jj421

I totally agree with you. BNW was all new gen stuff. It was a sea of blue, black, and white WRXs. I do wish there were more old gen guys and maybe a little more variety, but I kinda expected it. Watching videos and looking at videos of past years of BNW, I only saw new gen cars. That being said, looking at past videos and pictures of WCSS (I've never been there myself) looks like a lot more old gen Soobs. Heck, the top photo on WCSS's site has three EA82s and an EA81. Tuned new cars generally aren't my cup of tea. But I still had fun. I'm definitely going to WCSS. I think it's a more popular event than BNW (even though BNW's website claims it's the largest), so I think there will be more old gen guys. Like subynut, there are people driving from across the country to go to WCSS. I think it's worth it to go to WCSS at least once. See what's up. That's what I'm gonna do.

Went to the Big NW Subaru meet and had some fun! Saw some nice lookin' old generation Soobs, although the majority of cars were newer. Was about 160 miles round trip, and averaged 29 MPG without even trying! Thought I'd share the pictures I took. Waiting in line before the show: Got a parking spot: My favorite show car: The SVX participating in the show (yeah, I know SVXs don't belong in this thread): Another SVX: Hey, nick1208, I saw your car! The lowered GL doing the limbo. Did surprisingly well! The BRZ with airbags still won though, haha: Saw this one when I glanced in my rear view mirror whilst eating lunch in my wagon: Turbone, I saw your ride today as well! I LOVE the HIDs. They look so amazing in person!

Here is the diagram in my Chilton manual. It's not the best to understand, at least for me. What specific area are you looking for? I can gladly post some photos of my engine and its vacuum lines.

Man, that does look like an EA82. I've always wanted to start a thread about old gen Soobs in video games. Sure there are numerous WRXs, STIs, and new gen Soobs in many racing games. But you almost never see old generation Subarus in games (unless you mod them in). I swear the front half of one of the cars in GTA IV looked like an EA81, but I don't know which one. Maybe it was the back half of it. Same story in Far Cry 2. Half of one of the cars looks like an EA81.

Well, wiring it up to be the Lo light would be pretty simple. When I did the D/R swap, I left the little black plug/connector on the transmission for the Lo indicator loose (not plugged into anything). All I'd have to do is run the two wires from the inclinometer into the clock, down through the dash, under the center console, out through the shifter boot, and up to the transmission. Then, just tap into the two wires for the plug, and viola! Not sure which is the positive/negative on the connector though. And then, of course, tap the backlighting into the clock wires as well. Yeah, I'm currently using the stock oil pressure gauge. But I'm also thinking of getting an a-pillar gauge pod and putting an oil pressure gauge there. I really don't think I need the bracket. I like the way it's mounted right now, and don't really have any complaints on how it looks. Thanks a good point with checking the oil on flat ground. Also, checking gear oil on flat ground too. But I haven't noticed any oil leaks since swapping my engine ~1000 miles ago.

Yup, I've read that page many times, haha. I kinda wish I had the altimeter, but yeah, setting it every time is kinda useless, I'd say. I think the trans temp gauge is awesome! I'd say it'd look even cooler if it had a back face instead of white though. What diameter is that gauge?

