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Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, Pretty much the same as my old 99 2.2L. Finished the job yesterday, got the parts from Subaru Superstore in Chandler AZ. Total cost with shipping was $476.10, Belt, Tensioner, Pulleys, Thermostat, Water Pump and Gaskets. Locally would have been $682.54, they did send the wrong water pump so a $95.73 pump went up to $139.95, had to go get that locally in the Springs to complete the job. Someone had been in there before, the pump gasket was paper not metal like Subie uses and one of the clamps on the bypass hose was on the hose, just not over the nipple part coming off the pump, not sure if the T-Belt was done but it is now. New timing belt and pulleys, water pump, thermostat, hoses, coolant, fan belt, oil change, filters - she is good to go.

Hello Everyone! I'm pretty new here. Just bought an 89 GL in Idaho last year and it has quickly clawed it's way up the list of favorite vehicles. It's a 5 speed manual 4wd version and I love it. It's previous owner wasn't willing to put much into it, but with a little work it's turning into quite the strong runner. Thus far I've done head gaskets on it, valve cover gaskets, New thermostat, replaced the radiator, and the hoses, new windshield, and some rust repair around the windshield, as well as replaced the flooring on the interior with a heavy duty vinyl (Which was far too thick, Next time, I'm going to look for a much more flexible option.). Up next are the brakes! They started squealing today and one of the rotors is warped, so I figured I might as well redo all 4 corners. I also have some significant rust repair to do on the rear quarters. But all in all, it's coming along quite nicely!

(Um, didn't mean to hijack the thread with my gas tank problem...)

I've had an alternator or two go out, and have done just fine with replacements from the wrecker. Generally speaking, if the shaft is turning and you're getting 13.5 volts on the battery posts, you're good.

you do have options, used alt from wrecking yard or LKQ or car-part,com . DB Electric or Maniac have alts and maybe kits for rebuilding. At one time, Subaru offered some fairly inexpensive alternators for certain older year models....someone else will recall details on that.

No, it's really deep, really in a bad spot, not the only thing wrong with it, and I already got a replacement last fall that's just been waiting to be put in. This started with the surprise! running-out-of-gas that shouldn't have happened. I figured it was a problem with the sending unit, so I popped the seat and cover and found a very ugly hack on top of the tank involving a brass elbow and big gob of epoxy. To cut to the chase, I think what happened is some PO (the car had a couple) really slammed the underside of the tank, hard enough not only to dent it, but also push the tank up into the cover, breaking the hose fittings and causing the ugly "repair" job, which has the fuel heading to the engine via a replacement rubber hose. And the sending unit was screwed to the tank with the wrong bolts, so all those holes are stripped out now. In other words, a really big Charlie Foxtrot just crying for replacement of the tank and sending unit and restoring the original plumbing. I suspect this mess is implicated not only in my not being able to trust the gauge, but also in the extremely inconsistent fail-to-start behaviour we saw on and off over the winter. I thought it had to do with low ambient temperature, but it's not that consistent. What it does feel like is a lack of fuel, so I'm hoping cleaning up this mess will solve that problem too.

Our 95 had a broken carbon brush that rides on the slip rings. It would charge fine at an idle, but would quit charging at higher RPMs. I think that was due to vibrations. Check the voltage at an idle and at higher RPMs. It should stay at 13.8 volts with headlights on or off. The alternator has a built in voltage regulator that can also cause the non charging problem. And it, or leaky diodes can also drain the battery. I have seen several aftermarket reman alternators output over 20 volts and that causes a lot of problems and repairs.

If your engine is not running properly and you want to fix it then you first must get some diagnostic information and make some physical checks. One of the best things you can do, which is fast and easy, is run a vacuum test on the engine. http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/186.cfm Also, when was the last time it had a tune up ? Check the plugs, check the distributor cap, check the timing, check the air filter and fuel filter. More comprehensive would be to check the engine compression and do a fuel system pressure check.