rdweninger

Let's use your multimeter to check the coil. Primary winding - Set to ohms. Place your leads on the positive and negative side of the coil. Should read between 1.0 to 1.3 ohms. Secondary winding - Place one lead on the positive side of coil, place the other lead to the center post (the one that goes to the disty). Should read 10,700 - 14,600 ohms for Nippondenso or 7300 - 11,000 for Hitachi. You said you had a couple of wagons. Try swapping the distributors. Is Seastrom Manufacturing still in town?

Paint Shop??? I thought all you guys down south just rattle-canned some sort of camo scheme. Oh wait.... that was me! Pics of the new paint job... please.

Don't forget the o-rings behind the front cam seals. These are different from the cam tower metal re-inforced o-ring between the heads and cam towers. OP... are you pulling the motor?

camshaft seals and o-rings will leak. Front main seal. Maybe just a re-seal on the oil pump. Valve cover gaskets and grommets. Oil cap - make sure it's the right one.. Clean/Replace PCV valve and hoses. What am I forgetting?

On the special tools subject. You will need a 3/16" drift punch to remove the roll pin from the DOJ where it attaches to the transmission stub. Some guys use a pickle fork to separate the ball joint from the wheel bearing housing (aka knuckle). This method will most likely destroy your ball joint rubber. I use a LARGE screwdriver or SMALL crowbar to separate the ball joint. Tie rod to wheel bearing housing, I take the castle nut off... flip it over 180 and screw it back on until the nut is flush with the bolt (about 5 or 6 turns). Then hit the top of the nut with a dead blow hammer to release the tie rod. It helps on all joints to bang on, under and around to aid in loosening (probably high freq vibration... huh?) Some liquid wrench or PB Blaster helps lube and release some joints/threads. Maybe do this the night before you work on it. Tools for your Subaru. Sockets -10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, 19mm, 22mm and the big 36mm for the axle nut. 1/2" Drive will make your life easier. I still have the sockets I bought at a pawn shop in Boise in 1987. Spent about an hour sorting thru big boxes of loose sockets. Picked out all the Craftsman sockets - paid $1 apiece for them. The owner threw in a toolbox for free. And of course, read the posts. How to Keep your Subaru Alive (HTKYSA) is a good read. The link to download is on here somewhere. Good luck

I love it. You guys crack me up! So... the moral of the story is: Don't throw out your old bed frame or futon. Make a roof rack out of it! P.S. I think we scared the OP away.

hey rpholz... you know what else is 'fairly simple'? Giving good detail and instruction. For an example of this... read Cougar's post. Pretty Good, eh? Your post is vague... hey check the TCP/IP on the system bus architecture... it's easy! Between the coil windings??? What do you mean? What's between the primary and secondary winding? Air? Can you explain better? OP and others would appreciate it.

Sorry about your head... man. That's why we 'professionals' wear helmets!

I wasn't going to say anything... but... I love zip ties ! I have black ones for better camouflage.

First off, welcome to USMB. You're in the right place. Intermittent problems can be kind of tough to diagnose, but we'll help you get there. It could be a fuel pump... or coil going bad. I'm sure others will chime in... soon enough. You will need to be prepared to run some tests. If you don't have a multimeter - get one! Maybe $10. You will be able to test resistance and voltage on all your Subie's electrical components. So... how long does the car run before it dies? Does it die quickly, or maybe starts to stumble/lurch... then die? How long do you have to wait until the car will start again? Does it only happen downtown where the streets run SW to NE and SE to NW. The surveyor who laid that out had problems with the Bermuda Triangle like magnetic fields..... I think.

Seriously.... you gotta do the work yourself if you want it done right. Then you know exactly what was done and how to do it. And ALL the satisfaction is FREE! And most times... you can believe yourself. There's a saying that I like (below, in quotes). It may be hard to understand at first, but you'll get it. Question: "What's the worst part about not knowing?" Answer: "Not knowing"

Do you have to add brake fluid ever? Make sure there are no leaks. Then the rear adjustment as GLoyale said. Then the MC. You can get rebuild kits for the rear wheel cylinders and the front calipers. Not sure on the MC rebuild kit... I've never looked for one. Are they still sledding up in Golden? Snow level down to 3000' today in the Oregon Cascades... Love it!

Wow! All this over plastic? I had to epoxy the front passenger e-switch on my '85 EA82 a few weeks ago. It looked like it took a 'hit' from the PO. But after reading this, I almost believe it was cheap plastic. Cheap plastic.... that's funny!

Right on, Okie! Glad you got it running. Hope all is well in your neighborhood. I have a few cousins in OK and a bunch of family in KS. No tornados in OR... just ALOT of rain. And a big volcano just to the north. Stay low.

I use silicone spray to keep mine in good shape. Have not had to replace any yet... couple of '83's and '85's still look good.

I never did understand the roof racks. How do you get stuff up in there, tie it down, get it off, tie it down again? Especially with a lift. I'm 5' 9" (well, used to be). Would you carry a 4' ladder? I have a nice little lightweight 4x8 trailer with 15" wheels. It's great for camping. Drop the coolers in and some initial starting firewood, lawn chairs, chainsaw and another cooler (or two). I don't have to tie anything down and can 'run' get more firewood with the empty trailer. Would this be an option for you?

What a guy, NorthWet !!! So, send your clocks to him when he's ready. Then send the shortcase to me...

That means power is always going thru the headlights. Then as the returning wire is headed to ground, it passes thru your switch. The other method (other vehicles like American made) involves power going thru your switch first, then heading to the headlights, then to ground.

When I removed the A/C from my '85 EA82, I used the same bracket (the one that bolted into the top of the compressor). I just measured and cut a 1/2" Galv pipe (probably 5" or so) and was able to use a 6' or 7" bolt to pass thru and secure the bracket (now that the compressor is gone). You'll see what I mean when the compressor is removed. Or get the brackets from a non A/C car.

Good idea! I'll check that out tonight... maybe the pedal assembly is bent/misaligned. I'll report back on Monday.

Just send your old clock to NorthWet.... he'll probably fix it for the price of a short case. Don't throw it away.

At one point, I did unhook the cable to the hill holder. There was a slight difference in the clutch pedal hard to push syndrome... but not much. My brother's EA81 wagon's clutch is sooooo easy to push. I bet I have a bent clutch fork... you think?

I unhooked the return spring over on the hill-holder unit. But there was no change...pedal still hard to press in...compared to my other Subies. I'll check out the pedal spring. Maybe the PO put a bigger spring in there. It's a new cable... and I don't see any kinks. I re-routed it correctly.. with no change to pedal response. Also, it's an EA81 Hatch. Not sure that makes a difference. Maybe PO put the wrong pressure plate/clutch disc in there ??? Is that possible?

On my '85 EA82 wagon, I had to remove the lower passenger kick panel and the glove box. There, I found the electrical connector. Maybe it's the same on your '90.

Gotta love those Canadians !!! Any chance you tapped the propane to run an auxillary grill for BBQ Tailgaters?