robm

Chances are the outer covers will come off in pieces. They are the ones that have steel bolts screwed into brass inserts in the rear covers, that get frozen in place. The centre cover comes off easily, as it is screwed into the block, not brass inserts. I like to reinstall the centre cover, as it helps keep sticks, snow, etc., from getting jammed into the belts. The recommended change interval is 90,000 km (55,000 miles), but I find they don't last as long without the covers. Change them at 75,000 km /45,000 miles, or else it will let your wife down again.

I had a CEL on my Loyale, the cause was the purge control solenoid, code 35. The recommended solution is to get one at the wrecker, or to get a similar one from another early 90's car from the wrecker. But there are no early 90's cars left in the scrap yards around here. Instead, I found a "Universal Vacuum Switching Valve" on Ebay, out of India. Listing is here: http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_ftrt=901&_fsradio=%26LH_SpecificSeller%3D1&_sop=12&_sadis=15&_stpos=v8g+2b2&_odkw=vacuume+switching+valve&_saslop=1&_fss=1&_dmd=1&_sasl=%09bilset2011+&_osacat=0&_ipg=50&_ftrv=1&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xuniversal+vacuum+switching+valve.TRS0&_nkw=universal+vacuum+switching+valve&_sacat=0 The price is $22 US, including shipping. It takes a while to get here, because they ship them by mail, but the price is decent. I ordered it September 17, it arrived today. I used it to replace the EGR solenoid. It works. The fit is less than perfect, as the valve is a bit longer, the mounting tab is on the wrong side and the hole is a bit too big, but it will fit in place and bolt down. The mounting tab is a problem because then the vacuum hose to the EGR valve is too short as the connector ports are on the wrong side, so you will need a foot or so of vacuum tubing. (You probably need new tubing under there anyway.) Electrically, it is perfect. The stock connector clicks right in to the side of the solenoid. How does this replace the purge control solenoid, you ask? The EGR and purge control solenoids are identical, except for the connector. The Indian VSV will not connect to the purge control connector. So I replaced the EGR solenoid, then took it and cut off the connector, and soldered on the connector for the purge control solenoid. It works great.

If you have the usual, 2WD/4WD push button setup, it will not harm it at all. This setup came on cars from 1990 onwards for sure, and on some previous models. If you have the "full time 4WD", then there may have been some damage to the centre differential. Exactly which year and model do you have?

JesZek is on the list of people I would most like to buy a beer. Excellent knowledge and advice, delivered with humour and respect.

Can you get the car to run at all? It is rude, crude and ugly, but just run a wire from the battery to the pump, and see if it will start. I drove mine like this for months. Put an inline fuse on the wire, it is even more or less safe. A running car is a good start. Can you determine which pin in the ECU harness is for the fuel pump? Is there continuity between there and the relay? Can you see ground on that pin when the green connectors are together, so it should be pulsing the fuel pump? Does the pump run if you ground the relay (bypass the ECU)?

Probably nothing to worry about. An open differential will do this, even if the resistance on one side is quite small, it sends the power/motion to the other wheel. A bad CV joint might be all it takes. Try blocking the wheel that normally moves, and see if that makes the other one rotate.

Good start. Run a wire direct from the battery to the red wire on the pump to make it run, and then try to start the car. (I ran mine for months like this, off and on depending on how co-operative the relay was feeling that day.) The ECM may have more than one problem, or the problem it has may exhibit more symptoms besides the FP not working.

I would still try swapping in a different relay. There are 3 of them right beside the FP relay.

If you dig deep, you will find a thread on this website about the internals of the ECU, and specifically the transistor that is triggered to turn on the pump. The timing thing that fires it for startup, then keeps the pump running when the engine starts, is bound to be in the software, If the transistor is bad, it is possible to replace it, but another ECU is probably a lot easier way to go. If a new ECU fixes the problem, then turn your electronic guru loose on the old ECU. If he fixes it, great, if not, no harm done.

This sounds very much like a flaky relay. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. They tend to be temperature sensitive, and won't work when they get hot. Swap in one of the relays nearby on the same rack. There are 4, 2 for headlights, 1 for fan and 1 for the fuel pump. They are identical, so for testing, it is easy to swap them. Grab the whole rack of relays from the wrecker so you have spares. Plug together the green test connectors to test the fuel pump. With the engine off, ignition on, the pump/relay will cycle on and off about every 2 seconds.

As I recall, those nuts are welded on, so it is not corrosion that is keeping them there. Drill out the bolts and retap? Or just drill and use a nut on the far side. Retapping will be easier, I think, than trying to put nuts on the back of those bolts. But not every one has a tap. Use lots of antiseize when they go back together. As for the clamp, just improvise something with a bit of sheet metal, or a big hose clamp or 2.

