suprjohn

Got mine from rock auto. Works perfect, great price. John

I am in the middle of similar issues on my '89 DO wagon. Following thread. John

Hey Gorge! My heater is indeed not working. I wondered if the vacuum actuators might be bad, but I tested them and they seem to work. I get no light on the dash, no sounds like it's trying to engage. The button is very sticky like someone spilled a soda in it. I was wondering if something like this could work if I don't get it figured out: http://www.amazon.com/Dorman-55204-Push-Button-Locking-Universal/dp/B002ET2O2W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387379182&sr=8-1&keywords=push+pull+control+cable Can you say which house was leaking on your car? At any rate, thanks!

My 4X4 Won't activate either. I too wondered if there was a way to covert to a manual system. John

Interesting thread. A trick that has helped me in the past, is to shift to a higher gear (ie: 2nd to 3rd). My theory is that this keeps engine RPM's lower, which keeps the drive wheels from spinning so fast they dig down too quickly or create the melt/ice situation, while maintaining forward momentum. I've found this works on the flats, or low angle slopes, but not steep slopes. I have not had the opportunity to try my sub on snow yet; I'm kind of laid up right now. I did however, put on a set of General Arctic Altimaxx tires on. Got them from Tire rack.com for $50 a piece which is about half of the price I found anywhere else. They are made in Germany, have ample voids and sipes and seem to have a soft tread compound. They run smooth and quiet on the highway and can be studded. They will probably not be an 80K mile tire, but look like a good mud and snow tire which is important to me. They took very little weight to balance, which is a good thing. Can't wait till my torn rotator cuff is healed so I can work on my Sub some more. John

Thanks! I went out to YouTube and found some videos. Looks like it might be doable. John

Hey Subaru nut, I replaced the upper & lower rad hoses, and the water pump bypass hose, so in that regard I guess I didn't replace all the hoses. Good point. I am planning to remove the heater core in order to complete my rodent extermination project, so that might be a good time to replace those as well. By the way, I love the lumber rack in your profile pic! I was thinking of something similar! John

hey all, so my door panels (especially the fronts) are pretty beat up. has anyone here ever tried to reupholster them? any input welcome! john

thanks guys! should have checked here first. oh, well. didnt cost too much. oh, i did replace the cap. i figured as long as i had it torn apart, i might as well do it all. john

thanks Rust! i may have to shop for a set in the future! does anyone here have an image of these on their wheels i could look at to see if i like them? john

well, i don't really have any issues with the head gaskets that i know of; no white smoke, no overheating, no milky oil etc. really, i was just looking at it as a preventative maintenance thing...it won't hurt to use it will it? i just replaced basically the entire cooling system (new rad, new hoses, new water pump, new thermostat). not to get off topic, but grossgary's comment reminded me of something i've been curious about; how do i identify which engine my DL has? forgive me, i'm new to subarus... thanks for the replies! john

Hey All, i would like to get some center caps for my 13" stock steel wheels. don't really want full wheel covers. i have done away with the beauty rings. i think they just collect mud and snow and throw your tires out of balance. would these be correct for my '89 DL wagon? http://www.ebay.com/itm/331061139502?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649 what say you? john

Hey All, i just purchased this on ebay for my '89 DL wagon: http://www.ebay.com/itm/271331659501?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_sacat%3D0%26_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3D271331659501%26_rdc%3D1 does anyone have any experience regarding this product? i thought it couldn't hurt...i really don't want to pull my engine to fix a head gasket... john

My '89 DL wagon has what at one time was a dark blue interior. Kind of French blue now. The dash is mostly in good condition, but sun faded and splotchy. The kid at advance auto hooked me up with some vinyl spray paint that I'm going to try. I'm thinking I'll use TSP or something like that on it first, then give her a couple coats. It seems that no one makes replacement door panels, so I may have to take a run at making my own...or cover them with blue duct tape! :-) John

Awesome! how much do you get for a passenger side manual for '89 DL wagon? john

Hey All, i'm needing a few interior parts like door panels, window cranks, weatherstripping and such. does anyone repop parts for the older subs? '89 DL wagon also need a manual passenger side mirror. i hate having a blind spot on my right... john

great. now that i've seen this thread, i'm going to have to buy another sub to turn into an off roader! john

when i got my '89 DL, the fan clutch was leaking oil and was wobbly on its shaft and made grinding noises, so there was little doubt that it was shot. the water pump was locked up tight, and upon removal, the impeller appeared to have burrowed into the WP housing. interesting that the electric is the primary and the manual is the auxiliary; subaru kind of does things a little differently don't they? this is my first subaru, and so far i find it to be well engineered and relatively easy to work on. for non-critical gaskets, i often make my own with gasket material from napa and a small ball peen hammer. pretty easy really and since i live 35 miles from the nearest auto parts store, comes in handy sometimes. john

If it's like mine, it's just getting broke in! My '89 DL has 258K and counting! I can't speak to the gaskets on eBay, but mine to runs very cool. I just replaced the entire cooling system. My DL is an air conditioned model and has the supplemental electric fan. My fan clutch was junk, so I put in an electric fan. Be advised, the clearance is tight, but it is doable. Unfortunately the e-fan never worked. I suspect I chose too cool a thermostat and the sensor never saw a high enough temp. I removed the after market fan, and have been running on the factory electric fan. So far, it still barely gets into the "normal" range on the gauge. Hopefully I will get the AC repaired in the spring, and I may revisit this then. Good luck! John

timing advance should occur inside the dizzy, either by counter weights, vacuum advance or the computer. on my '89, there is a green wire connector close to the fuel filter that needs to be connected for testing purposes. john

i got my radiator from rock auto for $70. john

Value is kind of relative. In the end, it's what the buyer and seller agree on. That being said, I tend to agree that seems a tad high. More in line with its price if the HG's weren't blown. However, I don't know the market where you're shopping. Here in nebraska, I got my non running '89 DL wagon for $100. Of course, that was from my nephew. Lol John

Did it chatter, clatter or make any other discouraging, expensive noises? Throwout bearing?? John

I like Naru's idea of putting a vacuum gauge on it, if for no other reason that I like to eliminate the easy/cheap stuff first. Not sure if you've done this yet, but pulling a plug or two can also give you an idea of how the mixture is doing. Not sure if you've done this, but a timing light would show if it's advancing properly. If it has a vacuum advance with a bad diafram, that could be a big vacuum leak. Just a couple thoughts... John

Not sure if my DL is configured the same as a brat. On my DL, the blower motor is bolted to the lower part of the fan housing. The fan housing separates in the middle, and is held together with spring clips. Removing the glove box gives better access to those clips, making the blower motor easier to remove. I also ended up removing the plastic kick panel to get better access to the electrical connect ears. My plan is to take apart the whole HVAC system to purge it of mice nests and replace or refurbish all parts, weather stripping and such. It's a big job, but I feel it's the best way to get reliable heating and defrosting. For a work around, you could 12V portable defrosters. I got one at Menards for like $15. Iohn