86 Wonder Wedge

Well, we did, but I BEGGED the mother not to buy a new nissan.. and 3 years later, she about had a heart attack when she saw the residual value.

OOF. Yeah, gear oil normally smells terrible. However, I think that 30W is ENTIRELY too thin... spec calls for 75w-90.

I work at Advance.. and same here. I only buy things that I'm going to warranty use (like pads/rotors, tune up stuff). HOWEVER, we CAN get nice IMC stuff (which is like a large rockauto, sometimes). But all I know is Subaru dealers can still get OEM axles.. at 440/ea.

I dug up the old research we did on it back in 09, and I must amend and say Nissan does not REQUIRE their oil, but without the GMO package, it beats up pretty bad on the lifters, chain guides and ring and ring lands... Maxima/Ester oil discussion

The Mazda dealer is using conventional?? Is ford still saying 5w-20 syn-blend? I believe they suggest that so you still have usable oil at 5K miles.. and the manufacturers using 0w-20 is also due to the fact that they can control the materials and techniques used in building these motors. In the 80s (cause this motor first appeared in 1985? How long was it in R&D before it was mass produced? 5 years?) look at the casting technology and materials. They were BARELY starting to use aluminum as a main material. They were having trouble with magnesium wheels back then too.. Also look at the 09 and up Nissan VQ (3.5 V6) motors. They have a Diamond Like Coating on the pistons to reduce wear and handle the high heat. They require a very special and very expensive ester-based oil. If not used, the coating flakes, the pistons burn up and start overheating and eating oil like no tomorrow. Does anyone hear about that? nope. Even the local Nissan dealer was doing the "oil changes for life" with the house conventional. Imagine the warranty claims they'll see in a few years... And don't get me started on BMW's stupid "Nikasil" in the 90s.. The alloys and coating substances have come along way since then..

Many of the fords/mazdas and even the new FB motors (2.0 subaru) run a 5w-20. In the newer fords, it's due to the anti-friction coating on the hard surfaces and the OHC setups... They also don't have to pull the heat away as much as the old pushrod V8 setups and the Ford v8s have a 6 or so quart capacity so the oil doesn't become overworked between changes (and even the oil coolers now adays) Hell, even the newer Hondas run the 0w-20... and that stuff feels like water.. Or the BMW M-V8s run a 10w-60.. talk about thick!

No label? hmm.. Mine ('91) has got it labeled A/C. Anyway, I know the 4EAT has the "FWD" fuse in the same location on the imprezas and legacies, but the push-button 4WD I believe has a 4WD fuse in the fuse center OR it just auto-disengages when the power/vac is cut.. Anyway, glad to head that! It shouldn't throw a CEL either since it's not really an engine management parameter...

From everything I'm reading (and I'm no oil expert) it's the 30 that gets too thin when it gets hot (cause the 30 has a thinner viscosity at a certain temp than a 40 does). The book/owners manual even has the same oil ranges for 10w30 and 10w40. I think subaru was worried about the oil thinning or bearing washout at higher RPMs (or even the oil cavatating since the pump may "suck" air bubbles into a more water-like fluid) However, I went to a 5w40 to have the best of both worlds. Granted, I also hear the wide spread oils (thin when cold, thick when hot) also have a shorter life span, but again the OM suggested a 7500 mile OCI even on standard 10w30! Honestly, I'd stick with a 10w40 or even a 5w40 for the winter.. this motor doesn't necessarily run too hot and if you've got large bearing clearances or lazy oil pressure springs/valves, it might take the thicker stuff at cold to get to the heads (or even cams.. remember those things don't have bearings! ) After 3K, I'm going to dump and save this M1 TDT stuff, have blackstone take a look, and if they say it's still good, then back in it goes (with a new filter of course)

Just a brief update, but after the colder temps have arrived, I found that the 15w40 gtx is too thick when cold. Lifters start ticking away when cold.. So I've switched again! Hopefully the last time.. Mobil 1 5w-40 Turbo Diesel Truck (TDT). Its got the cold flow and thickness at temp plus >1000 ppm of zinc! I've got about 300 miles in it so far, no new leaks, no more lifter noise, still as smooth as the 15w40 but feels a bit peppier.. and Mobil 1 routinely comes on sale around here, so yay! Also, I picked up the Wix filters that came with the deal (51361) but THEY DO NOT FIT. I have been running Purolator PureOne filter PL24457 with zero probblems and the seal diameter on the Wix is about 1/8" smaller on the O.D than the purolator is on the I.D. I was shocked..but it leaks, even without pressure applied. Shame..

