RickOregon

daeron, that is funny. Would like to see the pics. On our GL's - both the GL wagon and the GL-10 wagon, the fuel door comes open when you pull up on the latch. I notice that the latch can push down, too, but don't see that it's opening up the rear hatch, so don't know what that's all about.. maybe ours are reversed from standard. Later, Rick

Yeah, I've had this problem on our 86 GL wagon for a couple years, now. When there's not a second person around to open the fuel door I can do it myself two ways: -either prop the handle up with my wallet, then go around and open the door or -put a screwdriver in the bottom of the door just far enough to apply outward pressure to the door and hold the screwdriver, then go lift up on the handle - screwdriver drops to the ground as the door comes open. Wish I had a replacement spring, though... I'll find a spare one of these days and fix it right:) Rick

What was in your parts kit? Great adventure! Great story! Thanks for sharing. Rick:)

Thanks for the instructions. Appreciate that. Do you know -- are there any exploded views of the transfer case and transaxle available? Would be helpful for putting the case back together. Rick

I've got a transaxle with a crack near the drain plug that I removed from our '87 GL-10 pushbutton 4x4 5sp turbo wagon. Wanted to strip off some parts for spares. How do I separate the transfer case from the transaxle. I've got the bolts out, but it doesn't seem to just pull off. What should I do? Thanks for any insights. Note: I did a search on transfer case, but didn't find anything. Rick

Leland, how's it going this morning? Got any of your capacity back to do your craft? I'd imagine that'll take awhile, considering the extent of damage to your shop. BTW, I'm getting the hood prop grommet from Flowmastered87GL, who's parting out a rig and has it advertised here in The Subaru Marketplace. So don't need that part anymore. But I can still use that segment of a/c line, if you have the right one. No hurry, though - just wanted to let you know I already have the the other part. And, if I get the a/c line, I'll let you know that, too. Take care, Rick

"... Sylvia Katriana, at 9Lbs 14oz, and 21" long..." Congratulations guy! A nice size baby! And what a beautiful name. Hope mother and baby are both doing well. Kate and I went through six deliveries together, and each was a unique experience. Take care, Rick

Hope things are going better for you today. Have you made any progress on the electricity? I notice in your signature that you have '86 and '87 parts wagons. If you have some Subaru parts I can use, I'll buy them from you - maybe that'll help your cash needs a bit. I know you're busy recovering from the fire, so don't worry about looking for these parts right now... Here's a couple items I could use: PIECE OF A/C LINE I have an air conditioning leak in the metal high pressure line, just downstream from the compressor on the way to the condenser. The leak is in the line that has the port where you check high pressure side with a gauge. Right where it bends on the left fender wall and heads forward under the coolant overflow tank and on toward the radiator and condenser. If you have this piece of a/c line, I could use the entire piece from the compressor to the condenser or just the segment that could replace the area that's damaged. Your part has to be in good condition, of course... not leaking... HOOD HOLD-UP ROD OR ROD GROMMET Also, do you happen to have a hood "hold-up" rod with the rubber that goes in the base at the front frame intact and in good shape? Ours (the rubber part) is worn out, and the rod wants to come out at the bottom when we hold up the hood. These items are for our '87 GL-10 turbo 4x4 wagon. If you have either or both let me know how much you want, including shipping over to Burns 97720. Thanks, Rick

Hey Leland, I'm like a lot of folks in our country - willing to help someone who needs a hand when times are tough provided they're willing to help themselves, as well. It's clear you're willing and able to pull yourself out of this mess one step at a time, and I commend you for that. I can't drive over to dig or help build, but I certainly can Paypal a donation. Maybe if I shake loose of some other commitments, I'll come over later and do what I can do. But for now $ is all I can spare. Sincerely, Rick

Sorry to hear of your loss. That's terrible! You have the right attitude, though - after all is said and done, you're still alive and no one else was injured. Good thing you have a neighbor who saw what was going on and gave you a few minutes or seconds more to take action. I've had some big losses, too, and I've just kept moving along, thankful that I could still work and eventually overcome the adversity. It's pretty painful at the time, though. Can you salvage any of your pottery tools and equipment? Rick

