misledxcracker

Where could I get one for $90? That's much cheaper than all the auto parts stores out here... Unless someone could sell me one on the board, but still, $90 is cheap.

i was putting in a thermostat (2nd one, first one crapped out in 3 days) and when i removed the top radiator hose, i broke about half of the plastic off of the radiator. it's the plastic piece sticking out that the top hose goes on, which goes to the thermostat. it didnt overheat... but it sure lost all the coolant i just put in changing it today... am i going to have to get another radiator, or can i possibly fix the plastic piece? is there some kind of stuff that can bond it together? thanks

no aggravation here well, it's not the modulator, i replaced it 3 months ago after it kept burning my atf fluid, smoking heavy white plumes on acceleration from a stop, etc. i actually got a very nasty ticket when the modulator gave out, i gave the cop that was behind me a nice cloud of ATF smoke! still wondering what that smell is then... hmmm as for the coolant problem, it may have just been air bubbles in the radiator, because now it's not pushing out the coolant like it did before. i know for a fact something's leaking out of the water pump because i pressure tested it... so now i have to replace that. and a very good thing, i didnt blow the head gasket! that's sure a relief. the water pump aint gonna be too hard i hope, because i already got rid of the timing covers, and i already replaced the mechanical fan and the other cheap electrical one with two aftermarket electric fans... i forget the name of the company that made them. so yeah, it should be easy. now hopefully i can put this car to more use!

i'm actually going to get a new thermostat here pretty soon (it's being shipped to me, 180 degrees if im not mistaken) i have a switch that controls the fan, so i can turn it on whenever i need/want to so thats no big deal, plus the coolant temp sensor never worked and i never bothered fixing it, just 3 wires and a switch seemed cheaper and easier to me, maybe once i complete my move i'll replace the sensor though i'm still trying to learn the subaru, i am used to working on my camaro but it's beginning to flip out itself (ecu problem) ... im reading a lot of stuff and hopefully i'll get the hang of it im still hoping it's not the head gasket... i've taken my car to a Subaru dealership to have the axles replaced, and the guy told me the car should last a long time with regular maintenance just because the mileage is so low on it again, thanks for the help

thanks for the help i'm going to go to a mechanic tomorrow probably, and have them do the block check. but im still skeptical... well, see the car never overheated with the thermostat in.... never even went 3/4 up the temp gauge. then after i took it out (it was sticking closed, i could tell... i dropped it in a boiling pot of water and it didnt even open) i put the wrong permatex. then after that, thats when it hit the red. but... after that, with no thermostat in and the fan running full time, and (i forgot to add in the first post), the car doesnt overheat at all anymore, it's actually cooler than it ever was. wouldnt the car overheat if it had a bad HG, even with no thermostat and the fan running all the time? it stays maybe 1/4 on the temp gauge now (i know it's overcooled but i rarely drive it, i usually take my 'maro) also, i noticed that smell from the exhaust ever since i've had the car, and i've put nearly 10,000 miles on it already in maybe.. 7 months or so. but, if in fact it is a bad HG, would block sealer actually permit me to drive it... say... 300 miles? i have to get the camaro flat-bed'ed out to arizona (too many speeding tickets on i-40 and dont want any more , and i plan on driving the subaru out there from here (los angeles). and it's bad enough i have to relocate... towing the 'maro is $500 alone and i have a strange feeling if it is the HG, the mechanic's gonna overcharge me. anyone know someone who knows their Subarus in Los Angeles? if so, that'd be great. thanks again, and i'll post the results of the block check as soon as i get them... oh yeah, and miles, i wont throw the car in the ocean, i was just saying that out of anger

