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Hello everyone, I'm back at it again with troubleshooting the TB and the fault code 24 (Duty C). The only progress I made since last posting was that I swapped TCU's. This led to no change at all. I think I'm going to swap out the Duty C solenoid again, even though this one is pretty new. When I did the ohm test at the T4 connector, it was out of range (between pins 4 and 11). I'm assuming that means the Duty C is bad? But there's is a strange thing I notice that I would like some clarification on. So when I probe the FWD fuse socket at passenger firewall (key off and no fuse installed) I get ground on both sides of socket. When I put the key on (no fuse installed) I get ground on one side and 7.9v on the other. When I install a fuse in the socket (key on), I get ground on both sides. Does this seem strange? If so, I was wondering if someone here on the forum can probe their FWD socket for me and see what readings you get? Reason is that it may help me further troubleshoot the Duty C. Another question I had has to do with sending power directly to the Duct C to by-pass the harness in case that's the problem. The schematic shows that the brown wire in the T4 connector is for Duty C. But when I probe that wire, it's ground. I thought that wire should have voltage, since the Duty C gets its ground inside the tail shaft housing. What am I missing here? Thanks guys!

I'm also getting a coolant leak out of the middle of the engine. I thought it might be the lower radiator hose, but that's not it. My mechanic said it is too cold to work, though he does have a garage, he's from SA and they do most of the work outside.

Last night I managed to repair my grille that most would have looked at and considered a total loss. The deer hit the corner of the grille and shattered it like glass. Luckily my lower valence panel caught almost all the pieces. All you need for this repair is a bottle of THF (a chemical used as a precursor for polymer synthesis) and some applicator bottles with needle tips. The THF will wick to into thin cracks where it then melts the top layer of plastic. After the solvent dries, the molten plastic molds together forming a chemical weld. To better understand and visualize this process, look up how model builders weld their models. It's the exact same process. You could also use this process to repair interior or exterior trim pieces. THF works with most plastics but it does NOT work on polypropylene (PP). Look for the plastic composition molded into the piece you're working on. For polypropylene your best bet is using an adhesion primer along with CA glue (super glue). :]

Insane video!

Thank for the tip. We live in Maryland, top of the Chesapeake Bay. They salt the roads, but not very often. I recently did have a huge problem getting rear hubs off the knuckle, so I know things can be frozen on pretty good. I'll be doing this job in the next week or so, need a clear weekend day.

Your biggest potential (though unlikey on a car this new) issue will be trying to get the ball joint out of the knuckle. It will all depend on how much rust/salt that thing has seen. The guys out west and down south don't have to worry about that and can pop ball joints all day long. The ball joint just pops out. Up here....sometimes they pop out, sometimes they don't. I've ripped t(metal shards and all) the ball joint shaft right through the actual ball itself which was left rust welded into the knuckle, then you're spending a lot of time chiseling/drilling to get the remnant of the ball joint outer casing separated from the knuckle housing and you'll need to replace the ball joint. Good chance a 2018 isn't that bad and comes right out...but if you ever do experience a rusty ball joint you will curse everyone who says "oh just pop the ball joint out" and realize they often live down south/west or are dealer guys only working on new cars under warranty. Are the current axles bad, these newer axles often run a lot of miles without issues and almost never fail. An aftermarket axle may very well fail before the originals with 200,000 miles. In rust prone areas many of us avoid the ball joint and just undo the lower strut mount bolts to replace an axle. The top bolt impacts camber, so you mark the HEAD (not the nut) of the bolt relative to the knuckle housing and make sure you install it exactly where it was before you did the work. EA81, EA82, ER27's are all front parking brakes, so yeah nothing newer than 1994!

Grab a service manual, print out the AC relevant parts and show your mechanic. There's probably a diagnostic checklist section too. https://sl-i.net/FORUM/showthread.php?18087-Subaru-Factory-Service-Manuals-(FSM)-Every-Model-USDM-EU

Original engine? 01's and some 02's were notorious for timing chain noise. I believe due to tensioners and they have jumped timing before. I've seen failed tensioners and guides, never a failed chain though I'm sure anything is possible.

If it comes to no other options, my parts guy may have a door. I remember seeing an early 4 door he had. Was fairly clean if I remember, baby blue. He's a bit of a... Collector... So he may be hesitant to let it go. But if you need I can always ask. It may take a bit for me to get it. I'd probably have to buy the whole car since it's in decent condition and he may not want to part it out. :] P.S. I believe the car is actually a first gen. I remember it having an EA63 in it. But he may have something laying around, he gathered up quite a few of these Roos.

I’d try wiggling or probing those wires when the system is on and should be functional. Otherwise get an AC specialist or auto sparky involved.

I do have a door, and I think it's fairly straight, but if I remember right, it's rusted out along the bottom. I'm working 12 hour days until next year, and won't be able to dig it out until then.

What would be a good way to go about finding a solution?

We have done a pretty extensive search on the West Coast here. From San Diego up through Washington State. Lots of later years 86-91 wagons and 4 doors but no 80-84 four doors or wagons with an intact driver side rear door yet. We have a decent offer from the insurance company as we provided comparables, but we really want to save the car if we can. It belongs to my youngest daughter, and she loves the look and driving it. Gen Zer driving a manual shift and having a blast in an 80's sedan. 😀 The issue seems to be there are very few 80-84 cars that are available right now for parts which is good in one sense but we need a door.

Very true. Rubber has a lifespan regardless. I’d bet even NOS boots would be running on borrowed time. I’d recommend trying the beck arnley boots. You can get them off amazing for about $20 a pop.

I used Lemforder 3015501 boots. I just replaced them a month ago so I cannot attest to their durability. They did feel and appear to be of OEM quality. They withstood my manhandling when installing (IYKYK) without cracking or tearing.

Good used 40 year old boots won't be good much longer... lol. I tried the ones O'Reilly sells, and they cracked almost immediately. The ones when I got a rack rebuilt by Phoenix Rack And Axle lasted six months. Have been once again driving with open boots...

IrfanView is a free download. If you show format options, you can magically set the file size to whatever you want, and the pictures still look ok.

I do have good used ones but they come with the racks that I rebuild. Have you tried the beck arnley ones? They don’t have the vent hole but I have a couple friends who’ve had good luck with them.

Do you have good boots for power steering racks, that have the vent line fitting, AND last more than a year? Both of the last options I tried cracked in six months after install.

Hey all, Hope everyone is doing well. I’m new to this forum so bear with me. Thought I’d put up a post in case anyone is looking for a rebuilder of power steering pump and racks; specifically for the 1980-1985 gen2 series Brats, GL, and DL’s. I got into this hobby because I wanted to put power steering on my own car and because of that, I now do this for other people. Here’s prices in case anyone is interested: Power steering pump: $250 plus shipping and core Power steering rack: $250 plus shipping and core Power steering swap kit: $1000 plus shipping I have loads of other stuff too so if you’re looking for something, reach out. It takes me lots of time sourcing parts and rebuilding them. I bench test every piece to verify proper operation and no leaks. If you’re interested, let me know. Happy to answer any questions. Thanks! Jeremy

Car-parts.com Has to be one on the west coast.

I got a bumper but the only one available is in very rough condition. The car it came off of clearly had a front end wreck. The metal has a lot of deformations. So I may not use the metal of the bumper. I'm thinking a rectangular tube structure that uses the bumper mount locations. The bull bar is mounted to this structure with the bushings. Then I'll modify the plastic portion of the wrecked bumper to fit over the rectangular tube structure. This way it looks like the factory bumper, but it uses a different metal reinforcement. I'd probably make this out of aluminum. I cannot find the clips on the inside of the door. They're covered by a stamped piece of metal that runs the length of the door.

The factory option bullbar is impressively flimsy. It would not provide any protection against hitting anything larger than a flying squirrel. I assume it's to keep weight down. I broke mine using it to pull myself up from a kneel... The plastic clips holding the trim on are likely very brittle. Be careful removing them.

I have a driver's side rear door I pulled off someone's parts car a while back. I can't remember which part I needed out of it now. lol. Metallic red. It has some rust and probably isn't a good pick for a clean low mileage car. I wouldn't be able to ship it until next month, or even get at it to take pictures. But, if you can't find any other options, it's here. Body shops have networks of junkyards and such that can find parts, if they're going to do the work. The insurance company is going to tell you the car is worth $2. You'll need to find ebay etc listings of super clean ones going for $6000. This may involve showing them to a judge. Insurance companies suck.