Subarule

I know know the actual name of the thing I mean, but it's what pulls the seat belt up & out of the way when not in use, the ones for the front. Can these things, whatever they're called, be replaced with good-working ones? Anyone know the proper name for them? The deal that retracts them sits down on the floor, I believe (don't have the car here to look).

I'd been wondering off and on for many years what happened to the original thick carpet mats with the Subaru logo on them. I knew I wouldn't have discarded them or given them away. The detail guy asked me if I wanted the carpets shampooed and I said "no need, they've never experienced a foot on them". I still have the original cargo cover, all rolled up, that I never used. I hope it's not brittle from being stored in the garage all these years. After it's all detailed I'll take many pics. Of course, then all the soft dents will show up much better. There aren't that many but what there are pain me to look at. Would it hurt anything if the dust cover caps on the wheels were off the car while it was being washed? I don't have to have them off but I have a nice thing for polishing them up and I wanted to put a coat of paste wax on them, as well as the new chrome license plate brackets. They say "Subaru on them - very cool-looking. I know the detail guy probably won't go to that much detail. Would there be anything wrong with using paste wax on the headlights?

I know, I know, why don't I do it myself? Too old & creaky do that kind of stuff anymore myself. It's an '86 GL wagon and I was cleaning stuff out of it today to take it to the detail shop tomorrow. When I pulled out the rubber floor mats I have always kept in it, lo & behold I discovered the original Subaru carpet mats. Not the floor carpeting but the mats themselves. They have never been touched by a foot since I bought the car new and are as pristine as the day I bought. It's good to just gaze at them every 24 years or so. Naturally the carpeting under them is still virginal. LOL

My original Subaru alternator did not die all at once. Funky things were going on a for a while. The tach would wander all over the place. That went on for at least a week. Overcharging was showing on the volt gauge. The headlights would dim on their own. The dash lights did the same thing. I wasn't able to get it checked out right away because I was working 12 hour rotating shifts and didn't have a day off or over a week. Then it dies totally on me when I was coming home on one of the biggests interstates in the U.S., at 5 in the morning. Nothing like sitting on a wicked curve at the base of a sheer rock click before dawn in a little Sube, with a zillion semis whizzing by and rocking that poor little car back & forth like a dinghy on a stormy sea. And not a single thing would work, not even the hazard lights. What fun!! That was the day (10 years ago) I decided I should probably get a cell phone.

Is the alternator good?

I tend to get too anal about things, I know. I wish I did have a talented acquaintance nearby who could work on my Sube but I don't. I'm not near anybody who's into them.

No, no, you misunderstand. It's not the emission/inspection thing that concerns me, not at all. It's being able to have a shop work on it, for anything. See my post about that in this thread about that. It's all well & good for the people who can work on their own & others' cars and the legality doesn't enter into it, but some of us have to depend on state-licensed shops.

I'm not worried about emissions testing since I'm not going to sell the car. But I want it to be in a legal condition so that a licensed shop can work on it. My mechanic shop already told me they can't work on it once it's had anything to do with the emissions modified.

