LaMamelle

So, my 86 XT has eaten two fuel pumps now, and quite a few fuel filters because of vanish still sitting in the tank. The tank doesn't appear to be rusty in any way, which is great, but the poor thing had been parked for 10-13 years, with about a 1/8th of a tank of gas, which I can only assume has turned into a thick layer of gunk on the bottom of the tank. I did drain out that gas and tried to flush out all the old stuff but that clearly didn't do the trick. I've seen a million recommendations online about cleaning varnish out of a tank but what have people here had the most success with? Should I just throw some fuel treatment or seaform or something and let it sit for a couple of days, or should I just take the whole tank out and get shaking it with vinegar and rocks? I would hate to take the tank out, only because I know how annoying it can be, but I guess it would be just as annoying to keep buying fuel filters 😆.

Howdy! I've seen in the manual, and photos of other EA82Ts that they all have this heatshield/cooling funnel that shoots air from the bonnet of an XT right to the turbo. And I only noticed that was missing, just now. I assume this won't cause the car to explode if I don't have it, but I also assume that these are about as easy to find as a needle in a haystack. Does anyone have any recommendations for a 3rd party option? Will any fitting heat shield or sock suffice? Or is it even necessary, since the turbos not exactly the largest one out there. Thanks in advance!

Thanks, el_freddo, it truly is the highest quality of art. I was able to move the boot back and take a look at the inside, and it looks like the shaft thing has come apart from the spindle thing. According to the (1988) manual, there is a snap ring that holds it in, somehow? I will have to take the whole thing out and on the table to really see what's going on. I just got a 1986 service manual, so I'll be sure to take a look at that as well and confirm that snap ring was present in the 86 models as well, although I'm sure I'll find out once I take the thing apart. Hopefully when this is all done, I'll actually get back to working on those air struts lol.

Thanks for the wisdom! What I did exactly was, unbolt the stabilizer from the from the transverse link, and loosen the bolt holing in the link so I could bring it down, I then took out the old air struts and then put the new one in. I couldn't bring the knuckle down low enough that I could slip the strut into the hole of the knuckle from the bottom, but I could bend the knuckle at an angle and then pop the strut into the knuckle (This is after I had loosened the bolt at the knuckle, and sprayed some WD40 to help it slide in). I had done this with the passenger side and it's not having issues, but I am now going to inspect that to make sure it's not about to fall apart. On the passenger side it was loose enough I could use my hands, however on the drivers side, I used my leg since I was close enough to the wall. Below is some MS-Paint art to illustrate my "infinite genius": I think I see what you're saying about disconnecting the joint. Tomorrow I'll take off the boot and see what's going on in there. I am assuming I'll need an extra pin, but we'll see, I'll reach out if I do and I'll gladly pay for it.

Well, in my infinite genius I made a pretty big oopsie. While replacing the front struts, I somehow broke the driver side drive axel! I can fill it in the boot, its somehow become detached at the joint where it meets the hub. I must have bent it in a bad angle or something. I was able to get a replacement, but my predicament is this: In a video by a Miles Fox on YouTube, he pops out the axel out of the transmission using a breaker bar against the hub, however since its broken at the hub, what would be the best way to get it out? I have replaced an axel before in a Jeep, and it was able to just come out, but from what I can read in the manual and see in the video, these seem to be different, with a slide pin and stuff.

If I'm not mistaken, the ignition coil should be getting 12v when cranking. According to the manual, there should 10 ohms of resistance or more between the "primary terminal" and the case of the ignition coil. Anything less indicates a short. I assume the primary terminal is the terminal that connects the distributor. Test that and see if it could be the issue. Issue could also be a poor connection between the ignition coil and the ignition switch. But I wouldn't advise hooking the coil right up to the battery, it sounds like it would cook something. Also, I don't think there's an exciter in the sense that an electric field needs to be created in order to start the engine. If anything, that would refer to the alternator, and there isn't anything about an exciter in the manual. Btw, something that might help you: Index of /Auto/Japan/Subaru/--Old Models--. These are a bunch of pdfs for older Subaru manuals. They have wiring diagrams and troubleshooting information. I really like the Subaru Factory Service manuals, since they have actual flow charts for troubleshooting.

