nipper

Neutral saftey switch, i think subaru calls it an inhibitor. nipper

heheh better get that snow blower now, the way the freaky weather is going nipper

It's amazing how no one goes for the simple stuff first. No place in there do i see you mention chnging the spark plugs , but hey, its your money to throw away. On spark plug heat ranges From the NGK website http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/techinfo/spark_plugs/techtips.asp?nav=31000&country=US The insulator nose length is the distance from the firing tip of the insulator to the point where insulator meets the metal shell. Since the insulator tip is the hottest part of the spark plug, the tip temperature is a primary factor in pre-ignition and fouling. Whether the spark plugs are fitted in a lawnmower, boat, or a race car, the spark plug tip temperature must remain between 500C-850°C. If the tip temperature is lower than 500°C, the insulator area surrounding the center electrode will not be hot enough to burn off carbon and combustion chamber deposits. These accumulated deposits can result in spark plug fouling leading to misfire. If the tip temperature is higher than 850°C the spark plug will overheat which may cause the ceramic around the center electrode to blister and the electrodes to melt. This may lead to pre-ignition/detonation and expensive engine damage. In identical spark plug types, the difference from one heat range to the next is the ability to remove approximately 70°C to 100°C from the combustion chamber. A projected style spark plug firing tip temperature is increased by 10°C to 20°C. As much as i dont like champion plugs, they have a highly detailed explination of spark plug construcion http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive/sparkplugs.html The term "heat range" refers to the relative temperature of the core nose of a spark plug. The words "hot" or "cold," when used in referencing spark plugs, are often a source of confusion and misunderstanding, since normally a hot spark plug is used in a cold engine (low horsepower) and a cold plug in a hot engine (high horsepower). The terms actually refer to the heat rating or thermal characteristics of the plug; more specifically, the plug's ability to dissipate heat from its firing end into the engine cooling system. A cold plug transfers heat rapidly away from its firing end into the cooling system and is used to avoid core nose heat saturation where combustion chamber or cylinder head temperatures are relatively high. A hot spark plug has a much slower rate of heat transfer and is used to avoid fouling where combustion chamber or cylinder head temperatures are relatively low. The primary means of adjusting heat range are by varying the length of the core nose and the alloy material used in the electrodes. Hot plugs have a relatively long insulator nose with a long heat transfer path. Cold plugs have a much shorter insulator nose and thus, transfer heat more rapidly. The heat range of a plug does not affect the power output of an engine. Rather, it allows the plug to function as designed for the duration of the racing event (or other use-nipper). In other words, once the correct heat range is found that prevents fouling and does not contribute to the pre-ignition or detonation, a change to a hotter or colder plug will not have a positive effect on engine performance. nipper

Just for kicks, try disconnecting the fluid level switch and see if the light goes out nipper

they are haard to find, i think they have been superseeded and i dont have the new part number. Maybe JDM is best nipper

i can find the links again to explain ping and the spark plugs. Plugs com in three heat ranges. Hot normal and cold. The way to get a differnt heat range is to ask for it at the parts counter of a decent autoparts store. nipper

You need a new mechanic. First off the parking brake light switch is inside the car, where it cant freeze. It has nothing to do with freezing cables or the mechanisim itself. If you had no brake cables attached the light would still work. Secondly the brake fluid level switch is part of the cup in the master cylinder. Again its under the hood and in a fairly warm place. Not using your parking brake in winter, i hope you dont have a stick. You have either a lazy switch in the master cylinder resivoir cover, or you are low on brake fluid like stated above. nipper

You had a new key made? Thats the same as having a front door jammed in the frame and replacing the lock. If you can turn the key, they cylinder is fine. The ignition cylinder turns the actual ignition switch. the switch has several contacts in it. There is a lot of current that goes through that switch, and the grease in the switch can dry out. When this happens you will have a no start, but the accessories will all work. nipper

gee i would have said the neutral saftey switch first, ignition switch second. nipper

You have two options, and neither one is pretty. You can only use a slim jim if everything is working right, and from your description it sounds like its not One way is go in through the sheet metal, the other through the door panel. Another suggestion is to take it to a body shop. They are used to working with doors that are jamed, and may have a trick or suggestion. nipper

why did you connect the green connector. That is for diagnositcs purposes only. Toming is affected by alot of things, and uness you jumped a tooth on the timing belt, there is nothing for you to adjust. Pinging, (damn this should be a sticky) if the knock sensor is ok, your not throwing codes, and you cant shake it, you need to try a cooler heat range plug. The plug body is retaining too much heat, creating a hot spot, and causing pinging. Check your timing with the green plug unpluged, as that wil give you all sorts of weird readings. Timing should be checked as the car would be run. you never drive with the green plug connected, so you never check the timing with it. Other explination is a carbon build up in the engine, and you can't always get rid of that. What grade and brand of fuel are you running? nipper

