msteel

I'm pretty sure I've seen the -0- mark in my flywheel, through the timing hole in the bellhousing. I've not had to do a clutch, so I don't know about any marks on the pressure plate.

It sounds like you're describing a reserve price. The item doesn't sell unless the bid goes above the seller's (hidden) minumum sale price. You see that a lot on vehicles offered by dealers.

Remember too that the clock dims when the lights are on. If you keep your lights on during the day then it will not be readable.

There was one time when I had a difficult time removing an axle nut. I don't have an impact wrench and for some reason the pipe extension trick wasn't working. As a last resort I put a second jack under the handle of a breaker bar and it came off no problem.

My Subaru experience to date has been with my Loyale, but I've found a '99 Outback that seems pretty cheap to me. It has about 130,000 miles with about 70,000 on the engine. Everything is reported to be in good shape (no rust either) except it has the issue where the auto transmission has delays going into drive. They have been driving it this way for some years now and say it is not getting any worse. They're asking $1000 fior it. My questions for the new gen experts are: From searching here it seems that this is a somewhat coomon problem caused by a weak. Can this seal be replaced without rebuilding the transmission (i.e. cheaper than a rebuild or replacement transmission)? Is it something that will give additional warning before it fails completely? I can live with the delay but wouldn't want to get stranded by a total failure. Any idea how expensive a replacement transmisison would be? Thanks for your wisdom!

According to the diagrams I have, the vehicle speed sensor is a reed switch in the speedometer. One end goes to ground and the other to the ECU. I presume that the ECU has a pull up inside, so you'd get a digital waveform. It seems logical to expect that the frequency is proportional to speed, but I've never tried to view it with an oscilloscope.

Yeah, probably a vacuum issue. Look next to the driver side strut tower at the 4wd vacuum solenoids for loose or broken vacuum fittings.

My '92 Loyale wagon is SPFI with 5spd 4wd. Most driving with it is around town and has been about 18-22 mpg. On a long trip where it is all highway I typically get 30+ mpg. So personally, I think there is probably some reason yours is getting worse than this. I wonder about the 10w40. I thought the recommended oil was 10w30. Maybe the thicker oil could cause you to lose a bit of mileage. It also wouldn't hurt to check your Mass Airflow Sensor. Some here have reported improvements by cleaning a dirty one. It's also possible that some other sensor like the O2 sensor could be marginal enough to cause a decrease in mileage, but not generate an engine code. One other thing you could try is to reset the computer. It seems that the ECU uses some adaptive control systems and "learns" the engine and demands placed on it. If driving habits have changed or if a bad sensor has been replaced then resetting it will cause it to readapt to current conditions.

GD, I have an axle tool my father in law built. If you want I can take a picture of it to post.

One other thing. Be as gentle as you can with the bolts. At various times I have broken both of the pinch bolts (the ones that didn't have never-seize on them) that hold the steering knuckle to the strut. The first time it happened I replaced the whole knuckle, and that was a pain because I had to wait for the replacement part to come, and I had to do bearings too. This time when the other one broke I bought a tap (10mm 1.25) and redrilled and tapped the knuckle. That turned out well and was easier than I thought it would be.

Just yesterday I finished replacing all 4 struts on my '92 Loyale wagon (4WD), so have fresh experience to share: * None of my struts were rebuildable. They were all sealed and had non-replaceable cartridges. * The front struts I replaced were genuine Subaru, possibly original. The Monro SensaTrac (71876 and 71877) I put in were identical in size and shape. These are the same as for an '87 4WD. * I hoped to have a definitive comparison between Subaru and Monroe on the rears, since Monroe crosses the same part for both 2WD and 4WD, but some say they are different. But all I can say is...that the Monroe SensaTracs (71222) I put in were identical to the Monroe Sensatracs I took out. * It is a blessed thing to take out suspension bolts on a 15 year old car that spent significant time in rust territory and find that the previous mechanic (my father -in-law in this case) had put never-seize on them.

Well, mine are nothing special, but I love'em all the same! Jacinta The Great is a white '92 Loyale 4WD and is my wife's daily driver. She was purchased new by my wife's parents. She's starting to have nonstructural but pervasive rust issues from growing up in upstate NY. The most fun she ever had was driving on the beach north of Corolla in the Outer Banks of NC (see my avatar). Junky is a red '94 (or maybe '93) Loyale 4WD and he was purchased on eBay for $136.50, in running condition but with lots of rust. He currently sits just where you see him, behind my in-laws garage near Albany, NY. He's missing more parts now than he was when this picture was taken, and he will probably go to the junkyard this summer when we visit.

I have TWO cats. One is a tabby and the other one is fluffy gray. But my Loyale 4WD also has two cats, at least I'm pretty sure they're both cats. One is in the y-pipe and that's where the O2 sensor is. But there is another further back, and I'm pretty sure it's a cat and not just a resonator.

