thealleyboy

Driving to work this morning in my 93 Loy 4wd 5sp (single range) wagon. It's foggy out, and I have to slam on the brakes to avoid slamming into a line of stopped cars. Ever since that incident, I have been unable to shift into 2nd gear. It just wont engage into gear. 1,3,4,5 & R all shift fine. Not sure if the car was in 2n'd when I did the emergency braking manuever. Any ideas? thanks, John

Sounds like it could be low on coolant, based on the "start-stop" symptoms you describe. However, not likely if you've already checked for air trapped in the system. Malfunctioning air ducts is a good guess. Also, you cannot rule out the core itself as being gummed up. A backflush thru the core should eliminate or verify this possibility. good luck, John

Mills Supply in Cleveland has rockers and wheel arches. Their # is 800-888-5072. Ask for Bill at ext 116. Unfortunately, no one I know of makes lower quarters for the wagons. I am trying to convince a guy who is interested in producing some xt panels, to do these too, so they may become available in the near futre. Still, with the rockers, wheel arches and sheet metal, you can reconstruct the rear quarter's very effectively. I have done this on my 86 wagon, and am happy with the results. Email me off the board if you have any questions. good luck, John thealleyboy@yahoo.com

If it's in the axle housing (steering knuckle), you can probably wedge a prybar where the fastener that holds the balljoint in place is located, to bust loose the corrosion. It will come out. Use lots of penetrating oil, a large crescent wrench, or a hammer as needed. good luck, John

Snowie: The only other possible place for a filter is inside the gas tank. Not likely to be the problem though. The fuel pump could be going out, and giving weak or intermittant output. A pressure guage is best, but you could visually inspect by shooting the fuel into a pop bottle. Have a friend crank the engine and watch for a strong steady stream. It's usually very obvious if the fuel aint making it that far. And with the filter replaced, you can be pretty confident that the issue is at the pump. Dont forget electrical testing if you suspect the pump. good luck, John

GD: I'm running one of those exact ones in my 93. I don't normally buy parts like that from Autozone, but I was in a serious pinch. It seems well-made, and has held up for about 1/2 year. I have found that AZ has always honered their warranties, and that's a good thing because of some of the crap they sell there. Of course, they don't compensate you for the time, labor and aggrievation of being without your wheels. Since this is true with all warranties, I feel it is best to start off with the highest quality component you can get your hands on to begin with. Personally, I would look to a reputable re-manufacturer for the axle if you can wait that long for shipping. I seem to recall a post about a place in FLA that had good ones for a decent price. good luck, John

Teas: If it were my car, I would do both sides. Ball joints DO wear, even if the boot survives. Unless you have reason to believe the one "good" ball joint has been replaced recently, you may as well assume it has gone the full 185k on the car. Probably not much life left on that one either. In general, I think it's best to do preventive maintenance on a "keeper" car, any time you have labor invested on a job where an opportunity to upgrade exists. In your case, you are looking at at a 20-30 part with virtually no additional labor. A no brainer in my book... good luck, John

Greg: Not sure about the power assist. If it were out, it might actually give you a "harder" pedal feel. Question: How much pressure are you getting when you are bleeding the brakes? Does it go all the way to the floor then too? My guess is the master cylinder. (yes, I know you said it is new!!) Without any fluid leaks in the system, you have to consider the pressure getting to the calipers, and that would be the MC. good luck, John

JM: I've thought about repairing the OEM units, but I doubt they would hold up long. The heat from the soldering iron will further deteriorate the element. Awhile back Bill Putney (I think that's his name) posted a schematic he drew up for a resister block using common components available places like Radio Shack. You might want to try a search. Not sure if the old stuff was moved to this new web page. As I recall, his plans called for high tolerance resisters, which were next to impossible to burn up. The downside was that the block was physically larger, and would not fit in the usual spot. Good luck, John

