Petersubaru

When my 86 subaru was only a few yrs old with 30k miles, it would always ping going up hills even with high octane gas..I ran a 170F thermo. and it did fix the problem..what ever the problem was with those low miles, I still have not figured it out..now with rebuilt heads and 200k miles, no more pinging even with the stock thermo....the machine shop said the compression was slightly lowered due to the valves sitting lower on the seats(regrinding)

always like to here from a mechanic...just seeking to understand..when you say that the "bosch plat. plugs burn hotter", do you mean that the "spark" is hotter then the standard plug or that the so called "same" heat range between the NGK's and Bosch are in fact different and not really the same heat range, and in this case bosch burns hotter(cylinder temp)..I hope I am making myself clear here...thanks

you could try with the thermostate change...I know it worked for me along with changing the regular plugs for colder ones..I am sure in your manual or at least in my 1990 manual there are 3 different heat ranges for the subaru ...and it would be a good idea to check the rad and if the fans and the thermostates are coming on when they are suppose too

I had the same problem and changed out the PVC for a new one..even if the old PVC rattles, they can get suck from time to time...if that does not help, then disconnect the rubber pipe at the air filter holder, the one coming out of the passenger side valve cover...you can remove the pipe completely and put a small filter on the valve cover pipe stem. and don't forget to put a rubber cap were the hose was connected to the air filter holder...most likely your carb is sucking oil along with air thru the pipe.. why it does not idle...who knows?

292K is impressive to me

do you mean the 32/36 weber carb

a car with SPFI...any idea,stories,experiences on how many miles can be gotten useing the SPFI before they can be considered unreliable ( I have seen some with 300,000mi..maybe just the exception...I don't know)...I am still debateing with myself if to install the spfi or just get the carburetor rebuilt...when traveling, I usually go to remote areas where getting FI parts could be a problem..no matter how you cut it, FI just gives a better feel, but the carb I think can be more reliable..I know if I was going to Mongolia it would be the carb...the other vehicle I have is a VW and because of it age I do carry around extra FI parts... (what the newer FI "Land Rover" commercial doesn't show, is that the back-up "Rover" is loaded with FI parts and is powered by a carbed motor)

General..Your right on the mark...opinions are cheap and easy if you live and drive in climates where the sun nearly shines everyday, but it becomes another story when suddenly you get caught in some snow fall or ice on the road or mountain pass and only then will someone know the value and meaning of the P valve ...also it just occured to me that when driving with stock brakes (rear drum) how many out there have actually changed or replaced there old drums for new ones...once there is .080th of wear (maximum limit) across the drum coupled with near worn out shoes and maybe larger tires; well, no wonder they will not lock up or even stop effortlessly...I hope this will not lead into another thread titled "lets all go back to the Non-collapsible steering column

You are correct within the context of "raceing" while I was referring merely to stock applications

Has anyone ever had problems with the ignitor failing on a 1987 SPFI loyale and beyond.....the ignitor sits on the outside of the coil or distr. ..and if so, how difficult was it to locate another one...none of the parts stores have a listing for them...at this time I am not sure if Subaru does also...if the ignitor does fail, can it be by-passed from the computor so that the car still runs

generally speaking, a P valve is a P valve...subaru I don't know but with VW, the more you pay for the car the more variables for example, changing load and height considerations are included into the P valve for optimum stopping ease

every car manufacture in the last 15 yrs installs the proportioning valve(this is not the ABS system)..it is there for Panic or Sudden hard brakeing, especially on ice and snowy conditions..to keep the car in a reasonably straight line...on some cars you would Not find them separately because the valve is built into the master cylinder...safety first

have you taken into consideration that if you also do a complete valve job, the valves will sit deeper into the heads thus giving a slightly less compression ratio into the equation

my 86 is a Wagen 4wdr and I know that the replacement discs have to come from another 4wdr vehicle...can I use discs and the proportioning valve from a sedan or am I only stuck to useing the discs/pro. valve from another wagen ..I am seeking to make this change over as proper as possible

where did you get the valve...

the haynes manual can be a bit confusing because it is published in england and the early loyales all had proportioning valves over there unlike my canadian loyale ('86) which does not have a valve and according to the subaru dealer did install one until the '92 models..the rears lock up in the winter and I don't drive it anymore because the rear can swing around to the front...it is panic brakeing that we need to be concerned with here and control is really needed under these conditions..without the proportioning valve you just don't have it.......

maybe I will not worry about the boots and just let it be ...I have a couple of complete PS units and eventually install one myself...sounds like a good idea...........

I am running a full tranny with ATF and I now can shift into 2nd going around the corner which was impossible to do earlier...at higher speeds the problem still persists but liveable..in time I will change out the oil for a synthetic 5/30 motor oil

usually any car momentarily gets slightly hotter when turning the ignition off...it could be as simple as a weak rad cap which would mean replaceing with a new one...perhaps a small pin hole or smaller is developing in one of the rubber coolant hoses(lets a very, very small amount of air in)..slight crack in the head...a pressure test with some ultraviolet light dye added to the cooling system will find this very quickly ...are you smelling any coolant in the passenger compartment....

I need a pair of rack bellows(boots) for my 86 loyale with manual steering...I have checked several web sites and also phoned the subaru dealer only to find out the boots are no longer available thru them for cars with manual steering ...no problem getting them if I have PS

even though the second pair of wires control when to inject the fuel ( knock sensor I believe ) and eventually I will have to find a 4 wire distributor...but for right now, would you know if useing the 2 wire only distributor,(carb dist.) if installed, will it still work enough to get the car home, or will it simply not work at all...I am trying to not use any towing services if possible...Thankyou....

the ignitor went bad in my 1986 EA82 Multi-Port Turbo....now is it possible to use a distributor from a carb motor that has only 2 wires going to the coil rather then the 4 wire set-up (the other 2 wires going to knock sensor)...I would think that the advance curve might be different...just looking for a way to get the car home until I find a cheaper solution then buying a new ignitor

yes, I have checked and changed gaskets and rechecked spraying starter fluid

has anyone ever explained as to why the Hitachi carbs stumble or hesitate...perhaps I missed the answer when trying to use the search...anyway, I have had my 86 wagon since near new and with only 25,000miles on it at that time, it was already showing signs of hesitation then and has only gotten worse with time...I would like to do something to correct the problem(if this is possible) while at the same time keep the car original ....any feedback would appreciated

find an oil that suits your needs and pocket book...drive around as you would normally do and then when you THINK it is time to change the oil..Have it tested to see if it really needed to be changed..the report will give a fair amount of info so that you can be in control and not the oil companies