meghpie

Yep, it's like a sieve under there! I'm going to replace the radiator hoses possibly this weekend, although I was hoping to find them cheaper than 36 bucks, but with shipping they're all close to that. (for both) I'm a little more familiar with what I'm looking at the oil pan does seem to be leaking. The requires the engine out, or at least lifted right? I'm hoping that is not be too bad as I probably won't be able to do that. Beyond that I'm hoping to learn to do the timing belt and oil pump sometime soon. Looks like we're getting a friend's minivan so I can tinker on the subie without a fast time limit. I have a heated garage too, so it'll be a fun winter.

Sounds good. I'll get more pics tomorrow morning. I know Liquid Wrench isn't a cleaning product but I keep it on hand to degrease my vintage sewing machines so I thought it might work in a pinch. Thanks again for your patience and help! Back to Organic Chemisty- brutal test tomorrow! I've been putting it off, studying Subarus instead. Tomorrow I'll grab some brake cleaner too. So I'll need some hose and clamps too...I picked up a basic set of tools, embarrassed that I didn't already have one.

Would liquid wrench be okay for cleaning? Here's some (crappy) photos. Off to take some more.

Well. The underside of the car is just a mess. There looks to be some leakage around the radiator outlet hose. There's also quite a bit of oil spattered about, and the coolant as well- not a tiny leak. I'm going to try to find out where I should be looking for an external head leak and take some more pictures. To be honest I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at but it looks bad. I'll post the pictures later to see if anyone can make sense of it.

Definitely leaking coolant. I'll have to check where it's coming from, but it was dripping when I checked this morning. I'll check the levels before I leave here- wasn't running hot.

Hmmm, they did say one of the radiator hoses was "crunchy." Why they didn't replace it 4 months ago when they put the radiator in is beyond me. I may have to get my hands dirty tomorrow and poke around in there. I am an utter, complete, total newbie. Be gentle! If I decide to go the conditioner route, would I get that at the dealership?

Well, to be fair they didn't outright recommend the job, just told me that there's know way of knowing how long it would last and that it could be a month or a year. I've heard the coolant conditioner gums up something- the heater core? radiator? and that it can be a problem in cold climates- have you heard that?

They actually told me that they "visually confirmed that coolant and oil was leaking by seeing the residue." I haven't noticed it using much coolant. I'll check in the morning though. I definitely haven't noticed it running at all hot. Even when I replaced the radiator it wasn't overheating, just warmer than normal.

Hi again- Just trying to find a shop to do the compression test and searching the posts here for more information when I came across this from General Disorder on another thread: The thing is, my car is running great, no problems, no changes from 5 months ago when they said the head gaskets looked great. I asked them to really look, because I didn't want to pay for a new radiator if the head gasket was leaking. No overheating, no running rough. They said I could have the exhaust tested for fluorocarbons, but they said they thought it was fine and to save the money. but Will a compression test definitively say if my head gasket is leaking if it isn't bad enough to be affecting the engine? Any Anchorageans have any good shop recommendations? I go to A & A The Shop now, and have no complaints other than the fact that they seem to have an uncanny sense of any time my bank account goes up! I just thought it might be good to have a fresh set of eyes looking at the issues. I'm also looking for a good (cheap) basic tool set if anyone can recommend a brand. I was thinking Craftsman, but I obviously don't know a whole lot about much! Thanks in advance! Meghan

I guess I am kind of between a rock and a hard place. I wouldn't mind a newer subie, but the finances combined with the fact that what I can afford (5000 or so, it would hurt, but I could get the loan) doesn't go real far up here. Plus I have this car that is great, new tranny, new radiator, blah blah blah, i just want it to run! My pie in the sky plan right now is to keep this car going and use it as a second vehicle after I get something a little newer. Looks really are not important to me, and if I didn't have kids I'd be fine with this little wagon forever, but I'd like airbags and abs. Like I said, maybe a trip next year to Portland could result in something to drive back up in. Then I would have the ability to wrench on the loyale with the freedom of having another car. Payments scare me. Even though my car has been a pit, it's nothing compared to a payment and the mandatory collision insurance. Not to mention there isn't a whole lot of room in the budget right now. The newer Subies with low miles up here are just so incredibly expensive!

Well, I just talked to the shop, and the guy at the desk told me that they saw oil and coolant leaking externally, and that they saw the oil and the coolant coming from different places, if that makes sense. But that they didn't do a compression test so there's no way of knowing if it's leaking internally. They also didn't test the exhaust for hydrocarbons.

Would the intake manifolds be a simpler job? I feel silly being such an utter newbie, but we all have to start somewhere, right? What I lack in experience, I have in enthusiasm! My husband thinks I'm nuts for being so excited to keep this car running!

Well, they said I was losing coolant. They said to watch the levels. I don't get it because they resealed the engine a few years ago and it hasn't overheated and has low miles. As far as the price, I don't really know why they charge so much- they're the best shop up here from everyone I've asked but I guess I've never asked here. If anyone has a suggestion for a good shop in Anchorage, I'd be glad to know it. As far as doing it myself, I'd be happy to try- especially if it was that or trashing it. I've been wanting to transition into learning how to do this stuff myself but honestly have no idea where to start. I have a heated garage, and could beg or borrow a torque wrench. I'd like to keep this subie going because I prefer it over many newer cars, and because it has a new transmission and radiator. It sounds like if I'm going to fix this I should do it soon since I'm losing coolant- isn't it bad for the seals and whatnot? Also, they said the cold weather was going to hasten the deterioration. Well, if any Anchorage-ites have any pointers or would possibly be interested in helping me out, I'd be eternally grateful. I have access to a heated garage, and I'm very interested in learning! And GD, we have a trip for PDX planned next year, maybe we'll make it one way and drive a GD-approved subie back up. They are so expensive up here, and ridden hard and put away wet, if you know what I mean.

