85Sub4WD

There are several threads on this problem, and as I recall, the "fix" kinda solved the problem, but the reality was some with the newer ones still had problems with the smoke - I think if you search, you may find the TSB itself a while back Snowman was working on a device to seperate the oil out, and possibly eliminate the PCV all together - but I don't know if he ever finished it my car does it too, and I think of it as a creative and extremely effective way to get a white Mercedes (or any other nice car) off my tail if it is not driving you insane, I would not worry about it - I usually ignore it - and for there to be a LOT of smoke, you have to have a LOT of oil build up, which indicates other issues - generally I have found that if I take two downhill right hand turns in a day, I get smoke on the first, and none on the second

neat, I did not know those existed - I've only had to deal with one head gasket failure though, and it was on an Aerostar - it emptied the radiator in about less than ten seconds, and coolant was literally pouring out of the engine and tailpipe it had 197k on it anyway at $30 for a definitive answer, I'd say its well worth it

thanks for all your responses - I'll look into a broken mount/bushings - I talked to a friend, and he told me that there are plastic bushings that tend to wear out that cause the column slop If I had access to an XT in the junkyard, I would grab the rack out of it, but I do not, so I will probably grab a Loyale's for at least the time being. A tighter ratio may be a mixed blessing for me anyway, as most of my driving is highway, I really don't need it. It looks like I can use a 87-later rack with no problem, so I will do just that. My question as far as columns was more wheter the actual mechanical column (sans wiring) would fit from 87-later in an 85, I am still not sure, but as it looks like I can keep my column anyway, I should be fine. Thanks again!!!

Hello all, My good, 'ol reliable variable-gear-ratio, manual steering rack is finally starting to wear out, thanks to the boots failing (and I not finding out in time). My steering column also has slop in it - as in the bushings are worn out. I decided to convert to power, but I looked on several parts sites online, and it appears that there are two different versions - the 85/86 MY, and the 87-later - does anyone know if they will mount to the same columns? and if so, are the tilt columns from 85/86 cars compatible with later models? Any info would be appreciated As my signature states, the car is an 1985 GL Wagon, 5-speed D/R 4WD which has been converted to SPFI Thanks

given your pressures, I seriously doubt that you have a HG problem (less than 10% difference), I guess there could be other blockage problems was the coolant system bled properly after the most recent service? Park it nose-up on a steep hill (so radiator cap highest point on coolant system) and let it run for a while, flexing the hoses, and refilling the radiator as necessary - air bubbles in the system can cause problems with the coolant not flowing properly, then boiling in the engine block had it happen on a Ford Aerostar, same problem, ended up just needing the system purged of air. I would also replace the thermostat with a 180-degree one and see if that helps the problem - stuck T-stats can also do this, and it won't be reflected on your temp gauge either - These engines are more reliable with a 180-degree anyway as it doesn't push it thermally as hard a the stock. Good Luck

it simply means that the pressure plate and clutch do not mate to the same surface - it means there is a specific gap between the two surfaces that must be preserved for the clutch to work properly - if you turn the clutch surface, and not the pressure plate surface an equal amount, you increase the gap, and decrease the ability of the clutch to "grab" - it causes premature failure too Personally, I think you should have no problem once you adjust your clutch cable (IE tighten it), but I have been wrong before. You will also need to loosen your hill-holder cable as you tighten your clutch cable, or else you will start dragging brakes. Good Luck

Go for it - the electrical systems on these cars are generally pretty easy to T-shoot, a good body makes it worth the cost alone moldy floormats could mean leaky windshild (if front only), bad window seals, or something as benign as someone leaving the windows down when it rained on one occasion - IE I would not worry about it - especially if it is to be a fun/mod car the 4speed D/R is also a good tranny - the EA81 is an excellent workhorse too Have Fun

I would not rule out bad rear CV joints either, but I think your bushings are the most likely culperit Good Luck

did you install the clutch in the right direction? (raised part of disc should face the pressure plate) did you adjust the clutch cable? you should have to with a new clutch how about the pilot bearing? did you have your flywheel turned, and did the shop treat it as a two-step flywheel? (it should have) check the easy ones first, hard ones later - I just did my clutch by pulling the tranny - I strongly discourage that approach

