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An old trick for tracking down pesky engine sounds is to use a stick. Something like an old broomhandle cut to about 2 feet long is perfect. Put one end on the engine where you suspect trouble, and the other near (or on, depending how well you want to hear) your ear. It is amazing how the individual...

Anyways, I alway's try to run the car for few minutes to get everything dislodged and moving, then wait around 5 minutes to let the oil work it's way back to the pan, then check the level. Are you guys being consistant in your checks? You probably are, I'm just throwin' it out there. Uh, perhaps yo...

There is an old saw that goes: under normal driving conditions, most engine wear comes from the first few minutes of operation after startup. If you believe this, then a long period of driveway idling is perhaps the worst way to warm up a car. This may be one reason that some manufacturers explicitl...

The car starts fine and idles well, but from about 30 seconds after start unitl about 2 minutes after start, the engine boggs badly whenever you give it a bit of throttle. RPM drop to almost zero -- you can stall it if you persist. After a couple of minutes everything is fine. No other drivabilty pr...

The pics look pretty bad, but it is worth a shot. Probably the hardest part will be to get the pulley set on true. Set the epoxy (quickmetal, JB, whatever) first and use the pulley bolt and washer to snug everything up. Check for true -- you may need to use some shims to true up the pulley. Maybe a ...

As you are open for suggestions --- here is one. Instead of trying to pin the pulley to the timing gear, or maybe in addition, consider the idea to use a dowel pin on the pulley after you get the JB weld in. This was already suggested in this thread. The idea is, you need something to keep the pulle...

subyluvr, I'd just go ahead and try it at home. Part of the fun is making do with the tools you have. (Even if it takes a couple of days of headscratching to get it done.) Of course, professional mechnics have a completely different objective; they need the tools, or farm out the job to someone who ...

Ok, I'm back after a short absence. Thanks for your thoughts on this. As it turns out, an EJ20 non-turbo with 5MT is exactly what I am driving around -- which is fine as far as it goes, but I wouldn't bother to ship it half way around the world. Good sense seems to dictate that I look for a good, co...

NIgel gave us some good shots on the PS pump. I gathered parts and finally got around to doing the job only this weekend. Did it go? The short answer is yes and no. If you want to do this here are some things to be aware of. I got a lot of info from a friendly steering shop when I discovered the par...

I've been away for a bit and not followed up properly. Good on you to all those who've been replacing steering racks recently! As you have found out, it's not particularly hard to do. Can I answer a couple of questions that have come up. First, a 'pickle fork' is not a great way to remove the rod en...

A complete engine with management bits. I assume I can get the associated mechanical parts (clutch, pedals, whatever) for the swap in NA from a sedan. But which engine to start with? Turbo, twin turbo, EJ20 or EJ22? (if that makes sense) 2.0, 2.2 or 2.5 litre? I take your point about shipping the tr...

This may not be a reasonable request, but here goes. Is there a decent list of engines used in the 1990-2000 legacy series, and a short description of the features and weaknesses of each? After owning my 91 EJ20 SW for 6 months, I am seriously impressed and would consider getting one to replace it w...

If you don't want to pay dealer prices for sealant, you might want to look at a product called Hylomar. It is a type of non-setting sealant designed both for gaskets and metal to metal joints. It can take the place of silicon, and eliminates the worry about little pieces breaking off and clogging oi...

The boots on the steering rack are not really meant to keep fluid in, just water and dirt out. Inside are high pressure seals which are not easy to change. Easiest solution is to swap in a used but tight rack from a wrecker. It is fairly expensive to rebuild the rack (here $150 used, $350 rebuilt, a...

I don't understand why you feel vacuum bleeding takes longer than the normal technique, though; all I do is hook up the vacuum to the bleeder, suck fluid out until I think the master cylinder is low, top up the master cylinder, and continue. You are right of course, it is six of one, half a dozen o...

It's still the easiest way IMO, because you don't hafta realign any strut bolts or anything like that. And once you've hammered that joint out once and broken all that corrosion, it will be MUCH easier the next time Not to beat a dead horse, but there is nothing to realign if you release the inner ...

I think there is quite a differnce between PS fluid change and brake fluid change. In the case of the PS, there is a low pressure return line, so the new fluid is well mixed with the old very quickly. If you use the turkey tool a couple of times you have very little old fluid left in the system. The...

At only 17K, consider it possible that the new clutch you buy might fail before the one you currently hold in your hand! I wouldn't do it. Since you have a bit of clutch judder, and haven't seen thousands of clutches in varying states of failure during your lifetime, why not take the clutch and pres...

I think you're right about 1 litre. That would be the case for every car I've owned. Unfortunately, my owner's manual is in Japanese :( I did look over at Josh's site where he scanned an early nineties owner's manual in english and sure enough, it says 1 litre. (or one US quart, almost the same) so ...

Something odd, I'd like to get confimed. What is the oil volume required to take the sump level from LOW to FULL on an EJ20 (1991 quadcam, naturally breathing)? I'd been monitoring oil level on this new (to me) car for a few weeks and was happy to see it was using essentially no oil. Then about 1500...

Oh, oh, .... And be aware that the official Haynes method of getting the axles out (removing the lower ball joint) is not necessary. Just remove the front inner control arm bolt and disconnect the sway bar link. The rear control arm bush has more than enough flex to allow the axles out. Ball joint m...

Got the elf 'synthetic' into the transmission. The $22 stuff. Turns out it is in fact a GL-5 dino oil, so now everyone is happy. Except my transmission. The 4-->3 syncro is definitely worse now with the fresh lube. The oil that came out was very dirty, and the mag drain plug was covered with black m...

Subyluvr2212 You REALLY need to skim through my stickied thread at the top of this forum, and try the remedy that fixed it for me. Your tranny might still be A-okay, but grinding gears because this fool put synth in it... Yes, I've already seen these threads. You've tried harder than most to sort it...

This thread is getting more fun by the minute! Brilliant pictures! Love the rings! Newfielady: the rings are cool but a notorious way to lose a finger. If you short out any live electrical points in the engine bay with your ring, you can weld the ring and lose your finger. PLEASE make sure the batte...

Great news that you got the bolt out, and very nice job you did of it too. The idea to make a sleeve to guide the drill is great -- you've got more than enough chutzpah to complete this job! Can I suggest a next step? You need to determine if the timing gear behind the pulley is solid. For that you ...