gadberry

UPDATE:. I checked to see if the Liquid wrench had worked, and the throttle mechanism was still stuck even though I could 'open' the butterfly valve by pushing UP on the "plunger device" on the outside; rear of the Hitachi Carb (sorry for not remembering what that's called at the moment).. So, I placed a 12mm socket over the end of the throttel shaft nut and slightly loosened it and then re-tightened it... and it's free and working again.. pedal feels normal too. Now, if I only had a good battery on-hand, I could try starting her up again... but the battery was "fully charged" last weekend and now only measures 11.9 volts. I'll check back in a few days after I've confirmed it's all back to normal. Thanks everyone for input and suggestions!! best to all and have a peaceful holiday season gadberry

1981 Subaru Wagon GL

Hello everyone, My 1981 GL 4wd 1.8 wagon had sat for @ 8 months while I slowly found/fixed the electric cooling fans issues.... After a fresh battery charge I jump in to start it up and the gas pedal is 'Stuck' and won't budge! I check the accelerator cable and it's fine/free and try to rotate the 'throttle wheel' on the side of the stock Hitachi carburetor and it won't budge. Sprayed some liquid wrench around the throttle shaft but I'd guess that i may be seized within the carb body as it passes through to the butterfly/intake? Any ideas/thoughts? I've not had a chance to look since applying some of the liquid wrench (due to the weather and work) but I thought i'd ask everyone here... It feels like the throttle wheel is mechanically stuck and doesn't budge a bit! * The car had run hot the last time it ran because the cooling fans had a short, so that may have contributed to this issue, and I also remember the idle being HIGHER than normal as I moved it a few blocks to it's current resting space.. It's beginning so sound bad already... isn't it.. but hey, hopefully, it's just another crappy Hitachi Carb quirk.. (the ole sticky throttle shaft!!) I've searched the forum but haven't found anything like this, yet. thanks in advance!! gadberry

Yes, that RELAY controls other components but I do not know which ones.. There are at least 2 other 'hot tangs' on the same relay that power other components. I'll see what I can find on Rock auto, and elsewhere. If anyone has a source for those; that would be great news to me! thanks again all, gadberry

Ok USMB peeps, I've determined that my 'Fan issue" is due to the broken tab on the RELAY depicted within my original post. So, my question is, will this be an easy replacement? Anyone have one for sale, if not? There are several leads coming off of the Relay that are "hot" and not related to the Cooling fans, but the lead that's broken is a fused power source coming directly from the battery... The thermo-sensor was providing intermittent power (a pulse/flash) prior to the temp rising enough, but once I re-connected the powered lead from the battery to the broken tab on the RELAY, both fans whirled into action, as needed.. So, any recommendations? I appreciate your help too! best regards, gadberry

hello USMB members, I've had a break in my upper radiator hose this past summer which may have been due to my cooling fans not switching on. The driver didn't realize they weren't coming on prior to the hose break either so i initially changed out the thermostat, thinking that it may have stuck in the closed position. After replacing the Thermostat and its gasket with those crap paper gaskets that are nothing like the molded rubber one I removed.... I then realized the cooling fans were not switching on. i've unplugged the Thermo-fan switch (single spaded connection) with the car running at temp and the fans did not come on, as someone on this list suggested in an older post (2010). This car has two electric fans and came with A/C although I removed the compressor during the lift operation, so I will break out the test light / multimeter this weekend and try to determine where power is or isn't but I thought I'd ask the list for any further suggestions. Also, I noticed a broken spade connection on 1 of the 2 relays mounted on the firewall (passenger side) of this EA81 engine. The relay with the broken spade is nearest the fender and both relays are black cubes with a single mounting screw attachment to the firewall.. Are these relays easy to find? Rockauto, or..? thanks for any help anyone can offer; I'll try posting a pic of the relays in this thread too... best regards!! Gadberry

Regarding the 'tightly fitted alternator belt', i have been through a few new Alternators in the past couple of years, and I believe the premature failure of 2 of those $30 crappers from the chain parts stores were due to my 'over-tightening' of the alternator belt... The latest alternator was installed with less (yet adequate) belt tension and its holding up so far, so... just wanted to throw that out because I think the over-tight belts have killed my alternators early... the experiment is ongoing though.. cheers! gadberry

