thealleyboy

All of the comments above are good ones. I would definitely try to get as much info on the prior maintenance history as possible. In my experiences, a car that has sat as long as yours would need a complete "60K" servicing to be reliable again. That means a serious going-over of every major system, replacing any parts that are questionable. If it were my car, it would mean all new hoses, t-stat, rad and radiator cap, plugs, cap, rotor, air filter, brake and wheel servicing and timing belts for starters. All fluids would have to be changed or at least topped off. You are also probably looking at tires and a new battery if the car hasn't been driven in 6 years. Good news is that if you do all this, you will have a very reliable car for a long time, unless something catastrophic happens. My point is that low miles can be decieving in terms of total cost, if maintenance has been neglected. You could skip some of these items, but your trade-off will be reliability. good luck, John

I did read the entire post. I'm probably more pissed than you - if you can believe that!! First of all, dealing with the shop...I don't know what the laws are in CA, but I would check with your attorney general's office first. With the strict E laws, I'm sure fraud is very common, and your case is not unique. The AG can bring a lot more clout to a small claims hearing than any lawyer you can ever hire. And with the kind of documentation you have, you could take these clowns to the woodshed. Now to get your car straightened out...Without rehashing what's already happened, you need to (IMO) return your car's emissions back to OEM, which may or may not meet CA emissions standards. If your car was originally sold in, CA - no problem. If not, you can deal with that piece later. The carb is the first and foremost issue, and I would normally reccomend that you rebuild your original core. This may still be a possibility, but it wouldn't be my first choice, given the circumstances. Your best bet is to find a professional carb rebuilder, and have one (either your core, or another) built to OEM CA specs. Roo Builders specializes in Subaru's, and has a good reputation. Once you have a carb you can work with, you need to make sure all your hoses are routed correctly, and your emmisions are working properly. Your regular mechanic may be able to handle this part. If you continue to fail smog tests, you'll have to find a reputable shop that deals with emmissions and knows Subarus. This Board will be a good place to begin your research. You may have to travel a ways to find the right shop, but Subarus are much more common on the west coast, and someone out there should be able to help you out. I think you'll find that Subaru derelicts are generally good people... Good luck, John

Good stuff Ken... Sorry bout the mis-information Powens, I wasn't aware of this difference John

Well, ideally you want a complete match front and back. Problem is, front and back don't wear the same. Unless you are an anal rotation freak, your tires will wear out at different stages. So it always comes down to pairs. That's why I think a good compromise is matched pairs of 185/70/13's. It's a lot easier to find a good set of matched pairs, than a set of perfect 4's. As far as performance, a bald pair of tires will always perform worse than a sticky pair. Upgrade whenver possible. If you keep the best pair of rubber you can find on each axle, and it's all 185/70/13, you can't go wrong. good luck, John

There shouldn't be any difference in rims... It might be excessive corrosion on the new wheels - or on your drums. I would take a wire brush to them, then spray some brake parts cleaner on the surfaces & try again. good luck, John

Not all 10's had the sunroof - at least it wasn't standard equipment in 1989. The most significant difference between the GL's and GL10's was the cushy interior. To my knowledge, all other options offered on the 10's were available on GL's. John

PSI: I've got the 85 FSM's if you need info. I really like driving a manual, so a conversion is a no brainer in my mind. But if a manual and/or 4wd is not that important, I would hold off until you need a new tranny. It will happen eventually. A FWD Subie isn't all that bad overall. It does take some effort, and if you don't have all the parts up front, you will be without wheels for awhile. If you are dead set on doing the conversion, get all your parts first - and plan on doing the job right. good luck, John thealleyboy@yahoo.com

