Roundeye

Threw a battery in the 1985 AWD Wagon today and played with it for the first time. (just got it). I did not know these cars had a low range 4 wheel drive selection! I took it over to a Jeeper friend of mine who has some land where we 'wheel Jeeps at and dove off into some nasty washouts and hills. I am impressed. This little Subie clawed its way through almost every nasty spot I put it in. It's only limitation is ground clearance. If it has at least one tire on the ground, it's going! Granted, I drove the car like I stole it. I did manage to rip the back bumper off, clean the fog lights off of it and bend the front bumper, and bashed off years of bondo from the rockers. This picture is when I was going into an off-camber washout, the left rear tire was about 12" off of the ground. I like it.

Getting yourself a "Lincoln locker"? Olde-school trick in off-roading. Normally done on front axles which can be unlocked at the hubs. Not really recommended for street use. You run a high chance of breaking an axle in sharp turns. Also makes it a beast to control. If you do, I have been told to use Super Missle Weld rods of a high number. There will be a TON of stress on those welds.

Yes, altitude does affect boiling point. High altitude=low ambient pressure. The lower the ambient pressure, the lower the temperature is that water will boil. This may be a reach, but higher altitudes (meaning lower ambient pressures) would mean less force on the top side of the radiator cap seat, which aids the spring in keeping correct pressure on the radiator opening. I don't know how much of an affect it would have, but it would surely have some. Think about what would happen if you put your car in a huge sealed chamber and pulled a vacuum on it. You would eventually reach a point where you would off seat the radiator cap and suck the air/fluid out of the radiator. I think you need to make a sacrifice and throw your old cap into the volcano:cool: That should fix it.

I would look at replacing the radiator cap. A bad cap will allow coolant to overflow at a lower than normal pressure. A bad side effect of this is that it lowers the boiling point of your coolant which only adds to the problem.

If your gages are acting wierd and all (or most) of your red warning lights are on with the engine RUNNING, but everything appears OK with the engine off, it's likely at least one diode is fried in the alternator. This will allow AC voltage to enter your electrical system and cause many odd things to happen. I just went through that with the wife's '88 DL. New alternator cured it. Autopsy of old alternator revealed one burned diode.

You've got mail (neighbor).

First part of your question: Yes. Second part: No (unfortunately) not without disassembly. If doing a differential compression test, a special manifold is used to apply pressure to a cylinder and another gage is used to see how much is actually held by the cylinder. On aircraft piston engines, we usually use 80 psi. That means 80 psi is avail. to the cylinder, but it may only hold, say, 70 (a good number). mid 60's and lower = time to start looking for trouble. On a car,this test must be done with the cylinder locked on top dead center. On a plane, one can turn the prop to achieve best reading, we don't have that luxury on a car engine. If you are simply looking for the source of a leak, you can use a simple single gage regulator: Turn the engine over by hand until the cylinder is at top dead center on compression stroke. Apply a small amount of pressure to the cylinder and listen to the oil fill tube for hissing (bad rings, piston, warpage or crack in head and or block or bad head gasket), look for bubbles in radiator (bad head gasket, warpage or crack in head and or block), also listen through the intake for hissing (defective intake valve or seat) then listen through exhaust pipe (defective exhaust valve or seat) I just did this to one of my '85 XTs using 25psi to find the cause of low compression in one of my cylinders. NOTE: the engine MUST be at exactly top dead center on the compression stroke to do this test. Otherwise the engine will rotate when pressure is applied. The engine could rotate at any time during this test if it is not locked down somehow. Remain clear of any belts and pulleys during this test!

I wish I could give you some good news, but......... Broken ring(s), incorrect ring(s), improperly installed ring(s) or a head gasket blown in the right spot, or worst of all...a cracked head and or block (least likely) would be suspect . If it were an older engine, I would even suspect broken/cracked piston or hole burned in piston. A ton of blowby is NOT normal on a low-time engine. If it was rebuilt months ago, the rings should have long-since been seated. (given normal usage since then). A simple compression test will give you an idea, but I would do a differential compression test. This applies air to the cyliders and you can then see how much of it is being held. You can then listen through your oil fill as each cylinder is tested to see which one(s) is defective. The one that keeps fouling the plug is where to start looking.

Hello all, a friend of mine has a '93 Legacy with an automatic transmission. Reverse has been sluggish to engage lately (but did not slip once engaged). Now reverse is totally inoperative. Forward gears work fine. Fluid is good and to proper level. Any ideas? Auto. trannies are my weakest area on these things. Any help is appreciated.

Where can I get a good and correct wiring diagram for mid-to-late '80s Subarus? I have the Haynes manual.......it's great to have around........in case I run out of toilet paper. No good diagrams for late 80's cars. The revision section covering fuel injection models is better than nothing, but not correct. (at least for an 85 XT) No chassis diagrams for later models are included either.

Wow. Much more air and you would need to apply for an Airworthiness Certificate! I bet the landing was spectacular.

Can anyone tell me where the fuel pump relay and the dropping resistor for the injectors is located on a '85 XT? The injectors are not pulsing and no voltage is present at the fuel pump. Nobody seems to be real familiar with the MPFI components, esp. in an XT. The car is in nice shape and the engine runs great if I pour gas in down the intake. If I cannot get it running, I'm going to yank the engine (I have an '89 GL needing an engine). I would much rather drive the XT. Any help is appreciated.

I think I'll yank the engine and trans, throw the MPFI-related item in the trunk and junk it.

Yes, it has spark. It runs if I pour gas down the intake. I hotwired my pump and verified fuel pressure is avail. at the injectors. They just don't pulse. I'll test the coolant temp sensor tomorrow. Thanks -RE-

I have 2 SPFI cars that work great and parted out another tornado-ravaged SPFI car and they all run good. I drove a carbed Subie for years and it too ran perfect. I'm not too impressed with the MPFI $#!T right now. Someone PLEASE change my mind! Maybe someone can help us?

Hey all, I finally found this place again. I have an 88DL, 89GL and just aquired an 85 XTGL with MPFI EA82. It has been sitting for about 8 years and did not run when it was parked. I started troubleshooting it today and found it to have a fuel delivery problem. I can pour a little gas down it's throat and it runs great till it's gone. I had no fuel at the filter and traced the problem to the pump not running. No voltage is present at the pump. I hotwired the pump and it STILL did not work:banghead: So, I replaced the pump and hot wired IT.....now I have fuel flow at the injectors, but it still does not run. I say the injectors are not pulsing. Looking at the POS wiring diagrams in the Haynes manual, the dropping resistor for the injectors and power to the fuel pump relay come from the MPFI control box. Agree? Also, where is the fuel pump relay and dropping resistor on a 1985 XT? Any other ideas are greatly appreciated! Thanks -RE-