I just inherited for free a 92 Loyale with 105k miles and a 5speed manual shift.car ran for 20 miles shifting became sluggish and now there is no drive at all in any gear,including reverse.Can shift very easily through all gears with the clutch out,also the 4WD switch does not light up on the dash when engaged,don't know if it did before.Car is not pretty and I am wondering how much should I invest to find out what is wrong and repair.I would have repairs done at a garage TBD.

If you have the car in gear, and you give the car gas... does your speedo rise even tho the car doesnt move?

 

-Brian

Yes,RPM's are indicating fine.Speedometer does not register,car is not moving at all.

Ok, so the RPM's rise, but the speedo doesnt? Sounds to me like a clutch issue then.

 

-Brian

since you didn't mention hearing any nasty metal on metal noise, I would think that the transmission is just fine. With 105k on the car it's very possible that it still has the original clutch in it and that the disk is simply worn out. A clutch replacement is going to cost about the same as it would in any import car.

 

Another thing you should do is to look through the repair history of the car. The big thing to look for is when the timing belts were changed last. They should be done at around 55k miles and if they brake, the engine will quit running.

yeah no speedo means the front diff is not spinning. so the clutch does not have enough grab to move the car.

 

if it were a broken axle, the speed will go up, car will not go, but if you put it in 4wd, it will go on the rear axle.

 

the 4wd is vacuum operated. make sure there is no loose vacuum line to the vacuum reservoir on the passenger strut tower

 

check to see if the axle boots are ripped. if they are, and dont pop and click, you can rebuild them if you know how to use tools

thanks for all the inputs,will have car towed to garage for repair.From reading this website there is a tremendous loyalty to the Subaru line new and old. impressed by the high mileage reported on these cars,so repair costs now are a good investment. thanks again,