bastomatic

pm sent!

You got it! I picked up the wrench today, figured if I didn't have it already I should. Also picked up some oil to change it. I'm thinking I'll take it into a decent shop tomorrow and see if they can make heads or tails of the situation, and take it from there. I need to know if it's worth trying to salvage this car, or take my losses and run.

Screw is there - i haven't tried tightening it because i can't get at it right now, need to go buy a 22mm wrench.

Yep, I see the marks faintly, but there is no black rubber cover on the flywheel - looks like there may not have been for some time. Should I sand the flywheel to make them show up better? Is the rubber boot important to have on? The 4wd doesn't light up, H or L range. It does seem to engage though. If I need to replace the distributor, can I do it with the engine still in the bay, or will it need to come out?

oh, and the egine seems to have waaaayyyy too much oil in it.

Alright, some news on this front: Car starts and runs now but seems to develop a loud ticking noise once warmed up. Clutch is reaaally slippy, but i'll save that job til I get it running right. When I unplugged the diagnostic wires, and warmed up the engine, the ecu is giving me two codes - 35, and 31. Also, when I take the distributor cap off, I can twist the rotor a couple degrees back and forth. Is this a big deal, or is there usually some play here? I don't have a timing light or anything so maybe that's something I should pick up. Also, the timing marks on the crank are difficult to see - any tips on making them more legible? Oh, and I found today that not only is the ECS light out, but also the lights for the 4wd system in the dash. I have a suspicion the mechanic shorted these or cut a wire, as they both worked when I test drove the car. Any places I should look for a blown fuse or cut wire? Thanks for all the help so far.

I do have those manual pieces, I'll check the car today or tomorrow.

The CEL is definitely not working.

Alright this is a new thread because I think I need to start clean. Here's the situation: My 89 GL Wagon (5MT,4wd) broke down on the way home. I have no history at all with this car. It was running fine and just stopped running on the freeway, and would crank but wouldn't start again. It's at my home now, and will start but I don't trust it. It starts up and idles at about 1500 rpm. The oil pressure gauge reads on the high end, about 3/4 of the way up. CEL is not on, but I think it may be blown. Where do I start? assume you're talking to someone who doesn't work on Subarus or most other engines for that matter, because you are. I saw there are codes I can check, but I'm not sure how to start that procedure - I found the code list, but not how to make the LED on the ECU blink. Oh, and don't know if this helps, but I hear something cycle on and off repeatedly when the ignition is turned to ON. I'm used to hearing a fuel pump prime, but repeatedly?

Any chance the fuel pressure drop could be caused by not having a gas cap on the car? Noticed that was gone yesterday.

Ok, got the car towed home and it's in my garage. Whew. First of all, this is an 89 GL Wagon, 5 spd, with the 4wd. I'm in Lansing Michigan, guess I should update my profile. I don't trust that mechanic for much, he seemed like he was just throwing out a high number to get me to leave or pay. But some odd things he said concern me. First, he couldn't find timing marks on the engine. Maybe Subie-specific thing he doesn't know. Second, he said fuel pressure was at 15 psi. Low, but it should still run. Lastly, this is what concerns me most, he had a hard time diagnosing because the Check Engine Light was off. And the Previous owner said she had her mechanic "reset" the CEL recently, which I'm hoping doesn't mean he cut some wires or blew the light. Ugh. I'll start fresh tomorrow, any suggestions where to start? Probably buying a repair manual can't hurt, I'm a blind man in the dark on these old Subies.

Can I use a tow dolly safely on this car? It's about 30 miles.

All of these are things that ran through my mind. Odd to have 2 unrelated problems happen at the exact same time to cause the car to die. The distributor probably will need replacing in the future, but is not exactly an immediate concern - he said it has too much play so needs replacing because it is throwing timing off. As for the fuel pressure regulator, well the low fuel pressure could be any number of things and I don't know how he came up with that diagnosis. Will find out more when we go to the shop tonight.

I don't think the t-belt is broken, as the car is running now, albeit quite badly. Guy said "fuel pressure is low," not gone. Still, I'm planning on getting a friend and towing it home to fix here. I can get the dist. for $180 and probably a lot less for the FPR as well. I'll bring it home and see what I need to do at that point. As it is, I'll have to pay the stupid tow charge and diagnostic fee just to get it out of hock.

So i picked up the 89 GL Wagon yesterday and it died on the way home. Had it towed to a mechanic to check it out, and that adds up to about $1000 worth of parts and labor. He quotes me: Distributor assembly at $425 for part Fuel pressure regulator at $225 for part plus adjust the timing since the distributor has thrown that off. My options are: fix it there tow it to my local mechanic tow it home and fix it at home. Opinions? I'm upset because we just bought the car, which was represented as not having any major problems, and here we are. Heck, these fixes may not even be the end of it - I know it needs at the least a front CV boot and clutch soon.