Gnuman Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 OK, first off: Yes, we name all of our vehicles. It is something like naming a ship. Emily and I were very happy (and still are), but my (now ex) wife was not happy at all. She was driving a 99 Saturn and could not see well at all from inside it. Particularly at night. While we are split up, she is still carting my daughter around, so I found her a better car. a 90 Legacy L wagon AWD 4EAT. Got it for $300 because it was in fact a 15 3/4 (fifteen and three quarters) valve EJ22. Well, I replaced that valve and now it is running fine (well, at least a lot better). With 197,000 miles on it, there are a few things that are wearing out, but I have also made a few upgrades. I took the steel wheels off, replacing them with alloys (which also had new tires mounted ), swapped the plain seats with the top model seats (height adjust, seatback pockets, front to back adjustable headrests, and headrests in the rear as well), I'm adding a CD player also and I snagged the body color mirrors from a donor that we had (that also matched her car). Car drives nice, shifts smooth, no torque bind, AC works (weakly), windows all work, etc. The ex-wife has spent the last two months on England, visiting her brand new grandson. She returns to SFO Monday night. I pushed a bit to get the car ready in time to use it to pick her up at the airport. She does not even know (yet) that it is running at all (last time she saw it was before I changed out the valve). This will be her welcome home and Mothers day present. We now have two running 'roos in the stable. Emily, you already know. Now meet Pegasus! Benifits: 1) It is a Subaru! I know my ex-wife and my daughter will be safe. 2) new tires, alloy wheels, new T-belt 3) everything works inside 4) roof rack 5) Adding a CD player 6) upgraded seats 7) etc. . . Problems: (come on, it has 197K miles, fer Gosh sakes!) 1) back up lights do not light up when in reverse 2) AC is weak 3) pissing oil from crank seals 4) AWD system responds slowly (meaning I can "peel out" when I shouldn't be able to) 5) Radio seems to have a bit of trouble pulling in weak stations front right door panel torn up a bit (door handle and the like) 6) Drivers door rattles (fixed) 7) tailgate needs to be slammed to get it to close properly (fixed) 8) drivers power window switch does not auto-up (I have a replacement switch to swap in) 9) I keep trying to shift the transmission (and my left leg tends to spasm like it is pushing in the clutch when I stop) 10) I am running out of problems. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastwgn286 Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 9) I keep trying to shift the transmission (and my left leg tends to spasm like it is pushing in the clutch when I stop)10) I am running out of problems. . . dont worry about the shifting thing. i do that all the time behind the wheel of my parents minivan (but i get the car back today, so my left foot will finally be happy again!) you should worry about running out of problems though. in fact, make up some problems to fix, buy yet another car to tinker with, or turn your attention to fix-it items in the house for a while... men can never run out of problems without committing suicide or something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted May 19, 2006 Author Share Posted May 19, 2006 Well, the sluggish response of the AWD system is one for me to fix. And there is the problem with the inside door releases (the auto-lock problem), and the back up lights not working. . . Not to mention that it is pissing oil out of the cam seals. . . I think I'm covered. Oh, and if the sunroof project turns out real well on emily, I may offer to put a sunroof in this car. . . Not to mention that I have several other Subies to work on. I have to have a lot of 'roos to work on. One would run out of problems too fast. They are just too reliable. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 While not completely on-topic.....I applaud you for keeping you child's interests first despite marital trouble. I did the same thing (though not as extensive in repairs) for my ex so as to ensure my son was safe. Nice score on a $300 fixer-upper!!! Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted May 20, 2006 Author Share Posted May 20, 2006 Well, I finally put enough miles on the first tank to get some idea of economy. Looks like she will be getting on the order of 24MPG mixed. This is before I do basic tune-up kinda stuff (I'm pretty sure the plugs and wires should be changed). Not bad. Well, the AWD system is not sluggish on the tranny. It is non functional. Well, I have all sumer to deal with that, I guess. still need to reseal the front of the engine, as the cam seals are pissing oiul all over the place. I checked out the lights (inside and out) and I can say with confidance that the ex-wife will be able to see a lot better with this car than with the Saturn. This means that the Saturn gets to sit in the driveway until we get enough cash to buy parts to fix the dings, and send it off to the MIL (who actually owns the car). Pegasus will be her primary vehicle, with a starting milage of 198,000 miles. Sounded real bad when I first got it running, but it is a lot better now. I'm actually thinking that the tranny could be swapped, as there is a couple of problems with it. One is the AWD problem (acts like the fuse is in, but it is not. Or at least the FWD light is not on), and there is also the back up lights, and a strange shifting. It almost acts like the car goes from first to third, except when downshifting to pass. Not sure what that is all about. Tranny fluid is a bit toasty smelling, so I'll flush it out and see if that clears anything up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastwgn286 Posted May 20, 2006 Share Posted May 20, 2006 you can cross 10 off the list for now, it looks like your summer is set... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted May 20, 2006 Share Posted May 20, 2006 2) AC is weak8) drivers power window switch does not auto-up A/C that is "weak" but still functional is typically due to low refrigerant; a recharge is often all that is needed, although you might want to add a dye and check for leaks before fully recharging. It could be worthwhile to check the condenser (the "radiator" in front of the radiator) for a bug collection or damaged fins. Also, do the controls seem to be moving things correctly? Are you sure that #8 is a real problem? Most driver's power windows only "auto-down" (my '99 works that way), not up, due to safety concerns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted May 20, 2006 Author Share Posted May 20, 2006 A/C that is "weak" but still functional is typically due to low refrigerant; a recharge is often all that is needed, although you might want to add a dye and check for leaks before fully recharging. It could be worthwhile to check the condenser (the "radiator" in front of the radiator) for a bug collection or damaged fins. Also, do the controls seem to be moving things correctly? Are you sure that #8 is a real problem? Most driver's power windows only "auto-down" (my '99 works that way), not up, due to safety concerns. #8 is because it is not the normal way it works. It is fixed now, anyway. I just had to exercise the switch a bit. #2 I am suspecting that it is low refrigerant, but I will not have the funds to top it off until later. I may disconnect the compressor clutch to protect the compressor until I can get it topped off. The controls seem to have a bias toward the heater outlets, Bilev and heat feel almost the same. this may just be an adjustment. I took the car for a shakedown drive last night, and the most critical things are all working well. I also put enough miles on the tank that I can estimate that the ex-wife will be getting on the order of 24MPG mixed. I feel good about giving her the car in this condition, as I can fix up the problems a bit at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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