heymulderitsme

Love your line-up Bennie! Looks like a great collection of old school Subie charm.

Hey y’all, Just had a good chat with my old Subaru mechanic about having a hard time shifting into 3rd gear (it grinds and is very particular about how it goes in). He suggested replacing the synchro ring, maybe for 2nd and 3rd since 2nd also gets pretty beat up under normal circumstances. Anyhow, he says it’s ideal to find a new replacement, but my research so far has suggested that may be impossible—Subaru catalogs at official parts spots don’t go back to 1983. So, I’m hoping someone out there either has a connection to some very lovely synchros or otherwise knows of a way to possibly breathe new life into this transmission. Hoping to fully restore the car and keep it forever, so I’ve got time. Thanks in advance!

Just found it! Someone had uploaded the full factory manual to Scribd, thankfully!

Wow! It was so easy. Thanks again for the clarity. I definitely need an alignment after all the work, despite being careful to position the tie rods exactly as I found them. But I have a neighborhood shop that deserves all my money for things like that, so I’m happy to throw them a bone.

About to do something nice for my ‘83 GL 4spd, but can’t seem to find capacity anywhere in my manual or on here. It’s a D/R 4x4 if that makes a difference. Anyone have access time that kind of top secret information?

Thank you so much! Trying to stay busy and teach myself as many of these things as possible during lockdown. Hope y’all are staying sane and occupied and safe out there too.

Alright, I bought new inner tie rods and rented the tool to pull them, but my manual doesn’t show me anything about removing them. Anyone have any wisdom on doing this? Or is there a thread already that I haven’t found?

I did end up taking the dash apart just as an educational journey. I fully disconnected the cable from the instrument panel and then made sure both the reed switch on the transmission and the instrument end we’re fully immersed in their homes. And I had help doing the drill test again to confirm the cable was actually working. Turns out it only activated when spinning counterclockwise. Problem seems to be solved! The only thing is the CEL is still on and I’m wondering if there’s a separate VSS issue. It gave me a code 33 initially, and I haven’t replaced or messed with the sensors on the driver’s side of the transmission at all, and am wondering how those act to influence the operation of the drivetrain. I had done some research that illuminated it a bit, but not sure if I should bother going down that rabbit hole if the main gauge issue is now solved. I find it hard to believe the mechanical cable has anything to do with the ECU because there is no electricity involved in that particular piece of equipment.

Sweet! I’ll see if that solves the problem. Thank you!

Just got the car, so very unsure of history relating to this specific issue. CEL is on most of the time. Speedometer and odometer are not working. I pulled the cable end from the passenger side of the transmission and checked out the slotted end—appears to be intact. Tried the drill test to see if that triggered it—nothing happened. My research suggests it’s an ECU communication issue, just wondering if I need to pull the instrument cluster and investigate that end?

Thanks Bennie! Is there already a thread about the 5spd conversion lurking on here? I’ve been searching but have not found anything yet.

Hey y’all, Our wagon arrived from its previous owner with the transmission reportedly not shifting into 3rd gear. Anyone know of someone in the NW who will work on these transmissions and be successful? I’ve made a couple calls and basically the dudes laughed at me. Also willing to do the work myself if it isn’t too complicated, but hoping to get it done right and don’t want it to take forever. Would be very happy to pay someone to figure it out though. Especially someone with a lot of experience with this generation.

Thank you! John’s was a good tip—I called them today.

Hey everyone, just acquired a new to me ‘83 GL wagon and am hoping to make it shine again. Anyone have a tan dash that is in good shape? Looking for the whole thing minus the actual instrument panel, so all trim pieces, vents, foamy covering things, you know Also eventually looking to replace door handle bezels, tan stereo console unit, front and rear seats. Speaking of which, do any of you have experience with modding better driver/passenger seats onto the existing mounting hardware? Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the confirmation! Can’t wait to do the same thing someday. Looking forward to seeing more progress pics, rallybru!