jj421

I'll check around the oil pan, but I think I checked there and found nothing. I've checked all around the steering rack, and found nothing. Managed to get the wires on and the starter in. No luck. Still clicks, although now the clicking is quieter. Pulled the starter again, and gonna get it tested. I, unfortunately, don't have the time to search and wait for the contacts. So I'm just gonna get it tested, and if it's bad, O'Reilly has a new starter in stock that I can buy.

Okay, I am officially annoyed. Went out and bought some battery cables. That nut that sits on the stud for the positive terminal got lost somewhere in the engine. Can't for the life of me find it, so went out and bought a new nut. It started screwing on just fine, but then damaged the threads partway down. Lost that nut too. Took the starter off, tried searching for the nuts, and can't find them. Brought the starter to the hardware store, and got a system that will hopefully work. But I dropped a wrench down there, and I can't find that! My car is literally eating my tools and parts. I'm accidentally dropping these things down the huge gaping hole, with a clear view of my driveway. However, nothing is dropping on the ground. My wrench and nuts are landing somewhere in the engine compartment, and I can't find them. Not on the transmission, not in the transmission tunnel, not on the tranny crossmember, not on the subframe, not near the steering rack, not in the suspension components, not on the passenger side anywhere. I mean, I can understand losing a nut or two, but a whole wrench? I've crawled under the car, and can't see anything. Has anyone ever dropped something down here? Where do parts like to end up? Before I do anything with the starter, I'm just gonna finish replacing the wires and see. Gonna try and keep this simple, before I start moving on to bigger things. For me, this sounds like a connection issue more than anything. If only I can get these wires on! Those solenoids are, I believe, vacuum. That's why I was confused about the coolant there. I'm not sure if there is coolant going through the line, but that's where it was dripping, there was coolant on the line, and repairing the line seemingly fixed the leak. Any other signs of a cracked intake manifold, or something else that might cause this?

Nope, I didn't. Not that I could see anyways. It was pretty dry of coolant around that area when I opened it up, so I don't think any dripped in.

Yeah, I was thinking my positive cable needs to be replaced. It doesn't look in great shape. My negative cable, on the other hand, looks fine. I think I might just replace both terminals, and the positive cable. I don't think it is the starter. Like I've said, I've had this happen to me before. Definitely seems like a connection issue. Time to make another trip to the auto parts store.

Unfortunately, that's not possible. For one, my car is parked on a pretty steep uphill. And two, there is nowhere to push it but on a pretty busy road, haha.

I don't have a battery charger. Gonna try jump starting it, since I'm now down to 12.3 volts. Also getting full voltage to the starter too. EDIT: Jumping it did nothing. Back up to 12.4X volts, both at both the battery terminals, and down at the starter.

Okay, replaced the hose and clamps. Got the gasket today. There was no gasket before. There were grease/dirty marks from where an old gasket was, but I did not find an old gasket. Anyways put the car back together, and as I was adding coolant, I noticed it was leaking from the same area. It was dripping from one of the two solenoids near the thermostat. I found that the line from the solenoid to the throttle body was severed. I think that was a coolant line, but I always thought it was a vacuum line. Anyways, fixed that, and no more leaking coolant. However, now the car won't start. When I put the key in the start position, it turns over for a split second, then just clicks. I've had this happen before, but now I can't seem to fix it. Cleaned and tightened the battery terminals. The connection at the starter is nice and tight. Very little resistance in the wire (about 0.01 ohms). Battery is reading 12.43 volts. Taking a break now, so if you guys have any ideas before I head out there again, I'd appreciate it.

Yeah, I read about that gasket. I'm currently at school, so I can't look at the car now. Gonna stop by O'Reilly on my way home, and might just pick up the hose, clamps, and gasket (hopefully they have one in stock). Nothing wrong with new parts. Is there a proper name for the gasket?

Wow, I can't even believe I didn't look at that thread. I started reading it when it was first posted. Guess I'll stop by O'Reilly and get some 1/4" heater hose, along with some new wire clamps (if they have them).

You know what they say: when you fix one problem, another arises. In some cases, two problems arise. So I was driving home from work today, put it in reverse to back down my driveway, and noticed some smoke. At first, I thought it was just the rain evaporating off of my hood from the heat of the engine. But then, more and more smoke started pouring out. I eventually had a bunch of smoke in front of my headlights: It didn't have a distinct smell to it, so I popped the hood. Could smell and see the coolant. There's coolant all over my throttle cable, throttle body intake, IACV plug, and other things in that area. Anyways, I know this isn't a big repair or anything, but do you guys have an idea as to what this was? l am thinking just a worn hose that popped a hole or something. After a look in the engine, I only see one coolant line in the area, which is this small hose coming from the thermostat housing. The clamps are tight. Has this happened to anyone else? Is there a part number or name for this hose? I'll hopefully get a better look at it tomorrow. Kinda hard to do a diagnosis at night. Thanks!

