cap86

Also a good idea, thanks... I'll see how many threads are in there.

Comes in handy for positioning the cam-sprocket and when applying 18 ft/lbs Torque to the belt for the tensioner adjustments.

Thanks for the responses guys. grossgary - Great Idea! you made my day. I've never done a heli-coil and the thought of doing it first time in cramped quarters like that is not a happy prospect. (the tensioners and idler are new, came with that PCI kit.) I have a bucket full of sooby bolts shouldn't be too hard to find something.

I just discovered that a 36mm socket (we all have one of those right!?) fits nicely over the three bolts in the center of the cam sprocket.

I'm soooo Screwed... The PCI belts LOOK OK but theyre made in China so they'll probably snap in about a week. (The Idler and Tensioners look good.) Anyway, I get them on and then I found it... one of the drivers side tensioner pulley bolts has been stripped by some dolt (It wasn't me... honest! I was even using a torque wrench) what are the chances that the other bolt will hold it? The one in the slot is the one that's stripped.

Wrong pads?

Look under the bumper for a hide-a-key... (it could happen). See if one of the windows will force down a bit that would be a big help. otherwise just tinker around with wire & stuff. I've done it both ways, straight stick to the opposite door and coathanger. You or somebody will get it eventually. if one of the window cranks is in a good position, hook the hanger end over the crank & pull it up.

A low tech trick I've used at times to stop an engine from turning is to remove a sparkplug and feed about 15' of clothesline into the chamber with the piston down. Be sure to leave enough rope outside so you can pull it back out.

Great. Both are SPFI

I picked up a really sweet running 72k/mi ' 87DL 4dr/sdn (rusted body) it's an AUTOMATIC and I'd like to swap it into my 87GL Wagon 4WD/STICK. Are there any major complications doing this?

I've had timing belts go but this is a new one for me, the Idler Bearing on the driver side timing belt disintegrated. The car kept going, (Wife drove it home - "the car is making a funny sound Dear") but sounded like it had thrown a rod and was chugging along on 2 cylinders. Engine only has 190K/mi +/- on it. (The surprising thing is that the belt looks fine.) I got a kit that includes tensioners and the idler on eBay for $65 - made by "PCI - Preferred Components Inc." anbody know if they are any good?

On an 86GL wagon Where is it? what does it look like? I have parts from a parts car but no idea what I'm looking for. Any help would be appreciated.

I think my car has the same or a similar problem. (86GL/carb 4wd) the car dosen't die completly, but rather bucks & cuts out (rapid in/out) quickly and repeatedly and effectively kills any forward momentum. it started as just a relatively rare occurance at highway speeds but seemed to recover if you coast to a stop or put in the clutch and then it would either repeat the problem or go away over several months it got more frequent and now it's at the point that it happens whenever the engine gets under a load like going up a hill or moving along in the upper RPM range. It seems completly electrical in nature because when it happens the entire car cuts out/ dash lights come on 4wd light etc blink on & off with the cutout. does not seem like a fuel starvation (filter/pressure/pump) problem which would only affect the motor, not electrical system. I've seen the discussions here about jumpy tachs etc and have tried the recommended fixes... i.e. I tried another distributor, no better. then I replaced the ignition coil, no better. unplugged the alternator, no better. I was wondering if there is some kind of fuel system module that cuts power to the entire system or something like if there is an accident it would cutoff the fuel pump & electronics. could it be something like that going bad? It just seems like some kind of electronic control module going bad. I haven't replaced the fuel filters or pump yet because it just dosen't seem fuel (liquid) related. Any ideas?

If everything checks out, I'd go for it.

High roof / Touring wagon !?! never saw one of those... anybody have a picture?

Good info in there about fixing the ticking - Thanks! Unfortunately the link to the write-up from "one of our fellow Subaru nuts from Austrailia", the one about disassembling the lifters, no longer works. Does anyone have a copy of the article or another place to view it? I'm still curious about what, if anything, the ticking is doing to the engine? Should I worry about what four years and 85,000 miles of ticking has done? It still runs like it did at 102,000mi - will it get worse? will something snap? My Soob-a-Guru has said that as long as the oil pressure is enough to register on the gauge that everything will be OK as long as the pump gets replaced at the next timing belt change. Is he nuts or is this OK too? CAP86

What is the current thinking on the Ticking and Tapping? Six years ago I picked up a 87 GL 42wd wagon with 102k/mi. on the clock it had an intermittent ticking. Now it has 185k and it has an intermittent ticking... not significantly worse than when I got it. A while back I replaced the oil pump which did wonders for the oil pressure but no real change to the ticking. Would it help to go to a thicker oil? thinner oil? any other ideas. I figured that the ticking would get worse & force a decision but that dosen't seem to be happening. Will the ticking lead to some kind of catastrophic failure? if so, will there be a warning? (how much?). A long time ago I decided to sidestep the endless cycle of new car payments and overcomplicated cars that can't be repaired. I feel that, for the purpose of good reliable transportation, cars were essentially perfected in the 80's and any improvements since then (aside from airbags) are only complicating things and raising prices to rediculous levels. I zeroed in on the 1986 GL 4wd wagon as the perfect all-around vehicle for many reasons. My wife and I, and two of my sons all drive them and we have a stockpile of cheap parts cars for spare parts. Everything is interchangeable between our cars and everyone knows how to fix them. The fleet averages about ten cents per mile in operating costs (includes COST OF CAR, maintenance, gas & oil). I'm planning on using these cars forever. I drive sensibly on and off roads, keep up the maintenance and have been expecting a major engine meltdown for years but it never happens.... (3/4million miles & counting). I have several parts car engines and was wondering if I could rebuild one myself (shadetree mechanic for decades) and keep it at the ready. Is there much rebuild knowledge around here or any good places to have one rebuilt? I frequently travel 1000 to 2000 miles on trips and don't want the ticking time bomb to get me far from home, so I'm wondering if I need to address the ticking or just live with it... (the higest mileage car has 250k/mi and ticks less than some of the others...)

Beachbum, not sure what condition the a/c was in what are you looking for?

DMI in Scranton! He knows Soobs inside & out, is HONEST and reasonable too. I've been dealing with him for a dozen years or so and wouldn't take a Subaru to anyone else. If you have a big $$$ job or are not sure about the mechanic... give him a call it might be worth the trip.

I'm stripping a couple of 86 GL 4wd wagons for parts to keep my survivor/drivers going into the future, and was wondering if it might be easier to lift the stripped body off the drivetrain (most of the weight will be gone, doors, winshield, interior etc.) Any problems doing it this way?

I've fixed a bunch of them over the years. You just push the material out of the way of the end cap and wind it back up.