thealleyboy

This is a tricky issue. Some of the "professional" type shops, especially those that specialize in a single make, can be the biggest pain in the asses when it comes to getting things done. The best mechanics can pick and choose the jobs they want, and the most difficult (and highest paying) will be the most attractive to someone working on commission. Smaller general repair shops are more likely to take on something that's partially complete. A lot of times these mechanics won't be as snobby, and actually enjoy solving problems. The truly skilled mechanics in these smaller shops can actually make better money per hour than the dealer mechanics. The problem is that they can also rip you off, and may be tempted to do so if they think they can get away with it. In a "one-shot" or emergency transaction, you should be especially careful... John

No question they are charging you the book rate. I would also suspect they were inexperienced with Subarus, and probably took that long to figure it out. A lot of mechanics won't even touch work that is half-complete, so in a way you were fortunate that they were willing to take it on. That's no excuse for gouging customers, but in an emergency situation you don't have much bargaining power. Always better to do these repairs on your own terms. That's why I preach preventative maintenance... John

From everything that has been said, your cooling system is still fair game...A compression reading would be helpful right about now. Bogging can be a symptom of faulty emissions. If you've ruled out spark, fuel and emissions, I'd go there next. good luck, John

Excellent!! You can build on what the previous owner has done, and save a lot of $$ by replacing only what's needed. I'd still begin with the cooling system, and make sure it's in A-1 condition. If that is still your original rad, you're due for a new one. Not a waste of $$ at all. I wouldn't jump to conclusions that your head gasket has failed until you've found specific evidence. A compression test is a good starting point when turning your attention to the motor. good luck, John

Unless the service records came with the car, I would have to assume that you are long overdo for a cooling system overhaul - for starters. In a nutshell, we are talking a minimum of new radiator, h20 pump, thermostat, hoses and clamps. The coolant must be flushed and replaced. The motor will probably have to be addressed too, and you should probably attempt to diagnose it first. I would be fairly certain that if any damage has occured, it was due to overheating. So if you are willing to redo the cooling system, you can be assured that you won't burn up the motor again. It's difficult to assess the condition of the heads/gasket until the engine is removed, so worst case scenerio is an overhaul or replacement. The good news is that if you do everything above, you will be caught up on much of the "typical Subi" maintenance for the motor and cooling system. And with this car, that is much of what you need to do to make it reliable again. good luck, John

A "click" is not enough to turn over the motor. Sounds like a weak battery Have you tried jump starting it from a running vehicle? John

Yeah, I'll think of something good before I move. Something the nabes will still be talking about years from now!! It was probably one of the ghetto boys cutting thru the neighborhood. Or maybe someone stealing something and trying to get away fast. No one else runs the streets around there after bedtime. It must of been one hell of a hit - especially if the unibody ends up being kinked. Can't believe I slept thru it. John

I only had a minute to look it over, and everything passed the "look" test as far as suspension and frame. I'm wondering if the other car got hung up on the wheel while making it's getaway. The impact to the bumper should not have knocked the wheels so far apart. And yeah, I'd love to find the idiot who did this. My Loy is my daily driver, and the only roadworthy Sube I have at the moment. John

My string of bad luck continues... I discovered this morning that some jackass slammed into my Loyale last nite while it was parked in the street. It didn't seem to bad at first. The drivers side turn lamp was busted out, and the bumper scuffed up. But as I attempted to drive away, I discovered that it was not steering properly. The wheels are all cockeyed. I popped the hood, and didn't see anything obvious, but I didn't have time to really check things out. Is it possible that the frame could have gotten bent? Or is there some other explanation for the wheels being so far out of alignment? This is gonna bug me all day until I get back home from work to take a better look at it. John

The Loys were a little behind the curve, at that point in time, but "old school" isn't necessarily a bad thing. Consumer Reports IS NOT the final word when it comes to cars. They actually named the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Hoerizon and Chevy Citation "car of the year", if memeory serves me right... The Loys are good solid cars, but have the classic weakenesses of the EA82 series. I'm talking axles, bearings, timing belts and cooling. Stay on top of those, and you'll have some of the cheapest, reliable transportation you'll ever own. I wouldn't even think about retrofitting with a modern motor. Just bring it up to speed, and you'll have many years of reliable, economical driving. The low milage is a good thing, but will not substitute for age, so you'll have to bump up to the 60K service interval if you want to make this car worthy of daily driver duty. If you do it right, you could easily get 5 years of daily driving after going thru the major systems. No big secret here. Get the maintanance caught up, keep it there, and your investment will pay off big time in terms of utility. good luck, John

195/65R15's will fit on a ea81, and no problems at all on a loyale... I would also recommend this tire size. I have been running Yokahama Avids, and am fairly satisfied with this setup overall. You could go bigger without rubbing, but I think performance will go downhill in a hurry. The advice about a regular set of lug nuts should also be heeded. You'll need these whether using a steel Subaru wheel or steel Pug. You won't need another lug wrench, since both are 19mm. good luck, John

I dunno bout that... There is something to be said for basic transportation, and Subes have always been excellent cars if that's what your'e after. You've still got the EA82 platform, and both the carbed and SPFI's are solid mechanically. The 10's and turbo's have their quirks, and as great as the 4wd's are, they are still "gravy" in the grand scheme of things. How many passenger cars have 4wd anyway??? The fact that the body is solid is a big plus, and if the car is adequete otherwise, should make it a no-brainer if the price is right. I have always said that some of the best-loved cars are those that are basic and reliable. If it'll fit your needs, don't worry about the hype. You'll still be driving a Sube, and you'll enjoy the benefits of owning one of these cars. good luck, John

