harrisonts

I think I remember reading that all ECUs from the L-series can be converted between manual or automatic, by simply tying a particular pin to ground. That shouldn't be an issue. As for the harness, I can't think of anything on the engine harness that is specific to either type of transmission. The harness for the transmission will be different though since you have different sensors. Let me know how it goes!

I'm in Albuquerque. I'll see what I can manage with regards to emissions, but I don't care to play any games with them. On to the good news, my car is back together! Took me a week and a half but I have four wheels again, and it doesn't appear to be leaking anywhere it wasn't leaking before. Only odd thing is the 4wd light doesn't come on until I push it past 4wd high. I can live with that for now though. Now on to figuring out the neutral switch deal, now that the situation's a little cleared up. I'm still considering how I could add something to the shifter. Lessons learned: check the color of the wires! And get the proper manual and do your homework.

I'd say give it a go, though others may have more specific experience. I put an ECU from a 91-92 Loyale in my 89 GL, both non-turbo SPFI, and it has worked flawlessly.

My main concern right now is getting the CEL to go off. They won't even test the car if it is on, and I'm not about to go the pulling the lamp route. This is the last remaining code on my computer after repairing the PCV/EGR solenoid wiring and the engine oil temperature sensor. I think your suggestion is good, superooo, and I will see if I can scavenge one of these clutch switches, as my car does not have cruise control. And good to know that it is in fact open in neutral. This should satisfy the computer, but I'm still not in love with it as a solution, since my car will be in neutral idle mode up until I release the clutch. This means it will be lacking power when I need it the most, that is, starting from a stop. Here's my update: I sealed the rear extension case with the gasket maker after cleaning it very thoroughly. I squeezed a crapload in there since it was hard to reach some spots, hopefully it will ooze its way through the whole interface. I will find out in 24 hours when I put the new oil in, and whether I made any other horrible errors.

Well it turns out that the transmission can be slightly dropped without removing it. I just supported it with a jack while I removed the mounting bracket, then lowered it slightly on the jack. I loosened the motor mounts and made sure it wouldn't put stress on any cables, and got it down low enough to take off the access panel. After doing this, I fished around for about an hour with a magnet tool on a copper wire, and then just for fun, tried to pull it out of the original hole, and I got it out! So much for tearing it apart. You can say you told me so. This is where it gets interesting. I put the new switch back in, and it still wasn't closing, at least until I put it into reverse. So apparently this is the reverse switch. I went back to my manuals and tried to locate the neutral switch, but there are only three switches on my transmission: one for 4wd, 4wd low, and reverse. Where the neutral switch should be, there is an unthreaded hole that doesn't go all the way through. I read in this car's records that the transmission was replaced at some point. The one they swapped in must have from an earlier year that didn't use that switch. When I opened the top plate, I was surprised to find a broken off piece right there. I believe it is part of the top of part 30 in the first diagram I posted. I just pulled it out, and it didn't seem to affect the movement of anything. But it makes me think I should flush out my transmission to get any remaining shards out. It seems like it would probably be good anyhow since it's dusty around here and I had it open for a while. Also, the question remains of what to do with the missing neutral switch. I'm thinking of just tying it into a clutch switch. I don't really want to mess around with drilling into my transmission and threading it, and I don't know if that would even be possible to make work. I'd like it to run as efficiently as possible, but my main concern now is just getting the CEL off so I can pass emissions testing. Any other ideas for detecting if it's in neutral?

Ok, you've convinced me to give it another try with a better magnet tool. I am in no way attached to pulling the transmission if I have a way to avoid it! I'm still afraid that I won't be able to seal the case that I removed, but I bought the Permatex green sealant made for gear oil, so I guess that's my best bet. I'll just try not to get it everywhere when I try to get it into the hard to reach areas. The dealer still has the proper gasket, but I can't seem to the case off of the shaft or the 4wd selector rod.

I think I like Jono's idea the most. Or adapt the thing to have the oil pan it should have had to begin with. I hear you all on the magnet approach, but even if I had one that could fit in that hole, it would have to make an immediate 90° turn and would probably get caught up on the giant pinion shaft that is right there, and I think the chances of it grabbing the wrench in such a way that I could actually get it out of the hole are minimal. I welcome any of you to come over and try! But with me having to pull things further apart to reseal the extension case, I'm really ok with pulling the whole thing and giving it the thorough inspection and cleaning it probably needs. Again, I will report back with my results and take some photos for reference. I do appreciate your tips!

Thanks for the magnet tip. I tried fishing a magnet in from the drain hole, but I couldn't maneuver it back to where the wrench was dropped. The neutral switch hole is only about 8mm diameter in the side, so I couldn't even fit the magnet in the hole! It turns out that there is an wall (not shown in my diagrams ) between the extension case and the transfer case, so I couldn't get at it that way, and the case would only come off about a centimeter without me removing an impossible to remove internal snap clip. So basically all I did was destroy that gasket. Unfortunately, it looks like my next step will be to pull the transmission. I tried to remove just the transfer case, but there are some bolts that my tools simply cannot reach with it mounted. With it off, I can just remove the access panel on top of the transfer case to get at this wrench. At least then I will also have the chance to overhaul the clutch, fix any leaky oil seals, and figure out this neutral switch thing for good. Problem is I'll have to move it somewhere else because the neighborhood I'm currently in is done with tolerating my amateur mechanic hobby. Anyone in Albuquerque who can tow on this board?

I had a moment today in troubleshooting my 89 GL Wagon's transmission neutral switch. I've had a trouble code 51 for "neutral switch", so I tested the old one and found it permanently open. The replacement switch from the dealer, which I installed today, also would not close when the transmission was in gear. I was poking around with a 5mm allen wrench to see if there was anything in there to depress the switch, and lo and behold, it slipped out of my hand and fell completely into the hole. So far, I have drained the fluid, pulled off the exhaust pipe, first section of the rear driveshaft, and shifter connectors, and my plan is to remove what Subaru calls the extension, hopefully finding it inside the part to the front of it, which I believe is the rear transfer case. From the diagrams I have found, it seems possible, but the service manual I downloaded from this site is missing the transmission section, so I don't know if there will be any surprises. Anybody with experience with these transmissions have any advice for me? I'm gonna try this tomorrow morning, and I'll report back if I have any success, or if I end up with a pile of random gears on the ground. For reference, the neutral switch is 21 in this diagram of the transfer case: and this is the extension that bolts to the rear of it: