thealleyboy

Hey Guys The car in question is an 88 GL wagon 4wd D/R. I noticed recently that the two rear wheels are jutting outward at the bottom {Sorry no pics available right now}. Think of someone laying a pallet of bricks on the roof rack, and the wheels collapsing from the weight. At first I suspected a diff failure, but there is no play or looseness with the wheels off the ground. In fact, they seem to track symetrically. No other obvious mechanical or visual problems. However, when the weight is on the wheels, they are no longer parellel. I now suspect that the unibody might have stretched by hitting a pothole or something. I haven't yet tried measuring reference points on the body, as this would be the last resort. Any other ideas or theories? thanks, John

Gary: Yeah, I've had all of the above {and more} happen at various times. Lets just say I have a good working relationship with a lot of the machine shops around C-Bus:lol: Even with the bolts off, backing plates seem to get hung up around the center hole alot, and it is easy to mangle them up if you pry too hard. I always clean and PB this area before getting started, and remove the plate in a circular motion. John

Hey, thanks for all the replies guys!! To clarify, I'm doing a RD conversion on a 4wd wagon with drums. I've done 4wd to 4wd rear disk conversions, but never attempted to use rear disks systems from 2wd vehicles. I knew that the calipers, disks and pads were interchangeble, but wasn't sure about the backing plate. Appreciate the info. Saved me alot of time and frustration John BTW I need a pair of 4wd backing plates if anyone has any

Anyone ever done this successfully? The backing plates are obviously different due to the diameter of the spindles, but the larger of the two (2wd) would seem to be a possible subsitute. Of course, this would depend on whether the bolts line up correctly, and the 2wd plate can be properly centered on the 4wd hub. Any feedback on this is most welcome... thanks, John

I'm doing an 88 with virtually all of the excessive trim removed. This includes the side tailgate trim - which requres filling some holes with bondo. Also, will be painting painting the inner door frames body color (instead of matte black). This is a different look than the Loyale, and drastically more stripped down than the GL. Depending on how you treat the bumpers, the end result is could be "retro" (bumpers painted black), contemporary (body color), or cutting edge (contrasting gray like the current cross-overs). Another trick is to use Loyale era window trim for the rear glass trim. This allows glass installation without the ugly adhesive - which necessitates some of the rear window trim. Check out a Loyale to see if this look appeals to you. good luck, John

Check your cooling level (including reservoir). A low level can give you the "hot-cold" symptoms. Also, check your heater core inlet/outlet hoses after warm up to see if the coolant is hot and flowing into and out of the core. If the coolant is cold or lukewarm, it is indeed the T-stat. good luck, John

As mentioned above, you should be able to get your car running right by returning the distributer to the original position (assuming the sprockets have not moved). However, the distributer could still be off - and this would throw off all the other components as well. It will be difficult/impossible to replicate getting everything to "run wrong in unison" again, and you can forget about any kind of meaningful timing adjustment using a strobe. I would go ahead and temporarily restore it back to where you started (for peace of mind). Then, when you have time, remove the disty and do the whole procedure right. If not, you risk being in an even worse predicament next time around - when your timing really get mixed up on the side of the road somewhere. good luck, John

Bill: Sometimes when you get in so deep, you've just got to start from scratch. Over-anlayzing and over-thinking can get you into trouble if you can't second-guess yourself. You were probably ok until you moved the disty. But now, who knows... I would start off getting the distributer lined up properly. Also, take another look at your wires/firing order if you fooled around with those. The write-up in "How to keep your Subaru Alive" is very good for re-setting the disty. Once that is done, you want to get your belts on correctly. Miles' write-up on belt installation is a must read for this procedure. At this point the car should run roughly - or better. You could set timing to specs, but often it is not the optimal position as far as power and performance. You could go "old skool" and advance the timing until it pings. The downside is that MPG's will be lower. Don't forget to follow the directions for by-passing the ECU (on the sticker under your hood). good luck, John

Doug: That is very true. I can't think of too many sets that would be worth the effort. I did this with my set of Pug alloys, but I'm not sure I'd do it again. And you really can't run a nice set of rims in certain parts of the country, especially on days like this. A few trips up and down SR 33, with all the salt they lay down around here (Central/Southern OH), will eat those up in no time... John

There are several "aluminum" finishes, and they all have different polishing characteristics. Since you brought up the subjuct, I'm assuming you are dealing with the worst of these surfaces; the non-machined (pourous) type. This finish is dull, dark and stains easily. Forget about trying to buff them to a shiny silver finish - you'll be wasting your time. About the only thing you can do with these is paint them, and even that can be tricky. Primer does not always adhere well to cast aluminum, and this can lead to expansion/shrinking "alligator skin" texture. On "raw" aluminum surfaces, I would recommend bead blasting, followed by powder coating for best results. Naval Jelly or Mother's aluminum polish works well on the "machined" aluminum surfaces, but you must follow with a protective coating to keep the shine. Eastwood Supply carries a decent clear-coat for this purpose, but it does have a slight yellowish tinge. Personally, I think old fashioned wax looks the best, but it requires periodic buffing. good luck, John

Hey Tom: Thanks for the clarification. I knew there was some sheilded wire circuits, but did not know that the 02 was one of them. None of the schematics I looked at indicated sheilding. Makes sense though, since other sensing devices are sheilded. Appreciate your response. Always learn something new... John