well, my thermostat was sticking, so i just removed it... i dont run with a t-stat at all now, but i rarely drive more than 20 miles tops a day. when i first removed it, i used the wrong kind of permatex to seal the thermo housing, and it overheated, blowing the permatex right off the housing.. i drove maybe 2 miles on the red, or really close to the red i put the right permatex on, and sealed it up, then it started to leak coolant only when the car was driven for a bit, then parked. maybe 4 days later, it stopped leaking. i thought it might have been the water pump, but i cant tell but the thing is, when i start the car cold with the rad cap off, it pushes the coolant out. minimal bubbles, doesnt look like its gurgling, just looks like its being pushed out. it doesnt overheat, it actually looks like it overcools on the temp gauge, i have a switch for my rad fan that i always have on when im driving. only smokes a tiny bit in the morning when its cold, and the exhaust makes my eyes burn... doesnt really smell sweet from what i see theres no coolant in oil or oil in coolant. funny thing is though, the oil leaks a bit, yet the oil dipstick never goes low. always stays at full. i never figured that one out either. now it doesnt leak externally, but it loses a tiny tiny bit of coolant every day. hopefully someone can help and it aint nothing big, if it's a cracked head or a head gasket i swear im gonna drive this thing into the ocean, this car's been a PITA ever since ive had it it's an '88 dl non-turbo fwd with 103,000 miles approaching, if needed to be known thanks for any help

I've been running the car without the thermostat, and been driving it 60 miles a day from LA to San Gabriel... and it doesnt even go 1/3 up the temperature gauge... it seems fine to me. I eventually want to get a low-temp thermostat to put in since I'm doing a 1600 mile round-trip road trip soon. I pressure tested the radiator finally, and it's coming out of the water pump. Yet the water pump still works... Is there a kind of rebuild kit or something for the pump? Also... Does anyone know of someone who actually knows Subarus around the LA/Pasadena area?? I took my car in to a regular independent mechanic to replace the axle, and the axle gave out in 3 days! He said it was the wrong size axle, and put another one in... now the "new" one is clicking all the time Thanks for the help

alright, well i took out the thermostat due to it sticking (didnt put in a new one, i'm running without one) and i resealed the housing with Permatex. problem is... i used the wrong kind of permatex and didnt even notice, until i was driving down the road and the temp gauge hit the H. keep in mind, i also have my radiator fans running full time with a switch inside the car, and also it now doesnt even have a thermostat. i drove the car maybe... 2 miles to get it back to my place with it REALLY close to the H, but it didnt reach it again. I easily pinpointed that the Permatex i originally used just blew away, and there was coolant all over the engine and everything else. so i put the right kind of permatex, and it doesnt leak anymore... well from the thermostat housing, it doesnt. now it's leaking from the driver's side, on the front of the engine. i cant tell where it's coming from, and it's actually only a really small drip. i have a strong feeling that it's coming from the water pump, but the water pump doesnt make any bearing noise, nor does it really leak when the car is running, it only leaks when it's turned off and parked. it's not overheating anymore, it doesnt smoke, no oil in coolant or coolant in oil, but it's dripping coolant from the front of the engine and it's getting annoying. i figure i need to pressure test the cooling system but out here in Los Angeles, the mechanics make you pay to just use their crap for a few minutes! maybe theres something else i can do to make sure it's the water pump before i start tearing it apart? oh, and it's a '88 dl 4-door with 102,000 original miles... so im hoping the engine isnt bad after i overheated it any suggestions would be great... thanks! Gary

okay... now i have something else to ask. under the hood, by the firewall on the driver's side, there is a couple of green connectors. they seem like they can plug into each other, but i havent touched them just because i dont want to break anything. they arent connected. can someone possibly tell me what they are for? is it something i should worry about? also... i took the panel off of under my steering column to check the ECU. it flashes red maybe every second or so. is it throwing me codes, or is that just test mode? no check engine light, no malfunctions as i can see... but what's that red light doing there flashing? sorry if i may seem paranoid about the good old subie but i can tell ya right now... i have to drive this car to new mexico from los angeles and believe me, me and I-40 havent got along on the past few trips i've made. :-\

Well after a couple of days of the car being in the shop and a little bit of money spent, i had the following things done: * front wheel alignment * transmission flush and filter replace * compression check (good compression the mechanic says) * axles checked, mechanic says they are good *both lower ball joints replaced, the boots were torn and all the grease was gone *a major tune up which the mechanic replaced all the sensors, installed platinum spark plugs, and new wires, a new rotor and cap, and also replaced the timing belt, which had never been replaced on the car. * alternator replaced * new cat converter and new muffler installed * all new fan belts well i've gotta say... this car runs like new now! it's a dream come true now i'm just hoping something else dont happen any time soon...

