froggymike

Does it make more noise in 4wd? If so I vote for bad U-joints on rear-center drive shaft. I've had that happen once.

Ouch!!! Oh well, lets see that Prius in the snow and then we'll talk:)

Murphy, that sly devil. She is trying to find ways to not run. That flat tire that was plugged yesterday went flat again today. I scolded Murph and then spent $280 to buy baby a new pair (or is that quad) of shoes, since the ones she was wearing were from 1996 and WAY out of fashion.

OK. So now Murph has a flat front tire. Do you think it's karma for trying to go against a WRX???????????

...When it absolutely has to be there...BAM! The fine print in the commercial was that: "We stop for no one. No one gets in the way!". You should order the replacement parts and have them delivered Fed Ex free of charge. They owe you!

I was on my way home from school tonight, piloting Murphy the $500, 87 T-Wag, and was stopped at a light. Beside me was a WRX, but I didn't notice it 'till the light turned green and it sped away. Well the next was also red and I found myself next to the pretty blue Subi streaker. This time I was ready. When the light turned green, we both flooded it... OK, I don't know if HE flooder it, but he took off very fast, so I'll pretend he flooded it. How did me and Murphy do? We Got Smoked Man those things are quick! But between 25 to 45 MPH Murphy hung in there and didn't lose too much distance. She's quick in that range, but off the line the 3 speed auto just has nothing. Murph has been running for a whole week now without incident, and I think she's ready for the drive from Fresno to Santa Cruz for the Gig on Sunday. Remember: Bass Players Rule, and so do $500, 87, T-Wags... Except when getting buzzed by a WRX .

Uhm... Duh!! When I removed the air intake to remove the turbo, I Kinda forgot to reconnect a couple of vac hoses. Fixed. There is still a slight lag (of the non turbo variety) when accererating. But I think Murphy is ready to haul me up to Santa Cruz for a gig this week-end.

PS> The slight lag in power feels almost like a cylinder is not firing quite right. Almost.

Oh, isn't that the way of it? So, after almost two months of extreme business, I finally replaced the old leaky / slippy 3spd auto tranny in the $500 T-Wag. A few weeks ago, while I was bolting the torque converter to the torque converter plate, you guessed it, I dropped a wrench into the space between. And I was thinking just before it happened that I shouldn't be using this wrench cause it might slip out of my tranny fluid soaked hand. So I had to disassemble everything to get the wrench... and the magnet I was trying to use to fish the wrench out that also got stuck in the dreaded auto-tranny black hole. I HAtE it when repairs go backwards. So last week-end I get Murphy running. The New(er) tranny works really well. No leaks That was a Saturday (9:30pm) just before my band was scheduled to play. I'm surprised I didn't smash my fingers. Well Monday came around and I went to the Calif Board of Equalization to pay my five months overdue sales tax for my company (ppol / spa mnt. repair). On the way home I started to smell that thick sweet smell that screams hose or radiator leak. The engine got very hot before I could get home (seems to be no damage from that). Well, the leaky culprit just can't be something easy like one of the main radiator hoses; the leaky hose has to be the one underneath the turbo So I had to take out turbo to change the hose. Sad thing is that I had meant to replace that hose when I was swapping engines and forgot to do so. Paid the price on that one. But Murphy is running good. The next little thing is that from a stop, the engine feels a bit sluggish upon acceleration. I doesn't hiccough, it just doesn't want to go right away. Once up to speed the car runs great. It feels a bit like a slight vacuum leak though I can't hear it when the engine is running. I'm going to check the timing again, as the old tranny might not have been putting enough drag on the engine when timing the disty, thus throwing off the timing a bit. Could it be a bad lifter? I do hear a slight tick while driving. Any thoughts?

Whoa. Thanks Miles. I didn't think of the possibility that the engine might pitch forward. And yes, the swap is going to take three to five times longer than planned. But that seems to be the way of it with "Murphy" the Turbo Wag. PS. When I'm hauling my band stuff to and from practice and / or gigs, it becomes "Murphy" the band-wagon:-)

Today the swap begins!

Me with the $500 87 T-Wag here... and doing the same thing. Just waiting for the exaust to cool down. I like the idea of crane assist. I'm gonna use that one. When I repalced the complete rear axle on my 94 toyota PU, I used a skate board to take out the old and role in the new. I'll let you guys know if I come up with any fun cheats or work-arounds.