Yes, I can't say for certain that I wasn't guessing wrong, but I did try to be methodical about the "turning the axle 180 degree to the stationary output shaft " and then tried inserting the 3/16" punch in from both sides only to find that it would insert about 75% of the way from one side and only 25% into the other. Btw- I did test the hole alignment on the axle (and again in the output shaft) prior to installing the axle onto the shaft.... Because by the 3rd or 4th try I was beginning to think I had lost my mind. Ha! It just didn't make sense to me. I didn't know about the "valley and peak" differences so I cannot confirm that but while this may only be my 4th axle to replace, I've never had issues with roll pin alignment.. It just always aligned and tapped in or out as expected.. The axle was an autozone warranty replacement but ill have to double check the brand. The odd ball think about the axle IMHO was that it came with a new castle nut and the metal grease cup attached to the inboard end, BUT there wasn't a new Roll Pin taped to the shaft, so I was reusing the old roll pin I had tapped out... First time I opened an axle without a new roll pin taped to it... That struck me as odd from the start and its why I was careful to test the "looseness or fitment" at the output shaft splines. It wasn't noticeably different than the axle fit on the other side of the car. Btw- my old castle nut also threaded onto the outboard end of the new axle too. I checked what I could, where I was, but I was stranded out on the road without a full set of tools and or measuring instruments. So I was just trying to decide if I should install and go or call for backup with a trailer.... I went for it and installed it and it drove fine but "it ain't right" yet... I don't think. I got home on my own so that was the small victory. . The axle is coming off again in the near future anyways because I'm needing to replace the bearings on that side. The left side bearings failed on my last trip down State so for my last two road trips in this bugger I've found myself in repair mode... . The wife's confidence in my old soobie is waning, needless to say. I tell her that a trip in any Subaru is always an adventure... Haha! Thanks for listening and offering advice. Cheers! Gadberry

I ran into this "roll pin wont fit" issue this past weekend. Passenger front axle failed and the replacement axle, roll pin hole wouldn't align with the stub holes so that I could pass my 3/16" drift through to the opposite side, prior to driving in the roll pin. I did flip the axle 180' more than once and still couldn't get the darn drift to pass cleanly thru, and this is the first time this has happened to me so I assumed I been given the wrong axle but the fit was normal... Except for the roll pin hole alignment. It didn't seem to make sense that the spline count would be off because I didn't think the axle would have fit/slid into the stub so smoothly.... I was on the side of the road and on my way to the off road park, so I hammered the roll pin (gently) about 1/2 way into the hole And left enough exposed that I could grab it and pull it later if needed. I thought the replacement axle must have been wrong or bad from the factory... Wasted 30min of daylight pondering this issue.... Frustrated with 2 napping farm dogs laid up against my rear tire as I thought About my situation.... . The car drove fine after I finished and drove towards the offload park but its bugging me. I've never had a roll pin not align perfectly... Thoughts? Thanks. The car is an 1981 Subaru GL 4x4 4speed manual

Thanks for the responses everyone, here's an update. I rechecked the axle and used the hub to pull it thru by tightening the castle nut (again) until i believed it was fully seated. The bearings 'rang' like they were bottomed out when tapped lightly on the inner race too. so i again, lightly tapped the outer seal inward to confirm it was fully seated too. Afterwards, i reattached the hub/rotor and torqued the castle nut but the outter brake pad was still too tight after fully tightening the 2 caliper mounting bolts.. however, if I backed off those 2 bolts a 1/4 turn then i had enough slack to spin the hub by hand, but with effort (not free spinning). I was stuck, miles from home, so I decided to install the wheel/tire and take it for a spin to see what the hell.. the car drove fine; didn't pull with or without brakes applied and the drivers side hub was only slightly warmer than the passenger side hub after a 4 mile drive (drivers side was warm enough to hold the castle nut for 3-4 seconds bare fingers) I then decided to take the car for a 20mile drive and the temperature on the two hubs were the same as before with the drivers side slightly warmer. So, without any other options, i decided to drive it home, 5 hrs on interstate and after 3hrs of driving i stopped for gas and the hubs weren't any warmer than the initial (non-scientific) temperature tests and I made it home without any problems. Both front calipers were replaced last year from RockAuto as (fully loaded calipers with pads) so they are in good shape but they've been in sandy mud and then sat around all summer with only 120 miles driven on the care before this 260 mile one-way trip last saturday. I've got a feeling that these brake pads may have been dragging slightly since their install and maybe assisted with the drivers side bearing failure.. I dunno but that's just a guess.. The drivers side wheel no longer 'clunks' when wiggled anymore, so the bearings needed the replacement. Now, i have to get to that torn cv boot on the passenger side. that's the story; thanks again for offering assistance! best regards

