idosubaru

www.ramperformance.com i recommended an XT6 owner go with pistons from these guys and he is very happy with his rebuild. has been driving it for about a month. he got forged NA pistons - not turbo. here's a link to pictures of the pistons and his rebuild/use of them as well as some specs. http://www.xt6.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3575&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=ram+pistons&start=60

EZ outs suck. they work sometimes but when they break it's not worth the trouble. i still have one under my daily driver by the fuel pump that i haven't gotten out for over a year! LH drill bits are the way to go. i removed two rusty bolts yesterday by drilling a hole through the center and spraying them with liquid wrench. after drilling the hole, they unthreaded smooth as butter with a pair of small pliers. not sure why, but apparently drilling loosened them up or something.

how about post the part number off the 2WD TCU or call subaru and ask for the part numbers of the 4WD TCU and the 2WD TCU. if they are interchangeable then i have some extra's. also - for testing you don't even need to remove the TCU. just unplug it and unplug another in it's place. no need to unbolt and rebolt just to test, just lay it on top of the other one for testing and swap if you diagnose the problem.

have some supplies ready to hold the driveshaft up and out of the way if you're only disconnecting one side. otherwise just remove the entire driveshaft. typically it's hard to remove all 4 bolts/nuts at the same time. usually have to remove 2 or 3 and then roll the car or rotate the driveshaft (by jacking up one rear wheel) so the other nut or two rotates in view.

i'd bleed all the way around but you can try bleeding just one and see how it feels. it's probably likely that the rotor on that side is fried, might want to replace that while everything is apart and off. or at least call and see how much one is. definitely no need to replace both sides, that's rediculous. although if the new caliper is loaded (has new pads) you may want to get a new set of pads so they are the same on both sides. on a side note, keep an eye on your wheel bearings on that side. all that heat can cause premature failure of the grease and wheel bearings. caliper rebuild kits can usually be had for about 10 dollars and they include seals for both sides. tricky job if you don't do this kind of stuff alot.

the TCU is located behind the drivers side rear seat side panel. swapping in another TCU is a good idea. does the POWER light blink when you first start the car? sounds like it's in "limp" mode. your POWER light should (should when something is wrong) blink like 15 or 16 times when you start the car, this indicates there's a code in the TCU that may tell you something. pull these codes. if this isn't blinking and you're having these problems then i'd again suspect something fishy with the TCU. a fluid and possibly a filter change could help. this will also allow you to inspect the trans fluid. check the fluid out and look for metallic particles or gooey stuff. sometimes a bad trans will have very fine metallic particles/shavings in the fluid. this will verify you need to replace the trans as this would indicate serious internal damage. make sure the transmission oil pan isn't dented. a dented pan will obstruct the sump to the oil pump. you can also install an aftermarket transmission cooler. you should have one anyway, good for the trans. this will also bypass the old trans cooler in the side of the radiator that could be clogged. as a VERY TEMPORARY test you can pull both trans fluid lines from the radiator and run them together, totally bypassing the terribly efficient radiator side trans cooler. if this is clogged, bypassing it may help.

there is no issue in doing that. the critical point is that it's a 12 volt power source, that's all that matters. it will only draw (V/R) amps of current where V is your 12 volt power source and R is the internal resistance of the pump. what kind of wire won't matter. may risk burning the fuel pump up in a wierd situation, like if the voltage regulator malfunctions on the alternator and it's hooked up to the same battery....and there's not relay or fuse in between to fail before the pump. if you want to get technical about current, any resistance in the line is in addition to the resistance imposed by any device on the same circuit (the fuel pump and wire have a combined resistance of the fuel pump resistance plus the resistance of the wire). wire diameter increase = resistance decreases = current increases wire length goes increase = resistance increases = current decreases using a larger diameter wire will cause a slight decrease in resistance (assuming you're comparing similar grade, material, manufacture and quality wire). but this is only a technicality, very minor and won't hurt anything. the fuel pump is designed to work on a 12 volt power source, that's the key.

