brianbarber

I've inherited a Kenwood amp that I want to install in my Loyale wagon. Why? Because I can. I use the back to haul stuff. Also, I don't want the amp to be booted when people get in and out of the back seat, nor do I want anyone to use it as a foot rest. (There's a ridge on the floorboards under each front seat that would make the amp stick out if I installed it under one of the front seats.) Where should I install it so that it won't be in the way? Thanks, BB

Thanks. I picked up a length of new vacuum hose (sold by the foot at my local parts store) and a package of 3/16" couplers. The only thing that's not jumping out at me is where I connect the hoses at the transfer case. I've found information on how it works and what parts I need. I'd really like to have a picture of the connections. Does anyone have the page out of the FSM, diagrams or, better yet, a photo of the connections? My Haynes manual is no help at all on this. Thanks, BB

Um, this is what he said: "I am looking for a subaru with everything in good shape, less the engine, so I can swap it in. What are my options for a good subaru to put this engine into." I'm wide open to being wrong here, but to me it sounds like he wants the whole car so that he can swap motors. BB

I just got a call from the Subaru dealership and it says that the vacuum hoses I need are not available from Subaru Canada anymore. I'm hoping that I can use something more commonly availble, like something from the plumbing section of the local building centre. Is that possible? If not or it's not the best option, what should I use? BB

Right, doh. Where's my head? When the hoses come in, I'll connect them (not quite sure where they connect to the trasfer case, but I'm sure it will be blatantly obvious when I get under the car ), and I'll replace the diff and transmission fluid, too. I haven't done that since I got the car a couple of months ago. Thanks, GD, and if anyone else wants to chime in with tips, I'm still all ears. BB

I've got the vacuum hoses on order from the dealer (~$27.00CDN). When I was in at the shop, I got talking to the service manager and he raised a really good point. He's wondering if the fact that there's no hoses is deliberate and if a previous owner had them removed because the transfer case or rear diff is hooped. If that's the case, what is the effort for replacing these parts? I figure I can get replacements from one of the three wreckers close to my place. Thanks, BB

That is such a cool tip. I never would have thought of that. I love this place. BB

I'm sure that you've done this already, but I haven't seen it mentioned explicitly... How is your coolant level? It's starting to get colder up here and I had the experienced the same thing. I needed to top up a litre or so and it's fine now. BB

Thanks for saying it was only two decades ago. It's the nicest thing I've heard all day. BB

Minor update: I finally got the car up on wheel ramps and got under the floorboard where I saw the water. I can't see a visible hole, but there's black undercoating under the car and very little has flaked off under the back seat on the driver's side. I'm thinking that the next step is to pull up the carpet to see if anything is visible from the inside. Just to answer another poster's questions. It's a four door wagon (see my profile above) with no sun roof. I'm starting to suspect the bottom corner of the front door on the driver's side. It's pretty rusty and starting to curl out. I'll keep you posted, and if any of you have any direction on this, I'll gladly take it. BB

I live in Eastern Ontario, an hour north of Massena, NY, and it gets nasty cold here. I grew up in Northwestern Ontario (due north from Minnesota), and it's much nastier. I have to admit that the cold does funny things to cars, but I've never seen axles warp. The square tires thing is common; my brother had to use a crowbar to open his doors; and, we even had our cars freeze so bad that they wouldn't start even with the block heaters going. Just to add some humour... I just bought my first Subaru a few months ago, and when I took my kid for a ride, the first question was, "Daddy, why does your car sound like the school bus?" BB

It looks terrific. Break out the Shop Vac and the brown interior will look, er, brown again. Seriously... Great work. I need to get at the rust spots on my car before the snow flies. BB

Mine doesn't. BB

Perhaps it's different up here, but I suppose this fellow has never seen a WRX or the yuppies driving around in their Outbacks sipping lattes. Around here, a Subaru is regarded as a fine, tough automobile. I'm well aware that I'm saying this while driving a '94 Loyale that I bought cheap, but it's still a great car. BB

I encountered similar symptoms in my previous car. I normally use regular grade gas and two consecutive fill-ups with premium gas made the symptoms disappear. As a bonus, they never returned in the last three years of its life. BB

I replied by asking if there was a cover for the rear to justify the AC and rear wiper. I'm looking forward to what he says. BB

I replace the PCV's in my cars every couple of tune-ups (done every spring), which some would argue is too often. I figure that since it's only about $5, it's not a big deal. Given how easy and inexpensive it is to replace, I would definitely try it first. One very simple test for a PCV is to pull it out when the car is running. If the car keeps running after you've pulled it out, the PCV definitely needs replacing. All the best, BB

BTW, I e-mailed the seller and this is the response I just received: Thanks for the interest you displayed in our ONE OFF Subaru Wagon. If you are a buyer we will cut the price in half just for you. Let me know. Thanks, P.S. We fixed the stereo and now has a amp and subwoofers in the back!!!

And I'm sure the AC will be a real selling point. BB

I'm still looking for a rear wiper motor and arm for my Loyale. $30K looks pretty good right now. (Just kidding) BB

Inspired by the fact that there is a sticker on the rear of the car that says "4WD" and a button on the shifter knob to engage 4WD, I verified that there is a driveshaft, u-joints and a rear differential before asking for help to restore 4x4 capability. BB

I went out to change my oil and when I had the car jacked up I saw a coating of oil on the skid plate and oil pan, and on parts aft of said skid plate and oil plan. Since the coating starts very neatly at the point where the oil pan connects to the block, I figure I've got a leaky pan gasket. Upon inspecting the pan, I noticed that it's pretty rusty and whatever was coating it is peeling. What is the guage of steel on the pan and should I consider replacing it with one that's in better shape from a junkyard when I change the gaskets? Thanks, BB

I finally got around to poking around the engine to sort out the lack of 4x4 and I think I found the source of the problem. I pulled out the spare tire and found two hoses coming from the left side vacuum canister not connected to anything. They stop under the spare tire and are sitting there open. The numbers on the hoses (if it helps) are 3701 and 3704. I have a Haynes manual, but it isn't very helpful. Can anyone out there with a FSM tell me where these hoses are supposed to connect? I'll also need to know what parts (couplers, hardware, etc.) are required to get everything connected. Thanks, BB

I have the Terzo racks and I love 'em. I can't recommend them highly enough for their strength and ease of set up. I bought them for my '86 Corolla back in 1993 and they're still going strong. The standard height towers fit any car with raingutters and there are taller towers for roofs that need grater clearance. I used to race road bikes and I could put four of them on the roof of the Corolla. Now that I have the Loyale wagon, I can put on a third rail and put the bike trailer up there. BB

I was driving around last Saturday in the pouring rain and when I returned home, I noticed a bunch of water (visible puddles pooling on top of the carpet with fish swimming around) on the floor in the backseat on the driver's side. Since the carpet in front of and under the other seats was dry, I can only conclude that there must be a hole in the floorboard. I sopped up the water immediately and dried the carpet as best I could. This weekend, I plan on removing the driver's seat and pulling up the carpet, which doesn't look too difficult. What should I used to seal up the hole? Sheet metal, fiberglas, something else? If you think sheet metal is the way to go, I should mention that I don't have access to welding equipment to tack on sheet metal, but I do have a riveter. Thanks, folks. The advice I've received for my other posts have been right on the money. BB