GeneralDisorder

Ok so I have a 94 wagon with a factory CD player. Several questions: 1. The factory AM/FM cass. deck has the AUX jack on the front. I was under the impression that by 94 these were no more. Does this mean the deck was replaced either due to malfunction or because the previous owner wanted the AUX function? 2. The factory CD player will eject discs - but that is all - the display remains dark and it will not accept a disc. You can shove it in there but it won't suck it in. The eject button works to push the disc back out but that is all. 3. Could the CD player be malfunctioning because of some jiggery-pokery done to the wiring when/if the stereo was swapped for the older Aux jack enabled model? GD

Tempo's are TEH HAWTNESS! I nearly lose my sauce every time I see one - amazing body lines too GD

Put an EJ22 in it - they are narrower than the EA82 and I know at least a couple Gen 1 EA82 conversions (with frame rail trim). That little thing would haul with 130 HP AWD. GD

Actually the stop leak is a silca compound that if properly used turns to glass under heat and pressure. Works quite well, unfortunately it's difficult for the shop monkeys to use properly. My point is that there are just as many reasons for Toyota and Honda to not be on the list - I guarantee it. If there aren't now, there sure will be when those damn Prius's start to age and people find out what the batteries for them cost GD

I can downshift without it. You just have to double-clutch. Transmissions didn't always have syncro's young-un! :-\ GD

Yeah, stuff's expensive in Canada from what I saw in victoria and vancouver. But that was a small section of the country as a whole and prices probably vary quite a bit. Might be cheaper in the frozen north. Indeed though - $65 is about going rate here too for regular shops - dealer is around $75 to $90 depending on *which* dealer and what they are working on. GD

Hmmm - yes very important to have the insurance square. That can straight ruin your life if you don't make sure it's proper. Talk to the primary if you aren't it and have them confirm details with the agent. It's also only $40 to rent a dolly from U-Haul..... GD

Yeah those are a biotch - depends on the config of your compressor (inboard or outboard). I've found that getting a size larger in V belts usually helps with situations like that. Sometimes the aftermarket ones aren't quite right in size. I was recently spoiled doing the belts on my new Legacy - ribbed belts for his pleasure! GD

Most insurance policies cover cars automatically that have been "just purchased". As for it being dangerous - you could certainly make a case for that I suppose. But as long as you take it slow, don't do it durring heavy traffic (late at night is best), and turn on the hazards you should be fine. Tow-strapping a car is dangerous too - but I've done it dozens of times without incident. GD

The truth hurts sometimes. Sorry ladys. GD

How is it blown? If the disc disintigrated then the engine will freewheel. If the PP fingers are toast or the cable snapped then you can drive it just fine. I've driven my lifted wagon with no clutch. Start the engine in 1st and just rev match your gears. Once you get to the freeway it's no trouble at all. GD

Heh - yeah that's 100% accurate. I wasn't complaining about the tensioner - just noting that even though it looks very similar it's designed quite different obviously. Reused my 130k tensioner on my 94 because I just couldn't afford the $97 for a new one. OUCH! Been working on a 2.7TT A6 for the last couple weeks. Just over 100k and it needs about $1500 in parts just to get it into leak-free DD condition. Not to mention a month of Sundays to do the job GD

Realistically the phase one EJ25's only have about a 20% failure rate for the life of the car. While this IS high, it's nowhere near enough to do a full recall for it. They redesigned the HG's (6 times ) and went out of their way to create a specially formulated additive to correct the ones that had minor leaks. In large part this HAS resolved the issues. It's *just* a HG job - it's not that big of a deal in the scheme of things. The engines run well otherwise and it's really not difficult to replace the HG's, nor are they major mechanical parts. Yes it is unfortunate, but I see many, many phase one 2.5's for sale with 150k+ and nary a leak to be seen on the original gaskets. Naturally you never hear about those though. Cars are expensive, and NEW cars doubly so. If you can't take the heat get on public transportation I say. It's always going to cost you more (time, money, whatever) to adopt new technologies than it is to use proven tech that is a couple teirs down from the top-of-the-line. Businesses have known this for years - take the IT industry for example - businesses don't buy the latest generation of computer equipment. They buy the "best price point" and they don't upgrade software till the kinks are worked out of it. It irks me that people want to early adopt products on shear impulse and then rant about how it's not "perfect". But they never learn and just keep doing it. Sad really. GD

Even spendy dealer shop time (Infinity, Lexus, etc) is around $80 an hour. Their quote (even assuming a 4 hour job) puts it right at $125 an hour - that's outragous. GD

Not with Subaru - many of their parts there is no decent aftermarket versions of. You can get the parts, they are just inferior. Also the Subaru dealers tend to be very reasonable on PARTS. Labor of course is another story and most shops tend to bid older cars very high - they have less recent experience with them and they don't like to wrench on high-mileage stuff as they are more prone to "collateral breakage". Also they are typically owned by poor, whiney folk that can be more trouble than they are worth (literally $$$). GD

