thealleyboy

Well...I have an 86 with about that many miles and I wouldn't take $2k for it... Of course, the body is rust free, has a rebuilt moter, a d/r conversion, etc... I guess what I'm sayin' is that you have to consider the condition, not the price, when you are looking at something that old. Sure, there are 86's available for $400 or whatever, but 9 times out of 10, you get what you pay for. Buying a basket case is nothing to brag about-at any price. I would look seriously at the unibody for signs of corrosion. Any signs of irreversable rust would ratchet the price down in a hurry - but wouldn't necessarily exclude the car from consideration. I would also look for signs of periodic maintenance - or lack of. It's hard to be certain without the records, but a car that has had meticulous care will stand out upon close scrutiny. This is exactly the kind of car you should consider paying a premium for. Why, you may ask? Because correcting years of neglect is expensive, and my not even be possible anyway. You could easily get into several hundred dollars of parts/repairs to get a car in tip-top shape. By being selective, you might be able to get a car in excellent condition if you are willing to pay just a little more up front. My hunch is that the car is probably overpriced. But I would give it some serious consideration just in case. The burdon of proof is on the seller, so you do have some bargaining power working in your favor. good luck, John

The only "manual" on/off switch I know of would be the ignition switch. But since you've tested for juice at the pump, you can safely rule this out as a possible cause. I don't believe the pump requires chassis ground - which could also prevent it from coming on with the key turned. I would try to have that alt tested in the vehicle (under load) if at all possible. good luck, John

I cant speak for Silentpal, but some fuel delivery designs have an emergency shut-off feature (ie in the event of a frontal collision). I do believe an alt output of "0" in some of the Sube models triggers this shutdown of the fuel pump. However, I can tell you it's never happened in any of the Subes I've ever owned. As far as testing the old one, the battery test will only tell you if it works. You may as well measure the pressure while you're at it to rule out a "weak" pump. If it's old or suspect, replacing it will give you better overall reliability. good luck, John

Brian: If it is indeed, a rotted floorpan, and the car is otherwise solid, I would strip out the lower interior (seats, carpet, cargo side panels, etc) to get a good look. You should grind away the rusted areas and treat them with Extend, or some other rust converter. Riveting sheet metal is fine, and you can use seam sealer to waterproof the patch(es). Finally, paint the entire floorpan with Rustoleum to protect it long-term. But based on your description, it doesn't sound like a typical floorboard rustout. These are usually pretty obvious, with the carpeting visible underneath. Check your rain gutter (behind the door frame trim) for debris. If its overflowing, the water could work its way around the weatherstripping around the glass. I would take a waterhose to the windows/doors before stripping out the floorboard to eliminate other possible sources of water leaks. If the weatherstipping is tight, I would proceed to the floorpan. If the car has been in a lot of salt, you may be surprised at what you find. Good luck, John

On the issue of a replacement pump, I would go with a "universal" type, vs an OEM. Aftermarkets are much cheaper, and allow for some mods in the fuel pump area (if needed). For example, if your fuel lines or filter bracket are corroded, here's your chance to remedy that situation. If you go this route, you'll have to splice the old electrical connector onto the new one though. I've used Mr Gasket brand pumps several times, and they work great. The round-bodied pumps can easily be mounted using inexpensive "U" brackets found in the electrical section at building supply stores. good luck, John

Mill's Supply in Cleveland, carries an a rear arch panel that'll solve your problems. http://www.millsupply.com They cover the complete arch - and have enough extra metal if you need to expand your repair to the rear quarters. They are the correct guage metal, and fit very nicely. Definitely worth the cost IMO. Good Luck, John

My car is a carberated model, so most of the SPFI stuff would not apply. Also, I could not pull any trouble codes, so it's a crap shoot as far as troubleshooting. A temp sensor would make sense, except that it does not race when under load. It doesn't seem to be running like it's "warming up" when in gear (and in idle). ??? John

