robm

An update. I got another axle from Napa on Monday. They had my bearing and seal off the one that was too large, so I used the bearing to check that the new one wouldn't give me any grief. This one was light sliding fit, and went into the assembly without any trouble at all. The new one did not have an NTN CV joint. So if you are buying axles from Napa in Canada, check that CV joint, and maybe bring a bearing to check the fit. I got a 6207 2RS from a bearing house to replace the one I destroyed trying to pull through the too-large shaft. The new bearing went in Tuesday, the old one and the shaft went in Wednesday. I needed a new caliper too, and that went on Thursday. That was a bit of a struggle, as I had to ream out the mounting holes that were peened over from trying to hammer the hub carrier onto the too-large shaft. So, it is back on the road and rolling, but I still need to bleed the brakes properly, and take the cores back. Summary: Check axles from Napa Canada for proper fit through the bearings. Be very cautious of NTN CV joints.

I think that is what I will do in future. There is no reason for these axles to be tight. The previous incarnation of NAPA rebuilds had a slip-fit and it worked fine, there is no good reason for the tight fit that Subaru specifies. To the best of my knowledge, no other carmaker uses such tight fit there.

The information in this post is probably mostly applicable to Canadian board members. Pardon the length. I have been running on a blown boot for months, now. Due to working in New Mexico, and "commuting" between there and home in nothern BC, I have not had a chance to fix it, but I have put several thousand km's on it, on wet, sandy winter roads. It is toast. Finally, a 3 week turnaround, and a chance to fix it. I get the axle (reman from NAPA, with a new outer CV joint) and get the old one out in half an hour. And spend the next 3 hours trying to get the new one in. It will not go into the bearing. I decided this is silly, and check to see if anyone else in town has one. Neither Canadian Tire nor another independent, who is part of the Autosense parts organization, even have a listing for the axle. The car is a 1993 Loyale 4WD 5sp wagon. They have listings for the automatic and for the pre-1990 5spd. One outfit actually has the axle for the pre-1990, so I buy it. It does go through the bearings, but then I find it has a 25 spline DOJ. The fit through the bearings is pretty tight. On the way out, the threads get buggered, and the only way to get the axle nut off is with a hacksaw. Scratch one otherwise good axle, and $150 down the drain. So ends Thursday. Figuring that the NAPA axle must be OK, it just needs more persuasion, I actually get it stuffed into the first bearing, where it stops. No amount of hammering will get it to move further, and the only way I got it that far was by pulling it through the bearing with the axle nut, bearing on the inner race of the outer bearing. By the feel of it, the bearing is now toast. This takes about 5 hours, so that is Friday done. Saturday morning, a friend with a slide hammer shows up. He is a retired heavy duty mechanic. We spend half an hour with the slide hammer, and he finally says that this is not right, this axle is obviously not the right one. The only way to get the axle out is serious steel-on-steel hammering, any wood in the way just gets turned into splinters. In the end, the axle comes out, complete with the inner bearing and seal. It is now sitting with NAPA. I have told them I want my bearing and seal back. I am not sure if I want another axle from them, or not. Important points to note, for Canadian board members: 1. These axles are becoming rare, for some reason 2. "Pre-1990 manual transmission" is code for "fits the turbocharged model" 3. The NAPA axles are dodgy, even though the new CV joint looks to be top quality, OEM, made by NTN. I am thinking my best bet right now might be to buy a parts car, and get what I need from it. Getting one from the wrecker is not much of an option, as the yards are full of snow right now, but my driveway isn't.

For $21, I would be tempted to replace the 2x2.

I got one of those Sachs units a couple of years ago. It worked fine until I opened the tailgate fast at -30 deg. C. There was gas hissing and thin oil all over the place. It was a good thing I had the snow shovel to prop the gate open. I put the original back on. It works OK in the summer, and I use a 2x2 in the winter.

Depending on model and options, there are often unused pop-out panels on the dash that can be removed, drilled for a switch, and replaced. Not quite the same as a fancy aluminum plate neatly mounted in a single location, but it still results in professional looking installation that almost looks like it came that way from the factory. I know my 1993 Loyale has at least 3 spots where I can put in switches like this.

It would be neat to make that Torsen the centre diff as well..... To heck with torque bind and silicone fluid, or even locking buttons.

Is that like a Torsen diff?

I do rotate my tires. The alignment is fine. Wear is dead even. A little more on the front than the back, but that is why they get rotated. I only use 4WD when I need 4WD (steep, loose hills at this time of year). It eats tires.

