PonchoCatalina

It's a five-speed manual, so I'm good there. I appreciate everyones' ideas, and as soon as it stops raining, I'll look into the suggested items. I'll start by checking out the PCV valve and verifying my valve timing is correct, then go from there. If I achieve success, I'll post the outcome. Thanks! PS to GD - Maybe I should just build one of these to monitor my A/F mixture: http://www.scirocco.org/tech/misc/afgauge/af.html

I know this has been covered many times, and I have read just about all the posts I can find related to EA82 SPFI fuel mileage, but I'm just not having any luck boosting the fuel efficiency of my 91 Loyale. Maybe someone can point out whatever it is I'm missing? Currently I'm getting about 20.5 mpg. The best I've seen is about 21.7, the worst about 19.8. This is all city driving. I don't expect much, but 24-25 in town would be great at this point. As it is, my 86 diesel Suburban gets about the same MPG as my Loyale. This is what I have done so far to try to improve things: 1. New O2 sensor 2. New NGK plugs 3. New air filter 4. Changed oil from 20w50 to 10w30 5. Made sure 36 psi in all four tires 6. Cleaned MAF with CRC MAF cleaner 7. Verified timing at 20 degrees BTDC After making these changes, I haven't seen any appreciable change in MPG. I believe my coolant temperature sensor is working correctly, as the car starts at a higher cold idle (about 1200-1500 rpm), then falls back to a steady 700 rpm, as it should. I have no check engine light on. The only other things that might be significant are an occasional hesitation at part thottle when the engine has not warmed up, and there is a sort of rich smell to the exhaust when I'm standing still (at a light, for example). I figured the new O2 sensor would have fixed a rich-running condition. Perhaps I need to wait a while for the computer to adjust to the new sensor? I welcome any ideas. Thanks!

Sorry I can't offer a solution, but if you get it figured out, I'd love to know what's causing it (and how to fix it). My 91 Loyale does the exact same thing - a sort of hollow knocking/banging sound from the rear end when I drive across uneven pavement. It is most noticeable on a washboard-type surface where it manfiests as a rapid "clunk-clunk-clunk". It does seem to be most pronounced on the right (passenger) side, but I think both sides are involved. The bolts that anchor the top of the struts are tight, and I even replaced both rear shocks and the bump-stops that go with them, but it didn't seem to make a difference. - Poncho

I had pronounced ticking in my 91 Loyale. I tried everything recommended, starting with the simplest and least invasive and working my way up: first Seafoam/MMO, then heavier oil, then resealed oil pump, then replaced cam-case o-rings, then replaced lifters with Mizpah rebuilts...still was ticking. Finally, about the third or fourth time I had the cam towers off, I took the driver's side cam out of its case and ran a fine wire through the "hidden passage" that is in one of the cam journals and lo-and-behold out came a big ol' chunk of solidified black RTV. Since then, no more ticking. I hope yours is a simpler fix. - Poncho

Here's a question for you: Was the radiator cap in place, or was the radiator open to rain? If the radiator was open AND you have a missing freeze plug in one of the heads, whatever goes into the radiator winds up in the oil pan. An open radiator would collect more water than an intake bolt in a rainstorm. Just a thought.

I think I found the culprit. I discovered that the differential carrier bushing is pretty eroded (see picture). Does anyone know of a good source for a replacement? I understand these are pretty expensive if bought from the dealer.

I checked the muffler and exhaust system and could find nothing loose or rattling. I also jacked up the car and attempted to wiggle and lift the rear tires, but could find no play. I did notice what looked like some play (gaps) at the crossmember bushings when both rear wheels were raised off the ground. I have attached a couple of pictures. This may be the normal appearance of these bushing locations, but I don't know. What do you guys think? Thanks.

Thanks for your input. I don't think your idea about the seats is foolish at all, and in fact I just went out and switched 'em from seat configuration to cargo configuration and drove around the parking lot at work. Unfortunately, it didn't take care of the problem, but it was certainly worth a try and something I had *not* done yet. I'll pursue the exhaust / muffler issues when everything is cool, but I did install a new muffler a couple of months ago - maybe something is loose. Thanks again.

