NorthWet

Gary/Rob: I suppose the waterpump is "special" to the XT6? If not, I have a few EA82 WPs (brand new Parauts). BTW, shortly after my wife bought her SVX, it split both upper and lower radiator hoses. I haven't had much issue with EA82 radiator hoses, but heater, block-bleed and turbo cooling hoses have been a constant problem area.

Are there any other pieces of information about this car that you could pass on? I am in no way an expert (others here are), but I think that the only early-90's Legacy that came with the 3.90 ratio was a turbocharged model. You have not mentioned that it has a turbo, or used other "magic" words like Legacy SS. If this is a regular Legacy L or Legacy LS (and has not been tinkered with), I believe it should have a 4.111 ratio rear differential. A possibility exists that someone swapped in a 3.900 diff to replace a 4.111. If they did this without swapping in the matching-ratio tranny, all sorts of mischief (i.e. - damage) can occur.

The "manual" button on the shifter is meant to be a primitive form of traction control. When the Shifter is in "2" (and maybe "3"; I forget, but others can clarify) and this button is pressed, it prevents the transmission from downshifting into first gear. This limits wheel spin in low-traction conditions. The other button, I assume, is the one on the shifter bezel. It allows you to move the shifter out of PARK regardless of ignition key position or foot-on-brake. This is useful for maintenance situations, or when the safety interlock gets a little confused. (Also, I think it is unlikely that your car has an LSD rear differential.)

BTW, I would be VERY careful using a garden hose to flush the cooling system. Typical domestic water pressure is at least 40PSI, and can go up to 80-100PSI. Your radiator and heater core were not designed for that kind of pressure.

I'm going on a year and a half on one. 1-1/2 crushed-rock work surface and a 4EAT...

If you don't want to spring for a pyrometer, you have a couple of options. One is to have a radiator shop do a flow test on it; often, these are free. The downside of this is that if you have an aluminum radiator (yuk!!!) it just tests flow and not cooling ability. A second way to check is to use your palm as a pyrometer: Find a SAFE place on the radiator (away from whirring fans and belts; slightly tough on A/C equipped cars) and move your hand from top to bottom along the radiator fins while the engine is warmed up and running. You are feeling for horizontal bands of differing termperatures. Cooler bands indicate plugged tubes in the radiator. A free-flowing radiator should feel fairly uniformly hot from bottom to near the top (sometimes, the top little bit will be cooler because of low coolant level and thus no flow through them).

Ummm..., not all Proteges have comfy seats. Those look like the upscale versions that they use in the 626. My wife's 99 Protege has the most uncomfortable seats of any of our drivers. But then, everything feels bad compared to the SVX's seats! (mini hijack - We are looking for a passenger side mirror for the 99 Protege... did you guys see any 98-99s?)

Your law says that the engine's power output has to be tested, and that the measured power has to be the same as the original engine? If this is so, then would it be practical to just "detune" the engine? ("Detuning" methods might include reducing the ignition timing advance, intake restriction, exhaust restriction, and reducing the engine's maximum RPM.) It is a similar concept to using the more restrictive EA63 or EA71 heads.

+1. Absolute easiest way to tell for sure. On a 90 Loyale: If no turbo, then no MPFI.

+1

My money would be on the strut rod bushings. Just because you can't measure or eyeball a problem doesn't mean that they are OK. They are an excellent source of oscillations, a "wear" part, and relatively cheap to replace.

All of the gaskets leak when they get old. And ANY oil leak anywheres on that engine will somehow find its way to the exhaust pipe. (In other words, don't limit your search to the oil pan gasket.)

Yes, 4 bolts (12mm head???) connect the flexplate to the converter housing. Although it is generally inadvisable, it is possible (and frequently an unwanted happening) to leave the TC still bolted onto the flexplate and pull it that way. Just make sure the oil pump shaft (3AT) or various shafts (4EAT) are disengaged from the TC before any vertical strain/lifting is done.

Timing belt sound likely, probably the non-distributor side of the engine. (Two belts are used, one going to each side of the engine.) If the distributor-side (your driver's-side) is still intact, you will still have spark and fuel, but will be hard to start, and run very poorly. The hardest part of doing the t-belts is usually removing the belt covers, as the steel bolts jam in the brass inserts that are cast into the plastic cover. Instead of the bolts breaking free, the insert tends to spin in the plastic cover. The engine is a non-interference design, so damage will result from any t-belt issues. There are quirks to doing the t-belts right, so if you do them please search for the info or inquire if you can't find it. BTW, the Loyale uses a part-time 4WD system (as opposed to the common usage of "AWD"). Somewhat lighter than a true AWD, but not much so. The car is not particularly light (2600-2700 lbs, IIRC).

