GeneralDisorder

Yeah - I do plan to switch when my policy comes up. I'm with Progressive right now, but my agent sugested I change when a couple "items" drop off my record. GD

People rant and rave about how everything and everyone is killing me, and yet no one can seem to explain to me how the population continues to rise, how the global quality of life continues to go up, and how life expectancy continues to grow seemingly without bound....?!? Sure - people are dying of different causes now - because those causes are factors mostly of age. Ages that wouldn't have likely been reached 20, 30 or 50 years ago. If you ate nothing but horse dung I bet you would probably feel just as bad as the guy that's sitting in his garage breathing exhaust fumes. Doesn't mean that cars are any more dangerous than horses for the environment..... Yes there are, and always will be, things that will do you in, and FAST. And yes, we do produce a lot of those items ourselves - guns for instance. But equating a man sitting in his garage huffing pinto leavings to the entire atmosphere of a planet is exactly the kind of emotionally charged, scientifically worthless argument that I'm trying to point out. It's the same type of arguments that have been used for two decades to promote recycling (yet another worthless, expensive endeavour brought to you by government that knows best how to spend your money)... but what they don't tell you is that all the trash in the the US for the next 1,000 years would fit into a land fill just 10 miles square and 200 feet deep. And that the average US family produces fully 1/3rd less trash than the average household in Mexico. Or that the products produced from recycling most household "trash" don't recoup their costs.... Sadly, my views just aren't fashionable, and most of the people that beleive this stuff aren't willing to entertain the idea that a good portion of their lives and their worldview in general has been spoonfed to them by the media - having no real facts to back up anything they beleive. It's on powerpoint, so.... it MUST be true right? We have television "ratings" for our news programs... why?!? Isn't it obvious? Because it's entertainment. Watch CSPAN sometime and you'll find out what real news is. And guess what? NO ratings! No commercials, no late night infomertials, and NO opinions. EVER! It's the only reason I have cable anymore! GD

Fat lot of good that did my insurance rates! Went from an 85 EA82 4WD DD to my 94 AWD Wagon and the price went up $15 a month in spite of the fact that I now have airbags, AND ABS. It's a racket I tell ya.... Perhaps it's because mine is a GT model - maybe they think that's somehow sporty or something. I guess they have never seen one live and in person GD

Push in the clutch and let up on the gas sometime while coasting. The engine will not return to idle. It will stop at the rolling fast idle, which is usually somewhere around 1200 to 1500 RPM. There may be a timeout on it where it will eventually drop to idle speed... but it won't do it for a bit, and definitely not as quickly as if you were at a dead stop. If all the ECU cared about was where your foot was at, then it wouldn't have a VSS input. It can and does adjust mixture, timeing, and engine speed based on vehicle speed. GD

Just about under any rock. Try a VW parts house - if they don't have at least a dozen in stock they are doing something wrong - go to the next one. GD

Out here he won't even have to look hard. I see two or three a week that are screaming deals. WA/OR ya know..... Saw a 93 Impreza for $400 a few weeks back that needed a rear diff We have the hookup on old Subaru's out here. Anything you could want pretty much. GD

For the price of the HG's, I wouldn't even consider NOT doing them on a junk yard pull. For one thing I want to see the condition of the cylinders. Lilkely I would pull the heads BEFORE buying it. GD

Will do! I finally have a decent job with weekends off so I'll be there! GD

Sand the corrosion off the pins, and a round file will take care of the stubs and the DOJ cup. Then use a goodly amount of anti-seize. That should make it easier. And get a GOOD flashlight so you can look through the holes and make sure they are aligned. I am a mechanic ever day of the week, and the one thing that's always on my belt is my flashlight. Recently upgraded to a Leatherman Stainless Steel LED unit that ROCKS. It's 10 times brighter than any of the mini-mag's that my co-workers carry. GD

It's a centrifugal ratcheting mechanism - not really like a lock. Besides the reason graphite is used in locks is because they are often exposed to weather, and you don't want a key comming out with all kinds of goopy lubricants on it do you? Belt retractors tend to get rusty inside - PB Blaster will be much more effective. GD

