heartless

the passenger side door lock should have the key code on it...had a similar problem with the other half's car a while back. pulled the passenger door lock and took it to a locksmith, had new keys cut in no time. if you pull a door/hatch lock from your car, any good locksmith should be able to cut you a key owning several Subaru's with "replacement" keys for pretty much all of them I have noticed that some say Nissan, some say Datsun, and the set we had cut for the other half's car - they say Briggs & Stratton!!!!

tclark411 - Glad to hear you got them working again. its always a pain when they dont work! :-p Loyale 2.7 Turbo, thanks for the info on the Bosch relay - will be saving your diagram for future reference!

White 89 GL wagon, with a bad case of salt cancer = Brumhilda, Hildy for short (came from the CarTalk name your car thing - it fit, so it stuck) Blue 89 GL wagon, dr 4x4 = Blue Blue 88 GL Coupe = RX Wannabe - will be getting the RX body kit one of these days 67 F-250 = Montana, for where it came from 73 Lincoln Mark IV = Hot Rod Lincoln (Boy, your gonna drive me to drinkin if you dont stop drivin that.....)

loyale 2.7 turbo - you wouldnt have a part number for that Bosch relay would ya?? tclark - to elaborate on how to get to the relay - 1. remove front passenger seat, 4 - 12mm bolts 2. remove the plastic trim strip holding carpet down - 4 plastic screw type fasteners (unscrew w/phillips driver, then pop out the washer portion with a small flat blade driver - dont have to totally remove the screw portion, just undo about 1/4 inch or so) 3. pull back carpet to expose the relay(s) near the "B" pillar (removing the trim strip from the rear door area can make pulling the carpet back easier, but not necessary) attaching a pic to show the relays exposed so you know what you are loking for...sorry its not real clear - cheap camera Good luck with the windows. mine quit totally the other day - turned out to be a corroded connection in the passenger footwell.

if you are gonna sell parts from it, you should post it in the classified section....might make enough from parts to get yurself a better one.....

unfortunately it does get worse - and there is no cure! What started with one wagon to "get me thru the winter" is now up to 6, yes SIX, Subaru's! more if we could afford them! (i know a guy that has a cherry 92 Loyale sedan - not a speck of rust....if only i had the money - or a truck for trade....)

This is why I drive a Subaru!!! :banana: i doubt mine will see that many miles before the body gives out, but I know the engine could do it!!

would have to guess around 24-25 for the stock Brat - dont really know for sure tho. 89 GL wagon, 5 spd, Fwd gets around 31-32 Average - mostly country driving, average speed 60mph (not much for highways around here) have gotten as high as 36 (summer) and as low as 26 (winter) running the cheapest (ie: lowest octane) gas i can get.

Have to agree with the rest of the guys here - do it yourself and save a bundle!! EA82's are Super easy to work on - if you have even a little mechanical apttitude you CAN do it. (Hey, if a Female can do it, so can you! ) Have only taken my Subaru into a shop twice since I bought it - first time was clutch and axles (long haul truck driver - wasnt home enough to do it myself) second time was just recently for an alignment after rebuilding front end. have had the car for over 4 yrs...done lots of work! (also work on the hubby's!)

yes, the fender should fit fine.

228K and counting on the 89 GL wagon - body will give out before the motor does (salt induced cancer)

have to vote for the EA82 SPFI wagons myself - Paid $150 for my 89 GL wagon hoping it would get me thru one winter - that was 4 1/2 yrs ago! yes I had to put a little money into the ol girl to get her road worthy when I bought it - clutch, axles, tires, etc, but this car still doesnt owe me a dime. It has been incredibly reliable, a lot of fun, easy to work on and overall the best car I have ever owned. Sadly, she has a pretty serious case of salt induced cancer (was already started when I got her) but is still going at this time with 228,000 miles on the clock! If you can find one in good condition body wise, these cars are incredibly easy to keep running even with the "computer"!