Webs aren't for everyone...nothing wrong with keeping things stock if you aren't into mods. Problem with the Hitatchis is that they are tricky - even if you've had some experience with this sort of thing. I've had about a 50% sucess rate with the ones I've done. Not good enuff IMO, considering the time involved. You could compromise a little and still save some $$ by getting your carb professionally rebuilt, and doing the installation yourself. Pretty starightforward and simple if you mark everything. If I were to have someone rebuild one for me, I would probably go with Kerry at CCR. I've discussed the Hitatchis with him, and he knows these carbs inside out. Don't quote me on this, but it should be in the 200-250 range if you send him your core (highly recommended). good luck, John

JB: Those readings are excellent. You can safely rule out the headgasket. That should put your mind to ease a bit. I'm starting to lean towards the plugged cat theory. This would explain the noise and lack of power. If it were mine, I would drop everything from the Y back (since your exhaust needs work anyway). You can inspect the cat by holding it up to the sun. If you can't see light, it's shot. You may be able to salvage it otherwise. The rest of your exhaust will probably have to be replaced. You can do the work yourself if you can get it up on ramps. good luck, John

JB: Crank the engine normally - as if you were to start the car. Don't worry, it won't start. By grounding the coil to the chassis, the car cannot fire. You are trying to build up pressure inside the motor, and measuring what that pressure is. The readings, and their location will give you some good clues as to the condition of your engine. Getting accurate readings is important, so do this procedure as many times as necessary. Be especially careful with "0" readings. They may truly be 0 psi, or they may be because the guage isn't completely seated. good luck, John

Jay: Not sure the oil leak, and the other issues are necessarily related. If I were you I would focus on the causes of the "surging" and loss of power you describe. To me, these symtoms would suggest overheating, and the oil light flashing could be caused hot oil (rather than the leak). Of course, running your car low on oil can lead to overheating, but you said that the oil is now topped off. You can get a pretty good idea if it is your cooling system by visual checks: temp guage, white smoke out the tail pipe, coolant in the oil or vice versa, etc. If you can confirm an overheating condition, then it's a matter of figuring out why this is happening. I would start here for now, and don't get sidetracked by the oil leak (which will also need attention). good luck, John

JB: Not a dumb question at all... There are actually several ways to do the test. I'll describe how I do it (instructions with the compression guage may be different, but will also work): Run your car up to operating temp if at all possible Make sure your battery is fully charged Disconnect coil wire, and jump the coil (two alligator clips and a legnth of wire) to chassis ground. Mark your wires for correct firing order, and remove ALL spark plugs Screw the guage into the spark plug hole and have someone crank the engine. Make sure the guage is fully threaded and not leaking. Write down the max PSI for each cylinder. Not a bad idea to go around twice to confirm your readings. When you have your PSI readings, post the results on this thread for some opinions. good luck, John

ET: I tend to go overboard when I get into servicing the cooling system. However, if there is one area where the extra $$ is well-spent, this is definitely it - especially with a turbo vehicle. I recently overhauled the entire cooling system in my latest project; an 89 GL AWD Turbo wagon (aka Alleywagon '04). I'm talking everything from hoses to a T-stat and cap, to a new H20 pump and 2-row rad. There are no doubts whatsoever, and that's a GREAT feeling!! The guage never moves past the 1/4 mark, and I doubt that it will for a long time. The problem with the cooling system is that there are so many weak links. The good news is that it's also a relatively simple system, and you can easily prevent a meltdown by keeping those links strong. You should think of a new rad (if it needs one) as the starting point, not the magical cure all. Think of the cooling system as a whole, and you'll have the peace of mind you're looking for. Good luck, John

JB: Yeah, I was thinking exhaust too, but losing power doesnt make sense. The compression guage is not all that expensive. One of those discount auto parts stores (Auto Zone) may even have one to lend. This is a longshot, but check to see if one of your spark plugs is loose or blown out. This is about the only single incident I can think of that would account for all the symptoms you describe. good luck, John