Dealer wanted about $80 for a new knock sensor. Junk yard was $5. Mamma didn't raise no fool..... or did she???????

The tranny I have is marked on the reciept as a EA82 3 spd pt 4wd. The old tranny has a few problems. The worst is the torque converter slips when I make a sharp right or left hand turn. and slips alot when cold. The fluid is new, but, even though it's not recomended, I do have it slightly overfilled as the slipping is much less pronounced when over filled. Other problems are that both the diff and tranny housings leak a lot. And a couple of the fluid pan bolt are broken off on the A/T. The previous owner really fried the engine and I suspect the tranny too. The new engine is running great, but I have to get the car long distance ready for a road trip to SD. And the A/c needs to be fixed.

After doing some reading, I have concluded my A/T is a 3 spd part time 4wd. Is this the same 3 spd that's in the non-turbo models? The reason I ask is that I have a used 3 spd pt 4 wd tranny in my garage and need to replace my tranny before I drive down to San Diego in July. If the only difference is the spline count on the front diff, can I just swap out the spline parts on the diff? Does this make any sense? Or can I put a 4 spd A/T ft 4wd from an 88 - 92 in the 87 with no modifications???

Many moons ago I fixed the clutch cable of my 76 Civic with a coat hanger. The eye on the cable that hooks at the pedal broke off while I was driving through a bad part of San Diego. I was not going to stay where I was at. Uh uh! I wrapped it around the back of the eye and made a new loop. Next time I'll share the knowledge of how to fix a carburator with a ballon.

My band mates still haven't seen just how much our equipment Murphy the T-Wag can hold. So far I've only been hauling my bass equipment, the PA, the PA speakers, speaker and mic stands, the 12 channel mixing board, and the jam bucket full of cables.

So are you saying that you can't just swap one 4spd A/T with another; that you have to replace the computer as well????

So it has been about a month since I got Murphy running -- notice I didn't say finished. I didn't realize how quick the turbo could be:-) Though it is a wagon, it is very fun to drive. I have already learned when to let of the gas to get the tranny to shift down and get better use of the turbo. But the tranny will definitely have to be replaced as the torque converter slips sometimes (when cold and on power turns) and it leaks all over (talk about a soob marking its territory). The question is, what should I do with the old dead engine, old dying A/T, and a used but working 3spd A/T. The guys in LA won't take back the wrong A/T I purchased, and even if they did, the shipping cost would make it an unsound economic decision. So this week I will start looking for a 4 spd turbo tranny and get ready to get dirty again. PS. How accurate is the digital temp gauge in these things? Mine never indicates a dangerously hot temp, but the temp does fluctuate.

Don't forget fuel filter.

Sorry to hear about the Car-B-Que:-(

FYI - The engine would still run if the knock sensor was bad. Mine was bad and unplugged for a week and the engine ran OK, but not geat. I picked one up from the J-yard this last weekend and it definitely made a difference. Hope you find your spark soon.

It's the same tranny and diff that came with the car. I would assume that if there was a mismatch you would be able to feel it right away when you put it into 4wd.

When I first start the Murph up and try to drive, the torque converter feels like it looses its grip a little. It seem most pronounced when I make a sharp turn. After running for a few minute (maybe 5) the problem seems to go away. The fluid is new and reading at the proper level. It is definitely not in 4wd, that is adifferent feeling. When I bought the engine, I also bought a tranny, but they sold me the wrong one. I have not sent it back yet as I wasn't sure if that would be a return with refund of an exchange for the right tranny. Any thoughts???

Get to the junk yard at 4:15 with plenty of time to spare.... or so I though. As I walked up to the entrance, the addmission lady told me that I only have 10 minutes instead of an hour. They now close at 4:30 on Sundays instead of 5:30. Damned It All!!!! BUT! This story has a really happy ending. I was at the very last section of imports, having no luck at all finding a compatable turbo subie. Just as they anounced they were closing, I saw it! The next to last car in the import section was an 87 Turbo Sedan. I swooped!!! Opened the hood. YES!!! The engine was still there and the knock sensor was the perfect match. In moments I had it in my hands. I am pleased to say that my Check Engine light is now off. The sensor cost? $4.50 + $2.00 for junk yard entrance. This is much better than the $77 + they wanted at the dealer. Tomorrow I will (if I have time) get Murphy smogged, insured, and registered. Next repairs: cruise control and A/C (it's getting hot here in the valley).