daeron

If a radiator is uniformly approaching high temperature, then it is functioning.. or trying to. If you are in doubt and want to give it one last try, you can do all, or some, of the following; I like to spell it ALL out and let you decide how thorough you want to go. I have gone through the whole gamut of cooling system and headgasket replacement in my car short of heater core replacement; from T-stat thru water pump and headgasket job, replacing radiator along the way and flushing everything more than once, so don't think of this as an "all-or-nothing" set of procedures. I would get a moderately priced radiator flushing solution, drain your coolant, replace with fresh water and solution, get her good and hot, drain it, pull the radiator, pull the thermostat, blast the rad out with a garden hose, and then proceed to blast the block out likewise. While the radiator is out, may as well get some degreaser and thoroughly clean the coils.. spray them with concentrated simple green and let them soak for a while, then blast with high pressure water (don't go CRAZY or you can damage the fins) Hot water works best for this sort of application but the internal flushing doesn't really matter. While you run the vehicle with the block flush, use the heater some to fill it with this coolant/flush solution, too. Then, remove the heater core hoses while everything else is out and flush that both ways with your garden hose, too. Replace the thermostat, replace the radiator, remove any questionable hoses and replace with new ones, refill with fresh, clean water and run through a temp cycle as a "rinse" of sorts, drain, and refill with your standard coolant solution of choice. If it still has problems, then you are either consuming coolant, (are you? if not then proceed to B or C) having a headgasket problem, or you need a new radiator or possibly water pump.

After each of the three hurricanes that hit our town in 2004-05, my landlord and I survived off of 12VDC. We had a few old computer UPSs that we would use to run the TV and VCR for a movie or something, but all lighting and ventilation was provided by a couple of car batteries and his Buick. We had two radiator fans that we used to keep fresh air moving through the house, and a slew of PC fans that were used for low-volume fresh air in my bedroom and the bathroom. (he didn't seem to think it was worth it for his bedroom) I bring all this up because we used two headlight bulbs like the ones in the Subaru. I cannot recall the specific bulb number, but they had two filaments each. We powered both, or one at a time, and got three different light levels (and battery drains) as a result. We frequently used one on high power for times up to 30, 60 minutes without ever having a problem with heat and a bare bulb. So, AT LEAST in an open-air situation, the bulb can deal with the heat of bot filaments. The rest of the questions are valid points, and I just want someone to try it before I do The alternator swap was a breeze, and there are only two complications: First, the pulley on the Maxima is a serpentine, groove-belt type and it needs to be swapped. I found a shop in my town (only ONE) that happened to have enough spare alternator parts laying around to set me up with a properly spaced V belt pulley. The one I wound up using was one piece, but the one on the stock hitachi alternator is usually a pair of "dishes" and a spacer or two. I couldn't use the pieces off of my alternator on the Maxima one; I can't remember if they simply did not space it properly or if they would not fit on the shaft. In the end, some trial and error should get you with the right pulley/spacer combination. Second, the plug on the Maxima is different, it does not have a T-plug. I never wired mine in properly, I just cut that little harness out of the maxima and put male terminals on the wires to plug into my car's T-plug. This way I can always have my stock alternator in my trunk for a spare. The only trick to hooking it up right is simple: Big wire in T-plug, to big wire in Maxima plug, and little wire to little wire. I will take some pictures when I find my camera.

Great to hear you fixed your issue! I agree on replacing the ND relays with Bosch style ones, even here in the US they are far far easier to get for cheaper. They have become something of an automotive standard replacement part, and are commonly available from other manufacturers eve. It is actually less than easy to find a bosch four pin relay new in a store, but rather simple to find a cheap chinese knockoff that is a direct replacement. A question, now that you just worked with all the wiring. Can you answer the question of whether the wiring is capable of safely handling the load of both high and low beam filaments for an extended period of time? If the wiring should safely handle all that load, then you might want to experiment with re-switching things to have both filaments energized when the "hi-beams" are on. The only potential problem other than wiring overload was the possibility that it would burn out bulbs quickly. I would suggest trying this change, and getting a couple of spare bulbs to carry in the car. It DOES roughly double the amount of light you put on the road. I always feel like I can see EVERYTHING when I hold both on.

Bah, once in a while the spare likes to be on the bottom As for all THIS... By the time I got to this point I could see pictures of the monolith and began hearing "Also Sprach Zarathrustra" in the background.... and by the time I scrolled down and saw this..... The music was blaring full volume in my mind. Eventually, I was waving my arms around acting like a screaming monkey, and had tossed my hat across the room. Good work, it looks awesome.

