Bill90Loyale

Ben- As promised, I'm back. Let us know if you need any further guidance on the steps required to change out your gear oil. All the best- Bill

Ben- You have a five speed manual transmission. Before you hit 400 posts, it's time for you to learn where your tranny fluid dipstick is, and to change the fluid (aka gear oil). 1. Remove the spare tire from the engine compartment (if yours is mounted in there). 2. With flashlight in hand, and standing on the passenger side of the engine compartment, look at the aluminum blob that seems to connect the back lower side of your engine to something that heads underneath your car. That blob is your "transaxle" and you'll (eventually) spot a little wire loop affair sticking into the side of it. The wire loop thing is inviting your finger to grab it. Answer the call. Pull it up. Voila! That stubby thing is the DIPSTICK for the "transmission fluid". This is the same hole that you're going to pour about a cup of "automatic transmission fluid" into (using a funnel), and operating the vehicle (don't forget to replace the dipstick). Operate the vehicle for a couple hundred miles with that auto tranny fluid in there. Why? Because it acts as a SOLVENT, cleaning the varnish and other deposits off your moving parts inside the transmission. See GD's post above. This is a good thing. 3. Have you done the above yet? Good. Now you're ready to PUT IN NEW GEAR OIL IN YOUR STANDARD TRANSMISSION GEARBOX. I apologize for shouting, but I'm in a bad mood and shouldn't be on line in this condition. Here's where things can seem confusing: Above, you used "transmission fluid" added to your old crappy "gear oil" to clean the tranny interior. Now you're going to replace all that crappy old gear oil with nice clean fresh gear oil. But I'm tired now, and will hand the instructional ball back to someone else - or finish this post later today if I have to. Ben, we've all been where you are now. This advice is meant in the best spirit of helping you take the next step in your subie career: actually getting your hands dirty. Take the wheel boys, I'm headed in for some shut eye.

Here's what worked for me. See update in my first post here: http://tinyurl.com/36jwa9

I'm with quidam and nipper. Get those wheels off the ground and rotate 'em. Hear a grinding sound? Rusted bent backing plate on the disc. Fix? Bend the crap out of the way and noise is gone.

Yup. I'll admit to having purchased one recently for my Loyale. That's how much faith I've got in the car - which now has 236K on it. Call me a sucker, but I don't like to mess around with gasoline leaks - which mine was starting to do.

It's a two-astronaut car. The prior flyer, now deceased, put on 98K and I've flown on since then.

234K here. 4K to go for a moonshot (average distance to moon: 238K). The moon is looming large in the windshield now and I'm planning an Apollo 13 gravity slingshot for the return.

Here's another idea to add to the list: borrow a high tension spark plug lead from a buddy's car (the wire that runs from the tower on the coil to the distributor) and install it on yours. Fire it up. Run smooth? Just an idea. This lead can go bad without any exterior signs.

Meanwhile, double-check your rotor installation on the distributor. If your rotor was secured with a little screw, that screw can back off, leaving you with a no-spark condition.

My last set of belts lasted only 45K miles instead of the standard 60K. Wonder if there may be an issue in production or materials....just another data point.

All I can say is I paid $1500 for my 90, with 98K on the clock at time of purchase. From the estate of the prior owner - an old man. My car now has 231K miles on it. I have had essentially ZERO major problems. This one looks very good from the pictures. With any "new" used car, there will be anywhere from $500 to $1000 additional bucks you'll want to put into it within the first year, just to get it where you want it to be. Summary: If you like the thought of driving and maintaining a good old Subie, this car has the potential to be a reliable set of wheels for about 8 to 10 more years - but be prepared give it a lot of love (cleaning electrical connections/suspension issues/brakes). Mine is standard tranny, which has been trouble free. The guys with automatics can offer their own opinions. These are fine, simple cars which you can rely on to keep you headed down the road. Just allow about 5 minutes to merge on the interstates.

Don't get so down on yourself and your former car. You have a lot to be proud of: 1. You actually managed to obtain or even OWN a car at 17; 2. The things you have (apparently) learned during your ownership have probably placed you in the top 20% of all car owners with respect to knowing what makes a car work; and 3. You'll never make your oil filter changes carelessly ever again. You're way ahead. Now go find a nice Loyale. Mine just turned 231,000 miles and I've done three things to it in the past 12 months: a. Changed the oil b. Replaced a blower resistor; and c. Put gas in it. Caution: Loyale ownership can have a negative impact on your odds for a date. It's actually been great for my marriage.

94 Loyale: Nice job, way to stick with it. Cougar: Good work. Excellent troubleshooting on a very difficult problem.

Junkyard. Meanwhile, another suggestion: try a known good high tension lead (the wire from the coil tower to the distributor). If this wire fails, you're in a no or bad spark condition.

What ScottG said. Get in there, remove the fan, clean the fan and plenum and that should cure your problems. If the fan motor is shot, replace it with a used junkyard model or a new one. Let us know how it goes.

Try a new or a known good high tension lead between coil and distributor.

And you definitely DON'T want to be GD's biatch!

Just a thought: For the valve covers, check with your local machine shops to see who has a soda blaster and what they'd charge you to blast 'em. You might be able to get 'em both done for cheap. Will come out looking brand new. For the gasket surfaces, try a 3M green abrasive pad and acetone.

Ooops. Got too deep into the thread and forgot the car. My apolgies.

It's the 2x2 inch (or so) little black box on top of your elephant trunk (air) at the air filter end of the trunk. Once you remove it, handle it carefully. The delicate sensor wires can be cleaned with carb cleaner (spray) or MAF spray.

GD, Bucky and Tom are all right on. As long as we're on "not too difficult" stuff, try douching out the throttle body with carb cleaner (remove the elephant trunk from the top for access). I'm also wondering if your Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) might be involved in this. I've never removed mine for cleaning, but I'd start with the throttle body itself. A second thought is vacuum leak making cold starts difficult. Remove the trunk at the air cleaner end to access the Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF) and douch the delicate sensor with carb cleaner or MAF cleaner. This is still sounding like a coolant temp sensor (CTS) issue to me, but these other factors might be in play. One more thing: when you replaced the plug wires, I assume that included a new high tension lead from coil to distributor.

I've done it on both my 90 Loyale and my wife's 95 Legacy. Here's my write-up on the Legacy. The basics are the same for the Loyale. No problems on either car since, and this was some years ago now. I would put this in the "nice to do on an older car" category, and not in the "better do it or else" category. It is sort of satisfying to know you've got all the old crap out. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=39838&highlight=coolant+drain+plugs

The "meter engine" fuse may be the airflow meter. See this thread. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=40871&highlight=fuse+blows Meanwhile, the ground for the radio/clock is under the carpet on the "hump" forward of the shifter. IIRC. Feel the carpet on top of the hump to see if you can feel the ground connection wire and screw. If yes, cut the carpet carefully with an exacto knife to access the ground (or remove the entire carpet, which I've done, and which is a PIA). Clean up the ground with a file and apply dielectric grease, reinstall and glue the carpet down neatly.

Junkyard.

Thanks to all. I was pretty tempted to go with the Rockauto RU253 for a savings of $10 over what my mechanic can pick one up for. Decided to have my mechanic order an oem for $52. It'll be handy this winter not to have the blower on full blast all the time. Thanks for all the input guys. I appreciate it. Bill