Subarule

I had my original ('86) thermostat replaced recently, just because I thought it was time to) and discovered that the old one was cracked and leaking coolant. Just some more input for ya'.

Mine is on at least 50% of the time. I have a 1986 GL wagon, 4WD 5-speed, carbureted, non-feedback, non-FI. All my lights are in top condition, recently tested & inspected. Stop light still comes on, stays on. It's been coming on for years & years and seems to indicate nothing, other than some funky electrical thing somewhere that is no big deal (other than it's a mystery). If your lights are in perfect working order I'd just ignore it.

Don't need to know anymore, I ordered 4 (they weren't in stock at the store). The sale price & extra benefits ended today at store closing time. Too good to pass up.

For my 1986 GL wagon, 1.8, 5-spd. 4WD wagon. I know the tire I'm going to get, I just need to know the best size. I want to stay stock. I have the white spoked rims. This is my only vehicle, I drive it daily. Short drives arpund town, long drives on the interstate. I live in very rainy SW Washington. The tire I'm going to be buying is the Michelin Weatherwise II. I've had them before, loved them. Super long-lasting. 80K mile warranty. Here are the sizes available for my car: 185/70 SR13 185/70 HR 13 175/70 SR13 The specs: Speed rating T Treadwear Grade 740 Traction grade A Temperature grade B Tread depth 10/32 I'm wanting to find out the pros & cons of the various sizes they come in for my car. Thanks in advance.

GENERAL DISORDER - check your private messages. S.

He ran it w/out oil and it seized up?

Wow, very nice! And I really like RockAutoParts. Subarule

If I am going to buy another car it will be a later model Volvo XC70 wagon or a Forester - something from 2000 - 2006. Those are the only makes & models I will consider. But I don't want a car payment and I don't want to use up a large chunk of cash for one outright if I can get the car I have running like I want it to. I want everything to do with the brakes replaced with new. Not used/salvaged. If new are available somewhere for that year & model. There goes 3.5 minutes. Yes, all new. And I won't get new tires for it until the suspension/steering/ alignment work is done. They are just dead. There are two behind the bumper - low tone and high tone. If they are both working they are quite loud enough. Aftermarket you could get some serious stuff if you were so inclined. I've always hated the sound of the factory-installed horn. I want mine replaced with a serious horn, not one that sounds like a duck with a cleft palate. Done at the same time as the brakes. 20 minutes per side on top of a brake job. If they aren't leaking or bouncy I wouldn't bother. I've priced new struts and they're inexpensive. Relatively speaking. 10 minutes. Grab an extra set at the junk yard so you can just throw them in and not have the doors apart for hours while you clean all the little bits. That's an easy job you could do yourself if you are inclined. I'm not so inclined. I am disabled (ruled so legally) and I don't have the patience, the time or the physical wherewithal to deal with that myself. Why are you inclined to think it leaks? I know I have serious vacuum leak. I could describe the symptom(s) here but that would take too much time. I have a cracked plastic thingie that I don't know the name of, that has 5 ports (maybe they're called nipples) that vacuum lines go to. Or come out of. I have photos of it. What is broken. You DO NOT want to do this if there isn't a clear problem you are looking to fix. It would involve the removal of the entire dash.... for days. I was/am already prepared to give up the car for several days to get everything done that I want, and to buy all the new parts I can obtain. Yes, new. 5 minutes. Neither neccesary, nor reccomended. Fuses do not get old, and the links you simply inspect, check the connections and add some silicone grease. They should never require replacement. There are some funky electrical problems. Consider swapping it to a Weber. That is the answer to your vacuum system, your power needs, and your carburetor cleaning/rebuilding concerns. Certainly wouldn't cost any more. I am willing to do that. And get rid of all the emission stuff I don't need. I would agree with that. Tail light bulbs too. Have to see that one in person to get an idea of the extent. Weber - without question. OK. That could be a number of things. Could be anything from the AC compressor/clutch going out, to the idle-up solenoid, to a bad distributor. I would have to see it. I'd be happy to demonstrate it. I can look at it. If you prioritize your list I could assist you with some of these things. It won't all get done overnight though - I don't have that kind of time. I will PM/IM you. Perhaps you don't want to hear this, or maybe there are reasons which you have not disclosed for wanting to restore this car to something you could drive all over the US, but I have a sugestion. Buy a 1st generation Legacy. They are cheap, you'll spend far less than you will fixing all that stuff on the EA82, they have all the power you want, they are dead reliable machines, and they don't suffer from the myriad of problems the EA82's do. The EA82 is arguably, I'm sorry to say, the worst engine Subaru ever made. That's not to say that it can't be reliable and last a long, long time - it IS still a Subaru after all . But the EA82's are getting long in the tooth, the parts availibility is getting poor, and that means turning to aftermarket chinese infererior parts. At that point you might as well have a Chinese car for all the trouble they will give you. The timing belt system is primitive, as is the lubrication system and the valve train. On top of that, for all the added complexity, the carb model you have makes a dismal 84 HP - only 11 more than the EA81 did and the EA82 has a heavier body that eats up any advantage the 11 HP might have bought you. There are soooo many reasons you should get a 1st gen Legacy that I can't even list them all here. That is just a sugestion though, and if you would like help making repairs to your EA82 then I have no problem assisting with that. I could also help you find a Legacy if you are interested in looking. GD