93 Loyale Oil pressure light doesn't. One alternator belt broke on a long trip, middle of the night, middle of nowhere. Thought it was a cambelt at first, but a couple minutes with a pocket knife cut the old belt loose where it had wrapped itself around the pulleys and stalled the engine, and I carried on on the remaining belt, making sure I kept the revs down. Starter motor contacts finally died, after a year or more of symptoms, and beating on the starter to get it to go. Tires are starting to hydroplane again. Why do I get only 25,000 miles out of tires? I rarely drive faster than 60 MPH, I keep them at correct pressure, and htey wear dead even and FAST. Hankook, Kumho, Toyo: so far, I have not found tires that will last on this car.

I built a vacuum bleeder once, and it worked well. But I found that I had to give the last squirt with pressure, the old-fashioned way, as the vacuum bleeder would suck air in around the bleed nipple/hose connection, so I was not sure if the air had bled or not. It worked great on a Chevy Vega that would not bleed the normal way, for some strange reason. It would give two squirts, then the new MC would stop working. No idea why.

It sounds like you might have timing belt issues. I think this because finding TDC is not part of the timing belt replacement procedure, so if you used this technique, something may be very wrong. If so, it is easy to check and replace the timing belt with the engine in the car. Getting the covers off is a pain, but that is the hardest part. It will help to pull the radiator. It may just be the distributor is 180 out. You didn't mention if you pulled it or not; normally, it is not necessary for the work you described. It can also be reset with the engine in the car. Or you could shuffle the plug wires until they are in the right order, but I am not expert enough to guide you through that process. My recommendation: 1. Check the cam timing, using one of the excellent write-ups referred to on this forum. 2. If the cam timing is OK, then reset the distributor.

Depends on the brand and model. Check pricing at Tire Rack or similar on-line resource.

Yes. Same OD as 165/80-13. Width isn't too much to be a problem.

I got new starter motor contacts on Saturday. It took less than an hour to rip, repair and replace the starter, including walking the half mile to where it finally stopped working completely. Parts cost $C 8.00, shipping was twice as much! Still a bargain. I got the parts from AB Automotive Electric in Prince George. They are good people to deal with. They had the parts in stock, and were very happy to sell them, unlike the outfit in Vancouver that would only sell the parts installed. I don't mind the guy trying to get a bigger chunk of the work, but come on! I have a dead car 800 miles away, how am I supposed to get it to him?

I use my 4WD a lot like GD does: OK on the highway, not turning at parking lot speeds unless the parking lot is loose surfaced. And not if the parking lot is icy (guaranteed skid). I drive like this in the winter, as road conditions may change around the next blind corner. There is no point in the summer. Driving in 4WD with tires that are more worn on one end will rapidly wear the tires on the other end the same.

Your car has 4WD, not AWD. Using 4WD while turning on pavement will do nasty things to the drivetrain, as other have posted. On the straight, it is not too bad, but why bother? The clunk you are hearing is because your front tires are worn, and not the same diameter as the rear ones. Even a slight difference will cause this. Rotate your tires, and don't use that button until snow falls.

By the time a Subaru hits the boneyard around here, it is high mileage. A used starter probably wouldn't be in much better state than the one I already have. Not worth the $50 they would charge, nor the labour to rip and replace. I have found a place in Prince George that will sell me the parts for $9.00, and a friend to put them on the bus to get here. The same bits mailordered (internet ordered?) out of the US would run me $40 - $100, after duty, brokerage, shipping, exchange and taxes.

Not brushes, definitely the contacts. Tried all the local parts stores. NAPA has not got contacts for them, nor has anyone else. Dealer only has the whole solenoid as a listing, and can't get them. Dealer price on a reman is $300! For $10 worth of parts? Naru, where did you get those parts, and when was this? Maybe I am a victim of shrinking inventories. I tried to clean up the contacts, but it isn't any better. One contact is so worn, the solenoid plunger is not making contact with it. I even tried to file the unworn contact, to make it line up better, but no go. To start now, I have to turn the key just as my clutch foot hits the firewall. And pray!

So you sell them, eh? How much do they cost, in a box ready to install?

Just because it is old and failed emissions doesn't mean it isn't doing something. Keep it hot and upstream of the cat, or else you will miss out on the benefits of the SPFI: more power and good economy, as the ECU tries to adjust the mixture for conditions that don't exist.

Yes, there are a few options. It would be nice to know what worked, as they don't have a listing for the EA82 vehicles on their website.

Which model of cruise control did you use?

It won't work after the cat. The cat changes the O2 content in the exhaust gases as it oxidizes the HC and CO, or reduces the NOx , so it won't see what's happening in the engine.

165SR13 is stock. 165/80-13 is as close as we can get now, if you can find them. 185/70-13 is the same diameter as 165/80, so it fits fine, again if you can find them. 175/70-13 has pretty close to the same load rating as 165/80, but they are noticeably smaller in diameter. Availability is better than the 165/80 and 185/70. 155/80-13 has the same diameter as 175/70, but a lower load rating. Not recommended. Too bad they are the easiest to find.