SuspiciousPizza

I'll check the IAC tonight. It's right out front and easy to access. If it's not carboned up I'll see if there's a resistance test or something I can do in the FSM. I have a few spares kicking around I could try if it comes to that. Also I did do a factory PCV reroute. I know the PCV was definitely sucking oil before I did this. I lost about 1/3 quart of oil over about 1300-1500 miles. I've checked my oil level recently (about 1500 miles since the reroute) and I haven't noticed any obvious loss of oil after doing the reroute. Then again my oil pump leaks so I'm unsure how much of the aforementioned oil loss was due to the oil pump leaks vs the PCV sucking oil. And my vacuum does begin to ever so slightly flutter above 3.5k-ish RPM. Less than 1inHg fluctuation but if you're looking for it, it is noticable.

I'd sure hope it's not the alternator. I swapped in a new one maybe a year and a half ago. The car has always had a voltage flutter and differing fuel pump whine with the turn signals. After I did some electrical work it has gotten better and now drops approximately 1 volt with the turn signals whereas before it was maybe 3 volts or so. I can always check the alternator terminal connections and belt tension. It doesn't sound like the belts are slipping (I'm running both belts in the same pattern since I deleted my AC). PCV valve is a new OEM part I added when doing a full refurb of the engine. I tightened it with a flange wrench too and while I didn't torque it, it definitely felt tight. Sealing the threads would be an easy thing to do. The engine I have in the car now was sitting for a few decades so I do suspect one or more of the valve springs are weak from the valves sitting open for so long. I didn't replace the springs because I couldn't find a full set of inner and outer springs. I'm still in need of outers, I have a full set of inners. Perhaps the springs just don't respond well to rapid changes in RPM? Valves get a little float? My vacuum on cold start is typically 15inHg then as the engine idles for a minute or two it'll creep up to 20inHg while staying at the same RPM (set to 1500 when cold). If the engine is REALLY cold my cold start vacuum is typically in the 12-15inHg range and the creep to 20inHg may take a little longer.

IAC is "new" a tested good unit that was cleaned and has a new gasket. I initially thought brake booster too. I could always swap in a booster vacuum hose to see if that works. However sometimes my vacuum will flutter with the blinking of my turn signals. My fuel pump will whine at a different tone with the turn signals and my voltage gauge will dip with the turn signals as well. This makes me believe it's a failing fuel pump. In addition to the pump being fairly noisy in general. I do have a spare brake booster if it ever comes to that. Probably wouldn't hurt to swap that in within the coming warmer months. Vacuum doesn't seem to change when I'm on the brakes at a red light. I'd think if it was a brake booster, I'd be seeing vacuum fluttering anytime I apply the brakes and that's not happening. Only on rapid deceleration. I've also noticed the idle issue is more common on downhill slopes (when the front of the car is lower than the rear). Maybe this has to do with the fuel in the tank sloshing forward and it's causing some issue with the fuel pump.

'89 GL SPFI 5DRMT. When I have to rapidly decelerate, for instance when a light turns yellow or I get cut off, when I get to a crawling pace or a complete stop my idle is very poor. It'll dip down to 250 RPM and my vacuum will flutter wildly within a 5-8 inHg range. If I give it a little throttle and hold it slightly above idle RPM for a few seconds it quickly subsides. I have no issue with throttle response when I'm having these idle issues. The engine responds to very slight throttle input. It starts cold just fine unless the car was sitting outside overnight in subzero temps, then getting it started can take a few minutes and words of affirmation. Any ideas? I'm thinking it's a failing fuel pump or maybe an injector in need of a cleaning. My fuel pump is quite noisy. I have replaced my fuel filter and the fuel that came out of the old filter wasn't dirty. I just haven't gotten the motivation to diagnose anything in this winter weather. Ideally if it is a fuel pump, I'd like to replace it when I do my post-winter rust inspections and general maintenance in the spring. Thanks :]

I'm running DRW bushing as well. I forget what the factory bushing durometer is but if I remember correctly the DRW bushing are slightly stiffer. I make it a habit to relube the bushing every spring/summer when I descale and treat the rust that forms during the winter. May be overkill but I'm going for longevity. I'm using good quality KYB strut mounts. Took a lot of searching to find them but I trust them more than the typical chinesium parts.