I'm attempting to rig up the O2 on my 88GL, and it appears that the correct wire is shielded. I don't remember ever seeing anything except single wire 02's on these cars. Incase your wondering, the original 02 connector was still hooked up when I dropped the exhaust, and it ripped out of that section or the wiring harness. I did not get a good look at the wiring at that time, and the 02/connector setup is long gone. However, as I said, the shielded wire seems to be the right one for the 02. thanks, John

Hey man, if you can score those wires for $20 that's a serious bargain!! They should sell for 3x4x that amt. If you can source them at that price, pass on the connection to your Subie pals..... John

Here ya go... spark plugs: NGKPFR6B-11 wires: NGKRC-FE25 good luck, John

I'll post the part # as soon as I get home. I'm really a big fan of the NGK wires. I think they fit/perform better than the "premium" wires made by others. If you are going to invest in a good set of wires, these are well worth the effort to track down. John

If I recall, the NGK's for EA82T's (OEM blue) are the ones to get, if you can find them. Though the other size NGK wires fit well, I believe the T's are a little bit longer, making them a little easier to work with under the hood. If you can wait, I can get you a part # later tonite when I get home Always NGK plugs - of course... good luck, John

Definitely an "art" to this sort of thing...learn by "doing"-not reading... Remember that these cars were not built to ever be taken apart again. Salvaging this kinda stuff is always going to take a little extra effort... good luck, John

You can actually remove those without doing anything with the fastener at all. If you are careful, you can stretch the rubber over the fastener, without tearing out the hole. A large flat head screwdriver should give you enuff leverage. If you do enlarge the hole while removing the flaps, no biggie. They can be re-installed with an oversize washer. good luck, John

I finally had a chance to mess with it again last nite... Apparently, it was a combination of things. Something was binding somewhere. It took rolling the car back and forth in "N", and some hard shifting, but it finally engaged. Thanks for all the comments guys!! I was frustrated to the point to were I was about ready to tear it all down again. John

Yeah, the hi/lo system would make sense... What I don't understand is how it could have got stuck in "N" during installation. And why wouldn't it shake out while shifting around the gearbox. I mean, you'd think that this would be a fool-proof operation as far as the rods and linkages. So, would the fix be to simply remove/reinstall the shifting hardware? Or, drop the tranny, and make sure it is mated up "in gear", when re-installing? John

Did an A/T to D/R conversion on an 88 GL Wagon, and it does not appear that the clutch is engaging properly (acts as in Neutral all the time). All new parts including clips, cable and both bearings. Everything looked good before mating the tranny to the motor, and there were no major issues during installation. Shift linkages/rods are all lubed up and moving as they should. Tried playing around with cable adjustments, and while the pedal "feels" right, nothing happens when shifting into gear. Fork appears to positioned properly. note: I'm working alone, so I cannot see all the mechanisms in action at once. Also, the car has not moved since the swap, and I dont know if rolling it out in neutral would help engage the clutch somehow. Any thoughts on what might be going on here? I'd like to pinpoint the problem before dropping the tranny all over again:mad: ... thanks, John

It used to be that the Autozone/Advance type stores had a price advantage over the "professional" suppliers, and the cost savings made up for the lousy service. That is not the case any more. Maybe I've just been lucky, but the NAPA and Carquest stores I deal with deliver great service and good prices. The difference between the pro suppliers and the chains are like night and day in this particular town (a small town outside of Columbus). In the city, the disparity is even more glaring. It always helps to form a relationship with the people behind the counter, but I think they are feeling the heat (price-wise) from the chains. They are straddling the fine line between serving professional mechanics, who expect high quality, and competing against stores that are run like supermarkets. As a result, their prices have dropped considerably in the past few years, while the quality has remained high. I would recommend giving these professional suppliers a second look. The service alone is worth it, and their lower prices are a bonus. good luck, John

Though axles are technically "interchangeble" {within spline counts}, I would use Turbone's chart to select the correct one. I am convinced that a lot of the mysterious "premature bearing failures" that people complain about are a direct result of using the wrong axle. People often grab the first decent axle they see at the yards, without really identifying if it's correct. Discount Part stores have not helped matters, 'cause a lot of them carry a single item# for each spline count. As a result, there are mixed up axles all over the place - whether in the car you are driving, or on the one in the JY. The legnths of the axles vary, as the chart shows, and I suspect that the additional strain of an incorrect axle lead to the additional bearing wear. I have never seen the kind of bearing failures as with the EA's in any other make I've ever been involved with. This is just not normal. Of course, you can use any axle with the correct spline count in a pinch. But be prepared to pay the price of additional bearings, seals, and anything else you happen to damage when swapping axles out constantly good luck, John

No doubt, the 4wd's are complete dogs...avoid them at all costs... But the 2wd A/T's are suprisingly peppy. Every one I've ever driven felt sportier than they should have. The reduced weight of the FWD is an advantage in this regard. John

Yeah, I personally can't see replacing a 4wd A/T with another A/T. The 2wd AT versions...maybe... If you plan the job accordingly, and have all the parts on hand, installing the manual will take you only slightly longer than an A/T swap. By "slightly", I'm talking 1-2 extra days or so. While many combinations are possible, the easiest solution is always to match your replacement 5 speed to the existing rear diff. If you happen to have the 3.9 version of the 4wd A/T, you'll obviously want to go D/R. However, I believe only the newer models (and not all of them) came with the 3.9. If it's 3.7, don't automatically rule out the S/R 5 in favor of another A/T. These really aren't too bad once you get the hang of them. I would take the lowly 3.7 S/R over the 3AT any day!! good luck, John