Come on people, if you have one of these, post some photos! I'd like to see what they look like in your car! So I got some velcro and just simply put the inclinometer on my dash. Painting it black made a huge difference in looks. It actually looks pretty decent (it helps to see it in person). It doesn't look stock or anything, but it doesn't look that bad. I think not having the wiring also helps make it look better. I can see the clock over it, which is nice. The thing I like about the velcro is I can easily remove it. If I need to modify the inclinometer, or clean the dash, I can just pull it off. Mine didn't come with the actual mounting bracket. Just the housing and two inclinometers. Plus, I don't really want to damage the dash too much if I can help it. But if you have the mounting hardware and the will to do that, that would probably work fine. I can move the inclinometer a bit more to the left, but then it doesn't sit 100% flat. For the wiring, I have removed the bulbs/wiring. But if I ever do add the wiring for the backlighting, I'd probably run it into the clock and tap into the clock. Cutting and rerouting is a possibility as well. But as I said above, I want this to be as minimally invasive/permanent as possible. Plus, I don't have the tools to cut into the dash and stuff, haha. Yup, I've heard about the Monteros and Raiders having them too. Probably would be a better swap candidate, but I like the look of the Toyota inclinometer. I think a compass would be a good gauge to put in there. I might replace the 4WD light with a compass. Not sure about the Montero one, but the Toyota inclinometer would look and fit great if you cut a hole in the dash next to the vents. It's the perfect size for that space. I don't have A/C in my car, so I don't use the vents at all. Either heat on the floor or windows down. I could cut out the two vents above the radio and put it there, since there's already a hole there. Like I said above, I don't actually have the bracket for it. So I'm kinda limited as I can't do anything that involves that bracket. I think the big problem with me is I don't want to drill into the dash. If I didn't care about damaging it, I would easily be making a bracket for it. You should post a photo of it. I'd like to see it! Tapping into the clock is actually a better idea. Which wire(s) did you tap into? I haven't had my clock out in months, and all I can remember is there are four wires. Yup, it is kinda useless, but I think it's a neat feature. Good to know I can go past 30 degrees. I doubt I'll ever get that far on the roll meter. Might go up/down an incline that steep though. But I don't know how steep 30 degrees feels, because I've never had a way to measure it. EDIT: Went out for a drive. It's awesome! I love it! I think any hill over 15 degrees will not be easy on my clutch, haha. I stopped on a 10 degree hill and it felt pretty steep. You definitely need to be stopped for it to be accurate, haha. It was fun watching it respond to my throttle, brake, and steering inputs. It does function as a g-meter, haha. I have no complaints about how it's mounted or how it looks. It stuck to my dash securely and looked awesome! I'm happy with this install. Just gotta get a passenger and ask him/her their opinion on it. My regular parking spot on my driveway is kinda at an awkward angle. I'm actually tempted to wire up the backlight. I just need to know which clock wires to tap into. I think it'd be cool to wire up the 4WD light to come on when I engage 4WD Lo. My wagon initially had push button 4WD, but I did a D/R swap. I don't have the "Lo" indicator on my dash. I think it'd be neat to have the 4WD light on the dash come on in 4WD Hi, then the 4WD light on the inclinometer to come on in 4WD Lo.

I think I understand what you're saying. Basically make "ramps" from the flat spot to the raised portion where the defog vents are. Then just put the housing on those ramps, which will angle the gauges down. That is certainly another possibility. I might consider mocking it up, and seeing how it looks. Is this how you installed the inclinometer you bought? Or did you do other things with it and never install it in your Soob? The cubby under the ash tray could work, if you modified it. The cubby itself is too shallow, too narrow, and angled too high. If you delete it and install a custom bracket, it would work well. However, the D/R cubby is attached to the piece surrounding the shifter (whereas the push button one is segregated), so that could prove a bit challenging. You could also delete your ash try and cigarette lighter, make a big hole there, and the inclinometer should fit. But, I use my cig lighter for my dash cam, so that's not a possibility for me. If you have a purpose built offroader, and you don't care about the radio, clock, cigarette lighter, etc., it wouldn't be very difficult finding a good place to put this. What I'd do is, where the radio goes, put the inclinometer in the top half, and put a CB radio on the bottom half. Fabricate a piece surrounding them to complete the look. That would be cool combo! The paint has dried and I think it looks awesome! Can't wait to see what it's like in the car (pitch black outside right now). Have it calibrated to my kitchen counter, which should be pretty level as houses aren't usually built on angles.

