Syonyk

What if I justify performance mods by saying I need more power to help me merge into highway traffic? -=Russ=-

Put a voltmeter on the battery with the lights on & off. If the alternator is going bad, and can't provide enough power with the load, the voltage of the system will drop. The ignition system is powered by the same system, and a lower voltage to the coils will affect the spark intensity. Also, it's an old car. The grounds are probably sub-optimal at this point. -=Russ=-

More along the lines of "Can I autox the Subaru while I'm working on getting a '7 track-ready?" It'd be kind of interesting, and certainly a challenge... -=Russ=-

Also, the hatch has a "normal car latch" on it - there are two stages of closed. If it's in the first stage of closed, it won't fly open, but it will still leave the light on. It's possible that the hatch isn't closing all the way, and that's why the indicator stays on. -=Russ=-

I'm definitely planning to use relays... I've personally made some interesting art out of switches. Glowing switches are bad, m'kay? The problem with using just switches is that I (sadly) do mostly on-road stuff. It's late at night, and I'm usually the only car on the road, but occasionally I do run across oncoming traffic. I hate people with blinding lights (fog lamps too), so I don't want to have to fumble for a bunch of switches to turn things off. The other thing I'm thinking of is modifying one of the blank covers on the left of the dashboard (where the rear defrost control lives) to be another switch, and use that as a master switch for the lights, with separate switches to control each of the various photon emitters. -=Russ=-

I'm planning to add some extra lights to the front of my GL, and I was wondering how people tend to wire them in. I'm planning to run mine through some switched relays & the high beam circuit - if the enabler switch is on, and the high beams are on, the extra lights are on. This would allow me to rapidly shut them off if there were oncoming traffic or such (just switch back to low beams), and if I have the extra lights on I'll be traveling in an area where I'll have the high beams on anyway. I might make an exception for a low-aimed set of lights that hit the side of the road, but probably not. How does everyone else wire their lights up? -=Russ=-

Just from what I've observed, I would expect the VSS to be tied into the idle. The engine will not idle down until the car has come to a stop - it holds a 1000-1200 RPM "flight idle" until the car has stopped, at which point it drops to a significantly lower (500-700 RPM) idle. If the VSS is bad, the logical failsafe mode would be to assume the vehicle is moving (since that's usually what a vehicle is doing). If it never drops into the stationary idle map, yes, you'll have idle problems. Plus, come on. The computer is complaining about the VSS. I'd bet it's probably bad, or at least has come disconnected. -=Russ=-

Hrm. Mine aren't adjusting themselves. I'll clean them up some more when I pull the drums off tomorrow. -=Russ=-

So... nobody knows? I suppose I'll play with it tomorrow & do a writeup. -=Russ=-

Are the lug nuts on tight? -=Russ=-

So, after doing my rear brakes, I have some questions. The GL rear brake slack adjuster seems to be the weird piece of metal with a ratcheting setup on it. One of mine was seized solid, the other was just stiff. I freed both up. However, they don't seem to be adjusting themselves, which makes sense - only one end is secured, the other is free to slide back and forth a bit. How does one adjust these? If they are supposed to be automatically adjusting, how does one convince them to do so, and if not, how does one adjust them? On the DL, it was pretty simple - turn knob until brakes drag, turn back one or two clicks. On the GL, there's a tiny little access hole on the back of the brake mounting setup, which I suspect is related to the adjustment. However, without taking the drum off, I can't tell how exactly I'm supposed to go about adjusting things with it. Also, if I do successfully adjust the brakes out, how do I retract them when I need to pull the rear hub off? I'm suspecting I can use that little access hole and poke things properly to adjust the brakes, but I'm a bit fuzzy on how exactly I should do it. I'm planning to pull the drums off again tomorrow to take a look at this setup, if nobody has any tips. -=Russ=-

Also, there's a knocking noise from the driver's side rear (I think) that goes away under braking... is that likely a CV joint or is it just related to the beyond-poor brakes? -=Russ=-

Bump? -=Russ=-

Ok, a few more questions. 4. What are parameters for different drive modes and changing between them? I sort of lack a users manual. Specifically, can I change between FWD & 4WD Hi while moving, what's the maximum speed for 4WD Hi (off-pavement, of course), and do I have to be stopped to shift into 4WD Lo? As a side note, what do people tend to use these drive modes for? I'm in Iowa, so there's sometimes good snow, and there's all sorts of gravel roads. Sadly, much of my driving is on-road (so I really don't *need* 4WD... it's just nice to have, and it was a much nicer looking wagon anyway). 5. There's a grinding/rattling coming from what sounds like the driver's side rear tire. It goes away as soon as I touch the brakes. Would I be correct in guessing this noise will most likely disappear when I redo the rear brakes? They're metal on metal, so I'm just putting totally new stuff on. 6. How powerful are the GL alternators? I do a good deal of late night driving, wouldn't mind having the ability to do some late night rally type runs, and am planning on adding more lights to the front (not for use with oncoming traffic... that just pisses me off). I'm looking at a set of small rectangular lights for the bumper, and possibly a set of larger round flood lights for the roof. How much can I realistically draw, and where do people tend to aim these? 7. Lift kits: Is there any use (other than just looking cool) for a lift kit on a mostly roadway driven vehicle? 8. More of an EA82 SPFI question, but the engine stumbles when I get on it at 2000 RPM or so. I'm planning to do a full tuneup on it tomorrow, but is there anything in particular I should be paying attention to? 9. Anyone ever shave the heads on a Subaru engine for more power? And is a MSD system worth anything? Thanks again! -=Russ=-

