daeron

Yah, the last thing I wanted to do was sound jerkish about it.. I was just explaining where we were coming from. However, I now table a motion that this "Brat" is Evil.. look at how it has torn us apart, bickering and fighting over what is unanimously considered to be one hell of a good job, even if it is fugly. Wild looking it most certainly is, as well.. fugly is all in the eye of the beholder. I poke around on the internet for about two or three hours a day. I find it much more stimulating than spending that same time in front of the idiot box, ironing all my brain cells flat.... Even the news has become utterly awful. At least with the internet there is an opportunity for discourse.. Civilized, intellectual.. Sometimes but thats probably my favorite thing about the USMB, the fact that in a sense, it sort of extends my social circle. I DO own a television.. but i wouldn't want to bet any money on whether or not the thing is plugged into a power outlet right now, much less any input source Oh, and Qman, thanks for merging the two threads.. that was thoughtful. I highly doubt anyone really wanted to be that offensive to anyone else.. so lets just get over this vehicle (whatever we are going to call it, how about Bram?) and move on. no reason to make off-hand comments about how much social life some of us have or have not.. it IS wintertime, aren't some of you folks a little hindered in your typical social activities by the weather?? I was always under the impression that (beyond the internet) there were only two things to do while it was snowing out.. drink and fork. less hangovers, no pregnancy: thats the USMB way!!

:confused: THAT is an odd problem. The only way I could see for that to be is some sort of physical interference in the pedal assembly???? I would move the seat back, climb down under your dash head first, and operate the clutch pedal by hand while watching everything with a flashlight.. see if something is loose?? thats just bizarre... as for your suspension troubles.. No help here.. sorry :-\

if you click on my name, you get an option to send me a private message. PM me your email address, and I will send you a .pdf file of a book called How To Keep Your Subaru Alive. You can read the chapter on front suspension/steering and learn alot about the different parts you are looking at on the car.. because with adequate terminology and knowledge on your part, it makes helping you much easier on our part. You will also have better results. This book breaks things down very thoroughly, and puts everything in easy to understand terms. It was written to help people with practically NO mechanical knowledge, and is helpful even for those who have learned alot. You said the lugnuts were still intact; that would indicate that the wheel hub itself is still intact, but the brake rotor was ripped off the wheel hub. If this is the case, there *is* a chance of some substantial damage, but like I said.. Simply reading that section of the book (it isn't incredibly long) will help you understand your situation immensely. Its a 24 megabyte file. I didn't realize it was so big, so if you are on a dialup internet connection I will see if I can cut that section out for you. This website really is an immense help. We are also somewhat partial to our female members, as has come up recently in the past (bucky and heartless come to mind ) I dimly recall a member talking about his sister and his RX, but i can't recall who it was.. ask him what his name on the board is so we can associate the two of you. The book I mention was written with subarus from around 1980, but they DO apply to later models as well.

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductList.aspx?MfrCode=GCK&PartType=945&PTSet=A&SearchFor=Drive+Shaft+%2f+Axle GCK axles, part #sb-8003, auto trans. 23 spline. the website claims in stock. Availability says ships in 1 day.. its advance auto parts, the people who bought a whole bunch of other people iincluding kragen (right? not local to me but i thought I saw the name on the homepage) and discount auto parts... I don't know if thats true or not, but thats what it says.

BAD PUN!!!! :clap: :clap: (i like it) And I may as well add my voice to those asking, "Where, where?!??"

Well, I mean, I hate to be a prick.. but it was posted as recently as three weeks ago, certainly less than a month.. On the other hand, my FIRST thought upon seeing yet another repost was to immediately reply that it had been posted before, but maybe now with a pic in the actual thread instead of just a link, it might finally go away..... I agree with the awesome bodywork/fugly product school on this one, and at this point that thing is becoming downright offensive to some of us. While it is indeed "wild looking," the last three or four brats posted in a thread with a subject like that seem to have been this same, almost offensive one. So take it with that grain of salt, if you know what I mean... not that I don't appreciate the humor of your post, caleb.. Im jus' sayin'....

the best way is a solder joint, because butt crimp connectors arent very well sealed, and if this wire gets mad contacts at the butt connectors, you are back to where you stand now. at least use some shrink tubing.

thanks for the guilt trip believe me, I wish I had it to spare.. maintaining my subaru's legal status as a road vehicle takes fiscal priority though.. :-\

I have always preferred ammeters to voltmeters... northwet should understand, the older datsuns all came with ammeters and thats just what I learned to monitor... I know its all a wash, but I usually have a multimeter if I REALLY wanna know the volts anyhow.. at one point I butchered a cigarette plug just to give me a quick-acces spot to be able to double check, because I was having a fuel injection problem and I wanted to monitor voltage directly, rather than inferring it from the amperage shown.... The reason I mention all that is, could you maybe order that same kit with an ammeter instead of a voltmeter???

