Subaru Scott

That thing is wired to the starter solenoid??? WOW!!!! That's super overkill for starter circuit bypass! But sorry, no, not the cause of the problem you're having now... we'll deal with that later.

Yes, dead short if the fuse blows instantly. Downstream, means after the relay. So everything from the battery to that point can be ruled out. Aftermarket anything is the best place to start! Factory Subaru wiring very, very rarely develops this kind of problem on it's own. 99 percent of the time, it's from stereo installation, fog lights, remote starter, trailer plug, etc.

No, you can stop looking at grounds for now. You have a dead short downstream of the ign relay. Get the wiring diagram out and start following that circuit. If you don't see or think of anything obvious, like where someone has messed with the wiring before, installing accessories or whatever, use the split-half method. That means, going halfway through the circuit to the nearest means of disconnect, and check both sides for continuity to ground. When you find which half is shorted, go halfway in that section and do the same. I can't think of anything obvious at the moment for you to go right to, but I'll edit if I do.

The system in my 88 XT body is still charged with R-12. Not planning on touching it until it quits working, but I rarely use it anyway. I skimmed through that article, but all I saw different was the requirement to reclaim and report ALL refrigerants. Am I missing something? Does any shop work with R-12 anymore?

Unplug the ignition relay and see if the fuse still blows. If not, you know it is after the relay and you can stop looking at the ignition switch. You can also check for a dead short to ground with an ohmmeter at the relay.

You will need to change out the o-rings in the system to the green ones compatible with 134. They are available most auto parts stores as a kit with the adapters for the service valves too.

FSM will have a ground chart. All ignition and fuel control grounds are on the intake. On cars I have had trouble with, I ran a new heavy ground from there to the body, and made sure the battery ground to the body is solid. Pull off all you can find, scrape all paint and corrosion off, then reassemble with dielectric grease.

Did you try plugging the check connectors together to see if that made a difference? What you described about the engine revving and making a screech sure sounds like a distributor going wonky, but that doesn't really jive with the no CEL and fusible link. I think I might really be looking at grounds.

^Bingo! Those do tend to stick to aluminum since they are... aluminum. Then, unless you know they are there, they look just like the... aluminum transmission. Then fall off when you're not paying attention.

Well I think you're on the right track with the CEL not coming on, must not be getting power to the ECU. You blew a fusible link. That just doesn't happen everyday. Didn't you blow another one not too long ago that killed your windows? I would be looking for something in common with both those incidents. Like maybe you've got a bad ignition switch that is grounding out. I would look at the harness plugs at the ignition switch in particular for a burnt connector killing power to the ECU, and the ignition relay too. But I'm pretty sure the ECU doesn't get power through the relay. Check grounds too. Massive resistance across multiple grounds could potentially overheat fusible links.

Well, unfortunately, they don't let us have the diesels here in the states so we may not be much help. Kind of sounds like a loose valve to me, and checking valve clearance would be a good place to start.

If it doesn't move with the engine off, the problem is with the shift linkage. Something did not get put back together right there.

BTW, the factory never, ever had a problem paying for any gaskets or seals I replaced for any reason under warranty in all my years at the dealerships. If I was replacing a single head or gasket, I ordered a complete engine gasket kit, just because it made more sense, "just in case," and they never balked at it. It really comes down to the person who actually works on your car. And I tell this to people all the time, when they ask me, "Where can you recommend me to get the best service?" Because it really has nothing at all to do with the place of business. Of course, the big, expensive places will advertise "Certified, ASE, Factory trained, etc." And knowledge IS, of course, the greatest asset ever. But all the knowledge in the world means nothing if the guy just doesn't give a f*** about your car. There are guys in the darkest, scariest, most unequipped holes you could possibly find, who would be proud to polish, and accurately torque your lug nuts for 8 bucks an hour. And if he has enough initiative to do his own research, for free information that anyone can access these days, he could be every bit as "Qualified, Certified, blah, blah," as anyone in the most expensive, exclusive shop in the world. So the challenge is finding "that guy" if you are hiring out, and not "the place." Which is quite a bit more difficult...