Glad it worked out Mick... $1000 is ridiculous. Do not agree to this!! Some sleazeball Service Manager is trying to pad his X-Mas bonus. As stated above it is a difficult job, but you can probably do it with a good diagram, and maybe a helper. Expect some rattles and squeaks after it's all back together. Also, check all your electrical connections, switches etc, before bolting everything back together. If you aren't up to such a big job, you should consider an aftermarket "add on" electric heater. JC Whitney may still carry these. Also, companies that deal in classic VW's should have them. There was some discussion a while back about bypassing the bad core and relocating it with a good one in the spare tire area - then tieing into the ductwork somehow. I dont know if anyone tried it yet, but it certainly sounds possible. good luck, John

Yeah, I wouldn't get too fixated about making a perfect score at the yard.... You might be able to loosen the locks by using clamps or vise grips {and some creativity), but you can't waste too much of your time that way. Taking off as much as needed, then breaking it down at home is definitely the way to go. There are lots of quick and dirty ways get your rims off once you get the whole mess on your workbench. good luck, John

Sounds like a very good car for a 1st timer, and do-it-yourselfer. I always tell people to learn as much as possible about the history of a car to get a feel for what has been done, and what needs done to make it reliable. You are off to an excellent start!! I agree that Bosch Plats are not the best choice for this car, but they'll last a year before you'll notice a drop-off in performance. NGK's are OEM and inexpensive, which makes them the only logical choice for these cars. I would also consider replacing your plug wires with NGK's, for the same reason as the plugs. Hopefully, you'll want to stick with Subes for the long haul, but incase you don't, I would reccommend general repair manuals instead of FSM's at this point. You need to learn the fundamentals first. The best general repair book of all time (IMO) is the long out of print "Readers Digest Complete Car Repair Manual". You can find copies on Ebay, secondhand stores and yard sales. The Haynes is ok for basic Sube maintenace. You do not need a "professional" set of tools, but I would still be careful to buy good quality imports. Harbor Frieght is decent for the price. K-Marts Benchtop brand used to outstanding and is still pretty good. Also, discount car parts chains carry quality tools at good prices. Car Quest is the best of these stores for tools. Your Sube will be a great car to learn on, and you'll carry this knowlege on even if you decide to go with another make down the road. Might be awhile though, cause that car could easily last a decade if you take care of it. good luck, John

Be careful if you decide to do this. You may find that it won't solve the problem - and maybe even pick up some more problems in the process. Then, you'll have to put it all back together and start over {happened to me}. If you are convinced its vacuum-related, you may want to test each of the components within the system, particularly EGR. Also, don't rule out the possibility of a completely different system that gives similar symptoms. For example, something like a bad 02 can lead you totally astray. good luck, John

Paint the car green and it will run like a charm!! Seriously, this is a perfect example of a carb being blamed for a poorly running car. Your chances of 3 bad carbs in a row are slim. It's gotta be something else. You may be onto something with your vacuum system. I would strongly suspect that something may have gotten crossed up while you were removing/reinstalling all that stuff. Of course, this doesn't seem possible cause you did the work yourself. Check it anyway. Could have been the last owner that screwed things up. Use the diagram on the inside of the hood, and be sure everything is correct. If that doesn't check out, I would go thru the systems {again} one at a time. I would probably check compression first to narrow things down a bit. good luck, John

Hard to tell without seeing the mount. If you are handy, you probably could fabricate something using aftermarket mirrors and the original Subaru mounts. Maybe thats what the seller did... good luck, John

You've been going thru way too many alternators in that car. I wouldn't put another one in until you figure out why they keep frying out. I would take a good look at the entire charging circuit, especially grounds as Cougar stated above. It's also possible that something is connected to chassis ground that should be hooked up to a positive terminal on the alt, coil or battery. It's gotta be something simple. An automotive electrical shop should be able to track it down pretty quick if you get stumped. good luck, John