Cool enough, Just had to ask.. You sound like me when it comes to automatic transmissions.. My entire life has been in a shambles starting just around the time my Zcar died and I got this for free.. Driving an automatic is just one of the many things that got shat out upon me at that time... Thanks for the honest answer.. and I will now think twice about it every time, whether I change my behavior or not.. but believe me, it isnt a constant thing. Only an exception makes me do that; my normal behavior is just leaving it in drive, for the various control and "what-if" safety reasons as well as an "anti-murphy ward" with my slushbox, so to speak.. and my hand is still stuck on the shifter most of the time, anyways, just like my left foot still stomps the floorboard like I'm Dr. Strangelove...

well the one example I have yet of its behavior with a decent amount of fuel is positive.. but the condition has been anyone's guess at any time. Sometimes it runs "fine," and sometimes it doesn't... -as I said, I do have a background o2 sensor problem according to the last d-check about four or five months ago, and one or two other codes like neutral switches and speed sensors... but this anomaly is wholly above and beyond any of that. All I "notice" (its really not manifesting much issue at all) is a vague lack of power at mid throttle.. and thats not a good description. If I had a stickshift I could feel what the motor was doing better, but as it is I can't feel much.- ..BUT when it doesn't, it is bucking and stalling at any throttle position other than wide open. Believe me, once I got the cap on it I was investigating everything thoroughly anyhow.. but I have had a mess of old "stuff" that has needed eliminating, and a broken water heater, and I've been staying up too late on the internet If i can make it happen tomorrow before 5, the D-check etc will be run then. For now, must read on MAF and think on acquiring one tomorrow at the boneyard..... Can the MAF itself be removed from the large aluminum housing that all the air feeding the engine runs through??? Thats one of the things I am going to read about, but I thought I would ask while I was here. I have talked about this far more than I have actually worked on it.. Time, I need more Time!!!

Oh, I don't feel "bad" at all, beyond a slight smack in the forehead over the "blonde moment" that led to losing my gascap.... It took me a few moments after seeing it, but within 5 seconds of noticing its absence, a BIG smile was slowly creeping across my face. I thought, well.. (turn on retarded voice) "Hey USMB, why is my car running like butt?????" There is no feeling quite like discovering this problem you have TOTALLY made into a huge deal in your mind, is in fact something as simple as a disty rotor screw, or two components with identical connectors getting the plugs swapped, or (in my case) realizing that your fuel system isnt being pressurized properly because you left the cap somewhere out in France....

Thats what I thought, but I was unsure if the air still being brought into the engine would override the throttle cutoff and make the ECU pump gas into the injector anyhow. I have an EFI Bible for the bosch L-jetronic MPFI in my Zcar, and I knew that IT cut to zero fuel flow at zero gas pedal.. but was unsure how the soob system worked. Since mines the TBI, I could see how it might function more like a carb.. but anyhow, my primary concern was with burning fuel in an elevated amount, at like 2-3K.. im not SO worried about my fuel mileage that i really care to gain by shifting into neutral at a light. to be honest, I just started asking myself the question as I was approaching a light.. and realized I was uncertain of the answer. I didn't anticipate it sparking such a great thread... GD, by all means, feel free to add a link to this thread to your SPFI conversion. You are right; it IS an excellent illustration of why everything needs to be properly connected or fooled.

OMG ROFLMAO heheh, ROFLCopter... absolute absurdity, I have never done this before. So I had a thread about an EFI question, whether coasting in gear with no throttle burned less fuel than idling in neutral for the same coast... The reason that came up is, I am (was) flat broke pending today's check, and SUPER low on gas in the tank.. I had a jug today with about a gallon of low-test in it "just in case" and sure enough, i needed it when i got to work to pick up my check. I went to pour it in before I left to cash the check..... and..... I have no gas cap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :clap: I must have left it behind last time i got fuel, well over a week ago. I can't remember when or where, but i think it may have been christmas day or the day after. The entire time this problem has been occurring I have had less than a quarter tank.. and now ive got just over half, and it seems to be at bay. Obviously I am going to the JY to get a new one tomorrow... What are the odds that THIS has been a contributing factor to my problem???????? I still haven't had the time to run a D-check mode, although I may go ahead and do that tonight.. Chances are I will wait and do it tomorrow night after i get my new gas cap So yah, commence with the mockery and laughter. I've earned this one :-p

Rick == ??? GD? I am trying to start keeping track of actual names, here. Since mine's Shawn, I dont really bother too much.. I figure one shawn is enough, and thats the Admin here Besides, I have had a roomate named Shawn. Thats enough of THAT. "Is Shawn there?" "I *am* Shawn. You must mean the one with short hair and no glasses." "Yah..." btw, Some of the video is on the link posted by burtonsnowman under the "do it differently" link, but theres more to this one. I believe that yellow wagon whose owner I was inquiring about is in this video, too.. BUT I mean, its just a yellow wagon from all I can see.