I haven't really seen any threads or pictures of Toyota inclinometers being installed into Subarus, so I figured I'd post. Today, I got in the mail an identical pair of these Toyota inclinometers: In case you don't know, here's some details on these gauges. Toyota sold them in their '84-'89 4WD pickups, 4Runners, and Tercels. But only on the SR5 models. The 4Runner inclinometer also came with an altimeter on the left, whereas the Tercel ones (like what I got) just had a 4WD indicator light that illuminated when 4WD was engaged. Near-new inclinometers go for ~$200 on eBay, so they're not necessarily cheap. Although I believe you can get them for real cheap at a junkyard, if you find an '80s SR5 4WD Toyota. If you don't know what an inclinometer is, it's basically a tilt gauge. One gauge tells you how angled up/down your vehicle is, and the other tells how banked your vehicle is (helps to avoid rollovers). Seeing as most of the people on here offroad, I'm sure most of you at least know what an inclinometer is. The nice thing about this one is it's entirely mechanical, besides the backlighting (and the 4WD indication light). Inside, it's basically just a set of gears and weights. Just like a Subaru, it's a pretty simple machine. When I first saw a picture of one of these, I thought they were really cool. I don't offroad to a point where rollovers and steep hills are a concern/possibility. But I thought it'd be cool to have one of these in the car, especially since it'd be another thing to make my car unique. So in this thread, I'll be posting about the installation of this, and I'd like to hear your guys' opinions. How do I put this in my Loyale? Well, that's a good question. It does have this "case" which is comfortably close in color to my car's interior. That flat spot on the EA82 dash would be a perfect place to put this. The only problem is that the flat spot isn't very big as you go towards the passenger side, so the only place the inclinometer fits is right in front of the clock. For most EA82 owners, this isn't a problem, since these clocks rarely work. However, since this is my daily driver, I do have a working clock in there, and I'd like to not cover it up. As you might be able to tell, there is a gap under the gauges, which is quite noticeable (and ugly) in person. However, the real problem with this setup though is the angle. I guess the Toyota dashboards are sloped, because sitting on the EA82 dash, the gauges are angled upwards. This is a problem for the pitch gauge, as you have to recalibrate it. But when you adjust it a lot, it's range gets screwed with. Properly adjusted, the pitch gauge reads about +/- 45 degrees. When I adjust it to compensate for the angle at which it's sitting in the above picture, the range is about + 75 degrees, -15 degrees. I have to get the gauges to sit flat for it to work properly. Easy solution is to pull it out of the case. This, as of right now, is how I'm going to install this. Reason being is it's short enough that I can still see the clock, flat enough for the readings to be good, and a good contact surface for me to put velcro down to hold it on the dash (I want this to be as minimally invasive/permanent as possible). The only problem with this setup is it's not super good looking, mainly because of the white case. Solution? Well, I decided to paint it black! Took out all the components of the inclinometer. Pretty simple. Time for paint! I'm just painting the outside of the case black. I'm leaving the interior of the case white because 1) it doesn't matter since you can't see it, and 2) I'm not sure, but the white might help with the illumination. Another thing is the wiring. For right now, I'm not going to wire up anything. I'm talking the bulbs/wires out. If I were to wire up the back illumination, I'd probably just tap into the cigarette lighter wires. I always drive with my headlights on, so they'd be illuminated all the time anyways. And the lighter is a switched power source, so it wouldn't drain power. Wiring up the 4WD light could also be a possibility, although I kinda see it as useless. What I'm thinking of doing is swapping the 4WD indicator light for another gauge--perhaps a voltmeter--since it wouldn't be hard to do so. But I won't worry about that for right now. That's as far as I have gotten so far. The perfect place to install this would be where the radio is, since it's the perfect width. But I have a working radio that I use all the time, so I won't be doing that. Interested in what you guys think, and maybe if you have done something like this before. I think it's a cool gadget, and I also read that it can be used as a g-meter. Accelerating/braking affects the pitch meter, and turning affects the roll meter. However, roads aren't perfectly flat, so it wouldn't be accurate. I'll post more as I make more progress. Currently waiting for the paint to dry, and it's not easy buying velcro at 10 pm, haha.

I had that white smoke problem when getting on a freeway after a right turn. I posted a thread about it, and I haven't seen any white smoke since installing a dealership PCV valve.