I know what you mean - Subarus are addictive - don't ask why:cool: I agree tho - check the timing belts first for correct installation, as it is a funny (but easy) proceedure These cars are REALLY easy to work on - I learned basic mechanics on mine litereally in the 5th/6th grades - and I am not that smart - just follow the manual, and you will be fine Gates belts are a good option (various auto parts stores sell that brand) I tend to shy away from aftermarket oil seals though, as I have had bad expierences with them. It may be a good idea to replace the T-belt tensioners as well, and do a basic reseal, especially if you have the engine out (cam tower/valve cover gaskets, oil pan gasket, camshaft gaskets, front & rear main seals, oil pump mickey mouse gasket and shaft gasket). Use a good quality silicone sealant for cam tower/valve cover gaskets as well as the oil pan gasket. I think the oil pump gasket also requires some silicone selant. I like Permatex's Ultra Copper, but there are other good ones out there as well. This will save you a lot of annoying oil leaks in the future. - Well worth it if you like the car. Good Luck

That's not crazy at all - that is actually a very real possibility, in fact I saw (somewhere) a rather expensive gadget to "align" the plate/light Realize that below the metal cover on a CAS, there are two lights, sensors, and sets of perforations, the outer has (as I recall) 360, the inner four (for ignition). If one of the sensors becomes damaged, the computer knows because it recieves one set of signals - it has two different error codes, one for each set of signals - if it gets no signal, usually it will give a weird error code, I can't remember which one it was, but something like starter switch failure, however I would not be surprized if earlier ECUs don't detect the problem properly realizing these are all logic circuits, all the computer cares about is the 0-5v pulse, and there is a fairly wide operational range the FSM on the link I posted details this specifics on the CAS operation, and it elaborates a lot more than I do on the operation

Hmmm ... If only I had an Electrical Engineering Lab class this semester .... the oscilloscopes we have can even capture images of the waveform digitally for computer useage

still the same engine as mine, almost the same car period. You just got yours fuel injected at the factory, and a slightly different dash layout - I would check the smoking issue out tho .... something is usually afoot when an engine starts smoking at that mileage - you aren't running 5w30 or something like that are you? These engines like 10w30, 15w40 (gas version) and 15w50, and maybe 20w50. 5w30 will blow past seals and cause other problems. I agree with the agressive negotiation stratagy (IE beer), unless a nun is selling it, most people will jump for it. I know this and I don't even drink Good Luck

I just looked it up, and the direction of the distributor rotation is COUNTERCLOCKWISE the firing order is 1342 the pistons are numbered as such back 3 4 1 2 front

randomly switching wires on the disty is not a particularly good idea, if nothing else because it is likely you will get them off and cause a major backfire, or other loud noise - the best way to install the disty is to first make sure the spark plug wires going to it are the correct ones in the first place the wires should be in the same order rotating clockwise (I think that's the direction of rotation - but don't quote me) as the firing order second is to remove the # 1 spark plug, and the timing cover while holding your thumb over the spark plug hole, rotate the engine by hand, you should feel a surge of air outwards on one rotation when the timing mark gets close to 0-degrees - there are two points where you will see 0 degrees in the full combustion cycle, but you will only feel the rush at one point, and that is the point where #1 is supposed to fire - if you do not do this step you will be 180-degrees off in the timing cycle, and the engine will not run or it will backfire when you try to start it look where the distributor rotor is pointing - it should be pointing to the spark plug wire that goes to the #1 piston. If not, correct it - be careful, because if you are off one gear, you won't be able to tune the engine properly button everything back up, and start the engine, it should now run *roughly* you will need to fine tune it with a timing light for it to run properly