"new/rebuilt" spec, according to the book, is something on the order of 160-175 psi IIRC, and "minimum spec" according to the FSM is something on the order of 120-140 psi.. BUT, I have heard many reports (including yourself) of perfectly adequate power and functionality all the way down to 100 PSI per cylinder. Your numbers SHOULD get bumped up a bit across the board by taking all four spark plugs out at once, disabling the fuel pump, propping the throttle wide open, and testing again. but.. I can't imagine they will get bumped up too much. Try the test again, and as nipper suggested, try a wet test afterwards and see what the numbers are. Remember, those specs are quoted for seal level, and a compression test is a very relative thing. "105 psi" is NOT inherently less than "115 psi" unless the two measurements are taken at the same time, by the same person, with the same gauge, on different cylinders.

Do yourself a favor and start using SeaFoam Deep Creep. It is at least ten times more effective than PB B'laster, I say that it makes PB look like WD-40. Not cheap, but the can lasts at LEAST twice as long as a can of PB.

Make sure you check the "Battery" connection on the back of the alternator, too. That is the large positive cable attached with a nut, not one of the two wires in the T-plug. The T-plug wires should be tight as well. I know here in the US I can go to a parts store and buy a new T plug with wires in it to splice onto my harness. Have you considered trying a larger alternator? 87-90 (roughly) Nissan Maximas came with a 90 amp alternator that you need to change the pulley on (it has a ribbed pulley and you need a V-belt) and you need to cut the plug off of the Maxima, because it doesn't use a T-plug it uses a different shape. You SHOULDN'T need a higher amperage alternator... but it never hurts. BTW, again, I'm sorry to have been so insistent that something must be wrong with your wiring.. I must be mistaken when I see your photos and compare them to my own lights. I guess it is a photo thing.

the headlight relays should have tabs that they slide onto, and those tabs are bolted to the firewall, under the hood, on the passenger side. Two small relays, not sure which is which. wish I could help you more, but I've been studying the electrical system of my 280Z in SERIOUS detail lately, and that information has pushed anything I might have known about the subaru that could help you, OUT of my mind... wiring diagrams are haunting my dreams at this point.

Sold, at least on the narrowband front. Delivering pizzas burns through 5 gallons a night. If I can save 2 gallons a week then the rest of the year (at only $4/gallon) is well over $200. If I pull even 1/4 those savings just thru the "reminder" feature....

:eek: :eek: OMGshinyzz!!! You should get a can of black spray paint and hit that crankshaft pulley.. at least the front face of it. Then the whole shebang looks like new! Does this car have a splash guard on the bottom side of the engine bay? Your photobucket better get crowded with a TON of pictures when you get the motor back into the car. Blood, Sweat, and Tears, thats how its done, yes ma'am! The most awesomest chick in all of New England I tell ya....

hey, it IS an hitachi gearbox, not a fuji or a nissan unit. The use of the unit in the 510 grants the market so much demand for the rebuild parts that I would wager dollars to donuts that not only are they are still available, but that if the datsun guys DIDN'T use the gearbox then they would have long since been discontinued. EDIT and if the 160s are at ALL like the 180s and 200s, yes, it IS adjustable. The slip force is adjustable in the VLSDs as well, you have to remove the viscous coupling and change the fluid in that to a stiffer fluid.. its a simpler way to alter the locking characteristics than adjusting clutch shim height. I know a decent about about rebuilding one of these LSDs, but only secondhand knowledge from reading on the internet. If you want some instructions or guidance, go to http://www.hybridz.org and search CLSD replacement and you should turn up plenty of interesting threads on how its done for the larger diameter boxes.

Were you going to have the heads milled? If so, try to see if the machine shop can "hot tank" them for you; they come out practically SHINY. "Hot tanking" is being put into a dishwasher-like contraption that just blasts the parts with high pressure jets of high temperature parts cleaning solvent (VERY high temperature) and it gets carbon stains and stuff you couldn't get off with anything shy of sandpaper otherwise.. just a thought, don't know if you've had them decked flat yet or not.

what a great thread. after reading this I am very sorely tempted to see if we have a spare narrowband gauge hanging around to tap into my O2 with, just for the halibut... With the SPFI it would basically just be a confirmation on whether or not I am running at an appropriate mixture, almost like an idiot light for the correct operation of the FI, right? I know I could just try to find the LED on my ECU but thats a PITA.

