asavage

You can't put a reduction box between the engine and the 3AT's torque converter, 'cuz the TC won't work properly (until you really rev it up). And the 3AT won't shift at the right RPM, you'd be able to use 1st & manually use 2nd (snow mode feature), but never 3rd, it just wouldn't ever upshift. Talk about a high-stall converter! RE the tractor thing. There was a time when you could buy a sort of "tractor kit" for a Ford Model T. GR boxes at the rear axles (think of the setup on the pre-68 VW Transporter: same idea), big rims, etc. People found out pretty quickly that you can't put tractor-type loads through a T's frame for very long -- they break. So did everything else. There's a reason why a tractor weighs as much as it does Same goes with the hatch -- you wouldn't want to try to haul semi-trailer loads behind one, because actually putting that much torque into the hatch's drivetrain (and frame and suspension) for very long will quickly find all the weak parts. Short bursts is another matter. Anyway. The GR units available are designed to let the engine run in its optimum torque range, and keep the prop from overspeed -- the prop tips reaching the speed of sound, which is bad for props. Or, at least, that's what I've heard.

Unless I'm mistaken, the GR units they use for aircraft have NO provision for a clutch. Whatcha gonna do?

No Autozone around here . . . it comes with the territory: if you want rural, you get rural, which means no box stores, no chain stores, no Dairy Queen. We got one McD's, though, more's the pity. Ugly, plastic prefab box, looks like a TV commercial or a kid's toy. I'd probably feel differently if they sold food or something . . . Rattly cat: yeah, mine might be that, I didn't hit it very hard with my hand when I was checking, but a rubber mallet will show it for sure. I'll get under it later today and see. Good idea, thanks.

Yeah, I've got a heat shield rattle at 2100 RPM under moderate load (3AT, 4WD), but only when it's warmed up, and it evidently isn't the junction heat shield, because that's firmly affixed now. I had it up on a lift, and banged all the pipes pretty good with my fist, but didn't find the rattley one, so I guess it's time to get out the rubber mallet and do it again. With the driver's window down, it sounds pretty darned loud when it resonates. It's just not been a very high priority to fix. I probably could have gotten away with just replacing the head studs on two of the three that came out, but the third one might not have torqued up, and since I had the helicoil kit, and the inserts are cheap . . . It I'dve been smart, I'd have heated up the head studs' nuts before trying to break them loose. I've got lots of air-cooled VWs and Corvairs in my background, I don't know why I didn't think to do that. Well, All's well that ends . . . On the O2 sensor: the reference I have shows a sort of zee-shaped crowfoot wrench to remove it, without having to remove anything else. I have the O2 socket (basically a six-point 7/8" deep socket with a 1/2" wide slot up the side for the wire) and it won't fit over the OEM O2 sensor -- the body of the sensor is too wide. It worked fine for the replacement O2 sensor (Borg Warner), though. I definitely had to remove the upper junction heat shield to use a wrench on the old O2 sensor.

If it's 34, that's the EGR solenoid, and the solenoid's coil is likely open, but like Skip says, it'll also trigger the CEL staying on beyond key on engine off. If, OTOH, it's a code 55 (for a car built for California only), then it's a EGR flow issue, and you'll need to do the vacuum test I described earlier, followed by pulling the valve and checking for obstructions. The 55 code says that the EGR temperature sensor (on CA cars ONLY!) is not reading hot enough gas when the EGR solenoid is triggered, so either the valve ain't opening, or the passage is obstructed. But this only applies to CA cars; the rest of us don't have an EGR temp sensor, and will never see a code 55. (Here's the article that Skip posted on checking codes and code meanings.) (Sunday, I'm going to solder in a remote LED for that damned O2 LED on the ECU, so I can put the knee bolster cover back in place, but still be able to read codes.) I'd put my money on code 34 and a bad EGR solenoid. One bolt and one connector to replace, unless it's a turbo model. Mine cost $60 from a local supplier. What year is your rig?