1981 GL wagon 4wd. 4" lift I replaced the drivers side wheel bearings and replaced the axle while I was there but after I bolt on the brake caliper the outside pad is tight against the disc rotor. I felt like the axle was pulled thru the bearing housing and I have torqued the axle nut to 145 ft lbs. ( plus a little more).... I guess I could shim the caliper with 2 washers to move the outside pad out and off the rotor but could this be caused from not seating the bearings or not pulling the axle thru the housing? Any ideas would be appreciated. Ive got to fix it and then drive 5 hrs home ASAP. Thanks!!

UPDATE to the update : 1981 GL wagon 4wd 1.8L. Non-A/C I installed another reman'd Alternator (9/3/12) and all is right with the soobie charging again. I can't believe the last alternator only lasted 3-4months and < 400 miles!! Are they that prone to failure, OR did I over tighten the mounting bolt and warp the case enough to cause this early failure? I noticed a little flex on the alternator case as I loosed the swing bolt.... I've heard the old tale about having an alternator belt "too tight" but I just thought it was "just a tale" (bs). Sheesh, guess I'll "roll" with a spare alternator in the car this fall... Glad they're only $30! Or I could hunt for the maxima alternator upgrade and upgrade some wiring... I thought this info might help someone else so my apologies for the ramble. Cheers, gadberry

1981 Subaru GL wagon 4wd. Update: replaced the alternator (back in march) then drove it home 3hrs on the interstate without any problems meaning the charge voltage was ok all the way but it might have spiked once or twice briefly while I was driving it some this summer. Car has sat most of the summer with an occasional spin around town but.... As of today.... My charge light is not going off after startup anymore and the voltmeter shows its charging at 14v. The brake lights and a few other dash indicators on the right side of the dash are also illuminated constantly. And my radio blanked out momentarily while I was letting it idle and watching the dash lights.. So would a faulty ground (under the fuse box) cause my charge and other dash lights to remain lit? It prolly explains the stereo blinking out for a second but it was "professionally installed" (bestbuy .. I've switched out my newer regulator for the original because i thought that was the problem (fixed it for a day) no luck though and then I suspected it was a loose 2 connection plug on the back of the alternator (my second "new" alternator) but I don't think that's it's but I'm not certain. Darn alternator was pretty warm after 5min of idle in 76 degree weather though. That Normal? Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.. This '81 charging system has got me down. . I've been in this loop of charge voltage acting crazy and I've thrown a new regulator, battery , and two alternators at it already. Plus a new ground wire from battery to block! Geez. Gld the alts are only $25 with a core. Best regards

UPDATE: I returned to the car (3hrs away) last night and placed the battery on a charger for an overnight charge. Installed a new reman'd (Malaysian sourced) alternator this morning and it just looked 'better built' than the 'made in Mexico' alternator I was replacing (<2yrs old). I reconnected the battery after the newly rebuilt alternator was installed, and all was right with the world.. 14.2 charge indicated on dash, 13.25 volts at battery terminals with car running at idle and no charge lights or even a flicker.. oil pressure gauge reading as normal too. ** Note: I reviewed the '2 prong' plug on the back of the alternator and the female plug that inserts into the alternator wasn't a very tight fit so slightly adjusted the connector so it clamped tighter; hit it with some electrical contact cleaner too. This connection felt pretty loose and after reading input from you kind folks, i wondered if that loose connection wasn't the source of my problems. * I speculate that the 2 prong connection may have wiggled loose and slightly shorted; thus triggering the Voltage regulator to draw more from the OLD alternator which resulted in a diode or two failing before complete charging failure... is that how it would happen? I also removed all keys from my heavy key chain except for the ignition key, just as a precaution... i'll wiggle it later to see if it's shorting out too.. it may be, but i wanted to get home today... the wife wouldn't have been happy about another road side failure.. ha! anyways, I drove home (3hrs) in 80 degree weather with windows down and a song in my head... happy has hell to be driving my antique Subaru! thanks to all; i will confirm that the old alternator was/is bad and post back. cheers gadberry

