subaru1988

The Factory Service Manuals that are floating out there have bolt sizes and torque measurements in them. What I would do is match the bolt to the bolt/torque sizes in the guide. You could then use the exploded diagrams in the FSM as a map to show you where a bolt that size could have come off on the areas you actually worked on.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/osc-935/make/subaru/model/loyale/year/1990 ^ That's the one I have, and for the money, I'm impressed with it. The hoses went right on with no issues, however, it is NOT an "exact fit". You have to persuade the core support with some body tools (or hammer and pieces of metal/wood) to get it in there, but it's not a big deal. I find it hard to believe you can't get a radiator cap at your local parts store.

On the coolant loss...How old is your radiator? My car would run at 3/4 up the gauge in most driving conditions for years and years and mysteriously lose a small amount of coolant with no obvious leak or smoke. The radiator was shot. The fins were falling out of it with a slight leak, and I couldn't see any of this because of the fan. I know it had a leak because I could see the residue from it after I took the rad out. I only saw it when it was time for a timing belt job and I removed it all for better access. You can get a small universal fan at Autozone to replace it if necessary.

Not sure if what I was told was BS, but I had the windshield replaced on my '88 Wagon a few years ago. The guy that did it told me that if he finds rust holes when he takes the old windshield off, he would not put a new windshield in it, and he wouldn't put the old one back in either! I'm not sure what the reason was for this, but I thought it was a total load of crap because a decent running car would be obviously useless at that point thanks to a little rust under the windshield! That said, I knew for a fact the car didn't have any rust in that area, so I told him I'd take the chance. The moral here is if you're checking for rust in that area by getting a new windshield, be aware that if you can't put the old windshield back in it's place by yourself, you're going to get a crash course in learning how to do it if leaving people hanging for rust holes under the windshield is now the industry standard.

You can buy yourself a cell phone holder for the windshield, and then you can download a speedometer app for either iOS or Android. Problem solved if you don't want to mess with the cable in the meantime.

Aside from that rotten area, it sounds like a decent car. One thing to think about right now is the cost of a used car and the cost of gas. I wouldn't be surprised if that car can get close to 30 MPG. It also depends on how much you paid for the car. If all of this lines up in your favor, it just might be worth it to reasonably REPAIR it. As others have said, you'll never really be able to fix it. That's what I'd shoot for, especially with gas prices the way they are. I'm sure there is someone out there can essentially make a "gussett" from one part where there's clean sheet metal to the other end with a ugly floor patch more than likely on top and under the seat. You're not going for looks here, just function to get a few more years out of the car. I've seen this kind of repair done on old American cars, on both full frame and unibody. Is it factory strength? Probably not. Did it work "good enough"? Yes.

Interesting.. So it's basically looking for severely worn balls, cups, and cages then? As in deep scoring, I guess? I can't see how else they could wear. I think this is worth a try. On a straight road at steady speed, I have no axle noise. It's only when accelerating and somewhat when turning. Like I said, these axles have more than 80,000 miles on them even though they aren't OEM, so they must be half decent quality. Looks like a boot kit and a good cleaning and repack is the best place to start.

I'm pretty sure I have a drift size that is one that was suggested on some post on this site. So the holes are slightly offset if you do it wrong..? Would it be wise to put something smaller through the hole first to make sure it's right before sticking the retaining pin in? This is the part that gives me pause because I remember reading a post on here where someone had the whole shebang stuck to the tranny with really no way of getting it off! Great idea about the anti-seize for nut and joints, and like you said, maybe I can back off the torque a tad when I use it. Ball joints have pried out of the control arm many times, and the boots show it, which is why I might change them out. I think the car has had 3 pairs of axles in it. What I actually meant was is a crowbar enough to pry the threaded end of the ball joint out of the control arm? Good point about having it apart more recently than 15 years makes it easier to take it apart. I guess what I can do is mark the axle hole position with some paint, check the VALLEY and RIDGE position, and make sure it's right. Sounds to me like the idea is to key the axle to the shaft using a spline? Thanks to your description and DaveT, I know exactly what to look for now. This is interesting, because the last time an axle was done on the car, it kept loosening up. I'll bet the shop that did it last didn't bother cleaning the splines. What I'll do is clean all the splines with brake cleaner, and grease them all. Anyone have any input on whether axles that click only when turning can just be repacked and rebooted? Mine have at least 80K on them, so they must be 1/2 way decent even though they aren't OEM. Thanks so much for all the great tips! Glad the OP posted this thread even though my car is bone stock so I don't have the added component of working around mods.

