DaveT

The high end Stant ones are good also. I've been running a 180 degree one in one of my EA82s for a while now. The heater doesn't quite crank out like the other one, with a 190, but no other problems.

That's nuts! Are they gold plated?

I just saw this - in use, live. Best thing ever to get the air out of the cooling system! http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-24680-Spill-Free-Funnel/dp/B00A6AS6LY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461951812&sr=8-1&keywords=coolant+funnel

It should not be erratic. The readings should be solid. Maybe drift in the correct direction as things cool, but not erratic.

Unhook the battery and get it charged. Fix the problem. The battery will still work, but deep discharge, and length of time sitting discharged both shorten the life and capacity. A jump does not recharge the battery. It takes a very long time to recharge a fully discharged battery while driving also, due to the various loads and rpms. Get it on a plug in charger.

The 4wd select is electric, no vacuum involved. What I found in my broken switch was that a piece of the plastic housing of the switch broke off. Remove the screw under the button. The button comes out, be careful of the wires. I'll see about getting a picture of the repair, easier than trying to explain. I used a small screw to hold the broken piece onto the switch.

Agree about Fel Pro headgaskets. Not intake gaskets. I've had too many fp intake gaskets fail.

Time and experience will help. Ask questions first, for new to you projects. These cars are pretty good to work on, but there are tricks here and there to save grief.

CTS specifications from my 92 FSM: Temp Ohms 14 F 7K - 11.5K 68 F 2K - 3K 122F 700 - 1000 [K=1000] Note: The temperature gauge on the dash uses a separate 1 wire sensor.

The coolant temperature sensor screws in under the thermostat, on the side. It has 2 wires. It should change resistance by 1000s of ohms from cold to hot. I have had them fail intermittent, screw up the idle, and not cause a code. The fan is only controlled by the thermoswitch on the radiator.

I missed the different engine models. Mine are all EA82 from 86 to 93 is my range of hands on experience

I only have wagons, which I have swapped such parts between, and it worked. It's probably worth trying.

The black button allows you to move the shifter without the key. Orange button function sounds normal, except that it should click and stay down, click again and stay up. I had to fix that on one of mine. With the automatic 3AT transmission, 65mph is right about 4000rpm. Completely normal.

Ok, you have to figure the dissappearing water out. A few thinks it could be.... check the oil, make sure it isn't going into the crankcase. More common, intake manifold gaskets can fail and coolant is sucked onto the intake. There is also a gasket between the carb and the intake where the same can happen. Running the engine over normal temp while low on coolant is bad for headgaskets. If you decide to remove the intake manifold bolts, be careful. Safest way is to get the engine to normal operating temp, and then remove them carefully. When you re assemble, use anti size, and Subaru gaskets only.

Wow, that's a pain. I don't know why adjusting the carb would cause overheat, something must be wrong with the cooling system. Very important to make sure that the radiator AND the recovery tank are full of coolant before running anymore. I went to check my 86 FSM, to see what is there for the carburetor, and can't find the book with the engine sections. It's here somewhere.

The timing belts have teeth like gears. They go around the crank and the cam pulleys, and some idler / tensioners. It is highly unlikely that they are original. They are supposed to be changed at 60K miles, And fail right around then usually. It's been a long time since I rebuilt a carb. I guess I'd try to find another identical one to use as a reference, and a factory service manual, if you don't have one.

Don't use air to un- collapse a tank! (If that's what's wrong with it) If it ruptures, which is likely, it's very bad! You could try pressurizing with water, but there must be no air at all involved or trapped. If it ruptures from the water pressure, it just breaks and you have water everywhere. Not flying bits of torn metal and fuel vapor.

This reminds me of an experience from long ago... I had a 1976 4WD wagon. It got hit, right front tire pushed back to the door pillar. It was before I started doing all repairs, and insurance was involved so I had it fixed at a local collision place, that had a good reputation. Something was never quite right afterwords. Subtle, and intermittent. Some time later, I decided it needed new strut cartridges, so I bought a pair, and went about installing them. Yes, back then, the struts could actually be disassembled and rebuilt, no big deal. So I was dropping the cartridge into the right strut, and it stopped short of going all the way in. The strut tube was bent. Just enough. New strut from a junkyard, cartridge went right in, mysterious problem went away. Learned about hidden damage that day.

I've been running and repairing Subarus since the mid 80s. Mostly EA82s. I've seen and repaired a fair number of head gasket failures. All began as a slow tiny stream of bubbles in the recovery tank. A couple were not slow, due to more extreme overheats while low on coolant. It could be a slow as 1 per second, even slower. All progressed to faster bigger streams. Some degraded more quickly than others. In the ones that degraded very slowly, there were traces of black soot at the waterline in the recovery tank. New head gaskets fixed the problem. Yes, if there is some trapped air in the coolant system, there will be bubbles while the temperature goes from room to operating, but that is not a continuous steady stream, it stops. If there is only a bit of air from incomplete fill, it will work out over a few drive cycles. If there is a tiny leak, there may be no trace but the air never getting out, and the coolant level slowly dropping. These don't cause a steady stream of bubbles after the engine is at operating temp. I've also experienced and read of others, that once you get an overheat due to low coolant, the head gasket/s are damaged, and the bubble leak can be slow, or fast, or anywhere in between. I know of no other source of "air" at pressure in the engine than that from the compression / combustion cycles in the cylinders that can force it's way into the coolant system.

+1 to WoodsWagon.

I haven't seen an o2 sensor cause crummy drivability. I've seen them cause a trouble code, burn out a catalytic, poor fuel economy. Unrelated, but at 100 miles you are due for timing belt and idlers.

+1 check the coolant IN the radiator. It is typical of the leaking headgasket to push coolant into the overflow tank. Since new air is added constantly while running, the coolant does not get sucked back into the radiator during cool down when the engine is off. Running the engine while low on coolant makes the headgaskets fail more, if the temp gauge shows above normal temp.

I used an aftermarket cat on our 2001. Ran fine, lasted long enough. Unfortunately, long ago enough that I have no idea what brand. But most likely, not the cheapest - I don't buy solely by price. Cats failing don't usually cause crappy running, unless the failure mode is that it is clogged up, which usually indicates something else is wrong, overloading the cat. A way you can test for flow - loosen the nuts that hold the Y pipe to the exhaust ports. [beware if these have never been touched, and everything is all rusted up] [mine get antisiezed and are easily removed for such checks] Drop the Y pipe enough to have a 1/2" gap between the block and the flanges. Get a vacuum cleaner, with a hose, and arrange things so you can connect it to the outlet of the exhaust pipe. The idea is so that you can connect and disconnect quickly. Listen for the pitch of the vacuum cleaner's motor. It should only change a slight bit higher, if at all, between disconnected and connected. If the cat is clogged, the pitch will rise noticeably.

If the headgaskets have never been replaced, it's possible the oil channel that goes from the block through the head to the cam tower is leaking. All of my original EA82s developed that leak a long time ago. Other common leaks - camshaft seals, and the o rings on the little pieces they are pressed into. Rocker cover seals. Front or rear main can leak, but I haven't seen that to be common. Oil pump o rings and seal. You have to clean everything well, and I've heard of fluorescent dye you can use to trace it. If your engine is all original, it probably needs all of them, or will soon.

This should be moved to the correct forum.. I accidentally went to this forum for the older cars, and found this thread. A lot of new axles are crap, so maybe the clicking is from one. Also, if the nuts are not tight. Test the coolant temperature sensor. It can fail without causing a code. Is this a CA car or all other states? For non CA, the code 35 is only checking the coil of the egr solenoid. If it is open circuit, or removed, you will get that code.