thealleyboy

Jim/Miles: I haven't really given the tranny a good workout - just back and forth in the driveway. The car is also missing the muffler (imagine that) so it still has a way to go before its road worthy. But the trans seems ok - so far. John

Last nite my brother and I fooled around with the timing, and sure enuff, she started right up!! Ran VERY smooth. It's all about blowing out cobwebs and catching up on the maintenenace schedule now. It couldn't have turned out any better, considering what a mess this car was to begin with. Again, many thanks to Miles Fox, Danny, Jim Woods and Noah Jones for lending a hand. I'll post some pics of Alleywagon '04 when I get it all cleaned up... John

Don't worry, once you get Emily on the phone, she'll answer all your questions, and probably add a few things you didn't even think of. They are good people to work with. good luck, John

"Trashwagon 6", "Anti-Skip" and "Limited Skip" were also suggested as possible monikers, but I kinda like myself better. Nothing personal fellas... It's an 89 GL AWD Turbo (A/T) wagon. It's been thru the ringer but I think it still has something left. Miles Fox & Danny, Jim Woods and Noah all stopped by and contributed to the project. The engine came together like clockwork. It has professionally reconditioned heads, new oil pump and sender, new h20 pump, new fuel pump, new belts, new wires-cap-plugs etc. etc. etc. Everything was done by the book. No half-assed bulls*hit whatsoever. We ran out of time, but got a sh*tload of work done in very short time. Miles and Danny deserve the credit here. Both are excellent mecahnics and really good guys. Anyone who questions their knowledge of Subarus, or their work ethic is a fool. I'll go on record and say that these guys can work circles around ANYONE on these cars. If someone is better, you'll have to prove it to me. This car is quickly growing on me, so you'll probably be hearing and seeing more of it in the coming months. John

Noah: Yes, I'm convinced that those heads will hold up. They turned out beautiful, and the engine is looking REAL sharp!! Miles and Danny bolted it up in a matter of hours and it's all ready to swap in We'll know more later today after we fire it up. I called you yesterday to let you know we were at my house. If you can get out today, stop on by. John 902 S Cassingham (garage in rear) 238-0220

I duuno about JD Weld... Might work in certain applications, but I don't think I'd trust it for a critical seal in a "driver" type vehicle. If you are to that point, you need to bite the bullet and think replacement. It's not worth screwing with b*llsh*t when you consider that your labor is 90% of the job. If you screw up and it fails, then you're screwed. I would invest in a solid core to work with, or find a better car. Unfortunately, there is just no easy fix here. Good luck, John

Craig: I appreciate the info on the service bulletin. I understand the issue of the cracks being common. The machine shop guy and I talked about seeing them alot on the EA82's and assessing the severity of the cracks. What he questioned is how long the heads will hold up. Miles: The valve seats were one of his big concerns. Whether they'll fall out under expansion. The guy is just trying to be honest about what to expect in a worst case scenerio. I did stop by the shop again and we decided to go ahead with the reconditioning work on the heads. I also plan to overhaul the rest of the cooling system on this car to keep it running as cool as possible. We'll see how it works out... John

Pete: I believe all non-turbo heads, including MPFI are the same, while the turbos are a slightly different design. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, cause I don't know the turbos all that well. I'd definitely be interested in those if the price is fair. I might even be able to use them if they are reg EA82's I'll email you off the board to discuss further. John

Hey Pete: If you want to sell those heads, please let me know. I promise you they'll go to a good home!! I'm sure there are some around, but they are sure scarce around here. Even newer Subes seem to be rare. My machine shop guy showed me a 2.2 (I think) that he's been waiting for parts for several weeks. "Interference Design", not cracks, are the problem with those newer ones. John

I've read a lot about the Turbo head cracks, but don't recall any discussion of how they hold up once they have been repaired. I'm trying to piece together an EA82T, and EVERY cylinder head I've come across so far has the cracks that everyone bitches about. OK, not the end of the world right? I had my machine shop pal look at a pair of gen 2's. They do hold pressure (despite the cracks) and they could be reconditioned to relieve the stress in the weak spots. However, he was lukewarm about doing the work since there was no way to predict how long they would last. This guy is VERY good and his standards are high, so I take his opinions seriously. I'm tempted to go ahead and take a chance on reconditioning a set, cause who knows where/when I'll find any that aren't cracked. For those who have gone the reconditioning route, did they hold up very long? Was it worth it? I'm particularly interested in gen 2 and 3 owners, since those are supposedly improved. thanks, John