On my '93, it's mounted above the ECU, on edge, and is mounted using a small metal bracket which uses the rightmost ECU mounting stud. Black, 8-pin connector with only six actual pins used. I'm sure this is the one, because when I pull it, Intermittant doesn't work (and Low & High still work). Interestingly, park does not work with the module out of circuit. I'd sure like to see a schematic of this thing. I was hoping to find bad solder joint(s), but a careful inspection yielded no hits. I had it in and out a couple of times, and the problem persisted. Then I removed and reinserted the wiper motor connector, and the problem immediately went away (ie I was able to get 20 good cycles, where I'd never gotten five before). Since the weather is supposed to be clear for the next few days, I can't test it in the real world until we get wet stuff again, but I think if I actually clean and regrease that wiper motor connector, I might be out of the woods. Thanks for the tips, Skip!

You usually test the EGR valve on the car, not by removing it. Use a vacuum pump, and with the engine idling, apply vacuum to the valve's port. Engine dies = valve opens OK & EGR ports are not plugged totally. Somewhat common is EGR valve that won't close, you get hard start, bad idle, surging. If idle quality is good, you don't have this problem. You'll want to test that the EGR is actually getting signal vacuum, by teeing the vacuum line to it, connecting a vac gauge with a 6' hose, and taping the gauge to the windshield, then drive it. You can't usually get the EGR valve to open in the driveway, you have to load the engine. It seems like the EGR solenoid is a higher failure item than the valve itself, from what I can see. What's the code number?

I just did this job a couple of days ago on my '93 Loyale wgn. With the special tool for this job (Subaru only, apparently), you don't have to remove the upper junction sheet metal. Who has that tool, though? I disconnected the wye pipe from the heads, and dropped the whole system down far enough to remove the upper tin. Took some work with the heat wrench (torch) to get three of the tin bolts off, the rest broke off anyway. I used hose clamps and some sheet metal screws to reinstall the upper/lower tin pieces I removed from that junction. You don't have to remove any other tin, just the pieces on that junction. Be warned, though: three of the head studs came out of the head, instead of the nuts coming off the studs. And they dragged threads out with them. I had access to the correct helicoil set to repair them, but it was still a pain. I detailed this at the end of this thread: http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2964 As to whether you have to reinstall it -- well, it's there to prevent starting a grass fire or trash fire, if you run over a plastic grocery bag it won't tend to instantly catch on fire if the heat shield tin is in place. It also has an almost negligible effect on cat light-off.

I can't get my MT2500 to talk to my '93 Loyale either, so don't feel bad. Read codes from flashing LED on ECU -- remove driver's side knee bolster to access ECU, move harness connectors out of the way to see into 1/4" hole in ECU shield. Read U-codes with engine warmed up. Make sure CEL (Check Engine) light is working! Should light and stay lit with key on engine off. Read U-codes, fix 'em. Then read memory codes (for intermittant faults). Ignore them. Then read D-codes after following the D-code procedure exactly -- involves some driving, or running it in gear on jack stands like I did. Then you can clear all the codes. If you can't find the info on how to read mem codes or run D-check proc, let me know. A Google search ought to turn up the info, but if it doesn't, I can write a mini essay. It's too late for me tonight.

The EGR valve admits exhaust gas into the intake manifold. It's designed to displace some air, and since exhaust gas does not contribute to combustion, it has the effect of lowering peak combustion pressure, which reduces formation of oxides of nitrogen, a source of photochemical smog and ground level ozone -- which is bad for your respiratory health. The spark advance curve is calibrated on the assumption that the EGR system is functioning, ie there is more spark advance dialed in than you'd use for a non-EGR-equipped car. So, when the EGR system becomes inop, the engine detonates. The EGR system is only enabled for certain driving modes and conditions (generally, part-throttle only and only with a normal-temp engine. Cold engine, overheated engine, ful-throttle, or idle: these modes = no EGR). The EGR solenoid turns the EGR system "active" or "inactive", and port(s) on the throttle body provide vacuum to operate the EGR valve at the correct time and engine load -- I am simplifying here. Because the Purge Control Solenoid and the EGR solenoid are identical units (except the electrical connector), and the PCS solenoid is notorious for dying, I'd be looking hard at the EGR solenoid first. If you have access to a DMM, use it on the EGR solenoid's connector. It should read about 36 ohms with it disconnected. Mine was open (infinite ohms). Ref http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3953

