zyewdall

Yeah. I'm not familiar with the XT, but on the GL, the clutch cable will get out of adjustment to the point where it never actually disengages the clutch. Makes it a bear to get into first or reverse but you don't really notice it in higher gears. If this is the case, you need a new clutch cable, or maybe just adjust the nut on the end on the release fork.

I agree. If the battery is still doing fine, I suspect it is getting charged enough, and the meter is just off. I have also had the opposit problem -- car ran terrible, and wouldn't start, and when I put a voltmeter to it, I was running on 7.8 volts because the alternator wire had come loose and wasn't charging any more. The idiot light didn't come on though.... My meter (different car than the one above) does sit just above 12 at idle (I always have the headlights on too), but goes up to 13 while driving, so I figure it's okay.

The chilton's manual actually has tables of much of this info.

Yeah, there is coolant circulating through the throttle body of this car to prevent icing up, so theres a few coolant hoses going to the carbureator, or at least the intake manifold (can't remember exactly which, or if there's an internal passage between the two). Is the rubber hose portion leaking, or the actual metal? If it's hoses, just replace em however they are now (digital cameras are great for this) I finally painted all the black hoses on my '85 different colors so I could tell what was vacuum, fuel, coolant, electrical wires, oil, power steering, etc.....

Thats the first thing I did after buying my '89 wagon. The AAA guy just pried the rubber molding away from the bottom of the drivers side window, and you could see the whole lock mechanism. Then he just reached in with a slim jim and popped the lock back. I still liked my '82 wagon better -- I never locked it, and left the keys in the ignition most the time. Never got stolen (or if they did, they returned it before I saw....).

Question on brake feel on the EA81 wagons. I've owned two of them, and both had brakes that you had to give one pump before putting your foot into it. Sort of like it wasn't completly bled. But I did bleed both according to the manual. Has anyone else experienced this? My EA82 wagons don't feel this way -- firm pedal on the first push.

Yikes. I've done that before, and actually broke the caliper because the pad was so worn out (according to the shop). I am more inclined to believe that breaking the caliper was due to hitting a large rock with that wheel while four wheeling through a snow covered creek, but in any case, I had to replace the pads, caliper, and rotor.

I second that. Buy a can of spray on engine cleaner, and take it to the car wash and use the high temp power spray to wash the whole engine compartment. Otherwise it's too hard to tell if its a new leak, and old leak, or just spilled oil. If it's on top of the engine it could also be due to the PCV valve going bad. I have also had an oil filter get loose, and spray oil everywhere on the fan belt which whips it around the entire engine compartment in the front (plus makes the belt slip...). How much oil does it use? If its an extra quart a week, that's still pretty darn cheap. $100 a year, which is what, one fillup on a big SUV nowadays?

You have to use the key to start it? My '84 GL could also be started with the ignition key to my 1981 bluebird schoolbus or my house key. On the drained battery, how much current is it pulling when it should be off? What I have done to several cars (mostly Hondas) with this problem is glue a small solar panel on the roof or the hood, and hook it up to the battery. If you use a 5 or 10 watt panel, it's still small enough that it won't cook the battery, but will keep it charged up even with a 20 to 50mA continuous drain on the battery. This is usually about $100, but I felt that was cheaper than trying to figure out what was wrong... troubleshooting wiring is an immense time drain (and money drain if your paying someone to do it).

I wouldn't worry about the no AC. I've never actually owned a loyale that the AC worked on anyway. In Colorado, you can't get in state plates till it is inspected, but they also only inspect the VIN, not actual driveability. It seem silly to pay $30 or $40 for new plates, just to sell it right away and throw the new plates away (they stay with the owner here, not the car). But MA laws may be completely different than CO. Call your local DMV. I would replace the tires before the windshield, unless the windshield is cracked right in the field of vision (in which case it might be illegal). Someone buying a subaru probably has a reason that they want 4wd, and good tires could help alot in a test drive impression of handling. You might not make back the $280 for good new tires, but it might help it sell alot quicker.

Don't know about Jags, but I do have a '61 landrover. Only thing I've ever seen that easier to work on than a subaru. The manual says that you might consider pulling the engine if doing a bottom end rebuild, although pretty much everything else can be accomplished in place. If the battery is dead, you can crank start it (I did last winter, and it kicked right over on a 25 degree day after a month of sitting). But it is a complete PITA to get parts for, and the frame is rusting. At least the body is aluminum so that won't rust away....