Now that I've got my lifters quieted down, I'm focusing on all the other noises that were previously either masked or secondary to the (loud) engine tick. I have noticed a fairly significant rattle / banging noise from the passenger side rear of my 91 Loyale wagon. It does it on any slightly rough surface, and is most pronounced on any sort of "washboard" surface where it appears as a steady rattle until smooth pavement is reached. It sounds kind of like a not-fully-latched door banging, or maybe a wrench bouncing around in an un-padded metal box. I've made sure that all doors are completely closed and latched and have no play or rattle (including the hatch), I've emptied everything out of the cargo area including the storage compartments, and I've padded the rear storage compartment lid with towels to eliminate it banging. I have also replaced the rear strut on that side of the car since it was squeaking. The squeak is gone, but the rattle is still there. All the rubber on the strut assembly was good and pliable, so that shouldn't be a problem. The weird thing is, to me it really sounds more like the noise is inside the cabin rather than being transmitted from outside. I welcome any ideas, because right now I'm stumped! Thanks.

I see your problem - I had noticed the pressure switch on your receiver/dryer and just assumed that the replacements I linked to had the port. I would still contact the folks at ackits.com and see if they have any cross-listed parts that will interchange, or if they can recommend an alternate solution like an inline pressure switch (like the Loyales have). Speaking of which, you may be able to replace one of your hard refrigerant lines with the same line from a Loyale with the integral inline switch. You might need to splice in the electrical connector from the Loyale, too. I'm not sure if the lines are routed the same, but it might work?

...or you could go here: http://www.autozone.com/R,APP94430/vehicleId,1083602/initialAction,partProductDetail/store,3535/partType,00058/shopping/partProductDetail.htm ...or here: http://www.autozone.com/R,APP93502/vehicleId,1083602/initialAction,partProductDetail/store,3535/partType,00058/shopping/partProductDetail.htm ...or if you want to stay local, check out the Advance Auto Parts in Pottstown, PA for this selection: http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductList.aspx?parttype=397&ptset=A&searchfor=Receiver+Drier+%2f+Acumulator

Check out: http://www.ackits.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=01&Product_Code=37-13209&Category_Code=Subaru88GL1-8 This is from the ackits.com website. They're good folks, and the associated forum is very helpful with A/C repairs. You can always give them a call to verify that it will be the correct part for the Hitachi system.

It is a wagon. So if I understand correctly, since the wagon has the separate built-in bullet-shaped rubber bump stop, the integral bumper in the strut is redundant, so it doesn't really matter if it is replaced?

I started on a project this afternoon to replace the rear strut cartridges on my '91 Loyale. I removed the passenger side strut and while handling it, material resembling bread crumbs started falling out of the upper portion of the assembly. It seems that the upper portion of the strut bumper (#9 on the attached diagram) is, well...gone. The lower portion (the plastic cylinder) is present, but the upper part I believe is the source of the "crumbs". It seems the bumper is made of some sort of foam rubber that got crusty and simply crumbled away. Now my questions: how important is this bumper? Can I get one some other place other than Subaru? 1st Subaru Parts wants $37.19 to replace this crumbly bit of rubbish, and I assume I'll need one for the driver's side, too (I didn't get that far). If someone knows of a generic replacement for this, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks!

Just make sure you bring essential spare parts, and that everything is in good repair for setting out. Check out: http://andrews.home.texas.net/Cuatrocienegas.html for a great illustrated story of one Subaru's trip to Mexico.

I discovered the same lack of consensus about how to tow a 4wd Loyale! My Loyale was residing at my inlaws' ranch about 60 miles up the road with an engine full of water from a blown freeze plug, and I wanted to bring it home to work on. After much hand-wringing and reading conflicting opinions, I finally just winched it up onto a U-Haul dolly, made sure the steering wheel was unlocked and 4WD was disengaged, and took off with the rear tires on the ground. It did not seem to have caused any damage whatsoever. I have since fixed my engine and am back on the road, tranmission (5 speed manual) seems fine, 4WD operation seems fine - no worries. Now if 4WD HAD been engaged, it may have been a different story: rear wheels turning differential, turning driveshaft, turning transmission, turning front wheels which happen to be ratcheted down to the dolly - not good! Bottom line: if the 4WD is definitely disengaged, I can't see what harm can result. And by the way - the Loyale pulled like a dream - it's so light that I forgot it was back there.

Also check out Ebay item number 260135884668. I'm not sure who the maker is (probably Chinese), but the price is dirt cheap and the seller has very good feedback. Pull one seal, clean 'em out good, and relube with high-temp grease and you're good to go for about $14 including shipping for all four front bearings!