Excellent! Cold solder joints are a piece of cake for me, and a bad wiper park ground doesn't sound too bad, either. I appreciate the geography lesson WRT the module location. I tried "Search" on USMB for "intermittant wiper" but got no good hits, so I thought it might not be all that common. Tomorrow, I'll yank that module and go over it with the mag glass, touch up the solder. Again, Thanks.

I've been banishing most of the goblins that have peacefully lurking in my '93 Loyale for years, and I'm getting pretty far down the list. My wiper stalk has four positions: * OFF * Intermittant * Low * High When I move the lever to Intermittant, the wiper works fine for a few cycles, then it starts acting odd. It will move up an inch or so, then stop. After a couple of seconds, it'll move up another inch or so and stop. After a couple more seconds, it'll either sweep across the glass as normal, or move a little farther and stop again. By the fourth time, it'll always sweep. I assume that this is a problem with the intermittant controller module, whereever that is. The problem: though I have access to both the AllData and Mitchell DVDs, neither one admits to a '93 Loyale having intermittant wipers, only "mist". The number of wires, and colour of wires, running to the wiper motor is the same on their wiring diagram and my car, which implies that the wiper motor is the same on both the intermittant-wiper-equipped models and their plainer brethren. So: I'm hoping that someone has the factory service manual for this year and can scan & email the pertinent diagram to me (schematic or wiring diagram, I can work with either). I'd be happy to contribute a couple bux for the effort. It'd also be nice if someone knows just where this box is located, within a couple of inches. email: asavage at iname dot com

Those were defective tires. Ford's screwup wasn't in the 26 PSI spec, it was in trying to cover up the defects in the tires when it became apparent that a lot of Explorers were rolling when the bad tires blew. Run those tires at 40 PSI, they'd still delam. There a a lot of rigs running around with 26 PSI spec, and you don't see any news about them rolling. Let me tell you about my Les Schwab experiences. a) Ferndale store: asked to have a new premium battery installed, and rotate tires. * They rotated half the tires (it was very obvious). I had to point it out to them to get it fixed. * They didn't install the terminals properly on a top-post battery (ie they didn't use a terminal spreader, so they mangled the OEM cable's end and didn't get the terminal all the way down the posts). I didn't let them fix that one, afraid that I'd find hammer marks on the terminals (never, never hammer on a battery terminal.) * On my SecoLarm, if the battery is reconnected, the alarm sounds and the doors lock. They cut the alarm's siren wire because they couldn't figure out to push one button the key fob -- after I'd told the counterman how to press that button and warned them what was going to happen. Lynden store: incorrectly diagnosed a bad CV joint as a bad spindle on a Taurus. Bad spindle?? c) Bellingham store: SIX TRIPS to find a tire imbalance problem on my G30, never found, though they took over $200 in the process. I wasn't running their tires, so they kept blaming out-of-true rims, out-of-round tires, etc. I kept bringing them new rims and new tires, but they never got it right, and at trip five they said it was really a driveline imbalance. I let them send it out and have it rebuilt. Result: ruined driveshaft, and drastically increased vibration. I had to write corporate HQ in Prineville, Ore. to get that one resolved. It took months. It was awful. d) So. 82nd St store, Portland: screwed up two tire mountings on 16.5" non-split-rim tires, so bad that I had to warranty the tires with Goodyear. I don't know who paid for that one. Yes, they don't keep you waiting and are usually deferential, but the quality of the franchises varies considerably. I work with two ex-Schwab employees, they tell the same stories. You can't defend Schwab to me, I've had too much experience with them. (BTW, I have had good experiences with a couple different Schwab stores, to be fair. The Sandy Blvd/22nd St store in Portland is good -- they didn't fix the G30 problem, but at least they didn't try to snow me, either. But most have not been good for me.)