Sounds sort of like my old '82 wagon. If the clutch cable is out of adjustment, it won't fully disengage the clutch. Mine had to be readjusted every month or so (when you couldn't get into reverse or 1st without grinding, and when you started it in gear it would lurch, even with your foot all the way down on the clutch...). A new clutch cable might be an easy fix to try.

Dr. Fixit. 303-258-7319 Right on 2nd street in downtown Ned. He's also the mayor.

That was the stock mounting place for the oil pressure and ammeter for my mitsubishi truck. I think I like putting them on the left side where the defroster button usually goes better... it looks like it's missing a few buttons there anyway.

I had a carbed '85 wagon. At about 200k miles the carb developed internal vacuum leaks, and wouldn't idle any more (promptly stalled whenever you took your foot of the gas, even after warmed up and everything. Would start immediately if you gave it gas). Still ran great on the main circuit -- just no idle circuit any more. If the leaks were due to gaskets coming apart due to age instead of miles, your's could be having the same problems -- only slightly different leaks. Don't know what to suggest, other than a rebuilt carb ($$). I do know a shop in Ned that's pretty good at keeping old suby's running well after other places declare them dead. If it's just tuning, he can probably do it pretty quick, or tell you what it does need. I've gotten about 24-27mpg on all my EA-82 subys -- fuel injected and carbed.

I use synthetic 5w40 in mine. It likes it, and still starts easy at 0 degrees in the winter, but does burn about a quart every 1000. It burns less on regular 20w50. I figure $5 for more oil once a month is worth it.

Mine has the AC belt taken off, and seems to work fine. I've seen a few of them like this, since apparently the dealer installed AC usually fails (on any one that I've every owned). I did own one with factory AC, and it worked fine, but those were very rare. The biggest issue with these engines seems to be oil leaks (just check it every time you gas up), ticking valves (if it doesn't tick now, just make sure you change the oil regularly, and even if it does tick, it doesn't seem to hurt the engine) and head gaskets. If you don't over heat it, the head gasket should be fine, but that's a good reason to replace the temp sensor, and probably put a high quality thermostat in too while you are at it.

I'd be tempted to fabricate it from scratch. Take 1 3/4" pipe, and custom weld pipes/mufflers that went out around the sides and up -- sort of like the stacks the big rigs had. If you have a madrel bender (or you can cut pie slices out of the pipe and weld together to make curves) this wouldn't be too hard. Get rid of that whole exhaust system down below -- always banging it on rocks while following jeeps. Wouldn't fly over here where we have emissions testing, but I bet it would in G.J.

Sounds better than my solution. On my old '85 GL I had a couple extension cords (bypassing other failed wiring) and the probe for a mechanical temperature guage going out about where the clutch cable did. I think the rubber boot was gone so it was pretty large hole to stuff things through.

Personally, I like the 1.8 better, but that's primarily because it comes with the dual range 4WD in the pre-90 ones. If you don't have low range, the bigger engine will do better if you are snowplowing. Little more power on the road (although it's a bit heavier car too). From comparing my experience with friends who own the 2.2, gas mileage is maybe a mile or two higher with the 1.8, but that small of a difference could also be driving style.

I agree. When mine went out I didn't get water in the oil or vice versa, but it started burning coolant at about 30 miles per gallon (every 15 miles the temp gauge starts climbing, so you stop and put in another half gallon of water in the radiator). Head gasket replacement is not too hard to do if you're into it. I think the SPFI is 84/92 but I don't have the book in front of me right now.

I miss my '82 wagon with the third eye. Was my first car and I bought it for $50, with 210k miles. I put another 15k on before getting rid of it. When I got rid of it, it needed new axles, 3rd gear synchros, carbureator, headlight relays, muffler, doors (rocker panels completely rusted through and missing interior shell), speakers, radio, and probaby other stuff I've forgotten now. I like my '89 wagon now, but I still miss the old one. Parts kept falling off, but it kept running no matter.

Never thought of that for the crank pulley. I've done it for taking of front axle nuts that were rusted on. Wedge a 15" adjustable wrench on the nut as tight as you can, with the handle against a large rock, put it in first gear (or reverse depending on which side), and quickly kick it over over with the clutch out.

Been there, done that. 10 miles into the first drive after head gasket change, wondered why I lost the alternator and the temp seemed to be going up... Chews up the pulley so you have to replace that too.

Just forget to tighten/threadlock the bolt holding the main crankshaft pully on... It'll come loose and you'll lose cooling and alternator in about 10 miles after starting your newly rebuilt engine. And when it comes loose it'll ream the center of the pulley out so you have to get a new one. I've tried it......