I have some questions, and was wondering if someone can answer some, if not all of them. i dont know much about cars... and it shows. 1. I had both axles replaced at a Subaru dealership with brand new axles. I drive it 200 miles, and all of a sudden, boom a blown axle... I think it was the outer CV joint... so I take it back to the dealership and had another one installed for free, since the axle is on a year warranty. Give it another 200 miles of careful driving, and the other side does the same thing! speedo goes on up, but car just clunks from the axle and doesnt move. geez, whats up with the axles in these cars?! 2. also, i've noticed that going up to speeds like 55-65 or any higher, the steering wheel vibrates BAD. actually, the whole car does. i know the alignment is way off, which i am having done later today. but, can alignment cause this vibration, or is it something else? i have a hunch it's a lower ball joint but i am not sure with this car. 3. the temperature gauge reads at a bit above the middle... is that where it is supposed to be normally? i thought usually the gauge stands lower than that, but i'm not sure. when i go on the freeway, it rises a TINY bit, but stays in the middle range. doesnt go to the H, but i am still curious. 4. also, this car hesitates, driving up hills, driving on level ground, anywhere. i can be going like 35 and push the gas a bit more, and the car revs vrooooommm and wont kick in for like 3 seconds. what can be causing that? 5. when the car is cold, and i try to move it while cold, it hesitates like it wants to stall, it doesnt, but it wont pick up unless i slightly pump the gas pedal. what the hell is that... 6. and last thing... the car burns off coolant. maybe a cup a week or so. no coolant in oil, or oil in coolant. havent done a compression check, car doesnt overheat though, nor does it plume white smoke. theres no puddle or dampness on the passenger side. i cant even tell what that problem is. honestly, i cant believe this crap... i buy this car off of an older man for $1500... it's a 1988 subaru dl, ea82 non turbo, automatic transmission, and just hit 100,000 miles. no rust, clean car inside and out. but geez, this thing has more problems than my old car! (a 1985 Ford Tempo with 260,000 on the clock at that!) i am going to have to drive this stupid subaru 850 miles to get to santa fe, new mexico from los angeles and i'm more worried about something breaking down on this damn thing than i did with my tempo... and believe me this tempo was a piece of work! am i just flipping out?! what should i do?

hey mudrat: thanks for the help the distributor turns. no snap from the coil. wiring looks in good shape. what else could it be? im honestly just getting to the point i want to sell the car.

I had a feeling that I'd get a reply regarding the junking comment. Hell no I'm not junking my car! But it would definately be nice to figure out whats wrong with it myself, so I dont get the run-around from the mechanics...

So the timing belt can prevent spark coming from the coil?

The car didnt have any starting problems until 3 days ago... it tries to turn over but doesnt start. I took off the spark plug wires and checked for spark onto the plugs, and nothing. I then took off the coil wire to check for spark, and nothing. The lights still work, and my amplifiers still turn on. What I cant figure out, is the coil the culprit to the problem, and can a coil just say bye-bye so quickly? Or could it be something deeper? I was told by someone else, that it may be the "computer" which is an expensive, could it be that? I've driven a 1985 Ford Tempo for 5 years... this is my first import. I totalled the Tempo with 295k miles on it... and bought the Subaru for $1500. It's a wonderful car, and it only has 98,000 miles! I dont think this car is ready to be junked yet... or am I wrong? Any help would be greatly appreciated!