I need quite a bit of stuff.... all new brakes the hillholder adjusted all new steering sytem a horn that works (and is louder than the original) new CVs maybe new struts all around maybe a new alternator the doors taken apart and the contacts for the power windows cleaned whole vacuum sytem checked for leaks and repaired the whole HVAC system gone through, repairs where needed tailgate lift strut replaced all the fuses replaced, fusible link replaced carburetor gone through & cleaned, maybe (most likely) rebuilt both headlamps replaced with new door trim (rubber strips) put back on so they will stay attached I'd like to get all the emission stuff off that I don't need, to increase power & so I don't have to worry about replacing parts of it do the AC sytems on this year & model require coolant replacement everys so often? My AC sometimes works & sometimes doesn't. And when it's on & working, the tach wanders all over the place. The higher the AC fan setting, the worse the wandering range of the tach is. Anyone not too far from me care to take any of that on? I'm not looking to get everything done at the same place or by the same person/people, necessarily. I'm not interested in used parts except in cases where a new OEM or direct replacement part is almost impossible to get. My goal is to get the car in as close to factory-new running condition as possible, so that I can drive it all over the USA without feeling like there are things about it that are 'iffy'. I'd like a power boost to make tackling mountains passes not feel like I'm riding a pack mule up them. Subarule If it's simple stuff (axle change, etc) or you want an honest opinion from someone that's not financially involved you could drop by and I could take a look. I'm in West Linn - just south on 205 a peice. Ritchie is a good guy, but no one touches my cars but ME, so I don't have first hand experiences with him. Seems like a nice person at the shows and such. GD

Wow, that's wonderful. Thank you! I will definitely take my girl there, and I will definitely tell them edrach sent me. Subarule

I was wondering if anyone here knows of a place near or around Portland Oregon that specializes in Subarus, the upkeep & repair of the vintage ones. I live in a small town and there is no one around here who knows the older Subarus very well. I'm female and not mechanically-inclined (not when it comes to cars) and my dear old Subie needs stuff. It runs great but it's showing its age in various ways and I'd like to give it a new lease on life. It's a carbureted '86 4X4 5-speed wagon. If you have somewhere to "steer" me it will be very much appreciated. Thanks. Subarule

No, don't want manly, I'm a girl.

The horn is dead on my '86 GL 4WD wagon. It feels dangerous to me to be without a horn. I want a brand new one because I hate the sound that the original makes (made). Always sounded like a duck with a bad speech impediment. I will have all the electrical stuff checked out before installing a new one, but I was wondering if someone here would be so kind as to point me to a relplacement horn on the Internet that I could order. I want a horn that doesn't sound wimpy, an authoritative-sounding horn, a macho horn. There are some for my year & model at RockAuto.com. Any suggestions as to which one I should go with? Thx, Subarule

Thank you very much! I will print this out. Now, where do I get an intact ACVV? :-\ Subarule

My cars in my almost 50 years of driving: a '55 Chevy in the 1960s a '61 Chevy V6, column shift station wagon in the very early1970s a '70 Pontiac automatic Grand Prix 400hp 4-barrel in the later 1970s a brand new Mercury Capri RS 4-spd V6 in 1979 I'd still have the Capri (dear god, I loved that car) if I hadn't had to trade it in to get the Subaru. The Capri just would not handle those snowy, icy hills in Colorado with the majority of its weight under the hood a brand new 1986 4WD 5-spd Subaru GL wagon, to the present (heaven would have been if I was able to afford to keep the Capri and buy the Subaru too) I haven't found a need to have any other vehicle besides the Subaru - it does everything I need it to. Not to mention the great insurance rate I get for a car that old and a driver this old. And then there's the sweet bit about plates in WA being a flat $30 annually. Subarule