I checked autopartsgiant.com, thepartsbin.com, 1stsubaruparts.com, and autostreet.com - none has the p/s rebuild kits/parts. So, unless I can locate another source online, I guess I'll need to endure the Subaru parts department, as well $25 for a seal seems about right from a dealership... uggh. Thanks for your input.

baccaruda: it appears to be coming from the pump, though I haven't taken a *really* close look. Leaked when the p/s reservoir was at the proper level, slowed a bit when it got low. Oil puddle appears to be below the vicinity of the pump. I think I have a spare at home. At any rate, I decided to just risk it. Earlier today I put about 2 to 4 oz of the stop leak in the reservoir [takes full 8 oz bottle to treat a transmission, according to instructions], then did full circle turns in a parking lot turning wheel to full stop in both directions several times. Went for a drive, did some more of those full circle turns. We'll see what happens... Murphy's Law says the unit will completely fail now that I've ventured into the unknown! 8-) I'll keep my fingers crossed. Maybe get my wife to pray for me -- maybe she'll do some Hail Marys and Our Fathers on her rosary beads! She did that one time when we flew our plane over the Cascades in central Oregon and encountered a downdraft... but that's another story. Bottom line is we survived, so she must have helped. Thanks for the insights.

Thanks for all the feedback on stop-leak treatments - I might use what I bought. Or maybe I'll just wait and get the rebuild kit Pyro mentioned. If it's just a seal leaking, and the metal parts are still in good shape, a rebuild would be cost effective compared to replacing all the components. Pyro - where do you usually buy the rebuild kits? Some place online? I'll check autopartsgiant.com and thepartsbin.com and see what they offer. Thanks again, Rick

Jim, sounds like a good deal on the surface. How many miles? Is it carbed? I thought somewhere around 87 they went to fuel injection... but I'm *definitely* no expert. Some things off the top of my head that I would check: --compression --look at coolant - slippery - indicating oil in water and head gasket problem --look at oil - water in oil -- possible blown head gasket [HG] --look at exhaust - blue smoke: possible bad rings; white: possible blown HG --clutch freeplay --brakes - mushy? shuddering? metallic sounds? --jack up front, then rear - apply force on top and bottom of tire to feel if bearings are worn; on fronts move side to side and feel if steering linkage bad --turn front wheels around and examine inner and outer CV boots both sides - if torn: possible damage to CV joints --check electrical --check tranny oil - dip stick under spare tire in engine compartment --listen to engine -- knocking sounds could indicated bearing wear, piston slap --run for awhile and see if it overheats --if it has A/C check that it works and that electric fan comes on when engine gets hot --how does it start when cold? --how does it start when warm? --push down hard on each corner of car to check struts/shock - if bounces more than once - shocks may be going bad --offer them $100 --- if they take it, get worried... 8-) Good luck. -Rick

On our 86 and 87 Subaru wagons - both with 4x4 5 speed manual transmissions - the speedometer cable goes into the top of the transmission on the right side. Don't know is JifferLubePerson did anything with your gear lube, or even if you have a similar configuration onyour Loyale, but that cable just pulls out the top as I understand it. Rick

86subaru: the p/s system in this car uses ATF Dextron III, not power steering fluid. Pyro: that's sort of what I was thinking, when I bought the bottle at Walmart... if it works for auto trannys, maybe it would work for another system that uses ATF - provided the method of sealing was similar. Both systems have valves, seals, and metal parts. Both operate under high pressure conditions... I just don't know, so I'm a little reluctant to add some before a 1500 mile trip back to eastern Oregon from eastern North Dakota. Figure it might be safer to just keep adding ATF every now and then. But, if anyone has tried this, and it works, I'd like to know - then I'd give it a shot... might preserve the pump and associated equipment a little longer and put off yet another repair on my growing list.. 8-) Thanks for your feedback. Anyone else heard of this approach?