I can't remove anything from the emissions system, or reroute things in any way - it's illegal. And licensed mechanics shop are not allowed by law to work on any vehicle that has the emissions system retrofitted in any way. That includes carburetor modifications which require a manifold reconfiguraion. http://autos.yahoo.com/maintain/repairqa/exhaust_muffler/ques081_0.html Can I get into trouble if I disconnect any of the emission controls on my engine? Yes, if you get caught. No, if you don't. But if you live in an area that requires periodic emissions testing, you probably won't get past an emissions check with missing or disconnected emission controls. WARNING: Federal law makes it illegal for ANYONE to tamper with, disconnect, remove or otherwise render inoperative ANY emissions-related control device. The Environmental Protection Agency and most states have actually been rather lax about enforcing this rule on motorists, but they haven't hesitated to nail professional service facilities that have been guilty of tampering. Even so, the fines can be hefty. A violation may make you liable for up to a $2,500 fine! No Tampering The federal anti-tampering law does not, however, apply to race cars that are not operated on the street, other full-time off-road vehicles, show cars that are not street driven, or vehicles not factory equipped with emission controls (most 1967 and earlier vehicles). So that exempts all antique cars, and most classic cars and muscle cars. Revisions to the Clean Air Act in 1990 further broadened the definition of emissions tampering to include virtually ANY type of engine or exhaust system modification that alters what comes out the tailpipe. That means any nonstock aftermarket part that is installed on your engine must be EPA-approved and emissions legal (except on the exempt vehicles previously noted). Before the law was revised in 1990, it was only illegal for professional mechanics to remove or disconnect emission control devices. There was nothing to prevent a motorist from tampering with their own vehicles. That loophole has since been plugged. What Is Emissions-legal? Any of the following may be considered emissions tampering and get you into trouble: Removing the EGR valve or plugging its vacuum lines Removing or disconnecting the PCV valve Removing the stock air cleaner and heat riser duct plumbing Removing the catalytic converter Removing or disconnecting the air pump Removing or modifying the stock distributor vacuum advance/retard Altering the stock ignition advance mechanism or timing curve Replacing the stock distributor with an aftermarket unit that is not emissions certified Modifying, removing or replacing the stock computer or PROM chip with a non-certified component Blocking the heat riser duct under the intake manifold Knocking out the filler restrictor on the fuel tank inlet pipe Replacing the stock non-vented gas cap with a vented cap Removing or disconnecting the fuel vapor recovery canister Changing the idle mixture or stock carburetor jetting Removing or modifying the carburetor choke Modifying or replacing the carburetor accelerator pump with non-certified components Installing an intake manifold or racing manifold that lacks provisions for the stock EGR valve and/or a heat riser duct Installing a carburetor that lacks the stock emission hookups Installing non-certified fuel injectors Installing a long duration "racing" cam that is not emissions-certified Installing exhaust headers that lack provisions for a heat riser valve, an air cleaner preheat stove or fittings for an oxygen sensor (if required) Installing valve covers with open breathers or no fittings for a PCV valve Installing any induction, fuel or ignition system component that is NOT emissions legal Aftermarket parts manufacturers who make nonstock performance parts for engines, the fuel, ignition or exhaust systems must apply for special certification for any parts they want to sell as being emissions-legal. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has been the leading government body in this respect, so most submit their proposals to CARB. First, they must submit detailed proof in the form of laboratory dyno test that document their part does not have an adverse effect on exhaust emissions. These tests are very expensive and must conform with specified test procedures. CARB then reviews the data and may or may not ask for additional information and/or testing. If the product meets CARB's criteria, CARB issues an "executive order" (EO) number (also called an "exemption" number) certifying that the part is in compliance with the applicable clean air rules. An EO number means the component can be legally manufactured, distributed, sold and installed on a street driven vehicle in the state of California. It also means the component is legally acceptable in all 50 states because the federal Environmental Protection Agency also recognizes the CARB exemption program as meeting their "Memorandum 1A" requirements for certifying emissions legal parts. Buying Emissions-legal Parts Virtually all stock replacement parts are emissions-legal regardless of who makes them. But if you're buying any nonstock performance parts, heed the following to make sure you're "safe" from an emissions standpoint: * Look for wording on the box that says the product is emissions legal or emissions certified for street use in compliance with the EPA and/or CARB rules. * Look for the EO (executive order) exemption number issued by the California Air Resources Board on the box, product or in the catalog. Remember, the product must have an EO number to be street legal. * If there is no EO number and one is required to be street-legal, it cannot be legally installed on a street-driven vehicle. Period. States Conducting Emissions Testing http://www.cabq.gov/aircare/emissiontest.html

Well, OK, if you say so..... One more question about it - is it part of the emissions system?

What do those vacuum lines do? If I pull & plug them then what doesn't work any more?

If it's smelling liked burned fuel (not the raw gasoline smell) and your vehicle has a vapor canister it might be time to replace it. I just put a new one in mine (brand new) and the difference is amazing! Before, I could have asphyxiated someone if they stood next to my idling car for a few minutes.

