KStretch55

My advice is to get them both. They both have errors and information the other doesn't. If you have them both you can cross reference between the two and usually come out with the best course to take. That's what I do. I would love to have the FSM (I thought it was an acronym for Field Service Manual), too. But, no doubt they had mistakes and errors too. So, unless you can get all the updates and corrections that go with them you might be in the same boat.

I asked the same question and was cautioned against overloading the relay, since it would be drawing from two motors. I really don't think it would be a problem and intend to try it..... when I can find the time. Sounds like a great idea to me, too.

Perfect example of the differences of opinion you'll will always get when asking about the subject of tire pressure. For one thing, most people wouldn't have the foggiest idea what their vehicle weighs, let alone how they would figure out their tire pressure to compensate for it. I also doubt that the formula of 50% of recommend pressure for 50% of rated load would hold water. You'd be driving on some seriously underinflated tires. Just to add to the confusion I checked my vehicle, a '92 Loyale AT wagon. I've got 175/70R13 tires, load rated at 1047 lbs @ 36 psi. So, in theory @ 36 psi my tires are rated to hold 4188 lbs. Presuming the load is spread evenly over all 4 tires. My vehicle Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is 3665 lbs. 1770 lbs on the front axle and 1895 lbs on the rear axle, according to the data plate. Presuming they weigh the vehicle "wet", which is with fuel, oil, coolant, etc. Max load (passengers and cargo) is 900 lbs. So total "curb" weight would be 4565 lbs. (GVWR + load = curb weight). Note that is more than my tires are rated for. I'm sure the stock 165SR13 tires are rated even less. Even if I'm the only one in the vehicle and have no cargo I'd be very close to max load on the tires (3665 + 240 = 3905 lbs) That's only 283 lbs short of the max load rating of my tires. 93% of the max load rating of my tires. So, by your theory I should reduce my tire pressure by 7% of the max pressure (roughly 2.5 psi). Hmmmm, sounds logical and I might try it, since that's how I drive most of the time. But, what happens when I take a trip with two of my teenage kids and I'm over the load rating? I know this sounds like a lot of glop, but I went through it just to try to illustrate why if you ask 10 people what the correct pressure to put in your tires is, you will get 8 different answers.

Therein is another good question I've never heard a good answer to: The side of the tire has a max pressure for max load printed on it, the door post or owners manual has a recommended pressure for the front and rear listed. Which is correct? I've asked this of tire folks and lots of car dealers and mechanics and get several answers. Consensus seems to be this: The pressures listed by the car maker are for the most comfortable ride, not necessarily for the best wear and life of your tires. The max pressure/max load listed on the tire is the pressure that your tires will perform and last longest at, if you are running at that load. Since every car would be running a different load at any given time the best pressure will always be different. You would constantly have to take a guess and change your pressure to fit the load. Instead they (the tire mfr) recommends you with the optimum pressure listed on the tire. Actually, some very reputable and experienced tire guys tell me to run just a couple psi under the max listed on the tire, since most of us rarely run anywhere near max load rating. They tell me to watch the tires and keep them at a pressure that shows even wear and always, always, always have them rotated on a regular basis.

No cracks in the windshield?? Wow! I've never driven one without. I thought they came from the factory with them! LOL

It's been proven that they are for the most part a gimmick that the dealers make a bundle on. Most people get about the same benefits as bjwirth did, if that much. Look the dealer in the eye and ask him why you need a warranty, won't he stand behind his product? If he won't give you some kind of satisfactory warranty (in writing) on his own, use your "two foot" option and leave.

Well, I can say I learned something new today. Not being from a humid area, I had no idea that brake linings would deteriorate like that.

Also, how long has it been since you had your tires rotated?