Ed, I just went out and looked under the hood of our son, Brett's, '88 GL-10 wagon. On his car the temp sensor is upstream of the thermostat. So, I'm thinking maybe, if the coolant system on your son's car is similar, he may have a stuck thermostat or one that was placed in backwards - if that's even possible... Once the engine looses enough coolant through excessive heating, there might only be vapor or mostly air below the thermostat, explaining the sudden zero temp reading. It's a long shot, but if that's the situation, he'd best stop driving and remove the thermostat - then he could resume the trip. One indication of overheating [with a zero temp reading] would be a drop in oil pressure as the oil gets very hot and viscosity drops. Again, this is just a guess.. Later, Rick

Good idea about the radiator cap, but maybe that's all he needs is a new one. I've had new ones go bad, because the gasket was too large a diameter - manufacturing defect. If it's going out the overflow, but the engine temp is normal, might be a bad radiator cap... just my 2 cents worth...

There appears to be a slight loss of power steering fluid in our son's 1988 GL-10 turbo wagon. I was wondering if anyone has tried using ATF stop leak treatment in the p/s system, as it takes ATF. Anyone? What were the results? Anyone have any thoughts on this possible approach to reducing the leakage? I'm out in North Dakota having traveled 1500 miles from Burns, Oregon to help our son get his car roadworthy. There were a number of issues that I needed to address, but I'm hoping to defer the p/s rebuild/replacement until I return with the car to my home shop. Thanks, Rick

What's he driving? Turbo? Hoses? I drove out last week to Grand Forks to rescue our son's GL-10 with tranny problems. We're headed back to Oregon early Wednesday morning via I-94 to Billings, then Bozeman, then down to Idaho Falls and over to Burns via Boise. If I can be of any assistance considering that time frame, let me know. I'd be happy to take a look and offer my limited knowledge, skills, and abilities. Also have loads of tools I brought along in the event of a major overhaul.... Tell me more about the vehicle. -Rick

see below..

Ahhhhhhhhh... that's looks so cooooool... I'm out in North Dakota. 95 F and 80% humidity... working on our son's Subaru GL-10 in a little cramped garage one of his friend's let me use. Almost no ventilation, as if that would make a difference! 8-) But it was nice of him to give me some cover from the sun and possible thundershowers, at least. Very refreshing to think of you enjoying a high elevation excursion in the Northwest. Makes me homesick. Thanks for posting. Rick

Well, I decided to deliver the tranny in our Geo Metro, so there won't be any room for a fellow Subaruder, unfortunately. I'm still trying to figure out the easiest way to get the tranny out and the replacement in. Moosens and others provided some great information on this subject at: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=14751&page=3&pp=10 It's an old thread, but has lots of good ideas. Still can't figure out how Moosens did his install, though. I even pulled our '86 Subaru carbed 5sp wagon - 4x4 D/R on the pavement and jacked it up on the driver's side like he said. Placed jackstand under for safety. Then got under, and it looks to me like there's not much room to leave either of the crossmembers in there and still get the tranny leveraged in place. I must be missing something in his description. I'm a little slow at times.. Most of the time, in fact. 8-) Anyway I've reviewed the repair manual and the threads on USMB, and I've been trying to go through the swap in my mind... so I've got an idea of how to proceed and will take most everything I'll need on this long trip. I should be on the road early Wednesday 7/6 and arrive in North Dakota late on the 7th. I'll have several days to get the old tranny out and install the one I got from XSNRG via Jeffroid. If anyone has any additional ideas/insights regarding this task, please post them or send me email. If you're interested, I'll let you know how it all turned out. Later, Rick

Moosens, sorry to resurrect this old post again, but I'm planning to do a shade-tree like removal/install after I drive out to North Dakota in a few days to help our son. Will probably use a combination of the approaches mentioned by you MilesFox and others. I have question about your post, though. Did you leave the front crossmember in during the removal and installation? That's what I got from your post. There's room to get the bellhousing up and over and out the back leaving the crossmember installed? And when you wrote "...tie it off to the rad. support..." Where's that? I've pulled these engines a few times, but not the trannys, so I'm a neebie on that operation. Any more details you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Rick

NorthWet - I understand your concern about combustion with diesel. Certainly a factor to consider. I'm thinking of running the engine at idle for a brief period after refilling with diesel. Then yanking it. Then inverting with an engine stand to get the diesel up into the top part of the engine for awhile then draining after awhile, then re-installing the engine and refilling with lo-viscosity oil or ATF to do another flush. Just a thought. The engine has high miles so if that work, great. If not, I'll swap. -Rick