Yup, those look like the feet that I had on my Thule. A little different in looks, but very similar in mounting. They should work. Good luck with them!

Thanks! Yeah, from my experience, I'm definitely gonna come to a complete stop to put it in 4WD Lo. Heck, I'm usually gonna come to a stop to put it in 4WD Hi. Rolling changes just don't feel natural to me.

Man, that XT6.... Never thought I'd use that emoticon, but I am just in love with the condition that's in! Haha, anyways, here was my Loyale today:

Well, if they are offroad lights (e.g. ~100 watt lights), you'll definitely want a relay. When peacewize gave me a set of fog lights during a trade, he also gave me a wiring kit that came from Wal-Mart (if I recall correctly). Something very similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Wiring-Kit-Auxiliary-Lights/dp/B0006PSE2K My fog lights are wired like this (forgive me, I don't remember which relay terminals things are plugged into): Ground wires from lights join together and go to the negative battery terminal Positive wires from lights join together and go to the relay Ground wire from the relay to the negative battery terminal Positive wire from relay to positive battery terminal, with inline 15 amp fuse Two switch wires going to the relay from the switch Not sure how well that all makes sense, but I can draw up a diagram and take pictures for you if you'd like. The kit I got also contained just clips, so all five wires just plug into the relay. I'd definitely buy a wiring kit, because it'll be cheaper than buying everything separately, and it'll most likely come with instructions. There's the "easy" way of wiring, but it's pretty stupid. Run a wire from the positive battery terminal to the switch, then from the switch to the positive wires on the lights. Then just take the negative wires from the lights and ground them to the body/chassis. This is very easy to do, but I've burned up ~3-4 switches doing this, and melted some of the plastic by the switch. It get very hot with 55 watt lamps; can't imagine how hot they'd get with more powerful lights. I've had the relay in my car for ~4 months, and it's still working fine. If something does overheat, it'll just melt the inline fuse and your lights just won't turn on (happened to me this week). Anyways, simply put, get a wiring kit with a relay and inline fuse. I know these work on 55 watt lights. But I'm sure they make 'em for true offroad lights.

Yeah! I am very glad I did! Still gotta find a spot to try it out. Might head down to the same place as the Christmas tree run was, if I get the time. Next up though, is finding (the hard part) and installing a manual steering rack. My power steering is definitely leaking, so it's gonna be just like this D/R swap: "I'm gonna be working there anyways, so might as well swap it out with something I'd much rather have."

I've had mine fail. The gap in the cone washer becomes so big, the axle loses contact with the hub and steering knuckle, so ergo it just spins freely. The day this happened, I heard some unusual popping. When it popped, I lost power for a second. As I was trying to leave a parking lot, I would let out the clutch and hear nothing but grinding. The car would not move at all. Just grinding and grinding. I thought my clutch had failed, but then that night, I remembered about the cone washer. Went out to the car the next day (left it in the parking lot overnight), checked the axle nut, and it was finger loose. Had the car towed home, and realized I'd stripped my hub from the axle spinning freely. After about a week waiting for the parts, I finally put brand new cone and spring washers on both wheels, as well as a new hub on the one I stripped. Car ran perfectly. Wrote a thread about it here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/134014-complete-cone-washer-failure/ Here is the video of the failure too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzh5nIcPShM

Don't forget about the cone washer. If the axle nut is loose, your cone washer has probably failed. You can re-torque the axle nut to 145 ft-lbs, but if it works its way loose again, change the cone washer (it's a dealer only part). Changing the spring washer is a good idea too. A failed cone washer will make noises.

I'd say just keep it in mind for something to do in the future. Unless you're rock crawling, doing steep hill climbs, or anything else where you need power but not speed, you probably won't need the low range. Definitely gonna have to post pictures when you get it lifted!

Haha, I'm a 17 year old kid with a minimum wage job too! I picked up the transmission for $125, which from what I can gather is a little pricey. A good price for a D/R should be about $80-$90. Four quarts of gear oil ran me $40, then I spent about $40 in tools for the job. So I'd say if you're just doing the swap, it shouldn't be too much more than $200 if you already have a semi decent wrench/ratchet set. If you wanna swap out your clutch too, it'll be a lot more. The clutch kit was $180, and a brand new flywheel was $80 (you can go cheaper and get your old one resurfaced, for about $40). So that was an extra $260, but with the effort you'll put in getting the transmission out of there, it's a good idea to put a new clutch in while you're there. Can't hurt with new parts! Oh, and then $10 for genuine Subaru clips that hold the throw out bearing onto the clutch fork. Good idea to replace those too.

Yeah, I've done pretty well with my push button, non-lifted Loyale. I do think the dual range is only absolutely necessary if you're doing more hardcore wheeling, but it's always nice to have. If you're willing to put the time, money, and effort into the swap, it's a matter of, "why not?" For me, I needed/wanted to replace my clutch, so I figured I'd swap the tranny while I was there. Truth is, I probably won't use 4WD Lo a whole lot. I don't have a lift, so I can't do much more than light trails due to ground clearance. But I now have a psychological advantage. If my FWD doesn't cut it, I have 4WD Hi. If 4WD Hi doesn't cut it, I have 4WD Lo. One extra backup system in case things go wrong. I guess I shouldn't be promoting the D/R so much, since I've only driven with it for ~60 miles. But my old EA81 had a D/R, and although I never used it, I loved it. The winter of 2011-2012, when it snowed kinda bad (at least here in the eastside), I had confidence that I wouldn't get stuck due to the D/R. Through all the driving in the snow I did that winter, I only needed 4WD Hi for about 15 seconds though, haha. Anyways, if you're due for a clutch replacement, or your pulling the motor for some reason, I'd at least consider doing a D/R swap.

D/R for dual range transmission. Swap one in so you have FWD, 4WD Hi, and 4WD Lo. It'll definitely help if you plan to offroad at all. I just finished my D/R swap yesterday. A D/R swap should be something to look into in the future, depending on how much you are gonna offroad it.

Welcome! Looks like your Loyale is in pretty good shape! You should swap in a D/R, especially if you're gonna lift it.

Oh hey, talk to "nick1208." He posted a thread in the "Meet n' Greet" section, and it looks like he has a Thule rack. Maybe PM him and see what feet he's using?

The only thing I can really say is my experience. When I replaced my axle, I didn't actually own punches. So to get the roll pin in/out, I had to use a small screwdriver. As I was punching the pin in, the tip of the screwdriver broke off in the roll pin and axle, and I was unable to get either out. So for about six months, I've driven around with a roll pin sticking halfway out one side, and a screwdriver tip sticking out the other side. Now that I've done my D/R swap, I've fixed the roll pin, but it worked fine all six months. I'd still get it fixed ASAP.

I probably will always come to a complete stop to put it in 4WD, even if you can do it while rolling. The only time I'd put it in 4WD while moving would be if I'm driving in the snow, and it suddenly gets icy or something. But we don't get much snow here, so that won't be a daily occurrence. Like I said, I hardly ever use the 4WD. In the past year and a half or so that I've owned Subarus, I've only used the 4WD 4-5 times. Never needed the low range in my EA81, and haven't needed it in my Loyale. It's nice to have it though, just in case. I'm hoping that with this low range, I'll be much more inclined to head into the mountains and do some offroading. Just I need the time to drive out somewhere, would like someone to come with for safety, and I would like more ground clearance, without putting a lift on. Might put bigger tires on if I can find them, and maybe that'll give me a little more space underneath. I went out today and adjusted the clutch. I think I got it in a good spot. The pedal feels good, and it's not slipping. Do gotta get used to the more sensitive clutch though. The sensitivy is nice and not nice. Easier to start on hills if done properly, but easier to stall if not. I definitely won't be trying that reverse maneuver any time soon. My push button didn't like to go into reverse while moving forward at 2 MPH, haha. I know how to heel-toe, but I have trouble in my Loyale. For me, the pedals are too small, my feet are too big, the pedals are too close together, and the gas pedal is too far forward for my foot. I'm not the type to downshift though. If the traffic light ahead turns yellow, I put it in neutral and coast to a stop. If I'm coasting and the light turns green before I get to it, I'll rev match and put it in whatever gear I need to. The only time I downshift is when approaching a hill. I'll double clutch downshift if I need to (which sounds great with my exhaust leak!). I just can't downshift when braking. I always push the brakes too hard, not push in the clutch all the way, can't rev match, etc. Wow, 380K? This tranny only has 220K, haha. I'm not babying the transmission; I'm babying the new clutch. I know the transmission can take abuse, but I want to go relatively easy on the clutch for a little longer. That's a good idea to check the bolts. I'm surprised I only had one leftover bolt when I finished. The one bolt goes to one of the two 17mm bolts on the guiding rod for the lower control arm, near the tranny crossmember. Haven't noticed a difference in handling, so I think I should be okay. For some reason, I think the threads in the hole got screwed up, as I could not bolt in the bolt. I tried both bolts and neither would catch on the threads. Oh well. Oh, and I forgot that four bolt shield that goes between the driveshaft and the exhaust, right under the shift linkages. As far as I can tell, that's optional to have on there. Might put it back on if I feel like it. Edit: In case anyone is interested, here are the three videos I made during the replacement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK_tMtkWPCw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ_uvjWMG2k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yTjnch1aEg