Yes the engine wasn't running and the key is removed from the ignition But the charge light was still "on." Some relay (vacuum driven?) that's mounted on the drivers side Shock tower was also clicking continuously.. So I unhooked the battery... Which had already been drained From driving with lights on until I had no exterior lighting or dash Lights. So it was pretty dead.... I'm charging it now and will replace the alternator in the morning. VR is located at local parts store if needed. Neither device has Been properly checked yet. Will do in the morning Thx! Ideas? Gadberry

1981 GL Wagon 4wd I've had charging problems, and I'm headed back to the car tonight to try and replacing the alternator and/or external voltage regulator before driving home. BUT - the dash Charge Light was illuminated after I turned OFF the ignition key, and I wondered if anyone has seen that issue before. thanks much in advance, gadberry

Didn't make it home last night.. With charging indicated to be just under 12v, I started my drive home with friends following me. 2 hrs into the drive the battery voltage began to drop like a led zeppelin, so I was close to a friends house and made it there but without any lights for the last 5 miles of the trip!! (urban driving after dark without lights... not recommended but I was lucky...). Good news is the that the car is safe but it's still 3hrs away. 2 interesting symptoms though: 1. After I switched OFF the ignition my Charge light indicator came "ON" within the dash.. so that's weird. and.. 2. There was an audible 'clicking' coming from a relay-like box with vacuum hose attachements that's mounted on the drivers side strut tower; on the firewall side of the strut tower. It was clicking continuously with the ignition switched off, so I disconnected the battery. The vacuum lines appeared to run towards the carburetor but I didn't have time to investigate last night.. had to get home. I did manage to drive it until I arrived at my friends place, but the battery was drained.. no dash lights, wipers or anything.. So I'm hoping it's a premature failure of the Alternator or possibly a bad connection at the 2 plug connector of this 're-manufactured, south american sourced stock alternator"... Any other ideas? thanks in advance!! I'll keep ya posted gadberry

1981 Subaru GL Wagon Charging light/gauge is registering under 12v after blinking/pegging out while driving on the interstate. battery, voltage regulator, alternator, negative cable from battery to block replaced within the last year. I haven't located the ground that's located under the dash or on the firewall yet and that's what i'm wanting to check. along with the alternator and battery, but i can't recall where the 2nd ground wire is located (GD has mentioned it in a past post but i've not found it yet..i'm tethered to my iphone and my connection is terrible!). any help would be appreciated; i'm 5 hrs from home.. thanks! gadberry

sounds like the front axle has broken at one of the joints.. I'd guess the outer joint but you can crawl under and grab hold of the axle shaft and see if you can rattle it.. Did you ever hear any clicking coming from that area of the brat prior to today? Check the condition of the rubber boots on each of the front axles too (there are 2 per side).. If they're torn then that's probably what led to the failure, if that's the case.. let us know what's up cheers

Yes, that is cool to see from '85... come to think of it, that info may still be in my '81 glove box too.. I'll check and post if so Yep, I found mine too... 1981 Subaru GL Wagon - Dealer Window Sticker higher res album pics here: cheers

I hate to see someone bleed to death after shooting themselves in the foot but the bleed out may be underway... the post count and join date info is a subtle clue as to who's been giving up their precious time over the years to many of us (me especially) soob noobs... i prefer friendship over friction; it's the airhead way (http://www.airheads.org) and hopefully everyone gets some rest and moves on.. cheers - it's friday!

