Rocketdog

it is a new axle nut that was replaced a few months ago.

Upon removing my worthless heater blower resistor, I looked up into my dash and suddenly realized why I thought my vents weren't blowing air as strong as I remembered in my last subi. I also remembered thru my blind excitement of finding this car,(winter of 2014) that I pulled nesting material out of my glove box. MICE! I doubt they area still inhabiting my dash since the damage or nesting fluff wasn't accompanied by any smell or obvious recent damage. Then I again, I do have outside cats that may have assisted with their murderings. All that being said, there are indeed holes chewed into my air ducts, (not any wiring) with the absence of any visible "fluff". These holes aren't exactly gaping in my opinion. I will try to get some picture up here soon. I'm still paranoid and am looking forward to removing my front seats and dismantling my entire dash. I WILL find all, if any remaining "fluff" and any more possible destruction. My question here is what are the steps in fixing this? Is there a way to avoid replacing air ducts if damage is minimal? I don't need any tips or tricks on how to get rid of an infestation. Any tips on how to unclog airways? Diagrams or pictures of the entire air duct system would be a huge help. This is in my 87 Subaru 3door.

And what of the r 12 refrigerant? Wouldn't that cost more for a shop to refill? Would it be special order?

It was the axle nut. Thank you!

It doesn't sound like a cv joint. In fact, both of them look great. While driving my 87 Subaru, I hear a faint ticking, er light knocking from the front passenger wheel. both front rotors and brakes were replaced about 5 months ago. Whatever it is, I don't want it to get worse. I even recently stopped by discount tires for a little check up. Tires were already balanced, wheel bearings are good and no flaws were found in the actual tires,(Brand new studdable as of December 2014. What the heck is going on?!

With things I haven't done before. I need to replace the coils and struts and I am also having troubles with the A/C. It either has a leak or needs more refrigerant...or needs upgraded. I just really don't want to mess it up. I got some great advice on how to upgrade my suspension here, but im a bit apprehensive on the whole A/C thing. There are other repairs I'm confident in tackling. I can be pretty resourcful but other than the forums, it would be nice to have access to somebody that can offer repairs that are out of my league or dont have time to do myself. I was going to do some looking around, but any suggestions I can get for places or people that do great work on subi's around my area would be a big help.

I need a subaru mechanic around the bremerton or olympia areas of washington who can work on my 87 subaru and give me some hands on experience that I desperately need. It would be nice to not be charged an arm and a leg too. Any help?

Do you have any suggestions for a way to lift the car to handle crappy roads and extra weight but also provide a decent ride for normal freeway and neighborhood driving? Would that mean I would need a lift kit after all?

the engine was pulled

Actually I had the heads pressure tested and they tested good. All of the spark plugs are good still. There is no lifter tick or bad oil pressure. I'll have to check the vacuum lines, but my rear brakes are drums. So they are fun to take apart I was considering the motor mounts, but I could use some pictures to compare.

Back in the day, I proudly owned a 87 4wd 3door and an 80's model justy. That being said, I have dealt with a great deal of different "car problems", (even though it still feels like I know nearly nothing) and since can fairly troubleshoot common problems. BUT last year, I got my hands on a manual 2wd 87 3door in AMAZING condition for 600$. Granted it needed a battery, tune up, new radiator and a modified exhaust, but I basked in its glow as it was completely stock with the exception of a paint job....meaning a VERY small amount of rust and only 50,000 miles on it(original motor). And of course it was bought brand new in 87 by an older gentleman and had routine oil changes. I know this since the glove box contained the manual and pamphlets from its "birth". I honestly never thought I would find another 3door again, ESPECIALLY in this condition. APPARENTLY since I have gotten this car, I have become so overprotective and paranoid that a lot of my previous knowledge about subi's has flown out the window. I also have very little knowledge on the engines. I used to lack the tools needed to fix engine problems and always had someone else(not my current mechanic) do it. Getting to the point, I blew an inch out of my head gasket a few months back and, like always I was rescued by my mechanic. This guy is very good at fixing cars (like rebuilding the rear axle in my Isuzu rodeo) and always gives me amazing deals and often fixes things I didn't know needed fixing for free. However, after pulling my EA82 apart, he saw a crack in one of the heads, (the other is flawless btw). Sooo of course he said i needed a new head because it was bad and was the cause for the blown head gasket. A month filled with numerous junkyard searching for these heads failed to provide us with an "uncracked" head. I even traded my engine-less 4wd 3door for a pair of resurfaced heads. FINALLY I learned the truth behind these heads. My mechanic was dumbfounded and frustrated with the only Subaru he has ever worked on. After buying a complete gasket set for a EA82 turbo and oil pump gaskets I got the comment, "Its been more than a month. Hopefully I can remember how to but the engine back together." OOOH MAN . A few days later, I got my wonderful car back but I've had some issues with it since then. NOW these are my concerns... I feel vibrating from the front of the car that comes on with high speeds. I got the tires checked (bought brand new December 2014) and apparently the wheel bearings are fine and they barely needed to be rebalanced. Nothing was "wrong" with the tires themselves. ugh Car idles under 1 grand and takes a few time to start it (where it keeps running) and even more times when it is cold out. Leaks oil (vague description) and I can smell gas fumes from the engine bay. It has less power, especially when I have passengers. I feel like it runs rougher than before. Even after I replaced my front rotors and brake pads and shoes, the "adjustments" he made to my rear brakes now have them clunking when I use them. I even had to slam on my brakes on the highway when someone pulled out in front of me and my car almost lost control. Alignment is great and my car doesn't pull to any side when I normally brake. This is a lot to complain about and I'm sure I probably missed something. Pleeeease someone help me! I love my Subi!

That is exactly what I wanted to know! I was wanting to upgrade the suspension anyways so it can handle more weight AND off-road driving. I am going to pursue these fixes myself since my mechanic has no clue how to fix subi's.

I have an 87 3door and the rear is sitting really low. Of course, when I have more weight in the back the car bottoms out with the bumps in the road. I assume I need to replace the shocks, but I would like to make this repair a one time thing. So if that means there is a potential that there is something else that needs to be replaced, I would like to get it done at the same time. I also have problems getting the right parts for my subi from auto stores without having to return items several times before finding correct fits. Any suggestions or parts knowledge would be so helpful! And should I replace all four shocks in this case too?

Speaking of refrigerant, I have an 87 Subaru 3door and I am experiencing the same problems with my heater blower motor, but before that my A/C started acting up. I assume that it needs to be refilled. I think it takes the R12 refrigerant, but I'm not sure. If it is, I'm wondering if it is more cost effective in the long run to upgrade it. ..or should I pursue a can of R12. I'm a bit lost on the matter.