Well, I knew it controlled vacuum, I was wanting to know, vacuum to what? It has five ports and hoses connected to it so it's running more than a single module, I would think. What about the 5 lines going to I-don't-know-where-all...I don't need any of them? They knew it controlled vacuum. I didn't talk to the mechanic, I talked to the gals that run the place, they know quite a bit, they've been there forever and are the owner's daughters. They just didn't know specifically what all the lines going to it went to. They don't work on many Subarus that old. Mine is probably the only one. I know they think I'm eccentric for keeping it going and having it as my only vehicle. Oh, I'm pretty sure the mechanics did. I just didn't talk to them, they were swamped like they always are. I figured my little cracked 26-year-old plastic thingie was very small potatoes compared to what other work they had going on. I know the gals that run the place spent a lot of time over the course of several days trying to track down a replacement. So, where do I get a replacement part? Or is that a million-to one-shot? And what all do those five ports support? Subarule

I had to give it some sort of name and the shop got various names for it when they called around and tried to find a replacement for it. I think that's the name the local Subaru parts dept. gave it, but they didn't have one and couldn't order one from Fuji as they're considered an obsolete part. Subarule

When I had my car in the shop some months ago I asked them to check for vacuum leaks. They found that my _____ is cracked. What the heck is it/what is it called? What does it do? How do I look for a replacement, by part name or part #? How do I get a part #? It's the black plastic thingie with "Hitachi" embossed on it. The shop told me it has 5 outlets for hose connects. http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f69/justactnormal/AirControlVacuumValve3.jpg More views: http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f69/justactnormal/AirControlVacuumValveSituated2.jpg http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f69/justactnormal/AirControlVacuumValveOverview2.jpg http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f69/justactnormal/AirControlVacuumValveOverview3.jpg Your help appreciated. Subarule

Just curious - is that Pacific Import Auto (or am I allowed to mention specific shops here?)? I have used that shop in the past when I lived in its area and now, 15+ years later, I have been wondering if it is still in business & specializing in Subarus. Thanks, Subarule

Guess I need to get mine operational again. I do have a need for it fairly often. I'm good with the clutch and all that, but if the car has a Hill Holder might as well use it. Doesn't sound difficult to get it going. Just didn't want to have to buy a new replacement. Thanks. Subarule

Not too many hills in Texas, eh? Subarule

Mine gave up the ghost on my '86 GL 4 x4 carbed wagon years ago. I was wondering if anyone has had luck adjusting them (my Haynes, or maybe it's my Chilton's, indicates that they can be adjusted), or do they usually need to be replaced when they stop working? Subarule

I had the same thing, including when I ran the AC. It wasn't my only vacuum leak, but it was one that was siphoning away power. When I'd use anything on the HVAC panel I'd hear a sucking noise when I activated it. Every vacuum hose should be replaced with new, in my opinion. If you can do that yourself, all the better. That way you know you're starting out with good hoses and good connections and the hassle of trying to trace out every leak is eliminated. One leak or some leaks may be so small that they're almost impossible to locate, but they all add up. Subarule

The symptoms you list could very well pertain to vacuum leaks instead of the carburetor. I had the very same ones for a long time with my Hitachi-carbed '86 GL 4X4 5-speed wagon. I had to take it into the shop recently for something else and asked my mechanic to look for vacuum leaks. Two were found and repaired. The car has run amazing since then. I am still doing a mpg check but I can already tell that I've gained at least an additional 8 mpg (haven't made much of a dent in my full tank of gas during strictly in-town driving). I'm trying to get down to at least a 1/2 tank before refilling in order to get a more accurate read. I still have a wee vacuum leak, I think, but I can live with it until some other work has to be done under the hood and I'll have it looked into then. Meanwhile, my car seems to have a new lease on life. Subarule

Boots: http://www.car-stuff.com/store/index.php?N=1719+4294967012+11738&Ntk=Main&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&Ntt=boot&D=boot&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Npp=30 Subarule