robm

It is possible to get 2-3 oil changes out of a crush washer, just don't torque it to the max the first time. Problem is, by the time #3 or #4 oil change comes along, the plug is so tight, it won't come off without rounding the corners. A new plug is lots more expensive than a new crush washer. The dealer has the washers, and they aren't too expensive. Maybe $1 each. I haven't found a cheaper solution yet.

If the diodes are open, instead of shorted, I believe you will get this lights on effect, without the battery draining. And a shorted diode can burn itself open with a jumpstart, so your symptoms can change fast. Check for AC voltage at the battery terminals with the motor running at 1500-2000 RPM. There should be almost nothing. When mine blew last winter, it was putting out about 30 VAC, as well as 14.7 VDC, so it actually worked OK for a couple of days. This was AFTER the diode blew, before that, it drained the battery flat overnight. The new alternator put out just a few millivolts of AC, and 14.7 VDC. Full story: Charging System Anomalies!

Tires might only be rated for whatever speed, but it doesn't mean they will blow up when the rate speed is reached. I had a friend with a Camaro with the 140 MPH speedo, and he buried the needle on it frequently. This was on S rated tires.... He is still alive and kicking, still owns the Camaro, but has graduated to a nice new BMW for his high speed runs.

Intermittent speakers can be due to bad coils. They get stuck, and won't move, so no sound, then a good bump, or a big shot of power (bass drum thump, or someone playing with the volume control) will jar them loose, and they will work again - for awhile. Cure is a new speaker. If it is both speakers on the same side, look at the connectors in the wiring harness. Could be the stereo, too. But look at the simple stuff first. Rob.

The 20 deg is the point around which the timing is varied by the ECU. Just like an old fashioned car, changing the initial advance will change the advance throughout the range. In other words, if you set the timing to 22 degrees, instead of 20, there will be 2 deg. more advance at idle, at cruise, and at WOT. The ECU can't tell where it is set, it just adds or subtracts a certain amount of timing depending on the conditions of RPM and load. New cars are quite different, as they take their timing directly from the crankshaft, and fooling them into giving you more or less advance is much more difficult. And let's get some terms right: There is "preignition" and "detonation". No "predetonation." "Preignition" is when a hot spot (carbon chunk, e.g.) lights off the charge in the cylinder before the spark plug fires. "Detonation" is when the spark plug fires, but the charge burns faster than desired, so the pressure rises faster than desired. This is also known as "knock" or "ping". Too much advance will give the same effect, as the charge burns and hits peak pressure before it should. Ideally, ignition should occur so that peak pressure occurs just AFTER TDC. But since it take some time to burn and hit peak pressure, it is necessary to ignite the mixture BEFORE TDC. Changing the timing is designed to make the peak pressure point always occur at the same point in the rotation of the engine. At high engine speeds, more advance is needed as there is less time for the combustion to occur. This is the reason for mechanical advance on the old distributors. But the speed of combustion is also a variable, and it increases with more charge (WOT) and decreases with less charge (cruising on nearly closed throttle). That is why more advance is needed when cruising, thus the vacuum advance on old distributors. There are lots of other variables. I have had good success with 22 deg. Although this summer, I haven't managed to break 14 km/l (33 MPG US) yet on the highway. Rob.

He is not THAT far away, the Sunshine Coast is in BC. Still could be a JDM engine or car. The turbos were not as common in Canada as they are in the US. Are you losing any coolant? Could be a headgasket that only shows up when the engine is loaded.

Yes, it should heat it nicely, but you may need to have the water recirculate from the reservoir through the rad to get it hot. One time through may not be enough. A thermostat to control this would be a good idea, as the rad runs at 210 deg. +, and you DON'T want boiling water coming out of your shower.

I second the o-ring on the water pump. You probably disturbed it when replacing the radiator. The leak is underneath, and really hard to see, and if it never gets up to pressure, it may leak only when running, so you don't see the drip under the car. It is so easy to fix, you will kick yourself if you change the heater core and still have change the o-ring.