If the Gear Oil is low, and smells really bad (something dead and rotting smell/rotten eggs) would suggest changing it - and getting it up to the proper level. driving it with low gear oil is not a very good idea, could cause more damage. Changing the gear oil is just about as easy as changing engine oil - there is a drainplug on the bottom of the tranny. pull that - you will get dirty - and let the oil drain into a pan. it may take a little while, this stuff is thick! once it is empty, put the plug back in, refill with the a good quality 80/90 gear oil to the proper level, test drive and double check oil level. Come on Guys/Gals - there has to be somebody within decent driving distance that could help Cynthia out here! I would, but as I said - 2000 miles is a little far....

it could possibly have a spfi 1.8L, some did, some were carbed...have picked up decent used spfi engines for around 150.00 (+/-) depending on the mileage and condition...and the various items still attached (alt, ac comp., etc) If the body is in decent shape I would get it, but that is me.

Cynthia - would definitely get the tranny swapped and keep the car!! 149,000 miles is barely broken in! my 89 GL wagon, FWD 5spd has 228,000 and still going strong - oil leaks and all! I bought her over 4 yrs ago for $150 at 142,000 miles and never looked back. This car doesnt owe me a dime - I owe IT!! (even after replacing clutch, both frt axles, timing belts, two alternators, new brakes all around and a total front end rebuild and re-alignment, and on my third set of tires!) need to replace rear shocks (hopefully today) and rotate the tires and she is good for a while. I do most all of my own work (I am female also) but then again, I am not what many would call a "typical" female. I like wrenching and welding and all the stuff that most gals would leave to the guys. :-p I hope you can find a decent tranny, and a reliable person to get it swapped in for you - would volunteer myself, but I am nearly 2000 miles away. definitely get the clutch & release bearing done while it is out, and wouldnt hurt to get the rear main seal taken care of as well, easy access while the tranny is out. It sounds like a lot of work to have done, but will save you aggravation (and $$) in the long run. GOOD LUCK!

if it is turning over fine, and everything looks ok, you need to pull a plug wire and check for the spark....weak spark will not start the car, needs to be a good strong spark. if the spark is weak, would suspect weakened coil

Welcome to the insanity! if you want performance, you are getting the wrong car. If you want reliability, you have the right car... these are not, nor will they ever be, a "performance car" - there is pretty much nothing, aside from doing an engine swap, that will give you big performance gains. Reliability however, is one of the strong points of these cars. keep up with recommended maintenance items (such as timing belts and oil changes) and it will outlive pretty much anything else out there. The body will give out before the drivetrain will. Dont really recommend doing a lot of towing with it either...they dont like to get hot (which towing can cause) aluminum blocks dont take extreme heat very well. small boat or canoe on the roof is one thing, towing a bass boat is something else Go thru all the documentation to verify when timing belts were done last - it is recommended they be done every 60,000 miles - if they are close to being due, do them. better to do them early than have one break and leave you stranded. oil leaks are also an "issue" on these cars...most leaks can be fixed easily - the hardest one is the oil pan gasket. highly recommend changing the crank & cam seals when doing timing belts to avoid future belt problems (speaking from experience here) other than that just the basic tuneup stuff - plugs, cap, rotor, and wires, fuel and air filters, oil change & filter... Good luck with the new toy!

seems to me that if the dipstick is broken/missing, it could be throwing oil up thru the tube to the top of the tranny...just a thought.... might try tracking down a dipstick for it at junk yards or from other board members.

Not all Subies have the flip up seat...have an 88 coupe that doesnt, it is bolted down as well. Had a similar problem with my wagon, it was actually leaking inside the car, and simply replaced the bad section with quality rubber line and good hose clamps...cant remember the size at the moment tho. if possible, cut a small chunk of the bad line off and take it to the parts stoire to match sizes, get plenty of the rubber hose (generally sold by the foot - extra is always a good thing) and cut it to length yourself when making the repair so you know you have enough. Good luck with the repair

