mcrae0104

Thanks all--think I'll get it re-checked.

How difficult is it to swap out an ECU? Are they interchangeable on Loyales? Mechanic says mine is spitting out bogus codes (wish I had asked him for the codes). Engine runs same as always--maybe a wee tad rough at idle, but not enough for me to do anything about it given its 188k mi. The ECU is a dealer-only part, laughably expensive, and they say there are multiple versions of ECUs, even within my '91 model--but I still wonder if it could just be swapped out with "any old" Loyale ECU without consequence. Right now I have elec. tape over the check engine light (think it runs even better that way ). I see one for sale over here--http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=105278&page=5--wonder if I should give it a try or if it might screw something else up. I have no idea what to offer/what a used part like this is typically worth--suggestions? (bearing in mind that the electrical tape is cheap and it works!)

$17 worth of quality. I wanted to get a good quality mechanical test gauge, but when that came in at $200 from NAPA, I decided to go the cheaper route. I know that these are not known to produce much pressure at idle (the owner's manual says the gauge may read zero), but I agree that there should be more pressure between idle and 3500ish (I'm no expert--just a gut feeling). Should I look for obstructions somewhere in the system (I have no idea how I'd actually go about doing this)? Perhaps give it some Seafoam in the crankcase to clear things out and then see if the pressure comes up after replacing the oil?

Is this normal? I installed a new oil pump recently. The sender on the new pump didn't work (supplied by Subaru, but sender was different [smaller] than original). I put the old sender on the new pump, which worked, but the pressure seemed lower than what I was used to seeing on the dash gauge. I installed an additional mechanical gauge, and these are the readings I'm getting on it (higher than what the factory gauge shows, but these still seem low to me): up to 3500 rpm.....10 psi 3750 rpm..............15 psi 4000 rpm..............22 psi 4250 rpm..............28 psi 4500 rpm..............38 psi 5000 rpm..............51 psi stock '91 EA82, warm engine, conventional 10W30, RPMs kept constant for 15 sec. to ensure stable pressure reading seems to follow a pretty linear relationship from 3500 rpm and up: pressure = 0.0273 * rpm - 85.5

I was running mine that way for a couple of months--had to fix it for emissions but I loved the sound !!! I don't know if it actually is any more powerful that way, but the extra growl sure makes it feel faster than its normal 91 horses of fury.

I know this doesn't help for the problem at hand, but for others searching this thread in the future, when the 4WD wouldn't work on my '91 5mt, the problem was that the wires coming down from the switch had frayed rubbing against the flange that the shift boot snaps on to. So, not only would the 4WD not work, but it started eating fuses until I could find the ground (the power windows and the turn signals also seemed to be on this fuse, which means if it goes out, you can't roll down your windows to hand signal ) There is a hole in the inner boot and a notch at the base of the outer boot that I think the wires are supposed to be routed through before they go under the carpet. This might be another problem spot to check early on along with fuses etc.

Hmm. Thanks. I did see this in another thread, so I only used a *little* RTV (ultra black) around the very perimeter of the pump (as far from the gasket as I could keep it) as insurance. I ended up just leaving it on less one bolt. I'll keep a close eye on it, and it it dribbles any I guess I'll scrape out the RTV and extract that bolt. (I guess this is evidence I'm something of a hack ) I admit, I'm a little intimidated with all the extraction horror stories I've read. I do appreciate the tip, although enough of the shaft came along with the head that I'm sure it's below the surface. Bummer... Thanks, guys, for your responses--this forum is fantastic! I probably never would've tried this without all of the information available here.

Did you end up changing your oil pump, 6inarow? I just did mine this weekend. First time. Frustrating at points (how the heck am I gonna reach/remove that piece) but not so bad in retrospect. Like everything else, if you have some gumption (or is it naivete? ) you'll get it done, build your confidence, and it's lots easier the next go round. BTW--it took me the better part of 2 days; I'm pretty slow. Pulled the radiator to make some room, although I've heard it can be done with it in there (I suggest pulling it).

Hmm. Sounds interesting! Thanks for the tip--I'll check it out!

Are the wheels spoken for yet? How much for them? I'm getting tired of my Loyale's stupid-looking wheel covers!

