thealleyboy

I've had this problem before, and it turned out that the threads were damaged on the spindle. This prevented the castle nut from tightening past a certain point, although it felt "tight". The problem probably developed because someone had not packed the bearings correctly, and the extra slop damaged the threads. The way to verify this is to remove the spindle, and thread the castle nut onto it. Other than that, it's pretty straightforward. If the bearing is good and pressed in evenly, and the threads are good, it's just a matter of the correct torque on the castle nut. good luck, John

Slightly different take... Does this mean that an EA82 clutch plate will work on early Legacy models too? I don't know the new gen cars very well, so forgive me if this is a redundant question... John

You don't need to tear into your dash, but removing the steering wheel housing will give you accees to the switch itself. You can do some quick and dirty testing here for "juice". This is valuable information. No juice at the switch is a different kind of problem, than when voltage is present there. You have to do a minimal amount of troubleshooting, and this is a good place to start. As far as tapping into the harness, there will be several {unnused}connectors that will switch on in the ACC position. Fuji engineered the wiring for additional add-ons. IF you can eliminate the switch as the problem, you can experiment with your VOM, or a light bulb, and attempt to find one that's live. Then, it's just a matter of fabricating a connnector, and you are in business. good luck, John

A little confused about the current wiring situation, but there are plenty of ways to get a dedicated accessory line to the stereo, if that's your goal. I wouldn't hack into the harness; stick with the OEM setup as much as possible. Everything should be rated correctly, and you shouldn't be blowing fuses. (make sure the radio fuse at the block is rated correctly) Kinda sounds like something isn't grounded. Is your antenna plugged in? Try to isolate the problem before you go retroftting anything... good luck, John

A vehicle with complete and accurate records can save you hundreds of dollars in preventative maintenance, so this would justify a slightly higher price, IMO. In reality, this value of this information goes way beyond dollars and cents. The fact that it is an 88 (FI) model would also increase it's value. I would give this car serious consideration, but only if the unibody is solid. The pump is not a major repair issue, but will give you a little bargaining power. Same with the tailpipe. Don't wait on him to get it fixed. I'd make a fair "as-is" cash offer. Maybe up to $1250 if it isn't too rusty, and is clean inside and out. good luck, John

Excellent call. The metal at the rear seat belt posts is weak on both sides. That's good enough for me... Sometimes looks can be deceiveing with these cars. You can have rust at the wheel arches, rear Q's and rockers - yet the undercarriage still be solid. Not the case with this one. I'll post some pix when it's all stripped out... John

It's time to make a life or death decision for my 87 wagon... This one sat in the weeds for a couple years, and though the outer body shows only the "typical" corrosion, the undercarriage is particularly bad. The gas tank, brake lines and rear suspension are suspect at best. I'm especially concerned about the stress points in the rear - where the rear suspension bolts to the unibody. I'm talking about the section of the unibody below the rear seat area. If the structure gives out here, the suspension will come up thru the back seat. At first glance, it looks like it might be possible to reinforce the area by welding some metal plates at the stress points. However, the unibody structure is hollow in this area, and it is hard to guage the strength of stress points. Any of you off-roaders ever try to reinforce/repair the unibody in this area?? If it's too far gone, so be it. But I just want to make sure I'm not jumping the gun on scrapping yet another EA82. thanks, John

I am using 86 wagon centercaps on my pug alloys. The "new style" centercaps look more stock on the Pugs, IMO. They will not be a perfect fit, however. You cannot just snap them in place. I used a needlenose pliers to bend back the splines so that the cap was flush with rim. Then glued them in place with a waterproof adhesive. good luck, John

Check out Kimball Midwest in Columbus. www.kimballmidwest.com They are a wholesale automotive supplier, but also have a retail counter. They carry all kinds of oddball fasteners and trim items. You may have to buy in quanity though... good luck, John

Kind of annoying. You expect precision in these cars, and a 60-80 mile cushion is way too loose IMO. If it were my call, I'd have the light come on at "one gallon" of fuel. Then you'd know whether you have 15, 20 or 25 miles to deal with. Wouldn't be a problem unless you were way out in the "stix".... John

It's 15.9 according to specs, but I always worry that the true capacity is actually less. My fuel indicator comes on after 11-12 gallons in my Loyale, which would be early in my opinion. But I've never ran it down all the way (in any of my Subes) to be certain. If anyone knows for certain please share. Especially any info on calibrating that stupid fuel warning light. John

I used acetone to clean the aluminum after they were stripped clean. As far as clearcoats, I tried one sold thru Eastwood Supply called "Diamond Coat" or something like that. I did not like the results. It gave the wheels a yellowish tint. This may have been because the aluminum needed further polishing. Anyway, I stripped off the clear coat and used old fashioned aluminum mag wheel polish. Looked great for a while. I did not wax (or clearcoat again) so they became dingy again. Please post your results, especially if you go the "aluminum polish-then-clearcoat" route. good luck, John

I had some experience working on the Hitatchi's that came on the old Datsuns. If you were to go that route, the older the better. The carbs from the mid to late 70's were still very basic, and fully adjustable. Even the electronic chokes were adjustable, and this solved a lot of the finnicky "cold start" problems everyone complains about. In fact, if you drilled out the housing rivets and installed screws, the chokes on the newer ones can probably be adjusted too. The ones from about 81 on, are very similar to the Hitatchi's found on our Subes. All the same disadvantages. People ***************ed about them then, just as they do now... good luck, John