Yup, this is true. I believe that <45 MPH, you'll get better gas mileage with the windows down and A/C off. But at >45 MPH, you'll get better gas mileage with windows up and A/C on. Once you get up to freeway speeds, the drag is immense. You can notice a difference in how much harder it is to accelerate at 70 MPH than it is 60 MPH (with the windows down). Now, the guys on the show, "Mythbusters" did an experiment with this. This was their original episode: Like what the top comment on the video says, they're doing this on a powerful Ford motor. A/C won't have as big of an effect on those larger, more powerful engines. However, on our less powerful Subaru motors, the A/C has a bigger effect. The fans of the show wrote in complaining they didn't test different speeds and whatnot. So the Mythbusters went back and did the test again in a sedan, with different speeds (you can search for that video on your own time). They concluded what I said above: there's a certain speed where A/C is less gas consuming. At slower speeds, it's better to have the windows down. At higher speeds, it's better to have the A/C on. I know the A/C in my sister's V8 Mustang is really fuel consuming, which isn't good considering the V8 itself gets poor gas mileage. Now, that's a completely different car/engine than a Subaru, and different cars yield different results. With my EA82 (yes, I know, this is the new gen forum), I've removed the major A/C components in order to save weight, which gives me more gas mileage. But in the end, I think it's negligible. When I bought the car, the A/C was never hooked up, so I couldn't get a before/after reading. But depending on how I drive, I can get 20-30 MPG. I feel if I had (and used) A/C, I would get 15-25 MPG, primarily because I don't go on the freeway often. In the end, I think it depends on the driving you do. Lots of freeway driving would justify A/C. City driving justifies windows down. If you have A/C and it's working well, use it.

I bet it rides like a beast. I love all the lights up front as well. I was originally gonna ask how your alternator keeps up with all that power, but you aren't running an EA82 alternator, so that's not a problem. Definitely a unique front bumper. Too bad I can't help you identify it. I figured you got the gauges with the car. After that last reply, I did some searching and it looks almost identical to the '88-'91 CRX pod that both Autometer and Glowshift sell. A little bit of research says the CRX pillar pod is the best fit, although it doesn't fit 100%. Very few posts/pictures of EA82s with a-pillar gauges. Don't worry about taking it off for the part number. I'm 98% sure it's the CRX pod, haha. What do the two gauges read? I know I want a vacuum gauge, but I'm not sure about the second. I think I might get a water temp gauge, or a voltmeter, or an oil pressure. The stock dash gauges aren't accurate enough for me, haha. Anyways, yeah, just lookin' for ideas for when I save up to get some gauges.

Very awesome! That's quite a beast. I'd love to know some details on that a-pillar gauge pod. I'd love to be able to hook up a vacuum gauge and something else to my Soob, but I want to find a gauge pod the fits as nicely as that. Is that a pod for a Honda CRX?

Sure, you can message me whenever. I'd be glad to help. There are many more people on here that can help as well. They'll probably reply to this in a few hours. Heck, I'm bored this summer. If you need an extra hand, I'd be willing to drive up there and help you with the swap if you need it.

Alright, that's what I originally had. Nope, it's not a problem at all. As long as if you have the shift linkage and interior parts, you can just swap in the D/R tranny. No other modification required. Once you've completed the swap, you'll have working FWD, 4WD Hi, and 4WD Lo (assuming the tranny was working fine from the parts car). People do this swap all the time.

Yup, it will. I have a '90 Loyale, and I've installed a D/R tranny from an '88 GL into it. You'll need the shift linkage and the interior parts. If you can, get the hardware (nuts/bolts) in case you lose stuff. Otherwise, pretty much a direct swap. I'm assuming you have a 5-speed push button 4WD. You can read up on my thread here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/136457-dr-swap-new-clutch-pics/ If you still have some questions, I'll be glad to help. If you have the money, I recommend a clutch swap if you need it. Always good to have new parts. One thing I really recommend is the clips that hold the throw-out bearing to the clutch fork. Mine were loose and didn't hold the TOB very securely. Went to the dealership and got new ones. Pretty cheap. Oh, I'm not sure how helpful they'll be, but I have my three videos on YouTube from when I did my swap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK_tMtkWPCw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ_uvjWMG2k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yTjnch1aEg

Too bad I don't have a rubber mallet, haha. But I went out there and gave it a beating with my hand. Still no luck. I might try again tomorrow, but it's still unable to turn. I'm sure with enough experimentation, I can knock 'em loose. Thanks for the tips guys! I'll be happy when I can finally lock my door again.

