daeron

I forgot to mention before, but the ECU gets a "cranking" signal from the ignition switch when the key is turned to "start" and that is really the big reason I decided NOT to use a pushbutton.... my relay mod keeps that "cranking" signal going to the ECU when it should be. Obviously many have used the pushbutton mod instead, and haven't had any difficulties... but I am a firm believer in Murphy's Law, and did NOT want to leave any room for anything else to go wrong, especially since I know that my car does not activate the fuel pump with the key "on" unless the car is running.

You could wire it off of the starter end of the battery cable... but in the end I avoided using that as my power pick-up point for my relay. I can't say why; I just felt better taking it from the terminal. there is NO need to leave the original solenoid wire intact; it would do nothing anyhow. I opted to install the relay rather than a pushbutton, because the ECU gets a "cranking" signal from the ignition switch when it is in the "start" position.. and using the stock solenoid wire to activate a relay keeps this "Cranking" signal going to the ECU when it is supposed to. Really, this "cranking" signal is the best argument in favor of a relay over a pushbutton...but people use pushbuttons all the time with no apparent problems, so I do not know how vital it really is. To the best of my knowledge, once the car is started it makes absolutely no difference whether the ECU got its "Cranking" signal or not.

My point arose from my three month odyssey that just ended... trying to fix my car with zero money. I was forced to pocket a fuel pump and pressure regulator in a junkyard to try to eliminate fuel pressure as a problem, i beat my head into the ground, and in the end replacing my beautiful looking, 40,000 mile NGKs with some rusted, nasty fouled out plugs from my datsun that hadnt been run in three years, fixed it It was a joke on me, but the point remains valid. Never trust spark plugs half as far as you can throw them.

Blessed are those with the rattlecan... for the spray booth of God, is theirs...

I nominate this for "pun of the year" principle, principal..... PRICELESS

this might be of assistance... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=74632 This is the exact same reason I installed the relay in my car. I didn't want to use any alternate switch, so I just used the wire coming from the ignition switch to power a relay. There IS a distinct possibility that the problem is being caused by a starter solenoid that is on its way out.. and to MY mind, the likelihood of that being the problem goes up if tapping the starter with a hammer helps get it to turn over. If the starter clicks every time you hit the key, then there is no need to worry about it making contact. The solenoid requires something on the order of 3-4 amps to operate (maybe as little as say, 1 amp) and the relay requires all of 0.02 amps. Another benefit of having a relay under the hood: at any time, you can simply take the wire that you connect to the ignition switch, unplug it from the ignition switch, and touch it to the battery terminal to start the car. Essentially, a remote starter button so that you can check for spark, examine your injector spraying pattern (well not on MPFI engines) or check your timing without a second person to turn the key.

vat iz dis "veenter" ting of vich I hear so much??? I loves my sunshine. The only time it sucks is when you are in an overheating car and have to use the heater to help keep it cool. (at least the car in question wasn't my soob) Anyhow, as a temporary fix, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wiring the fan as I said. As gloyale pointed out, it MIGHT not exactly be an "all season" thing for some folks, though

I will re iterate this point.. NOT all ECUs turn the fuel pump on before the key reaches "start." Mine never turns the fuel pump on without the car running, UNLESS the green connectors are plugged in. Everything appears stock, I have NO reason to doubt that it is. I just recently discovered that the brother from whom I obtained this car, got it from his mother-in-law, and SHE is a lady who takes care of her vehicles, usually through a dealership.... It sounds like yours doesn't really turn on until you hit start, either. I would agree with others, check the fuel supply a little further back.. replacing the fuel filter never hurts, and if you can brave the taste of a bit of gasoline, you SHOULD be able to blow freely back through the supply line, through the pump, and into the fuel tank without a GREAT deal of difficulty. I smoke too much, and I can do it.

I can't answer any of your other ponderings.. but I know that my motor had FANTASTIC compression numbers in the "good" cylinders when I confirmed a bad headgasket, and ALL cylinders had significant cracks BTV.. I didnt examine the depth at all because the valves stayed in, but... I was getting 185 PSI out of the good cylinder bank, and 155 out of the bad ones. (exact numbers, i found the sheet of paper I wrote them on yesterday.) And if your mechanic says he has never heard the TOD..... I mean, just.. WOW!!! has he NEVER seen a subaru that had been run with anything less than the finest oil, changed with filter every 2500 miles, and a new oil pump every 60K or so??? there are like four or five MAJOR contributors to the tick of death (the HLA noise) and more minor ones than I can think of.. poor oil pump pressure, oil pump seal collapse causing poor oil FLOW, any oil leak, any contamination in oil, slightly worn lifters, lightweight oil..... LOTS of things. I hate to call this guy's opinion into question over his statements about the TOD.. it Could be that he does just make sure they are all fanatically maintained.. BUT everyone here who has seen their cylinder heads knows that the valve cracks are very common (or we have run many heads with valve cracks. I have only used the pair on my engine currently, but others have FAR more miles on far more engines than I) AND we know that noisy lifters are sometimes just a way for the car to politely ask that its oil get changed. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

someone call the pun police It really makes you a special kind of mad when you forget to check the simple things, huh?

hey just make sure you keep nice new spark plugs in him and thats all he will ever need. These things are great machines. *mud*on*my*face