The Loyale won't hold its speed in neutral on less than a 5% grade. So on steeper grades, in gear, it will still need gas to go down hill because of engine braking. I don't know how steep a grade is required to keep speed up in gear, but it is pretty steep. I coast down hill in neutral, although I don't know if it helps fuel consumption. It is about the only time the car gets over 60 MPH. Idling at 1200 RPM (which is what the ECU sets idle to when coasting like this) is probably cheaper than driving the car at this speed, even down hill. But it is hard to tell. I concur with most of Tom63050's other ideas. I use 23 deg BTDC timing, and have no problems running 87 octane gas. I run 165/80R13 tires pumped up to 35 PSI. Roof racks only go on when I need them. I keep the speed at 55 MPH with an aftermarket cruise control. I typically get over 30 MPG in the summer, and can get as much as 35 MPG.

These wagons sit pretty high,it is quite likely the stock height. Timing belts are a good bet, quite easy to do. Unless there is leakage, don't bother with the reseal at this point. 200K is nothing. Check the radiator. You say the body is in good shape, so the rad probably will be good too, as they corrode from the outside in. Shocks maybe? Clutch? Have the axles been replaced yet?

There are no real problems with them. Axles wear, and rebuilt ones have been rebuilt so often they don't last well, but they are cheap and easy to replace. The cam timing belts must be replaced avery 90,000 km, but they are fairly cheap and easy to replace. The cooling system is of paramount importance. A good radiator will keep the car running forever, a bad one will overheat it and kill it. Rust is the worst problem.

OK, I am confused. An 80 series tire is supposed to be taller than a 75 series. There is about 3% difference between the two tires. This would only be noticeable if checking the speedometer calibration, or on a long trip, where youir destination apparently moves 5-10 miles. The difference will affect your apparent fuel consumption by the same 3%, but it is not enough to change the overall final drive ratio significantly to change either the true fuel consumption or acceleration. 3% is only 100 RPM at 3000 RPM. Can you check your figures, and make sure you have the numbers right? Fuel consumption is higher than the old school cars because the Legacy is significantly larger, heavier and has a larger engine. And in 1990, it didn't have the benefit of all the refinements that have been made in the last 17 years, like variable cam timing and other engine control refinements.

I had this problem too. It was caused by not changing the crush washer often enough. They can be used for maybe 2-3 oil changes, beyond that, the torque required to seal seems to bond them to the sump. The problem is made worse by the fact that the plug's wrench flats are tapered. I have noticed this on lots of the fasteners on my Subaru. A bit of wear or corrosion, and even a 6 point won't grip. They ride up and slip on the smaller section of the flats. Vice grips and pipe wrenches are very difficult to get on, especially if the sump guard is still in place. Grinding or filing new flats is the best bet. Make them parallel, not tapered like the originals. Grind them down to the next smaller size, probably 5/8"? If you do a good job, you can probably continue to use the same plug, but get new crush washers. They come in a bag of 5, buy the whole bag.

It could very likely be a timing belt. I missed by a tooth, and the power was down and the temperature went up. Worth checking, especially if the belts have been changed recently.

Ed's write-up is truly the best, easiest method. It belongs in the USRM. I have used it 2 - 3 times, and only once had a problem with the pivot bolt. If the pivot bolt is bad, I can't imagine trying to remove the pinch bolt and strut. Enough salt is used on the roads in BC to make this a less than easy task. Rob.

GCK axles might be hard to acquire in Canada. I have found that rebuilt axles sold by NAPA here in Canada have new outer CV joints, that don't have to be hammered into the hubs. The Crappy Tire ones are rebuilt using original parts (just add grease, and a new boot) and they are more work to install. Mind you, this is for EA82 axles, the EA81's might be a different story. The NAPA's cost more than CT's, but the extra $25 is worth it for the ease of installation. I have also found that it is not necessary to take off the hubs. It is easier to just undo the sway bar and inner bolt on the A-arm. That can be a pain too, but compared to breaking the pinch bolt, and trying to pound off the rusted-on strut, it is a joy by comparison. Again, this is for an EA-82, the EA-81 might be bit different. The Robertson screwdriver is a good tip. Phillips don't work, as the point tends to wedge itself into the hole in the pin. Good luck.

