jacobs

I have a 50 watt 2 meter ham rig in my Subaru. It's powered by #12 wire to the battery. I'm sure you don't need anything as large as what I'm using since your power output is much less than my rig. As for coax, I use small diameter RG-58a/u. It's very flexable and is low loss IF it's length is under 20 feet. Coax has more loss at higher frequencies so at 27mh, your loss would be much less than on 2 meters (144-148 mh). Also, keep your rig out of the sun! It'll bake it!

Yesterday I changed out the switch on my EA82. The engine hadn't been started for at least 2 months but as soon as I loosened the switch, I found there was still pressure in the system. Once the pressure was released, little coolant was lost in the swap.

Auto Zone sells voltage regulators for about $20. The alternator is easy to disassemble and repair.

You might try a high pressure washer on the paint. If using 3000 psi pressure and hot water, you can even remove factory paint if you get the nozzle too close to the paint.

I've always blamed Subaru's tight turning radius on the short life of the front axle boots. Rear axle boots last forever.

To get the longest possible radiator life, you should: 1. Never use tap water in a cooling system. The minerals will clog the tubes. Use only distilled water. 2. Purchase a kit at your auto parts store to check your coolant pH. I believe NAPA sells them if you're having trouble finding it. 3. Check the voltage of the coolant by placing one lead of your voltmeter in the coolant and grounding the other lead to chassis ground. If you see more than 200 mv, replace your coolant.

There's a carburetor listed on eBay for a 1987 Subaru at http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&sspagename=ADME%3AL%3ARTQ%3AUS%3A1&viewitem=&item=160053291324. He claims it was removed from a turbo engine. Is this something rare or is this guy out to lunch? I've always thought all turbos were fuel injected.

I don't think your cat is a problem. My cat disassembled itself and plugged the exhaust pipe. It wouldn't hardly go up the mountain roads in Colorado but it didn't overheat. After removing the debris out of the exhaust pipe, horsepower greatly increased. BTW I run 12 to 14 degrees BTDC and run regular. Anything less = DOG

When replacing plug wires, I always use steel or copper wire instead of the resistor type. Yes, radio interference is sometimes a problem BUT solid wire types will last forever. If you decide to go this route, you must make them up yourself by buying a roll of wire and the necessary ends as manufactures no longer offer them made up.

When replacing coolant, be sure to use distilled water with your antifreeze instead of tap water. Minerals in tap water will plug small passageways in the radiator and heater core.

If you have a good 50-50 mix of antifreeze and it isn't acidic, letting a car sit for 30 years won't affect the radiator. I've done exactly that! Check for bubbles in your radiator while it's warm and idling. If you see any bubbles, you have a bad head gasket and that will cause it to overheat.

Watch fleaBay ahhh eBay for factory service manuals. An incomplete set of 1987 manuals just sold for about $15.00 there.

Correction - Chinese bearings need to be replaced with EVERY belt change! You get what you pay for. Quality costs more money.

Correction - It's called "Motor-Vac".

OR pop out the seals on the old bearings and repack them. Bearings will last almost forever IF they don't run dry.

When I have the time, I listen to the "NAPA Auto Care Show" on radio station KHOW out of Denver, Colorado on Saturday mornings which is hosted by ASE certified mechanics . They regularly recommend doing a "motor flush" to remove carbon deposits in injectors and combustion chambers. They say this process costs between $100 and $200 depending on the shop doing it and takes several hours to do. They have also said if you want to do it yourself, just add one quart of #2 diesel fuel to 20 gallons of gasoline and drive this blend for 1000 miles. I ran this blend in two of my vehicles for 1000 miles and they ran excellent the entire time. I could not tell any difference in performance or gas milage. After the 1000 mile clean up I couldn’t tell any difference in economy or performance. Evidently my vehicles didn’t have any excess carbon deposits but it didn’t hurt anything either.

Are there any advantages in using the new style bearings over the old style? I just repacked my old style bearings with 350,000 miles on them and they looked like new.

Why is the "jiggle pin" a must have? I've used 160E unmodified GM thermostats in the summer for the last 15 years without any ill effects. The reason I change to the lower temp in the summer is it eliminates the hot soak carb problems.

Thanks Gary, It crossed my mind that maybe dirt and or snow might build up and throw the belts off but evidently that's not a problem. I left my front covers off so I could monitor and replace belts easier. I wasn't doing it for the looks.

GD, Please explain why would a person would be sorry if they left the rear covers on. I left my rear covers on (fronts are off) but I haven't driven it over 5 miles since I replaced the timing belts. Should I remove them?

It seems like I read in a previous post here that with a "little" grinding on the front caliper, they will fit.

GD, Without the rear covers, how do you line up the marks on the cam sprokets when replacing the belts?

A previous owner of my 86 wagon once had a hitch on it that attached to the bumper. The bumper is still bent and some of the steel bracing needs to be welded. I have no idea how large of a load was placed on it but I'd be hesatent of bolting anything to the bumper that's heavier than a license plate.

I can almost guarantee you have a poor ground on your headlight.

I installed new O-rings in my hill holder about 7 years ago and it hasn't leaked since. Just make sure you use o-rings compatible with brake fluid - I may have used viton but not sure. Make sure you don't use buna-N as it is NOT compatible with brake fluid. Oh - and of course they are metric.