Well, I got my hands on a nice GL-10. Obligatory picture:







(I quickly removed my alloys from the Tin Can and put them on the GL-10)

I have a couple questions maybe you fine fellow subaru folk can assist with.

Most concerning are these weird holes I found in the head, near the exhaust manifold. I put the car up on a lift at work and was looking it over for the first time when I saw these.
Please, please tell me they're normal casting holes or something. Pictures:












I don't remember ever seeing anything like that on any of my naturally aspirated ea82s, and the Tin Can is in Jersey right now so I can't look. Any ideas wtf is up with that?

Next, I have a slight stumble at real low RPM when I hit the gas. Like, taking off from a stop, it seems to sputter for a moment, and then start picking up speed. I haven't even pulled a spark plug out yet though, so for now I'm chalking that up to tune up required.

Then there's the surging. It's so slight, but noticeable. While accelerating, say from 25 to 45, you can hear it and you can feel it. It's as if the throttle opens up just a bit more than I have it pressed at, then goes back, then increases, then goes back, then increases, etc. You can hear the motor gaining and relenting. It's slight, but it's annoying, and I'd like to fix it. TPS? Chalk this one up to tune up as well?

And finally, there's the air suspension. I'm researching that as much as possible on here, but I thought I'd ask now and see if anybody knows any good ways to repair the leaking shocks. Is it possible at all? Vinyl patches, anything? My driver's side shocks seem to hold air pretty well, but the passenger side leaks out overnight.
I'm also having trouble getting the rear pass side to inflate. I know that it can inflate, because I've (somehow) gotten it to raise fully before, but it seems real finicky. I've only heard the solenoid on that shock click once, and that was when I applied 12v directly to it, but then it wouldn't click anymore no matter the polarity. I can't tell if it's clicking when I push the button because it's too far away from me and the other shocks clicking makes it inaudible if it is.

Then there's the system itself. I don't understand it. I get that there are relays that control the air flow into and out of the bags, but it just doesn't make sense when I look at it. The rear in particular. There's only two things attached to the relay that I can tell, the wires and one air line. The other air line goes directly into the shock. This doesn't seem logical to me, I don't get it. I will have to look at the driver's side to see if it is the same.

Well, I guess I've rambled a bit on and on, I'll close this out now and keep updating as I progress. Thanks for reading

Sweet condition!  No cancer rust anywhere?  Must have been well looked after, ...nice.  What year and how many miles? I can't help with your other questions, but the holes look strange to me also.  Maybe the air shocks can be redone with low-tech regular shocks.  Looks great and good luck the car. 

I have seen pics on here of heads with those holes in them.

 

I'll try to locate and post them.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/150559-brand-new-ea82t-gen3-heads-what-are-these-worth/

 

Some pics in this thread.

I had that surging at cruising speed once, took forever to track it down. In the end, the TPS wasn't getting good ground into the ecu. I simply ran a new ground wire from the TPS to its pin at the ecu, it ran perfect after that. Sorry, I can't remember which one of the four TPS wires is the ground. Easy to determine, thou.

I've also seen the weird casting holes in the head. Nice ride, btw.

yep, those odd holes are normal from what i recall about EA82 heads I have had. Can I say do yourself a favour and give the thing a 100,000 mile service. Throw in some fuel cleaner first and run it through, then renew fuel filter. Unless...previous owner did all that stuff to make it easier to sell but from my experience, most sellers are pretty thrifty in doing anything that involves time or money. One major knockback of work from a workshop used to be " we're gonna sell it soon - no point" Then you see the end result at a car yard being sold as a nice clean pre-loved beast ooh, my sides hurt.

 

See if it still plays up once it has had some fuel cleaner, new air, oil and fuel filter, new plugs , leads and cap n rotor.

 

A new timing belt kit might do wonders too, then some oil seal conditioner if you believe in it

Edited February 28, 201610 yr by jono

 

 

 

A few pics of EA82 heads with those casting holes in them. I have these here in my possession.

 

 

These are EA82 SPFI heads, I believe are off the '92 Wagons engine.

 

 

Also note; that in the 1st pic, the EA82  marking is underlined. I thought that was only for MPFI/Turbo heads.

 

 

edit:

 

This is a top few of same heads.

 

 

 

end edit:

Edited February 28, 201610 yr by TomRhere

Try cleaning out the air sensor (MAF) with special MAF cleaner.  That could fix the hesitation.