daeron

I KNEW it had been done, thanks. Honestly, I hadn't recognized your hubcaps as those hubcaps... I was going to look for pics of how those were painted originally, and what ppl had done with them. I am gonna paint some of that black, but not all I think. We shall see.

I knew, abstractly, all the differences beforehand.. but it was surreal, sitting in something that in so many ways was exactly like a cherry version of my car, but with countless tiny details just slightly off.... it was WEIRD. I found myself sitting in the driver's seat for no apparent reason, adjusting it, etc.

I will try to keep this brief, and it may be off-topic but it is old-gen. I drive an 87 GL-10, 2WD 3AT sedan model. Digidash, every option except the go-stuf like a real drivetrain or engine. Blue interior. Green digidash. I have needed a couple little GL-10 specific things, like a driver side sunvisor, and a trip computer display, for a while. I came across what the junkyard badged as an "86 Subaru L line" which is their generic term for the EA82s (probly earlier as well.. dL, gL, etc) Lo and behold, it was an 86 GL-10, 2WD, 3AT, blue interior, sedan model. Digidash, loaded, SPFI and a crapbox trans. However, the interior was in GREAT shape, most everything was cherry almost.. a few odd bits, like all the door handles were faded, but overall the interior looked GREAT. Under the hood was all full of cobwebs, literally.. craziest thing I ever saw. The weird thing was, in a very real way this was supposed to be exactly like my car.. but the pattern in the blue cloth interior was wacky, the steering wheel was different, it obviously had the amber digidash even though I couldnt see it light up, all the buttons were different, the headlight switch was where the AC fan switch is... The variable intermittent wiper switch that I need wasn't there, nor the control unit... I am VERY VERY tempted to grab the drivers seat, if not both seats. The yard only charges like, 25 bucks apiece for them, and they are SO CUSHY, mine are OK but worn... BUT, 50 bucks on not "needed" seats for the pizza junkaru is hard to justify right now, especially seeing as I was eyeing her steering pump more than anything else. (mine leaks bad) Anyhow, In the end I snagged a set of hubcaps. I had a full set of the twenty spoke style subaru hubcaps that came on a million GLs and Loyales, but two have gotten lost.. Some guy offered me ten bucks to pull a brake master cylinder for him, so I used that money to buy these: Not in the greatest of shape, plus I've always thought these guys looked kinda weird, but whatever. The one on the right had the best color of all, but I think they've all already been spraypainted in the past. Whatever, its better than this: on both sides of the car. I hit them with some el cheapo wal mart aluminum colored spray paint, because they didnt have any grey or grey-ish color in the fusion brand paint.. and I got some gloss black model paint to paint the SUBARU imprint. The rattlecan came out MIND BOGGLINGLY better than I expected, meaning it looks OK, and my hands were WAY to shaky to try to paint the SUBARU. I will get a shot of how they look as is tomorrow. Anyone want some GL-10 bits? sunroof stuff? Didn't someone need some cruise control equipment? Its got the original stereo, with tape deck included! Looks like it works GREAT! heh.. Mudflaps, front and rear (you can see MINE only had the rear.. ) Just let me know and I'm willing to strip them off the car.

looks like that tire got dominated :-p

ohhh, you're probably right. I don't care, I like old crap

I couldn't agree with you more.. but I cant get over the looks of the early legacies. Imprezas were nice enough, but I seriously prefer the appearance of my GL10 to the leggy. Would I take a legacy if a 5 spd awd one were given to me for 500 tomorrow? Probably... but I am not going out of my way i dont think.

My AC selector switch has been ferschnicket since I got the car. When I investigated the situation a few years ago, I discovered that both the little ears for the mounting screws on the vacuum switch body were broken off. I have just lived with it. I DID get the parts I should need from a junkyard car at one point, and have them still. Recently, the switch has simply been failing to turn the system on occassionally. I just started delivering pizzas, so the car is on again off again, as is the SC, ALOT. I use the AC maybe 1/3 runs... Anyhow, sometimes if I cut the AC or defrost (whatever) off, it will not turn back on again until the car has either been driven for a bit (sometimes it just comes on) and sometimes it wont work again until I park it and sit the car for a moment. Its a minor annoyance at this point, but I am likely going to pull the dash apart and replace the switch, and all the broken buttons. While I am at it, I am very seriously wondering if I could find a way to engineer in an "AC" switch.. I have seen some models that have a separate switch, next to the fan control that is the overriding control on the AC compressor. I would LOVE to be able to turn the AC ON for bi level or foot use, and I would also love to be able to turn the compressor OFF for defroster and heater use. I realize that these are two different issues in this conversion, but I am pretty clueless as to whether or not I can even hack into this and make it work, using nothing but parts from a standard type system, and a separate lighted switch and maybe a relay? would I need a relay, or would I be switching a relay signal? I hope the idea of the mod I am talking about is coming across clearly. I can dig out the spare vacuum switch that I have and take a picture or two of it. Chances are I am going to be wanting to dig into my dash and replace this soon anyhow; the malfunctioning buttons are FAR past "Getting on my nerves."

