BigDarrin

Well, it's been a while, but I would like to update this topic. And ask for some further information. After I looked around the engine compartment a little, I noticed a hose going off of that white canister on the firewall that was just hanging there. Bingo! I connected it to the other hose that was just hanging there and now I have defrost and all other vent controls and my 4wd works!! Thanks for all of the help. Now, for my other questions. I have not tried the carb cleaner spraying, but would an intake manifold gasket cause the following problem? If I have the ventilation set to Defrost, but accelerate hard, it changes to the A/C vents and is hotter than it seems it should be. As soon as the load on the engine is more reasonable, it switches back to the defrost vents. I also hear gurgling when I turn the engine off that can be traced to the coolant reservoir.(As an aside: in regards to the topic of car names, due to the gurgling, my fiance has take to calling my Subaru the "Gurglemonster") Could all of this tie to the intake manifold gaskets? Coolant still seems to be going somewhere, but the dipstick doesn't show any foam now. Thanks in advance for any and all input. Darrin

Thanks for the reply and the welcome. Sorry I left out the details about the car. I was so happy I found these forums, I got a little anxious to post. You are correct, it is a SPFI. It is a manual 5 spd with pushbutton 4wd on the top of the shifter. No, the dash indicator does not light, nor do I hear the 4wd engage (there used to be a very subtle click). A vacuum leak seems to make sense with what you say. I would have to say that most of these things happened at different times, though. I threw an A/C belt and put a new on on myself. For a while, I hadn't tightened it enough, so everytime I turned the A/C on, it would squeal. Once I got it tight enough that it worked, that was when the ventilation controls quit working (or shortly after that), but I was getting good mileage and wasn't noticing the coolant leak. I also failed to mention that with the rough idle, if it idles for an excessive time (ie sitting in a drive through), the engine light will come on. It goes off again once I am at cruising speed, or if I turn the engine off and then back on. Also, (sorry, I keep remembering things) on occasion it will overheat (due to too little coolant) and once that happens it will run erratically and then die and won't start until it has cooled for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. I don't know if that is a vapor lock, but that's what it seems like. At any rate, what is the easiest, least complicated way to test for vacuum leaks and where do I start? Thanks again for the reply. I look forward to more.

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and I am not a mechanic, nor do I play one on TV. I'm having some issues with my Loyale. I will enumerate to make it clearer. 1. Coolant. It is going somewhere, but there are no puddles. I'm afraid this might be a head gasket or worse. The odd thing is that other than a little bit of rough idle, the car runs great. It will hesitate if I try to accelerate too hard before it is warmed up significantly, but has normal power otherwise. Could that be a result of trying to spit water/coolant out of a cylinder or two? There is a bit of foam on the dipstick when checking oil. Also, my mileage has gone from approx. 28 to about 17 mpg. OUCH! What else could this possibly be? 2. The heater control is stuck on A/C. Not a problem in the summer when I was in Central California. But, now I'm in Idaho and it is getting cold. My windows are constantly fogging up to the point that I can't see. The temperature selection still works, so I can get warm air. But the recirc of the A/C doesn't help keep the windows clear. What could be causing the selection of Defrost(heat, or dual-level) to still be on A/C? Not to mention that my fan control only works on 3 and 4. 3. The 4-wheel drive will not engage. Again, this wasn't a problem in Central California, but now winter is coming, and I like the peace of mind that comes from having 4wd. What is the first thing I should check for this problem? I press the button and the light never comes on. Thanks for any assistance and I look forward to participating in these forums. Darrin