Carter

Then when the bushings get really bad, the tach will skip all the way down to zero before returning to your operating speed. It will do this for awhile until it goes down to zero and stays there. Nothing will get you going again except another distributor or fixing the bushings.

Larry Owens is the author of "How to Keep Your Subaru alive," not John Muir. These books are somewhat rare, but can occasionally be found on eBay. I bought my copy for $14 (it was a former library book).

You're in Florida, and you need heat? Anyway, if the blower motor is working, the biggest culprit for no heat is low radiator fluid volume. My '84 EA81 wagon never really put out a lot of heat through either the defroster or heater vents, but it put out none when the fluid in the radiator was below spec--the anitifreeze/water mix couldn't get into the heater core.

Someone mentioned a flat (or boxer) eight cylinder engine, but that's nothing: Ferrari once had a flat-12 as a Formula One engine, and BRM had a 3.0 liter F1 engine that was a flat 16 (albeit one flat eight on top of another flat eight). Here's a link to this engine that actually won one GP: http://members.madasafish.com/~d_hodgkinson/brm-e-H16.htm Also some of you seem not be keeping up on engine technology: there are many high displacement SOHC and DOHC V-8s available from American, European, and Japanese manufacturers. Pushrod engines are still used in racing: NASCAR and NHRA Super Stock are two areas. But no one would seriously consider designing a pushrod engine for F1 or the IRL.

All the 4WD ea82 wagons I see in Montana have front mudflaps. Mine certainly does.

My new to me 87 GL wagon with 191,000 miles needs to have its original liftgate struts replaced. After noticing a wide fluctuation in prices, I found some new ones at Parts Plus here in Missoula for $42 for the pair. A great price, but the problem is that the set only included the top mounting bracket (where the strut attaches to the lift gate). It included some vague instructions about re-using the old mounts, but I don't want to do that because it would mean peaning out the old struts from the bracket. Are there are other brands (admittedly more expensive) that include the proper mounting brackets so that this replacement job is a simple bolt out, bolt in operation? Or should I take a walk out to the junkyard--it's a mile one-way from the front gate to the land of Subarus. Thanks, Carter