You can replace *just* the clutch pack. There's no need to replace the whole tranny, or even remove it from the car. The transfer clutches are in the rear output, which can be seperated from the rest of the transmission. Do a search here for "torque bind" as this will detail the procedure for R&R'ing the transfer clutches. That's very low mileage for a 91 overall. Besides the transmission I would be looking at making sure the timing belt has been done (should have been due around 120k). If not then the oil leaks can be addressed at the same time. Maintenance is a reality. If you can't handle it and see the obvious benefits to that course of action (no payments, low insurance, etc) then perhaps a new car is right for you - you will get a warrantee, and a gauranteed monthly payment. Instead of you deciding how to spend your money the bank and insurance agency will decide for you. Invest in some tools - you'll save money, and know the job is done right. Plus it gives you a freedom that most car owners never experience. GD

Hhhhmmmm - the only time I've had that happen (and I've lost count of the number of these EA axles I've done ) is when the axle was 180 out. It's just close enough that you can get it about halfway in (it's a spring pin, so it will compress slightly) before it binds. Not trying to be rude either, and I'm sure you know very well what you are doing as I know you are very careful about such things..... as am I. But I can also say with some reservation that this has happened to ME on multiple occasions. They look real close when they are 180 out. I find that it's best to remind myself that the roll pin should go in almost without effort. Light tapping from a ball peen hammer is all that should be required. Whail on it and trying to get them back out if they bind is a real mess. GD

Yes - AWD is the standard, although 2WD "L" series were produced. The 90 to 94 Legacy's are your best bet. Both because they are inexpensive, and because they have the bulletproof EJ22. They are the "gen 1" Legacy body so aren't as desireable. 95 saw a body redesign and the introduction of OBD-II computer systems. More complicated, and more expensive due to the desireability of the body style. If you *want* an automatic, the 4EAT is a good transmission. All the Legacy's had them. Again both 2WD and AWD were availible. The older AWD's sometimes suffer from "torque bind" but it's pretty easily corrected if you are handy with tools. Personally I stick with manual's - the AWD 5 speed is arguably more bulletproof than the engine - the EJ22 + AWD 5 speed combo is EASILY good for 300,000+ miles. Timing belt changes every 60k, and make sure you change the water pump every other belt change. 130 HP, AWD 5 speed, comfortable seats, non-common ground radio's and DIN sized decks, more leg room, AC that works, radiators and cooling systems that are well designed, lots of room under the hood, 5 lug wheel pattern, 14" wheels, etc, etc. GD

Probably.... since I've done it, and wrote about it in my SPFI coversion. GD

Yes, with SPFI, and more features than a Loyale. DL's were pushbutton, GL's were dual range. Loyales are stripped down GL's with the DL transmission (so they wouldn't compete with the Legacy). If you want a commuter then find a Gen 1 Legacy. Seriously there's no better time. Got my 94 with 132k on it and a bad water pump for $750. Cost me $200 in parts and 3 hours to fix it. There's no comparison in comfort, power, handling, etc. Plus the Legacy wagon is bigger inside with more leg room than the GL/Loyale. AWD is great too - don't have to worry about being on a "slick" surface, and for a commuter you aren't ever going to need low range. Decent snow tires is all you need - the Legacy has plenty of low-end grunt with that big engine. And I get 25+ in town with mine. 4WD EA82 will get about 27 (that guy's claim of 30 is high). The difference isn't enough to bother with. GD

