subbum

Thanks for all the advice. All the cam sprockets still turn freely...to a point, but they all spin in a consistant manner. My only reservation to overhauling the heads is a finicky automatic tranny. I believe I can pull the engine and replace/adjust the valves, but I have to research replacing the head gasket. I really miss my old, reliable, easy to repair EA-82.

Passenger side exhaust camshaft sprocket disentegrated. Literally....it broke into a hundred pieces and shattered the timing belt cover on that side of the engine. Ironically, the timing belt is still intact. Further investigation discovered a faulty idler pulley as the cause of this disaster and I am assuming that I may have bent vavles. I know i can remove the cam covers while the engine is still in, but do I need to yank the engine to fully inspect the drive train? 188k and the car has been flawless until now.

I am a newby on the TB issue but something I just learned about with my '90 Legacy is that the drivetrain is sensetive to tire type and size. Some of my TB issues were caused by having different brands of tires with different amounts of wear on the front and rear of the car. I don't know if this info helps. Good luck.

Yes, the reverse works.

Yes, I guess I do need to clarify. When it goes into Drive it goes into the top gear, skipping the first and second.

It will go into drive, but the current owner says that the problem initially when the car was warmed up but now is constant. He says the estimate he has to have it professionaly repaired is around $300.

I am looking at buying a 93 Legacy with 170 K. The car checks out fine except with an issue with the transmission being stuck in drive. The current owner says he took it to the shop and they told him that all it needed was a new throttle body assembly (I think that is what it is)....or in other words, that big hunk of metal that is underneath the fluid pan. He says the part is easily replaced and costs around $50 from a salvage yard. He has the price 'reduced' to $1100 because of this problem. I am looking for some input on this just to see if anyone else has had a similar problem.

I am looking at converting my '88 to R-134. The conversion kits run around $40 and look simple to install. You have to have a shop clean out your system before you can recharge it with the new stuff. From what I understand, if you do not get all of the R-12 and lubricant out it will not work very well.

Just replaced both of my front half-shafts on my '88 DL Wagon. Despite disconnecting and loosening everything on the steering knuckle and control arm, I couldn't get the inside of the shaft off the tranny without taking the steering knuckle off. After I disconnected the inside of the shaft, I temporarily reconected the steering knuckle so I could pop the shaft out with a block of wood and a BFH. Installation was the reverse with having to remove the knuckle again to connect the inside again. This was a little more time consuming, but it allowed me to clean and repack my bearings and it taught me alot about the front end of my car.

I had a similar problem and solved it by replacing all the hoses and the pcv valve.

I dig the electric fan idea. Where's a good subie-filled junkyard in Denver?

My fan clutch is worn out and I am looking fro alternatives in case I can't find one in the junk yard. Is there way to rig it to where it will stay permanently locked up? Also, has anyone had luck with electric cooling fans? The part cost $200 at the local Subaru Dealer.

I like the Pathy wheels on your Sub. Makes me miss my old '89 Pathfinder.

I've seen this wagon around, but I am a cyclist and notice things like that. Great looking wagon though. Share the Road:headbang:

My 88 DL Wgn has 196,000 for the moment. All original 'cept for the tranny which I replaced when I bought it. Cool thing is that I spent $850 for it (the car, not the tranny) two years ago and have driven it all over the country on all types of roads (yes, the skid plates do work). I have to get a bigger car soon (kids), but I planning on keeping my soob because it is the coolest car I have ever owned (and my kids would kill me if I sold it).