GeneralDisorder

Here ya go Dave: http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/04/ba/2b/0900823d8004ba2b/repairInfoPages.htm For the O2 "trick" you use two of them coupled together with the one attached to the O2 drilled out to allow room for the sensor probe. Sure is fortuitous that they saw fit to provide us the same threads for both O2's and plugs eh? GD

Yeah - that's rough. You probably did the best thing though - better to let the hand heal and deal with the dealer. Too bad you aren't near me... Typical - lots of "kids" working at dealerships these days. Very few older techs with experience and knowledge willing to work piecemeal anymore. They push people too hard because of the flat rate work. They do the job as quickly as possible and without much regard to quality. That code is determined by the difference between the front and rear oxygen sensor's - it's highly unlikely that both are bad in such a way that the ECU hasn't detected an O2 malfunction, but was still able to determine a high level of emissions... But it's too bad she doesn't know that $8 would buy a couple of spark plug non-foulers to set the rear O2 sensor back out of the exhaust stream about 1" - allowing for a sufficient different between front and rear sensors to eliminate that code (even if you gutted the cat). I've done this a couple times with vehicles that had converters that were damaged by severe misfiring ignitions, and other issues. Works fantastically. It's soooo beautiful that the test centers now just rely on the validity of the on board computer rather than the actual emissions from the tailpipe. I can make the computer tell them anything I want it to. Absolutely correct my friend - absolutely! Ain't it beautiful? GD

Actually that makes it harder as the transmission tunnel sheet metal for the FWD 5 speed is smaller than the auto's - so small in fact that not only is it *more* difficult than normal to install a 5 speed D/R, but it's even difficult to install the 4 speed D/R. You will have to beat or cut the tunnel to allow enough room for the transmission. I fixed mine by lifting it , but if you don't be aware that it won't fit without modification. All the transmissions had different part numbers for the tunnel and front floor pan sheet metal - weird I know - but such is the case with EA81's. GD

They are supposed to deflect debris from the CV boots in the rear. Branches, ect. Some of us have added larger rubber flaps to offer greater protection. GD

Good - you are thinking now I hope? Study that diagram and it will start to make sense. The lines are wires, and the boxes are.... well.... labeled. The crank circuit is the simplest in the vehicle. Print that diagram out and follow the leads to from the battery to the starter with a crayon - whatever you go through on your way to ground needs to be checked. GD

There's no way they would use "any old stock" that's lying around. Beleive us when we tell you they replace a LOT of these and there aren't any old stock left in the system. Dealerships rarely have more than two sets of HG's on hand at any one time, and the warehouses would have disposed of the depricated gaskets. It's not a good sign that they "didn't know" - I would have asked to speak to the tech that changed them. Also doesn't inspire confidence that they didn't furnish you with the "used" parts as a rule. I work in a shop and we ALWAYS keep the old parts to everything we work on for several months after the job is done - in case there is any question at all about the work performed. We also return them to the owner upon request. We would never just "dispose" of them in the shop sweep. And if we did dispose of them it would be into the garbage, not the sweep as that is hazmat. GD

Well - that spare rim is pretty weak - that's why we tell folks not to run them off-road (people are constantly tempted as they are 15" rims). They are thin and wimpy. GD

Yep - part time cars were 3.9 diff ratio, and FT4WD's were 3.7. That's why you need to convert the LSD's to 3.9 for use on a part-time car. Or if you found one of the extremely rare XT6 FT4WD's with a rear LSD.... but I've never even *heard* of someone finding one of those. Some Legacy's also had 3.9 diffs that weren't "open" - they were VLSD's, and really only good for street as they only lockup at higher speeds. In any case, welded diffs are FAR superior off-road to the little Subaru LSD's. That's not to say you won't get some benefit from them, but it's not as much traction as welding will give you. In snow.... they can be squirly at times. But if you have tires that can dig it's not a problem. If you have crappy tires then a welded diff will just make you lose control that much faster. GD

All the ones I've seen are part of the shifter mechanism. Usually interlaced with the rest of the wiring and part of a larger plug consisting of the wires for the dash indicators and so forth. GD

Well - all the help that can be given.... has been given. This is a pretty simple problem and you are going to need to step outside your box and LEARN something now. Thowing up your hands isn't going to help, or engender faith from board members that further explanations will not fall on deaf ears. That's a really, really plain and simple daigram with everything labeled. Study it for an hour and I'm sure something will sink in. If it doesn't.... buy a new car with a warrantee because I've got some news for you: You can't wrench. GD

You're just scared of the labor :-p. It's not that hard really. Takes an afternoon to do both sides. Well - then you don't have much experience with gasoline engines. As I said the EJ Subaru gaskets *should* be able to last a LONG time - often it's a tie between the HG's and the bottom end on the EJ22's. But you can't say that about *all* gasoline engines. Many, many engines are still using cast iron blocks and aluminium heads - these are not at all the same animal just because they are "gasloline, naturally aspirated". No - it's not at all like saying that, and in any case, they don't. The crank bears against the con. rod BEARINGS, which ARE a wear item. Lets also not forget that even at startup there should be a residual oil film present, and ideally there shouldn't be any metal-to-metal contact, or very little. That's why oil composition (the additive package) has been largely responsible for the increases in potential mileage that can be seen over the last 3 or 4 decades in automotive engines. Head gaskets do not have this luxury - they bear directly on the metal with no lubrication, and massive torque bearing down on them. It's impressive that they often last as long as they do considering the conditions they exist in. GD

