lostinthe202

Thanks, I'll look for the hole. Yeah that starter trick is a neat one, that's what I used when I did the T-belt in my outback last winter. Actually I'm pulling the trans.

I'm really hoping it doesn't come to that, but gotta do whatcha gotta do. Thanks! Will-

Good suggestion, so there might be an inspection plate down below that can come off eh? I didn't think of that.

Yeah, I'd read about that on here, but I couldn't seem to find a good position that would really stop the hysteresis I used a socket and my breaker bar on the crank pulley bolt for the other three, but I really need both hands at the flex plate for this one. I've tried various shenanigans to hold the breaker bar but nothing is really working out. that sounds nice, I'll look for it, thanks for the tip. Boy I'm sure glad I don't need to drive this car anytime soon!

Hydraulic Lash Adjusters

Egads! 79 bucks for a bent piece of metal with a hole in it:eek: So how does it work? I guess it catches a tooth on the flywheel?

Interesting. More then I want to spend on tools at the moment, but if they are good for banged up bolt heads, might be worth it.

When you did the T-belt, did you check the oil pump back plate screws? These can loosen up and cause low oil flow causing the hydraulic lifters to loose their ability to lift properly.

Anyone have a flywheel locking tool for the auto trans they can give some dimensions for and maybe a pic so I can make one? Thanks!

Yeah a zero off set looks like it would be the right thing, except that the top portion of the bolt is already rounded and with a zero off set you can't get the tool fully seated on the head and I figure my only shot is to be all the way down on the head.

spin the front stub shafts and count revolutions as you do it and see what the output shaft does.

Right on, thanks for the offer. I'll look into the spline wrenches, I haven't heard of those. Will-

Well yes, in most situations this works fine. But when one accidentally drops a wrench into the oil catch pan or coats it in brake fluid because the drain hose got nudged, a little extra help is nice to get the skin off. Also, though all us backyard mechanics get tired of walking back and forth to the garage every few minutes to exchange a wrench, you are right in that putting your tools away immediately after use helps you not only keep them clean but not loose them!

My two cents, Depends on what kind of tool you're talking about. For anything non-ratcheting I clean it up with anything handy; brake cleaner, carb cleaner, agent orange, alcohol, just a rag. If it's ratcheting, basically the same thing I just make sure to keep it away from the ratcheting portion. Anything that cuts through the grease will do. I've still got the same Craftsman 3/8's drive socket set from 1990, my first one. What's the secret you ask? Using 1/2" to break it of course!

Thanks for the tips, I'll look into them. Gary, I wanted to put heat to it, but there's all this rubber around it (part of what makes access so hard) and I'm afraid of melting stuff. I think if I pull the coolant hose that runs into the intake from... wherever it comes from I can get a pretty good shot at it with my pipe sweatin' torch so I'll give that a shot. Gnuman, all of my box/open/combination wrenches just don't have the right geometry to fully seat on the nut. The first three I got with a ratcheting box wrench but It wasn't a comforting fit and this last one already had rounded edges on it so I just know that if I go at it with the same tool I'll just fubar it. I'll look into pulling some accessories to get a straight shot at it. coldfusion21, Those look handy though I don't think they'll help for this application. I actually sacrificed a 6point socket and box end wrench by welding them together to create something along the same lines and while it did grip better, I could still feel it wanting to pop off because I can't get behind it with any kind of force to keep it on the head.

2000 Forester So of course, the last bolt I need to remove is rounded. I figure I have one shot to get it right with a good 6 point socket but accessibility is next to nothing. So I'd like to hear from all you auto trans removers. This is my first time pulling an auto trans so I don't know any tricks. What tool configuration do you typically use? is there anyway to get on this thing good without pulling friggin intake? Thanks! Will-

I think all he was referring to was that FWD was still an option in the 90-94 model so "watch out" as people have bought one not realizing it wasn't AWD.

I should add that this is only in cold weather

+1, my 96 2.2 is the same way, about the same mileage on the highway to too. I have to remember to turn the fan off before I back out of my space or else I'm coughing.

95-96 EJ22 would be the best years to look for as stated because of the non-interference engine. I haven't owned a 90-94 so I can't speak to them one way or the other (except to agree with you about the looks:rolleyes: ) Known items with the 95-99 body style seem to be the climate control lights go out (easy to fix but annoying) The handle for the rear hatch for the wagons tends to rust out. Again an easy fix, but again annoying. The crank sensors can develop a hairline crack that can cause intermittent non-starting The oil pump backplate screws can loosen up and cause lifter tick. That's everything I can think of that is specific to that body style, I'm sure others will chime in if there's more. I've owned a '96 OBW for almost 100k miles and it's been mostly trouble free. It should be noted that all this applies to the manual trans. I have no experience with the auto trans versions. But torque bind is about the only thing I know of, again others will chime in I'm sure. I did have one major event that was outside normal wear and tear that I've read about others having the same problem. Not sure if this could really be called "common" but it's worth noting so that you can look for it if you're shopping around. Again this involves the manual trans. The EJ 5spd and the EA 5spd are very close in design the major difference being the lack of hi/low in the EJ's. The EA's have a large bearing supporting the input shaft directly behind the clutch. The hi/low gears are located above the front differential so there is a bearing on either side to support the works. The EJ has the space for this hi/low set (probably because the Aussies have hi/low legacys) but doesn't have that front bearing but instead has a smaller roller bearing much farther back with only a seal up front. The result is that the large double roller bearing in the rear of the input shaft (common to both trans) is put under a lot more strain in the EJ then in the EA. I replaced mine when I did the clutch at 180k but it had been making noise since at least 150k. Good luck with the hunt!

Sweet, good to know. How's your mileage?

Don't have any recommendations on aftermarket flywheels, but if it's never been turned before you should have plenty of meat on there to clean it up.

I guess you're talking about a 93 Loyale as your name suggests, but type of vehicle, miles, etc. will be helpful.

15" rims with 205/70 size tires will be virtually the same as your stock size.

Neat thread! I may be jumping the gun a tad as I'm not yet sure if I get to take this home. But it looks reasonably sure so I'll post it anyway. Besides, it's too cool not to:banana: Atlas 7" shaper, dates to the 60's or so. 59' Ford Jubilee.... and a 2008 dog.... 1934 (or so) Sheldon 10" lathe. This model was used extensively by the military in mobile machine shops, big box trucks with a machine shop in back. I don't have a current pic, but this is a pic from when I bought it. Pair of dividers from the 1800's (gifted to me by a friend)