Excellent answer, McFly!!!! thanks GD. as I said, I saw a perfectly good reason for either case to be truth, but I lacked the knowledge. Phiz, what have you to say against coasting in neutral with an auto?? I have browbeaten some of my friends for upshifting and downshifting their autos, then wondering why they blew their tranny.. I hate the things, give me a five speed or give me death.. or give me a free car that I can't complain about.. Its been over two years since I had to switch from my Zcar to the soob, and i STILL get antsy and start pounding my left foot against the floorboard when I can't get enough power to pass someone.. I know a 4-speed auto would be less godawful than my 3AT, but it still wouldn't be the same. Three speed transmissions were not meant to be coupled to four cylinder engines, if you ask me.

Is editing your usuer title a privilege of being a USMB donor? because I have been wondering that since about post #500.. I figured at some point I might "unlock" it. The closest thing to an answer I got was a mod changing his user title to "Custom User titles for sale, $4.99" That literally made me laugh out loud.

Okay.. short version of the background story, I am broke. Digi dash fuel gauge is showing no bars, driving home tonight, I have reason to think that my car, due to a malfunction, is getting horrible gas mileage right now.. so I am driving in a manner to conserve fuel to the utmost. I know when I let off the gas and coast to a redlight, it obviously burns less fuel then it would if I kept it stoich until I had to slow down.. My question is, am I correct in believing that popping the auto into neutral, and allowing the RPMS to drop, will burn less fuel than coasting in gear with no pressure on the throttle at all? I know that the no-gas-pedal coast is gonna burn LESS fuel, but does the air flowing into the motor cause the ecu to pump more fuel than it would take to keep it idling in neutral? I can see reasons why it might, and why it might not.. but without knowing the technical details of this EFI system, I don't know which side of my schizophrenic inner engineer to believe.. I mean, no throttle = no gas.. but i cant believe that as its coasting down from 70MPH in drive, it is pumping no more fuel than it would be at idle RPMs in neutral. Am I right? popping it into neutral saves the most fuel, right? EDIT: Oh, the irony of misspelling the word "advanced" in a phrase like "question for those with relatively advanced knowledge..." (i spelled it advnaced before I came back and edited it... )

why does the partial '89 FSM that I have on my computer say that the output of all mode varieties other than turbo say 84 horsepower then?? it also lists the maximum torque as 137 ft-lbs?!??!?! turbo spec is 115/181 hp/ft-lb.. thats under 4-door... and under wagon, it lists hp/torque as 90/137... okay re statement after thorough re reading. first the sedan FWD 84 hp, 137 ft-lb 4wd, 90 hp, 137 ft-lb now wagons... FWD & 4WD 90 hp, 137 ft-lb. All turbo varieties the same at 115/181. what gives??? this is from an 89 service manual that only mentions FI motors, so its not a carb vs FI thing in my interpretation of the book.. was the 84 in one chart a typo?? all peak numbers were reached at the same RPMS, 5200 and 2700.. I dunno, im not trying to pick a fight or anything. I just got to wondering how I acquired that particular misconception and figured I would read the only thing I had at my disposal to check for guidance.. and I immediately saw how i got that misconception.

How much would you plan on using an angle grinder? I hate to advocate buying cheap tools, but for an angle grinder Harbor Freight may be the best way to go... clicky to see your options.. sure, it might not last forever, but for 15 or 20 bucks??! why wait till christmas?! LOTS of tools that a professional, or any serious amateur mechanic would NEVER THINK about buying from harbor freight make PERFECT sense to buy, if you will only use it once in a while, and can take care of it. Most power tools are little more than a motor, some gears to get things spinning in the right angle and at the right combination of RPM and torque, and a place to attach a wheel/blade/bit/thingy onto. Add a cord, a handle, and a switch, and boom. Don't get me wrong, i would take my landlords milwauke 9" angle grinder over a $20-30 harbor freight equivalent any day.. except for the day you pay for it As much as I have made harbor freight seem like a great thing, I have to add my disclaimer here. I call them Chinamart. these are lower quality products at this place.. but for ALOT of things the cost quite simply makes the lower quality a convenience issue. Broke an impact socket? that sucks, good thing you bought the set at harbor freight, so you got two sets for half (or less) what a similar craftsman set would cost. However, i will NEVER buy Flare nut wrenches there again.. its a judgment call, which makes having a store nearby very convenient. If you can see and hold the tool in question, its alot easier to decide if you want it or not. Things like certain air tools, power tools, expensive hand tools and drill bit can be had at chinamart for really good prices though.. I buy diamond drill bits, hole saws, and grinding bits there often. five bucks a package, at least three bits in each. The sales are phenomenal, too.

