daeron

First off, how are Rocky's rubbers underneath? (I am talking about suspension bushings, sheesh!) New stock suspension bushings make a difference; new polyurethane bushings tighten things up quite a bit but wind up transferring more vibration and stiffness to the ride (read: more sports car, less old lady car) Generally speaking, anything to "improve suspension and handling" is going to cause the smoothness and comfort of the ride to go away some.. not in any prohibitive manner, but as I said above.. the "old lady car" feel goes away. Suspension bushings, sway bar size, spring rate, ride height, suspension travel.. lots of things add up (and multiply and subtract and divide out, as well as getting into square numbers) in the suspension equation. Wider tires will give you a more positive feel for the road, and I would wager that a suspension bushing kit would be a great investment. They are usually between 100-200 bucks, but I have no idea about XT6 stuffs, probably could find out over at the '6.net

woo, so now I get to rebuild my DOJ.. I didn't realize that I had an option in between "ignore it" and "replace axle," thats great to know. how am I supposed to find out which is the "skinny end" of the retainer pin again? I know the pin only drives out one way but I can't recall and I am too lazy (and it is too hot and muggy outside) to jack the car up right now just to check.

well, switching all that load by running a bunch of wire into the cabin, to a toggle switch of an unknown rating, isn't always the wisest idea. Any chance you could get a photo of the switch you are asking about? it sounds like it must be aftermarket something-or-other... it should be fine to use to activate a relay, and I have a write up on great junkyard sources for relays and plugs, and how to wire them up in various ways, here. You don't need to read the entire write-up, just skim through and find areas that discuss setting it up for a fan/lights as opposed to the starter fix.

Do I really need circlip pliers? I don't have any here at my house, but I am usually fairly inventive about getting those things off without.. Sometimes its impossible, though. I am probably not going to be tackling this until Friday at the earliest, more likely next week sometime. I probly oughta change the subject of my post...

all users who use their soobs for towing purposes, as well!

Swap parts, tow junk car in for "recall" check

A suggestion.. The easiest way to "check the wiring" is to read up and figure out which pins on the TCU are for the signals from the IAC and TPS, and test those components through the TCU wiring before you start the car. If either one of those components were actually malfunctioning I would expect a CEL, or at least a D-check code.

Make/model and year? I am assuming a Loyale/GL series, mid 80s to mid 90s... The switch on top of the steering column should turn your running lights on, even with the key "off." No other lighting circuit should be able to come on with the key off, and turning the switch off should NOT over ride the stalk headlight switch when turned on.. in other words, with the top switch off and the headlight switch on, your running lights should still be on. If the switch somehow overrides the headlight switch, then either something was plugged in wrong by a PO or you have a short somewhere. (ie, for some reason the headlight switch is not powering that circuit at all under any circumstance) Regarding your fan; I am assuming that you have two fans, one clutch fan and one electric fan. The electric fan should come on in one of two ways: with the AC system, and also triggered by a simple thermoswitch in the radiator. This thermoswitch is located on the passenger side tank, near the bottom. It has two wires going to it, and (if the switch is working properly) it just closes the circuit between those two wires at a certain temperature. In other words, you can run a wire from one side of the plug to the other (plug a straight jumper wire in instead of the thermoswitch) and the electric fan will run whenever the key is on. You may want to disable this during the winter if you need heat, but during the summertime (year round for me, I live in south Florida) it does no harm being on all the time.

Should I be able to just call a local dealer and get this recall kit? I guess it would probably be easiest to just snag it at the junkyard, but if I can get new pieces for free, so much the better. How have I never heard about this before?

Very Nice!!! I especially like the second picture, the front 3/4 view from the driver side.. Dont get to see enough Touring wagons!