I just installed a new radiator in my Loyale as the old one had a seemingly non-repairable crack in the filler neck (trust me, I tried). As I was putting in the new one I noticed the transmission cooler input/output lines which are redundant for my manual transmission. They got me thinking, however, what if one were to install hookups for a water hose in / water hose out? Could you use it like one of those heat-exchanger style camp showers? Now I realize that the transmission fluid cooler is intended to *cool* fluid, but the intent is to maintain 165-185 degrees. Would it effectively *heat up* 60-80 degree water? A small submersible pump or a pressurized water system could provide the input, and the output should come out having picked up heat from the radiator as it flowed through. Simply put a shower wand on the output end, and you've got the makings for a hot shower anywhere as long as you have a water supply and gasoline to run the engine. I guess my only question is this: is the transmission cooler circuit substantially long enough to transfer enough heat to flowing water to make it worthwhile, or would it only raise the temperature a few degrees? Or, am is my thinking completely screwy on this whole idea? Examples: http://toyota.off-road.com/toyota/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=186540 http://www.hotcampshowers.com/new51788.html

I have to second what Caboobaroo said. My Loyale had exactly the same problem - busted freeze plug flooded the oil pan, milkshake goo throughout the whole oil and coolant system, etc. I replaced head gaskets while I was in there, but the real problem was the freeze plug. Never touched the bearings, and all is well thus far. That's not to say that your bearings aren't bad, just that they aren't *necessarily* bad. Also, I may have just been lucky in that the previous owner had used only water with no antifreeze as coolant, as I have heard that antifreeze is what really attacks bearings. Of course, the lack of the corrosion inhibiting factors in antifreeze is what probably caused the freeze plug to fail. The plug was pretty rotten, so I had my machine shop clean up my heads, resurface them, and replace ALL the freeze plugs before re-installing.

Do '91 and later Loyales have a different radiator than earlier EA82 cars (including the '90 Loyale). The reason I ask is that I wanted to buy one of the $60 radiators from the guy on eBay, but his ad lists GLs, DLs, et. al. AND '90 Loyales. I assumed that he meant '90 and up, but I asked him anyway. He said that radiator does NOT fit the '91 model. What gives? Does anyone know if in fact there is a difference, and if so, what is it? Just curious. Thanks.

*WARNING - Boring math post to follow* I know this may be a bit of warped logic, but here's the way I look at it: my '91 Loyale 4WD wagon averages 24 MPG according to the new EPA ratings (I haven't figured out what it's really getting, but that figure will work for this discussion). A new Prius gets 46 MPG based on the same rating system. I paid $900 for my Loyale. A 2007 Prius costs $20,419 - $21,171 (invoice) according to MSN Autos. Now let's do the math...at an average of $20,795, the Prius costs $19,895 more than my Loyale. Today, gas is averaging $3.02 a gallon nationwide. So, to drive my Loyale 1000 miles, it costs $125.83. To drive a Prius 1000 miles, it costs $65.65. That means it costs $60.18 more to drive the Subaru 1000 miles. Thus, I would have to drive a new Prius 330,592 miles to break even on fuel costs vs. purchase price. In conclusion, I would rather pay a little extra for gasoline and have 4wd capability in a vehicle I can fix myself WITH NO CAR PAYMENTS than have a new super-fuel-efficient, super-complex gas-electric hybrid that costs me $300-400 month to buy plus comprehensive insurance as long as the bank owns it. When I think about what I'm NOT paying to a finance company for my Loyale, it makes me almost giddy enough to drive rather than coast down hills, and enjoy a little A/C on a 100 degree day, even if it costs me three or four cents per mile!

Success is mine! I went up two drill bit sizes successively and the remaining piece of bolt just came loose in the hole - I backed it out with my fingers. The threads seem to be intact as I was able to turn a bolt in and tighten it up. Thanks for all the help! - Ian

Yep - #5

Gary - I really appreciate the offer. If I hit a seemingly insurmountable snag, I'll PM you with a cry for help! I will also post the outcome when I get this little problem resolved. Thanks again for the guidance. - Ian PS - thanks to Gloyale, too, for the warning about the bolt hole depth - I wondered if suddenly I'd break through into an oil passage - it was definitely a factor in my stress level!

Gary, Thanks for all the great information. I had read about your struggles with the water pump bolt, and it sounds far worse than what I'm facing - gives me a bit of confidence that I can actually fix this mess! I appreciate the help. - Ian