Okay, good news is I got the broken key out. After playing with a fondue fork, it came out far enough for my pliers to grab it. Bad news is, I can't turn the lock. I locked/unlocked it from the inside a hundred times, and it locks/unlocks fine. I sprayed a bunch of lock de-icer (also works as a lubricant) into it, but it didn't help much. I put my key in, all the way, but I can't turn it either way. I tried a known good spare key, and it made no difference. I'm thinking maybe the pins are stuck or something, and I just need to break 'em loose or something? I wish I was a locksmith, since I think locks are cool. I definitely envy those with lock skills.

Maybe I'll try Autozone too. Too bad the nearest Autozone is about a 30 minute drive. I wish the O'Reilly (10 minute drive) had a better rental/return policy, haha. I remember watching that video when I first broke the key. Either I didn't have the tools or the methods didn't work (or didn't apply). It's always kinda annoying, being parked on a busy street, messing with the door lock on the car. I swear, it looks like I'm trying to break in.

Thanks for the link and idea. I might just try the glue on a stick technique. Just gotta be careful not to get glue all inside the lock cylinder, since I don't think that'd help my situation, haha. I'll probably try that, and if it doesn't work, I might just buy an extractor. I've heard a jigsaw blades work because they're small and shaped kinda like that. But I'm sure an actual key extractor works better.

Obviously I don't know what I am doing, haha. Too bad I don't know of any locksmiths, but I guess it's not hard to find one on Google. Any special tools to get to the cylinder? If it's just normal screws/bolts, than I might just do it. I still strongly believe that with the right tool, I can pull the key out. I just need to grip onto the broken key and pull it out. I might try the tweezers. I've got a pair, but I'm afraid the keyhole will be too small. Every tool I have that could work doesn't fit, which is annoying. I'm thinking this is a project I should spend an entire afternoon experimenting with different tools, trying to get it out.

It's a '90 Loyale. Can't imagine there would be differences between the EA82 models, besides whether it's power/manual locks. Which, I have manual locks. Maybe a little guide would help me decide whether it's worth pulling the cylinder or not.

Hmm, I'm definitely not looking to take the door apart. I mean, the broken part isn't stuck in there. I just don't have a way to pull it out. Maybe the right needle nose pliers or something could get it. I feel like taking the cylinder out would be more work than it needs to be. Thanks for the ideas though.

Well guys, I'm bored and need something to do. My Loyale is currently in great working condition, which bugs me. I have nothing to work on. Well, all the projects I still need to do cost way too much at the moment. Figured I'd try to fix something small that has been an issue for some time now. January 3, 2013. A cold winter morning. I came out to my car, only to find my door locks were frozen (not the first time it has happened). I guess this is when power locks come in handy, but I hate power options. After about twenty minutes, I finally managed to unlock my door. In the process of doing so, I weakened my key. So fast forward a few hours, and I'm about to drive home. Go to unlock my door, and half of the key shears off. One half on my key ring, the other half deep in the key hole. Luckily, I always carry two spare keys with me, so I was able to start her up and drive home. After fiddling with some tools, I was unable to remove the broken key from my driver's door. No matter what I tried, I couldn't get the broken key out. I've tried multiple times over the seven months since the incident occurred, but to no avail. That broken key is still in my driver's door, which makes it so I can't lock my door. I have to keep my door unlocked, and considering I always carry my tools with me, it's worrying. So basically, do you guys have any methods to get broken keys out of locks? Maybe I just don't have the right tools, and wondering what I should buy that will most likely work. First thing that comes to mind is a magnet, but a keyhole is really small. Not sure what magnets would fit. I've heard jigsaw blades might work, but I haven't tried that. Have you guys experienced this before? Broken a key in the door and unable to get it out? Maybe also give some tips on how to prevent this. I purchased some lock de-icer back in January, but never was able to tell if it worked since it never got that cold again. It has made my locks easier to turn though. When I was at Ace Hardware having them copy my key again, I asked about a "stronger" key. But they said all keys are made from the same material.

I agree to check for a blown fuse. Whenever I have a crank (but no start) condition, I always check the "HAZARD - HORN" fuse under the dash. For some reason, if that's blown, it won't start. I especially had a bunch of problems with this when I had aftermarket horns installed.