Sigh. Well I guess it was bound to happen, but I was getting my oil changed today and they told me my head gaskets were leaking. So sad. I don't have the smarts or the tools for that job so my little Sub is on the slow ride to the junkyard, although she still runs great. They told me she might last a month or she might last a year, there's just no way of knowing. I'm hoping for another year of trouble free driving and absolutely dreading buying another car. Not only can I not afford anything decent, but I just have the worst luck with buying cars that seem great and then have massive problems. The guy at the desk said that head gasket problems are rare for loyales, but this is my second loyale with that issue, and I've had a legacy with the same problem. Anyways, short of fixing the head gasket (1900-2200 bucks) what can I do to make this little car last? Thanks in advance for any advice.

yes/ no. I rarely use the ac and it hasn't been on most of the times I've heard the noise, but the weather has been hot/ warm each time.

dp, sorry

Hello all. Car is still going! We were going out of town up a steep grade on a hot day and the noise came back. That seems to be the pattern- when the engine is working hard and it is hot out the noise happens. We've just been keeping it close to home and watching it. Any thoughts? Does is happening when the car is hot mean anything? TIA!

Wow, a fellow Anchorage-ite! Very cool! Thanks for the offer. I've looked through the steps for replacing the timing belt and what not and it seems like a lot of this stuff you just have to "do" in order to learn. I'd just rather learn on a car I'm not completely depending on as a daily driver. Anyways, I'm hoping this car is good for a bit too- it has low miles and runs good. That oil pump makes me nervous but there's not a whole lot I can do about it right now and I've heard they can leak for a while before they fail. I just need to remember to check the oil regularly. Thanks again!

I agree with you, although I feel very comfortable with the amount of money I've put into this car for what I'm getting out of it. I'm definitely "ahead" compared to payments and full coverage insurance, and I have the car I want. I'm saving money for a newer car for when this one implodes, and at that point I'm going to try to fix it myself as a hobby. This car's good points are a fully resealed engine 2 years ago, a new transmission, and a new radiator. When the either the oil pump, water pump, or timing belt fail I think I'm going to try to do it myself in my friend's garage. I figure the cost will be too much to justify paying, and the car isn't worth much to sell (reconstructed title, older car). At that time I'll probably try to buy a newer car as my every day car and have this one to tinker with. Thanks again for the ideas!

Interesting ideas. I do think the alternator is on it's way out. A while back the car wouldn't start and I had the alternator tested and they said it had a fairly low output, but the culprit at the time was a bad cell in the battery, so I opted to just replace the battery at that time, and plan on doing the alternator at a future point. I'll try to get over to the battery shop and have it tested again. I'll also call my mechanic and see if he checked the idler pulley when he had it in there. I know for a fact the oil pump is leaking. I'm not sure if this would have anything to do with the noise, and I'm assuming my mechanic would have caught it. I'm truly jealous of all you guys with the know-how to fix your own cars. I am not looking forward to paying the 600 bucks it will take to replace the oil pump. I tell myself (and my husband, lol) that at least I'm not paying a huge payment and full insurance, and, honestly, I prefer my Loyale for winter driving up here in Alaska, but I sure wish I had a garage and tools so I could cut down on some of the maintenance.

Ahh, I see. Interesting. When I replaced the battery last November they said the output was a little low and to count on replacing it soon. I'm happy I've found this place! Thanks so much for your input!

Hello! I'm living in Anchorage, Alaska. Looking for advice and support in keeping my '92 Loyale going. Look forward to learning more here!

I will try that. My only issue is that it's so very intermittent that it might be recreate the noise. Do you think the alternator is making some level of the noise constantly that I may be able to detect? Also, do you think anything about this doesn't fit with the front differential bearing possibility? Thanks again!

Hello all! I have a question about my '92 Loyale. I'm just back from a diagnostic check at the mechanic with no answers. It's an automatic, with a new (used) transmission just put in a year ago. About a month ago, I had the radiator replaced, and after leaving the shop, I was driving and when I applied the throttle I heard a low whine just when the gas was applied. Whenever I let up it went away, and the noise stopped entirely after a few seconds. I called the shop immediately and they said it was probably not a big deal, maybe some air in the cooling system, etc. They said to keep an ear out, but just a one time thing was probably nothing. Fast forward to this Tuesday- it made the noise 3 times in one day, and I called again. They said it could be a belt that wasn't tightened properly after the radiator went in, and to bring it in. Well, the belts looked fine, and they tested a fan (I didn't catch which fan, just remember they said it came on very intermittently, maybe a clutch fan?) and said it was fine. They could duplicate the problem at all, so I came away not knowing. So now I'm looking into possible causes myself, and so far I've found two possibilities. Either the front differential, or the alternator bearing. The front diff is terrifying, because I cannot afford to replace the tranny again. The alternator would make sense because I've suspected it's been going out for a while as the voltage just seems low. Although the noise only happening when applying the throttle doesn't seem like it would be the alternator. If anyone has any thoughts as to what this may be, I'd appreciate it. I love this little car and want to keep it going.