azsubaru

No problem - I'll be happy to send it to you once I get a replacement. I've been playing with the idea of putting in a manual switch to handle this for the time being. It would be sort of like the manual choke that was on my old Triumph TR3, except electronic instead of mechanical.

Followup - Thanks for the information, guys, it helped a lot. The manual link was great! I used page 67 of the document for a reference. It has a diagram and a troubleshooting flowchart. You can actually print that out and then ignore all the stuff I've put below - it's redundant. In hopes that it may help someone, here's the story: My problem is that the IAC valve in my 91 Loyale doesn't kick in, so idle is a problem when the car is cold. I checked the valve by hooking a lead to the white wire at the valve connector and connecting the other end to ground. The valve worked fine - it closed and the idle went up just like it should. So that means the valve is getting voltage, and works as it should when bypassing the ECU and associated wiring. This is a good quick and easy check that eliminated everything from the power side, up to and including the valve itself as being problems. With help from the page from the manual, here's what I found: The IAC valve is always hot when the key is on, so you should get 10 volts or more on the black and white wire at the valve anytime the key is switched on. The ECU simply goes low on pin 45 for the first minute after the key is on, which completes the circuit for the valve, effectively adding the ground. After a minute, pin 45 goes inactive, releasing the IAC valve. Pretty simple. Since the valve is always hot, you can disconnect the yellow connector at the ECU, hook up a multimeter to it (the connector), switch the ignition on, and you should read 10 or more volts coming through the green and red wire on pin 45. The green and red wire goes directly out to the white wire at the valve. Luckily pin 45 is on the yellow connector at the ECU that's closest to you when you look up at it - in other words, it's the closest connector to the steering wheel, so it's easy to get to. The plug for pin 45 is right in the middle, on the bottom of that connector - you'll see the green/red wire. So stick a meter lead in that slot, the other lead on ground, and see if you have voltage there. If you have voltage, you've pretty much proven that the circuit works all the way to the ECU. If not, and the valve worked earlier, you have a problem in the wiring between the valve and the ECU. Turn the key off and plug the connector back in. Then stick the multimeter lead in the back of the connector (with the other lead still on ground), then turn the key on. It's a bit of a pain to get the lead in there. I used a piece of stiff wire and alligator leads to get the connection. The meter should read low - 1 volt or so - for about the first minute and then go high. This is the ECU doing it's job. When I checked mine, I had about 12 volts voltage on the wire all the time at the ECU, so it appears that my ECU has gone on to the big Loyale in the sky. Now I have to find one at a reasonable price and see if it corrects the problem.

I owe you guys one. My Accel coil died on the way home today - I-10 in Phoenix at rush hour. Becuase I had read here about all the problems with these coils and even better, the symptoms I would see, I realized what had probably happened, grabbed the original coil out of the back, popped it in and drove home. I bought the coil last winter, before I saw here on the board that the company had been sold and the coils were no longer of high quality. So this thing lasted all of 8 months or so. That's not poor quality, that's trash. So thanks from me and my teenage daughter who was with me at the time - who was no doubt more embarassed than anything else.

Good story! I think mine has ticked that loud a couple times - you could hear it all the way down the block!

Does anyone know the pinouts on a 91 Loyale ECU? My IAC valve isn't kicking in, and the car won't idle til it warms up. I cleaned and and then tested the valve by hooking it directly to power. It works that way, but no voltage comes through the wiring harness. The manual says to disconnect the harness at the ECU and check pin 45, but I don't see numbers on there. Anyone have a diagram or any ideas? Thanks!

I agree with Northwet. I don't know all the theory, but driving a lot, you get bored and try things like this. Based on only what I found, 5th would seem to be better than 4th in this case.

There are members here a lot more qualified than I to answer your question. On the other hand, my 91 Loyale went through some of the same heating problems, and I've touched a lot of the cooling system. There as plenty of possibilities - the radiator cap may simply need replaced, or the thermostat could be sticking. If you are running the AC, maybe the electric fan isn't kicking in, allowing it to overheat. At the outer end, the radiator could be clogged up after all these years. If it is you'll need a new one. Also, if you your hoses look old, then replace them all, including the little tiny ones. Don't bother with just the radiator hoses, go ahead and do them all. My Loyale seemed to be 'drinking' the coolant at one point - it disappeared without a trace that I could find. It turned out to be a very tiny hole in a tiny hose in a hidden spot. Good luck - this should't be that difficult to fix.