I took my daughter to the new Herbie movie, and caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a maroon XT6. It was the scene where Micheal Keaton took Lindsey Lohan to Crazy Fred's junkyard to pick out a car to fix up for her. They were crushing cars, and Herbie was about to meet his fate. As the drama was building, and the junkman was crushing away with glee, (I think) I saw "XT6" on the side of one of the cars being dropped into the compactor. If anyone else goes to this movie, watch out for this scene... John

Yeah, don't let the self-proclaimed "know-it-all" types scare you off. These are the ones that keep their FSM's within arms reach, and can't think on their feet. There is usually someome who is willing to answer your questions throughly, and without undue harrassment. These are simple cars, and you'll soon become very proficient with them. good luck, John

If the wagon wheels are not rusted, chemical stripper might do the job. But those rim are almost always corroded at the weld seams at their age. Most likely, you'll need to blast em to get back to clean metal. BTW, make sure you start off with the best 4 rims you can find. Even sandblasting can't make badly pitted metal smooth again. The pits will still show thru the paint, unless you build up the surface with lots of primer coats. good luck, John

That pic proves that it can be done in an alley or garage. I'd be curious to know if he removed trim, or masked. Either way, he should be proud of himself for what he was able to accomplish for less than a Bill. For $650 you can buy the equipment you'd need for a quality paint job. Or you could probably find a real body shop that will do it for that, if it was properly prepped. Think of MAACO as your last option. As far as anything finer than #600, I would use these between coats. 600 gives you the right amount of "bite" so that the paint takes hold, and is plenty smooth enough. A small electric palm sander (especially if it has a dust bag) is excellent for prep if you don't have air equipment. good luck, John

I would take off as much trim as possible before they shoot your car. I would then prep the entire paintable surface - scrubbing it down with detergent and a scotch brite at the very least. If you can do more, like a wet sanding - even better. I am not a huge fan of MAACO, but you can probably get a respectable paint job if you stay on top of them, and let them know what your expectations are. No matter what they tell you, you will only get one thin coat of finish paint. Their prep work will be the bare minimum, and they rely on the "seal coat" to cover the blemishes. Use a credit card for payment incase they blow it. You do not have to pay your credit card charge until the work is done satisfactorally. I had planned to document a DIY "Alley" paint job, before my project caught fire. If you have a garage, compressor, gun, and can live with a non-metallic enamel, you could do a $100 paint job yourself that'll put MAACO to shame. I will document and post the results after my next paint project. good luck, John

Jim: I think this is a good idea. Your A/T is putting a strain on your radiator - especially with the hot weather we've had around here. The rad might not even be the problem at all. This is an old school mod that street rodders used to do all the time. You can buy an aftermaket universal trans cooler, or you can sometimes salvage one from a different car. A lot of the european cars come with them stock. It shouldn't be too difficult to find a spot to mount it, and to re-route your transmission lines. good luck, John

I don't know why there are so many probs crossing Sube parts in those databases. Musta been some misinformation from way back that has never been corrected... As far as wires, you can't go wrong with NGK's. The manufacturer has good info available online. They are probably too detailed, if anything, as they have sets that are perfect fits, and others that are damn close (even though they are not the "correct" application.) If you stick to a proven manufacturer, and educate yourself on the product, you don't have to depend on some ********************* behind the parts counter. Otherwise, you get what you get. "Universal" applications aren't worth the hassles IMO, and are often no cheaper than the correct part, if you know what you are looking for. good luck, John

There would be absolutely no need to overhaul the 2.7 motor because of a broken timing belt. That being said, I would probabably go over and above the normal service interval for the vehicle - bumping up to (at least) the next 60K items. This could include oil pump/seals, water pump, oil seals etc. In other words, anything that is easy to get to with the belt covers off, that is coming up fast on the maintenance schedule. Speaking of the belt covers, you may consider running your belts naked (without covers). Someone posted recently that the covers on the 2.7 are just as useless as on the 1.8. Many of us run these motors without covers, without any problems, and with the advantage of much easier servicing. good luck, John

Trust me, the fuel filter, along with the rest of the missing items, were there when the fire started. Jason took the pix after they came back from offroading. I started tearing the car down while they were all out having fun... John

The spare was not in the engine bay at the time of the fire. The fire seemed to have two "hot spots". One near the battery area, as you noted. The other was under the dash, which is not obvious from the pix. That's why I suspect that it was a combination of factors that caused it. Maybe the turbo/fuel being on, along with a short under the dash. (???) John

If I had a clear cut answer, it would be easier to accept, learn, and move on. But this one is still a mystery at this point. BTW, thanks for all the kind words. As you can imagine, this been a major downer... John

I'm running naked belts on my EA82 cars. Haven't decided how I feel about doing this on my xt6. Much "busier" under the hood with those cars... The advantages (easier servicing) far outweigh the possible disadvantages (premature wear) by a large margin, IMO. I would reccomend running a skid/side plates and frequent engine bay cleanings if you decide to go naked. good luck, John

I did install a remote starter switch. Other than that, it was all OEM. I inspected the switch and wiring and and it did not show any evidence of a meltdown. When I was ripping out the wiring harness I noticed that some of the wiring above the rear passenger wheel well was scuffed up (bare wires). These are in the same section as the fuel pump, so it may be a possibility that something crossed up there, triggering the short somewhere up front. John