Well... after a long day with lots of learning, I now have a decent 87 GL Wagon, 4WD. Interestingly enough, my DL wagon is dead (timing belt shreaded, possibly seized camshaft - not sure yet). And, as always, more questions. 1. Is there any trick to removing the axle nut in the rear other than sheer force? I need to redo the rear brakes, and can't get that nut to budge. Is there anything in particular it needs other than massive amounts of force & PB Blaster? 2. There's no engine driven fan. Is this normal? 3. With the 4WD system: What exactly is the binding between wheels? It seems like the rear end is an open differential, and I'd assume the front is open as well, but is that changed at all when it's locked into 4WD mode? Thanks! -=Russ=-

Thanks! That pretty much covers it... How would I do a helicoil with the head in the car? It looks like I'd be dropping all sorts of debris into the cylinder. I'm thinking I may just take a Saturday, rent an engine lift, and make a day project of it. -=Rsss=-

So... working on my engine, discovered a few things, and have some questions. I figured I'd lump them all in one thread. 1. In the process of changing the spark plugs, I discovered that the passenger's side front plug was only in halfway... because the threads were shot. It looks like I'd have to pull the head and reverse tap it to fix it, if it's fixable at all. How much does a used head typically run, and is it something I'd have to pull the engine out of the car to replace? 2. What exactly do ticking lash adjusters sound like? My engine has a pretty loud tick coming from it... much louder than the quiet tapping I hear from other older engines. It changes volume randomly, and is pretty constant (doesn't come and go with load or RPM), so I'm pretty sure it's not bearings. 3. Which way do you rotate the distributor to advance the timing? I'm sure I could figure it out, but I have a thread going... 4. Is there any harm to leaving the timing belt covers off? I recall reading in an offroad post about some people leaving their belt covers off and not having any problems. It would be theoretically more susceptible to road debris and such, but in reality is that a problem? 5. How long does it take to pull the engine out? SPFI, power steering, no AC. I'm thinking it might be quicker to pull the engine, do all the soft seals, timing belts, head, etc. 6. Where is the fuel filter located on a 1988 DL Wagon? Thanks! Sorry for so many threads with lots of questions, I'm still learning much about the art of working on piston engines. -=Russ=-

Or at least pull it apart & see what the problem is. It could be nothing more than a sticking valve. -=Russ=-

Cost of oil for more frequent changes: X. Cost of an engine rebuild: In most cases significantly greater than X. Really, frequent oil changes are cheap, especially if you do it yourself. You're not going to hurt anything by changing the oil more frequently, but you can accelerate engine wear/damage by not changing it often enough. Also, I prefer to change my oil more often, because I don't know what sort of maintenance previous owners have given the car. My RX-7 regularly spit out black oil until the engine blew. After rebuilding it (and cleaning it up), it spits out still mostly amber oil. I'd rather change oil more frequently to clean old crap out. -=Russ=-

I know it would be slow, slow, and generally slow, but has anyone run autox in their EA82 powered vehicle? I'm debating selling my RX-7, and still want to autocross stuff when it gets nicer out. Of course, the reason I'd sell my '7 is to get a turbo RX-7 and mod it to the 350-400 WHP range as a weekend/track car. -=Russ=-

How much does advancing the timing help? I'm planning to do a "European timing set" once I do the tuneup... advance timing until it pings, then back off a bit. I also just discovered that my left rear shock has apparently lost pressure, and is sagging quite a bit. *annoyed* They're pressurized rear shocks, right? -=Russ=-

Planning to do some tuneup stuff this weekend. It could use new plugs/wires/timing belts. I'm a bit afraid to wind it up really tight because I know the timing belts are old. The driver's side belt especially. I'm getting better at holding it in a gear until high RPMs. My other car is a rotary, and it winds up to 7k-8k before complaining (actually, before fuel cut). I'm not used to a piston engine enjoying being wound out. I'll try holding 3rd to 55 sometime and see if it helps. I'm sort of planning to punch out/remove the cats and see how much I gain there. How does a straight piped Subaru sound? -=Russ=-

I'm trying to figure out if something is wrong with my engine, or if I'm just not used to a somewhat underpowered vehicle. Merging onto the highway, I usually end up doing 50mph or so at the end of the ramp, less if it's uphill (there's one particular ramp I'm lucky to be doing 40 at the top of). It takes something resembling an eternity to get up to cruising speed, in the 20+ second range. Cruising is 70mph or so. In 5th gear, on a good highway hill, I have to hold WOT to maintain 75mph. Is this normal, or should I be investigating my engine and related parts for some sort of blockage? -=Russ=-

Try putting a bottle of Heet or such in the gas tank. I've noticed my cars run a lot better in the winter with gas line dryer in them. It's worth the $0.80 or so a bottle is to try. Especially with a carb, you don't have a lot of fuel pressure, and a semi-frozen fuel filter or such can cause some nice problems. -=Russ=-

Yea, #5. HORN/HAZARDS/CLOCK Thing is, the horn/hazards were working before. Just not the clock. -=Russ=-