To check the radiator for possible clogging, feel the entire surface of the coil with your hand, once the engine has been warmed up and turned off, for cool spots. If the fins are rotten, the radiator is junk junk. No saving it. Cool spots in the radiator indicate an area of clogged coolant passageways, ie, no heat transfer. If a large area is cooler than the rest, then your rad likely needs to be replaced. If you feel frisky, you can run a radiator flush solution through it, and go through a process of removing it, flushing it both directions with a garden hose, removing the thermostat and back-flushing the block, back flush the heater core with a garden hose, and basically blast all the crud out of your engine block.. Replace the thermostat, re install your radiator, and see how everything works then. If I were in a situation with a car that ran inordinately hot, and had NO MONEY for parts but say, 20-50 bucks to try to fix the issue, I would buy a bottle of GOOD radiator flushing solution. I would drain the coolant completely, and remove the thermostat. Refill with water, run it for a couple days, drain it again, and refill with water and flush solution. I would make sure to use the heater a good bit with the flush solution in it. After a heat cycle or two with the flush solution in it, I would drain it, remove the radiator, and remove the heater core coolant lines. I would then blast the garden hose through the engine at all points while running it briefly. Cut the engine, flush the heater core out in each direction a couple times. Blast the garden hose through the radiator in each direction a couple times. Make sure you degrease the fins of the radiator so they are good and clean.. spray some simple green on, let it soak, and spray it off. Reinstall the radiator, fill it all up with water one more time, run it through a heat up cycle, let it cool, drain, refill with antifreeze. Replace thermostat and any hoses that may be suspect at ALL. The little hose that was mentioned above is one of the most evil buggers on the planet; you may be leaking through that hose and not even know it. Lower pressure coolant will bool, and is less effective as a coolant as a result. Now, THAT was an EXTREME detail on trying to make sure everything is working great, on a super budget, while trying to avoid replacing any expensive parts. Realistically, if you need a new radiator and don't change it out, it will wind up causing you to blow your headgaskets. Period. If you do not keep your cooling system in tip top shape, you will blow your headgaskets eventually. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow.. but soon, and for the rest of your life. In the end it is your call, but it all comes down to checking your rad for cool spots. Someone (Permatex maybe?) sells a kit with some Tees and valves that you put inline with the heater core plumbing and it allows you to tap into a block flush solution, as well as a garden hose, so that you can run a "power-flush" without going to the extreme and exotic measures I outlined above; that costs like $15 but you may prefer to go that route. I have just never bothered, since if I ever NEED to, my garden hose will deliver more pressure unhindered by the plastic fittings in the kit. You should take SOME care not to blast anything apart, should you choose my route.. but it hasn't been too great an issue for me, just use common sense. HTH, that was alot to write, but if you REALLY REALLY are hurting for money that badly, then I figured I may as well outline my "poor man's plan" and its associated risks. Something like that shouldn't be left vague, IMO. If you have any questions let me know. Oh, and regarding the click, click, click... no start. Search! select posts by: my name, and enter relay, and starter, and that should be AMPLE to get you on to one or twelve threads about this issue. The solution is USUALLY to install either a pushbutton switch, or a relay operated by the keyswitch, to operate the starter solenoid. Sometimes it is a solenoid problem, sometimes a battery/cable problem, but usually its a problem with the keyswitch. The debate rages on whether a pushbutton is safe enough, etc etc etc, I prefer to install a relay but a pushbutton is perfectly fine for many as well. Search and you shall find.

SPFI, 3AT, FWD. I had one timing belt a tooth off, and I need to replace them and make dead certain they are spot on, and re-time the engine... I KNOW it was timed with the dizzy cam a tooth off, so its set incorrectly now. Also may be having a TPS problem, and a potential vacuum/PCV issue. 22 MPG with my foot on the floor, and my rust-built parachute trunk for added drag.

OK, I stand corrected, it is possible... but good luck with it.

Jes, Well, I suppose I am just not imagining what a photo of my headlights would look like. Mine would probably look alot like yours in a photo, then.. I frequently hold the hi-beam stick in the position with both filaments on for up to 30 seconds at a time, and I have held it on for maybe a minute or two at most.. but it is difficult to leave both switched on with a switch that wants to click into high or low position. I have asked the same question about wiring both to be on and not gotten an adequate response. I assume nobody really knows. If your white car can hold both filaments on, then I would suggest you try it out. You might want to remove the plastic cover to the steering column, so that you can feel the wires for the headlight switch, and see if they get hotter than normal. As far as I can tell, the greatest risks are blown fuses, possibly blown fusible links, and blowing headlight bulbs sooner than you ordinarily would because of the excess heat. I have not experienced ANY negative effects from what I have done, and I get all my replacement headlight bulbs at the junkyard. I haven't had to replace one in over 2 years. And, like nipper said, don't imagine that here in the US everyone drives nicely, aims their headlights properly, and we have no potholes or narrow roads. Down here in S. Florida, I see everything from green headlights to purple, aimed in every which direction.. my personal favorite is the driver side headlight aimed up and out (directly at my eye) with the passenger side aimed so low it looks almost extinguished to my eyes.. Potholes, don't even get me started, and bright lights??? Half the time the people have them on because their low beams don't WORK right!!! I am certain the driving conditions in Honduras are worse.. but US is no paradise