Nice switch! If I find and XT6 at the yard, that's worth doing. My Loyale just became my daily driver after the other car (not a Subaru) died unexpectedly. Recent stuff to get it up to snuff: -New tires -New windshield -Had exhaust leak and broken pipe welded (rear pipe separated from front of muffler--man, it sounded great!) -Replaced gas pistons on hatch (from junkyard) -Replaced passenger seat belt track, motor (hadn't worked for 10+ yrs), and the interior plastic trim around the door (from junkyard) -Fixed ground fault in 4WD switch at shifter boot base -New front rotors & pads -New timing belts. Left the covers off--yes, I've already been scolded, but the screw lugs were either cracked or rotated freely (perhaps overtorqued previously or just aged), so oh well... -New oil pump. Pressure sender included w/ new pump (from Subaru dealer) didn't work. Switched in the old sender w/ the new pump, works fine, although pressure seems lower than before. Need to get mech. gauge to double-check and maybe install a mech. pressure gauge permanently. -New water pump -New front seals (cams & crank) -New accessory belts Coming soon: -New clock -Replace rear shoes and possibly drums -Perhaps some spray bomb racing stripes from the grille all the way back to the hatch. The clear coat's just about gone on the roof. If you don't take pride in your car's beauty (external, at least), why not have some fun with it? -R134a conversion, but this can wait till spring.

Hey ViceMan-- I can't tell you anything about the tranny swap, but I recently did front brakes (new rotors+pads) on my '91 Loyale for the first time a few weeks ago. It's really not that bad, just follow your manual. The things I learned were: 1) When removing the spindle nut, you need a way to keep the wheel from spinning. I used a 4' length of steel pipe jammed diagonally between two of the lugs, with the end braced against the ground. You'll probably need another length of pipe as a cheater on the end of your breaker bar, so have those on hand before starting. 2) I found that the spindle nuts on the driver and passenger side were different sizes (32mm and 36 mm--guess one of them must've been replaced by a mech. at some point) which meant one more trip to the parts store for another socket. So pull your wheel covers off and check that you have the right socket sizes. 3) Some (if not all) of the EA82 models require a special tool to compress the piston back into the caliper before you put new pads in (I gather this has something to do with the parking brake attaching to the front discs, but you'd have to ask someone else why). When you look at the face of the piston, it has some divots in it. The tool I got was a little 3/4" cube (~$10). One side snaps onto your ratchet and the opposite face has some tiny studs that mate with the divots in the piston. You just screw the piston clockwise, but it takes some patience. I also learned that when doing this it REALLY helps to clamp the caliper in a stationary position--I used some 12" bar clamps for this. If you don't clamp it, you'll be trying to hold the caliper with one hand while screwing the piston with the other and you'll get frustrated fast! I didn't take a picture of this, and the positioning is hard to describe, but you'll figure out a way to immobilize the caliper while screwing in the piston. 4) After you've put it all back together, bleed each brake until several ounces (say, 12 oz or so) comes out. I bled them once, and the bubbles quit after the first few squirts, but the brakes were still spongy. Another bleeding and things were fine. The "one-man-bleeder" kits are nice, but it's helpful to have somebody else to press the pedal while you watch the bubbles (if any) come out. All of this took me a full day, but that's just since it was my first time and I had to make multiple trips to the store. If you have everything you need beforehand, it might take 6 hours (and a lot less the next time). Sorry for the long post, but hopefully it save you some time and head scratching. Good luck!!!

+1 I've had a broken outer rear boot for 9 years (maybe 60k mi.--hasn't been driven much). Shame on me--should've rebooted it a long time ago, but it's been so long, why bother? (I know this is almost inviting someone to tell me this is a terrible idea) I'm speculating that they don't have nearly the stress of the front joints, so I think I'll leave it until it misbehaves--hopefully this isn't woefully bad practice...

Beautiful EA81!! Looks worthy of an airplane. Kudos!

Please let us know what you hear. I suspect I may need a clutch sometime in the near future (115k on the current one), so I'm curious. I have heard that Subie clutch cables stretch a lot--have you adjusted it? It's not from a Seattle Subaru mechanic, but an independent shop here in Denver told me they'd change an axle for $100 (labor). Don't know what a new or reman. axle costs.