Eff the 'Yota. the soob in question cant look any worse than it does, and it will certainly run better. Granted, I own and drive an NA, and this is a turbo.. turbos are more complex machines, so they have more possible ways they can break down.. but still. its a subaru. did you know that subaru spelled backwards is U R A BUS? thats alot better than.... a yotot. yah. Thats rational thinking. Im sure i twisted your arm on that one allright I am leaving the forum for the night now, before i say anything stupider :-p

looks like the wagon got poked in the eye there ;- )

Maybe that "elite master of the subaru" user title just gave me a false impression Nothing like a "duh" moment like that, though. I like reading people's posts when they are stream-of-consciousness like that.. I have this odd idea about how neat it would be to see an engine running on a stand. I have seen many running engines taken and put on stands.. and seen many engines built on stands installed, and run.. seen engines go from one car, to a stand, to another car.. but i have never seen an engine running outside of a car. (a car engine.. pumps, generators, boat engines etc don't count.) Thats probly why the idea appeals to me. It would make me feel like i was in a lab, and since I have spent many hours in a laboratory setting, and many hours in a garage setting, combining the two appeals to me.

sorry to say it, but Durania merely found and fixed his "magic wire." My brother had a 280ZX that had a magic wire which would cause the spark to go down to half its potency, making for a horrible running engine. He installed an exhaust on the car one year on his xmas vacation, and the car would NOT run afterwards. he put new injectors, new fuel pump, more new stuff in it than I can remember. it wound up going away.. mostly.. but when he came to be autocrossing that same car he embarked on a major effort to find his magic wire and fix it. A Magic wire is any wire that is causing an electircal anomaly. A wire will short out if its insulation becomes brittle, it gets flexed, the insulation cracks, and then the copper wire touches metal. Some Magic wires happen when a bit of wire somehow gets corroded, and builds up too much resistance. The only way (not the only way, I will explain in a second) to find a magic wire is to start your car and wiggle wires around. When you start wiggling in an area and your problem either goes away, or gets worse, or comes back, whatever.. you have located the general area of your magic wire. Sometimes you are lucky, and can take a voltmeter and find your short by looking for continuity to ground, where no such continuity can exist.. in other words, put one lead on a ground, and stick your other lead into any place you can find.. if you get continuity between a wire that is NOT a ground wire, and a chassis ground, then you have found your magic wire. My point is, even if you do in fact have the EXACT same problem he had.. chances are very slim that the actual physical problem is in the same spot. (unless its a common problem area on brats?? I haven't heard so, but I dont own a brat/ea81 so I wouldn't be paying TOO close attention.. Tracing a magic wire is a difficult chore. No, its a b!tch, plain and simple. A Royal Pain in the tuckus, if you catch my drift. After all, how many wires does your car have? Granted, only a given number of those wires are likely to be the cause of Your problem, but just because his symptoms and yours were identical does NOT mean it was the same wire. Like Durania said, he and his dad "took on the task of why my voltage just plain sucks." It is indeed a task to take on. Good luck. Oh, and Durania.. nice going. it is ALWAYS good to hear stories about people finally finding and fixing their various magic wires.

You mentioned going EA-82 in the future... I am about to start a fire here, but from what I have read the EA-82 is simply an OHC version of the ea-81, with a slightly higher tendency towards blowing headgaskets. Maybe more than slightly. It also has timing belts, and as long as we are talking NA motors, it doesnt breathe any better. These things arent necessarily problematic, but they all lower the "reliability" factor of a DD, or if it is for performance only applications, they increase the chances of breaking something at an event. Maybe not your first. Maybe not for a while.. but _probably_ sooner than if it were an ea-81. If you feel like spending some cash, search for RAM performance or RAM engines.. they make airplane engines, many of them ea-81 based. they go hog-wild with it, BUT they also sell parts and bits like you might be hunting for in your engine build. I gather they are infallible. (they ARE making engines that keep thousands of pounds of metal up in the air.. as opposed to engines that keep about a ton of metal rolling on the ground.. infallible is definitely the correct word to use here) I don;t know the website URL, but a google search or a search here on the USRM of RAM engines or RAM performance (maybe not all caps for searching..) should turn you on to the right place. it is something like ramengines.com. Beyond that, I can't help you. Never owned an ea-81. Just thought I would let you know about those people and their airplane products.