Small update, I was able to find some conventional struts at a yard in my area and they went on just fine! At least, the rear ones did, I haven't done the front ones because I wanted to try out a little experiment. What I have learned, is that you can have the front air suspension independently from the rear, as long as your plug up the rear. I used the solenoids from the rear air struts and plugged them into the airline and just left the power unplugged, which leaves them in a closed state. Not exactly a revelation, but still fun to know. This wont be long term of course, but I did drive it around my neighborhood, and it didn't explode so that's a win in my book. It does lead to a somewhat silly look on the car when the front struts are deflated. The attached picture doesn't do it justice, but hopefully my MS-Paint art shows what I mean. It basically has a very aggressive attack angle which really made me laugh when I first saw it.

The basic stuff I would check if you haven't already: - Check the ignition coil if you haven't already, make sure it's getting power. If you have a spare, swap that in and see if there's any change - Could also be the wires, not 100% confident since they should be okay even if it's been sitting for a while, but you never know. Just make sure they aren't damaged, and the plugs are actually making contact with the distributor head and the spark plugs. - Also check fuses if you haven't already, could just be a broken ignition fuse. As for your wiring problem, I'm not too sure. Honestly, my recommendation would be seeing if you could get a used one online, for an 88, since the 85-87 and 88-91 used different kinds of distributors as far as I can tell. I was able to find some used ones on ebay. But, I just ordered a 1986 service manual, which should have some information on the wiring for the distributor, when it arrives, I'll take a look and see if I can find some information that can help you.

I had a really hard time finding these, I got lucky and found some good condition ones at a scrap yard in my area, but that was the only place I could find them. I'd recommend searching around there. I believe that any 85-89 front struts will work, but someone else can contactant me. If you're on the west coast, I've seen Pick-n-Pull have some in their lots, might be a good place to start.

Well, unfortunately my brilliant plan did not work. Not super surprised but still disappointed. I agree with you bushytails, that rubber is just too far gone, and even if I did fix it, who knows when the next one would go. I think my new plan is going to be to take them off, take them apart, and replace the rubber entirely with a similar material, or something that can hold the pressure. I am not sure how any of it is built, so if anyone has any details on what kind of rubber it is, or how the thing is put together, that would be super helpful. There seem to be some detailed plans in a 1988 manual that I found online, hopefully that should suffice. I haven't found any detailed information on how to rebuild those struts online, so I will do my best to wing it and document what I do here. Maybe do a little guide so that future people can do the same. Until then, I'll there is a junk yard north of me with an 86 GL in their lot. I'll take the conventional suspension off of that, replace the struts and use that until I finish the rebuilt of the air suspension. Wish me luck!

I forgot to take a picture of the damage, but the hole was WAY bigger than 3/4 of an inch. It was on the reverse side so I couldn't see it at first. Maybe an inch and a half, right in the middle where it bends. I'm trying to rubber cement and a large rubber batch on the outside and then letting it cure over night. If that doesn't work I'll try to take the whole thing apart and do a patch on the inside and outside. If all else fails I've taken the regular struts off my, destined for the junk yard, XT6. You're right el_freddo, looks like it'll bolt right in. Sad to see my old XT go but her sacrifices will not be forgotten 😔.

Hmmm, I think I'm going to at TRY to repair them, but as a backup, I'll get myself some regular struts. Do you know if the struts from an 89 XT6 would fit in an 86 without much issue? Or should I go for something else?

Howdy! I'm continuing to work on my 1986 XT Turbo, I had just finished rebuilding the breaks and was about to take her on her maiden voyage and as the compressor is going, I hear a quiet "psssh" which turns to a quick and louder "PSSSH". I am able to hear and feel a hole in the rubber boot on the driver side rear shock. It feels like it's right in the middle of the boot, about an 3/4 in wide. What's the best method for repairing these? Just a tire patch of some kind? or maybe some kind of thick rubber band? Or is it better to see if I can find a replacement on Ebay. Or should I give up on this 80s dream and go the practical route of replacing with regular coil and struts 😆. Thanks in advance, Philly

Thanks for your help and wisdom! Yeah, from what I read online, my next step should be to drop the gas tank and clean out the 16-year-old gas and varnish, which I have been dreading doing, but it's gotta be done. Once I do that, I have an extra pump lying around that I was saving for my wagon, I'll swap it in and see if I can start it up! From what I can tell the two pumps seem to be the same.