+ a BILLION on what GD said, with the hot water and the pressure cleaner. Hot water melts away grease, just like in your kitchen sink.. You can't get that nasty fish fry pan clean in cold water, no matter how much soap you use. Hot water gets into pores. If you get into cleaning in the engine bay or on the engine itself, and encounter any grunge that is particularly resistant to detergent and hot water scrubbing, then rinse it, let it dry, and get some carburetor cleaner, diesel oil, parts cleaning solution type stuff. Try to find carb cleaner that doesnt evaporate too quickly. Old or Cheap Toothbrushes are great scrubbers when you don't want to use wire brush (ie, painted surfaces in the engine bay.) Green scotch pads are one of mankind's greatest gentle abrasives. Once you get it good and scrubbed up with carb cleaner, blast it off with fresh carb cleaner from an aerosol can, scrub it a little more, then another hot water/detergent blowdown. This engine bay could look BRAND NEW when you are finished; samneric mentioned above that the caked-on oil acted as a preservative, and he wasn't lying. I cannot WAIT to see what this car looks like when you are done. I know you well enough to know that by the time you have defeated all the mechanical issues, you will have restored that engine bay to a showroom shine. The paint doesn't need to shine, but some rubber dressing on the hoses, wire harnesses and any plastic will make the thing look so nice.. I am looking forward to you finishing this.

grounding issue?? it could be intermittent, it could be temporarily "remedied" by twiddling around with any number of points in the system....

Awesome!! Good luck keeping the digidash with the EJ.. I must admit I am somewhat dubious about your prospects with that, but if you think you can take it on, more power to you! Personally, I would love to see someone house one of those megasquirt display screens in a trip computer housing. Let that suffice for your digidash itch, and swap a standard console in for the gauges, or cut a console up and install aftermarkets. The way I see it, you are using this chassis and another engine/driveline to build yourself essentially a "new" car, so why not order some options on it?

sniff around datsun websites, they like to use the same R160 CLSD and theres tons of datsun racers out there with them. Guarantee they are available, but it may be at a premium.

New England and the Northeast are whats known as "rustbelt" or "cant find a subaru over 20 years old" territory. Most of them already look like yours. Still, a good engine/4wd drivetrain is worth preserving, especially if it is one that has consistently delivered excellent service. Hopefully someone fairly near to you now will show up who will give the bits and pieces a good home. Ultimately, I will be faced with a similar dilemma.. And these pictures are all a year and a half old, its gotten worse BELIEVE ME. Schuck is, this engine had FANTASTIC compression (185 PSI) on the two good cylinders when I blew a headgasket, and the "bad" side was 150 150. If I don't find another EA82 to swap GL10 goodness into, then one day I will meet a chunk of gravel midair. That gravel will intersect my windshield, spiderwebbing into thousands of tiny pieces, and spelling the death of the car.. I will sell what parts I can here, keep the engine, possibly ship some bits to a friend cross country for gratis, and have the chassis hauled off for scrap metal. Hope you resolve this happily, and good luck with the move.

Connie, don't forget to clean up that whole engine bay It IS fantastic to work on a car with bolts that aren't stuck, isn't it??? Measure your radiator real carefully and I will compare it to the NOS radiators my uncle somehow got ahold of.. I have one here at my house that I could easily find a box for and ship you, for minimal charge, IF it will go in and be sufficient. Brand new old stock subaru radiator, but I don't know 100% what it is for. Sorry; I guess nobody really warned you that a few bloody knuckles ARE a part of the game... nobody likes em, but everyone does it ALL the time so its certainly nothing that makes you special :-p Measure that radiator, just an overall dimension on the tanks. if thats a close match I will dig up the measurements I took and send them to you to check against your radiator; i think i even drew a rough sketch at one point.

Caboob, make with the info!! That was one of the best posts I've seen come up here in a LONG time, and I am going to go nominate this whole thread for USMB right now, because it seems like a great example of the "pothole incident" and if you can just come a LITTLE bit farther with your data, and maybe if we could get some good simple descriptions of homebrew toe-in adjustment methods (my landlord wants to use his Transit and I am all for it ) and photos.. why then, we'd have us a whole front alignment and repair chapter!

I think JesZek discovered an issue with the qaulity of the solder joints, and their ability to hold up over time itself... I think moisture is a common issue but not the tie-in.. because the slow power windows is one of the "you know you're a soob owner if... " things and they are not the only company to locate that circuitry there. I could be mistaken, though.