bushytails

If (and until someone tests a pair, that's a big if) the renault ones are indeed a good fit, coilovers for that vehicle would also fit, like https://www.apmotorsport.co.uk/product-page/megane-2-rs-ast-5100-1-way . But they're waaaay out of my budget, so I haven't been looking at anything similar. If searching, be warned most seem designed to lower the vehicle, because non-subaru owners are weird.

Searching seems to say it's 55mm, not 45mm?

I sure do love my Old Gens...

I really should be in bed. lol. But my car also needs struts, and I keep looking them up... I found what may be an exact-ish replacement: Front struts for a new Renault Megane II. Wtf, really? lol. 44.5mm diameter, 545mm/21.46in extended length, 357mm/14.06in compressed length. According to https://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/157099-front-struts/?do=findComment&comment=1313458 , a 4wd strut is "Extended Length 21.25" Collapsed Length 14.00"". Spring diameter looks similar, bottom lock bracket is... different, of course, but may be able to be bent to the right place. Haven't seen specs on the top nut. Fairly cheap, but not available in the US, due to said Renault vehicle never being sold in the US. Some part numbers: BILSTEIN 22-132390 KYB 333718 KYB 633718 MONROE G16387, though the monroe comes up as 2" shorter than the others. The KYB 633718 seems like it might be the premium version, and the 333718 the maybe better excel-g version, not sure what's really different... you'd be installing them with all the subaru top hardware, of course - spring perch, bearing, mount. Want to buy a pair and let me know how they work? lol And now bed. really.

I'm finding conflicting information on whether early '80s bmw 318i/325i struts might be somewhat compatible. Possibly also some newer bmw models. Will need to do more research when not falling asleep.

I just braved the mosquitos to check, and a well-used 1984 ea81 gl wagon 2wd strut measured 44.62mm at the end, so probably 45mm nominal. a 50mm sambar strut is too wide as well as too short. And, of course, 45mm seems to be an uncommon size...

Stock ones look a *lot* shorter... There's tons on ebay, like https://www.ebay.com/itm/167537573301 , and they look like half the length...

Do you have a plan for shorter CVs? The diffs are indeed essentially the same. One's probably a 5-bolt R160 and the other a 1-bolt R160.

A sambar is a bit lighter than a brat, so the springs might be too soft. They give the lower tube diameter as 50mm, no other specs I can see. Email? You also might try finding some used/junk sambar parts and seeing how close they are to bolting up.

Drain coolant, pull a heater hose, plug off one end, hook the other end to compressed air with a valve, slowly let some in, listen for where it's hissing. If it's hissing at the carb, or out a spark plug hole...

Double clutch downshifts...

Yes. That's the EGR valve. You can definitely run without it, and some choose to do so. Happy would depend on whether you're OK with a permanent check engine light, the emissions laws in your state, and your comfort with increased NOx emissions.

Auto has EGR, manual doesn't, iirc. Or maybe it was starting in 1996 so the 95 doesn't... don't remember exactly when. But some stuff switched between auto and manual, and between obd1 and obd2.

Just swap over the intake and accessories from the old engine onto the new engine, and it'll work great. I think the timing stuff is the same, but I can't remember for sure, so you could be safe and swap the sprockets from the old engine to the new engine, since you might as well put on a timing belt, tensioner, water pump kit while you have the engine out, just to avoid having the engine out again any time soon.

I did the disc brake swap on one of my wagons, and it works perfectly with the stock master cylinder and booster, easily able to lock all four wheels. I'm guessing the problem is you can't lock the rear wheels? Is the pedal firm or spongy? If spongy at all, bleed them again, should be very solid with the disc brakes. Other problems could be bad hoses (they sometimes swell shut with age), corroded hillholder, or bad calipers. Do you get good flow from the bleeders when bleeding then rears?

Repairing a stripped spark plug hole is a much smaller project than the other options... I haven't tried, but I've seen people do it in the vehicle and just blow the chips out afterwards.

Did you pull a vacuum again after fixing the... issue? If not, the first time, you only pulled a vacuum on your manifold, not on the system? If so, you may end up with high condenser pressures due to air in the system, and need to evacuate and properly pull a vacuum (I recommend running the pump for at least a full hour) before recharging again.

Glad to help!

Ok, so you have charged the system, and the switch still does not turn on even with pressures (high and low, since the compressor is off) over 30psi? It could be 3/8-24 thread. Grab a random bolt/nut and compare...

Battery voltage fluctuating with the turn signals is normal. The two 1156 bulbs draw about 5A when hot (~27W each), and at least double that cold, i.e. every time they blink on. The stock alternator is 55 or 60A iirc. You're pulling surges of a quarter of its high-rpm rating, and you're at idle (since you can hear the fuel pump) where it can barely keep up with the loads anyway. And when the voltage dips, the fuel pump slows down. A spark when connecting the battery is also 100% normal, and does not imply anything wrong, modified or otherwise. You're charging the capacitors in every electronic module, including the radio, ECU, fuel pump controller (I can't remember if that year has one or not), cruise control module, etc etc.

I haven't worked on one of those, but the most common cause of such problems is bad wiring between the body and the door where it flexes, followed by burnt out speakers. Does opening and closing the door, or wiggling the bundle of wires to the door, make it go on and off? Does thwapping the door over the speaker make it go on and off? Does poking something through the grille and pushing on the speaker cone make it go on and off? If it's not the door flex wiring or the speaker, then look into the radio itself and the rest of the harness wiring.

Yep. It slows the oil from draining down, so everything is oilier on startup.

Have you put gauges on the system?

A bottle of Lucas can help with startup noises, although I haven't tried it on that exact engine.

If it's 5 years old, it's probably just time for a new battery, as long as it's reading >14V with the engine running, showing the alternator is good. You can try using a non-automatic charger - one with no blinky lights or any intelligence - to un-sulfate it, by disconnecting the battery from the car and leaving it on the charger for several days. You want the car disconnected because you're trying to intentionally overcharge the battery, and don't want the car seeing high voltage. An automatic charger won't work. Has to be one that's just a transformer, rectifier, and meter.