GeneralDisorder

Well - I was driving the Brat today, and it was acting completely normal. I pulled up to a stop sign about a block from my house, and the engine died. I restarted it, but it wouldn't idle. It will run at about 1000 RPM or higher, but anything below that will kill it. I got it home, added 5 gallons of fuel (in case the gauge was wrong), changed the fuel filters (front and rear), and I still have the same problem. I guess the carb needs cleaning. I have been told by a soob mechanic in the past that all they have ever had to do to the hitachi's is remove the carb top, and blow out the carb passages with compressed air. Anyone done this and been succesful? Anyone have any other ideas? This is not the feedback carb, so it doesn't have an ECU to check, or an O2 sensor, or any of that. And it runs totally normal above 1000 RPM - sounds great, and runs strong. GD

I think ALL EA82 carbs were the feedback variety. You would need all the sensors, and the ECU as well. And maybe the disty, for the ECU to work right. Probably would work. The SPFI from an EA82 will work on an EA81. They are the same displacement, and the same (basically) intake manifold. GD

Do both at the same time. Tires are PART of your alignment. If you change the tire - you change the alignment. It's that simple. Different brands of tires - while they may be marked the same for size, will differ slightly. It's all very logical really. GD

Yeah - jackstands are like $15 a pair.... your life is worth less I take it? GD

That's why I always inspect new noises.... with the wheels off the ground. Jackstands are a good thing. GD

Anything is possible - but you will need to adapt not only the engine to fit the car, but also replace the tranny, and you may have to change the length of the axles. a JDM engine won't help you much since you will need the entire wireing harness as well - ECU, all sensors, etc. Find a wrecked STi and use that. I wouldn't mess with a JDM anything, since they know they are getting rid of the motor after 50,000. The oil hasn't been changed cause they don't care. If you do - rebuild the engine carfully. Your money would better be spent on a complete, wrecked donor car. Saves time, and sanity. GD

sweeet - I got a loaner puller from Autozone, and popped the balljoints out of the control arm. Getting dark, so I'll replace them tommarow - replacement looks easy compared to removal, since I can use the nut to pull the lower half in, and the wieght of the car to push the upper half in. Looks like I'll have good ball joints soon. Total cost: 2 used balljoints - $0.00 1 loaner puller - $0.00 Total: $0.00 GD

have a driveling shop cut off those silly "non-replaceble" joints, and have them replaced with serviceable ones. Or just get a used shaft - there everywhere in the yards. GD

Yeah - but I want to do it myself. Shouldn't be that hard - someone has to have done this before.... anyone? GD

Really? Free loaner tools? I never heard about that..... amazing! GD

The haynes manual says I've got to take it to a shop.... naw - there must be a better way to get em out, and the new ones in - anyone want to share? GD

Simply remove the O2 sensor, and put a pipe plug in the hole. If they still insist on saying that it's inop, then tell them the Y pipe was replaced with a "universal" one, that is "ready" for the O2 if your car uses it (yours doesn't). Simple, but effective, and they really can't argue with it. If that doesn't do it, then get on your computer, and pull up an invoice template in excel - make yourself out a reciept for the Y pipe install from a fictional shop. Make sure to fit the word "universal" in the part nomenclature. There's only so far that those yoyo's can go to take your car off the road, and they won't waste their time investigating your claims if you have quick responses to all their questions, and act proffesional. If they give you crap, ask them "What can we do to resolve this situation?". Just find out what documents they need, and magically "create" them on your computer. hehe As for the tailpipe test - I second the Weber - it will improve your performace and mileage greatly. GD

It's also possible to get vibration from a bad DOJ on a front axle. GD

Any single wire O2 should work - get a Bosch - there like $29.00. Mine was bad (engine wouldn't even run with it connected), and I've had the Bosch in there for probably 8 months with no probs. If it went bad tommarow, for $29, I could buy 4 for the price the dealer wants. Silly if you ask me. I would NEVER pay the dealer price on something as universal as an O2. Pull yours (engine will run without it), and take it in to make sure the threads match up to the one your buying. Also remember to use anti-sieze on the threads.... lots of it. If I could find the guy that installed the one I had to pull out of my car, I would strange them with my bare hands..... GD

It's most likely a D/R since I think all GL models from 83 on up had the D/R. Not a bad price - not cheap tho for a wagon. If it's really beutiful, and low miles, then it might be worth it. Pretty spendy by Northwest standards, but maybe not for where you are. And if it's the single range - forget it. GD