So the DOJ is not just a second CV joint at the top half of the axle?? I thought it was unserviceable in fact, and not just one of those things that you "aren't supposed to" rebuild or renew, hmm. Off to research how the thing might come apart now.. htkysa! (gesundheit)

I am rather astute at both, if I do say so myself.. (that is why so many of my posts extend so long.. I suspect that just about any of us who type the "books" here all the time can probably type at least 50-60 WPM) but I have always mostly ignored automatic transmissions and it is a sheer accident of fate that I own one now. What I am saying is, I have been far from motivated to learn about something I never wanted to use, much less have to diagnose or repair. Thanks again for showing me the light anyhow, since I (regretfully) need to know these things.

holy cow, you have no idea how much that simple explanation made things that I haven't really quite grokked in years and years of trying, go *click* in my head. Really loudly. Thank you.

Hun, before you start worrying about timmy's cancer, Please increase your font size. I am young; I have good eyesight; it is still difficult for me to read and there are plenty of people on this board who have more difficulty reading your posts than I.. The color and styling is cool and all, I am not trying to ask you to change much.. but its just so SMALL on top of the color contrast and narrow font.. Please? (I tried to wait until I could make a joke out of this request, to make it a little funny. I aint tryin to be a jerk, is what I am saying.. just politely requesting :-p)

I cannot really answer your question about the trip computer, but I can enthusiastically applaud your situation. :clap::clap: Cannot wait to see your results... Take lots of pictures if you can, even if we never see them its always nice to have the record for yourself!!!!! Kinda like rebuilding a house, in a way. Good luck!

So, a happy postmortem post. No problems on the drive, the small amount of super old grease (it was in a metal tin) that I spooned in there smoothed it right up for the outward journey; I THINK this afternoon, on my way back I may have felt some of this shimmy.. but then again, I think this may well be what has kept me from going above 70MPH without shaking for quite some time so only time will tell. This ride kinda got popped up on me at the last minute, and last night after getting home from work was my only opportunity to inspect the car; when I found the loose DOJ and actually felt it move through the range of motion, it was so icky (and my luck can be so bad) that I instantly foresaw a disaster scenario, but that is not to be yet. I think my plan is to go pull an axle from the junkyard.. (after rigorous inspection first, of course) and leave it in the car with all tools needed, until the old one fails. I may just get a sign ready to put out to inform traffic, "DON'T WORRY, I AM A HIPPY. IT WILL BE BACK ON THE ROAD SOON, THANKS!" Thanks for the advice, everyone. I try to use my dad as a sounding board for ideas and discussion at times like this, but he is in bed by the time I get home from work; you guys were my only option.

awesomeness on a stick. err, an auto, I guess. Never done a neutral drop on the trans, but I guess I oughta pay more attention to using the brake while shifting in and out of gear.. *sheepish grin* Thanks for the heads up, this is my first CV joint :-p (I am used to U-joints)

I am just wondering how much time I might have.. its just starting to give me anything to feel, but I am looking at a hundred mile round trip tomorrow. Ugh, maybe I should call it off for safety's sake.

You took the pulleys and belts off to drive the car home???? I dont want to rub anything in, man... but thats disabling the water pump!! you only have a temperature gauge on the water sitting on top of half of your engine, and when the water isnt moving then that "temperature" has only a remote relationship to the actual temperature of your engine. The temp gauge is going to cool off ALOT faster than the engine actually will.. If you didnt blow the headgasket on the drive, if there was no Jeep, if you made it home "safe" I would STILL imagine that your HG would be blowing soon enough. Sometimes its best to just park the car and either tow it, or return with parts to repair. I doubt highly that an EJ engine would have held up any better.

Best way to use sea foam is through an intake manifold vacuum line, second best way is to add to fuel as an injector and fuel system cleaner, and the third, and optional use of sea foam is to add it to your oil to clean and flush the crank case. There are plenty of people out there who refuse to add anything like Seafoam to their oil; but adding it to your fuel system is an excellent idea that can't have any exaggerating effect on oil leaks.