I am going to spot Jason my extra ECU to try on his car. It came from a running 87 turbo wagon, and appeared to be good when I junked the car. Can someone verify that all 87T ECU's are the same? I have ran into some wierd mis-matches on 87 models and want to make sure this correct part. Mine came off a late 87 model, BTW... John

A lot of people do the crank/cam and oil pump seals as part of the timing belt service interval (every 60K). Not a bad idea, if you are a "perfectionist" and have the time. The cost is low. However, since your timing belt covers are off, you could actually do the seals (or belts) on "as needed" basis. This is the biggest advantages of removing your timing belt covers. You'll be able to visually check for oil leaks, and if one does happen to spring a leak, you can can do it easily and quickly (ie before the oil gets all over the belts and engine bay). Some people insist on the covers, but in my mind, the avantages of running your belts naked, far outweigh the disadvantages. Just keep your hair tied back while the motor is running... good luck, John

Excellent point!! This could throw you off if all you checked was belt tension. John

Kel: Sometimes these "seller claims" take on a life of their own. Without any reliable records, you'll have to draw your own conclusions on this one. If the issue is simply a broken timing belt, you can easily check them by prying off the knockouts on the timing belt covers and see if the belts have tension. If one has snapped, I would have to assume that this is the main problem. There could very well be other problems, but they would be unrelated to the belts. As far as the tranny, that is a seperate issue. I would try to assess whether this truly is an issue, or if it's just someone's imagination gone wild. Be assured that the tranny and belt issues are not related. good luck, John

If I understand the system correctly, the PCV is supposed to recieve a mixture of fresh and bypass air. The fresh air may simply be to "balance" what is being expelled on the opposite side (all bypass). That is why you cannot just run one side of the crankcase into the other, and just draw straight filtered air thru the PCV. You need a way to release the dirty air from the crankcase. Someone correct me if this is not the way it works... John

Thanks for the info Tom. I'll give it a shot. I'd really like to go with one of those aftermarket air cleaners for better breathing. I did talk to a guy at a hi-po shop that recommended a universal breather valve that can be installed right at the valve cover. Only problem is that they are larger than the 5/8 diameter inlet on the Subes, so some step-down mods would be necessary to install it at that location. They are also kinda expensive... John

I've seen the EGR reset switch, but can't remember exactly where it located. Seems like it was behind an access panel to a screw, or something... On my current project (a carbed 87), I've completely eliminated the EGR, and am getting no warning lights whatsoever. It might just be a matter of disconnecting the battery, and "rebooting" the ECU. I'm thinking that if ithe EGR cannot be detected, there will be no error condition. Let us know what you come up with. good luck, John

The car is an 87 EA82 {carbed} D/R wagon. Nearly all of the OEM emissions equipment has been eliminated, and I'm down to the PCV system. I'd like to install one of the round aftermarket "universal-type" air cleaners for simplicity. The air cleaners I've looked at have a single knockout for the PCV. However, the PCV systems on our Subes require 3 fresh air ports (PCV, crankcase inlet, crankcase outlet). I'm trying to decide how to deal with the crankcase ports. Some sort of "breather valve" would seem to be the ideal solution - if such a valve even exists. Other possibilities (in order of desirabilty) are: additional ports on the air cleaner bypass hose from inlet to outlet caps for inlet and outlet total elimination of the PCV Any suggestions/ideas ? thanks, John

I've "gravity-drained" the tank, which is probably not sufficient for using heat to weld something on. However, it may be possible to glue an oversized nipple over the stub that remains. I talked to a guy at NAPA that recommended an epoxy they carry that is specially formulated to work on gas tanks. I think I'm going to give it a shot. If that fails, I'm gonna drop the tank and either repair or replace it. A hassle, but definitely the correct way to go. I agree that leaking fuel is not something to take lightly... thanks, John

I'm working on an 87 wagon that sat in the weeds for a couple years. After firing it up and running it awhile, it started developing fuel leaks in the fuel pump area. Upon further inspection, I discovered the fuel return nipple on the gas tank had disintigrated to a stub, allowing the hose to come loose, and allowing the fuel to leak. I was able to cap off the nipple, but there is not enough left for a solid clamp/hose connection. The best case would be to repair the nipple somehow. I've thought about sliding an oversized fuel inlet over the stub, and using some sort of adhesive. but I wonder if that will hold up. Any ideas on making the repair without removing the tank? Or a sealant that will hold up to gasoline? thanks, John

If you have bought the guage, may as well hook it up permanently, so you can monitor your fuel pressure while driving. You'll need a "tee" connector with 5/16 ends for the fuel lines, and an adapter for the guage. Getting better mileage before the pump dies doesn't make any sense to me. If it is a FI car, the flow will be regulated, so it will either be "go" or "no go". If it is a carbed vehicle, you would be pumping more gas manually to smooth out the intermittant drops in pressure. Your pump could very well be going out, and the guage will help you determine that. But I think your increase in MPG's is due to some other (unrelated) factor. good luck, John

I've seen people route aftermarket exhaust a number of ways, but the OEM routing really isn't a bad way to go - considering the distance. Fabrication near the rear outlet would definitely be an issue, and the factory pipe/muffler has that big advantage. I'm probably going to go with an OEM on the one I'm working on currently, for that reason alone. I've never ran anything but stock mufflers on mine, so I don't know how they compare to the turbo's and glasspacks. I'm guessing the OEM's are fairly efficient too. Their main disadvantage being the narrower diameter of the pipe... John