Yeah, grabbing spares won't hurt.. however, I believe only an EA82 CTS will work... idk if SPFI/MPFI matters, but the EJs all use a different sensor... Also, in front of the the white vacuum canister on the pass side firewall, there is a small black square thing marked "A/C". Unplug/remove the fuse and you should be good to go. The defrost feature will still work on the dash and the vents will still move, just your A/C contols for the compressor will be inop. It should also nix the signal to the ECU. Even then, the only reason the defrost worked well is due to the dry air produced by a/c system. The temperature is pretty irrelevant..

Yep. You can always call them and double check, but it'll probably be a day or two out since that BWD item is inventoried as warehouse, at best. And yeah, the ECU will kick up the RPM until the "signal amplifier" (the little black box that hovered infront of the A/C Compressor clutch) reported equal RPM to the tach signal and the ECU would balance them. So it'll keep ramping up the RPM until the imaginary compressor catches up. I'd pull the A/C fuse/relay and see if the ECU will give up.. but I believe your low idle and high idle are unrelated, you can pull the connector at the CTS and read the resistance on the CTS side and note the water temp (dead cold/ambient and running temp) and you can compare the resistances to the table/chart to see if it's in spec. Also make sure you have infinite (zero conductivity) resistance to the battery ground (i.e the sensor hasn't grounded itself to the motor). You can also check the 12V source on the harness side and low resistance back to the ECU/body ground to make sure the harness is clean. Good Luck!

Here here! Show it some go-pedal and away it goes!

CTS probably isn't the correct one at 16 bucks. The correct BWD (the supplier that O'Reilly's offers) sensor is closer to 100. It'll have the two leads coming off with a green plug. The sensor you were looking at was probably the temp sender (for the gauge) And when you kick on the defrost/defog for the front, it kicks on the A/C compressor causing the ECU to spike the RPM. Make sure your IAC is clean and doesn't have a vacuum leak (was the problem with mine, leak at the IAC gasket) Also, either get the Stant XactStat or dealer only. I installed a Beck/Arnley (MotoRad make) and had an underheating problem. The difference between the cheap ones and the real ones is pretty huge.

This is looking so good! following it with much interest as my 91 will soon be getting the AWD treatment! (and an EJ204.. ) But I BELIEVE the JDM STi (GC8) transaxles came with LSD (Torsens) in the front diff, plus they all came with the "more sensitive" VLSD center diff vs. the USDM WRX or std. 5 speeds... I KNOW the USDM STis had the Torsen front diff, but cha ching on getting one of those bad boys...

Bingo. THANK GOD some one still knows why a solenoid clicks. And yeah, by ruling out a bad positive cable (and a bad ground) use jumper cables and then try again. A bad ground is just as culpable as a bad positive. And it sounds like a dying starter if the connections pan out.. sometimes the brushes just become too warn, the shaft can flex when load is placed on it, or the contacts are arching when voltage applied..

I want to post up here, that in the colder days, my gauge would BARELY move off cold and I would have tolerable heat... Pulled out the Beck/Arnley thermo and it was the MotoRad and next to the NTC (OEM) one, what a joke. Half the size, half the length and the opening was about half as well.. Well, new one in, and the gauge rises to just above 1/4 and the heat is fantastic.

Yeah, gonna have to do mine.. both of your videos have your cars firing about half the time mine does..

To be perfectly honest, playing with the strut rod (the long, skinny bar) will probably lead to many curse words if it's never been disturbed. There are 2 bolts that hold that rod to the control arm, but they are crush nuts and will fight you until the last thread. I'd attach the upper strut mount (the 3 bolts), pop that control arm-to-frame bolt back in and then undo the lower ball joint (the 19mm nut on the bottom, be prepared to fight the cotterpin if it's original). After popping the ball joint from the arm, you can then make sure the stub/CV axle will come out of the spindle. If you experience trouble, put the castle nut back on until it's flush with the end and give it a few, sharp raps with a sledge. Too crazy and you can bend the threaded stub. Once you know the stub will move, now step on the lower control arm until you can pull the spindle away and clear the ball joint from the arm. Now you can swivel the spindle and push the axle out, toward the back of the car. Once the axle is clear (it's a tight fit, but the axle WILL clear the spindle and rear seal, just be patient), work on wobbling/sliding the inner joint off the shaft (do not pull/yank, you'll pop the inner joint out of the cup).

