Ofeargall

Here's where I've landed on the matter... I'm now shifting consistently at 3350 RPM. I find that winding it out to 3800 RPM seems to be the end of my torque curve. Heading down the highway at 65MPH the tach sits at about 3100. Then there's the tires... I've also done the Toyota steel wheel conversion. I still shift at roughly 3300-3500 RPM. The last thing to note is the odometer just rolled over 300,000 miles. I put new timing belts on last year and rebuilt the oil pump. I don't think I'll ever see a lot of 'power' on the road but the car performs to my liking. I can pull a light trailer (trips to the tip) and hauling kayaks, etc. But I take this car for what it is - it's a recreational car. We use it for exploring backroads, adventures and short highway trips. It used to be my highway commuter but my company now provides a car. So, for me, shift at ~3300, cruise at ~3000

My son and I got the tires and wheels on Smokey the Subaru. We bought a set of Toyota 15" steelies and re-drilled the rims. Re-drilling was made easier by using an old hub I had from replacing the front hubs last summer. I also created a template in Adobe Illustrator that I set up on the 4x140mm. I've attached it here for anyone else who wants to use it. subaru_lug_template.pdf Re-driling went pretty well. It was smarter to use about 5 different sizes before ending on the big 1/2" bit at the end of it all. RapidTap makes it a lot easier to get the job done! We got about a 2.5"-3" lift just from adding the wheels and tires. They're 235/60/15 snow tires we bought from a used tire place in Salem, Oregon. I had some tires to trade in from another rig and was able to get all 4 tires plus mounting and balancing for about $100 out of pocket. We went with snow tires because it's almost snowboard season around these parts and I'd rather have the studded snow tires on for his safety over mud traction right now. They certainly clog up with mud quickly but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. The front tire rubs on the front side of the fender ever-so-slightly when you turn the wheel about 20%. Beyond that though we haven't noticed any real issues. We'll likely trim the fender a bit but I'm not convinced I want to spend the money on a 2" lift right now. We'll see... Happy young man...

Well , new data is in and it proves my worst nightmare. The issue was induced by the owner (me)... This summer I rebuilt the oil pump. To make life easy I removed the radiator. After everything was done amid buttoned up I filled the cooling system with a weak water/antifreeze ratio. When the cold temps hit my water pump froze and popped the weeper seals on the pump which meant I was running with a lot less fluid. So, new water pump is installed and the cooling system is acting as normal, for the most part. I should have flushed the system this fall and actually prepare for winter. Epic shade tree mechanic fail. I'm totally kicking myself now. I'm usually pretty good about this stuff. The down side to all of this is that, even at full temperature the heat coming from the defroster and floor vent is barely warm at best. I suspect a heater core cleansing is next up. Thanks all who chimed in. Sorry to waste your time on such a stupid problem.

I used bay leaves and that worked really well until I ran out. Eucalyptus also works really well too. Basically, any essential oil with some kind of turpentine tinge to it will work. Lavender, mint, geranium, etc...

Okay, I believe I've discovered the scientific solution to my cold feet while on the highway. First, a little context… I'm in Oregon where, lets be honest, it's wet. This week though, we've been under a blanket of cold air that's somewhat uncommon for our area. Single digits at night, 20's during the day.. Yeah, I know, all you NorEasters are like, "Cold?! Whatever. 20 is a friggin HEATWAVE around here.". Indulge me. Anyway, it's been pretty cold, for us warm-weather-whimps, that is. I noticed on my 70 mile commute that the engine just couldn't keep warm when the temp dipped below 25F. With my heater going it seemed to compound issues resulting in a 'bracingly' cold breeze coming from my heater vents and taunting me with hypothermia at 60MPH. I'd had enough the other morning I pulled off the snowy path, grabbed a box and blocked half of my radiator. To my surprise it yielded me virtually no results. Since I was late for a meeting I didn't have time to stop and fiddle with it. On my next trip I grabbed a bunch of floor mats, pulled my grill and stuffed the mats against the radiator. Voila! The car started running at the regular operating temp with heat! Here's how the data works out: Fully blocked radiator, heater on full-heat, fan on '3', 60MPH at 25 degrees F and below the car runs at just above normal operating temp. 25F up to 30F, you'll need to block about 65% of the radiator. 35F and above, no blockage seems needed. So, there you go. For the uninitiated Northwesterners running an ancient EA82, take heart! You CAN stay warm!

I had the same issue this last spring. I had to remove the whole dash assembly. I found "Awesome', a cleaner from the Dollar Store was by far the best for getting rid of the oily piss that the mice left for me in the entire HVAC system. Sad to say I'll be tearing it all apart again soon and our recent cold weather coaxed a couple of the vermin to find their way past my defenses. Anyway, try Awesome. It was super fast for cleaning and completely took the smell away. My brother-in-law is a funeral director and he uses the stuff when they have to pick up corpses that have been around a bit too long. The cleanser seems to be the best at picking up any, ahem, residual matter and gets rid of the smell better than anything.

Just to close out this thread, the fuel pump was indeed dead. I picked up a used one from Pick-A-Part in Turner, Oregon, put it in place and was back on the road in minutes. Hooking the bright green leads together under the hood to trigger the pump and then testing the leads at the fuel pump with my multimeter confirmed that the pump was definitely getting voltage, whereby I deduced the pump to be the problem. Thanks for that tip on the green connectors!

Quick question on this thread regarding the fuel pump. I'm seeing them on eBay go for anywhere between $65 and $275+. Any insight on which one will get the job done economically?

Okay, stopped at the rig on my way home. Connecting the bright green leads produced a rhythmic clicking from under the dash and in the engine compartment. The pump is hanging under the car by the fuel line and doesn't even twitch when the relay clicks. I put my hand on the pump and its not doing anything. I'm headed back with a volt meter to see if the electricity is even making it to the connectors but it sounds like a bad pump. Anyone for a spare in Monmouth Oregon? ;-)

Thanks gang. I'll be arriving at the roadside resting place of the car shortly and see what I can decipher.

So there's a green diagnostic wire that's disconnected near the wiper motor on the firewall? Who knew?! It is SPFI, sorry I failed to mention that. Thank you!

My floor mat often does that. I didn't tell my teen-age son for the longest time. Saved a lot of gas! Seriously though, I would suspect a fuel filter flowing slow as well... But, start simple and check the cable for sure.

I was driving to work this morning and the engine on my 89 GL wagon just died. I pulled over and checked the timing belts which I recently replaced. Fortunately I removed the covers so I could clearly see they were fine. I tried to start the car, it ran for a moment, sputtered and died. Tried again and it sputtered momentarily then wouldn't start again. I pulled the fuel pump panel and disconnected the fuel line on the exit side of the pump where it connects to the line leading up to the engine compartment *after* the little check valve. A little fuel dribbled out of the line that feeds up to the engine compartment but nothing from the fuel pump side. I know there's fuel in the tank. With the fuel line disconnected on the output side of the pump I had my wife turn the engine over but no fuel came out of the pump. Is this normal behavior or does the pump only operate when the vehicle is actually running? Do these fuel pumps fail somewhat regularly? Any help is appreciated.

I've been putting off replacing the front, driver's side bearings on my 89 4WD wagon for about a month now. The howling/grinding noise was pretty unmistakable. I researched the forum here before diving in to see what bearings were best suited for the job. As luck would have it there are some great resources here. Most notably, some info about going 'sealed'. I'd never considered the option of using sealed bearings and thought it would be cost-prohibitive. Well, if sealed bearings truly are better, it's not cost prohibitive if you ask me. Especially when you consider the job in the full context. Frankly, I hate grease. Gas doesn't bug me, brake fluid is fine, oil is no problem. Grease sucks. So, if I can avoid grease again, I'll be fine with a few bucks more for some bearings that are sealed. Anyway, I'm running open bearings on the passenger side now and sealed on the driver. I'll likely replace the passenger side soon but really I'm just trying to test the sealed units. Does anyone have long-term results on the sealed units? As for the cost... Part # AXS 6207 2RSC3 from McGuire Bearing Company runs 12.79 Each "Precision" open bearings from NAPA run 8.99 Each I'm assuming that since I'm using sealed units there's no need to run grease in the hub anymore and that may also mean the inner and out grease seals are probably less important now too. I don't think I would run without them obviously, but I suspect that it's not as critical to replace them if they're in 'okay' condition since the bearings are sealed. Anyone want to chime in with some pros/cons on this issue? If sealed works out, I'm never going back to grease and cheap NAPA open bearings again.

I'm just kidding you a bit.... I love your ingenuity. The collective knowledge of "how to fix things" is quickly becoming scarce. I live for legacy technology. ;-)