Subarule

Some 170s listed: http://www.car-stuff.com/store/?Ntt=thermostat&N=1719 Don't forget to replace the thermostat gasket as well. Subarule

Not to worry, I had already come around to deciding I need to make the swap. But thank you for the reminder because I forget to add it to the wish list I am compiling. Subarule

I don't know if I have an O2 sensor or not. No one has told me that I do or should. I'm just putting together a list of new parts to order for for my car, parts that I thought would be relatively easy swap-outs, that don't cost much (I'm using a benchmark of no more than $100 for any single part). I have seen an "EGR" warning light up. I have seen the red "Check Engine" and the red "Stop Lamp" come on. Nothing else that I can recall has ever shown up. Are those what are considered the "codes"? Because I've never had anything display that had a number. But I obviously have a working bulb in place. What's "the surround" thing you mention? And do "codes" imply number codes? Oh no, they didn't change carbs, I'm still running my original. Which they may have cleaned or done a little rebuild on just because it would have been due. I'm going to have to take some pictures of my dash and under the hood so you all can point things out to me. Subarule

I'd be curious to know just how many people in the U.S. opt to go with the pulled & exported Japanese engines for an engine re-do. Per year, and since the practice got started. Not exact numbers, of course, just solid ballpark numbers. Hundreds annually? Thousands? Way less than 100s? How big of a business is it? How many exporters are there, and how many U.S. car businesses deal in that stock? I wonder which is cheaper & faster - considering SHOP RATES only - to a) pull out the old & plunk in a used Japanese long block, to pull & recondition an existing engine, or c) to buy a rebuilt, pull out the old, and plunk in the rebuilt? Work under the assumption that the car's owner has no auto mechanical skill and must depend on a certified professional shop to do all the work. The things I wonder about... Subarule

I don't think I have a computerized carb. My car doesn't have displays and engine codes. Wouldn't a computerized 86 have those/that? My original Hitachi carb has been great the whole life of the car. I'm sure it got a good cleaning when the engine was replaced less than 50K miles ago, have had no trouble at all from it. I had the engine replaced with a used one from Japan in 2000 and it probably had 35K-40K miles on it when I got it. Since early 2001 I haven't driven it more than a few thousand miles in six years. Anyway, how do I determine definitively whether or not I have a computerzied carb? Subarule

Thanks for the things to be aware of. I won't be doing this myself, I'll have my trusty auto shop do it, while replacing several other under-$100 items. They'll have the tools needed & the knowledge (I've been trusting them for 15 years to work on this car). Why is the "cheapest" single wire best? Manifold pressure sensor...how long/how many miles on an engine, does it take for one of those to go bad? Subarule

Like, one says "fits 180 degree" and another "fits 192 degree" and yet another will say "fits 160 degree". Degree of what? The configuration of what it fits into/onto? Refers to temperature itself? Thanks, y'all. Subarule

Which one of these, without considering the prices? The car is a 4 x 4, 5-spd. wagon, VIN category "5". I want one that is a direct replacement for OEM, or better. http://www.car-stuff.com/store/?N=1719+4294967014+11738+9167 Thanks in advance for any input. I'll be asking about other replacement parts I'm about to purchase. In the mood to do some spiffing up on my girl. Subarule

As with all things purchased, it's "caveat emptor". I trusted my source, and trusted my source to trust his/their source. Been doing business with them for 15 years and they've been doing business in this small community for over a quarter of a century with high marks. Subarule

I'm a female, retired, in my 60s, and rebuilding/reconditioning my original engine myself was not an option for me personally (and no auto mechanic in my familiy to call on). Work had to be done by a shop, and by mechanics that I have had a long and excellent relationship with. So the used engine seemed like the best route for me at the time I decided to revamp my Sub, in order for it to last me the rest of my life. I don't know the full history of the 2nd-hand motor I put in, that is true. But sometimes things in life just seem worth trusting and I had a feeling in my bones that this was the way for me to go, given all the factors & variables I had to work with. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had another oldie-but-goodie Sub to rehabilitate. Not wanting to argue, just presenting my perspective & circumstances, and an option to those who may not have considered getting a used engine from Japan. Subarule

.Risky? It came to my auto repair shop under a guarantee and the shop guarantees the work & the part(s), a generous amount of miles or time to the warranty, I don't remember which. For $1100 (the long block engine cost) I got the equivalent of an almost new car when it was 15 years old. Including a new radiator, clutch, timing belt, alternator, assorted other parts and labor, I invested $2100, and have the sweetest engine you could imagine on a car that's 26 years old. I'm the original owner and I know everything that's in that car. Have every scrap of paper it ever generated, including the dealer's price list from the side window when it was new on the lot. Everything in my car (all stock, nothing altered) excluding the suspension & steering is good for another 100K miles, most likely more. Never been hit, no rust, no worries. Subarule

I thought I would post this for those who may not be aware of getting a lower milage used engine instead of a rebuilt or one from a wrecking yard. I went this route in spring of 2000 and am so happy I did. The engine I got has been flawless (a carbed, '86, 1800 for a 4 X4 GL wagon). I don't have any affiliation with this outfit (my shop ordered & installed mine and I don't know who they use) but I liked the explanation of how/why used engines from Japan are so available. http://www.enginereplacement.com/htdocs/import.htm Their link to request a used Subaru engine: http://www.enginereplacement.com/htdocs/subaru.htm Subarule

