Ever Victorious

OK, so I think that's where I was getting confused in your PM directions. Constant power is what I was thinking of "ground" as... whee... that could have sucked. hehe OK... I'll give that a whack when I get home tonight.

Weber time?

OK... procured a wiring diagram from Mike @ Smart Service. Here's what I've found from tracing the diagram: White = goes to the alternator, then the fusible links @ the + batt terminal. Black = goes to back side of fuse box, where a black wire connects to 5 different fuses (1 x 10A, 4 x 15A), as well as the Fuel Pump Control Unit. from there I cannot trace it. Blue = Goes to the fuse box at a 20A fuse. not a common wire, so not likely a ground. Black-Red (according to diagram. I believe my actual wire is Black-White) = goes to ignition coil + terminal, Full Trransistor ignition, Kickdown switch, and fuse block as what appears to be the + side of one of the 15A fuses connected to Black above. Black-Yellow (wire not present in my harness) = unknown, untraceable. likely nonexistent connection or specific to a GL ignition. OK... so based on this, here are my guesses: Black = ground Black-Red = Start Blue = Acc White = On thoughts?

You're right, the one to the right of the steering wheel is for one type of cruise module (there are actually 3 different modules for the EA81 body style). I've never figured out what the two to the left are for. But they make great places to put switches for fog lights and such.

Ken, you know I can't pull you out of a mudhole with 2WD. hehe Seriously, all I need to know is what wire does what. If I have to, I'll experiment, but I'd prefer to just know. I already have a new ignition.

This also sort of came up in passing in the other lock thread going on here right now. Edrach said it costs something like $100 for his locksmith to get a new ig cylinder and re-key it. That's probably what you'd be looking at to make your ig match your doors. IMO, not worth it. 2 keys for my subaru still takes less space in my pocket than 1 key + 1 keyless entry fob for my Kia. Plus it's more secure.

Filter pliers (the kind that bite and destroy) and a huge amount of rage.

There are two wheel widths. STD and DL models got the 4.5", which will take 155's (165's were called for on 4WD DL's). GL and GL-10 models got the 5", which were 175's (2WD) or 185's (4WD).

Depends on the year/model of the Subaru. whatcha got?

Just curious... anyone with a wiring diagram or know which wire does what? I'm guessing the solid black is GROUND... but there are three other wires, black&white, white, and blue (i think)... anyone know which one does what?

alright... guess it's time for another trip to PaP then...

Update: Ok, I can see the threaded screw holes on the underside of the switch, and the plastic pegs that seat on the back side of the wheel hub.... But what exactly does it screw INTO? is it the plastic trim piece that is supposed to be over the switch? or is there some sort of fastening plate that goes somewhere? I have no parts diagram or service manual, and I'm obviously missing at least one part here... anyone know?

I pulled the ignition off and the back off of it, and found that the problem is definitely the tumbler. The actual switch module works just fine. That's ok with me, it's not worth my time to try to fix the tumbler... especially since I just picked up a 3-pole universal switch for $10 from Schmucks.

OK... one of the major annoyances while sitting behind the wheel of my hatch is that the turn signal switch is not fixed to where it should be. The problem is, I did not disassemble it (previous owner did), so I need to know what, exactly, it screws or bolts to. The switch and signals all work, but if you try to move the lever, the switch just spins around the steering shaft.

Hmmm... though Qman also said that if it works fine in the doors, it's probably the lock cylinder in the wheel itself... so cutting a new key wouldn't fix anything, would it? Anyone ever removed the steering lock bolt before? how hard is it?

I actually had an ig switch off of a 60-something Chevy on my '76 DL after I broke its ig switch. From what I know, there are at least two different kinds of ig switches... if I remember (and this was more than a decade ago), they were called "2 post" and "3 post". I don't remember what kind the Sube has... but if someone can tell me, I can go out and find one.

Nope, not planning on shaving the handles. Key still works fine on the locks on both sides, so I just want to go keyless on the ig. How does yours work? You said you have a button for the start... the start on the ignition is a momentary switch to go from "ON" to "Start" and back to "ON" once the car is started. Does that mean you have two switches? (cause that's what I'm envisioning... or 3 switches). If you don't have two switches, how do you turn it off? Do you have a wiring diagram for the ig switch? I see the plug in the back of it, it look pretty easy to pull and make appropriate connectors for switches...

