Singularity21 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 (edited) I happened upon this site a couple weeks ago after purchasing my '91 Loyale and have been digging through here ever since, daily, to expand my little understanding of the Subaru. I also recently had the opportunity to acquire a piece of Subaru history, a '78 GL Wagon. This is it in all it's Idahoan glory. So this is my new baby. A bit rusty here and there, but not too terribly much to worry about. There are only a few places where the rust has gone through the entire body panel. Sadly though it doesn't like to start on it's own. I've had to push start it a couple times to get it running. Once it's running though it sounds great and I have no issues. Wagon has power and you can tell through the dimming of the lights on the dash that it's sending power somewhere when the key is turned but I don't even get a click or attempt from the starter. Understand that I'm new to working on cars and understanding the entire system of how it all works together to become the beast I know it can be. If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them. I don't have much background so anywhere to start would be great. Thank you all, for inciting in me a love for Subaru and these amazing vehicles. Edited April 13, 2012 by Singularity21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Nice car!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
O.C.D. Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Good find! Love your overflow bottle, lol. Get to work!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rust Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Judging by the corrosion on your battery terminals, I'd clean that up and all your other connections to the starter. You may also need a new battery. Sweet ride...drive it until the wheels fall off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singularity21 Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 I was digging around in the back of the wagon this morning and found some parts that were meant to be part of its restoration. I got in contact with the fellow that I got the wagon from and he mentioned that the owner previous to him had a bunch of spare parts for it that he offered along with the car at the time of the transaction. He also offered to get hold the previous owner and see if he had those parts still and would get as many of them as possible for me. I also found new terminals in the back so those will get changed today for sure after work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Fenders have a spongy foam strip they put in there to ??deaden sound?? or just plain suck up water and rust our that area of the fenders. So if you use those fenders you'll see when you take them off - get that foam strip the heck out of there. Other spots on your car don't seem to bad to us folks with real rust. We sure do enjoy the hell out of ours. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goblewagon Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 that things killer:banana: and as for it not starting ya i would start with the battery terminals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singularity21 Posted April 14, 2012 Author Share Posted April 14, 2012 Terminals cleaned and battery replaced, but with no avail. Next I'm going to replace the cable leading to the starter. See if that helps. They were rather gnarly when I was trimming up the edges to put on the new clamps I found in the back of it. I also found a set of chains in a bag under the tire on the roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singularity21 Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 I'm a special person. I don't know how I got it in my head that I thought it was DL and not GL like its supposed to be. Wow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singularity21 Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 Fenders have a spongy foam strip they put in there to ??deaden sound?? or just plain suck up water and rust our that area of the fenders. So if you use those fenders you'll see when you take them off - get that foam strip the heck out of there. Other spots on your car don't seem to bad to us folks with real rust. We sure do enjoy the hell out of ours. Cheers! Moosens, where did you happen upon that front bumper? I quite like that. Or if you happen to know where I might be able to obtain one, that would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I've probably got another I could sell. Somewhere along the lines the GL became the lux package but way back when the DL was the ruler of the roost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singularity21 Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 Right, well that makes sense. Thanks for the lesson, and if you do happen to have another front fender/push bar, kick some photos my way with prices and I'll be in touch. I did get a new starter put in yesterday and now she starts up without any issues. also took her down to the local car wash and did a quick hose out of the engine compartment. It looks much better. I'll keep doing some cleaning and some little things to make it more the way I'd like it to be, repaint the rims and the calipers, remove the 'home' theater system and replace with 'car audio'. Simple things to work on for now. I have a '91 Loyale that needs some attention. A new oil pump and head gaskets to be specific. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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