Not the best, and some of the coils are missing, but it's a picture..

When working properly, the light will go off if all doors are locked. This includes the hatch if you have a wagon. If you have power locks, locking the driver's door locks all doors, and should turn off the light. If all doors are locked and the light is still on, then as others have said, a wire is shorted to ground somewhere it should not be.

It is definitely a vacuum solenoid. I am not familiar with the other Subaru engine configs, just my SPFI EA82, but your engine appears to gave an EGR valve. The gold disc right next to the spare tire looks identical to, and is in the same location as, the vacuum actuator for the EGR valve on my SPFI. My best guess then is that it is the EGR Solenoid.

Aha...10 watt pots yes, they would not have a problem. That would be about the minimum I'd recommend if you want a reasonable safety factor. And yes, there are lots of forms of Ohm's Law and the Power Law.

Great...I have to either contradict GD's resistance number or contradict Skip's wattage claim. Well, here goes: If 33 ohms is the correct value for a resistor, then there will be significant power dissipated in the resistors: 12 volts divided by 33 ohms is 0.364 amps of current - not at all out of line for a solenoid. 0.364 amps times 12 volts is 4.36 watts. That kind of wattage would certainly heat up, and possibly fry the three recommended 100 ohm quarter-watt resistors. A couple of years ago I had my purge solenoid start generating a CEL. Using a vacuum pump/gauge it seemed to work fine, too - when it was cold. But the coil became an open circuit after the engine got up to temperature. I took it off the car hot and verified that it didn't work. After it cooled down a bit it worked fine again. I have no idea if this is common with these solenoids. But for me a replacement solenoid stopped generating CELs. As a side note, before I replaced the solenoid, I took a 1000 mile trip without the solenoid. I decided to connect vacuum straight to the cannister valve (the equivalent of the solenoid always on). My mileage certainly didn't suffer and in fact I wonder if I didn't get better than normal fuel economy that trip.

Do these trails require lift? I kinda wish I knew of somewhere I could get my (stock) Loyale off the pavement somewhere near Greenville, SC.

Spockva, glad you're happy with the clock. I at one time drove my Loyale over 1000 miles with the purge solenoid bypassed while I looked for a replacement. I did not notice any diffeence in performance or fuel mileage. In fact I wondered if my mileage wasn't better that trip. As far as the EGR solenoid goes, some say it is needed, others say not. If you decide to do without but want the Check Engine light to go off you can replace the solenoid with a resistor Like GD said, and the ECU will be tricked into thinking it is there and functioning properly. They are expensive to get new (I think the dealer told me about $90). Some have found a similar solenoid from another car (Toyota comes to mind) that has worked fine and been cheaper. That scenario likely requires an alternate mounting location. It may also be helpful to know that the EGR and purge solenoids are functionally identical, although they do have a different electrical connector. Actually the pins are the same but the housing is a different shape. You can splice a different connector or swap the pins to different housing to convert one to the other.

I've heard of people using a torch to heat up the knuckle and make it expand. I've never done it myself, though.

Here is how the Loyale 4wd is engaged: Pushing the button sends voltage to engage a vacuum solenoid. Engine vacuum is routed to an actuator at the transmission. The actuator moves linkage that puts it into 4wd. The same linkage switches the 4wd lights on the instrument panel. If the light lights, it's probably a mechanical/transmission issue. If the light doesn't light, check for voltage at the 4wd solenoids (behind the left hand strut, next to the fuel filter)or vacuum to or from the solenoids.

So, does it sound like the struts are my problem? That is what I'd always heard, but I had never been in a position to compare the two myself. I think I'd better insist on the 4WD part number, and if I can't be sure I'll get them I'll go where I can. It is hard for me to decide where I need to be on the price/performance/longevity curve on this one. I do need safe handling at normal highway speeds. But it's an oldish car that has enough rust that it probably won't last too many more years.

I think he uses the same picture for all struts, not necessarily the exact one.

I think I need new rear struts on my '92 Loyale wagon. But since it's not a job I've done before, I thought I'd ask some questions of the gurus here first: 1) Are my struts really the problem? My complaint is that over the last few years the handling has gotten gradually worse. As I get near highway speeds, or have more stuff in the back, or the wind is strong, the back of the car feels like it sways/fishtails. I could also describe it as feeling like the body is attached to the driveline by balloons. I replaced the tires and it improved somewhat, but still isn't great. I've checked the bolts and they all seem tight back there. The car springs back but doesn't bounce if I press down on the rear of the car and let go quickly. 2) Is there any reason not to get the Gabriel struts I see now and then on eBay? (like these: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=270037434873&ih=017&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT) 3) What is the difference between 2WD and 4WD on the Loyale wagons? Gabriel has two different part numbers for 2WD/4WD, but the eBay guy says they are both the same, and apparently you can't be sure which one he'll sell you. Any advice would be appreciated.