I have not expierenced it, but it makes logical sense, I would loosen the hill holder adjustment and see what happens; if your last MC had issues, it is likely that the HH wasn't adjusted properly

yep - the whole dash control layout/styling changed in '87 - 85-86 have big differences in: hazard contol on the top of the steering column light switch/dash dimmer in place of 87-later hazard switch - no seperate "virgin switch" - push and turn clockwise for parking lights windshield wiper switch below A/C controls, where fan is for 87-later, fan control is in a smaller "hole" that is unused on 87-later no second stalk on steering column; no seperate flasher unit, it is actually a transistorized circuit in the turn signal switch there are some other styling differences, but those are the big ones - 85's also had detached side view mirrors, no later models including the 86 had them I think starting in 87 all cars had power steering too - earlier models had it as an option

first thing I would check is RUST - if it is a rustbucket, forget it second is the transmission - there was no 5-speed 4x4 in 1984 MY (only 1985/later), just a 5 speed FWD, and a 4-speed 4WD or 4WD D/R it may have had another, later model tranny swapped into it, the last possibility is that the guy is simply wrong any of the manual trannies are reliable third is the start issue - does it crank, but not fire, or just not crank? - if it just does not crank, the solutions could be very easy/cheap (starter/ignition switch), if it cranks, but doesn't fire it could get harder to diagnose, but still not too bad to fix all-in-all, if it is mechanically sound, and not eaten with rust, heck go for it!!! BTW - I noticed in your signature that your '85 has smoke issues - are they oil-related (PCV/valve seals/rings/head gasket), or coolant related (head gasket/cracked head), and how new is your PCV valve?? - I have over 156k on mine, and the worst it does is a puff at start up if I haven't run it for a while - an EA82 shouldn't smoke a lot at 156k

WhitAlpin said its an '86, so the only switch on the steering column will be the hazard switch check to be sure that your light switch is in the "off" position, and not parking if your center stop lamp is illuminated, you can be sure you have a bad brake switch, or something along those lines - should be easy enough to replace, good luck and welcome!!

the hill-holder may have failed, or the cable could be too tight for it and that could cause it to stick on

Did you check the ECU for error codes?? I'm not trying to be smart, but generally you see some error if it won't start. Also check the coolant sensor and the MAF sensor - as you seem to have a FSM, follow the troubleshooting tables and you should get results!! Good Luck!!

the ignitor is right below the ignition coil, generally they don't fail, but it is certainly possible for the "official" troubleshooting/specs info go here, look under the EA82 section that has the fuel injection information - pretty much all SPFI systems are identical (save the 1986 MY - connector pinouts different, rest same) http://ww2.finleyweb.net:9394/default.asp?id=142 it gives the specific nature of the CAS operation, and diagnosing a good/bad CAS grossgary - are you sure your problem was not a bad cap/rotor, or even a bad ECU? I know some early 1986 SPFI ECUs tend to be a bit finicky I actually converted my car to SPFI before the manual was written - one thing that I do not think is in it is the fact that the grounding of the ECU case and the engine are CRITICAL to proper operation, in fact completely removing the ECU's case ground can destroy it (warning in FSM) I actually burned up two good ECU's this way before I figured it out worse still, they seem to give a faulty CAS indication when they go, so I had three CASes trying to figure out what my problem was! another possibility is a weak ignition coil/wires anyway, the link should get you all the info you need - an analog multimeter with a traditional needle is great for checking the actual pulses, as the digital type don't allow you to see the actual rapid changes

My best recomendation is to look at a service manual for the proceedure and decide yourself whether you have the mechanical ability or not to do it. Most of the 1989 FSM for EA82 cars can be found here http://ww2.finleyweb.net:9394/default.asp?id=142 I think it does cover HG replacement. Good Luck

I would not be surprised if it is the suspension bushing for the transverse link (what subaru calls it - it is also called the lower wishbone and about a dozen other things ...) I could also imagine it could be that the rubber for the radius rod is shot or even the sway rod rubber/bushings - how about brakes?? and does it vary with engine speed??

I actually JUST finished the job myself - I think it is more a matter of how much free space you want around your axle as you remove it - if the DOJ goes bad, it may not collapse all the way, resulting in you having to remove the radius rod and balljoint (balljoint comes out easier if you undo the pinch bolt up top) to get the space to remove the axle - the new one should not have this problem. anything else is strictly under your discression I had to replace my wheel bearings as well, so I removed the whole knuckle assembly; that is far more than you should need to do. Keep in mind, this all comes apart and goes back together in a straitforward manner, so I would not be afraid of tearing into it.