Yeah - driveline is the same from a wagon. On the EA82T thing - no reason you can't use that - bell housings are the same, and will bolt to the 4 spd D/R, or the 5 spd D/R. VERY little room on either side of the engine tho - *maybe* 1/4". It's extremely tight. If you are lifting it, then the tranny tunnel won't be a problem probably, but the EA82T won't fit - with a lift, you will have to cut out the frame rails for it. You'll still need the manual tranny cross member tho. Maybe also the cross-member mounting plates too. I think those are different on the Auto's. GD

Yeah - I did have to put washers on the cross-member as well as under the cross-member mounting plate. And it does come to aobut a half inch total. I guess it would be a lift of sorts - I wonder if I could get more clearance by putting some washers on the engine cross-member as well? Might drop the tranny another 1/8" or so... maybe not tho, since the rump roast end of the tranny can't go anywhere do to it's cross-member. I did make sure that all the bolts have enough thread to grab all of the nut, even with the washers. I could always get some longer bolts and a few more washers. I think it still knocks sometimes, but it's much better now that the tranny is free to move a little. GD

Well - seems like a lot of people have done 2WD Automatic to 4WD manual conversions. This one started out in life as a 2WD 5 spd manual. Maybe that is the difference? Autos tend to be pretty hefty - even the 2WD's, so maybe they got the large tunnel too.... And that would partially explain the cross-member. The Auto cross-member definately is different. Maybe all the manual's got the same cross-member? GD

The cross-members are exactly the same, and so are the plates that mount the sway bar and the tie rods. After stareing at both tunnels many times, I finally took measurements, and the tunnel is indeed much smaller, as I had previously thought. I wish it was as Shawn thought, and just a panel that is removable.... alas that is not the case - the part of the tunnel that is smaller, is the same peice of metal that makes up the floor pan of the car - ie: to remove it you would have to dissasemble the entire car. There is just enough room for the 4WD tranny tho, provided you add some washers over the sway-bar/tie-rod/cross-member plates, and also over the cross-member itself. I added 30 washers in all to the entire assembly, and the tranny is free enough now to not rub, and to allow the 4WD selector to work freely. I think my problem is solved for now, and I should be able to take out the washers when I put in my lift, since that will raise up the tunnel to the point where it won't matter anymore. Thanks for the washer idea Miles - and thanks to Turbone for telling me about the sway-bar/tie-rod/cross-member plates - I might never have noticed that I could put washers over them if my attention hadn't been brought to them. I'm happy that I did the job without beating, or cutting the tunnel. It's still a tight fit, but it's definately acceptable. Total cost: $1.60 in washers (big zinc coated suckers). I'll try to take some pics of where I added washers so others can see what has to be done if they run into this. GD

Ok - so what I'm thinking is that I used the 2WD cross-member to mount the whole thing up. Turbone sugested that the cross-members are different, as are the cross-member mounting plates (the plate that mounts to the body, and the cross-member mounts to it, and so do the tie-rods, and sway bar). So I'm going to swap those out of the parts car, and see what happens. Shawn - the pitching stopper is adjusted back to where it was before I pulled the 2WD tranny from the car, and I don't think it would matter how I adjested it, since there isn't room for the tranny. The tranny mounts (the rubber) are squished down really tight. Ok - so I pulled off the cross-member and the mounting plates, and it doesn't rub anymore with no cross-member there. So I'll try swapping in the cross-member from the parts car - if that's not enough - I think I'll try some washers to give it a little more space. GD

Yeah - just drop the Y from the heads, and that will give you room to remove the heat shield, and then the O2. The O2 is probably in there REALLY good, so you might have to break it off, and use a box wrench to get the rest out. That's what I did. Make sure to use plenty of anti-sieze when you put in the new one. Also - don't use any silicone compounds forward of the firewall that don't say they are safe for O2 sensors. Silicone will kill an O2 real quick - even a little silicone vapor sucked into the intake.... GD

Does your car have the feedback carburator? I had this happen to me - it was the O2 sensor. Pull the wire going to the O2, and see how it runs - it will run without the O2, but it won't run at all with a BAD O2 - runs fine for a while, till it warms up, then dies. Do you have an ECS light on your dash? Check the computer for codes.... GD

Yeah - the adapter is different - they can be had for around $25 - $30 I think. Look around online. The Weber should work fine, assuming - like Turbone said, that the brat had a hitachi (very likely - never seen an 83 with the carter). Even if it didn't - just get a hitachi intake from some yard, and you'll be good. GD

You shouldn't have to remove the tie-rod at all - just remove the inner lower control arm bolt (easy), and unbolt the sway bar link (also easy). At this point, the whole hub will swing free, and the axle will pop off the tranny (assuming you've removed the spring pins). Then just beat the old axle out with a sledge, and a block of wood. There's a great post about this in the archives.... http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2576&highlight=axle+removal Like Ed says - 45 minutes - start to finish!

Anyone done this before? GD