First off - Welcome to the madness! (it is addictive - you have been warned) If you are, as you put it, "a handy guy" you dont need a "pro" to take your hard earned dollars to do a tune up. Tune ups are about the easiest thing you can do on these cars. New NGK sparkplugs, new distributor cap and rotor, and probably new plug wires are all you need for that. other items to think about would be fuel and air filters. basic oil changes are always pretty easy as well, as long as you have somplace to dispose of the used oil. basic tools should include a set of metric wrenches in sizes 10mm to 21-22 mm - you should also get a decent socket set in the same size ranges you will need a 36mm for axle nuts (if your car is front wheel drive only, the rear "axle" nuts are smaller) wheel lug nuts should be 19mm, altho some replacement nuts are larger *A good set of pin punches is a very good idea (for axle removal) *a 2-5 lb mini sledge is always handy *a good breaker bar for breaking loose those axle nuts, and other stubborn items *a good torque wrench that has a wide range of settings (ours will go from 10ftlbs to 150 ftlbs) axle nuts need 145 ft lbs of torque other misc items that are nice to have on hand - flare wrenches (metric of course), vice grips (couple of styles), needle nose pliers, regular pliers, wire cutters, wire strippers, basic screwdriver set, some sort of electrical tester (digital multimeters are great), an adjustable wrench can be useful too, an oil filter wrench in the appropiate size (not a necessity if the filter isnt screwed on overly tight) Highly recommend a can or two if PB Blaster penetrating oil - much better than WD40 for breaking loose old fasteners of all types Some sort of manual is always nice, but Chiltons and Haynes miss a lot of stuff, or are not very clear (timing belt replacement is one of those items) The "How to Keep Your Subaru Alive" book is available for download on this site. And of course the USMB!! If you cant find the answer anywhere else, you can find it here - or it doesnt exist!! If I hadnt found this place when I got my Suby over 4 yrs ago, I doubt I would still be driving it - the guys and gals here are awesome! (and yes, I am female, and I enjoy wrenching on my Subaru! it is very satisfying to keep my own vehicle running when most would have given up on it - 227,500 miles and counting) Enjoy your Subaru, learn about your Subaru, Keep your Subaru alive!!

Thanks guys, I did get it swapped out. removed the boot...used a long flat head screwdriver to bend back the crushwasher, and used a smaller pipe wrench to break the tierod loose - did have to fiddle around with placement of the steering to get the wrench on it, but it worked. Work I managed to get done today - swap out bad tierod (remove good one from donor car, remove bad one from my car and replace w/good donor), new tierod ends on both sides, new struts on both sides (after fighting with the spring compressors for an hour - one got stuck on the first strut :-p ) should handle and ride a LOT better now! work left to do...replace rear shocks...but that is for another day...am worn out right now!

bending it back really isnt the smart thing to do - just makes it weaker. putting too many miles a day on this car to be fooling around with that, it needs to be replaced. Come on guys/gals - somebody has had to have done this...

Welcome to the madness!! I personally like the wagons for the available cargo space as well as people room...all depends on your needs really. look around and see what fits you and your needs. The coupe is sportier looking...still plenty of cargo space if ya need it, but harder for people to get in/out of backseat... Good luck finding the Subaru of your dreams! Now it is time for me to get back to work on my Suby (jk)

ok...89 GL wagon... have been having some wandering issues lately, and after checking it over decided it needed new tierod ends...ordered a set (left and right) got them in and proceded to take off the right one to install the new one...after discovering i had the wrong ends i notice that the right tierod is bent! (thats never a good thing) Anyway, the question is this - is it possible to remove the tierod without pulling the entire rack??? (have a donor available - just need to get them off and swapped) If so, how does one do this??? Any tips and suggestions are greatly appreciated

at 3K you arent even hitting the power band!! 1989 EA82, 225,500 miles...regularly shift @ 3500 - 4K for "normal" driving (in traffic). Out on the open back roads - 4500 - 5000 rpms (or higher, depending on my mood) just because! getting on the freeway (on ramp) wind that puppy up to 5500 - 6000 easy! got to get that speed up to avoid being run over by the semi barrelling up behind ya! :-p Have hit 70mph in third gear (5 spd tranny) many times. and just for the record, I run the cheapest gas I can get (ie: lowest octane) I will admit to going a bit easy on it lately, but that is due to needing to replace tierod ends - when those get changed it will be back to driving like a "maniac" again!! I love these cars!!