Tires are typically ran at the stock 30-31 PSI. Granted I am on the factory 13" wheels. If I did a 5-lug conversion and got some 15" wheels under it, the ride would improve. I also am running stiffer poly bushings and all my rubber components are less than 2 years old. I don't have a decade or more of use to soften the ride. I'd say I have about 200 pounds of weight added to the car and I plan to add more. The weight, as mentioned, does definitely help. In comparison to a modern USDM (we love soft suspension and cup holders here, neither of which I have) vehicle though, it's almost at the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Okay, my thread hijack is over. Thanks for this write up! Any assistance getting parts on these cars where they belong is greatly appreciated! :]

A note on the "overload" King springs. I've had mine for about a year and I'm not sure how I feel about them. The Pros: They benefit high-speed handling, they improve the weight capacity (cargo for wagons or utes, more passengers, etc), they're yellow - they give proto wilderness trim vibes. The Cons: The ride, oh my goodness the ride. It is very unforgiving in terms of comfort. I live in an area that sees significant seasonal freezing and thawing and the buckling of the roads makes for a truly bad ride. Think sitting at the back of a school bus going over railroad tracks bad. I've been debating replacing them with my worn stock springs. The ride isn't bad enough to buy new stock rate springs but that's just my opinion. I forewarn any passengers that haven't ridden in the car about the ride. I do worry about the long term stress on the mounts, bushings, strut towers, etc. However the benefit of better weight capacity and better handling has me on the fence about whether or not they're worth it. I'll be keeping mine for the time being but I will be replacing them at the first sign of excessive wear to suspension components. If you're thinking about getting them, they do what's written on the tin. But be forewarned, they do so at the sacrifice of comfort.

On the 3rd gens the outer seal is smaller, it fits around the inner boss of the hub. The inner seal is larger. It snugs up against the outer CV joint. The outer cup of the CV is the sealing surface so the seal is quite large.

That inner seal is the one that gave me the most issues. Seemed like the smaller the diameter of the seal, the easier to install. Probably less resistance because of the smaller surface area contacting the bore.

If it were me, I'd be collecting parts to keep the ER running before thinking about an engine swap. I know the oil pumps and water pumps are higher flow than the EA pumps. Parts is going to be the everlasting gobstopper, you've just got to be stubborn and eat the elephant one bite at a time. My EA82 is the exact same way, but mine is more of a loping "rap rap rap rap" that's a lower tone, not a "clack" nor a "tick". But my oil pump also leaks from the "freeze plugs". Once my engine is warm it's quiet as a field mouse. I run 5w30 in the winter and 10w30 in the summer. If you have the vision, keeping the ER27 would be the way to go. They're very uncommon and you'd be keeping a piece of Subaru history alive. I've never had the privilege of hearing, seeing, or putting a wrench to one but if they're anything like their 4-cylinder brother, then it'd be extremely adverse to dying so long as the fluids are maintained. Good luck the XT6 is up there as one of the weirdest Subarus. :]

I did cover my grille for a week or two. I actually had my license plate covering the driver side of the grille since when I replaced my bumper it didn't come with the license plate mount so I had to get creative. I think it'd be cool to have a vacuum solenoid and actuator hooked up to the thermo fan relay. That way I could have some sort of active louvre that opened with the thermo fan in cold temperature. Of course I'd need to 3D print a custom grille but I think it'd be a fun project.

I thought I'd update on the coolant pressure performance. It's on the brain now that my radiator started leaking. Turns out Subaru still sells radiators for my GL. How grateful I am for that. From a cold start by the time the RPM's have fully dropped it'll be steady around 10-12 PSI. When driving it'll fluctuate anywhere between 4-12 PSI. I think I should have tapped into the thermostat rather than the heater core inlet, that way I could see if the thermostat has opened or closed. There is a correlation between RPM and pressure, however the temperature of the engine does play a factor. I'm not informed enough to say how much is head pressure and how much is the pressure buildup from heat, but it's cool to see them all interact by watching the gauges. I live in an area with lots of rolling hills and vastly different temperatures between summer and winter. I actually have to keep the revs above 3k in order to keep the engine warm enough in winter. I don't cover my grille, I've found that prolonged highway driving with it covered can cause the engine to get a bit too toasty for my liking. About 1/2 way up on the temperature gauge.

I believe those are just plugs that cover openings for sand to exit internal cavities after the casting process. Similar to the mini "freeze plugs" on the oil pumps.

I'd recommend buying the sealed wheel bearings. Then you remove one seal from each bearing and face the unsealed sides inside the knuckle. Pack the inside of the knuckle with grease like normal. That way you don't have to worry about installing the seals. Installing the front bearings with the right tools is a cake walk. Installing the seals can be a challenge. Unless you're a heavy equipment tech, I don't know who'd have sockets that large to install the seals.