Chilton's was the only aftermarket manual printed that covered the XT6 i think. i don't think you'll find a Haynes. Chilton's is limited in scope and detail. FSM is by far the best way to go. i can probably send you a beat up chiltons for a couple dollar for shipping if you want one, i think i have a couple i don't need. (the TPS testing spec's are not right in the FSM though).

all 10 of my AWD XT6's that i've owned are/were JF1 VIN numbers.

12 volts at the pump. if you run a complete circuit to the battery it should come on. if you ran 12 volts from the positive side and got nothing then it's possible that the ground side of the fuel pump circuit is where the ignition is to turn it on. (never had to mess with the fuel pump circuit myself so i haven't done it). in that case, you'll just need a good ground (ground wire to the battery would certainly do the trick) to get it to kick on. make sense? do you want it powered all the time or just for testing? because running a wire directly from the battery means it will be powered all the time, even when the car is off.

if you're loosing that much oil, make sure the block is good before spending time and $ on heads that might not fix your problem.

how many digits is the subaru key code for late 80's subarus? i have no key for an XT6 i just bought. the dealer can't trace the key code from the VIN because the original dealer never entered it in the computer. i found a 5 digit number on the backing plate to the passengers side lock cylinder. is that it? i thought the key code was 4 digits.

are you talking about the Check Engine light? i'd like to see a picture of an XT6 with a "Service Engine Soon Light". i've owned 10 Xt6's and seen many others, none have had that.

you should be fine to mount another O2 sensor in your exhaust.

i think you can leave the cap off the p/s and turn the steering wheel back and forth and the lines will eventually purge. but i've never done it before myself. if it were an XT6 4EAT auto transmission, and it's your first time then i'd pull the trans as well. anything else i'd probably leave the trans in the car. i know a couple people that have broken their trans oil pump shaft because the torque converter is tricky to seat on the 4EAT. it seems like it's in place but really it has just a *little* more to go. people don't realize it has just a little more to go, or they think it will *pull* in place when they tighten the bolts. but it's really not seated properly and you'll crack something inside the trans.

if you have electric fans they should be kicking on when it starts getting hot. if not, then that's your problem. replace thermostat. fix this immediately, you're not helping your seals and gaskets.

you're taking something personal that wasn't personal. no finger pointing has taken place. comments like "backoff" are useless, discussion boards are built on opinions not commands. i'm suggesting to be objective and logical about the problem. i'm not interested in debating our oppinions. this is a big concern for Hank and it will only help him to be rational about the problem. i saw no confirmation other than "the mechanic said". he didn't offer any info on this mechanic, random shop or someone he's known for 23 years. he can pick and choose from the oppinions posted. i'm only trying to be objective.

hate to hear this. CCR posts here as well and so we may hear from them. they have been very helpful to me in the past and i have never had problems contacting them. everyone and anyone makes mistakes. if something isn't talked about much it could be because it doesn't happen much. i've definitely heard of issues with JDM engines and transmissions, so i wouldn't consider them the holy grail of mail order. if you didn't place the order, it is speculation that it is CCR's mistake. if that happened to me (which it wouldnt because i'd do the install myself), but if it did i'd suspect the mechanic first and i wouldn't believe him if he told me he ordered the right one!!! sort of a joke, since we know how mechanics are, but you get the point. i think 99 percent of board members would agree that we see more problems with mechanics than any other part of the supply/repair chain. again, sorry to hear of your bad timing. protect yourself in the future - if timing is an issue and this was known about in advance then it may have served you better to allow more time for such a big repair. you can generally get parts quicker locally. you can also get parts cheaper and better quality if you source and know what you're doing, but that also takes time for research, contacting and shipping. when i want cheap or quality parts i order exactly what i want and expect more time. if i'm in a crunch for a part i get it locally, paying more but i get it within my time constraints. good luck and i hope this works out for you

there is a gasket - the mickey mouse gasket that is between the oil pump and engine block. that should DEFINITELY be replaced. and there is also an oil pump shaft seal that costs a couple dollars, it's behind the oil pump sprocket and is a definite to replace as well. i just picked up a really nice XT6 that had a major oil leak yet the oil pump gasket was replaced. i looked at it last week and it was leaking at the oil pump shaft seal, it was not replaced. pointless to go in there and not replace a 6 dollar seal (cheaper after market). there are TWO replacement items for the oil pump. gasket between pump and block and a seal on the shaft. replace them both. http://www.thepartsbin.com is where i always get them. cheap and always the right parts (can't say that about some places with the XT6).

