GeneralDisorder

No offense intended, or taken. For the record - I never said you were "stupid" - you are twisting my words. I said you have none of the knowledge needed to fix something should you break down. Knowledge is by no means a measure of intelligence now is it? Knowledge implies experience - which you do not have much of - you stated so yourself.... The "act" of towing a Brat with a Brat is "stupid", but asking the question "can it be done" is not. Again - knowledge that you didn't have. That's a heck of a lot smarter than just attempting it without asking anyway..... I wasn't attacking you, I was simply stating the harsh reality of the situation. Don't mistake my honesty for an attack. I'm sure you are a very nice guy, and you have the best intentions, but when you are considering taking a chance like this, you need to consider all the elements to the equation. Are you confident in the reliablity of your Brat for a 200 mile trip there, and a another 200 mile trip back towing an ungodly amount of weight? And should it break down are you confident of your ability to fix the vehicle - do you have the tools, and any nessecary spare parts you may need on hand? When I came to pick up that 82, I had everything I would need to fix most any situation that might occur. Not only did I have all the tools and a butt load of extra parts, but I also brought along a proven daily driver, and a friend to cover any unforseen possibilities. We also both have working cell phones, and good AAA memberships. It is irresponsible of you to commit to such a journey without covering as many of your bases as you can. Relying on others to bail you out is not fun for you or them. I wish you luck in your endevour, and most likely nothing will happen. GD

Nope - my stock single row EA81 radiator from 1985 is just fine in over 100 degree temps. No sign of overheating at all. And I drive HARD. 75 - 80 MPH down the freeway. The temp rises a little at those speeds, but not much. You may need a new radiator, or have the old one gone over. But before you go to these extreme measures, you should replace the cap and the thermostat (Dealership only one that), and do a system pressure test. Any small leaks in the system (you may now know if they are leaking INTO the intake) will weaken the cooling ability. My Brat used to overheat as well, but after replacing the thermostat, the cap, and fixing a leaky carb base gasket I'm in good shape once again. My guage has never read over half and I routinely rev to 6k between shifts, and travel at excessive speeds on the freeway in 90+ degreee weather. The EA81 radiators are tough - every one I've come across has been in good condition. Granted I live in Oregon so there's no rust here..... I think people are too quick to diagnose a bad radiator when that may not be the case. My 84 wagon, my 85 Brat, my friends 82 Brat, and his 84 wagon all have the original radiators and are doing great. I had my friend at City Radiator completely go through the one from the 82 Brat when we had the engine out - just for kicks (he did it for free). He cleaned and inspected it fully. He found a small leak in the side of the upper raditor hose tank. He ran a camera down into the radiator and found no evidence of any deposites in the core. He soldered up the small seam leak, and brazed the top mounting bracket back on for me (broke one end loose when removing it from the car). Even painted it for me. He said it was in "excelent" condition. Over 20 years old, and over 190k on it. Oh yeah - he's worked there for over 15 years, so he knows what he's talking about when it comes to radiators. Test - then replace. No reason to throw away money. GD

Yeah - I towed a '65 Ford 3/4 ton a few hundred yards the other day, and my temp was rising FAST. Got the job done, but it wasn't something I would do long distance.... GD

What size/type of tire did you decide on? GD

I've towed cars a few miles, but nothing like the 200 miles you'll be going. My Brat is in great mechanical condition and I wouldn't do it, and I'm usually up for anything. Get a real tow vehicle.... rent a truck perhaps. Towing with a Brat is no different than towing with a wagon.... you can tow small stuff, but a whole car on a dolly with cargo is stretching it a bit. Especially with your Brat being in questionable mechanical condition, and you haveing virtually none of the mechnanical knowledge to fix something should you break down. Couple that with a tow rig that couldn't possibly do 70 MPH safely with another Brat in tow, and you have the makings of a very dangerous trip. Going slower than the speed limit is statistically just as dangerous as speeding. Do the rest of us a favor and don't attempt something this stupid. GD

I don't think CV grease is the answer here - CV grease is a high pressure moly-based lube. It flows too well for this application. The original grease is about the consistency of vasaline, and is a yellow-white color. I'm assuming this is some sort of lithium based lubricant. CV grease would flow out of the small pin and ball bearings and into the tie rod boot as there is no seal between the grease chamber and the tie rod boot. The grease needs to stay pretty thick when it heats up so it will stay on the rack and pinion gears. Looking around online I found reference to this grease being used in the STi's rack as well - same part number even (and I got that part number from a vintage 84 FSM!). So it's still being used to this day and it must be something very special indeed to command the price that it does, and have retained the same part number all these years without being superceded. If I don't get an answer soon I'm just going to use GP Lithium grease I guess. I don't know what else to do as I cannot afford $90 for a 1 lb can of grease..... GD