I ran a spectrometric oil analysis machine for the military for about 10 years, mostly on jet engine oil. Primarily, MIL-L-7808, the oil used in the J-79 engines on F-4s, but also many others. Of course, myself and co-workers also ran our vehicle oil, too. Mainly just for kicks, but keeping a trend was a good way to get some advance notice of an impending problem. The machine burns the oil and gives you a reading in parts per million (ppm) of the primary wear metals in the system, in this case a turbine, radial piston or vehicle piston engine. The wear metal levels in turbine engines are very, very low. Rarely over 10ppm for something like iron that's everywhere. Things like silver and copper were usually 3ppm or less. Reciprocating engines are very dirty in comparison. Sometimes reading in the hundreds of ppm and still normal. But, things are fine, as long as there is no sudden increase in the level or trend. If that happens it indicates something is wearing abnormally or the system or sample was contaminated somehow. It could be something as simple as when the crew chief took the sample a bubble formed across the top of the sample bottle and he couldn't tell if it was full, so he popped the bubble with his fingertip. Having handled steel tools or rubbed his hand against the aluminum skin, even coins in his pocket would cause a spike and the need for a resample. Ok, that's all background. What we found on car engines was a vast difference from one oil brand to another, mainly caused by their additive packages. Pennzoil was one that I recall, it was always very high in Magnesium. I don't know what all of the different additives were intended to do, but some companies add a lot of stuff and others add very little. Some brands even come from common stocks prior to having additives added and being packaged. As a matter of fact, there was a period in the late 70s or early 80s when the common oil stocks that several major companies used for 10W-40 did not meet SAE specs. The problem was so widespread that several of the industry inspection intities and watchdogs recommended people switch to 10W-30 and not use 10W-40 until new stocks were in place. I guess my point is the most important property of oil is its viscosity and ability to maintain that viscosity. When the viscosity begins to break down the oil cannot maintain a film between moving parts and wear is increased. So, regardless of brand, most good quality oils are pretty much equal, as long as you change them as needed. An additive that's thinner than your base oil, will thin your oil and decrease it's viscosity. An additive that's thicker than your base oil, will increase it's viscosity. Thinner additives may be great for helping break deposits and gunk loose prior to an oil change. Thicker additives may be great for engines that are worn, but you're not quite ready to overhaul or you want to quite some of the clatter. But, both are really temporary tools. Prior to the late 70s, all vehicle manufacturers recommended changing your oil every 5000 miles and the filter every other oil change. In the late 70s they found out that oil viscosity actually breaks down faster than previously thought. This may also have been partially an affect of emission systems introducing stuff back into the engine, too. Anyway, all manufacturers now recommend oil change every 3000 miles and I think most recommend filter change every oil change. Use additives carefully!!!

How about the front running lights, are they working?

You would use a quart if you intended to make an engine flush and help loosen any crud before changing the oil. But, a quart is too much if you plan not to change the oil soon. It simple physics that it will thin your oil. I haven't looked at the label lately, but I think it tells you to use a few ounces if you intend to run it that way for extended periods.

Change the stat. If the problem persists, pull the radiator and carefully uncrimp the clamp off the inlet tank (passenger side). With the radiator cap on, run a garden hose to the outlet fitting and wrap duct tape around it for a rough seal (Red Green would be proud, eh!). Turn on the water and see how many tubes have little or no flow out the side that you removed the tank from. Wanna bet there's a bunch of them blocked? Then, take a stiff wire and work it through each tube. I used .040" safety wire and a guitar string. Sometimes I had to go 1/2" at a time with a pair of pliers to grip the wire and lightly tapping till it broke through the crud. But, it worked. Once you've got it pretty well cleaned and good flow through all the tubes, clean the mating surfaces of the tank and radiator. Carefully pull the gasket out of the radiator and make sure it's not broken or cracked. Carefully put a light coat of RTV on it then put it back in the channel. Put the tank back on and carefully recrimp the clamp. Let it cure for at least 12 hours. Put the radiator back in and fill it with water, or the anti-freeze/water you took out of it. If you have a cooling system pressure/leak checker, use it. Otherwise, start it up and check for leaks. Once you've got everything sealed up, get a bottle of cooling system cleaner and follow the directions on it. Then flush the system and refill with a fresh 50/50 mix. I bet this fixes your problem. Can't guarantee that you'll always get a good seal when putting the tank back on, but if it does you save a bundle of cash. If it doesn't, you would have had to replace it or take it to a shop to be cleaned and they would do the same thing anyway. It works, I've done it. Good luck.

Not only does the oil expand, but it also gets a certain amount of entrained air mixed into it. The tiny air bubbles will float out, but it will take several minutes.

Good luck! Let us know what you find out.

When I lived in Boise 4WD was something nice to have for camping and hunting, etc. So, I had a 4X4 pickup. When I decided to move out of town and up to the mountains 4WD became a necessity. I talked my ex-wife into a 1986 GL-10 Wagon. She really hated the thought of driving a "station wagon", but I convinced her that she'd like it. She did, and as a matter of fact, she's driven Soobs ever since. Even after the divorce. I think she's on her 4th now, an '03 or '04 Outback. I still have a 4X4 pickup for stuff, but I also own a '91 Loyale MT SPFI and '92 Loyale AT SPFI. That first '86 GL-10 was a pain in the butt, however I learned a lot with it. It was a turbo and someone had put a non-turbo (single row) radiator in it. We had overheating problems with it from the get go. Unfortunately, by the time we realized what the problem was, she'd toasted the engine and I was out of the country. So, "a friend" gave her a "good deal" on a used engine, installed for $3K!!! Oh well, she got that car in the divorce. LOL I've owned an '86 Legacy AWD wagon, as well as my two Loyales and they're all good cars. Now, I've got 3 teenagers and can't think of a vehicle I'd rather have them gaining experience driving in that would be better than my Soobs. They're low center of gravity, responsive, reliable, will take some abuse, not over-powered, yet still fun to drive and hold a couple of friends, as well as relatively easy and inexpensive to maintain.

Does the brake pedal feel soft or spongy? They may not have done a good job of bleeding the air out after your recent brake system work. That's kind of what it sounds like to me.

According to the tire calculator a 205/60-15 and a 185/80-13 are both 24.7" and very nearly the same in all exterior dimension.