Any thoughts on which impact is best for this? So you use a 3/4 breaker bar. I can see why. I had to take the axle nut off one time to swap out a rotor, and I broke a 1/2 inch breaker bar. I couldn't move the damn nut and had to drive it to a local place so they could get it off. As a matter of fact, they put it on so stinking tight. What do you use to remove move the ball joint out of the knuckle? Is a crow bar enough? Thanks for the tips! I do have the XT FSM. I don't think I have "rust" that will be a nightmare, but I will definitely use lots of penetrating oil. I also thought about swapping ball joints when I have it all apart. I've been using the grease needle sort of band aid fix as you suggested awhile back, and it works pretty good. Seeing this guy's post kinda made me wonder if I was making a little too much out of this job when people are swapping these axles on the side of a road with hand tools. This hole deal is something new to me. Is there a chamfered hole or something on one side? Could I see it on the old axle and mark it on the new axle? I would assume the axle retaining pin is tapered. Not trying to hijack the OP's post here. I just read what he said about doing this on the side of the road, and thought I'd ask how he was getting it done.

Do you carry a breaker bar and torque wrench with your for the axle nuts? How do you get all the details down to do the job right on the side of the road? You must have figured out a short cut to get access to the axle to get it out? Serious question here as I have a worn boots on mine that are going to need replaced at some point. I can't say I'd be willing to attempt it on the roadside, though :p

You can also make one with a couple round, metal electrical box covers and an assortment of bolts and nuts. I did this by using my cam sprocket as a template for the holes. It worked pretty good. The FSM says the torque on the tensioner bolts should be 13-15 ft. lbs, FWIW.

Something to this effect might work...A slide hammer might be worthwhile to try if you can't quite get it. Taking the radiator and grille off is well worth it, IMHO.

I've ran the "clear gas" in my 50 year old Chevrolet, and I saw very little difference from E10 other than the fact that it doesn't evaporate so damn fast when it sits for more than 3 days. I'm not sure the extra .50 is worth it. However, some people like yourself have seen real results from it. For anyone that wants to try it, here's THE site for finding ethanol free gas: https://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=or I assume this is a Hitachi carb, and you can get the secondary hung up when you floor it. I've had this happen on a non-Subaru, but it's probably the same carb. Next time it happens to you, get out and check the vacuum secondary plate linkage on the outside of the carb.

At your age, your parents are not only thinking about safety, they're thinking about the fact that it will cost THEM more money than it's worth to keep it on the road for you. It's one thing to keep these cars going reliably by doing the work yourself, it's a whole 'nother deal to be paying someone to do this or that to keep it working right. Honestly, old Subarus can be cheap enough that if you (or your folks) get a newer car you could still get the oldie to work on as a "project" that runs and drives. You'd learn a lot too. That said, not only do you need to buy the car, you also need to invest in a decent tool set to do the work on it. The skills and tools, however, you will own for LIFE. As for safety, yea, newer cars are "safer". The problem is you can then have faulty Takata airbags, wonky gas pedals, bad seat belts, etc. etc. There is a trade-off too. All this stuff requires a run to the dealer or shop if not recalled and that means $$$$.

I'm used to cars with a driveshaft, but CV axles wearing out isn't just a Subaru issue. I can vouch for this, I have one waiting to go in. I've read people on here have done this job on the side of the road in 20 minutes. I've also read you can redo your Subaru OEM axles. Seems to me that if you have axles that are getting bad and you never changed them and the guy before you never changed them, you're somewhat ahead of the game by having OEM axles to rework. I'd give putting in the axles a shot. If it runs great and you get it on the road again, what do you really have to lose? Sounds to me like it's cheap, reliable transportation that probably gets decent mileage. Not a bad thing to have with $4 gallon gas.