Somewhat related . . . To replace the O2 sensor on my '93 EA82, and not having the special tool, I had to remove the upper and lower heat shield around that junction, where the two headpipes join. To do that, I had to unbolt the headpipes from the heads to drop the whole pipe assy down far enough to remove the upper junction heat shield. Naturally, three of four studs came out of the head, instead of the nuts coming off of the studs. Also naturally, the studs galled coming out, dragging some aluminum threads with them. The holes are 10mm x 1.25mm pitch, which, if you're familiar with the metric stuff, is the "middle" of the 10mm coarse/medium/fine thread pitch smorgasbord. Fortunately! I have access to a 10mm x 1.25 Helicoil set This is not a terribly common size. Astoundingly, I also have the correct drill size to prep the hole. And, there's actually room to manoeuver the drill under there, unlike most in-the-car stripped hole repair jobs. And my local parts store actually had the correct 10mm studs, correct length and everything.

My 2.8l never got more than about 28 MPG, and mostly about 25, which after my two Rabbits (44 MPG) and '83 Chev G30 w/6.2l (20 MPG, 5800 lbs), seemed pretty measly. Top end was waaaaay up there, though, it has long legs. I've noticed that I can now get biodiesel in Port Townsend, and I'm itching to try it.

Oooo, a 740 TD, that's one I'd like Actually, I purchased my '93 Loyale wagon for my friend (in Bellingham) so that I could get back my '83 Datsun Maxima wagon that I sold him four years ago -- with a 2.8l inline Six diesel! The Maxima wagon, I bought in Portland in '95, from the original owner -- I'd looked for two years to find a wagon with that engine, they were only imported '81-83. Honey of a powerplant, lots of power, lousy mileage. No turbo, but maybe someday The car rusted out around me, and in a weak moment, I sold it to a co-worker. He's ready for something newer, hence the '93 Loyale wagon I just purchased.

A problem with using "tyre vendors advice" is that they don't give any! The tire pressure rating molded into the sidewall on tires sold in the US is a federally-mandated maximum load rating, for the maximum load-carrying capacity for that tire in that configuration. It has very little to do with an optimum pressure for any particular use, application, or vehicle. I think you'll have a hard time getting a tire vendor to officially recommend a tire pressure for any particular use, though they will probably go so far as to recommend a minimum pressure. (Dealers sell tires? Not around here.) Keep in mind that the tires form a crucial part of the suspension system, and as such they damp and shield a significant amount of transient load from the rest of the suspension system (and all the glued-together pieces in the rest of the car, too). Raise the tire pressure, and you've sharpened the turn-in response, and reduced some of the heat-generating of the sidewalls, but you've also moved a lot more transient loads from the tires into the chassis. For me, that's not a good trade-off: I like a quiet ride. I'm willing to accept 5k fewer miles of tire wear, and mushier turn-in response. Longer life is not a given, and running 38 psi on an oversize (for the weight it needs to carry) tire is likely going to increase overall wear, because it'll wear unevenly. A generic recommendation of "use higher pressure" is reckless. A wider-than-stock tire and OEM pressure might be an upgrade. Or, if you like OEM-quality ride and handling characteristics, OEM-engineer-recommended tire pressures are just the ticket. With the tradeoff of harsher ride, more trim pieces rattling and falling off sooner, increased wear of suspension compliance bushings and damping mechanisms (ie struts, shocks). Just my two cents, as we say here.

I don't know about your '88, but my 93 is described here: http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3953 Also with a source for a new one for $38 (dealer wants about $100).

I haven't ever driven another AT-equipped Loyale, so I need some advice: at full throttle (only), the 1-2 upshift is a bit softer than I'd like. It's not crisp. It takes almost two seconds. Doesn't matter whether it's an auto-upshift, or a manual upshift via moving the lever to '2' (aka "snow mode"). Comments?

