Sister7

'88 GL spfi with D/R 26-27 mixed driving

A FT4WD wagon will not have the low range, but it will have a diff lock, so you can lock it 50/50. Unless the badging has worn off, all of the full-time 4WD turbo cars I've seen have had that written all over them. Usually if the owner doesn't know if they have it, then they don't. But there are oblivious owners out there....good luck. Getting a photo of the engine bay is a great idea. Also ask if there is a little switch by the shifter (diff lock switch)

It's possible you're having valve issues. I would run two compression tests one dry and one wet. For the wet test, put a few drops of oil into the cylinder. If the compression is higher in this test it is likely that your valves are disfunctional. You can also do the poorman's compression test to start; put your finger over the plug hole to see if you're getting any compression at all. Is it a constant miss or a constant performance decrease with an irregular/loud miss? I had a burned valve in my '86 wagon and it was the later.

Ok, thanks....don't you wish copper was magnetic...I've lost them before on other fittings and it's not fun

To clarify it's not the rubber drain hose that's leaking, it's the metal supply line that connects to the top of the turbo with a banjo bolt. Is it possible to remove this line without taking off the turbo?

It's leaking approximatly in the center of the vertical portion of the tube. It shouldn't be to hard to reach. I haven't heard of flair splices, would napa have them? Thanks!

Mine has sprung a pin-hole sized leak, which under pressure for a few days lost about 2 qts of oil . I can't even see the end of the line that connects to the block. Is that end also held in with a banjo bolt? Is there some clever way to replace it without removing the turbo? (EA82T)

Is it possible to have the rotor 180 degrees off?

I would stongly recommend high temp. Mine blew out on tuesday and it's a royal PITA.

You had a good idea with the compression test, I would start with that. If the bubbling occurs at start up with the engine cold, something is displacing a large amount of coolant....unfortunately, its probably exhaust gases.

I'll test drive it for you

There are quite a few posts about this problem. There is a resistor pack down under the glove box by your blower motor, and they are to blame for this.

My '86 used to do that too. I could get mine back on by giving it a good thump under the glovebox (where the blower motor is). It was a fun trick, especially when you ask your passenger to kick the car, but it didn't last too long. I ended up with a new (a la junkyard) blower motor and a new relay. Check for voltage at the blower motor. Mine had a bad relay thus no voltage. It also had eaten the brushes in the blower motor. The relays are in a little bracket behind the frontside of the dash just under the steering wheel. You'll need to remove the panel under the steering wheel and unscrew the fuse box to reach it. It's hard to see, but you can feel the relays. They are about 1" in diameter and semi-cylindrical. The ones with the black wires coming out are for your headlights. If you headlights work, borrow one to check the one for the blower motor.

If its the same one I saw, it used to always be parked in the U district, on the street right next to the 45th st ramp to I-5 south....it looked like tree camo wallpaper to me

Bill- I would start with the known problem. Water pumps are cheap. I would replace it and flush the cooling system, make sure there are no clogs or bubbles. I would also run a compression test; it can give you a good idea if you have a blown head gasket.

My '88 GL-10 has one. It sits up about mid-dash where the clocks usually go and it says "trip computer" right on the trim. The buttons under the radio control the view for things like clock, temp,alarm, trip, range, etc.

You have to replace the whole bracket. I would try this first. If it doesn't work you're only out like $10 at about 10 minutes in the junkyard

There is a transistor on the bottom of the coil bracket. When it goes out you still have voltage to the coil, but no spark. Also this bracket serves as a ground, so make sure it has good contact. My car did almost the exact same thing...18V, burnt fusable link (black one). I replaced the alt, and still no sparky until I found that transistor. I don't know of anywhere to get one besides a junk yard and they are only on cars with the optical disty, which I think is basically fuel injected models (NA and turbo).

If it has a push button then it's part time 4WD. Full time 4WD usually has stickers that say so all over the car.

It's not biohazard, it's evidence! My roomate had two CD players stolen in a month....she quit parking on the street. A deck that comes with a remote would be handy if you're installing it out of reach. Maybe you could put it under you glovebox so the glovebox was still useable

I also like the look of the wagon wheels, and agree that the stock cream like color could be improved upon. I was planning on painting my wagon wheels a gunmetal color, but then I scored some pug alloys. I think a dark bronze would look good with that turquoise.

The locking option is on Full-Time 4WD trannies and it locks the center diff. Typically the front/rear is split 70/30, when you lock it goes to 50/50 like part-time 4WD. I know the FT4WD trans was available in the RX (with a lo range) and the GL-10, I have never seen one in a GL.

The recommended interval is every 60k, but it's a non-interference engine so you can opt to drive them ‘til they break and not damage your engine.

I believe a '91 should have an internal voltage regulator (inside the alternator)

maybe a vacuum leak? So sorry about the deer. One of my most traumatic childhood events involved a deer and a school bus....