JB: I would start with compression and take it from there. A compression check will cut this down to size in a hurry. You may have blown a head gasket (funny smell, lack of power) or one of your belts may be ready to go (very loud, baseball card sound). Most of the symptoms you mention seem to point to the head gasket, but it it's far from a sure bet. What kind of oil pressure are you reading? How about the temp guage? John

Skip, no offense taken - no offense intended... As far as the wiper problem, this was a wierd one. After looking at the schematic, it became clear that the fronts and rears were completely independent systems. The fact that they were both out was purely coincidental. Voltage present at both connectors, so could BOTH motors really be out?? Turns out the rear motor WAS shot. I noticed that the motor housing was hot to the touch when the juice was on. My guess is that it got hung up (frozen to the winshield perhaps) and tore up the innards. Easy fix!! The front motor stumped me for awhile. I actually solved this one by accident. I realized it was improperly grounded when layed something across the motor and chassis, and it sparked. I took the motor off cleaned it up a bit and reinstalled. Another easy fix!! Noah, I wonder if this is what happened to yours too. Maybe it wasn't grounding, and when you moved the wipers, the movement completed the circuit. An interesting learning experience for sure. Thanks for the input. John

Sorry Skip, I thought I landed on the "Older Generation" Subaru page. To my knowledge, these wiper systems are essentially alike on "Older Generation" Subarus. The car is an 89 GL Turbo AWD A/T. Do you need the VIN# too? Ok, so apparently both wipers do not pass thru the module on "Older Generation" Subarus. That's helpful.... Noah, your theory makes sense. Both motors could conceivably be seized, given the condition of the car. As you saw when you stopped by, the car has had a dubious past. I will certainly do the proper diagnostics later when I get home. I don't have the luxury of an FSM in front of me since I'm at work now. Thanks for the input. John

Going over Alleywagon '04 with a fine tooth comb last nite, getting it ready for the road. Realized it has no wipers - front or back. Checked the fuse. It was ok. Washer pump on the same circuit and it worked. It was getting late and I didn't have time to get out the test light, schematics etc. I suspect the intermittant control/relay, but I don't recall if both front and back run thru the same circuit. Anyone recall from memory how this circuit works? John

4B: Russ describes a good way to troubleshoot the circuit, but my guess is that you are looking for a quick and dirty fix without a lesson in theory. But first a little more "practical" theory... If you umplug the connector at the drivers door motor and apply juice (from a battery charger, 12v power source, car's battery etc), the window will move either "up" or "down". If you reverse polarity, the window will do the opposite (assuming the motor is good). A single switch (and relay) will accomplish this same feat. Since this is happening at 3 of the four windows already, you can assume that you have 3 good motors, 3 good switches and a good relay. Again, the master switch is highly suspect - especially if it has the child-proof locking feature. The master switch itself is a universal type design found in many makes, and can probably be found at places like Auto Zone. Take your old switch in too. If you are extremely lucky, there might be someone behind the counter who can test it for you. The wiring to the switch cannot be ruled out either, and if this the case, it will be a little more complex. Try testing the drivers door motor, and maybe replace the switch, then report back... good luck, John

The guys made a pit stop in C-Bus on the way back home, and it sounded like you guys had a blast over the weekend. Give them the resources they need to get the job done, and you can bet your rump roast, the job WILL get done. And it will get done right. I definitely hope to have them back over to give me a hand on my next project. john

Jason: I have an 89 GL10 Turbo T 2wd A/T. Yours sounds like the top of the line model. I would grab it if you can get any kind of decent deal on it. They are VERY rare. Let me know if you get it, and we'll trade notes. good luck, John thealleyboy@yahoo.com

News: I have never had one spring a leak, but I do the same thing Cal does as a precautionary measure anytime I'm in there. I have seen this design on other Japanese models for many years, so it must not be a weak link in the system. good luck, John

Just goes to show there's more going on places other than the NW coast... Yes, these are some serious derelicts, and really good guys. I have fun everytime we meet up. John