svxpert

<<Today I drove 35 miles without any coolant circulating. If it was not for it being 40 degrees outside I would of overheated. >> there had to be some coolant circulating or you would have overheated, no matter what the temp is. lets start with the basics: how did you fill the coolant system (steps)? did you use an OEM water pump? 50 / 50 coolant water mix?

<<Wait. I've seen SVXs at the Junkyard that had Viscous LSDs. And surely it was optional on Turbo Legacys and GTs and Impreza RSs?>> yeah, the SVX's had them. they had the 3:54 though, so they wouldn't fit anyway.

<<Took it to the dealer for a head gasket job after finding black particles in the coolant, dealer confirmed the gaskets were blown. Drivers side head was warped out of spec, too far to mill, so it was replaced. The passenger side was milled down and put back on. Oddly, the block was almost perfect. The cylinder walls still have the hatch marks from when they were honed. Got the car back and it ran rough and missed on 2 and 4 (the new head). >> how much did the work cost and what dealer was it that messed up your car?

<<So now the question is, would this be a VLSD?>> no, LSD's went out in 1991 and came back in 2000

<<I filled coolant per instructions on this forum>> how exactly did you re-fill with coolant?

<<are we all just to poor to have a hot rod.........>> your building a RHD car for someone in the U.S.? i hope its for my mailman, as he's dam slow when delivering my mail!

<<The surface was cleaned and perfectly smooth. I only used the copper cote to make sure it would seal good. > on subaru's it either a gasket or a sealant used. not both.

<<Pulled in the garage and drained the fluid again. This time I followed the directions found here in USMB.>> theres alot of bad information going around. can you be more specific on how you re-filled the coolant?

<<Cool. Do you think those filters are the same as the fuel filter just without the hose barbs bent? They look very similar anyway.>> no, i wouldn't. this filter is specifically designed to be an auto trans filter.

well, the two engines you have mentioned are different in some ways. i would use the oil filter that was made for your year engine.

<<would this hold true for the 1990 external tranny filters as well?? Have a 90 LS wagon with the external tranny filter and would LOVE to give it a fluid & filter change but have not been able to find any part info....filter itself is in pretty rough shape so no numbers to be seen there.>> i have a few new OEM Subaru external tranny filters left. they fit the SVX and the Legacy. $15 shipped to the lower 48. pay-pal accepted. here is a pic:

<<Symptoms: When in park, idling, the temp guage pegs out within 30 sec. >> you really shouldn't let it get that hot, its not good for the engine.

what do you need done?

cover the head / manifold holes and buy 4-8 cans of brake cleaner and have at it. tilt the engine so the residue runs off.

<<I Need A Read Diff For 97 OB >> I have a new 4:11 ratio rear diff. $150 shipped. pics below...

what services have been done to the car recently?

<< Originally Posted by johnceggleston when removing the rear diff, does the 'front member' have to come out?>> I never have??? One tip for removing most Subaru Rear diffs. It actually makes it easier if you don't use PB on the rear nuts. This will sometimes cause the nut to turn the stud out of the case. Then you don't need to slide the whole thing forward 2" to clear the studs.>> me too. i remember a day i went to a u-pull-it and pulled 4 LSD's out. never once touched a "front member"

i think the ground clearance is higher too.

<<Seems like a pretty good gig to me, although I'm worried something must have happened to it for the price to be so low.>> could be: 1. odometer rollback (even though it has a digital one) 2. flood car 3. salvage title buyer beware

looks like its 31331AA221 from what the fast parts has

what year?

<<Insert a fuse in the holder under the hood near the fire wall on the passanger to deactivate the rear diff.>> well, the driveshaft will still move and turn the rear diff , and wheels as long as the rear wheels move, the rear is also turning depending on how much it smokes, it still will. the front wheel drive fuse only keeps the power from going to the rear.

<<I manage a large municipal fleet shop and have access to a press, etc. Even though the service manual said the shaft wasn't servicable, I planned to give it a try.>> how many miles on the car? since the driveshaft never (rarely) goes bad, my diagnosis over the internet is a bad wheel bearing replacement. what kind of shop did you take it to? any idea how they did the wheel bearings? i have heard and seen horror stories with people replacing bearings at a shop that has no clue. they might have damaged the hub, in this case, every set of bearing that go in, go bad only after a short time. also, check the gear lube in the rear and make sure its: 1. gear lube 2. clean, no water 3. filled to the top hole

<<so i'm getting the head gasket job done on my 01 legacy>> hopefully the place your getting it done at has tried the coolant additive before jumping to the $$$conclusion of replacing the headgaskets.

the plastic coolant tank that goes on the top of the engine?