Noel: On the front fenders on the wagons, I believe moisture, crud etc accumulates in the lower rear area nearest the door. I don't recall an easy access point, so you are probably talking fender removal to clean things out the first time thru. Then you can drill out an access hole and install rubber plug for future cleaning. The rear quarters seem to start corroding at the weld seams near the bottom along the floor pan. It is not easily visisble unless you crawl beneath the car, or remove the access panels from the cargo side. Once it starts, it's tough to slow down, since the moisture collects in that cavity. The seam has to be dry, and dust free if you you are to have a chance. You'll need to treat BOTH sides with rust converter, then spray undercoating over both surfcaes for further protection. Petroleum based is best. Once the seam is rusted away and a hole develops welding in a new panel is the only permanent solution. You could also attempt to control the cancer so it doesn't get completely out of control (an inexpensive, effective option). I would just simply grind down the rust, and treat the metal as best you can. Leaving the hole open may actually help the car "breath" better, and prevent pockets of moisture from forming. If you want a rust free Sube, my advice is to start with the best body you can find (even if it's one that you don't think you can afford). good luck, John

Noah: You might want to give Hatfield Subaru in Columbus a shot. They are pretty good as far as dealers go. Call them directly and have them ship your parts to your local dealership. Then all the local Doofus has to do is pull up the P.O... Hatfield's # is (614) 870-9559 if you are interested. good luck, John

Snowie: I love the "utilitarian" treatment on cars - especially Sube wagons. That's essentailly what I'm talking about when I refer to "Alleywagons". On the rear cargo area, let me suggest something my brother did on his. He took a thick rubber pickup truck mat and cut out a piece large enough to cover the entire cargo area with the rear seats folded down. Looks and works great and EXTREMELY durable. You could probably make matching floor mat sections out of the scraps. good luck, John

If your door electricals work at the door themselves, and they cannot be controlled by the master switch on the drivers side door, then I would suspect the master switch and/or the wiring at the drivers side door. Easiest solution: swap it out with one known to work. Not sure about the dash switch you mentioned... good luck, John

Al: If you had read my post carefully, I think you would realize that we are basically in agreement on most of these issues. Again, if it works on the bench, it works safely, and it does what is intended, it will work in the car. End of story. No one is implying doing anything unsafe, stupid etc. In fact, the people that are most likely to get themselves in trouble are those that read into theory to deeply and interpret written text too literally. They forget about something called common sense. I believe knowledge is a good thing, and would never discourage anyone from delving deeply into a topic of interest. And having done this myself, I can say with confidence that automotive electrical work is something most hobbyists can grasp without too much difficulty. No disrespect to anyone with expertise in this area. If anything, it's a credit to the engineeers that do such a great job of designing safe stable circuits that can tolerate a high level of abuse. John

pretty deep stuff... Good thing auto electronics are so easy - else a lot of us would be in deep Sh*t. True, "over-engineeering" has many positive and useful benefits, but unless I'm mistaken, we are talking about a "go"-"no go" type circuit here. Many of the components involved are already "overengineered" to begin with. Measuring the arcane aspects of a circuit is not as important as whether a fan turns on or not. If you need to convince yourself of the stability of a circuit, buy yourself a 12v power supply and do your testing on a bench first. Bottom line - there is often more than one way to design a circuit; one that works, and that may work quite well. Like many people that have spoken up here, I dabble in electronics (mainly guitar-related projects). I know enough to get by, but don't pretend to be an expert. I'll leave the heavy engineering work to the scholars, and focus on the application end of things. That means reading schematics and modifying existing circuits. I do respect and appreciate the knowledge that is shared by those who have paid their dues in their professions. But this does not have to be a competition. I know of some "uneducated" mechanics that can work circles around the best of them (and certainly novices like myself). We are talking 12v negetive ground electronics fellas... John

Hey Noel: I "can-take-or-leave" options like PW, but I will say that the Subaru system is among the better power window setups I've encountered. Nice and solid, and the electricals seem to hold up pretty well considering the wear and tear. Conversions from maual to power are generally a pain, but I understand that Subes aren't too bad. Pretty much a bolt up - if the wiring is in place. If your car was prepped to recieve "dealer add-ons", your wiring should already be in place. Just plug and play. Otherwise you'll have to transfer wiring relays etc. You may want to reconsider if this is the case. Fortunately, I believe all the latter models (Loys) were set up for the add ons. good luck, John

I always assumed the EA 82 tanks were 15.9 gallons. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Your MPG calculation could be off if you're using the wrong numbers. As far as milage on these cars, 15 mpg is kinda sh*tty, but high teens low 20's isn't unheard of if you drive hard, your car is out of tune, and you live in a cold region of the Country. I have been told by a service station owner that the gas formulations change throughout the season, and this has an adverse on MPG's in the winter. Supposedly, the best fuel "recipe" for winter driving is also the worst for economy. Mid to high 20's is what you would expect in a good running car that's driven in moderation. Still, it sounds like a serious tune up is in order here. I'm talking the 60k service interval, which includes some ignition, fuel and emissions service. But before you do all that, I would pull ECU codes for some clues. I would suspect that one of your sensors is out if you are truly at only 15MPG's. good luck, John

GM: My guess is the one of the wheels is loose - either lug nuts, or the castle nut/spacer/bearing assembly. I would jack up each corner, one side at a time and do the "shake test", by grabbing the outer edge of the wheel. No shakes? I would still go thru and remove the wheel, cotter pin, castle nut etc., grease it up, and put it all back together at the proper torque. I don't think it's the brakes unless something was warped. And then there would be performance issues too. good luck, John

V.V.: Wait a sec...150 psi vs 90 psi IS a problem, if the reading is accurate. The test should ideally be done at operating temp, so you did nothing wrong there. I'd investigate that situation a bit further. At the very least, redo the compression test. I like the suggestion of using a vaccuum guage for troubleshooting. That's becoming a lost art. As far as the miss, I don't think it would be a result of low compression. In other words - you have multiple problems. I would definitely start with the ECU codes before throwing parts at it. I absolutely HATE those cheap-rump roast Autozone plug wires. Do yourself a favor and buy some OEM's or equivalant quality wires next time around. good luck, John

TGW: I hope you'll consider the replacement brake and fuel lines, custom lines etc. I know of a fab shop here in Columbus that can make small quantities for you. They have always been willing to make singles for me. John

A couple of other good uses for the pitch stopper: metal "bumping" tool for tapping out dents - excellent weight distribution noggin knocker - I always feel a little safer driving the mean streets with one of these handy John

TGW: I'll betcha you could sell alot of "Head Gasket" kits both Turbo and non, if you could offer them for a fair price. OEM would be ideal, but I'd settle for a premium aftermarket brand. I'm in the market for an EA82 turbo HG kit, BTW Here's some other things that people seem to want, that are not readily available for the Subes: good hi quality wire sets good hi quality brake parts replacement brake and fuel lines good hi quality exhaust pipe/kits timing belt kits complete engine rebuild kits radiators & molded hoses Some of the more common items can be found at the discount stores, so you wouldn't want to mess with them. good luck, John

SD: These motors are easy to work on - provided you remove them from the car. That's going to be your biggest obstacle. Some people have done HG's in the car successfully, but I don't think I would try it. Of course while the motors out, you can go to town on it, and get lots of other things done that would be hard to do in the engine bay. Don't forget to address whatever caused you to overheat in the first place. Also, any possible damage to the heads themselves. If you find a good, low cost source for a Turbo HG kit, please let me know. I'm in the market too, and have struck out. The discount stores charge in the $125.00 range for a set, which seems kinda high to me. good luck, John

Paul: You could do an "Alley fix" by dropping a wire attached to the spring activated latch, that can be reached behind the rad near the bottom. Just weigh the wire down with something substantial do it doesn't get lost in the fray. Theives will never figure it out. As you know, routing a replacement all the way back to the lever can be a chore. good luck, John