David, I have a 91 Loyale, pretty much the same as your 93. Never had a problem with the fan, but looking in my hand dandy Chilton's, there's a blue/red wire coming in from the hot side, and a yellow and white wire that goes to ground through a relay. So assuming you don't have a bad plug where the wires come from the fan, you might check for 12 volts on the hot wire. If you have power there, check the relay. Again I'm not sure, but it's most likely one of the two relays back by the passsenger side strut mount. One is for the AC, and the other may be for the fan. One of the more knowledgable guys here can probably help with that. Good luck.

What superdave said. I just put a new radiator in my 91 Loyale (with AC) this morning. You shouldn't have to do anything with the AC condenser.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1992-Subaru-Loyale-ECM_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33596QQitemZ7990141169QQrdZ1 If you're a risk taker - runs out in a few hours.

What the other guys said. I lost the cap to my overflow tank several months ago, and the only thing it changed is that now I have to add a little coolant every now and then, I guess due to evaporation.

Not a recommendation, just a similar situation, for what it's worth - I once drove my Loyale for over 6 months with a clicking axle, at Interstate speeds as well as over the back (dirt) roads of Arizona. It eventually failed completely, but only after lots of warning noises that got progressively louder and nastier sounding over the last couple weeks.

CSK is headquartered here in Phoenix, and they have stores everywhere you look. I have shopped at several of them and unfortunately have to agree with you. They are the worst. Autozone is only a little better. NAPA seems to be a cut above both of them, both in service and quality of parts. I have found that it's difficult to totally avoid shopping there for various little things, but I would never go to CSK for a critical part or where I actually need some help. You have to pay extra for that.

No doubt a good rule. At first I figured some managers were not looking too closely, just take the money and run. But I've only rented open trailers, usually 5X8, and occasionaly a small covered one (4X6?). Nothing large and nothing with brakes. I once rented one with high sides and a little longer - I think 5X10 - and the darn thing looked bigger than the Loyale.

Absolutely - manual only! Interesting - never had this problem w/uhaul - but it's been a couple years.

Subaru gasket, aftermarket pump? - could be a mismatch, although unlikely. I agree with redskin on the fix.

I don't know the limits, but it's certainly possible. I have one on my 91 Loyale. It's been there since 1991 and has hauled some pretty heavy UHaul trailers back and forth across the country many times.

It's always cheaper to fix an old vehicle vs buy a newer one. Only buy for reliability, safety, to pick up chicks, or because you just want one. If you're happy with the old Soob, stick with it. You can do a lot of fixing up with the money you save on payments and insurance. Just my opinion.

Did I understand that right? - that coasting a manual transmission in neutral could cause damage? That makes no sense at all. Some auto manufacturers have always claimed that coasting with an automatic might cause damage, but I've never heard of it happening. Anyone on the board ever done it? I have noticed that it's illegal to coast, at least in many states, but no one ever explained exactly why from the legal point of view.

This has turned into an interesting thread! I've been compression braking so long that I don't really think about it anymore, but it just came to me that one reason is that if I need to suddenly apply some power, I'm usually in the right gear and part of the torque curve to do it. It would take longer to do that from 5th or neutral, and if you need to do it, fractions of a second could be the difference.

190K, original transmission, compression braking. I've never popped a clutch to slow down using the transmission, you have use a little feel, unless it's an emergency. Shouldn't be much if any harder on a transmission than upshifting, just pushing the gears the other way.

Phoenix, AZ - Soobs are almost rare here, I suppose because there's not much need for anything this versatile. Number one need here is a great AC, and that's not really a strong suit for these little cars.

Just an opinon - When I first started driving, many more cars on the road were manual shift than there are now. The advice from manufacturers was to always use the engine to brake if possible, because "gas is cheaper than brakes." I have no way of judging whether that statement is valid or not, but I have been driving manual transmission vehicles for about 35 years, and have always downshifted to use the engine to help stop. In all that time, the only problem I encountered was when a friend's Ford Falcon(!) blew a headgasket during a high speed downshift. My 91 Subaru has 190K on it, all of which I put on there, downshifting at stoplights daily all of those years, and the engine is still in excellent shape. Don't know if it really wastes a noticable amount of gas - with the throttle closed, it shouldn't really add up to a lot. My gas mileage is around 33, but I never compared it without compression braking. Based only on my experience, I would offer the opinion that combining a downshift with braking can get you stopped a LOT faster and safer than brakes alone if done properly, at least on these older non ABS vehicles.

I live in Phoenix, and back before my Loyale's AC died completely, it would always give up and start blowing hot air when the temperture got over about 105 - even when the car was still young! Used to travel to Tucson a lot, and I spent a lot of time stuck on Oracle in this kind of heat, never was able to get it fixed. Hope you have better luck with yours.

You got that right! I had to take the AC Compressor off to get one of them back in, then dropped the other one twice and had to go find a replacment.