el_freddo

@GeneralDisorder - rough day mate? You’ve been like a heat seeking missle! Cheers Bennie

Same platform so they should be the same unless the lift is built into the centre bearing mount. Cheers Bennie

It MUST be the impreza unit, not the liberty/legacy auto unit? Cheers Bennie

ALso make sure your radiator is grounded with the little ground wire at the top of the radiator to the upper rad support panel. Engine temp gauge sensor is a 17mm hex head Cheers Bennie

You probably need a new sender unit. Cheers Bennie

He’s got a brumby style three door hatch - like Subarino’s hatchy. I didn’t know they made them through to ‘89! That’s awesome! @6 Star - you’ll definitely need a new exhaust once the 4wd system is in as the FWD unit will take the easier route to the rear end, typically straight down the trans tunnel. It’ll be a good project, been done before so not impossible! Cheers Bennie

@DaveT - got a link to that thread? Cheers Bennie

One way to find out, but I don’t see why not. I say go for it, it sounds like you don’t have anything to lose! Cheers Bennie

There are three bolts on the swing arm that can influence the camber and probably toe into a point. No one ever touches these in an alignment as the bolts are typically too hard to get to and the MYs and L series are listed as a fixed rear end... but if the swing arms have ever been removed then this alignment from delivery is lost. Even then it’s not ever good. I’ve seen a tech bulletin outlining the alignment of the rear end using these three bolts but I’ve never done it, nor can I find that bulletin now On a more extreme note, has the car ever been crashed? It could be bent ever so slightly making the car want to crab along the road. Cheers Bennie

CEL typically doesn’t come on due to a fuel issue. If you’ve got bad fuel the exu will pull timing. But if you’ve got an injector issue it could throw a CEL, this is why you need to check the codes - and you don’t need a scanner to do it either! Cheers Bennie

Do a “de-lift” - find a legacy of the same era and pull all the suspension mount bolts, struts and possibly the gearbox crossmember - you’ll need the steering extension too! With your outback you pull all the lift blocks out and replace the bolts with those from the legacy. From there other options are impreza struts (maybe, someone will know), coilovers, lowered springs... I’ve always thought it odd to de-lift an outback or forester but it’s been done many times before! Cheers Bennie

Near the steering column behind the kick panel above the driver’s feet are two black plug with a single wire each. Plug these together, turn the ignition to the ON position without the engine running. Watch the check engine light - long flash = value of ten, short flash = value of one. The ECU will cycle through all stored codes. So once you’ve got them recorded on paper and you’re re-reading them innthe flashing CEL you know you’ve got them all. If there are no stored codes, you’ll have a series of single flashes that tells you the ECU area designation/market. You can then look up these codes to find out what they are. My bet is the IACV is the culprit. Cheers Bennie

I’ve had success with rocking the car back and forth to unlock park brakes. Or removing the wheel then tapping the area where the park brand shoes contact could free up those shoes too. Cheers Bennie

Read the stored codes with the test connectors. That’ll be your starting point. Cheers Bennie

Giles, how many accounts is this now?? Ever thought of using the “remember me” tick box? Works a treat and I rarely have to use my log in details Cheers Bennie

Where did you find that Jono? I’d be keen for a set of these to replace my no-so-good-rushed-I’ll-change-them-later units! Cheers Bennie

If you’re not going to 5 stud, just use the factory MPFI manual L series shafts. They’ll drop right in with an EJ box. This ONLY works for the L series when keeping the 4x140 PCD. Cheers Bennie

Buy buy buy. Then drop in a 3L H6 AWD setup Cheers Bennie

Sounds like you’ve nailed the issue. The concern is what damage is done to the crown or pinion gears while they’ve ran untrue to each other. Could be worth the gamble. Worst case scenario is a gearbox replacement down the line. Cheers Bennie

On the flip side I didn’t have issues with my gearbox when I was front wheel drive with 27s. I found the front would spin a wheel if you were going too hard off the line. And I would use drive shafts more often too AWD is where it’s at for sure! I’ve “basically” got a dual range forester box in my L and can daily it or drive it hundreds of km without even thinking about it being unreliable. And flog it around town plenty. Cheers Bennie

Hmmm... I might have to check that out on my mother inlaw’s brumby as it’s got a heavy clutch pedal compared to mine (and I only found out tonight). Cheers Bennie

Pretty sure it’s like the L series and every other Subaru setup - no can do. Both are different. Cheers Bennie

Hey Jono, the wagon wheelbase is 100mm shorter than the brumby from memory, and it shares the same wheel base as the hatch IIRC. Someone will have some specs hidden away somewhere. Hopefully they’ll share. As for the cutting and welding, you’re correct - cut the weld carefully and that will “release” the tube of the tail shaft from the rear yoke flange arrangement. Mark where you want to cut the shaft and very carefully cut it ensuring you’re cutting it square. Then when welding it, ensure the tailshaft and yoke flange are parallel to each other and go for it in sections at a time. It’s a good idea to check that it rotates without any wobble in it before using it in the car. We did this on a ‘78 Chrysler Lancer. Rear of the shaft isthr place for these mods - just in case the weld ever breaks you won’t be flipping the car with you in it Cheers Bennie

Hey Paul, send us some pics via text (I tried calling, mob # ending 031 - my number hasn’t changed) I’d be happy to swap a set of those non-bolt rear diff output stubs for the open diff stubs/axles and mounting bolt. Contact me via mobile and we’ll sort something out. Cheers Bennie

Hey Paul, I thought you’d know this already! New bolt from an open diff *should* work. It’d be worth trying anyway. Afaik both retainer bolts are the usual RH thread - at least on the open diffs they are. Cheers Bennie