It's Alive! After replacing the ignition switch, there is life! The engine cranks and even sputters with starter fluid! Digi-dash is also working thankfully, and seems to be reporting all the correct stuff. Turns out the ECU wasn't the issue, or at least it doesn't seem like it at the moment. I will be replacing all the relays for sure, since the blinkers are still a little funky (as in not working at all), and I can't hear the fuel pump come on. I'm sure since it's been sitting for a bit that doesn't help things. I did drain and flush the tank, so the next step is a real start! I was able to find a copy of the 88-service manual online, which I wish I had read before because it clearly states that all the dash stuff goes through the ignition module. I will see if I can find a copy on ebay or something.

Thanks for the tip, I'll take out the dash and check it out. Something I should probably do anyways; I don't put a lot of faith in 80s circuitry. And I think that confirms for me that the issue is the ignition switch. I'll replace it and update on my success for failure.

Update: There didn't seem to be any voltage at the ignition switch, so I switched it out with the one on my 89 XT, and I now have radio! But no still no dash lights :(. But this does seem to lead me down the path that the issue may lie elsewhere, and not at the ECU. If anyone knows to what extent the dash would communicate with the ECU (or the MPFI Controller as the manual calls it), lemme know. But I'll keep digging. I hope that one day I will see that magnificent digi-dash.

Just a quick update to this: I have gotten hazards to come back to life just by flipping the twitch about a million times, slowly beginning to wonder if the issue lies somewhere other than the ECU. The 1988 manual says that most body electronics go through the fusible links and ignition. I've double checked the links and they are all clean and they don't seem to be damaged in any way. So I'll try to diagnose the ignition switch next.

Howdy! I just got my hands on a new (to me, not to the world) 1986 XT Turbo, that's been sitting in the previous owner's driveway since at least 2009. It has less than 100k miles, no accident history, and very little rust, or at least, not enough rust to make any holes. The reason it was sitting was because the ECU was fried. To what extent I do not know, all I know that he plugged in a wire and then realized it shouldn't be there, and there was no power. It looks like there is a fair bit of custom wiring that I am still in the process of investigating. I was able to get my hands on a replacement ECU, and I'm just waiting for it to arrive. However, there are some things that make me wonder if the issue could be deeper. There are some electrical systems work, but others that don't that I would expect to work. For example, brake lights and highlights work, but not the hazards, or turn signals. And I expected the radio and digi-dash to at least come up with light, but there's nothing. Looking at some wiring diagrams I think (If I'm reading it right) some of these systems should work without the ECU, but I could be wrong? I already plan to replace all the relays I can reach, and check every fuse, I assume that's a good place to start. Does anyone have any suggestions for where I should look out for? Thanks in advance!

I was just looking at this old rally photo of the Subaru WRC team (I assume in the mid 90s?) and I just noticed that the cars in the back of the photo are Leones/Loyales and not Legacys! I thought it was surprising since all the photos i see from this time are the early Legacys. Does anyone have any or know of any other photos of these 555 Leones. I honestly think it wouldn't look too bad, although I prefer the white blue and gold on the rally Leones.

Looks like my replacement worked just fine, been driving it around for a couple of days with no issues. Not exactly sure what it could have been. I'll just have to keep checking it periodically for any signs of wear.

Thanks for the advice, I'll be heading over to the shop tomorrow to drop off the replacement and I'll see if I can get a look at it or see if they've already done that themselves. When I have more info I'll update, hopefully with good news.

Howdy all, I have my 88 GL in the shop getting its engine resealed. I got an update from them an apparently the distributor rotor had melted in the distributor, or potentially tore it somehow? It wasn't melted/torn at the head, but at the base of the rotor head. Luckily it turns out I have an extra, however would anyone know why something like this would have happened? It was an older part, and I don't when it was last replaced, so it could be that it was just on the way out anyways. I hadn't had any issues with anything ignition or engine electrical before. I'm a bit worried that they're going to put the replacement in and the same thing might happen, it not immediately, maybe a few 100 miles down the freeway. Attached are some photos of the damage the shop sent to me. Any wisdom would be appreciated. Thank you! -Philly

First post! Here are some pics of my 88' GL. I call her Constance. I have just about a million photos of her, but these are some of my favorites. Everything is stock except the exhaust which custom made by the last owner, nothing loud just not stock. Not exactly sure why it was done but it's not an issue, so I don't mind. Also, the rims were painted black which I'm a huge fan of. -Philly