Helios 1

I will admit Miles, there is a certain satisfaction that comes from figuring out auto woes without going to a mechanic. It gets fairly frustrating at times though, especially when you don't know if you're causing more harm than good. I'm sure you've had plenty of "oh crap" moments. Haha. *completely unrelated note, is there a way to change one's user name up here or once registered is it permanent?

Ok, so I'm having a series of face palm moments and it's probably because I believe in following the manual's directions whereas my buddy goes by "redneck mechanic" theories. Sooo...I was looking in the Haynes manual for my wagon and I'm assuming the rear driveline and the rear differential is the same part, yes? If that's the case then yea, I really ought to start taking this wagon to a Subaru mechanic or get my learn on. Turns out you're suppose to "drain the lubricant from the differential". That's literally the second step in removing the rear differential. Sigh...I hope I don't kill this wagon before it gets a chance to off road. That or I'm confusing myself here...

Alright then, good to know. I'll go ahead and take tomorrow to do all that. Gonna try reading the computer codes too. Any ideas about the bad MPG?

The rear driveline is out. It and its 8 retaining bolts are sitting in my wagon's cargo area. I haven't seen any fluid leak out from the area and my wagon isn't driven often. Maybe a few times a week. The bearings (or brakes...still contemplating that one) were already making noise before the rear drive line was taken out. That assumption would seem correct, based upon what my buddy did. As for the front bearings, the wheels will NOT turn by hand. Just in case I missed something that my buddy did, I'm going to jack the car's front end up myself and have a look w/ the e-brake off and transmission in neutral. Just to give a clearer picture... Bought this 1992 Loyale Wagon in early July. When I first bought it, it had an old fuel filter, spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap/rotor, and whatever else. The specific components I just mentioned were replaced. The car was stuck in 4WD (felt like it and it was displayed on the dash) so i had my buddy remove the rear driveline. Afterwards it drove like a FWD. The 4WD is still displayed on the dash. The car was backfiring through the intake. My buddy adjusted the distributor and now it doesn't. I'm going to have the bearings/seals on all tires replaced as well as the front brakes in about a week. I'll provide some photos tomorrow.

I've been driving the car around here and there and it;ll get up to at least 65MPH, but there is noise in the front wheels. I'm contemplating reading codes tomorrow and taking the tires off to see if I can get a better look at the CVs and brakes.

The Fox has spoken...haha I do appreciate all the help guys. So far I'm digging the Subaru experience and am even contemplating saving up money to eventually get a BRAT. I'm probably going to settle on ordering the bearings form Rock Auto and call it good. Miles, you got any ideas to give the wagon more personality? I'm not looking to have my own "trash wagon". I just want to do something affordable that'll help me keep interest is all.

When I first bought the car, it was stuck in 4WD and displaying it on the dash. My mechanic buddy removed the rear driveline for me so the stuck 4WD issue wouldn't be an issue. I know it's only a temporary fix though. I haven't seen any fluid or grease leaking either.

EDIT: So, I need an inner and outer seal for each wheel and four wheel bearings total then...since I already have two wheel bearings ready for the rear. Hmm...ok.

Nope. The parking brake was off and the shifter was in neutral. All four tires are the same size, tread wear, and even the same brand. Cheapo Geostar tires. The rear driveline is out so the car cant engage 4WD anyways...even though the display says its in 4WD. The brake pads may need to be redone. I found a set of brake pads in the rear compartment along with a NAPA receipt from 2005. Also, I'm a bit confused on the front wheel bearings right now. I'm literally browsing prices for front bearings while responding to the posts and I'm not sure if I need one or two bearings per wheel. I ask because on Oreillys site, they state there are applications which include inner and outer...and on Rock Auto, they have options for inner and outer...so part# 207, do I need two of these per front wheel? The rear bearings I bought two of because apparantly there's only one per wheel. So confused right now in Subi Land. UPDATE: Anyone got a spare football helmet and waterwings? So, I just looked up the wheel bearings in my Haynes manual and the diagram shows an INNER and an OUTER wheel bearing. I r S-M-R-T...yeesh. Regardless, they need to be done soon since they're noisy. Speaking of, worst case scenarion with a bad wheel bearing...enlighten me?

Evening folks, So recently I had several issues with my '92 Loyale Wagon, but now they've become narrowed and slowly eliminated one by one. The other day my mechanically inclined buddy was checking out my wheel bearings and low and behold, the front ones turned out to be the culprits. The front tires will NOT spin freely by hand, but I can start up the car and drive it. ODD... Any theories on this? My buddy says the front wheel bearings are causing binding on the tires which is why my MPG is sucking. I should be getting at least 20 miles to the gallon yet get maybe 10ish or something like that. According to my Haynes manual, it states the excessive fuel consumption can be due to: - dirty/clogged air filter - wrong ignition timing - faulty emissions system - fuel system not properly working - low tire pressure or wrong tire size I'm thinking maybe the EVAP canister should be redone, but I'm not sure. The car will start up, idle fine, drive (it actually goes pasy 35mph now, woooo), and such. It just seems to be using more gas than it should. That or im crappy at stick shift and have a lead foot. Thanks in advance for any ideas or help.