This is pretty much exactly the problem I repaired in my '93 Loyale 4WD 3AT last week. http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3517 I found these things: * I had the infamous oil pump gasket damage problem (see pics in thread above). * I had the infamous camcase o-ring leakage problem (see Cameron's post on this at http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~camncath/ea82_hydraulic_lifter_fix.htm) * While the camcase was apart, I removed, disassembled, and thoroughly cleaned all the lifters on that side of the engine. And, after fixing those two problems, I still had a noisy morning lifter, not right when started up, but after about 15 seconds, and remaining for several minutes. My fix was to take the camcase off again and replace all four lifters on that side of the engine. Has not made a peep since then (a week later), driving it every day. The oil pump install kit (includes that failing gasket, plus a large-ish o-ring and shaft seal) was about $15. The camcase does not have a formal gasket, you squirt your own (ie RTV) but requires a lot of clareful cleaning to do a good job. The o-ring is a trivial cost, once you've gotten that far, less than 0.50 . The lifters can run you quite a bit, I bought mine at cost from NAPA and paid $28 ea; retail is about $40 ea. All I can say is, I tried to cheap out and not replace the lifters the first time I had it apart, and had to do that job over again (took me three hours the 2nd time). Because you have to remove the camshafts timing belts to do the oil pump reseal job, consider replacing them at that time. And, look hard at the water pump: all the labor to do the timing belts is duplicated to replace the water pump. I also had two (out of three) noisy cam belt tensioners, which I replaced -- you can replace the bearing only, on the driver's side cam belt idler, and save some money that way, but the two moveable tensioners must be replaced as assys. They are not awful to buy, but not give-away, either. [A lift is a very good thing, when doing this job, or timing belts! But you can substitute more time and a strong/flexible back. It was the back I lacked, so I borrowed a car lift.] I might replace the camcase o-ring on the driver's side someday, as I have an external oil leak from that area, but at least I don't have to listen to all that clatter in the AM anymore! HTH

Fer cryin' out loud, it's on a sticker on the doorjamb! I'm still amazed at our local tire shop. We have ONE that serves the community, and you have to drive at least 30 miles to get to any other. Les Schwab. This store sends EVERY car tire out at 35 PSI. Never mind if it's on the front, the rear, on a Yugo or a Cadillac, it gets set to 35 PSI. It's like they can't be bothered to open the door and read the mfgr's own engineers' advice. Sheesh!

Corvair. But, only ONE year of Corvair: 1964. It has a dipstick for the swingaxle diff. Hillmans, at least from the '50s to the early '60s. You peel back a big rubber boot or plug in the floorboard, and there it is, on the top of the transmission. Unless I'm mistaken, your AT-equipped Legacy has both a dipstick for the AT and a front diff dipstick. You have to really work for it, but it's under a large wire harness on the pass side of the diff and has the typical yellow top, whereas the AT dipstick is on the driver's side of the diff, has a red (?) top and is usually obscured by the battery cable to the starter. The diff dipstick access on newer OBs is really annoying, under that huge filter housing, and that stiff wire harness.

Well, it works just fine. Now that I look at the underhood a bit harder, I can see that the PCS and EGR solenoids look identical on this model, with the exception of that connector, so I guess that widens the number of available units in yards If you're willing to solder a bit, that is. Still soggy performance, but no codes after an 80 mile drive. Tomorrow, I'll look hard at the EGR system and see if it's malfunctioning.

Thanks for the tips. Unfortunately, the Edmonds/Kingston ferry is $18 round trip, and it'd take most of a day to get there and back on a weekend because of the traffic, so that $45 from Aarons would have looked more attractive -- yuck. I really, really like junkyards for some reason. I just don't have any good ones around here. I received a reply from 1stSubaruParts.com: Go to https://www.parts.com/partlocator/index.cfm?siteid=213799 then in the section "Search by OEM Part Number:" type (or Paste) 72083GA070, from the "Select Make" listbox, choose Subaru, then click on Search. It comes back with: Air conditioner and heater - Blower - Resistor, 1990 - 1994, $37.46 . I think I'll order one come payday.

Interestingly, 1st Subaru Parts has one listed for $38, but lists it for the Impreza (?). I've fired off an email asking for clarification. If this part fits the Loyale, it's quite a decent price.