Tiny Clark

I don't think the wall's thickness, or lack thereof, is a direct problem, just the indirect variety. The metal used on the gasket to go around the cylinders is very thin. Unfortunately, this metal becomes part of the cumbustion chamber and takes a tremendous amount of heat and pressure. I am not sure how close the water jacket holes are to the edges of the cylinder walls, but maybe because of that limited surface area, the metal cannot cool sufficiently to keep from cracking and burning. Or, the metal they use is not worth a crap. Do the Turbo models experience this problem? If not, what is the diff??

http://www.randomsoup.com/how_acpanelbulbs.html I used 12 volt bulbs from Radio shack that have long leads on them. They are smaller but still work, and I left off the green rubber jackets that are on the subie bulbs.

I've heard of a new procedure some places are doing that actually fix cracks. Some insurance companies will also pay for repairs rather than having a claim to pay for a new windshield. You might want to chack that possibility out. Just an example below. http://www.windshieldcrackrepair.com/

If I installed a cooler, I would completely disconnect the radiator cooler.

For the few extra dollars, buy a new one. Most old glass has pitting from road dust, sand , etc. You won't see it until the sun is shining thru the glass into your face, and you'll wish you would have bought new. Make sure you tell the auto glass place you are paying, not the insurance company. Shop around via the phone, you should be able to get a decent price.

Buddy is correct, it turns on the AC to dry the air.

I don't see how a manual tranny can cause this problem, it is nothing more than gears rotating about. Sounds more like a clutch problem, but I have an ATM in my subie, so I have little experience with clutch shudder issues on these vehicles. Search the board for clutch posts. I replaced the clutch in my beemer for shuddering in heavy traffic (1st gear) and while backing up.

If you are towing, you should have a tranny cooler installed. The cooler in the radiator is just a small can sitting inside the side/bottom of the radiator. It works O.K. under normal driving conditions, but with the radiator fluid running about 185 degrees or so, can't do a real good job of heat transfer. If you tow regularly, you also need to change tranny fluid more often.

Hmmmm, what about a small kennel in the back for the oldest one?

I hope Thawa doesn't see this and tell you to read to the book. Those loops will fall under the seat, so like commuter says, fish around and you'll find it.

Move the steering wheel? where, into my lap? That's about where it would need to be to see the switch. And great Thawa Almighty, you can read a book, but can't use a tape measure to find out what size the wiper blades are...

Well, I can't see the 'effing switch when I'm sitting in the seat, and neither can my wife. It is not in view. The could have easily made the light switch a 4 position switch. I guess the cup holder is in a perfect place as well... Of course, I really don't give a rat's ***** where the switch is now, since I know about it, but don't act like Thawa Almighty when someone screws up and can't find it. I guess you've never made a mistake or asked, what others may feel, is a stupid question. And besides, owner and instruction manuals are for the weak...

I agree with Setright and shadow, you probably don't have a problem yet. As for allowing air into the cooling system, but not losing fluid, I don't fully comprehend. If there is a small space in the head gasket that blows air out of the combustion chamber and into the cooling passage, then a small amout of fluid should be sucked into the cylinder on the intake stroke. But, as always, reality can mesmerize theory...

What are you doing when the temp goes up? Sitting still, going uphill? It's normal for a car temp to run a bit higher at these times. I would think if your head gaskets are leaking, you should be losing a bit of coolant.

You may have to do without the chest-high putter, which should be outlawed anyway...

Some owners manuals are/were not on that site. I bought one on ebay for my '96. And having the switch located there was still a stupid decision on the engineer's part.

I go to the recycle center here on base and get the polish that people get rid of before they go back to the states for free. Just about everything works well as long as you do it every couple of months...

I like the Garmin GPS units for their portability. I can use it in any car, or carry it on treks.

Bob K, the Subemarine commander... I don't think the fans are an issue unless you barrel thru it.

I'll keep my present fuel filter and try to keep the "dirt and sand" out of the tank while I'm refueling.

Is there a good amount of exhaust pressure at the tail pipe? Maybe you have a blockage of some type, or damage to a pipe somewhere. If it seems to be idling OK, the only other thing I can think of is the ECU screwing up the timing real bad. Is there a knock sensor on this car? I am surprised you are getting no fault codes.

Shame. Such a cheap and easy part to replace to regain power and fuel economy. Hmmm, how does changing a fuel filter that is allowing less gas to pass, if it is clogged, going to increase your fuel economy? Never mind. I thought I was getting a little weird since it seemed I was delving into the world of Sadism, Necrophilia and Beastiality... But I soon realized I was just beating a dead horse.

I've changed several heater cores on different cars, but none on a subie. The hoses to the heater core usually are clamped onto the heater core pipes that stick thru the engine firewall. Locate the hoses, then look under the dash area to see if you can get all the ducting apart to get to the core. It usually takes some time to get all the ducting out of the way. If you decide you can do it yourself, make it a bit easier on your back by taking the front seat(s) out for more work room. You could always put off the repair until it starts to get cold by pulling the two hoses off and connecting them together, bypassing your core. Tiny

The ECU might have problems since the inputs won't be there from the tranny anymore. Not sure, it's over my pay grade...