Warp3

You see...that would be backwards...mmm-kay... LOL The boost pressure is supposed to push against the ball bearing which forces it back (restricted by the spring's tension) and lets air through. It can't do that if the air pressure is pushing on the wrong side of the ball bearing...LOL

The spring size is one thing (and I am going to see if they have a more appropriately sized one), but the major issue was that the recommended 5/16-18 bolt slides freely through the 1/4" NPT coupling because the coupling has relatively thin walls. So I've tapped the insides of the coupling for 3/8-24 instead and just need to get the appropriate bolt/nut combo to match.

Well, I've run into some minor issues with the MBC project where my part sizes differed from those of the guy who wrote the instructions! (Basically, the walls of the plumbing parts I have are a lot thinner than those he used, thus there is much more open space inside which makes other parts not fit correctly without upping the sizes appropriately.) I'm going to pick up a few more parts tomorrow after work and that should be all I need to finish the project tomorrow evening! On a related note, I had forgotten how fun cutting stuff with the dremel cut-off tool is...LOL

Too complex!? With all new parts (except for the spring where I'll probably go the "pen" route for the time being unless I can find a better substitute) and ignoring the tap set and teflon tape roll (which are more tools/supplies than parts), I only paid $9.17 before tax and some of those prices are for multiple items (i.e. 4 bearings, 4 nuts and 2 bolts). So I'd say I'm getting by quite cheaply here... Ahhh...that makes sense. Dremel time!

Actually, Lowe's didn't seem to have any ball bearings, so I took your suggestion and picked up a female air hose coupler. Now how do I get the freaking bearings out of it? :cornfuzz: I picked up everything I needed PLUS I had to buy a tap set and teflon tape (as I had neither) and STILL came out for under $40 after tax! (The tap set was $26 by itself!) Also what's the deal with drilling the 1/32" hole in those instructions. First of all, I don't understand what the hole does. Secondly, I couldn't even find any 1/32" drill bits, so I assume he actually meant 1/16" (the smallest I could find in the store and I already have bits that size).

Oooo...thanks for the link...sound like time for a trip to Lowe's and/or Home Depot for me!

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this to you when I was telling you about the car, the RX I bought had a hitch already installed as well (it just lacks the hitch ball). That reminds me...I still need to get one for my Impreza for hauling race tires...

No...the side decals are there, they are just so faded you can't see them in photos...lol No, I've downloaded the XLS file, though. I just haven't sent you any info yet...hehe

Sweet! Was this the NASA event that was announced at the last CCR autocross? I may do some RX autocrossing myself next season (though I'll probably stick to the 2.5RS for most events). Unfortunately, my RX is an 86 (and thus part time 4WD). Maybe I can just launch it in 4WD then shift back into FWD before I hit the first turn...ROFL

Nice catch, Ben! Ben's interior looks exactly like that of my '86 RX: http://www.warpthree.com/pg_warp3rx.html Maybe it was an option?

When you are in 4WD High, the green "4WD" and "tire" lights should illuminate. When in 4WD Low the amber "Low" light is added to the display. There is no "High" light if that's what you are asking.

Right now I'm getting about 23.5mpg average on my '86 RX Turbo, but I can't keep my foot out of the boost...lol. In comparison, I average about 22.5mpg out of the '99 2.5RS.

That reminds me...did anyone's insurance company actually know what an RX was? State Farm didn't have RX in the list so I told her it was similar to a GL Turbo and she just listed that instead (because "Other" wanted way too much info like MSRP, etc.). But when I called off the VIN number to her, "RX 4WD Turbo" appeared there (despite the other field still reading GL ). So since they also didn't know what a 2.5RS was when I bought it in late '98, I'm listed with State Farm as owning a 1999 Impreza Coupe and a 1986 Subaru GL Sedan...ROFL

That part doesn't surprise me...mine has the side decals but they are so faded you can barely see them (in the photos I linked to above they aren't even visible at all). I guess that's what 183k miles will to do a car...lol

Assuming your car is dual-range (and I think all RXs were D/R, but I'm not positive), your shifter should have three positions: FWD, 4WD High and 4WD Low. According to the manual, you can shift from FWD to 4WD High on the fly but must be driving straight when you do so. Shifting from 4WD High to 4WD Low does not require driving straight, but does require using the clutch. (BTW, there are actually 4 positions but one is an unmarked "neutral" position between FWD and 4WD High.)

I think that possibly only the 87+ cars came solely in that color scheme. My 86 RX Sedan is maroon with a small black spoiler on the trunk. BTW, this thread has been very informative to me as well. I just picked up my 86 RX a few weeks ago and love it so far. This isn't my first Subaru (I also have a '99 Impreza 2.5RS) but this IS my first car with an EA motor. Here are some pics if you are interested: http://www.warpthree.com/pg_warp3rx.html The octane posts have me wondering. Is the system on these cars actually smart enough to take advantage of 92/93 octane or can timing simply not be advanced that far? (BTW, the owner's manual stipulates 90 octane for all the cars (no spec for NA/Turbo, just 90 octane period) so I had just assumed that it could at least take advantage of that much octane.) If they can't advance that far, I may drop back to 89 until I start turning up the boost (the car is bone stock currently).

Umm...that sounds a little light. Are you sure that isn't just the weight for one half of the car!? LOL (I know the '89 FSM lists 3 curb weights per model: front, rear, and total.) And yes, I am requesting the info for the 5spd D/R model. Thanks for the help,

Does anyone know the answer to this question? I can't seem to find an accurate answer no matter how hard I search!? :-\

Hey, while you are looking up 1986 FSM specs, do you mind looking up the curb weight of a 1986 Subaru RX Turbo Sedan? All the results I can find are for overseas models or different model years (and I think the later RX models may actually weigh more). Thanks!

On a related note, I just won a steering wheel with turn signal/highbeam switch from a 1985 Subaru GL for $3 on eBay (which was the minimum bid)! Oh yeah, anybody want to buy a turn signal/highbeam switch? I just wanted the steering wheel...

Gotcha...just making sure you weren't overlooking a possible junkyard option if your car didn't come equipped the height-adjust.

The seats in my '86 RX Turbo Sedan are height-adjustable! Maybe you could find a height-adjustable seat from a junkyard/parts car Subaru and swap it in? Here's a pic of the seats in my RX: I don't have a pic of the height adjustment but it's a crank on the outside of the seat near the front.

Nice find...thanks!

I've also had issues with thermostats freezing up on cars that haven't been run in a while too.