I just hate the looks, honestly... And I cant claim jack on that image, that came from the haynes book. The rest was mostly reading a couple factory service manuals, the L-jetronic fuel injection guidebook for my datsun, and paying attention to what people have going on here. I don't REALLY know what im doing unless I ahve had the problem myself, but I regurgitate alot of other people's experiences. I try to make this as clear as possible, since "internet parroting" is a dangerous thing.. but I *think* I do a nice job. Thanks.

I just skimmed back through this whole thread quickly to see if this wa mentioned, so forgive me if I missed it.. but how did you confirm fuel? Are the spark plugs wet when you pull them out? Did you listen to check to see if the injectors are firing? If not, its easy; get a large screwdriver, hold the tip against the base of the injectors, one at a time, while someone cranks the engine. the injector should click audibly, and it will be transferred into your ear like a stethoscope. Is the spark good and blue and hot? Did you jiggle around with the wiring to the fusible link block at all? My car has a very distinct weak point right there... just some thoughts.

This sounds like a clogged heater core, as bucky said, reverse the hoses, or just undo them both and take a garden hose, and run water back and forth through it, alternating in directions. THIS sounds like a grounding issue with the gauge, behind the dashboard.. but THAT is a subject that I know nothing firsthand about, and haven't really read enough to feel confident in my "knowledge," but I would think this sounds about like that. Anything coming up that might involve an investigation under your dash, connie? In any case, relatively speaking the gauge is still probably reasonable, you just might want to consider the red zone to be a bit broader, just to be on the safe side. Harbor freight tools has a sale on (i THINK its still on) that has a great price on their nicer infrared thermometer unit.. Those things make a GREAT tool for knowing the relative accuracy of your temp gauge, among other things.

How does the engine run? Does it idle smoothly? When you start it, and let it sit, it should idle in park at about 1200-1400 RPM for a few moments, until the car warms up. At one point, kind of all of a sudden, the idle should drop down to like, 7-900ish. Your 4wd automatic driveline IS robbing you of potential gas mileage.. a FWD 5 speed is capable of 35 no sweat. Obviously driving it around in FWD will increase mileage, but you shouldn't run it in 4wd on dry pavement anyhow. Before I get into much, have you ever seen a CEL come on on this car? if so, check out this article for information on how to deal with that. Three distinct possibilities for poor mileage. A bad O2 sensor has already been mentioned, and is wise to simply swap out pre emptively. The O2 sensor should be mounted in the catalytic converter, between the pipes coming from either side of the engine. Second possibility is a bad or dirty MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor. This is a little black unit that screws into the side of a tubular aluminum jobby, just after your air filter box. Unplug it, undo the screws, carefully remove the unit, and spray it clean with some quick drying electronic parts cleaner from CRC, or some other relatively mild aerosol solvent like carb cleaner or weak brake cleaner. Take care, the milder the solvent the better. The MAF is two tiny wires that are little heater coils; if either breaks then you need a replacement. Easy to clean, helps clear rough idle conditions and running conditions up. Third chance is that you have a corroded connection to you Coolant Temperature Sensor. This tells the ECU how hot the engine is, and the ECU adjusts fuel delivery accordingly. If the plug is fouled, and the computer sees more resistance in the circuit than it should, then it enrichens the mixture. I have no photo to post to show you which plug it is, maybe someone else can oblige? Pull your spark plugs. See what they look like, and match them up to this image here Use NGK spark plugs (BPR6ES-11) and decent wires, or better. cheapos can cause headaches. Check the distributor cap and rotor, check the air filter, change the fuel filter if you haven't already. Smell all around the car for gas with the engine running. Get on the ground in front of the passenger rear wheel and sniff around for gas. Somethings things get old and leaky. Make sure you are running the right size tires, and not utterly throwing your MPG calculations off. 175-70 13 is the stock size for GL, sometimes 185 or 165. The timing belt is NOT an awfully major job, and with patience and a bit of previous experience it should be doable in 24-48 hours; its the sort of thing where if you can find a place for a day or two, and have the needed tools, its NOT a major chore to accomplish with haste. God forbid, IF the job gets put off and the belts should break, its a non interference engine so no bent valves. HTH, good luck. my 3AT FWD gets about 25mpg. :-\

http://www.thepartsbin.com/catalog/products.php?year=1990&make_text=subaru&model_text=loyale&category=fuel_delivery&subcategory=fuel_pump&part_name=&brand_name=&price_range=&limit=0&uni=1&sort=1 how cheap a part are you willing to buy? the lowest there was 140. You COULD try hitting a junkyard for a pump or two.. once youve replaced one once, if you keep a vice grip and two small pieces of wood in the car and some wrenches (the vise grip etc to clamp the line from tank to pump) its actually fairly easy to replace on the side of the road. Two junkyard units would be cheaper than one new one. Sorry, i dont have a link or particulars to the ford fuel pump info; its pretty cheap, like 60-90 for a new pump at a store.