Sounds like it could be a vacuum leak. Or leaks. I had that hesitation thing going on for a long, long time. When I'd depress the accelerator it would kind gasp (how it felt, not how it sounded) before the rpms started ramping up. I noticed it most of all in 2nd gear (mine's a carbed '86), from around 20-30, 35 mph. I had to take my car into the shop this past week for them to repiar a coolant & water leak and that was so inexpensive I told them to find the the vacuum leak and fix it. They found two. It's running awesome now. No stutter-start-up at low speed while going through the lower gears, and it's running stronger than it has in many years. Anyway, check all the vacuum hoses you can find, and all the hose connections & hose clamps. If you have a vacuum-detector gauge, all the better. Subarule

I lucked out and found a new one, for a terrific price at a place that is liquidating their supply of them. I think I'll get a few more just to have on hand or sell later. Subarule

I hope I have the name of the part correct. The thing that a bunch of vacuum hoses attach to. Might be called a ported vacuum switch. I just heard it over the phone from my auto repair shop, where my car is being serviced. I asked them to test and replace several items to do with the car's vacuum systems (HVAC and fuel). They're trying to find that part and keep coming up empty because it's obsolete thru' Subaru. My car is a 1986 5-spd. 4WD wagon, carbed (origianl Hitachi), with AC. Anyone have a source for a new vacuum port switch that fits mine? I do prefer new but will take used if there isn't a new one out there that I can get my hands on pretty quickly. EA82 1800 non-CA engine. Thanks, Subarule

Ducats. You take them to a metal recycler business that buys scrap metal. Subarule

Cats are the hot tickets here (pun not intended) for the druggies to steal, sell to the metal recyclers & get $$ for their drugs. Just about anything metal here is fair game. And I mean anything. The local saying is "If you love it, nail it down." But that doesn't stop them either, they'll steal the nails first. My metal house numbers were stolen off my rear fence, my metal "Beware of dogs" sign was stolen off my front gate. The metal sign my fence company hung on my fence when they finished building it was stolen long ago, those get stolen all over the county. They've stolen the copper wiring off telephone poles, taken HVAC systems off roofs of businesses, removed decorative metal finials from bridges, yanked out copper wiring behind commercial buildings....anything metal that's not under armed guard - consider it gone. The druggies ride around on bicycles in the dead of night looking for metal to rip off. The bicycles are silent, cheap, nimble and they can elude cops chasing them quite easily. Guess we can be thankful if we don't have metal bumpers on our vehicles. Subarule

[quote name=kiwi subbie ]what dose the GL10 mean? Top-of-the-line model for its year. Subarule

Their web site has their toll-free #: http://www.stockinteriors.com/items.asp?MakeId=26&ModelId=401&MainCatId=1&Desc=Subaru_Impreza_Carpet It says "Impreza" but stuff that's ordered by the yard will be custom trimmed anyway. All I cared about was getting a color match & the same quality of carpet that the car came with new. Subarule

So does Stock Interiors. And I've already gotten samples from them. They also have the headliners. Subarule

Is it too old to find it on the Kelly Blue Book site & see what one of that year, in various conditions & near that mileage on it, are pricing out at? You plug in your zip code for the make, model & year and then there's a checklist for various considerations. Once you've given the various parameters it will spit out a typical price at used car dealers in your region, and also what you can expect to pay in a private party purchase. Just as a baseline, of course. Subarule

With "heavy load" being a relative term, it has hauled a lot of loads in its 21 years. None as heavy as the 40 cement blocks, though. I did give directions to the person loading them, how I wanted each block to be placed, in order to balance the load evenly across the space available. Everything about the suspension system is original. That's why I thought it was time to re-do it all, front to back. Same for the steering. Mine's never been abused in any way, except for hauling the cement blocks, if that counts as abuse. Used, but not abused. Subarule

Well, I'm not going to bet my life that it isn't SPFI. But it looks to me like a normal 2-bl. carb when the air cleaner housing is pulled off. Which, with my car, hardly ever happens. Oh, OK, a diagram. Because we were talking about carbs and fuel systems and they have diaphragms. Just wanted to be clear on which one it was. Subarule

I'm not sure what you're saying about mine in particular. That it is very possible I could have a carbureted non-FI model? Do you mean diagram, or diaphragm? Thank you very much for that alert. I am adding it to my notes for referencing when we actually get into the various sub-components. I do know that some vacuum hoses need to be the ones that can handle gasoline, and some don't. Subarule

That is heartening to hear. I'm going to replace the headlight and then get all the vacuum hoses replaced. I'll feel so much better knowing that they are all new. And hopefully I will get rid of that pesky vacuum leak in doing so. Can someone help me with the vacuum hose replacement project, as to how many individual hoses there are in my model? I know there are different diameter hoses, but how many different O.D.s are we talking about? And where can I get all the sizes I need without buying a mile's worth of extra feet of hosing that I won't use? Will anything large have to be removed from the car to access all the hoses? Subarule