Don't be too incredibly hard on your son over this one.. it CERTAINLY is not the first Subaru to overheat!!! If he managed to avoid letting it hit the red zone at all, then he deserves some commendation for that at least. It is more important to know for certain, though, that it didnt hit red. Have you done anything like an engine swap or major underhood work on a soob before? changing it should be a piece of cake, and *honestly* the engine you take out would be a worthy candidate to tear down, replace headgaskets and seals, and belts, etc at your leisure, and have as a top notch spare. Again, Provided that he is positive it never hit the red zone, there should be very very little chance of any other sort of damage beyond headgaskets, and even the HGs *might* still be functional.

allright, so I havent seen any grease flung anywheres.. but that one DOJ boot has been torn since before I got the car. I havent heard any clunking, clicking, or creaking... Obviously the axle needs to be replaced and there is no avoiding it. I am primarily interested in minimizing the chances of failure on the highway tomorrow. Would spooning some grease in there help my odds at all?

Good catch, I hadn't thought to check that.. Will go do now, but both CV boots are intact so I doubt I will find anything. If you dont see me come back with a contradictory statement, presume the answer is "no."

Well, that didn't take long. I have never REALLY inspected the axle area in great detail; To clarify, my passenger side DOJ boot is torn, but no CV joint boot. (DOJ tranny side, CV wheel side, right? heh) It would also appear that the passenger side DOJ is what is causing me problems; I can grab the axle and wiggle it about a little tiny bit on the driver side, but its got noticably more space to wiggle about in on the passenger side. I will try topping off my steering fluid, still, because the sound it makes when I manually push the wheels from one extremity to the other is not right.. but I doubt anything shy of a replacement axle will do me up well. I have some white lithium spray grease, would that do it any good? Would spooning in some thick gloopy grease out of a can do any good? Somehow I doubt it, but I guess I will try doing so before putting it back together if I get no answer. Grrr.. I don't have money to worry about car, I havent gotten over 25 hours on the weekly schedule at my latest job, yet.... Eh, Ob La Di. At least theres soobs in the junkyard right now.

okay, I have the car jacked up out front right now. My problem has been subtly growing worse, and it would not yet mandate inspection and worrying, BUT, tomorrow morning I have to get up and drive fifty miles to drive my brother to work. I do NOT want it to go critical on the turnpike, heh... so on to the description and my thoughts. This shimmy is very minor, and very quiet. It feels not unlike a poorly balanced tire, which it may be but I have no cause to suspect. It is directly related to speed of travel, and seems to go away when I am cruising.. If I accelerate or decelerate it comes back, with a slight change in pitch. It feels more like something is LOOSE than something is BAD, but thats just a guess. I am inspecting the front end now. I only really feel it transmitting through the car, not very strongly through the steering wheel.. and the steering feels pretty well normal. (not "normal" enough to rule it out, but it isnt drawing attention to itself) When I jacked the car up and ran the front wheels through the motion of steering, I heard some air bubbly noises in by the rack and possibly up by the steering pump... could I simply be low on fluid?? I have a leak, and I havent tried adding any since the "onset" of this very subtle problem.. but the subtlety is going away. My thoughts were that it felt more like balljoint/steering or suspension more than bearing or axle.. I replaced both front tie rod ends a year ago (under 10K miles) with Moog parts, so I cant imagine they are causing my problem.. Maybe steering rack or sway bar bushings. I have already tried rocking the wheels to "check" the bearings and they seem solid; I am about to go pull the wheels off now. No particular QUESTION, exactly.. but just wanting the thoughts of any of my fellow soobthusiasts who may have an experience to relate. Obviously I am checking everything, but if its not a steering fluid issue I am thinking my main suspects are balljoints, axles (CV or DOJ end, unsure) and bearings. I DO have torn axle boots, but I have almost NEVER heard ANY clicking or complaining from the front end at all.. and the one or two times I did hear clicking were some time ago, and I suspect that they werent in fact CV related since nothing has gotten worse.