They are always on because you live someplace where its always 180 degrees outside (hehehe) . The shouldnt be on all the time. The fans come on with the AC, or when the car reaches a pre determined temp. They operate off relays that i think are located under the hood. Sounds like a relay is stuck or there is a short someplace. better they are stuck on then off. i would start by making sure the AC is off, and unpluging the fan temp swith in the radiator. Next i would investigate the relays. and thier connections. How technical and do you have a Volt meter. A quick way to check for a suspected vaccume leak is by using a spray bottle of either carb cleaner or water. When the suspected leak sucks in the water or carb cleaner the engine rpm will change,and you will know for sure if it is a leak. I dont ever remember a leaking intake gasket, but stuff happens. I dont think you have a leak, but another problem. How many miles and is this an automatic or manual. nipper

I miss my 88 GL hatchback with dual range 4wd. nipper

Lets not jump the gun here. a HG job once its done its done as long as its done by a reputable shop. It is also cheaper then swapping engines, since it sounds like your not doing it yourself. Also since you did the right thing it sounds like, not bury the needle in the red zone, no real damage is done. First off, check the charging system voltage. a week altenator can cause the same symptons. Next make sure the cooling fans are opeating as they should. Pop the hood and examin the overflow tank. Is it full (bad) normal or empty. Is there scum inside the overflow. Next remove the raditor cap and see of you see alot of bubbles in th coolant. Its ok if the radiator has one huge bubble (thats when the thermostat opens up) but anything else is indicative of a HG. you can also get a kit to test for exhaust gas being present in the radiator. At 110K miles, personally i think it is foolish to swap an engine. If it was 180-200K i would have a different opinion. What year is this? nipper

I found this surfing the web, since the graphics are nice and clear i thought i would share. http://autorepair.about.com/library/faqs/bl833h.htm nipper

depends upon the differnential, generically speaking. One way is the differntial will ROAR and get louder with speed. Also another mode of failure is a posi or VC Limited Slip differntial you will have what feels like torque bind all the time. The tires will squeel on turns. nipper

You have a solid car. Soobys arent even brokenin untill 200K. There arent many things to go wrong on a sooby, you need to investigate the timing belt to see if it needs changing. Sounds like you have the beginings of VC failure (well technically it has already failed). I dont know how long it takes for it to go totally south. Sounds like the rear differnential is ok. nipper

Normally the C solenoid is putting the car in FWD many times a minute, so no harm in putting the car in full tiime FWD while moving. nipper

They should bolt up as long as the body styles are the same, but i dont know if the core is of the same capacity.The obvious thing that is missing the auto tranny cooler. That can be worked around with an external tranny cooler. Also im not sure if the 1.8 can handle the heat load of a 2.2. In my opinion you never go smaller on a radiator. nipper

How many miles are on this car? What exactly are you feeling? If the tires solved 95% of the torque bind on the manual, that was the cause, and also the demise of the viscous coupling. It seems like it hasnt been going on long, but still, there is nothing else you can do since the VC is a sealed unit. Since you say it seems more aparent in reverse then forward, just double check to make sure the differential is ok. nipper

er um, why do you want to do this out of curisoity nipper

All replacement AWD units have been redesigned so you dont get the issue again, unless of course you do something wrong (tires etc) nipper

no cleaner, you need ignition wires. The spark is not getting delivered to the plugs under the highest load. There is a reason what ignition coils are at such a high voltage, its to jump the gap at in a dense atmosphere. Highest spark load is Wide Open Throttle. If it was an injector probelm you would throw some codes and it would happen all the time. Once the car is all warmed up and a happy camper, spray the ignition wires with water, a spray bottle or hose, bet you will repproduce the condition. This is most fun at night as if it is really bad you can see a lightning storm under the hood. Use OE wires. Wires don't last for ever, and can start to fail after 100K miles (or as low as 60k). nipper

my gut feeling is that it may not work. the cars have two differnt chassis. Best way to find out is to take out the tape measure and measure the mounts and see where they end up on the two cars. nipper

The seatbelt may actually be under a warrenty. Supposedly there is a lifetime warrenty on the belt, but i don't know if that is the mechanisim or the webbing itself. nipper