The ENTIRE US non-commercial transportation sector is estimated to be responsible for 1 half of one percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions of the human race. That's 0.5%. Nearly all of those vehicles are less than 10 years old, and unmodified. Most run well. Lets say that 10% don't (that's probably a huge overestimate, but lets just say...), and that those that don't run well are polluting, on average, 50% more than if they were properly tuned. Lets do the math shall we? 50% * 10% = .5 * .1 = .05 = 5% So all the "gross polluter" vehicles will increase the total emissions of the non-commercial transportation sector by an additional 5%. BUT that's 5% of 0.5% of the total emissions of the population of the earth! So that would be: 5% * 0.5% = .05 * .005 = .00025 = .025% .025% increase.... that's 1 quarter, of 1 tenth, of 1 percent.... statistically insignificant, and not even measurable. Additionally, human activity AS A WHOLE is responsible for only 1 third (1/3rd, or 33%) of the total greenhouse gas emissions of the planet. Most of the emissions are from animal waste, volcanic activity, and a HUGE amount from the micro-organisms present in the Oceans. So total emissions of the earth are increased by: .025% * 33% = .00025 * .33 = .0000825 = .00825% I'm not even going to translate that into something readable because it's not, and never will be. It's insignificant, and worrying about it, or buying a Hybrid because of it.... well what do YOU think? There needs to be more rational thought put into this stuff - right now it's a lot of knee-jerk reactionary politics and "buzz words" making it "fashionable" to worry about the environment. I for one am totally sick of our society's propensity for this stuff. Not that it's any different from the history of other civilizations - but it does give you some idea why I have so little patience for people in general...... GD

Probably. Put the old disty back in - just swap the vac can over to it. Replace it - the throttle cable is probably wearing through it's nylon inner sheath and is binding. They are only like $15 or so from the dealer. It's worth getting one while you still can. Trying to lube them is messy, and at best a temporary fix. Why bother when they take 10 minutes to replace and are so cheap? GD

That's just a bit too expensive in WA state for a Loyale with that mileage. Especially with the push-button (All Loyales were push button). Plus they are stripped down models compared to the GL's. Look for an 88 or 89 GL - prefereably with a bad clutch or axle or something. Get it cheap though as these are a dime a dozen. GD

Without some mods, the EA81 will net you 10 less HP. Probably not too cool in a heavier vehicle. But I agree that the later 80's EA82 with a high-po EA81 would be nice. Still prefer an EA81 hatch for off-road though. My Legacy wagon can turn basically the same. Both can just barely turn a full 180 in the street in front of my house. At most it's a few feet difference. True, but you don't know what you are missing - the EJ is even easier to work on - by a goodly amount. No - that would be the Justy engine, and the ECVT. GD

Once the covers are off, take pics from under the car pointing up. You should be able to get enough to give us an idea. GD

I won't argue that a converter isn't beneficial. Clearly they are. But I would like to say that there is a lot of hype and paranoia about "the environment". Very little of it is hard science, nor are there many voices of reason out there on it. Here's the deal: We aren't going to "destroy" the planet. We may cut into our own out-of-control breeding habits, but that is perfectly natural. We WILL sooner or later cause a few disasters of biblical proportions that will (hopefully) wipe out a few billion (mostly through famine and disease). But this is an entirely natural course of events - as seen thoughout history on smaller scales. To which I say: Why NOT global warming? I have my sceptical doubts about it's validity (the boy who cried "global cooling" a few decades ago might have something to do with that huh?), but really if it's not global warming it will be something else. Besides, global warming has some pretty nice benefits besides all the hype about the famine, drought, and weather. Increased growing seasons for one! Not to mention all the new ocean side property in Arizona! No - I don't delight in the pain and suffering of others. But I also don't beleive that discounting all of recorded history is wise. And I seriously doubt that anything a few individuals do, or however loudly they may shout that the sky is falling, will stop the inevitable march forward by madison avenue and the rest of our society that is only concened with bread and circuses. Anyway, I suppose it's partially a philisophical issue. But I can't see the point in spending tons of effort trying to avoid something that 10,000 years of human history says is basically inevitable. If it's global warming that I get, then I'll greet it with a Mai Tai and a lawn chair! GD

He means the Air Injection System (AIS) system. (Anti-Afterburn is a seperate system). But yes, you can (and should) eliminate it/them. GD

Which EA81 shaft? And the EA82 N/A MPFI didn't even have 25 spline axles - only the Turbo models.... Please clarify. GD

I too think it would be wise for you to remove the timing belt covers and take some pics for us. If the valve timing is off that will definately cause your problem. Even a few teeth and it won't run at all. We need pictures of: 1. Crank position. 2. Both cam posistions. Probably close up's of each would do. GD

Generally it means the solenoid is bad. Replace it with a 33 Ohm, 5 watt resistor and call it a day. The solenoid performs no function that you or the testing people will miss. GD