GeneralDisorder

On the bright side, the thermostats are cheap ($12 from the dealer - and you should ONLY buy them from the dealer...), and quick to change. Less than 30 minutes if you are taking your time. That includes draining and putting back the coolant. GD

Then they might sell it real cheap. Especially if they have had it for a long time and haven't been able to move it. Rareity works in your favor sometimes. GD

Yes GD

Yep - those rear axle cups are just a weak design. That's why I'm switching over to U-joints for the short term. Long term solution will probably be a VW vanagon rear end and Porsche CV's - 10"+ of travel!! GD

Depends on the yard, but most yards where you pull them yourself it's $100 for a short block, and $150 for a long block. $50 for a head. If you get one off the "shelf" it's more like $200 and up - depending on what type of engine it is, and what the demand for them is. GD

In some respects, yes. They own a joint manufacturing facility in the midwest that produces both brands. Isuzu makes some good stuff - the old troopers were nearly unkillable, and they make an extremely durable small deisel engine for generators and such. So good in fact that the US military uses them for the newer TQG's (Tactically Quiet Generator) that are replacing the noisy generators they have been using since Korea.... (can you tell I was a generator mechanic in the Army? hehe) GD

No dual range, sorry. Only a push-button 5 speed single range. Not really possible to add a dual range either because the engine is tranversely mounted. They really are unlike any of the subaru's you are familair with..... GD

You *can* lift anything. There was a lifted Dodge Neon on ebay a while back..... was running 38's too. GD

I don't know about the 82 - on my 84 they came on together, but the second fan (thin one) ONLY comes on when the AC is turned on. The other one is controlled by the thermoswitch. Only cars with AC had two fans, so unless your AC is going you should only need one fan anyway. Note however, that the primary fan *could* turn off while the AC fan is still going if the temp was low enough. 82's have some different electrical stuff than other years so it may be different on yours. Also - the fans don't do anything if you are moving more than 25 MPH. So if you still overheat while going down the road - the fans are not your problem. GD

Jeez - $469? I can get them local for $375.... GD

$15 from any good stereo shop. They will try to tell you it's for an EA82. You will have to lose your ashtray though.... GD

The guage may not be reading correctly, or the sending unit for the guage may not have the correct resistance anymore. Other than the guage is there any reason for you to believe it's overheating? Does the radiator cap blow? One of those laser temp checking tools would be good. Point it at the radiator and see what kind of temps you can get. Then try it on the sending unit in the maniflold... Of course if your radiator is broken, then a new one is the right thing to do. I probably would have got one from the junk yard myself and had it pressure tested and gone through. It's cheaper that way. New ones are around $120, and having an old one refurbed is around $70. But they can sometimes be hard to find depending on your location. And some people don't have time for JY's, so I completely understand where your comming from. GD

I've seen EA82's with auto-adjusting rear drums..... GD

Yes - all new subaru's still come with the little tool bag. Just remember - there are many right ways to do things. There are benifits to each type of design, and there are drawbacks. Some you can see, and some you can't. Sometimes the only benifit of one design over another is that it's cheaper to make, or it can be made of machinery the company already owns. Asking why they did this or that is like asking why it's raining - you will never get an adequate answer, although I'm sure someone will try. The answer to why did they use a HO designed engine is because they *could*. Subaru was trying to get into the US market - to do this they needed a vehicle that was both cheaper than the domestic cars, and more reliable and economical. Someone probably realized that up to that point in time (early 60's), the only foreign company to be widely succesful in this market was VW. They were an obvious choice for who to copy. The 360's look suspicously similar to the beetle in many respects, and the engine design wasn't far off either (air cooled, all-aluminum construction, rear-mounting, etc). When it came time to up the engine size, and build a bigger car, the choice was again VW, but with Subaru's own "improvements", such as water cooling (with that comes front mounting for easy radiator placement). GD