Welcome! There's a guy 4 hours from me that has a 1990 4WD 3 door Justy listed for $2000. Body is gone but it would be a fantastic parts car. Sitting since 2013. PM me if you want the details. Cool ride, I've never put a wrench to one but it's honestly more practical than a modern Subaru for A-to-B driving. :]

There's a front right Sachs 4WD strut on Parts Geek right now. There's only one in stock so if you need one, now's your chance! :]

For functional and tough parts my go-to is Armadillo by Ninjaflex. It's a very high hardness TPU so it acts like a normal rigid polymer but it has a very high bond strength between layers. It takes some tweaking to get your settings dialed in and may require dual-extrusion or a multi material unit when you print support material. Since it bonds so well to itself, getting supports off without cutting and sanding tools isn't easy. The best overall bed adhesive that works with almost all polymers, that I've found, is normal white school glue spread with a damp paper towel (3 quarter-sized dollops spread thin). Once that dries, lay a layer of Magigoo PC bed adhesive over that. That coating will last 3-10 prints before you wash it off with dish soap and reapply. I've wanted to print a cup holder. Right now I'm just using a cardboard drink carrier I got from a coffee place on my passenger side floor board.

It was a terminal connection issue coming from the driver's door to the dash harness. The hatch still only works as manual. That's less annoying than manually locking and unlocking doors from the inside so I'll leave it for now. That breaking noise I heard I believe was a locking rod disconnecting from its socket. One on the driver side was only semi-connected.

I had to unjam the cassette ejection mechanism last night. After I plugged the cassette player back in, the rear wiper switch illuminated for the first time in my ownership. There's some weird electrical gremlins going on here. So maybe the door lock issue is some sort of electrical issue. I'll break out the FSM and multimeter this weekend and check out what's going on. Oh I wish it's actually a mechanical issue, those make so much more sense than those invisible electrons.

The power locks use a switch in the driver door that tells the other locks when to lock or unlock. So the drivers door lock is manual and controls all the other locks with that master switch "actuator" (there's actually no motor in it). I opened the switch and checked the internal contacts. Everything is operating as it should. No cracked solder joints or excessive corrosion. It's nice to be able to open components. When I was looking in the FSM, allegedly there is a power lock actuator on the rear cargo door (the car is a wagon/estate). If so, it's never operated as a power lock in my ownership and doesn't trigger the door lock light. I've always used it as a manual lock. Perhaps the actuators are ran in series and when one goes bad, the rest don't work (like old school Christmas lights). The locks don't make any noise. They operate as manual locks and the 3 doors other than the driver door and rear cargo door trigger the door lock light.

'89 GL wagon Last winter we had a cold snap and some component of my power lock system froze. When I unlocked the car in the morning, I heard something break inside the door and my power locks stopped working since. The locks still work as manual locks. The door lock light on the dash recognizes every lock except the driver door. So I took all the driver door lock components out and nothing seems broken. The plastic pieces are intact and the mechanism functions smoothly. I replaced the door lock actuator (unknown condition of the actuator, I didn't pull the part myself) and nothing. No difference. *Edit: I just checked the terminals of the driver door actuator and it's operating as it should. Fuse is fine, I really don't think it's an electrical issue. Possibly electromechanical. Any ideas? :]

The head bolts are reusable. Unless they have stretched or are damaged in some way. These bolts are an odd size. M11. Not exactly an easily accessible off-the-shelf part. Some modern Chevy's have similarly sized head bolts but I believe there isn't any modern production of these head bolts. If you do need some, search locally for a used engine. That way you get a lot of extra parts for a decent price.

Checked my oil level tonight and I've lost about 1/3 to 1/2 qt in 1400 miles. I do have an oil leak from somewhere. Could have something to do with my jittery oil pressure. Since I do oil and filter changes every 3,000 miles I'm not worried about the leak but I'll keep an eye on my oil level. I did update the PCV hose routing with one of those factory PCV kits (p/n 11813AA010) so maybe that'll help reduce oil consumption. Other than that I've been having no issues even in the cold and snow. The engine does still have a miss when cold.

It was a code 34. I inspected the wiring harness terminals to the EGR solenoid and they were corroded. I replaced the terminals and no more CEL. Note to self, if an issue is intermittent check the wiring and terminals.

CEL is back. So I'd bet the ECU wasn't the issue. At least not the main issue. I had to get to work and I didn't have time to pull the code and poke around with my multimeter. My guess is it's another code 35. I'll post back after work to confirm. It ran fine but I noticed a high idle, around 1500 rpm as well as a fluttering vacuum. Nothing major but more flutter than "normal". If the purge valve sticks open, does that mean that excess vapors are entering the intake? If so that'd explain the high idle. Too much fuel. Can the purge valve have issues with sticking open yet still test okay with a multimeter? Does the ECU know when the valve is open based off its resistance? If so maybe the valve is testing okay, but is having issues with sticking open which throws the CEL. My new valve will be here early next week so hopefully this solves the issue. If it's not the valve and not the ECU, then I just have to do some harness work. I like harness work, I can do it inside in my sweats rather than out in the cold freezing my hands off. :]