Oh....that's one Tight soob... what's her name?

if you have too much stuff stored on top of the spare; maybe try having someone hold down on the hood while you pull the release from within the car. it may release then.. good luck

here's what I did and it was my first time; i'm no expert so beware as I may die soon from some fubar'd task but I'm just tellin ya, if I go down.. ill have a freak'n grin on my face cuz i'm in my old soob... : but seriously... the risk is yours, but here's my process: 1. found a set of 15" nissan steels 5.5's on craigslist for $40 or so.. locate a set of 15" mud tires (lucky if you find used these days) 2. go find a drill press, an couple of cans of wd-40 and the proper final bit size for the stock Subaru lug stud splines (not the stud threads but the splines section that locks it into the hub; i can't recall what that should be). OR, 3. do what i did and find a shop with a good drill press and a willingness to drill those puppies out for ya (to spec) so that the stock Subaru lug studs will Lock into place once they are hammered it...(NOTE: on my front hubs, the shop had to do a little spot grinding to make room for the stud heads to fit FLUSH on teh back side of the hub, but I STILL had to grind off some of the stud heads so they seated themselves flush.. I didn't have to do that on the rear disk hubs so your mileage may vary.. ya dig 4. pull the hubs off your ride (or find a spare set of front hubs for practice/insurance if you wish). 5. Unbolt the brake rotor from your hub (if you're doing the front or rear disc brake hubs) as for rear drums, I assume you'll just need to remove them from the car and clean them up a bit prior to drilling. (I haven't drilled brake drums, ever..so beware) 6. try using an oak block on the stud to buffer the BFH blows while you hammer out 2 of the 4 (opposite of one another) and they will likely need to be soaked in 'Kroil"; else have the shop press them out.. some of them are difficult to hammer out without thread distruction.. (rockauto has a close out deal on lug studs now) 7. once 2 studs are removed, bolt the 2 studded hub up to your recently found Nissan 6lug wheels. 8. Take those to your local shop guy and say you want the hubs drilled so that you can add 4 additional studs to each hub that match up (perfectly) with the nissan wheels. explain that there may be some grinding work required on the back of the hub PLUS on the shoulders of the studs provided (subaru standard) so that they will drive in straight and true. PLUS that you want them to lock in (like they're supposed to) after they are driven in.. no welding or additional heating of the hub will be required then.. that's a good thing. I paid about 40 bucks for this drilling service at a local welding/machine shop so I thought it was worth it; even though I had access to a small drill press.. they had a large drill press and were professionals. so thats how i did it.. sorry I don't have that drill bit size but if you pick up a subaru lug stud then you could measure it yourself, or politely ask one of these 'USMB studs' and they'll know.. they all off-road more soobs before 8am than I'll ever do for the rest of my life.. ha!!! darn honey-badger soob wheeler's... here are some pictures of drilled hubs: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Y10MgSRlEXz_giYTOU1T_3Lwffs_tylQWvZv0Iv-BDw?feat=directlink @noob2soob - I'd recommend being kind to the USMB members; they will help you someday so never bite the hands that will feed you someday... @scoutem - this same post is located within another thread (what have done lately to your soob...) not certain if the moderators have noticed or if they moved it but double postings across threads causes smelly feet and excessive body odor.. ( i have no idea why/how but it's been documented, somewhere.. peace!! gadberry

I just recently (past 2 weeks) finished upgrading my '81 wagon to 6 lug. I was running 15" wheels before (using the VW bug wheels coupled with the SJR adapter plates for the 4 lug soobie hubs) but I wanted to do the upgrade whilst I was upgrading the rear brakes to disc... personally, I believe 6 lugs would be stronger/more reliable than 4 as long as you don't weld the back of the studs and possibly damage the hubs with too much heat (which I have been told *could* happen but I cannot confirm that...speculation). My *only* regret at this point, is that I purchased a few "new" lug nuts to use (because 1. you'll need more after the switch and 2. I had a few non-acorn style and 1 that had some bad threads) but the lug nuts I came home with require a larger lug wrench (15/16th?) than the standard Subaru lug nuts on the 1981 wagon.. not a big deal, but if I ever get caught with a flat and don't have both sizes in lug wrenches or socket's then I'll be pissed.. other than that.. I'm happy with the switch thus far.. My tires/wheels are far better balanced this time round too.. I'm using the 6 lug 5.5 nissan wheels.. but I believe the tire shop guys did a better job for me....PLUS i added 'heavy duty valve stems' so no more leaky tires (for now) cheers