I agree that gen 3's are the cream of the crop, but I'm not sure I would neccesarily reject all 1's and 2's. I had a discussion with a master mechanic at a Subaru dealer about this, and he assured me that some cracking is normal. This guy has worked there since the 80's and has seen hundreds of EA82 heads. In fact, he said that most head gasket jobs at the dealer were just that - replace the gaskets w/o any head work at all!! Keep in mind that most cars serviced at the dealer are newer and well maintained, not the 20 year old sleds were are talking about. I would say (from experience) that about half of the EA82T heads floating around are hosed, and should not be re-used for any serious overhaul. But I don't think it has as much to do with whether they are 1's 2's or 3's. The 1's and 2's are more common, so natuarally more of them will be shot. good luck, John

I have not ran my EA82's naked long enough to be an expert on belt longevity, or problems with dirt and debris. I may change my mind if I experience a lot of problems. But based on what I know now, I think the tradeoff is well worth it. The time savings in servicing these components is far too great to ignore. As far as belt deterioration, it is possible that frequent engine degreasing might dry out the rubber prematurely. But this would seem to be the case for other drive belts too. I have been doing this for many years, and have not noticed any unusual failures by cleaning the engine bay with degreasing chemicals. If anything, the quality of the belt is what seems to matter most. I don't think I've ever heard of a timing belt failing before 60k, under any circumstances, and as we all know, oil leakage in the area of the belts is a common problem. If debris is an issue, I would probably consider even more frequent engine cleanings (maybe 3-4 a year), before I'd resort to putting the covers back on. The savings in labor time is too great to ignore, IMO. John

I'm running "nekked" on a couple of mine, and will eventually remove the covers from all of them when I get the opportunity. Best reason to leave them off IMO is ease of servicing belts, seals oil and h20 pumps. When you consider you'll be getting in there every 60k (if not sooner), this could save you many hours of labor time over the life of the car. Leaving the covers off should not hurt the belts. You should be able to get 60k easily, and it will be easy to change them on time. In fact, it will be easier to keep the area clean, and oil free. (I usually clean the engine bay once a year). A skid plate is probably more important if you are worrying about deterioration of the belts. I have always theorized that the covers were the idea of some Fuji lawyer who was afraid someone's hair, necktie, finger etc could get caught in the belts. This can happen, BTW, so be careful. You do not need the backing cover to set timing. You can use the marks on the bellhousing instead. Miles Fox did a nice write-up on this method, and you should be able to find it elsewhere on this site. good luck, John

If you didn't have that schematic in front of you, I'd say that's a pretty good theory...

Jim: If the fan does not come on at all, it cannot be the resister. I would probably troubleshoot at the switch next, and see if you are getting any juice there. That will give you some better clues. Your Haynes book should have a diagram in back for the heater control circuit. good luck,John

I really did not give straight alcohol much of a chance. Denatured alcohol didn't seem to cause a very strong reaction. I'll give it a shot MEK does seem to work, but it also seems a bit harsh. I'll keep experimenting John

This is what I'm talking about - a standard general purpose solvent. I'll also check to see what 3-M carries. The solvents made specifically for their adhesives are excellent. John

Does anyone happen to know what type of adhesive Fuji used for pinstriping and graphics on the EA82's? I've tried the following so far - none of which dissolved the pinstripes: Laquer thinner Denatured Alcohol Mineral Spirits Cleaning (Lighter) Fluid Nail polish Remover Acetone Turpentine Aircraft remover did remove the pinstripes - along with the topcoat and primer (much too harsh). Have not tried some of the oddball solvents like gasket remover yet. I'm afraid this would also lift laquer. If anyone knows what the "common" solvent is for the graphics Fuji used, please share. thanks, John

An old 3/8 socket extension is perfect for tapping. A wood block and a mallet will seat it all the way... John

The Pistols!! John

Thanks for the info. That seems to be going price for new Webs these days. I'd love to have a brand new one, but I can't justify laying down that kind of $$. I was hoping there was somebody out there with some good rebuilt ones. Of course, a rebuilt carb is only as the rebuilder, and if it comes down to buying one from a hack shop, I'd rather find a good core and do my own rebuild. Rebuilding the original is also an option, but I'm getting kinda bored with Hitatchi's... John