Andy FitzGibbon

Anyone installed a factory sunroof in a car that didn't have one originally? Thanks, Andy

Sent you a PM- I might be interested in the wagon. Thanks, Andy

I have put 4000 miles on one of those Import Experts timing kits with no trouble so far. I was not so impressed with their engine gasket kit, though. Andy

OEM Subaru studs are continuous thread, for what that's worth. Heli-coils are not that expensive, I think the last time I bought one it was around $15. I haven't ever tried doing the 7/16" trick. Andy

Don't get the cam HOUSING (or case) o-rings and the cam SUPPORT (or carrier) o-rings confused. The cam housing o-rings go between the head and the cam housings, and seal the oil passage. The support o-rings go behind the aluminum cam supports that hold the cam seals and bolt to the front of the cam housings. thepartsbin.com has pictures on the web site, just input your vehicle info and then look for the parts under "engine mechanical". Andy

One per side. Available from thepartsbin.com They look more or less like a regular o-ring, but are metal reinforced. Andy

Thanks, that's exactly what I needed. Andy

I'm wanting to order a new water pump for my '89 GL SPFI. The trouble is that the WP shaft was hacksawed off because the car was wrecked, so I don't know what hub height the pump originally had. Any way to tell? Thanks, Andy

Another way to get stuck inserts out of the covers is to heat the bolt, then push them out from the backside. The heat melts the plastic enough that they will come out. Andy

They cannot be registered due to the fact that the DOT doesn't approve them for highway use. Additonally, the one in Scott's picture has ATV tires on it, which are not DOT approved either. This varies from state to state. Check your local laws before buying one... Andy

I've never driven one, but have heard they are pretty good. Have looked at them and they look like they'd be as good as a four wheeler. Some have hi-lo range, and diff locks front and rear. Too bad they aren't street legal. Andy

No. You'd be farther ahead to cut the centers out of the wheel of your choice and replace them with four-lug centers. That's probably still technically illegal, and getting them to run true enough for highway use could be frusturating. Andy

I have had many sets of BFG All Terrains on various vehicles and was happy with them for the sort of use Scott is describing. They are definitely more expensive than most other similar tires, though. I had one set of 33" Mud Terrains which I was also happy with, they wear quite well if rotated regularly. I know that story... why oh why did they keep the Twin Traction Beam for so long? It's one of the more retarded suspension designs I've seen. Andy

The adjustable struts on the '85 and '86 cars allowed you to add over an inch to the ride height- 2" blocks isn't that much more. Andy

Tell them it has TWO front drive shafts. Andy

'85 GL wagon, D/R 4x4 5 speed, Weber carb and no more emissions equipment: 30MPG @ 55-60 MPH, 27-28 MPG @ 65-75 MPH. Andy

Good call. I have noticed that sometimes those bolts are phillips head and sometimes they are hex (not sure if that ties in with the 10-12mm difference or not). Living around here, they usually don't come out without a fight if they are phillips. I once removed both fenders and the valence as a unit from a GL in the junkyard because I couldn't get the four valence bolts out. I also fit the entire unit into the back of a 4Runner, which surprised both me and the junkyard man. Andy

Mine also binds when the engine gets good and hot during long trips. Doesn't stick on, but gets hard to accelerate smoothly. There's someone on here who sells bearing kits for the throttle shaft. Can't remember their user name, but look in the Vendor forum and there's a post about it there. Adding too much return spring tension is hard on the main shaft bushings/bearings, so it's better to fix the problem instead of just adding more tension. Andy

The only difference is the side trim, and that can be changed out. I'm pretty sure the hole layout is the same. Andy

I checked the dimensions in the first part of the chart in the '89 FSM. I had the main rotor shaft out, and had the relief valve apart, but I don't think I measured the spring length. Didn't test pressure either. Andy

Since you're pulling the motor, and it's a turbo, I would do the head gaskets. Andy

Does the engine crankshaft actually move when you hit the key, or not? From your description, I can't tell. The whirring noise could be the starter not engaging the ring gear, or maybe the fuel pump. Andy

No voltage to the pulse amplifier mounted above the evaporator... flow chart says "faulty switches or wiring". Took apart the HVAC mode switch in the dash today and cleaned the electrical contacts- still nothing. Hmmm. Andy

Gary, I was kind of feeling the same way- that intermittent issues were probably air bubble/pump related, and that a bad lifter would be a constant noise. I remember seeing that page about sleeving the oil ports. Hopefully I won't have to go that far, but we shall see, I guess. I've never checked to see if the noise moves around or not, but from the driver's seat it sounds like several of them alternately cutting in and out. The noise will get louder, then suddenly *almost* go away, as if several were clattering at once and then one or two pumped up and quit. Good point on the oil pump bolts. I did chase the holes, and still almost twisted one long one off while torquing it. Pulled it out and the shaft of the bolt had stretched a scary amount. I really wish they'd used 12mm bolts on these pumps. Thanks for the Mizpah link. That's a lot more affordable than $50 each for new HLAs. At their price, I will probably just go ahead and replace them along with the pump and cam seals. Andy

Well, I put the lifters back where they were when I took it apart. But others have been into this engine before I was, so who knows how long they've been in those locations. The engine is an EA82. It has had about the same amount of HLA noise since I bought it, but I was hoping the reseal would eliminate it. No leaks at the cam case/head seam. The only leaks I can find after washing off the bottom of the engine seem to be coming from the cam seals or carrier o-rings (unless there's another leak hidden somewhere behind the timing covers that I don't know about). The cam seal/o ring leaks are very small. The pump was within spec, but so were the lifters... I'm thinking one of those two things is probably the problem. This fall I will probably go ahead and replace whatever is leaking at the cams, and the oil pump, but I'm debating weather or not to replace the HLAs at the same time. I haven't looked around much but from what I have seen it seems like about $50 a pop for new ones. Anybody know of a cheaper source? The rebuilt ones sound intriuging too. RE: Italian tune up... I have been driving it harder, especially on the trip to Athens (3 hours), but haven't noticed any difference. Thanks for the responses, Andy