There are actually 3 "correct" 23 spline EA82 axles - all different lengths. You can identify them by the band markings on the rod. (none, 1 or 2) However, a lot of people prefer the newer (beefier) ones, and use them regardless of the correct part for that particular car. I used to do this too, and I suspect that the varying legnths caused excessive wear, and resulted in many premature bearing failures. I have switched to using the correct axles for this reason. good luck, John

The A/T fluid is at the right level, and the tranny shifts fine. It's an 85 (carbed model), and I don't believe it's the fuel system since it runs well under load. Could not pull any error codes off the ECU. I have the 85 FSM, and leafed thru there. Nothing jumped out at me. The emissions section has some troubleshooting info specific to trouble codes, but this doesn't help my situation. The wiring diagram has some A/T specific items that I'm not at all familiar with. Not even sure where those componenets are located. What section of the FSM are you referring to? John

The car is an 85 GL 2wd A/T. It devloped a problem recently where the engine revs up to 3000 RPMs+ whenever the A/T is shifted into "park". This happened very suddenly. I first noticed it after a trip when I tore thru some twisty, winding roads. Otherwise, (when under load), the timing/RPMS are normal, and the car performs very well. I first suspected a vacuum leak, but couldn't find anything obvious . Now I'm thinking that it may be emissions, or one of the A/T-specific systems. The only mod I've done is to eliminate the AIR apparatus when I redid the exahaust system. The 85's have the AIR system piped into the cat, then back thru the intake. I've eliminated these before, and I can't imagine that this would cause the symptoms I've described. I don't know A/T's very well, so there may be an obvious answer.... Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks, John

Jim: You should flush it both ways to really clean things out. You'll need two flushing tees; one at each heater hose. I always use Prestone Super Flush to dissolve any buildup in the rad or heater core. Once things are flowing freely again, you shouldn't have anything but bright green in your overflow tank. Don't forget to clean out the tank too as part of your coolant flush. good luck, John

The other essential is fuel delivery to the carb. You should try to determine if it's getting to the carb, and whether the amount of fuel is sufficient to keep the car running. Starting fluid, or gasoline will give you a quick and dirty answer as to whether the car is capable of running in its current state. I'd try that first, and come back with your results. good luck, John

Hate to waste a Webb on such a lowly rig...this is just a daily driver - nothing special... I don't remember which car the "non-o2" Y pipe came from, but I'm thinking it must have been from an 86 or 87 carbed vehicle. Wierd that some models {apparently} had the 02, and some didn't. John

No, no E-checks in Central OH {yet}... I guess the question is how rich? If it's gonna affect performance and mileage too adversely, I guess I'll have to find the correct "y". BTW, the "AIR" system is no longer part of the mix, if that makes any difference. thanks, John

The vehicle is an 85 GL carbed A/T. I want to install a new different y-pipe, as part of an exhaust system overhaul. The new "y" does not have a bung for the 02 sensor, so I will not be able to reinstall the 02 sensor. Does anyone know of a way to bypass the 02 or "trick" the ECU in a way that will still give the car optimal performance? thanks, John

My guess is the bulb. I would swap out a couple before eliminating that possibility. In some circuits, a non-working bulb will do all kinds of goofy things that will lead you in the wrong direction when troubleshooting. Remember, a light bulb functions a lot like a fuse. A cut wire may also break the circuit, causing the symptoms you describe. good luck, John

The best case scenerio is if you have good records of past maintenance. Then you can set up a new schedule without replacing a bunch of stuff unnecessarily. I like to look at maintenance more as "level of confidence" rather than a specific interval. If you don't know what's been done in the past, you really have to replace items to get up to a baseline of reliability. For example, my wagon has 112k, and I don't know the history of timing belt replacements. I will be replacing it - regardless of visual condition at 120k. If you get on, and stick with the suggested maintenace schedule, you'll rarely have any problems in those areas. However, things like brakes/bearings/front end part replacement are really not addressed in the maintenance schedule. I usually do those anytime the opportunity presents itself and the component has some wear. I also usually drop the entire exhaust and rebuild it when any section fails. The timing belt procedure is another good opportunity to deal with any glaring issues, though component replacements make more sense every other belt (120k). good luck, John