Hook the green test connectors together. They may be under the hood, or somewhere else, I am not sure on the 1990 model. With the ignition on but the engine not running, the fuel pump will cycle on and off. This will make it easy to see if power is getting to the pump. Long leads not required. if it is not, then listen for the fuel pump relay under the dash clicking. These relays get flaky, they can fail so they don't click, or so they do click and don't actually connect. Access is terrible. Radio, hazards, clock - does this fuse also power the main controller box? I can't remember, I have never had any trouble with that part. Worth checking all the fuses.

Also, unless you run the coolant dry and overheat it, the head gaskets are pretty solid. Not usually a problem.

Have a good look a the timing belt. They can lose teeth, so they look OK, and the engine might run a bit until those teeth come around again, then it stops. Timting will be out, so use that as well for a check.

You will wish you were back, the first time you change the spark plugs. Or the oil, or the timing belt, or the.....

There probably isn't much difference in the MPG. But the Outback has a longer cargo area than the Forester. High cargo areas may look good on paper because they have lots of volume, but in practice it is square footage in the cargo area that is useful. You can stack the boxes in the Forester, and get everything in, but when you hit the brakes and all those boxes slide forward and try to attack you, you will wish you had the Outback.

I am renting a Hyundai that gets 50 MPG imperial., That is nuts. Corners hard enough to slide out of the bucket seats too. If it wasn's so low to the ground, impossible to see out of, no cargo room and FWD terrible in the winter, I would be interested indeed. How much better do you want?

I am happy to have been of service. My pain was your gain, I hope. Did you check out the relay etc, with the green connectors yet? It really is very easy. I wouldn't buy a pump until you check the relay, whack the pump, etc. If you did, what were the results?

Perhaps very mild Tick of Death? Goes away with revs as the oil pressure rises? Not to worry, TOD is a joke. There is something wrong if your EA82 doesn't sound like a cross between a sewing machine and a Russian agricultural machine on its last legs.

First, fix the car! I normally get 600+ km on 50 l of fuel, which is over 28 MPG US. (On cruise control at 50 MPH, I once pulled off 800km on a tank, with a few liters left!) Extra jerry cans on the roof, perhaps? In an accident, they may get thrown clear, rather than becoming part of the problem.

13" tires are getting very hard to find. In North America, it is hard to find anything other than 175/70-13 and 155/80-13. The 155's don't really have enough load capacity, but I run them in the winter, and try to keep the load and speed down. I wouldn't run them in Oz, too hot. The stock size was 165/80-13 or 185/70-13. These are a bit bigger than the tires listed above. 175/80's and 185/80's used to be available, but I haven't seen them for years. If you can find anything that the tire shop will stuff on your wheels, take it. With the caveat on the 155's: Don't run them heavily loaded, fast, or in the heat.

Use top gear (4th or 5th), not 1st. Adjust the hand brake so it works properly and put it on all the way. If you have 4WD, use it, and get a friend to stand on the brake pedal instead of using the hand brake. I use a breaker bar and a piece of pipe to extend it. They come right off.

Up until now, the USMB has been split by engine style. EA81/82, and EJ. Now, the new Imprezas, Crosstreks, and Foresters (I think?) have a complete different engine, the FB. Wouldn't it make sense to split vehicles with FB engines into their own forum? There is a Crosstrek area, but that is a bit limiting, especially since it isn't really that much different to an Impreza. Any thoughts on this?

I dunno what is wrong with jetpilotdc10's machine, but Casull's problems are the classic symptoms of a failed CTS. The ECM thinks the engine is hot, so it gives it a mixture designed for a warm engine. Once the engine warms up, all is good.

I thought the relay was part of that cluster of 4 buried deep in the dash above the fuse box? I think it is headlights, fan and FP relay? I could be wrong, it has been a while. Access is horrible. If you plug the green connectors together and turn on the ignition but don't start the engine, you will be able to hear the relay and pump cycling. If you hear the relay clicking, but the pump doesn't buzz, then try running a wire direct from the battery to the red wire on the the pump, with a wire to the chassis from the black wire. If that doesn't make it run, then it is the pump. Otherwise it is the relay. The relay can click, but not connect, or it can just not click at all. You can get access to the fuel pump wiring inside the car, under the rear seat on the passenger side, where the wiring goes through a grommet in the body. Remove the grommet, pull the wiring inside, and there is no crawling under the car required. There is no ground through the ECU on these ones. The fuel pump black wire goes direct to ground. The relays are very flaky when old. I had one that was very flaky, it would quit when too hot or too cold. I had a wire run from the battery ready to connect if it failed, and I ran it like that for months. Every few days I would have to use the wire, then next morning, start the car as normal. .