I've read that the tallest for an unmodified will be 25" tires. I did some checking and found that the largest tire for a 13" wheel that Les Schwab carries is 185/80-13 and according to the Miata tire and wheel calculator those would be 24.7". Hope that helps a bit. I think I'm going to go that direction with my next set. Maybe I'll work up from there. LOL

Need to remove the ring nut to replace or grease the rear wheel bearings, but don't have the special socket and don't want to spend next weeks beer budget on one? Try this: Find a socket for a Ford with Dana 44 axles. Schucks and Autozone carry them for $15 - $20 or search through the tools at local Pawn shops and pick one up for a couple of $$. They have 4 lugs, but obviously your Soobs ring nut won't work with them.... but, it will if you grind two of them off!! Hold it facing you and look at the lugs like 3, 6, 9, 12 on a clock. You want to grind off one of the pairs (3/9 or 6/12). The remaining two lugs will fit just dandy. Any socket of this type that's 2 3/8" across should work. The remaining lugs should be more than sufficient to handle the max. 167 ftlbs torque. Good luck!!

I know a lot of folks don't like this feature, but I've always thought it was a rather nifty and handy item. If nothing else, I'm sure it extends the life of your clutch, as compared to slipping the clutch in hilly urban driving.

Can anyone tell me what size 4 prong socket fits the rear wheel bearing ring nut? Thanks. I almost forgot to specify, this is in reference to an EA82, '91 Loyale.

1 qt. in 1200 miles doesn't seem to bad, but the 3-4 days 1/2 qt. does seem excessive.

There is most definitely a difference between air cleaner vacuum and carbeuretor vacuum! It's surprising that you haven't had seal problems or oil consumption problems. Have you noticed any rust on your dipstick? If you live in a high humidity area you could. That much vacuum is surely sucking air into your crankcase and with it will be moisture.

Here's something that might help. I've used it on mine and in conjunction with worm gear (radiator) clamps, seems to be working great! Do this when the system is cold and you won't need to go anywhere for at least 24 hours: Use the clamps to secure the shields to the pipes. The rattles are usually a result of the shields rattling against the cat or some other large surface area place, so.... get some high temp RTV, it's usually orange. Make sure there's a gap between the shield and whatever it's shielding and squirt a wad of RTV into the gap. You don't want to use too much but enough to provide a flexible spacer/bumper between the two. Usually a couple of spots about the size of a dime or so will do. Give it at least 24 hours to cure and make a test drive. This should get rid of most of your rattling. You may find that the clamps will loosen over time due to expansion/contraction. If you're familiar with safety wire and the clamps are the type with the slot for a screwdriver in the head, you can eliminate that, too. If you've ever worked on F-4s you know the engine bays were full of the orange RTV and safety wire!! Ahhh, the things we can learn and adapt to other uses. LOL Keep the shields on, especially if you drive offroad much. They'll do some to help protect those components. But, more importantly, they keep combustibles away from hot surfaces.

I personally like ATs, maybe it's cuz' I'm a lazy driver or would rather have my girlfriends hand in mine, instead of a shifter. Who knows? LOL But, I know I hate changing clutches and other things that are built to wear out!! My Dad was a Master mechanic and he always swore that a good AT, well maintained would last nearly forever and the thing that was hardest on them was flushing them. I've also heard this from many reputable transmission specialists. They all say if the fluid is clean, leave it alone. If you must change the filter, do so, but keep everything spotless. Not just clean, SPOTLESSLY clean. DO NOT flush them. Every one of them I've ever talked with is against flushing them, under most conditions. They all say that some varnishes, gunk and such get built up and trapped in nooks and crannies, as well as the filter. When you flush them it breaks this stuff loose and puts it back into the fluid stream and cause problems. Even worse is a shop that back flushes them!! That just puts everything the filter has trapped right back in the fluid. I've personally seen this attempted, too. I bought a used pick up several years ago and took it to a quicky lube type place. They asked if I wanted the tranny flushed, and at the time I thought well I don't know how it's been treated maybe it's not a bad idea. I watched them hook the machine up to it and asked a few questions and just before he started it I told him it seemed to me that it was hooked up backwards. He said nope, that's how their system works. I promptly asked him to disconnect it, paid for an oil change and left. Arguably, the best AT ever designed is the Ford C6, well maintained they are as bullet proof as an older gen Soobie. But, I really like my '92 Loyale AT, too. 176K and still motoring. You can tell me I'm nutz, my son does. He can't understand why I like the '92, when I could be driving the '91 Loyale MT!! (233K and still going). My .02, have a great day. Oh, I used to know a guy who had a 86 GM car that he bought new. We could never figure out why he had so much trouble with his AT. Until we asked him some history on it. He said he'd been taking it to the dealership and having the tranny serviced and the bands tightened every 30K, just like they had told him too. Dad told him to have the bands tightened if/when they started slipping, not before!! Geez! Talk about causing your own problems. He never had a lick of trouble with it after that.