I will say it again - VERFIY your guage. They ARE NOT ACCURATE. Neither are the sending units. Thowing parts at a problem is not the best way to troubleshoot. It's very expensive, and it seems obvious that you did not need a new radiator. I understand your frustration, but one of the fundamental rules to finding a problem such as this is that you start cheap and work your way up. Sending units and junk yard guage clusters are cheap in comparison to a new radiator. Radiators here on the left coast rarely go bad. I have yet to need a replacement on any of the EA81's I've worked on. I've even sent a couple to my friend at City Radiator here in Portland only to find that they were in pristene condition after several hundred thousand miles and over 20 years of use..... GD

Nissan key blanks are all you can get these days. Same ignition. My key's (one's a cole, and the other is an ilco) both have a "62DT" on them. I'm guessing that's the model of blank you should use. One says Datsun, the other says Nissan. GD

Doubtful - others have complained of this too. The problem is the carbs are no longer made in Italy - they are made cheaply in Mexico where little things like casting marks mean little to them. If you saw the quality of the rest of the redline "kit" you would understand. It's WAY below what I expected for the inflated, rediculous price I paid. Besides that I doubt redline is interested in remaning a cheap peice of aluminium when they can just press out another one. The time and work involved in measureing and re-bushing all the little passages and throttle bore's and such is too expensive. It's easier to buy scrap aluminium and just make new castings. GD

I have never had problems with squeal on the EA81 front's. I do use the red anti-squeal compound on my pads tho. If the fronts alone were working properly you wouldn't have to pump the pedal. Sounds like a leak or something. Replace those rear cylinders and bleed the system well. Rear's will squeal when they are out of adjustment..... GD

Actually - strange you should mention this because in almost every case I can think of Subaru has copied someone else's design. The engine is a water cooled version of the VW bug engine, and the rod shift transaxle is also a bug rip off.... As for the lug pattern - it's always stronger to have your lugs spaced farther apart. Just another example of the over-engineering that went into the early soobs. GD

Yeah - For the Fram ones it doesn't list your year on the book - just use any Brat listing (87 works). Should still be in the book. But please don't use the Fram stuff at all if you can help it. GD

I see a LOT more XT's Jon. I see a couple a day. A Brat is still a rare sighting...... wait - no it isn't - I have my own. HAHAHAHAHA. Everyone wants a Brat - seems they are getting *more* popular. I stopped by Nicky Nighteyes place yesterday (smack in the heart of the ghettooooo), and got comments from his friends and neighbors. And mine has three shades of blue panels, and body damage! GD

Actually - most subaru engines are non-interference, so breaking a belt is no problem. This is not the case on all of the newest EJ engines, but for a long time it was. The EA82 is the same - broken belts are common, and a pain, but will not damage anything. The disty runs off the drivers side cam - so if that side's belt is broken, the cam doesn't turn, so neither does the disty. The inspection holes have little rubber covers on them - look close at the belt cover and you will see them. Basically you have to stick you finger in there and feel for a belt..... GD

It's critical that the engine not have any misfires while idleing. Get rid of ALL vacuum leaks as this will lead to a rough idle. Most problems with emmissions on Subaru's are at idle. Getting the carb tuned right is critical to getting the right mixture at idle. Make sure the ignition system is in top form (coil, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and points/condensor). Ignition problems will lead to misfires, and a single misfire will cause a LOT of unburnt fuel to contaminate your exhaust. GD

My bet is on the timing belts - try turning it over (by hand with the crank pully bolt) to see if the disty turns. If it does then check the inspection holes on the other belt to see if that one blew. If it's just belts and the price is cheap, snag it. As for getting to the ignition switch - you can take the column plastic off and unscrew the switch from the lock cylinder. The switch turns with a flat blade screwdriver. This won't unlock the steering, but it will allow you to start the engine. GD

The dealership is as cheap as any place really. WIX (same as NAPA) is good also. Fram is BAD - stay away. I like the WIX fuel filters - the engine bay mounted one is clear so you can see the element. Nice. Again - NAPA is the same thing. GD