I have an EA82 y-pipe on my Brat - had to grind some on the cat's heat shield to make it fit but otherwise it's fine. Alternatively you could just put an O2 bung at the crotch of the y-pipe - that's where they are on SPFI's. GD

It's more a matter of wanting something that I'm NOT tempted to tune/restore/wrench/improve on. I have my 84 lifted wagon as an off-road toy: terrible mileage, poor handling on-road, expensive tires, etc. And my Brat I can't drive daily if I expect to tear it down for a complete restoration. With those needs I wanted something that I can "just drive" on a daily basis that won't attract the attention of the police, and that I can haul tools, parts and friends in. Sure I look like someone's mexican lesbian cleaning lady, but I've never been much into looks - it's mostly about function for me when it comes to a DD. I also wanted to familarize myself with the EJ series as I plan to swap one into the Brat as part of it's overall restore. GD

Exactly - and the funny part is that my friend had a 92 Paseo (sport tuned tercel basically) that is still going (primer spots and almost no maintenance) at like 240k. He gave it to an aunt and her son is still driving it into the ground as far as I know. Rock on - just got a 94 myself. Loving the trouble free-ness. Thanks to this board and my ability to think for myself I have a rig that will probably go near 300k and I got it for a song. It's funny how people love to adopt the latest tech only to get burned and then go right back out and do it again GD

I think this is definately something to consider. People are very small-minded when it comes to consumer products and tend to judge the entire brand based on their own small experience. I takes years of mechanicing to realize that each model is a bit different and in some cases it makes a huge difference in overall reliability. Right now those are the years hitting high mileage in the hands of people prone to purchasing new cars without either the ability to work on them on their own, or the knowledge of what those "new models" are going to act like in their "golden years". It's a flighty group of consumers - they buy things on a whim and without proper research or care. Sometimes the engineering just isn't there and sometimes it is - with the fast pace of the modern automotive development cycle things are sometimes pushed to market before they are quite ready and the "new adopter" gets burned. This happens with all brands and just because the current crop of Camry's and Accords are doing well doesn't mean that they will continue in this way ad-infinitum. A friend of mine had an '01 Accord that dumped the automatic tranny at 78k - to the tune of $4500 - am I to assume that all Hondas are crap? I don't think that likely. People are too quick to assume it's not their fualt for buying the peice of crap without doing some research first. Buyer beware I say - do your homework - buy cars that are 3 to 5 years old that you can still find low mileage examples of - and let others be the guinea pigs. Not at all - I recognize the problems of the early 2.5 and I tell everyone I speak with who is looking at making a purchase to stay away from them. GD

There was a recent thread about Subaru gauranteeing the seatbelt for the life of the car. Perhaps your dealer isn't aware of that, or how to go about doing the paperwork for the warrantee. The belt and all components should be covered as it's a serious safety hazard if it should malfunction - doubly so since the auto belts are have been banned for a while due to various chokeing injuries and such. You could contact corporate through the Subaru web site and perhaps they could guide you on this more appropriately than I. GD

"a car of this age"?!?! Wow - some people's idea of old cars sure is whack. You have a 98 (and you should have posted in the "new generation" forum). I've seen plenty of wheel bearings last into the 250,000 mile range on 80's Subaru's! Get the bearings and install them yourself. Probably be about $50 in parts (per side), and I doubt there will be problems with the hub or axle. For the price they are asking you could buy any needed tools, the parts, and still save money. GD

Like clockwork every 60 thousand Easy job - remove the radiator to make room. Leave the belt covers off if you like - makes a belt change a 15 minute affair with a 12mm deep socket. Lots of us do it - search for "belt covers" if you want the whole long, drawn out postings on it. There's an ebay auction for the entire belt/idler set here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1986-1994-Subaru-1-8-GL-DL-Loyale-Timing-Belt-Kit_W0QQitemZ230168868986QQihZ013QQcategoryZ33625QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem And you should do the water pump as well - preference is for the Parut pumps (OEM). Dealer or wholesale house will have them for about $50 GD

Yeah I see your point - probably a throwback from the days when hydraulic brakes first came out - drums all around so master and wheel cylinders makes sense. Now we have cylinders for all kinds of hydraulic stuff, and drums are getting rare so it's now more important to specify I suppose. Tecnically I suppose you could call the "pots" in a caliper cylinders - that's certainly what they are in hydraulic terms. Weird how the nomenclature stacks up around cars isn't it? GD

I figured - I call that a drum brake cylinder. GD

Huh? You talking about the drum brake cylinder? Or the actual drum itself? "wheel cylinder" really doesn't mean much - as far as I know there's no such thing. GD