+1, excellent points. it NEVER hurts to be extra vigilant checking your coolant levels for at least the first week or so after doing something like this, ESPECIALLY if, to the best of your knowledge, there are lots of OE or very high mileage parts on the car.

dont even need "BA" needle nose (assuming BA stands for big angle :-p) Normal sized ones will be fine, just don't go attacking it with a pair of "precision" pliers (read: tiny=bad) HTKYSA FTW!!!!!!

to test the fan and make sure it works, unplug the thermoswitch (the small two wire plug going into a copper plug looking thingy on the passenger side radiator tank) and replace the thermoswitch with a jumper wire. With a single piece of wire bridging the connection to the thermoswitch, the ran will run any time the key is in the "ACC" or "ON" position. *I* don't even use my thermoswitch; I just let the fan run whenever the car is running. hth

easy as pie, honestly. If the car is an automatic, then you will also have the two ATF cooler lines to disconnect on the driver side... good luck.

subaru drum brakes were what made me fall in love with subarus.. the BEST drum brake setup I have ever seen, bar none. A pair of decent sized needle nose pliers are the only "special" tool you should need; SOME drum brake setups are such that you DO need (or benefit greatly from) having a special tool to remove and attach the shoe retaining clip thingies.... but the ones on the sooob are self explanatory. As is the case with all brake jobs the first time you do one on any given car, it IS best to do one side from start to finish, BEFORE taking te other side apart, so that you can use the other side as a reference if needs be. If you have ANY sort of manual to help you, that is FAR more than enough. My entire family agreed with me; we need to get some subaru drum brake hardware to retrofit onto all of out datsuns. It makes changing brakes in any "race" scenario a MUCH simpler and faster proposition.

I'm not worried TOO much.. I just cant get the image out of my mind, thats all. I am kinda morbid like that sometimes. I am STILL kicking myself (occasionally) over the spark plugs...

I'm sorry, but I just clicked on "Read first new post" so I read that out of context, and it took me a moment to recall what this thread was about... and I am still laughing..... "Sound off like you've got a pair!" I was born with mine, not sure where you could pick up a "pair" aftermarket

man, i cant get those BTV crack photos out of my mind now... but with compression numbers like 180, 185, 185, then 150 for my bad cylinder I suppose I shouldnt be too concerned that mine cracked that deeply. especially on an NA. BUT now I really wish I had bothered to take a valve or two out of each head when I had the engine apart... "wish I had" syndrome, yanno

when you say "heater fan doesn't come on" are you referring to the heater fan, or the radiator electric fan? Because Gloyale is referring to the electric radiator fan. The thermoswitch in question is on the passenger side radiator tank, usually down fairly low. Try taking your hand and moving it gradually across the surface of the radiator when the car is warmed up. If you feel any spots that are cooler than most of the radiator, then you have found a clogged spot. I am betting that your radiator has more than one of these cool spots. Did you use an OEM thermostat? I hear that OEM is the only way to go for REAL safe reliability.. but I run without one, so thats hearsay. (tropical weather FTW) Also, check your radiator cap to make sure it is sealing good and tight; a new radiator cap is cheap and almost always worth it.

Try using a large screwdriver as a solid stethoscope, or a piece of tubing. Harbor Freight sells mechanic's stethoscopes fairly cheap.. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=41966 $5.99. This one, you could use both as an air-based stethoscope, for finding vacuum leaks, AND a solid, "touch it to the engine and find your noise" type scope.. I do not own one, but I have used one and I have used improvised "stethoscopes" more times than I can remember.

wowzers!!!! that sounds NASTY! Have you checked all belt idlers or tensioners? is there a clutch fan on the motor? Have you removed the accessory drivebelt(s?) to check for shaft play in your alternator, PS pump, or anything else? I know you said "none of the accessories" but seriously.. if the engine isnt running poorly, I cant see that being valvetrain noise or serious crank/rod damage... Can you localize the source of the noise at ALL? try using a piece of tubing in one ear, and block the other ear shut.. fish the tubing around and see if its louder in any areas.... It REALLY sounds like a fried fan clutch, or tensioner bearing.. but the bearing theory doesnt hold much water, as it would put a fairly decent load on the engine by seizing... is your engine effected by this "noise?" Are you certain that depressing the clutch pedal is disengaging the clutch? clutch works fine, right?

I *might* decide to "get around to it" before you; IF I were to do that, and credit you for the photos, would you mind? Me== no job right now, too damn much time to kill. BTW, you DO know that paintbrush has a text insertion tool, dont you?

well, FWIW i had a post earlier in the thread with some links to the stud pullers.. they dont require threads, per se.. but your comment about the shear strength vs torque required to remove them is still PROBABLY applicable. they wouldnt "eat" the studs quite as easily as a pipe wrench would.. but it is probably irrelevant. Good luck with the drill bits.

soobscript: Could you please be so kind as to upload these photos onto an album here on the USMB, and make a post that we can nominate for the USRM with them all??? This is excellent visual data that would be nice to be able to pass on. If only we could get good examples of acceptable BTV cracks, it would be super. BTW, since I didnt remove the valves from my heads, i REALLY hope my heads arent cracked that deeply...