Hey--nice cupholders! I always end up jamming my cup between the parking brake and the edge of the passenger seat! Holds pretty well. (Wonder how many others do that?) I had a CD player in my Loyale for a while--it stuck out like you're describing, but then it was stolen, so the stock radio is back in. Since the Loyale became my daily driver again recently, I've been looking for a CD player shallow enough not to stick out, but with no luck. Anybody have an ingenious solution for this?

I broke an oil pump bolt yesterday (91 Loyale, replaced the pump, think it's original at 175k). The sheared-off portion does not stick out, so there's nothing to grip. I only have the rest of the day today before I have to have it running again, so I'm thinking these are my options: 1) Leave the new pump in place with the broken bolt (I did use RTV in addition to the mickey mouse gasket) and keep an eye on it for leaks. Pro: easy way out; Con: it might leak as much now as before I replaced the pump and I'll have to replace the timing belts again when the oil splashes up there (the TB covers are shot--planning to leave them off). 2) Drill it out with a reverse bit until either a) I can remove the bolt or if it won't come out, drill it a little bigger and use a helicoil. I read a bunch of threads on broken bolts, but as this is my first time with one, I'm wondering if I should start with a small bit and hope I get it centered, or start with a bit that matches the bolt size and use the hole in the oil pump rump roast'y as a drilling collar... Pro: it would be done right; Con: might take more time than I have, but maybe I don't have a choice. What do you think? Is #1 viable, or just stupid and lazy?

I had the valve covers off a couple of years ago, as there was some tapping from the lifters (one of the internal oil passages had a blockage causing the lifters to be starved). The mech. replaced the valve cover gaskets at that time. Said the valvetrain looked beautiful. The oil pump should be good. 172k mi, good oil pressure. It appears the timing covers have to come off anyway to replace the oil pump seal(s), so whether the belts are soaked or not, it seems like a good idea to replace them as well (can't remember when they were changed last--100k perhaps).

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

Hello all-- I need to replace my oil pump seal (leaking all over the place, then burning on the exhaust) and the combination switch (dash & tail lights not coming on when headlights are on). The mechanic diagnosed these two things but I don't have the $$$ to pay him to do the work... I've searched through the forums, but what I'd really like to find out is how difficult these two items would be to replace--what's the brain damage factor? I think I can probably find a combo switch from the junkyard. Thanks! Andy '91 Loyale wagon

The 4wd on my Loyale wasn't working (stuck in 4wd for a while), so I started poking around under the shift boot to see if the wiring was intact and discovered that the wires had broken near the base of the boot. Easy enough to fix. But... The wire was routed down the shift lever, through a hole in the inner shift boot, then between the lip of the inner boot and the flange (around the edge of the hole in the floor for the lever), and then rearward under the carpet. I also noticed that there is a hole near the base of the "upper" (i.e. the visible) boot that would allow the 4wd wire to be routed directly out and under the carpet without ever penetrating the inner boot. My wonder is--why a hole in each boot? Should the wire be routed through the upper boot? I suspect that it was the pinching between the inner boot and the flange that snapped the wire. What do y'all think?

'91 Loyale... HH broken for 10+ years. Never bothered to repair it. If you learned to drive without it (in hilly CO Springs in my case), you'd never miss it. Maybe it's useful for a beginning M/T driver, but IMHO, just an unneeded gimmick--learn to use the clutch.

Re: adding a/c-- Umm... How large and tasty? $1,000-1,500? I am also considering doing this to a non-A/C Brat I want to buy. If it's that much, I'm thinking it's not worth doing.

Re: front bumper removal--I need to remove mine ('91 Loyale) in order to remove a fender. Is it necessary to remove the plastic cover from the bumper to remove the bumper? If so, I'm having trouble getting the phillips head screws out that hold the cover on from the underside--the heads just strip out (I'm using the fattest driver I have / any tricks for this problem?). Or perhaps is it possible to remove a headlight and access the front fender bolts that way? Maybe I should just reconcile myself to having a dented fender and not dream about painting the whole thing eventually. I hate to admit it, but as much as I love that old car, this can sometimes get irritating... *sigh*

Thanks! I'll give it a try this week!