Have you done a compression check/vacuum reading? Before I'd go nuts, get those numbers and also check timing.. I had the same symptoms JUST before the headgaskets let go. (Confirmed by the overheating, MASSIVE white cloud on startup when warm and then coolant in oil. Gasket blew due to headbolts being stripped/backing out)

Like above, it's best to remove the axles off the car. Once you get them off, my favorite cleaner/axle grease remover is kerosene. Works like a charm and can be neutralized/cleaned by brake cleaner. Go with Beck/Arnley boots (if OEM aren't an option) and you can get them at Advance. They list the 2/4WD and inner/outer ones specifically so the boots look and act like the originals, not the crappy universal Dorman ones. And the B/A stuff comes with new grease and band clamps. Also, you can pop the LBJ from the LCA and "pull" the spindle away enough so you can push the axle out from the hub and remove from the car w/o having to remove the entire spindle..

Well, my 91 Loyale (2WD, SPFI) takes 5 or 6 revolutions to start cold versus half a turn when it's warm (or about 2/2.5 secs cold when warm, MAYBE 1 sec or less to kick). Dead cold, it'll rev to about 2.5K, I tap it, it falls to about 17, then back up to 2,2250 then it'll drop to about 15 when I start rolling, then 800 or so. When I get on it, it'll fall off and feel like fuel starvation around 4 or 5K when cold, but no bucking or anything crazy.. When warm, she runs well all the way through the range, but sort of hunts at idle, dipping and shuddering around 700.. and the injector gets REAL loud (it's loud clicking like it does, but audible with the hood closed!) I've confirmed the timing isn't cutting out, and the ECT, MAF, TPS and O2 are all operating within range (even though the O2 starts varying voltage at less than 400F.. Haynes says 600 or so..) and the manifold vac fluctuates EXACTLY (never less than 19 or so, but definitely not rock steady) with the shuddering and the popping from the tailpipe. anyway, when I unplug the MAF sensor, the CEL kicks on and the idle smoothes right out and the vacuum holds steady at 20 in-Hg. Anyway, thats what mine does.. lol

IAC can do it, but make sure you don't have a vacuum leak as well. Chances are the car failed smog because it was running too hot and the SMOG guy told you EGR. (assuming it was stuck, causing more air/hot exhaust to be recirculated when it shouldn't be) When in actuality it;s sucking in more air than the MAF sensor is seeing. Hooking up a vac gauge to the intake (pass side, small port that feeds the HVAC vacuum canister and the EGR/Canister Vent solenoids is a good place to tap for a vacuum gauge. Also consider the car's age.. 25 year old rubber usually doesn't hold air very well.. Also, to check the IAC, pop off that top tube and work the throttle. You should see the plunger actuate once you come off idle or higher. And just double check the timing, the throttle is closing all the way, and that the green connectors are not connected near the fuel filter.

Good info Doug, and I've never seen those oil pressure numbers before! Ok, I made my final decision. I went with the Castrol GTX Diesel 15W-40 since it was still SL/SJ spec on the bottle (no mention ANYWHERE of the SM/SN spec.. ) and I know conventional GTX is good stock and the SL/SJ spec will have more than normal zinc due to the old specs. So far, so good... no noises or leaks and the oil pressure is about the same from start up to operating temp. And when I shimmed the oil pump, I used a flat M8 or M6 washer (can't remember, but one fits PERFECTLY while the other is too small/large) inside the piston under the spring, not the screw cap.

The "Jiggle valve" should be on the highest point so the air doesn't get trapped (pointed toward the radiator on our EA82s). And those thermostat pictures are interesting.. it seems my car doesn't get too hot either... granted, when I turn the A/C or Defrost on (even in the cold, 40F temps) the temp would rise slightly.. but still never above half.. and I replaced it with a beck/arnley exact temp one, 10K miles ago, but I don't remember it looking like that, nor the one I pulled out (the old one MAY have said MotoRad on it..)

Gotta love bobistheoilguy! Been reading back and forth about some people's usage of VR1.. Granted, this is probably overkill with the synthetic, but I am curious to see how it works in this motor and how the motor treats its oil (beats up on it, dumps its problems into it, calls it bad names..)