half_dingo

kewl, thats what i thought but just wanted to make sure. Thanks!!!

i have a 91' loyale automatic and the 4wd switch only works when it is pressed in. i took it apart and found that the little plastic tab had broken so i added some plastic epoxy and thought that would take care of it. that didnt help it stay in 4wd though. i searched the site and looked for something about it in the manual but didnt find anything. contacted a subie parts website that said they no longer make the switch. can i just take those two wires and rig a switch on the dash?

hey all, well im down to the last problem in my 91' loyale automatic wagon. it just wont stay in four wheel drive. when i press the button on the shifter it shows up on the dash until i let go of the button, then the dash indicator goes out. :-\ so what do ya think?

i installed the pushbutton setup today and replaced the battery cables too since they were original. i used a heavy duty push button and installed it in the dash. used a 12ga wire and a 15 amp in line fuse. it works great and will use it as a back up system in case the thing wont start. thanks for all of your input. i really enjoy owning a older subie and working on it. this site makes it so much easier and gives me confidence to work through problems on my own. peace:banana:

ok i went to auto zone and picked up all the stuff for a push button setup. thanks alot for the info!

Thanks a lot for all of your replies. I should have also noted that ive had the battery/alternator system checked at the local advanced and everything checked out good. also i am able to jump a wire from the battery to the small male connector (starter solenoid) on the starter and it turns over easily. if i do add a switch this is all ill be doing right? now i tried this in the parking lot last night but apparently my wire burned up since it was turning over one second and was too hot to handle the next. does the key have to be in the position just before starting to turn on the fuel pump while doing this? thanks again for any comments! P.S. Daeron i checked out your very well done write up but am hoping i can go the simple route with a on/off switch first before i have to go to the junk yard.

greetings guys and gals, im writing to you about a problem that i thought i had addressed a while ago but tonight it creeped back in. when it dosent start it wont turn over, just clicks and i am hearing something down by the automatic trans shifter on the floor. now ive looked through the archives and seen something about a switch in that area. it is kinda tough to shift from park to drive and vice versa but no biggie unless its causing this problem. so to address this problem i replaced the starter just in case it was the solenoid but that didnt help. then i removed and cleaned all the cables/wire connections from starter to battery. this seemed to do the trick for a good while and i didnt have a starting problem for about a month until tonight. now every time it does this all i have to do is jump it and the car starts right up. thankfully a nice guy agreed to give me a jump in the grocery parking lot. so what do you think? i do appreciate any comments and am thankful for this forum of subie superstars. peace

i guess if one had to run a engine low on coolant this one would be a good candidate. this engine has the "EA82" underlined by the exhaust manifold which i understand is not the first version which is more prone to cracking. well hopefully when i put everything back together in a couple days the damn thing will work and not leak anything i know, wishful thinking...

no worries~ im just glad this board is here to see if you soob guys could get your brain around this one. well, the radiator is out of the car with no hoses on it. havent flushed it as of yet but really only feels as heavy as a radiator should. hopefully i can get out there today and work on it some more. but of course by me tearing down the car and wanting to get most everything done this weekend- its rained the past two days (no garage). i know there might be alot more coolant in the block but damn... im still freaked out by this... guess it just goes to show what tough little motors these soobs have. cheers

hey there, i picked up a 91' loyale and am giving it a good once over since im not sure when anything has been changed so... while draining the radiator today i was alarmed to see only about an inch of coolant in the bottom of the bucket (not a big one either). i noticed the radiator was low but i had no idea it was basically dry. there were absolutely no signs of the coolant being low by just driving the car. the temp gauge has been well below the middle area since ive been driving it. even while idling or coming back from a half hour drive the engine seemed to be at normal operating temperature. when i changed the oil it looked like normal as did the dip stick- what little antifreeze that poured out didnt seem to have any oil in it. since the car is new to me ive spent quite a bit of time hovering just over the engine checking everything out and haven't noticed any excessive heat. since i havent had the car very long im not sure how long its been low on coolant but doesn't show any signs of damage, thankfully. since ive got it tore down this far im half tempted to go ahead and change the head gaskets but i dont want to do any unnecessary work. ill probably just go ahead and do all the stuff i had planned (including replacing the water pump and thermostat) and hopefully everything will work out. trying to catch myself before i make any newbee soob mistakes. any replies or comments would be appreciated.