The FT4WD tranny from a late 80's RX has the D/R already, and when it's in low it's 1.2:1 reduction effectively turns your diff into a 3.9..... as for opening the trans and changing stuff out, it may be possible, but would be expensive, and requires some special tools. GD

I'm rebuilding my power steering rack on my 84, and the manual says to use "Valiant Grease M2" (part number 003608001) for the rack and pinion gears. The dealer wants $90 for about 1 pound of this stuff! So what's the generic equivelent? GD

Shouldn't do anything really. The ticking is caused by lifters not being properly inflated, and the valve train being slightly loose because of it. Your valves won't open fully, and this will affect your mileage, and performance to a degree, but other than that it will not hurt the engine in the slightest. Ever listen to an EA81 with solid lifters? They have a slight tick all the time because the "looseness" is built right into the adjustment of the valves. I have a solid lifter engine that has 330k on it with no signs of damage. It's not something to be overly worried about, and I think that unless you have a lot of rust on your car, 110k is almost brand new for a subaru. Not to mention it's a 92.... My 85 Brat has 140k and it's just getting broken in. GD

Yeah - that ring nut back there can be a real pain. I usually get the better of it with a cold chisel and a copper hammer, but for about $21 you can get the actual socket for the job. Of course this doesn't really help you since you don't actually need to pull it, but I thought I would mention it. Eventually you will have to do a rear wheel bearing.... they do fail but it can take a LONG time. I pulled a good one that was certainly original from a Brat with 180k on it.. still tight. GD

Just replace both those lines with a solid length of 5/8" heater core hose. Napa has it for about $0.99 a foot. Get some stainless hose clamps while your at it for the job. You don't need that special weird shaped hose - besides that they are thin and tend to fail. I had one split open on my Brat, and lost every drop of coolant. Good thing I had just done the head gaskets with Fel-Pro's, and milled the heads. I doubt my HG's would have held otherwise. I can take a pic of the ones in my Brat that I replaced if it would help you..... GD

Yeah - I've seen a LOT of early subaru's with replacement engines. The dead giveaway is finding a hydro lifter engine in a car that obviously couldn't have come with one stock. When installing the 5 speed, it's prefereable in my opinion to use the complete EA82 package for an off-roader (heavier flywheel = more torque), and the EA81 or the XT-6 setup for a street rig. The XT-6 setup is nice for it's stronger pressure plate. It's very simple - you use the clutch disc that fits the splines on the tranny. The rest can be pretty much whatever you want, but using the EA82 stuff (or XT-6 stuff) has the advantage that the PP fingers match the release bearing correctly. The EA81 PP fingers are not the correct size for the EA82 release bearing. Also - don't forget to transfer the timing marks to the EA82 flywheel. GD

Has it worked in the past? What has changed since it last worked correctly? I would have a look at the changes that were made when the 82 light setup was swapped over to the 83+ quad setup. Most likely you will find your problem somewhere in that non-factory wireing that you have. I doubt your problem is the ignition switch because the 82 wireing allows the lights to be on without the ignition switch turned on at all. And I have never seen a headlight switch go out. I think it's very irresponsible of your mechanic to tell you these things could be wrong without checking into the problem more closely. Speculation isn't going to help on this one I'm afraid as your symptoms are too varied and disconnected to be diagnosed from a simple description of the problem. A multi-meter and a lot of patience is the only thing that's going to fix this one.... GD

Actaully I don't - I want his pump and lines - I'll take the rack for experimention if he's giving it away tho..... And I have driven a non-PS EA82. I could easily palm the wheel at a dead stop with 165-80R13's. They really do have a nice feel to them. Not very common tho. Most EA82's had PS. Also there is the concern that the PS rack would not like having it's continous flow of fluid cut off after a time - certain parts of the rack are lubricated by the ATF, so having it just sitting in there might not be the best idea. I have run mine without the pump for short distances in the past and it was fine..... but then mine also recently died, so who knows. GD

Unless you build a high output engine, the larger tires will put you at a serious disadvantage if the speed limit is 80. I seriously doubt you could sustain 80 MPH with a 27 or 28" tire. With my 28's, I'm lucky to maintain 60 MPH up a hill on the freeway. I have hit 80 with it.... actaully I have hit about 90 or a little over, but it just can't maintain those speeds if it hits even a slight grade. On the flat, and down hill runs you would do alright. You have an 82 4 speed, which is an excelent choice for larger tires due to it's lower 3rd and 4th gears - I would keep it. A 5 speed will be basically a waste of time for you if you are going to lift it. 5th gear is not very usueful, and 4th gear on the 5 speed is about what 4th gear is on your current transmission. The only real benifit is that the 5 speed's have a slightly lower 4WD Low gear.... but it's a very slight difference. GD

What are the PS parts from? I'll come pick them up and help you "delete" it if you like..... I'm only about 1.5 hours from you. Basically, you just pull off the belt, and then you can either plug the lines for the rack, or put in a non-power rack from another car. I vote for finding a non-power rack from another EA82 - they turn nice - almost like having PS actually. But even with the power rack, and no belt you will still be able to turn it fairly easily. I ran this way on my lifted wagon for a time - even with the big tires it was managable. GD

The 4th in the 81/82 D/R is a lot lower than the 5th in the 5 speed. I can actually use 4th in my lifted wagon, where 5th hardly gets used at all on Nick's wagon with the 5 speed. The stock 82 Brat I have here will tach at 5k in 4th gear at 85 MPH.... they changed the ratio in 83 for better fuel econemy..... the 4th gear in the 5 speed might be close to the 4th in the 81/82 D/R. Actually - they changed 3rd AND 4th gear. 1 and 2 are the same I beleive. Personally for a street rig I would go with the 83+ 4 speed. I have on in my 85 Brat, and it's just fine. Has a better top speed too. GD

A lift is not required for an axle swap - that's just silly. A jack, and one jack stand is all you need. GD

That's nice that you have one, but I don't want one anyway - I want an EA82 PS rack, and this post is about how to retro-fit it. The next time I tear a boot off-road, I want to be able to find good used ones at the yard, instead of buying them from the dealer to the tune of $64 each. It's a very simple concept really, and I don't understand why I can't seem to get this point accross despite having posted it numerous times...... GD

Good lord people - I WASN'T TALKING TO ROB. And yeah, I can find them now and then - I know where one is right now, but both it's boots are torn and it looks like hell. I would MUCH RATHER put in an EA82 rack so I can replace it easier later. I can get EA82 racks all day, and my post was asking about information related to putting one in my car..... not where I can lay my hands on an EA81 rack. GD

So is Jason trying to sell it? Or was he just exclaiming his happieness at having one for himself? I'm sorry - his post wasn't very descriptive.... GD

I wasn't talking to Rob. And I'll catch him in his cell here in a minute..... we both have Nextel.... GD

*reads post above (above you Rob..), and thinks silently on how to respond to this.... finally settles on:* On a usefulness scale of 1 to 10, the information you have provided doesn't actualy register. I am forced to assume from both the time/date of the post, and the judicious use of smileys, that you are probably drunk. You are, however, not forgiven. Rob - GL-10 what?? EA81 or EA82.... sign in to the messenger you..... GD

If you are going lifted, might I sugest you consider a welded diff.... the Subaru LSD's weren't really designed for an off-road type vehicle, and tend to break loose too easily with big tires.... plus a welded diff is much cheaper..... GD

Ok - the rack on my 84 wagon is either in need of a rebuild, or is shot from too much mud. The Drivers side boot was torn, and I didn't realize it till the damage was done. The EA81 power steering racks are nearly impossible to find, and it looks, from my inspection like the EA82 rack will fit with a little work. I'm curious if anyone has done this and what their results were like. I'll have to bend the lines, or fabricate new ones, which with a tubing bender and flaring tool shouldn't be that hard. My biggest concern is with the pump, and the tie rods. I'm not sure of the tie rods are the right lenght or not, but the outer tie rod ends appear to be longer than the EA81 ends.... which leads me to think that possibly the rods themselves are already the right length, and I'll just need to thread on the EA81 ends? Is the pump going to work? Correct pressure and volume? I would just as soon put in the EA82 rack no matter what I have to do to make it work as replacments are easy to find - nearly all the EA82's I see have PS - it's actually VERY rare to see it in the EA81's.... GD