I don't have an FSM, but I'll go ahead and obtain one ASAP. I'm gonna have my buddy redo the timing when he has time next week. While we're on the topic of mileage though, how is it that these cars get such high mileage and are still ticking? I thought after 200,000 miles, a lot of cars (especially trucks) were toast or the drive trains/engines were toast. I've also never has a Subaru before this Loyale so yea...hmm. I planned on throwing a super coil in it as long as the voltage isn't too much. The connecters are unconnected as should be. 5spd manual * Also, my buddy tweaked the distributor and the backfire through the intake stopped. He also tightened up the spindle nuts and the "clickity clack" i was getting on my rear tires stopped. Front bearings are crap though. The front tires aren't spinning freely by hand when the front is jacked up. I'm happier than a clam that I got power back, but once my bearings are replaced I'm hoping my MPG goes back up.

I've had the car since early July and since then have replaced the spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap/rotor, and fuel filter. I don't know how to check the ECU for codes nor how to redo the ignition timing. My mechanical experience only began last year when I started working on my old Ramcharger and is quite limited at that. I have a mechnically inclined buddy who's going to fix the timing in the near future, assuming that is a contributing issue. As for the MPG, I'm not certain at this point, but I've driven it about 30 miles total maybe and gone through over half a tank (15.9 gallons). I would think I should be able to get at least 20 MPG. Would the rear driveline being out and the car thinking 4WD is engaged have anything to do with it? The odometer is currently at 207,416 miles. Regarding the maintence history, aside from what I've done with the plugs, plug wires, rotr/cap, and fuel filter, nothing else has been done except the rear driveline being taken out so I'm not stuck in 4WD. The car was stuck in 4WD when I bought it. Had it towed to me. The following is based off of what paperwork I found in the glovebox. Midas 11/9/2001: Exhaust pipe installation/replace muffler/tail pipe installation (96,496 mi @ servicing) Technician Comments: suggest brake inspection, timing belts, cam seals, valve covers, leak Les Scwab 2-26-2008: Blackwall All Season Tires (x4) and wheel spin/balance/alignment Les Scwab 8-2-2010: Blackwall All Season Tires (x4) and wheel spin/balance It would seem the car had about 3 previous owners before me. I have the tires at 40 psi right now, but I'll drain them today before I go anywhere. I used to do that too until I invested in a tire pressure gauge and decided to actually use it. If I invested in slicks, could I have a better chance of finding those 165s? Also, thanks to all you fine folks for your input. I'm about to go regap my spark plugs and depressurize those 40psi tires to 36psi just to be on the safe size.

Good afternoon all... So I have a question, or rather, need a second or third opinion on tire pressure. I own a '92 Loyale Wagon that I've had since July of this year and the tires looked a bit low. They were sitting at 25 psi (average) I believe, with each tire being maybe a couple psi off. Today I filled all the tires up to 40 psi. According to the tires, to which I've provided the specs below, the max load for each tire is about 1,047 at 36 psi. My questions for which I need answers and opinions are 1.) will the tires be fine being 4 psi over and 2.) the Owner's Manual for my wagon states the factory tires for this car are different than the ones on there now so does it really matter and what would it affect? It seems someone had larger tires put on the car so if putting factory spec ones back on would improve my MPG, I'm all for that...considering my MPG is crap right now as it is. I also have my rear driveline out, a lack of power, random stalling, and backfiring through the intake so that's probably not helping my MPG case. Equipped tires: 175/70 R13 36 psi (Geostar) Owner's Manual: 165 SR13 28 psi front 28/32 psi rear

Well folks, I have a recap... ...after literally just having taken the wagon out for another test spin, I've confirmed a few matters. First of all, I managed to achieve 55 MPG, but not much more seeing as how as soon as i hit an incline going up, I slowed down quickly...foot flooring the gas pedal mind you...so no time travel yet (c'mon 88MPG). Second, between the loss of power and backfiring, I'm heavily leaning towards ignition timing issues as was previously pointed out. Third, this car likes to rev and take off when possible. Between certain shifts, my tires were squeaking a bit, the same squeaking achieved from burnouts, abrupt stop, or otherwise. Friction. Perhaps this is due the timing. Fourth, I discovered a set of UNOPENED brake pads in the right tire compartment so I'm assuming someone had the issue on mind, but never got around to it. Before I get too excited though, I'm going to check the part number online and see if it's the right pads. I say that because someone wound up buying the WRONG fuel filter...there was a fuel filter (unopened) in the car when I bought it. So far I'm liking this car a little more each time I drive it. I'm sure once the timing is properly set, the brakes are redone, and my 4WD issue is resolved, I'll be having a blast.

Ignition timing probably has a lot to do with the loss of power. My local auto parts stores sells timing lights, but the cheapest is $115 and they don't loan out timing lights apparently. I haven't tried NAPA, Autozone, or the little auto parts tore by Les Schwab here in town yet though. Last time I was in NAPA, they seemed dull and disorganized. Autozone was rude. The little shop was cool about everything, but had a limited inventory due to limited shop space. Good guys though. I didn't find the scissor jack so I assume someone swiped it already. I did however find the compartments above the wheels. Clever. If all else fails, I'm just going to wait a few weeks for me and my buddy to go gung go and fix everything up on my Subaru and Ramcharger.