NV Zeno

I remember that one. There was also another around the same time featuring a Hatch Standard, mostly talking about the low price. It wasn't as sophistcated a production commercial as the BRAT ad, it was probably a regionally-produced commercial for the "Local Arizona Subaru Dealers", which at the time I believe there was one dealer in the whole state.

Wrenchfest! If we get enough heads and hands there to help you, it might just be running by WCSS time. Just my 2 bucks

SUBRDAV. Personal, not too cryptic, won't attract police. My 2 bucks

I replaced the stock formed hoses a couple of years/thousand miles ago. I'd kind of like to retain those, as they're in good shape (and don't interfere with the clutch cable). There are a couple of shorter lengths of straight hose leading to/from the engine to short sections of pipe then to the formed heater core hoses..I'm thinking of disconnecting/replacing at that point..still 5/8, right?

All good food for thought..thanks. It's starting to get warm around here, time to put the wagon into it's "summer hibernation" (no A/C), but I'm going to perform the flush shortly before that. Those are standard 5/8 inch heater hoses, right?

OK, I've been procrastinating doing this. I was checking around under the hood to see which tools I'll need, and other stuff to prepare for the job. I noticed when I attempted to loosen the heater hoses from anything they're connected to, they're pretty much welded to the pipes. I'm hesitant to use much brute force to twist them to break up the crud that I'm sure is holding the hose to the pipes. I was thinking of maybe using something like WD40 or penetrating oil on the connection, maybe that'll help soften the crud. Any suggestions/advice?

It's in the "Ultimate Subaru Repair Manual" section, sub-heading "Transmission, Axle, Brakes". Very helpful (Thanks Ed). http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=75786 Hope this helps.

I'm 5'8"/140 lbs. I have to kind of lie diagonally to fit, but I can straighten out all the way, with a few inches to spare. 1983 Wagon.

I agree (although I rent cars instead of sell them)..the Crapaliers were among the worst. My favorites are the '97~2008 Taurus, and my EA81 seat. Just my 2 bucks

Thanks Rob. My '83 FSM probably says the same thing as yours. I managed to find my long ago misplaced copy of "...Subaru Alive" (thought it was gone forever), and in the "Check trans and diff oil" chapter, it answers perfectly and in detail. Page 74, Chapter 7, procedure 2, step 2: Check Transmission and Differential Oil. Now I know what I'm looking at.

'83 wagon, 4-speed Dual Range. Question/opinion: Does the whole "hash-marked" part of the dipstick represent a quart? Pint? Something else? I know the capacity of the whole xmission, but I don't really need that. I'm just interested in how much fluid it takes to move the level on the dipstick a certain distance (like, say, 1/4 inch). Thanks

. I've got a "sometimes" similar problem with mine. Brian, please let us know if any of the "stuff" you try works. Thanks.

Yeah, I remember those trips..good times.

Wow, nice one. Mine looked like that when the original owner (my friend) brought it home new. It didn't look like that by the time she sold it to me in 1989... :-\

Oh man..I totally spaced this thing. No chatter just beforehand (to remind me ), so I went skiing all day instead. Looks like a big storm rolling in tonight...

WooHOO!! Only 750 miles from Tahoe..I'm there!

Looks good Brian, you'll be fine. Not even close to "rice"

Nah, this car won't last another year :lol:. -- Thanks guys. With everything going so smooth on that job, it gave me a big confidence boost for other jobs. We'll see.

Well, it was time. My wagon, an '83 4x4, has been screaming from the passenger front side, "I'm worn! Replace me!" After getting a deal on the grease seals from RockAuto's Closeout Sale, and a SCREAMING deal on the bearings themselves from a supplier down in Sparks (thanks GD), I found the time to get together with a bud with lots-o-tools over in California to help with the job. I don't think we would have been able to finish so quickly and smoothly if it weren't for the photo essay Nug posted in the USRM. Thanks for that..it gave me the confidence I needed to do the job myself, with some help. We just followed the steps as laid out. I'd have to say that the most difficult part was separating the tie rod end from the knuckle (aka Housing). It took some extra "persuasion", eventually it came out without damage. Just followed as written..slam-bam, 1-2-3. Went back together with no extra "mystery" bolts or parts left over. "Just like downtown" :clap:. Drove home 140 miles, no new strange noises..check. No screaming from the right front during left curves (aaahhh..), check. No change in the other 10,000 noises this car makes, check. This was a biggie for me. usually my bud does 90% of the work (and I help/learn), but this time I did just about everything with him looking over my shoulder. Actually he wanted to get in there and do more, but I wanted to do as much as I could. I did let him drive out one of the old bearings and seal, and also had him install one of the new ones. Probably would never had got everything apart if it wasn't for him (thanks Dave). WooHoo!! 54 years old and still learning and doing new things! (Turns up Ramones music)

Hey Ted, how'd you manage to get a "surplus" used USFS truck in such good condition? All the trucks from agencies like CALTRANS, NDOT, USFS that I've seen sold to private citizens are totally beat, look worse than my wagon! :lol: Great pix. Kinda reminds me of the areas east of Phoenix we used to go "looking around" in when I had my old Maverick (late '70s).

OK, got the Leg back today. Turned out that the small leak was above the fuel tank. One of the evap hoses was very loose, barely making contact to where it connects to the gas tank. The tank had to be lowered from the car to do the repair. The tech took our Leg home overnight (about 20 miles away from dlr.) after that to confirm and verify that the issue was solved. Many thanks to Michael Hohl (Honda/)Subaru for such great and courteous service!

Just curious, where did you have the repairs done?

Try your local Subaru dealer. A couple of bucks over NAPA (or Kragen, or whoever)'s price is well worth it for a Genuine Subaru part..much longer and reliable life. Just my 2 bucks

Closing in on 332,000 miles.

OK.. a morsel of info: The techs have acknowledged there is something wrong, some sort of fuel leak. Preliminary guess by them is a small leak on top of the fuel tank. They are in the process of dismantling, and will identify/confirm/ hopefully repair. I'll post with the results when they're finished and we have our car back in service.