That black plastic thing that's ported, that the guy's finger is on. It says "Hitachi" on the top (no surprise there) It's in an '86 carbed 1.8L 4WD 5-spd. GL wagon. My whatever-it-is is cracked & falling apart. Sorry the two pics are not great - I grabbed them quickly with my cell phone today while the mechanic had the carb off. As you're facing the hood it sits to the left of the carb. I don't know what to call it when I go looking for one. The diagram under the hood, if I'm reading it right, says' "Air Control Vacuum Valve". is that the common name for it? Mine was glued together some years back but I think the glue is failing. Or the crack is growing. I really need to replace it. While it's still in place & hooked to its hoses, from a few years ago: Thanks in advance.

Some "Marvel Mystery Oil" mixed with your oil would be a good thing to start with, if you're not already using it, and it's available there. I run it in my gas tank faithfully. Have had no need to put it in with the motor oil...yet.

That does sound reasonable & simple. I do have someone who can test the speakers for me. I was going to have him take the doors apart anyway to clean up everything in the power windows' motors. I'd like tp put some sound insulation in the door panels at the same time.

Well, I could do that. But wouldn't I have to replace whatever it was that blew out in the first place? Only the front passenger-side speakers works. And they go this amp-thing that is where? Remember, the radio works fine. It's 3 speakers that don't.

I wouldn't not be doing any of the labor on speakers myself. And it's not easy finding speakers that are a direct fit. It would all have to look like original. I'm a purist, I won't retrofit anything on my car. It has to be, and stay, looking like it did when I bought it new. Twenty years from now I aim to still have an '86 Sube that looks like it did when it was brand new on the dealer's lot.

It's not worth the cost of replacing the speakers, which would be about $200 at my local Audio Express. I could get my MP3 player hooked up and have a good sound system in it but it would not be worth it either since the road noise is so loud. I just thought perhaps there were simple fuses that could be replaced. I'd rather spend $200 on sound-proofing from road noise rather than have a working radio. Can't hear a person on my cell phone even when I have the Bluetooth in, that's how loud the interior is when I'm on an interstate.

I have the original sound system in my '86 GL wagon and 3 of the 4 speakers stopped working decades ago. I'm assuming (dangerous to do, I know) that there are fuses to the speakers. I never did anything to cause the speakers to blow that I'm aware of, they seemed to crap out on their own. If I'm right about fuse/fuses, where do I look to check them? I know nothing at all about car stereo systems. I don't miss listening to the radio since the car sounds like an old truck - so many rattles and loud road noise - but I would like to have the speakers functional again.

Will they have the light gray perforated leatherette?

I might not have to take it to a shop, just buy the material myself, IF I can find it. Apparently my contractor who does all my remodeling projects is experienced in re-upholstering cars as well. I haven't found anything he can't do yet. LOL

Doing any of that is not an option for me. I'm a senior cictizen lady with no skills for working on cars.

'86 GL dark gray

Well, I lived & learned about JC Whitney. I searched all over the Internet for matching fabric and found 2 places that have it, JC being one, and they don't actually have it. I'll say this for them - at the same time they were sending me the order cancellation notice they were also refunding the money to my credit card account. Junkyards/auto salvage yards would not be a good venue for me (me personally, I mean). I'd have to drive about an hour just to find one that even had a Sube of my year. Then it would have to be the right color. Then it would have to be one that hadn't been smoked in. I couldn't handle any fabric that has a exhaled nicotine odor to it. I'd rather let my fingers do the walking on the Internet.

I emailed JC Whitney back yesterday and asked if I could still get the material from them. Got a response today that they don't have that either. Then why in the _______ does their web site show that the material & backerboard for my car is available!?! False advertising? Poor web site maintenence? Back to square 1. I don't mind paying an upholstery shop $100 or so to do the job. I do have to have some carpeting work for the car that needs doing as well. The carpet fabric in the cargo area is toast - color all sunbleached. Looks ratty.