Not sure about the EA81's, but on the newer ones the bolt goes thru one end, and threads onto the frame mount. So, if the bolt is mangled or won't turn, you might have to grind off the bolt on the threaded mount to pull the bolt out from the non threaded side. The tricky part is that you'll have to remove the fendor to have a clear shot at the threaded mount. To re-mount the bumper, you'll need an oversized bolt with a washer and nut that'll go thru the bumper and both frame mounts. Fox is pretty good at improvised fixes and may have an easier method. Check with him before doing anything drastic... good luck, John

Well, the factory racks are fastened with regular (non-threded) rivets. They must be drilled out to remove the rack. Yes, a good rivetor tool might be a little harder to come by than the common Walmart special. But if you are doing a lot of retro-fitting, these things will pay for themselves in short order. You'll be able to do all kinds of "blind" fastening. Harbor Frieght is the place to go for an entry-level tool if funding is a concern. Eastwood if you want to go a step up in quality... good luck, John

Self-tapping sheet metal screws will work, but threaded rivets (especially aluminum) would be my #1 choice for this application. If the correct-sized holes are pre-drilled, and the area siliconed before installing the rivet, the housing will be completely sealed. Likewise, a dab of silicone on the threads of the fastener will seal the screw. Going with this setup will allow you to remove/reinstall the rack many times - as long as the threads are resealed. Sheet metal screws are usually good for only one installation. Removing the rack will strip out the holes in your sheet metal. good luck, John

Hey Rick: I'm assuming your car is 4WD. If not, it's even easier than what I describe... I always take the control arm off, and have them pressed. I just feel better about the job having them done professionally. Most of the bearing job is labor, so the machine work is very cost effective. If you do the dissasembly yourself, you are talking the cost of parts and 1/2 - 1 hour of shop time. The problem with this kind of work is that those components take a lot of weathering and abuse, and disssaembly doesn't always go smoothly. You might get lucky, but maybe not. Stripped/broken bolts, stubborn axle pins, all those things can ruin your day. Ultimately, any problems you encounter can be overcome, but you need to think about your skills, tools, and outside resources anytime you tackle something like this. My advice is that you should not attempt this unless you have other transportation available. If you run into problems, you could be without wheels for 1-2 weeks - assuming that you have the means to pull it back together if things get rough. Not sayin' that this will necessarily happen, but unless you've been thru a "nightmare" before, you should always be prepared for the possibility of a worst case scenerio. They do happen with 15-20 year old cars on occasion... good luck, John

Hey K: You are actually on the wrong forum. A 93 Imprez is considered "New Gen", if you can believe that!?! What are you trying to figure out? Maybe someone here can help... good luck, John

Yeah, I would say... probably 50lbs without any air. There are better options for keeping some compressed air around...like an auxilary air tank that can be filled at a gas station. Another good reason to remove the compressor is to have better access to some hard-to-get-to items like that 90" bypass cooling hose. If you are going to strip things down in the engine bay, may as well get ruthless about it!! good luck, John

"All of the fuses are fine" I would pull that fuse, and swap it with another one. This happened to me before with that same circuit. Had me stumped for a good long while, until I physically changed it. Apparently, it wasn't making good contact at the box for some reason... good luck, John

Gary: Yeah, that bolt should be backed all the way out. I sometimes have to use a masons chisel (wider than reg chisels) to wedge the housing apart, and this usually does the trick. As for as the stripped axle nut, you might be able to nick the edges with a cutting wheel, in a couple of spots, and pry it off the threads without causing too much destruction. No doubt, those are a pain... good luck, John