Just completed the second consecutive day of hard work on Freebiemobile. She's got new shoes, new seats, and is gutted, cleaned, and ready to drive. If I wanted to, I could take her to emissions next Monday, though I have found an exhaust leak at the Y-pipe on the passenger side I would like to fix before I do so. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=8466&sort=1&cat=500&page=1... found this cancer spot on the floor just in front of the passenger door. There's an identical one on the driver's side. It's not penetrating, just surface rust. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=8467&sort=1&cat=500&page=1... the interior of the car after I cleaned it and put the new seats in. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=8468&sort=1&size=medium&cat=500&page=1... cleaned dash http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=8469&sort=1&size=medium&cat=500&page=1... this used to be N-A-S-T-Y before I bleached it. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=8470&sort=1&size=medium&cat=500&page=1... Had a lot of fun gutting the interior. (You can see how brown the steering wheel WAS before it was bleached) http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=8471&sort=1&size=medium&cat=500&page=1... The photo is kind of deceptive and leads you to believe there is more rust than there actually is. Most of the black stuff is just dirt and plant debris, and most of the brown stuff is leftover sound deadening material. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=8472&sort=1&size=medium&cat=500&page=1.. OK, so the EA82 dome light was just frivolous. But the EA81 light was dead. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=8473&sort=1&size=medium&cat=500&page=1... The new hatch glass is in place and looks good. We used silicone sealant on the inside to make sure the seal was good, and some on the outside to make sure it doesn't leak into the hatch's metal. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=8474&sort=1&size=medium&cat=500&page=1... Odometer. Not quite 200k yet. Oh, and everything works, too. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=8475&sort=1&size=medium&cat=500&page=1... So what does one do when their spare is missing and they've just picked up a new set of 4 GL steelies? They make their best DL steelie into the spare. As I mentioned in the key lubrication thread, I now have the hare-brained idea of using a series of switches to create a keyless ignition. Ideas? comments? on the project as a whole?

It works fine in both doors, actually. Which gives me a hare-brained idea. How about a series of switches to make a push-button start? Two throw switches for ACC and ON positions, and a separate momentary switch for start? The key can currently be pulled out while the tumbler is in the "on" position, so the current ignition could be left there and disconnected so the anti-theft bolt doesn't slide into the steering column, right?

Wow, that is a rare find... hope you get it, I know you've been looking for an older Sube for a while to fix up!

K, I'll give it a whirl. Don't really have much to lose, do I?

Hey guys - It was suggested I either try getting Subaru to cut a new key by VIN for Freebiemobile, or use spray silicon lubricant to try to get the ignition key tumbler to work better. I happen to have dry graphite lubricant handy. will this work instead?

I don't have the pugs, but tire size also needs to take into account what you're trying to do: highway cruising, or offroading. The other responses so far are significantly taller tires than stock, so they will cause a lot of speedo deflection. If these are going to be street tires, shoot for 195/55/14 or 185/60/14. They will be very close to stock overall diameter, and will cause only a minimal inaccuracy in your speedo. Edit: As far as brands, I don't have experience with off-road tires, but tons with street tires. Les Schwab cheapies are actually surprisingly good. As far as the major brands go, I have to give props hands down to the Michelin Energy MXV.

Ah, so you're THE Tom? (location says MI...) Did you get your shift boot replaced OK? Yeah, was definitely a good day at the yard, except that Mo couldn't find the part she needed for her Metro. ah well.

Wow, got a lot more for my money at PaP than I was expecting to get. I guess it helps that after reading the price list I decided just to get hatch glass instead of a full hatch. (Well, also partially because the two hatches I found had the wrong mounting points for the struts). Anyway, going that route allowed me to get a full set of GL FWD steelies with GOOD tires on them, an EA82 dome light, and a couple other goodies. Oh yeah, some decent GL front seats, too. Oh, I also ran into an ex-USMB member named Tom (?), who sold a white XT to Austin some time ago. He was grabbing some parts from the same hatch I was cannibalizing the glass from. Anyway... I got help from a friend to help install the hatch glass. Tom's trick for installing the glass, unfortunately, only got in the way. maybe we were doing it wrong, but it caused some damage to the one remaining good hatch seal we had left. So yeah... hatch glass is an uber-pain to put in, but we got it done. For not knowing what we were doing, not a bad job. Silicone sealant was used to make sure that there won't be any leaks. Just a little interior work away from being able to take Freebiemobile to emissions testing...