elec. choke doesn't hit the PS pump. GD

If that were true, then haveing the EGR turned off during warm up would cause pinging - which it does not. Plus the vacuum advance curve for these engines is the same as it was before they started adding EGR. A happy upgrade to the EA71 in the Gen 1's is to use the EA81 breakerless distributor. The EGR on an EA81/EA82 is there for emissions only - just as it was in 1973 when first introduced by GM. Most people disabled those as well since they made the engine run like crud. I have run both with, and without it - Weber and Hitachi. No difference that I could notice, and I have a vacuum pump and guage to verify that the EGR is working properly. Not to mention I can see it open when I rev the engine. And I know what pinging sounds like. GD

There is no valve adjustment for EA82's. The hydraulic lifters are there in place of adjusters. GD

Interesting thing I've noticed - the non-digi's do that too. The more accesories I turn on in the Brat, the higher the temp guage goes, and the higher my fuel guage goes. Turn stuff off, and I lose heat, and fuel. Hehe. Has to do with the voltage being routed through the sending unit - more accesories = lower voltage for other stuff. Bad grounds will certainly make the problem worse/noticeable. Hey Skip - where do you find a listing of the ground locations? Or do you just know from experience? GD

Drill some holes in the airbox? Try it with just the box and no filter to test the filter flow idea.... dunno - the SPFI should need more air than a carbed block, so it shouldn't make too much difference.... although the ECU on the SPFI has the ability to know the airflow from the meter, and adjust fuel accordingly.... Lots to consider, and tests to be run I think. GD

Yeah - could have keys cut, but then I would have to replace all the locks for them to match. Too much hassle - I just want to get it HERE and deal with all that. I would rather break the thing and get it here - then mess with replaceing the column and cutting keys and yada, yada. Yeah - the foster yard is a little lax about that sometimes - I have a switch from an 88 hatch on my parts shelves from there with the key. A rare find here tho, so not something I can expect to find is what I meant. Writing down the VIN is a nice idea tho - hadn't considered that the dealer would do it if they can verify the car is deceased. Oh and Torxxx - would love to come to Alaska sometime. Going to Cuba first tho. GD