reoff

I'd like to think the best of Billy. I've known him through the board for a long time. He has obviously spaced on this, but lets not get too worked up about it. I'm sure he has every intention of making good on all of this stuff. We'll just have to see how it works out. Maybe I'll head down to Georgia one of these days and say hi... see what's goin on. Rich

Usually you would just pull the button out and then push it all the way back.

Well... it's a site anyway.

Not exactly... there was a complete rework of the cars wiring in 87 from what i understand, and the way the computer works would likely be completely different. You may need to consider the entire wiring harness/ECM.

The "center diff" is either a viscous coupling (5spd) or a very complicated computer controlled hydraulic clutch system(a/t) that almost completely disengages the awd unless you are accelerating or slipping.

It could go either way. It SHOULD be okay... but you and I both know what Utah does to the roads!!! When there is so much road salt that it dries to the pavement and turns the roads white... there is no question what kind of trouble you're asking for. My advice is to take it down to Mark Miller (i hope i got that right) and tell them you want it undercoated. I won't even drive my Soob in Utah (or B.C. if i can avoid it) in the winter. Rich

That would mean as far advanced as it goes, eh? mine is there too... and still not far enough. I'm just too lazy to pull the thing apart and find out why.

Only the '85-'86 GL (loyale series) had the adjustable manual suspension. And the under seat thing is only pre-loyale series. Your car should not have them... but who knows if someone could have swapped in an older strut. Rich

The fan blower switch goes there! Just not on '87+. They were unused from the factory after that. Mine is the smaller switch and the larger one to the right is my wiper switch. I really prefer the '85-'86 setup with no combi switch on the steering column. Rich

Just unbolt the compressor and set it aside. Big pain in the rump roast... but what else are you gonna do?

NOPE!!! Not until MUCH later was it even available. Even on my '03 Forester, it was optional. Rich

My '86, although a slightly different beast, never ran worse than 18MPG... Just to make this VERY clear... It was running like crap and the turbo was ALWAYS running just to keep it up to 65 on the freeway. 16MPG sounds way to low for it to run decently at all. I used to get about 260-360 miles out of a ~12gal fill (260 being pretty much all Seattle in town driving and very rare). The mileage was down to about 23MPG at 260K/mi when i was running enough boost for a bit of fuel cutout(12psi?). Rich

Mine was the 2.4L I-6 TurboDiesel (duh) built by VW. Plenty of power... Really good mileage!!! I got just over 20 in Seattle, 30+ everywhere else. (running BioDiesel, of course)

Well... yes... but also... no... :cornfuzz: EA-82 (and i'm pretty sure all others) use a header pipe setup, or "y" pipe. So... no, they don't have "exhaust manifolds." The exhaust ports DO converge at the head. Just be careful and use plenty of WD-40 when you take them off... Steel bolts in an aluminum head + lots of heat usually = big headache. An impact wrench can be very helpful here too. Just be VERY careful when you go to put it back on that it is torqued properly (do not try to get that "extra half turn" out of it). Rich

I bought an '85 Volvo 740 GLE TurboDiesel Wagon about a year ago (that's right... a turbodiesel). I was living in Seattle at the time and my only parking was on a STEEP hill that ends in Lake Washington (Leschi). As you can imagine, I didn't feel much like changing my own oil. I went over to Ballard and stopped in @ Grease Monkey, and they were happy to TRY to change my oil. After almost a half hour they informed me that they had checked every book they had, and could not find an oil filter to replace mine. They had no record of a Volvo TurboDiesel ANYTHING... and wondered if it had been imported from Europe. I said I HOPE SO!!! It IS a VOLVO!!! Just as I asked to see the filter they couldn't find, they were happy to tell me the car was "really weird" and took me to the shop. They pointed out the filter, and I said... "sorry, I guess there is nothing you can do about it. I'll just take it to the dealer." Then I got in my 91K mile Volvo and ran as fast as I could!!! They had pointed out the FUEL FILTER!!! argh!!! Needless to say, I changed it myself at my parents house. I ended up selling the car to a friend... and am currently trying to save up a bit of $$$ to buy it back. I miss my old Volvo. Rich

Try IPD in Protland, OR. They are starting to carry/build Subaru performance parts etc. I now they offer performance ECM upgrades for Volvo. Maybe get them to look into non-WRX Subaru too??? http://www.ipdusa.com/

This is what I get for not paying attention!!! This could be good info for some others too.

Try IPD in Protland, OR. They are starting to carry/build Subaru performance parts etc. I now they offer performance ECM upgrades for Volvo. Maybe get them to look into non-WRX Subaru too??? http://www.ipdusa.com/

Those are indeed Oregon plates... odd that a California car would be licensed in Oregon... eh? I don't recall '85 being the "last year" for any option, part, or otherwise on a Brat. Nice enough looking though. (note the use of the word looking) Rich

I have a SteelyDel guard for '85-'86 loyale series (i think it is the only one he ever made). Anyone that wants to is more than welcome to check out the design. I was almost thinking about selling it, but have since decided to modify the bumper on my '85 ('87+ style front bumper) and install it. e-mail me if you want to see it or just have questions. reoff>@gmx.co.uk (remove the ">")

That was actually pretty easy once I remembered that all I needed was to ground the fan to get it on. All works well, and on the the next project. Rich

I didn't realize those were still floating around... I'll get those up ASAP (as well as making the site a bit more... ummm... personal) That pic of my old Soob was taken through the window of my travel trailer. It was sitting in my yard in NW Washington.

Are you letting your car cool down after driving it even moderately hard??? The turbo needs at least 2min to start maintaining a reasonable temp. If you don't let it cool... all that EXTREMELY hot coolant is just sitting in the even hotter turbo and making its way to your engine(specifically heads). Not knowing this is why i cracked BOTH of the heads in my '86 GL-10 turbowagon. My advice... make sure it isn't something minor, and then buy a good used or rebuild engine and be careful in the future. NOTE: In the summer (hot weather) it can take much longer for things to cool down Rich

Now that I got the A/C switch installed... I'm working on the override switch for the aux fan. Anyone know what the "best" way to do this is? I have a 20amp switch, so I'll probably just run a separate power wire to it through the main fuse. Let me know if you know the better way(i know there is a better way... just don't remember what it is). Also... which wires do i need to short for the A/C fan problem(not coming on w/ the a/c)? Thanks, Rich

Okay... nevermind, I figured this one out on my own. Found the microswitch on the air distribution box (for lack of the technical term). From there it was REALLY easy!!! If anyone else is frustrated about the way their A/C works and wants a manual switch, I can show you how. Just let me know. Rich