Remember that AKI or "pump octane" is an average of the octane rating measured 2 slightly different ways. One method is called "research", the other "motor". Research gives a higher number. Some fuels have a very high research number, but a lower motor figure, but they average out the same as a fuel with a high motor octane, but a low research. And guess what? Usually, a real engine prefers (knocks less) with a high motor octane number compared to one with a high research octane number. So, not all 87 octane fuels are created equal. And guess what else? Usually, high motor octane fuels are more expensive to make than high research octane fuels. So cheap gas may well be not as good for your engine, especially if it is built for a higher octane number, but a better quality low octane fuel may be just fine. I learned all this many years ago, working at an oil refinery, where I was often found hanging out with the technician that measured the octane ratings of the product, and of the competitors' product.

Removing the vacuum advance line is likely to cause a change in the idle due to the vacuum leak, more than the change in effect on the timing. A better way is to pull the advance hose with the engine shut off, and suck on the end of it. Watch the distributor to see if it moves when you do. Plug the end of the hose with your tongue, and see if it holds vacuum. Tastes bad, but it works. I don't expect it is vacuum advance. If it was bad, he would be getting poor mileage on the highway, which is when the vacuum advance kicks in. Most cars use ported vacuum, which does not affect the timing at idle.

Changing the rad may disturb the o-ring that seals the inlet to the water pump, especially if the water pump is original and the seal has hardened up. Keep an eye on the coolant level for a few days, and watch for coolant drips. The O-ring will leak at the bottom, where it can't be seen as the source, and the coolant will run down and drip off the sump. Cheap and easy fix, the o-ring is $5 from the dealer, and I am sure there are cheaper sources. Good luck.

The polycarbonate water bottles would be good. The polyethylene ones, maybe not thick enough to hold the vacuum without collapse. That glass juice jar is probably OK, as the pressure is pretty darn low, maybe 10 psi. It has been proven to work, and if it does collapse, it is well shrouded by the spare, so flying shards are unlikely to injure anyone. You are more likely to hurt someone by picking up a rock in a tire. If it gets flung off the top of the tread, it is moving at double the vehicle speed.

In A Subaru? What is so funny about that? Looks like standard heuristic engineering practice to me. I'm not sure it is the best shape or material to hold vacuum, but if it works, and is well hidden under the spare, what the heck. And not an inch of duct tape or baling wire in sight! I might try that myself, as my cruise control runs out of grunt on the hills, and needs a helping foot to keep up the speed.

Don't want to hijack the thread, but I find it best to dispel misinformation when possible... Pinging indicates too much ignition advance. If your car is pinging on hills, it must be retarded, not advanced. Advancing the timing is possible for altitude, but is not a good idea if the engine is pinging. Better fuel economy is possible if the timing is advanced slightly. If it is advanced way too much, the engine will ping, and the fuel economy may drop - but at that point, it is so advanced you are risking engine damage. I run my Loyale at 22-23 deg, which is 2-3 deg. more advanced than the stock setting. I have no problems with ping under any load conditions, and I find it does help improve fuel economy on the highway. So, if you really did retard the timing, I would expect: 1. No ping. 2. Worse fuel economy.

Depends on cruising speed, too. I am lucky enough to be able to run at 90-95 km/h on the highway, without getting run over from behind. This translates to about 2600 RPM, just below peak torque. The larger diameter tires would drop the engine speed to the point where it isn't as efficient, and has too little torque to take the hills without downshifting. As it is, I have to downshift on some of the steeper hills, especially when the car is full of gear. Ideally, I prefer to just leave it in fifth gear, on cruise control, and add a little throttle foot to help it up the hills, when the vacuum cylinder doesn't have enough force to keep the speed up. Works for me - I can get over 16 km/liter under ideal conditions.

I have run 175/70's, 175/80's, 185/70's and the recommended 165/80's on my Loyale. I find that the 165's seem to get the best gas mileage, even when adjusting for the different outside diameters. It is not a huge difference, 1-2 MPG on the highway. If you want the best mileage, stick with the 165/80's. It is too bad they are getting so hard to find here in Canada. You might have more choice in the US.

There are big "check engine" connectors hanging off the ECU, that no one seems to use. Does the CEL come out to one of the pins one one of these connectors? It would make the soldering easier, and safer for the ECU.