GeneralDisorder

Ok - I can see that my tech write-up, which isn't quite done, is needed here..... I'll upload what I have.... just a sec. GD

I think he is talking about somone he hired to get his car ready to pass emmissions. The guy was probably testing the driveability of some changes he made to the carb.... or something like that. GD

That's geat! Glad you found the board useful. Maybe you could do a little write up for the online repair manual using these pics.... GD

Once again - your 87 pedal end is completely different than the 81. I personally feel the 80-82 is the easiest of the three styles I have dealt with. 20 minutes for me would probably be an hour or more for someone who has never done one tho - I could see that. But even at an hour, you have still saved a considerable amount over going to the dealer. GD

Not exactly - being an 81, it will have the older (and easier) system on the pedal side, with a metal clamp and a bolt. GD

The cable is easy to replace - takes about 20 minutes. I have a write up on it comming soon.... GD

Unfortuanately, it will fit, but the '81 will not have the same wiring connections. The '81 model year had the external voltage regulator. '82-'89 are all the same - even turbo model's. '90-'94 Loyale's are also the same as these. And Ed is absolutely correct on fitting the EA82 alts. I have an 87 Turbo Wagon alt on my 85 Brat right now.... (BTW - this is true for starters too) GD

Sounds like it's time to tighten the cable up. This is on of two things - normal clutch adjustment, or a sign that your cable is fraying, and starting to "stretch". If that is the case, then it could break at some point in the future and leave you stranded. I would carry a spare cable (get one from the dealer - others are not as high quality), and also adjust the one you have. In my experience, when the cable starts to "stretch" it's usually accomanied by an increase in force needed to push the pedal. GD

Yes - I know it can be done. Mudrat has done it before, so I know it's possible. Besides that the EA81T's had em, so it makes sense..... GD

Those aren't exactly uncommon in the yards around here. There's an MPFI XT in a yard on columbia (virtually untouched last week), and last month the Tigard U-Pull-It had 3 XT-6's.... Then there's the Damascus yard - they have a Gen 1 Brat amongst their junk. Really not uncommon to see a Turbo XT sitting around the Portland area yards. Dime a dozen like just about all the other soobs. This is Oregon remember! GD

Get a Tig welder and a die grinder and mae yourself some dual port heads. That's what RAM does..... GD

According to all the research I have done, and Skip did before me, the whole 2WD disty business is a load of crap. The FSM gives only a single advance curve for both types of disty's. There has to date been no solid eveidence of ANY kind presented that I know of to support the supposition that EA81 disty's had different advance curve's on the 2WD's vs. 4WD's. That's not to say that the advance curve's didn't change depending on the year of the EA81 in question, but a thorough examination of all the FSM advance curve listings has not been done due to no single person haveing FSM's for every single year..... at the *least* the situation is a heck of a lot more complicated than just "go get a 2WD disty" as some years are certainly not different across drive trains, and other years might be different, or might be the same but different than a newer or older model. I also have to make a point of noting that the Hitachi distributor's reluctor design is a lot more reliable in that it can handle more shaft slop before going out completely. The ND disty's used in the 2WD's seem to be much more sensitive the shaft slop, and according to my conversations with CCR, are more likely to blow up their ignition moduals as well. Perhaps Subaru used the Hitachi on the 4WD because it is a more rugged design, but was more expensive because of this. I really don't know what the reason for the change was.... GD

Do whatever you like - you already have my opinion on the situation. As for the dealer HG's being better..... I seriously doubt that. Fel-Pro is a very trusted name in gaskets. Not to mention they have 20 years of continued improvement upon their products that the OEM gaskets don't have. I put Fel-Pro's in my EA81, and less than 2k miles later lost ALL of my coolant on the freeway (blown heater core hose). The needle was pegged. I drove another 2 miles this way till I could pull off into a parking lot - my speed continued to drop due to pinging. By the time I stopped, the engine was pinging so badly from predetonation that I couldn't maintain 30 MPH, and the engine was smoking (cooking the oil and sludge off the block). After it cooled I repaired the hose and refilled the coolant. NO damage. I've put another 5k on it since that happened, and not a single drop of coolant has leaked. GD

Usually, every time I look on ebay there's 5 or 6 of them. It will probably sell for around 100 or more. They usually do. Just cause someone posted this here doesn't mean it's unusual to see them on ebay. They are common as dirt - they often seem to be attached to those silly VW intake's too. I suppose that's what keeps the Jeep heads from buying them. I have asked sellers when I bid on them if they would kindly remove that awkward POS before shipping...... GD

My Brat gets 28, and isn't even feedback..... my wagon when it was 2WD got 30 with the feedback Hitachi, and about 32 with the weber. My friend has my old feedback Hitachi carb on his 2WD 84 wagon and is getting about 33 due to high compression from carbon build up. GD

There is a LOT more gaskets than you think. Likely you only need about 5% of what you would get in a full kit in order to stop your leaking. Zero in on what exactly is leaking and fix that. Oil pan - Valve covers - Cam seals - front and rear mains.... etc. Buying an entire set is silly if you don't intend to remove the heads even. Personally, I would do the HG's on general principle if you are yanking the engine to do other seals. I like the Fel-Pro ones myself, and when they only cost about $20 each for the HG's, it seems like good insurance. GD

It's not going to keep the carb any cooler with coolant running to the base of the throttle body.... and that would have been exactly the opposite of what Subaru wanted. The carbs are heated for emmissions. GD

All the EA81 carbs *with the same model number* are jetted the same. As far as I know the sedan didn't get anything special that the rest of the cars didn't get. Depends on the year of manufacture, and weather the car was 2WD or 4WD determines which model they got. Besides - a change in jet's isn't going to do sqat for performance on these carbs - the 26mm primary is just too small. Take the jets out and see. It's not hard to do. GD

Mine did a lot better than that. You have problems. GD

And some of us do all three!! GD

That's the big plastic spacer right? I've installed them without it.... not on a 78, but as I recall, the spacer is there basically so you can get the nuts on the mounting studs..... without it there isn't enough room. I just lifted the carb slightly, and threaded the nuts on, then tightened them down.... That's technically not a gasket, but a spacer - they aren't readily availible except from the dealership I would imagine. But you should be able to use any spacer from an EA71 or EA81.... same carb mounting. GD

There's some good posts on here about replacement procedure..... it's not totally straight-forward if you know what I mean. Another Subaru oddity.... Autozone carries Timken brand bearings for the front for I think $13 or so each. You need two for each side of the car. And also the seals - those are about $5 each. GD

I was speaking stricktly of US versions of course. EA81 RX's had all sorts of nifty things - rear discs, LSD's, and really, really cool engine upgrades that we never got..... GD

I'm not argueing - I'm telling you that NO EA81 ever came with a 5 speed 4WD of any kind. 83/84 were EA81 years. Period. There's nothing to argue about - I guarantee it. I have an 82 4 speed in my wagon right now - and an 82 Brat sitting out there. Plus an 85 Brat as well. I KNOW the gearing of EA81's. I don't know the gearing of the EA82's as well so I can't comment on that. GD

No - they came with 5 speeds after 84. Autos were of course still an option as well. GD