IdahoJak

Andrew, according to this link it is a 60K mile replacement interval and the engine is not an interference design. http://www.theautoshop.com/timing.html#ISUZU Jack

I'm definitely not an expert, especially on Subie trannies, but I had an '87 Mitsubishi that was upshifting too soon. The problem was the cable from the carb to the tranny had over the years stretched so that it was out of adjustment. The Mits cable was adjustable, and I imagine the Subie one is too. You might check for that. Good luck and let us know what happens.

Mike, sounds like you need to make sure everything is connected right before you'll have much luck fixing the problem. If you don't have a factory service manual you might be able to look at one at the dealer and make copies of pertinent pages (they let me). Or you might get one on ebay, there is one for sale now: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Used-1988-Subaru-Justy-Factory-Service-Manual_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ119140QQitemZ8050971611QQrdZ1 Just for the record, it is not my auction. You said when the 12 vdc was connected full time to the fuel pump, you got gas flowing out of the carb. Sounds like the fuel return line is not connected, or maybe the float valve in the carb is stuck open. I still think the best thing to do is look at a factory manual and ensure all the vacuum and fuel hoses are connected right. Good luck and post back with your progress.

My '89 Justy has the back wiper and washer.

Just a tid bit of info to add, my '89 carb Justy has a factory tach redline of 6000 rmp. I haven't had the car very long and don't think I've even got that high with it. It does like to run at higher rpms than anything I've ever had, it's also my first 3 cyl car.

I disconnected both underdash connectors (one black and one green), disconnected the battery for a few minutes, then hooked the battery back up. Started the car, and within a minute the CEL came on. I was able to read a code, 32 (O2 sensor) from the light on the ECU. I then shut off the car, reconnected the black connector, and turned the ignition switch to the on position. The CEL light came on, but did not flash a code. So it now looks like I need an oxygen sensor, but I still don't know why I can never get a code to flash from the CEL. Maybe something to do with this model year?

Have you changed plugs, distributor cap, and rotar? That would be a good start. I just got an '89 Justy myself. Wasn't really planning to keep it, but like you said, it just grows on you. Mine idles too high also, about 1800 rpm. They are supposed to idle at about 800. If the weather gets decent, I'm going to try to adjust my idle down and see what happens. Other than the high idle speed, mine runs great, really peppy. By the way, welcome to the forum, a lot of very friendly and knowledgeable people here. Stay with us on this problem and I'm sure we'll get your Justy running right. Jack

OK, as near as I can tell the underdash connectors are already connected. The CEL does not flash a code, but the O2 light on the ECU does sometimes flash two codes, 24 and 63. I got 10 precious minutes looking at the factory service manual today at the dealer. The 24 code is "idle-up solenoid valve". The 63 code is "idle-up system". At least they appear to be one problem and not a serious one at that. Since the car is running fine right now, I'm not going to worry about it. It doesn't seem to be a problem that will hurt anything. Thanks everyone for helping me with this.

Andrew, I just found where I read that the '89 models have the connectors in the engine compartment http://usmb.net/repair/?CurrentDirectory=FOLDER_3f29b58f4430b8.49200047/&FileType=Article&File=ARTICLE_3f2c055f4862e9.39782181.art I do see some connectors there, but they don't mate up, so I'm still at a loss. Tonight while I was driving the car the CEL started flashing, but it was not a code just a constant on off on off, no variation in the flash length, so it was not a code. Tomorrow, I am going to swing by the dealer and see if they will let me look at the '89 factory manual. Jack

I also suspected vacuum line leaks, and did find and repair one about a week ago. The rest of the lines look OK, but that is always a possibility on an older car with gobs of lines. Thanks for the tip.

Erik, it has no symptoms, it runs great. It's just that the check engine light comes on and stays on. That's telling me something must be wrong. I know some people drive cars for thousands of miles with the check engine light on, but I would really like to know why it's on. I didn't mention it in the first post, it is a carburated, 5 speed manual tranny, GL model with the push-button 4-wheel drive. Jack

My '89 Justy "check engine light" comes on after 1 minute of start-up, then stays on. Esteban told me in a PM that the connectors to read the ECU codes was under the dash, near the hood release lever. I don't see any unconnected connectors down there. Maybe someone has already connected them and left them that way. But if they did, shouldn't I be seeing the flashing light on the dash with long, then short pulses? The car runs great, but it still bugs me to think something is wrong, so I don't want to ingnore the problem. From what I've read, the '89 is a little different than the other Justies, in fact one place said the connectors for that year are on the engine side of the firewall. Anybody out there know for sure???? I may just take a drive to the dealer and see if they can help, but I don't want to pay them the big bucks to read a simple code for me. At least not yet. Thanks for any help. Jack

I just picked up an '89 carbed Justy with the manual 5 speed. It had a lot of electrical problems when I got it, but have resolved most of them. Still have the "check engine light" on, and can't seem to find how to read the codes for it. Even took it to a mechanic and he couldn't read them. Anyway, driving it is a blast, I actually like the fact it doesn't have power steering, it feels like a high speed go-cart. Really zippy, considering it has a little 1.2L 3 cyl engine. If you do need parts, I've had a lot of luck getting things through http://www.car-part.com/ I got an engine computer and coil pack shipped to my door for $52. It's also nice to have the push-button 4-wheel drive option if you live in a winter climate like Idaho. Good luck and let us know if you get it.

Oh yea, she runs , but she's not 100% road worthy yet. The headlights don't work, that should be an easy fix. The air filter is filthy, wiper blades rotted, no radio, but again all that is minor stuff. Oh yeh, the check engine light is usually on. Don't have it licensed yet, so haven't driven it enough to get a gas mileage reading. Up to now, my sole objective was to get it to run, now I will start doing the little things to finish it off. Don't know yet if I'll be keeping it, depends on if I get my old job back. I used to drive for the electric power company, had a route checking line equipment that put me on the road alot. It was fun doing all the driving, they paid me to use my own car. The Justy would be perfect for that cuz it is economical and has the 4x4 option, which I occasionally need. Anyway, we are finally getting some warmer weather, so I'll be able to work more on the car. If I have anymore questions I'll probably start a new thread. Thanks for the help Andrew.

Using an ohm meter, I determined the Justy does not have a starter relay in the ignition circuit. It is a straight shot from the ignition switch to the starter solenoid. Then I cleaned the outer lug on the solenoid and now it starts fine turning the ignition key. The check engine light comes on most of the time, but she seems to run pretty well. Fun little car to drive!

Good news! I got the Justy to start, then I drove it and it runs pretty well. The no-spark problem was due to the coil ingnition module, located right next to the coil on the firewall. I still have a problem cranking the engine over, a new ignition switch I installed had no effect. I have to start the Justy with a remote starter. My question is, does an 89 Justy have a starter relay? If not, then I suspect the problem is the solenoid contacts. How hard are they to replace? Do I need to pull the starter to do the job? Thanks for any help. Jack

So far I've found two problems, the ignition switch is bad (the engine barely turns over, but if I use a remote starter it turns over fine) and the power wire in the radio harness was shorted. The PO had put in an aftermarket radio, then when he removed it he bundled up all the wires and taped them together. The cheapest place out of 5 auto part stores to have the ignition switch is $58. I'll probably order one today. One concern I still have is I can't get any spark. Don't know if a new ignition switch will fix that or not. The wiring diagram pages I copied from the dealer where for an 88 Justy, I figured they would work fine for my 89, but I've since learned the distributor, coil, and computer, are all different, so the wire diagrams are not likely to be right. I sure wish there was something on-line to help track down voltages and wires to solve the no-spark problem. Of course I might get lucky and the ignition switch might fix it.

I towed the car home today and started checking things out. Was able to crank the starter and turn the engine over, but nothing fired. Put a little gas in the carb, but still no fire. Pulled a plug wire and cranked the engine, no spark. Looked at the wiring schematic, it appears that either the distributor or the ignition timing unit is not functioning, or there is a loose connection in the circuit. I'm not quite sure yet how to tell which one of these is the problem unit. Right now the instrument cluster is still disconnected, but I don't think that should matter. If anyone has any tips I'm all ears. Thanks Jack

Thanks Andrew, I just might take you up on the photo copies. Got lucky today, we found the key, then I went to the dealer and they let me photo copy a few pages of electrical schematics. This should help, but I might still need more from you later. Thanks, Jack

Hi, I've previously posted on the Historic forum, but I just got an '89 Justy with wiring problems. I don't know much history on it, other than it was supposedly running and then had an electrical problem. The previous owner tried to fix it but couldn't, so he left it in his garage and recently moved away. My dad got him to sign off the title and now we got a Justy. We did not get any keys with the car (he couldn't find them). So my first question is how many keys do I need? Ignition/door/gas flap? Or hopefully one key fits all. If I give the local dealer the VIN can he make a replacement key? Another question--are there any on-line wiring diagrams that can help me put this thing back together and troubleshoot the wiring. The PO apparently thought his problem was in the dash area. The instrument cluster has been removed and the fuse panel was pulled down but still intact. Does anyone have a factory repair manual they would like to sell? I've looked on ebay, but could not find a factory manual. For wiring diagrams I've never had much luck with the Chiltons and Haynes manuals. That's about enough for now, any help will be gratefully received. Thanks, Jack

Well, just so there is no confusion here, Andrew (WagonsOnly) has tentatively agreed to buy the Subie. If for some reason the deal doesn't work out, I'll let you all know and give someone else a shot. I'm really hoping that someone on this forum gets her. Even though I've only been a member for a short time it's easy to see what a great bunch of guys you are and your enthusiasm for these old subies is fun to be a part of. I'm hoping that after I sell about 4 vehicles I can convince the little lady that a Brat would be a fun new addition to the family. Andrew, if you end up with her are you going to change your name to "WagonsMostly"? LOL Jack

Got some pics of the car today and my wife spent about 6 hours loading them on a website: http://www.geocities.com/idahojack03/Jack_Subaru.html We lost some resolution because the website limits pixels, but they came out fairly well. Andrew, if you want to see the better resolution pics I can probably email one pic at a time to you. Let me know. Jack

Andrew, I'll definitely let you know when the car is ready for sale. My wife says the car will have to go (for some reason she thinks seven cars is more than we should have). She won't even ride in my '67 Toyota Stout pickup--she says it has to go too. I think she's just upset because the shelter the '75 is parked in was her '99 Forester's place. Now she has to park in the driveway. I won't need the '75 repair manual, just got one from Brian. I'll try to get some pics posted soon. Jack

The little '75 DL made it home just fine! It's in very nice condition. The interior, is almost perfect. The exterior is almost as good, it does have a couple small surface rust spots back around the tail lights. It did not even come close to overheating. In fact, I disconnected the power wire to the electric fan (a mechanic had wired it up to stay on all the time) and it still stayed about 1/3 on the temp gauge. Today I wired things back to the original Subaru configuration to see how that will work. Everything works on the car, (horn, radio, lights, heater...everything). The only problem is the door and window seals are not sealing right. When the car was parked outside for the past three months in Portland in got rained on almost every day and water got inside. I am drying it out now and will park it under a shelter to prevent more water from getting in. I babied it driving home, didn't want to chance blowing something up. When I got close to home I opened it up once to see what it would do, got up to 65 and was still speeding up, so decided that was good enough. Did not use any oil on the 400 mile drive. I will say that on hill climbing the 55 horse engine got pretty slugish. The automatic would be better if it had an overdrive for level highway driving. I'll try to get some pics of the car this week. My wife still prefers her '99 Sub Forester and I'm thinking a Brat would be more fun than the '75 DL, so I will probably put this up for sale after I go through everything. Brian, thanks for the repair manuals, they came in the mail while we were gone. I got a check going out in tomorrows mail for the postage. Thanks again!

Just a possibility, but I used to have a VW Bug that started beeping the horn once in awhile, but only on a left turn. It turned out to be a shorted horn power wire in the steering column.