it was probably covered in one of the other threads, but you do have plenty of fuel supply to the carb, right? there isnt a possibility of fuel starvation going on? what about the accelerator pump, didn't i mention that before or was that a different thread? I am no carb man so i only have vague ideas; maybe they'll help?

sounds like a solenoid issue. Make sure the solenoid can move freely back and forth. (solenoid might be called a bendix.. its the switch thingy on the side of the starter motor, that pushes the shaft forward to engage the flywheel gear)

:banghead: :banghead: shucks, thanks for the info. Maybe I CAN flex it enough to get the stupid tabs in the right channel, and simply haven't tried hard enough yet.

that DOES sound like a bad balljoint. Download the HTKYSA book. It has a great walkthrough on checking your front suspension and steering for problems, and it is very beginner friendly, without lacking in detail or usefulness. For the record, the rear brake drum is held on by the castle nut, so it won't be coming off unless you have SERIOUS problems removing the wheel

so, suppose I had a sliding sunroof cover that had come off its tracks... all I would need to remove is those strips and screws on the side, and I have exposed what I need to see to fix it?? Flexing the cover has NOT done the job to get it back where it belongs.. /threadjack

what was your total cost in the end? It is a GREAT thing to know the condition of the rails underneath there, so in the end at least it was a simple solution, hopefully not to pricey. Regarding parts, I have to make a post about that power steering pump to see if I can use it (never got back to you in PM) but I think I will likely just nab a junkyard unit locally; I will let you know soon if I have any interest in it.

just the subaru, and my 1975 Datsun 280Z.

wait a second.. this car is something of a frankenstein, right? Make sure that, whatever the air metering device looks like, you get the same unit. The two different parts have entirely different names, they are so different.. the Air Flow Meter (AFM) from the earlier model is a flapper-door type setup, with a weighted door. The flapper is attached to a potentiometer (think volume knob) and it bases the airflow off that. This unit is big, squarish, and has a the appearance of 1/4 donut, sorta.. The MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor is a tube, with a small black box screwed onto the side of it, The black box has two little tiny wires that stick out into the airflow, and heat up. The sensor checks the temp difference between the two, and interpolates the air flowing in by THAT. As was said, they are totally incompatible, the air metering device, ECU, and wiring harness are all kinda a package deal. Type A or Type B. I just wanted to make sure that you don't actually NEED the MAF from the later engine, because this is not the original motor in this car, right?

that may indeed work, I can't recall right now, but the shaft size may be different, the spacer size needed might be different.. its really the sort of situation where you almost need a stash of parts to make sure you get the right one.. or you could get lucky. You kinda need to dig in and find out, but the pulley is the ONLY difficult part. One difference is that the maxima alternator has an internal fan, and has a case thats all perforated like an XT6 unit has. The original EA82 alt has a solid case with an external fan blade. If you can remove the fan blade from that pulley, and the shaft diameter and spacing is right, then you are in business.

Tom, you're a genius. I think I remember seeing someone do that a long time ago, but its not a trick I've been exposed to yet in my adult life. Thanks for reminding me about this.

what about using a carriage bolt or stove bolt, or whatever you want to call it, as a stud of sorts? any chance? I've never investigated this, so this is just a SWAG..

Yah, like GD said, Nissan maximas, some as early as 86, all by 88 or 89 had 90 amp internally regulated units. Different plug, so I recommend grabbing one from a junkyard, and bring along a pipe wrench and some tools to do some pulley swapping with... or take the maxima alternator to a good auto electrical shop, if you know of one. The plug is easy to switch, theres two wires in the T plug for the soobie (hitachi) alternator and theres two wires in the squarish plug of the maxima (hitachi) alternator. Connect the fat one to the fat one, and the skinny one to the skinny one. When you install the alt, you may have to slip the belt on before inserting EITHER of the two mounting bolts. The above holds true for a FI ea82 with factory installed inboard AC compressor, and outboard alternator location. Nothing else is promised. IIRC, I looked up an 89 maxima on thepartsbin.com, and the last alternator listed for that vehicle was a "Generic hitachi 90 amp replacement" that, in the picture, had a v belt pulley on it already. I don't know if this is what comes on it.. but the junkyard is really the cheapest and best way to go.

thats what ~ means, it was about. I never counted, thats the same hubcap.. How cheap could you ship it to 33413? that would be AWESOME.