Does the key move to the "off" position, but just won't come out? Not sure of the later models, but the earlier ('90-'92) models have a slot under the steering column, near the ignition lock, that allows you to move a little lever that manually operates the solenoid that retains the key. Stand on your head , search for the slot, insert a screwdriver and move the lever (may be a pin). I assume that you have already tried, but you could try moving the key to the on position, step on the brake, move gear selector out of Park, then reverse the procedure as if you were parking. Might cycle the interlock mechanism. Oh, I believe that for the key to be released you do need battery power, so if your battery was not connected, this might be the problem.

As with many disc brakes that also incorporate the parking brake, the front disks' pistons on pre-Legacy Subarus are compressed by screwing the piston into the caliper. A special, simple tool makes this easier. You also need to align the slots on the piston with the pin on the pad; if not, installation will be difficult, and the results will range from unpleasant to dangerous. None of this is the least bit difficult to do, you just need to know the little quirks. I, also, stick with the mid- to high-end offerings from name brands (Raybestos, Bendix, et al). I have never bought pads or rotors from the dealer, so I have little knowledge of pricing differences.

A caveat for you: Sometimes replacing the gear works out well, sometimes the condition that caused the damaged driven gear may still exist and wipe out your new gear in as little as 2 weeks. (I have had both situations.)

+1

You probably should check your Dealer first (they might have one in stock), or check out: RockAuto (http://www.rockauto.com) or PartsQuick (http://www.partsquick.com), both of which want about $14 (plus shipping) for the metal gear. (When I bought one from my local Stealership a few years ago, they charged me $70 for the gear!!!) RockAuto gets a lot of good mention on this board. PartsQuick has free shipping for purchases over $75, and sometimes they have some decent prices on t-belts and such (they had a $0.02 sale on a bunch of Old Gen stuff last year, and I ordered several batches ). I should have 3, but it probably wouldn't be cheaper or quicker than ordering from either RockAuto or PartsQuick.

I am assuming that this is the 3-speed automatic? (aka 3AT). Typically, problems are caused by less-than-fresh ATF. Specifically, your problem is probably caused by a problem with the governor. This is an externally serviceable valve assembly that lives under the aluminum dome on the non-distributor side (USA "passenger side") of the tranny, almost directly above the front axle shaft. Typically, the valve gets gummed up and needs to be disassembled, cleaned and polished. Another possible cause is that the governor's drive gear (which mates to the final drive) could be severely worn, what we refer to as "apple-cored" due the the stripped-out center of the gear's teeth. Do a SEARCH on governor and you will find more info. We used to have something in the USRM (online repair manual), but I am not sure if it is still there after recent hacks and restores.

Your pictures showed oil/grime in the intake tract. It is possible that your PCV (Positive Ventilation System) is not working correctly. (I am assuming that your Finnish vehicle is equipped similarly to US vehicles; please correct me if I am wrong.) This could cause improper removal of combustion blowby gasses, and can also cause excessive amounts of oil to enter the intake tract. It is common for the vent connections on the cam covers to become narrowed with deposits or otherwise restricted, and the PCV valve itself can be too dirty to function properly. I would not expect much greater acceleration. The Leone is not a fast car. The small cylinder (4-5cm diameter, 10-12cm length) is just to cover a connection used for dealer tuning/emissions testing; if I recall correctly, it is used for propane enrichment to correctly set the idle.

+1 on GD's recommendations: Fix it right, or expect to be redoing the work ( probably needing a replacement engine) really soon.

My apologies for using a regional slang phrase. Subarus are extremely popular and common in this region of the USA, and cars, parts and tools that might be difficult to obtain elsewhere are easier to find here. It seems to be that I saw 11mm x 1.25 Helicoils at our local auto parts store that was supplied by the "Parts+" distributors. (Parts store has since gone with NAPA parts.)

DVOM = Digital Volt Ohm Meter (also more commonly known as DVM = Digital Volt Meter). The model year of your Leone is important to know, as the 1985 and 1986 Leones used different engine management (MAF and distributor types) then do the 1987 and later models. The 1987 and newer MAFs used a "hotwire" system that might need cleaning with an aerosol MAF Cleaner. Your English is excellent compared to my Finnish!

I had a similar issue with my wife's 90 Legacy. Car would be running fine, she would stop at the gas station and fill it up, and the car would not start. Sometimes it would sit overnight and restart the next day, sometimes it wouldn't. Replaced the fuel pump and no further problems. I do not know what the mechanism of failure was, but the fix has been solid.