yo, the problem looks like it began with a deteriorating hose going to the pcv valve. i guess some of these little pieces of rubber got caught inside the valve. cleaned the MAF sensor again (this time with some actual MAF sensor cleaning spray) and replaced the old pcv valve. tried to get every bit of dry rotted hose i could bang out of there (until i can get a replacement) and put everything back together. took it for a test drive and it ran like a new one (except for the exhaust leak). THanKs!!! now that the car is running good i think ill go ahead and change both the timing belts and the alternator/ac belts too. also going to replace the exhaust manifold and valve cover gaskets. and of course plugs/wires/cap and button. i am definitely going to remove the radiators and would like to flush em out. any wise words before i get involved in all that? live long and prosper, and may the soob be with you!

yeah, its automatic and push button 4X4. that kinda makes it tough finding another one. my plan is having two cars identical (well maybe not the same year) so i can always have one running. im thinking about moving to costa rica in a couple years so i think this method would work well. i doubt if anyone would want to steal em and being more self sufficient in central america might save my life. more info to come after this afternoon... Pura Vida!

hey thanks for all the good advice! i will have to go through all your recommendations and do what i can. will definitely replace the pcv valve today and check that airflow sensor's voltage readings. i do appreciate the quick responses. you guys seems to have a great forum here AND knowledgeable mechanics. i look forward to whipping this ride in shape with all your help. thanks for the advice and will let you know whats going on with the subester.

well its kinda funny with the particular car it seems to have been leaking (or should i say seeping) oil for some time as oil droplets abound on the undersideof the chassis. but strangely when i check the oil from my first oil change in it and some 500 miles later and not low at all on the stick. but i plan on fixing these oil issues but this internal accumulation of oil could have taken place over 50k miles- you never know. since i have no idea of when the timing belts have been changed that is next on my list and will change the valve cover gaskets then. do these type of flat four engines leak worse than a v type of engine since the valve cover gasket is constantly saturated with oil? i can only guess its long overdue to replace alot of stuff on this car since it still has what looks like the original plugs (which by the way were dry and just had some firing wear on the tip) and wires. the belts also could use to be changed since their is some very noticeable age on them. so to answer your question their is a fine layer of oil on the entire underside of the cars engine and all the cross members and such. guess ill have to eventually clean it all up to see where the oil starts coming from. but really thats just the thing. in the last month it hasnt used or leaked any that i can tell on the stick. the air filter wasnt oily of anyone was thinking that. it really just kinda looked like over the years this had built up some how. i hope anyway. im really interested in seeing if i bought a car with a trashed engine. although the car has decent power for what it is. i might pick up a compression tester with that meter tomorrow. knowing my luck brake cleaner ruins air flow sensors. will replace it if the volt meter dosent change when air is blown into the air intake. damn- guess i need a hair dryer now with a cool setting. again, thanks for any ideas anyone might have.

recently became the proud owner of a 91' loyale wagon w/ auto trans. its got 164k and the past few days has developed a intermittent hesitation. ive changed the fuel filter and used some heet just in case water was in the gas-also using 93 octane. this actually happened the first time i drove the car with the previous owner (a couple months ago) but he said it was probably just some bad gas and i filled up the car w/ high test and the hesitation went away- that is until a few days ago. i became suspicious of the airflow/temp sensor so i took the entire air intake off and discovered alot of oil inside. not sure if this is normal on a high mileage sube or i have a car with some serious blow by issues. upon removing the mass airflow sensor i observed it to be filthy dirty so i sprayed it good with brake cleaner and the two resistors went from black to white. first this was all i done and then reinstalled it and went for a ride. the first seven or so minutes had me convinced that the problem was resolved since it was running better than ever- but as i was heading back home it returned with a vengeance. so... now i cleaned the entire air intake with degreaser and brake cleaner to get all the oil out of there and then cleaned the sensor again. once again i left in hopes the problem would be solved but the hesitation began just a couple minutes into the ride. also tested it with no air filter with the same results and made sure the plugs were all connected snugly. now im not so sure that brake cleaner was the best thing to use on the sensor. so do any of you wise sube veterans have any ideas what could resolve this issue? im going to get a multi meter tomorrow and do some voltage tests to see if the sensor is working properly. just wondering if someone tell me if im on the right track or not. also do you have to remove the engine to replace the timing belts? the engine compartment is a mechanics dream i think. plenty of room and not too hard to figure out whats going on. so it would be nice to take care of this because i love everything else about the car. thanks in advance for any advice! peace:Flame: