NorthWet

I definitely understand the money thing... but I look at $40/axle for boots, or $60-65 for lifetime reman axles... this overcomes the Scottish in me. Looking at 4 new boots on my '82, just rotten boots, could just replace them...

Where "at the back" did you test? At the window? Under trim panel in tailgate? (Sorry for sounding like a broken record. ) Not sure where the wiring runs through the body, but it (obviously) pops out at the top and enters the tailgate. Seriously doubt that you are looking for a short... that would blow a fuse. You are looking for an open circuit; broken wire or connector issue. Since the wire is part of a fair sized bundle, and you haven't said that your car suffered mid-body trauma recently, I would suspect that the bundled wire through the body is probably least likely to be the fault. Relay end or tailgate end where the wire comes unbundled sounds more likely.

A little info on the car attached to your dash might make the answer less erroneous... So, you have the "Check Engine" light on your dash somewheres, maybe along bottom of instriument posd on right side. Lights up when you first move key to ON position. If this light comes on during driving, then you have the blinking LED on the ECU, which is under the dash, pretty much under the steering column and behind a plastic trim piece.

SSSHHH!!!!! Don't give our wreckers any ideas!!! A lot of the "mainstream" wrecking yards here (the ones that have interchange books and radio/internet connection with other yards for parts searches) set their prices at 50% of new. It is a cold, desperate day that I visit them.

The valvebody on the 3-speed isn't much of a problem to take apart and clean the passages. No experience with the 4-speed (yet), but can't imagine it is much more difficult. I would echo All-talk, change the fluid... not sure if the 4EAT has a filter... the 3AT doesn't.

Told ya about local members! They know... BTW, that place in SJ is a Pick Your Part (thanks NVZ for jogging the old neurons.) My only beef with SJ is that they nickel-and-dime on everything. The lights in the bumper are extra (full yard price), and the bracket on the back of the headlight is extra... $100 bucks for an engine, but better be stripped to the block or spend time at the counter figuring what is left on it so you can pay for them.

"Engineered" on 2 extra cylinders...

Snowman, that is one empty looking engine bay! Er, I mean neat and uncluttered... How do you like your battery? Do you think they are worth it?

PM'd you back. San Jose PAP was off of Monterey Highway near-ish Capitola. Take 680 to 101 south to Capitola exit (not the 680 Milpitas one), hunt around a bit on each side, I may be way off! by 4-5 miles. Bernal is too south, SJ city center is too north. Oakland off of 880 near Winton, couple of streets of wrecking yards. Used to be, at least. Should be SOMETHING in Walnut creek area. Forgot to mention Emeryville/Berkeley used to have some off of 80 along Frontage Road near street to UC Berk... GILMAN! I remembered!!! I have no idea if those are still there, used to look fo Triumph parts on the 70's. And like I said, ask the members. rallyruss lives in SJ, adn several others live in the area. Luck!

Not a proto-kludge, eh? Not saying anything about the way you did yours, oddcomp... Necessity is a mother. But I was thinking you have that nice, high resolution set of teeth on the starter ring... Downsides are have to have a separate crank pos sensor, plus pulse count modifier if using standard EDIS controller (but NABD). Or maybe an optical pickup behind cam drive sprocket. Add a little pulse shaper circuit (maybe not even needed, depending on pulse shaper in EDIS controller), and voila! Or, with some circuit brains, all you need is a single-point crank-position trigger (e.g. - TDC or max advance point) and synthesize the rest. Not difficult. And and, if the processor upgrade is sufficiently more powerful, and there are a couple unused i/o pins, have MS handle the whole ignition thing. One less box to worry about. Just some thoughts...

I also think that those prices are quite high. Should be several Pick-A-Part/Pull-A-Part yards in the SF Bay Area. (Unfortunately, the only one I remember is in SJ. ) I got a 4 bumpers for less than $50 total. Headlight was around $15-25. The struts shouldn't be such a big deal, as sensor failure doesn't seem common, and examining the rubber for minicracks around the flex area and also looking for leaking oil should do you. But I like JY shopping and hate dismantling yard "Boutiques". One of my favorite yards near Emeryville/Berkeley from the 70's went Boutique, with a showroom (tiled floor, glass walls, etc) where they displayed engines and transmissions. Prices skyrocketed...

Another option (maybe not for you, but someone, someday) is to go down to your local friendly radiator shop (wouldn't suggest a national chain, but a mom and pop) with your required dimensions, and see what is available to fit. 30 years ago (and I assume today, still) they had catalogs that listed radiator cores, and sometimes complete units, by their dimensions. Lots of these shops are starving out due to oem aluminum crap (can't be repaired, only suitable for beer cans), and are willing to spend some time in order to make a sale. A good radiator man (or woman) can do amazing things with standardized parts. Oh... and copper, copper, copper! Pat

Gee, do you think if I put one of these before my turbo that I could get 50BHP increase??? P.T. Barnum said it best...

SOP for many non-inline 6s. Can't see how port size would affect either compression or wear. Miniscule thing compared to the violence of the cylinder. 02 cents.

Radiator/intercooler doesn't need its own overflow. The overflow is a pressure/volume release thing. As long as you have one in the system it should be good. Regarding flow, I was thinking more about the core/tube restriction, not the inlet/outlet. No such thing as flowing too fast. Only worry is ability to effectively transfer heat. In fact, there are advantages to flowing much faster than standard... more consistant temps, less stress on pump.

If I understand correctly, you want to put metal springs on to the air suspension struts? This is difficult because the struts do not have any mount surfaces for the springs.

Seems to me there is enough ability on this board that someone(s) could do the fab'ing. I don't have a plasma cutter (yet ) to properly do the mount plates, but the rest is within even my capability. Just a thought...

Shadow/Oddcomp: I took an Elec Tech certificate program once upon a time (teacher of my last class was asked to quit before end of program ). Pretty good stuffing boards, good at soldering and testing. Also a programming weanie, assembler language, some experience with earlier uPs. Offering pro bono help. Plus, I have like 5 vehicles that I would like to eventually put these puppies in. Also, you/we might want to consider using something more custom for EDIS pick-up than standard Ford tooth-ring/VR. Make it easier to fit without major mods to pulley. Got a couple ideas that I am mulling over.

That sounds about right. They were the low-price-du-jour, plus the only one that had the two items I wanted in stock. Most JDM importers don't list prices because of the high turnover and variable availability of any given part. I have seen only one that has listed prices, and that was in the Oakland, CA area and a LONG time ago (made my Datsun VERY happy! ). One of our regulars lives near where you are looking (booney)... lots of fields are now growing houses... (Hey, that wagon still for sale? Willing to deliver it to me? Oh... I guess it would end up where you said would be a pain to transport it so you wanted to sell it instead of transporting it... ) Good luck, and welcome home! (Just in time for the good weather. )

The only thing that I would be concerned about it is how well it "flows". Air can go through tight places easier than water. I would suggest that either you have a radiator show do a flow test on it, or at least you do a simple shade-tree flow test: With radiator/intercoler on end so that one tank is on the ground (under the rest of the cooler), temporarily plug the bottom tank's out let and fill the cooler from the other outlet (just fill... do not force). When the cooler is full (water spilling out top outlet), uncovr the bottom outlet and see how quickly the water rushes out and finishes emptying. Sluggish draining = poor flow. Shop flow test is a whole lot better. And too bad it isn't a copper intercooler.

Lots of JDM importers around here. Both Seattle and Tacoma have big container ports. Local papers list 6-12 importers. My last purchase was from a place in Lynnwood (between Seattle and Everett). Haven't completed installation yet , but seemed pretty up-and-up. Even sold a install "kit" (new timing-belt, cam and crank seals, t-stat, etc) for a reasonable price and already packaged.

MY Loyale's a FT4WD! But it is also an automatic...

Do you know if the auto is a 3- or 4-speed? The 4-speed is better, but still will lose a lot of pep. About the only GL/Loyales that seem to handle the autos gracefully are the turbos. And it really depends on what you are used to. If you are used to an econobox with an auto, then the Subaru with auto might seem pretty good. And I am sure that someone will speak up and suggest an auto-to-manual conversion.

Refer back to my prev post about tailgate wiring/connector. The way it is routed and supported, it is easy for damage to occur to the wiring there. After the fuse, that would be the first place that *I* would check. No FSM wiring diagram, sorry.

I pulled the tranny once to change the clutch. I wouldn't ever do that again. Much easier to pull the engine. Replaced an auto-trans recently... (slightly) easier to line up, but much heavier. Good advice from everyone about lifting tranny and tilting engine.