Well, as idosubaru said, it just needs to sit in there. The "lifter" does not move. It may rotate, but it is not necessary that it does so. The sleeve is only there to maintain a tight clearance around the "lifter" (In quotations because it's not really a lifter. It lifts nothing. It's a hydraulic lash adjuster, or HLA, for short), and control oil pressure and flow. It is not a bearing. If you can clean up the roll with just a little file work, and get the HLA back in there, it's probably going to be OK. The only danger would be if the damage, or repair would be so bad, or so close to the oil galley that it would hemorrhage enough oil to lose substantial pressure. Me, I would clean it up enough to get it back in the bore and see how it ran, and what kind of oil pressure it had afterwards. If it's ok, go with it. If not, move on. And by "move on" I mean EJ. In one form or another.

The shoes are scraping against the side of the drum. Replace the shoe hold-down springs and clean excessive rust off the inside face of the drum. Inspect the shoes very closely for uneven side-to-side wear and replace if they are uneven at all, even if they still have lots of lining left.

Yes, I understand about the class-action suit. But it's still up to the dealer to determine "normal" use and verify all maintenance was up to date and done properly. They could get very picky if they wanted to. Best to keep everything friendly and ask questions because "You don't understand how everything works, but you really want to!" Not implying they did anything wrong. Only call SOA as a last resort. It's like telling a woman you think she's fat. It may be 100 percent true, but once you go there, the relationship will never be the same.

Your "steaming" issue could be half a dozen different things. Best just keep a close eye on things if it's not running hot. Make sure to check your oil frequently, that it's not getting milky, and for oily residue in the overflow tank. You can buy little radiator fin "combs" at auto parts stores that will make that radiator good as new with a little patience.

Having a new front main seal, installed correctly, go bad after three months is about as likely as you finding a hundred dollar bill in their parking lot... more like a stack of hundreds. Them telling you leaks other than the shortblock is a pretty skinny scapegoat since all the gaskets would have to be replaced for that repair anyway. Camshaft seals, which would have been at their discretion, would be about the only thing not required to replace, but probably should have been under good will. Likely, those will magically be where the oil leak is coming from. Much, much, more likely that something didn't get tightened down, or was installed incorrectly in both cases. All that being said, it was pretty good of them, and Subaru, to cover a shortblock on a 6+ year old car, so if they treat you good otherwise, it might not hurt to throw them a LITTLE bone. But definitely ask lots of questions, like EXACTLY where the oil is coming from and why, after they had the engine completely apart for the repair, and every gasket and seal would have been replaced or inspected and found fit for years of service.

Gotta love a basket case! Unless the guy was a complete neanderthal and forced the crank over against open valves, I'm sure it's ok in that respect. Even if so, just replace the bent ones. They're not expensive.

It's really not that hard to take the whole thing off. The trick is to really tighten the two clamp screws that have phillips heads, then that takes pressure off the blank security screws and they will come out easy with needle-nose pliers. I did it not too long ago on vacation, on an island in the middle of nowhere when I lost my keys

With an air hose, then just carry a plug kit, and forget the spare altogether!

Jeeze man, why don't you give us some more details... Excellent write up!!! That's how you do it right. Great job man, enjoy the cool air!

\\\Original Bridgestone 175/70 13 in my 83.

All first and 2nd gen had room for full size spares.

"Subaru Scott's description above about prying and then pressing them back in is really really good - that's a great description, i've done that a ton of times over the years." Well, after you've done a gazillion of them... You know, I raised 3 kids on EA82 timing belt money... Our factory service rep got a little contest going, unofficial of course, for who could change a set the fastest. I had the record, in the midwest region at least, don't know if it was going on elsewhere or not. I could change a set of belts in 17 minutes, 11 seconds. I had it down to a ballet, all fluid motion, no wasted moves. While one hand was pulling off fan belts, the other was wrenching fan bolts. Of course, this was with air tools and a lift, but if I could have made that lift move faster, I could have shaved a lot of time off! Kept all my common tools hung on a piece of pegboard, like a homeowners garage. Service manager hated it! But it was all about speed, and it was way faster than yanking tool box drawers all day.