A push button would not have the LSD rear. Since it's part time 4WD, not FT4WD or AWD. And LSD's only came stock on FT4WD Turbo 5 speeds, and only certain years. GD

86 and 87 were imported as trucks and as such did not have jump seats (there was no point). Consequently there was no side steP. 85 and older have a single step on the sidewalk side (passenger side) of the vehicle. For cosmetic reasons a blank was added to the other side to make them not look lopsided. But only one of them is a true step. Hatch's do not have them - don't know where you got that notion. GD

Yeah - you don't need the tool. Probably helps if you are doing lots of them every day. I've adjusted plenty and couldn't rightly see a reason they even designed a special tool for it. GD

Sure you can. Weld the spider gears to each other and to the case. Shove some bolts in the gear teeth and weld it all together. Done it several times myself - haven't had one break yet. If you are really good, you can weld the spider gears in such a way that they have a limted rotation so there is just a few teeth of rotation in either direction. This allows some differentiating which can make turning tightly easier. GD

Good vacuum advance is hard. Further I can't gaurantee they will last any time at all. Most are dead or almost so by now. Distributors I can get - good vacuum advances..... no one can get. As I said I can have the vac can's rebuilt - the cost is around $30 or so. Add to that the cost of the distributor, and time to get it, take it to the rebuilder, ship, etc and you are probably looking at $100 or so for one, and maybe $160 for two, $220 for three, etc. If you also want the bushings done it's around another $50 per unit from the rebuilder. But $100 for a rebuilt distributor isn't bad considering the cost from other sources. GD

Maybe - keep bugging me about it and when I can get out to the yards (weather is teh suck right now, and time is at a premium) I can grab up what you need. My parts stash is totally in disorder right now but I do have a couple of manifolds and other misc. parts. I am going to have to sort through stuff. GD

That's a great rig with the Weber. Generally quite reliable, just remember to keep up on the timing belts as they rarely last past 50k. And monitor the cooling system as the stock radiators are pretty pathetic 20 years later. Easily good for 250 to 300k. Perhaps with a taste for 4WD you'll want a REAL rally car.... So get rid of the problematic 1WD, and get into a 300 HP AWD. Try on a gen 1 Legacy turbo if you can find one - the blocks are good to 400 HP or so on stock internals. Quite reliable little things too. Replace your BMW and your Nissan all with one low-priced alternative. When you can find them they are around $2k or $3k in good shape. GD

My plain, carbed 85 sedan had factory CC. And my 84 wagon (EA81) did too. Both were factory 5 speed's. GD

I don't know that I would agree with that. There's still the subject of the paper they are made from, and I'm sure there are different grades of filter paper out there - quality wise I mean. GD

Should be able to, yeah. It just might deisel. Or you can get another solenoid - should be expensive from the JY. Or put on a Weber. GD

Probably not, but there's not enough difference in the price to worry about it. Personally I stick with OEM or Wix/Napa based on my research into oil filters - OEM and Wix are about equal in quality and it stands to reason that their air filters would be as well. GD

Yeah - Bosch has the style connector you need. They aren't expensive for the regular Bosch MicroEdge - like $6 for each blade. Was $18 total for my Legacy for blades all around. And they do work quite well - not crappy like the Trico's... GD

You have to remove the entire handle mechanism. You can't just swap the handle as it's spring loaded and held on with non-trivial clips that you won't be able to access till you have the whole thing out of the tailgate. Pull back the inside panel on the door and you will see it. There's not much to see but getting access to it sucks. GD

Huge PAIN IN THE BUTT. Sorry dude. Those things suck to repair. Last one I messed with I ended up just lubing it up real good (was rusted) even though I had a replacement because I couldn't get the old one out. It's a trade off. It comes down to this: It's a 3 hour operation to change the belts WITH the covers in place, or a 20 minute job without. I've personally run many thousands of miles without issue - just make sure all the splash pans are in place. Will it shorten their life? Not unless something gets stuck IN the belts - I dropped a rag in them once for example. But keeping the covers on means that oil can't get out, and that will break down the rubber on them too. For me personally I would will gladly trade the small potential for failure for the ease of replacement that no covers afford. But it's a hotly debated topic around here, and there is no correct answer - it's a personal preference thing and depends a lot on where you are, and what you are doing with your rig. As to putting them back on - I would move the alternator and compressor out of the way. It's only 4 bolts and makes the job infinitely easier. If the rear covers are not in place you will have to remove the crank pulley to put those back. If you do put them on use zip-ties on the front outer covers as that's the only way to avoid breaking the plastic around the capture nuts the next time you take them off. GD