my favorite trick that has worked on a number of occassions. (easiest with two people but not bad by yourself). get a long prybar (with the V on the end is what i use). if you can get the bolt out just enough to get the prybar on it (typically my stuck bolts at least come out a bit). pry UP from underneath the head of the bolt while simultaneously backing the bolt out with your socket wrench. might not want to reuse this bolt once you're through, might be bent. something else that has worked for me before is to screw it back down tight and then try to loosen it again. as always, large doses of Liqued Wrench (or the aforementioned PB Blaster) work wonders. don't substitute WD-40, use the real stuff. i had to cut one once, ended up ending my problem very quickly though i hate taking a sawzall that close to the head! but it sure works nice and takes less than a minute! you'll just need a new bolt, well worth the savings in time.

sweet, XT6 should be the same then. thanks, i'll check it tonight.

anyone know if the key code on the door lock cylinders are visible without removing them? any hints are appreciated. (the dealer never recorded the key code in the computer system for one of my XT6's and i lost the only key when we were loading it on the tow dolly when i bought it, and the previous owner has no other keys). and none of my other subaru keys work in it (that's worked before, twice!). thanks.

someone else had this exact problem on an XT or XT6, saw it either here or at http://www.xt6.net. they found and fixed the problem but i don't recall the cause.

definitely get that car, i'd pick it up if i were you. likely an easy fix. even if you spent 500 putting in another motor or trans you'd have a great, reliable car for under 1,000 that's a smoking deal (but you shouldn't have to spend that). VERY possible it's something simple - one common mistake of mechanics is they install the timing belts wrong and the car turns over but wont' start. they assume it's a *bent valve* or something and quote large repair costs and the owner decides to junk it. pull the timing covers (You'll only need a 10mm wrench and maybe a screw drive to help pry the covers off to have a look). only need to remove the left and right timing covers, the come right off without removing anything else. look at the cam sprockets (the large notched pulleys on the far left and right), you'll see them right under the timing covesr. they have a small mark on the face of them, sometimes hard to see in poor light or if they're dirty - a small half inch square sort of on the outer perimeter of the face. the marks should be 180 DEGREES OUT OF PHASE - in other words if one side is at noon - the other side should be at 6 oclock. if one side is at 3 oclock the other should be at 9oclock. mechanics sometimes install them THE SAME WAY because they don't know - in other words the timing belts are both at the same spot on the cams - the notch on each cam with be at 3 oclock. if that's the case you only have to reinstall the passenger side belt and drive off a great vehicle. (installing t-belt wrong won't damage an XT6 motor). you can also pull the distributor cap and see if the rotor turns when the engine turns - if not the timing belt is broke on that side. but that won't tell you if the other timing belt (passengers side is broke), though it's normally the drivers side that breaks first. could be a bad ground - attach wire or jumper cables from negative terminal of battery to ground wire on the engine - there's one by the oil cap that i tyipcally use. a bad ground will allow the engine to turn over but not enough to start, seen that happen. the bad ground wire will get really hot, but since there are multiple wires that's hard to find, best to just give it good ground and try. also - see if the ECU in the trunk is flashing any codes. if it's flashing anthing other than 3 quick flashes then it has a code that could be preventing it from starting - like water temp sensor (a 21). pop the trunk and look up top under where the speakers are. . you'll see a flashing light (with the key in the ON position). after trying to start see if it gives any codes.

i do the same as mentioned by everyone else. no worries.