DaveT

If this is an ea82 spfi, unplugging the O2 sensor should cause the CEL to illuminate. I have not tested this, but it should generate a reading far enough outside of normal to throw a code.

A few things I thought of: There were some el cheapo water pumps around that have a stamped sheet metal impeller. what you want is the ones with a nice cast impeller. Better pumping at low RPMs. Water is one of the most effective molecules to move heat from one place to another. Anything mixed in solution with it reduces the ability to move heat. I have run EA82s with straight water sometimes [like when I had a pinhole blown head gasket, or the one with a cracked head] The cost of loosing the antifreeze would have been nuts. I ran them most of a spring & summer. No ill effects. The freeze protection and boil over protection are separate from the capacity to move heat from one place to another. Those 2 extreme conditions are not coming into play with your problem. All metal radiators are not about better cooling, they are about reliability. 2 row radiators can move more BTUs from the coolant to the air. I have used them since my first EA82. The common way to find them was to get the radiator for an EA82 turbo. The last time I looked, it was quite a project to find one. So custom may be the only way now? Running with the temp gauge that far above normal would make me nervous for sure. I have no preference between Stant and OEM thermostats. I've had no problem with either one, except I usually replace them after an overheat due to coolant loss. Or just general unknown condition. I recently tested about 6 random thermostats I had laying around from various engines I have. I used my heat gun and a meat thermometer to monitor what was going on temperature wise. They all opened impressively similarly, except a couple that seemed slow / sticky, which I no longer have. Do the hose squeeze test before you start the car. Notice if the air / gurgle / giggle pin sound changes. Do this for several drive cycles. Look at the seals on the radiator cap. Make sure they are intact, and soft enough to seal. I have been running my 2 EA82 wagons with zero pressure caps for the last year or so. This may not be a good idea where you have triple digit temperatures however. I had one radiator years ago, that had corroded so bad from the outside, that the thin fins were detached from the tubes, but still in place. This causes 2 problems - one is the reduced effectiveness at removing the heat. The other is the rectangular cross section of the tubes have much lower mechanical support, so when the system pressurizes, they try to deform to round , and after enough cycles of this, they work harden where they flex, and crack. To check for water flow, cap the ports. Fill the radiator with water. Stand on end, so one main port is top, the other is bottom as best as possible. The top port can stay open. Pop the bottom port open. The water should gush out right quick. Best to compare a known good to an unknown if you don't have experience.. Running air through a radiator won't tell you anything unless you can get to big numbers of CFM, and can compare a known good. Pressure beyond 15 PSI only adds danger.

I have swapped engines around from 86 through 93. Have not seen that sort of thing. Some swaps I had to move the engine harness due to the connectors to the body harness being different, or carb vs spfi. On my 93 I replaced the instrument cluster to add oil pressure and volt meter, and found no wiring changes needed in the harnesses. Obviously, I changed out the sender.

What condition is the radiator in? Are the little thin fins still attached to the tubes? Check the flow. Get an Oem or a better grade Stant thermostat. Check that there is no air in the top hose by squeezing it and listen for the giggle pin and gurgles. A pinhole headgasket leak can cause air to never go away. Usually they get worse over time. Best to use distilled water.

Sounds like the motor is drawing more than 15 amps. Does it spin freely? I would not expect the thermo switch to go bad in a way that would blow fuses. I do not have an RX, or a turbo, so I cannot be more specific.

I can check my FSM later.

Waaaay back, when I had my first Subaru. 1976 4WD wagon. I put a Mallory marine racing coil on it. And their electronic pickup / replacement for mechanical breaker points. The only thing I can say with certainty is that it started really well. I would also drive through big puddles at high speed, and never had it falter. Don't have proof that it made a difference though.

Emily is correct about the SPFI sweeping turn smoke thing. SPFI is what I know best.

They were about $89.

I forgot about that! If it only happens on curves, there is a mod that fixes it.

3AT parts from a dealer. I just ordered 3 pump drive shafts. There are still a handfull available. Also, I ordered a seal kit, there are still some of those available also. Also, some gaskets. They are getting low too. When they do a stock search, it searches the US.

Sticking needle would be in the meter. Most I have had developed the sticky you describe. I "fixed" it by using my gps For speed. The speedometer cable is just spinning, no directly connected to the needle. There is a viscous coupling that works against a spring to translate the rotation speed into the movement of the needle.

If it were mine, with little to no rust, I'd swap the engine and get a new radiator. Keeping the cooling system in top shape is the most important thing to do to avoid blown headgaskets. 100,000 miles is broken in to me.

I have battled the intermittent no start a few times. It is random, so the tapping, changing starters, etc. is all coincidence. I am referring to EA82 powered models. There are several connectors in the wiring from the battery, ignition switch, lockout switch, to the starter. Some one or more of the connections gets to be not so good. Low current caries ok, but the 20 or so amps the solenoid take to pull in fully, not so much. So you get a click, or nothing. Try again, and poof, it works. I attempted to locate the bad connection, and gave up. Just add a relay. The little wire that goes to the starter powers the relay coil. The contacts feed the terminal on the starter directly from a tap on the big fusible link.

In a 3AT , the transfer case is not really separate lubrication wise, from the atf. There is only one fill for atf, and one for the differential gear lube. Maybe I jumped to the conclusion that he has a 3at? The 4 at I am not familiar with.

I am working on a few of my 3 speed auto transmissions. Yes, it sounds like the seals between the atf transmission and the differential case are bad. The pinion bearings may be bad and caused this, so be sure to check then also. Pretty much full disassembly to get to the seals. From what I have seen so far, in my 3ATs, all over 150,000 to over 220,000 miles, the main thing that fails is the pump drive shaft, so if you have the transmission out, check the splines on the pump end. It just pulls out, easy check.

I've had an 86,2 87s, 88, 90, 92, 93. Every one held or still holds the gas level when off without fail. All Ea82 wagons.

Some models have fuel gauges that have a mechanical brake to hold the reading when the power is off. All of the GL and Loyale wagons I've had have them.

The code for the purge valve is generated by an open in the wiring to the solenoid, or the solenoid itself. There is no way the ECU can tell if anything beyond that is there or functioning. Same is true for the EGR solenoid, code 34. The codes only check that the solenoid coil is there. So if the coil is solidly good, one of the 3 or so connectors, or wires that connect the ECU to the solenoid most likely has an open / bad contact. Theoretically, the ECU could have a failure, but I have yet to see that happen, since 1988. I noticed the pic above, of a white cylindrical connector. The back, where the wires come out, should have a red/ orange silicon rubber seal to keep moisture out. If it is missing, the contacts may be corroded. I am not sure which wires / signals are in that connector, but it's something to look out for.

The wire is no big deal, as long as it does not short out to anything. I have used the Bosch sensor from NAPA for these engines without trouble. The 35 to 40 ohms should be ok. There could be a break in a wire, or bad contact in a connector.

For the snapped bolt, weld a washer to it, the vise grips can unscrew it. The idler.... there are other thread repair things. with bigger od. So you can re drill bigger . But you need to do something to guide the drill. McMaster carr and MScdirect.Com are likely sources.

The parking brake / emergency brake lever pushes the piston to press the pads against the rotor. Thus also the fluid will be moved.

Yes. The power steering pump can stay in place.

I've rebuilt them. New bearings with contact seals, swapped brushes from spares, etc. I have a link to a parts place somewhere, don't have it here. If I don't post it later, remind me.

Just in case my initial reply seemed snarky or something, it wasn't meant that way. I have been surprised a couple of times, with some obscure variant or the like.