Link0demons

Well, the exciting conclusion to this machine is that it was given away to a coworker and subsequently ran back into my hands for repair. I repaired rear wheel bearings... And the owner parked it.

That's also not a bad option, Steptoe. I've considered it! However I am the only auto tech for 500 miles and to be blunt I dont want to see this poor thing roll through my shop- like ever. I want it irreparably dead! It's honestly more hassle than it's worth, I dont want to be married to whoever buys this worn down turd. Perhaps I'll post photos of the poor thing the next time it's on the lift. I'm in a remote part of Alaska so I dont think the city is after cash or resale value, they all go to the same graveyard to rust in peace. Having a vehicle disposal service here is sort of a luxury. So far I'm hearing water in the brake system and vegetable oil in the motor will be fun to try. My replacement dirt bike should be here next week, so I'm still on track to ruin this thing in Mayish!

I agree, and I think it's a CYA thing on their end, as far as I understand the cars are just crushed and left to die in a pile. I was curious when I read the disposal sheet considering what you mentioned with the steering rack and the transmission. My location is pretty remote, there is no way to get rid of the dead soldiers here. Perhaps it's an effort to reduce pollution? But I speculate. The process is that I'm supposed to have these fluids removed and have the vehicle inspected by a city official before I'm given a voucher saying it's ok to dump. I planned to get that inspection sheet and fill it with crap to see how far I can get it to go towards the grave. I'll probably end up calling the local tow service anyway. It's not much of an issue to re drain everything on the side of the road, especially if its water and laundry sauce.... I'm pretty dang sure I can make it the distance on a dry diff/engine, and I'd otherwise LOVE to try. Heck I haven't even tried to see if the handbrake works, poor thing has disks in the rear so there isn't much meat on the park brake shoes anyway... Hmm... any other ideas out there as far as stupid things I can try fluid wise on this car? Maybe i should just have fun with it until she blows up and go through the proper disposal process afterwards...

Hear me out: have you tried starting the car in neutral, putting your foot to the floor on the gas pedal for about 3-5 seconds and then selecting drive or reverse? I've done it several times on these machines, they seem to like it! *this is not actual advice, and I should go to bed* Also on a side note, the LSi is the model with that sexy air suspension?! Very cool.

Who cares? It's a sexy machine, even from the vague description. "I have a lot of interested people, what is it worth to you?! The last guy offered me X, I might sell to him".... I'd start there and after a couple few weeks the car will be sold, if you want it to. And for a price you like!

Yeah, the last time I had a similar Issue was on a '91 Loyale with glass lenses. The fix? Bake the lens at 300F for an hour and silicone the holes shut. Probably not applicable in your case and it's honestly easier to just replace the plastic lenses for way less hassle. As far as I understand it takes a LOT of patience and time to separate the composite lens to get it cleaned up and eventually re seal things. You may get lucky and upon inspection find a tiny hole that can be glued shut? Usually though it's small imperfections In the lens adhesive or bulb gaskets that lets the condensation in. An easy trick would be to drill some small holes in the bottom of the lens to equalize it to the atmosphere and reduce the possibility of condensation, but overall the few bolts you need to remove to replace the light is probably the best permanent solution...

I live in a very VERY small community where people drive short amounts, maybe 1-2 miles per trip without warming up their engine. Some residents leave for 9 months of the year before coming back to do the same amount of driving. I've had about a dozen so far come to the shop with fuel related issues, usually rust deposits that make their way into the fuel injectors. Additives are a tough sell for me as far as gasoline engines goes, I wouldn't bother pouring one in *unless* your fuel tank is below 1/2 and you plan to leave the machine parked for a year. Only then would I pour in a methanol based alcohol (known as HEET in the US). The purpose is to help absorb moisture that will accumulate In the tank during storage... I've had one customer that did this excessively and the alcohol content eventually became too much for the engine to manage and burn on its own. If you do need to drive the machine every couple/few weeks, it shouldn't be an issue. keep the fuel tank topped off on every other drive, and forget additives unless you know it wont be used for a long period of time. Gasoline does degrade, but from your use case it sounds like that shouldn't be too much of an issue. More importantly if, during the times you *are* driving it, as long as the car gets to operating temperature and it gets some small amount of highway driving it should be A-OK! Otherwise, keep It stored. I've seen engines that slowly accumulate moisture from short drive cycles that they are effectively 20%ish water in their engine blood, no good.

I've done a lot of stupid things with the EJ platform, most notably and possibly applicable on the 22. Granted the EJ20 I had was amazing and never had any issues in the time I've owned it. However, I did have a 22 blow a piece from exhaust valve #1 while accelerating up a steep incline, thankfully it blew out of the exhaust pipe and the car still got me home. It stumbled and ran like crap for months I couldn't afford to tear into the engine. I found out later that I blew out this valve chunk during a head gasket repair, which I thought was the cause. I had ran the machine for about a thousand miles with leaking valve guide seals and 0 compression on one cylinder unknowingly. Perhaps check compression? The same engine, a few months later... I was running without a timing belt cover and was driving through snow deeper than the headlights. I caught a chunk of ice and spun the driver side cam 4 teeth out of time. The car still got me home, but was hard to start and also ran better than a garbage can. Perhaps verify timing? I doubt this will help you much, but the symptoms sound like you need to dive deeper than any fuel issue. As far as I understand the injection system should be extremely happy with 35-40PSI. since you've checked the basics like plugs and ignition coils/wires.... I'd verify timing and compression next. Please forgive me, maybe I missed it. What is your CEL reporting?

Hello, Long time no post! So, I've got a '96 legacy that lives by the sea. Poor thing is pretty rotten with a bunch of issues overall; come summertime I think it'll be time to take it to the graveyard. My local disposal site wants all fluids drained before the vehicle is accepted, which is realistically no problem! I can even pay to have it towed. However after some beers it's got me thinking... what if I DROVE it there?! What if I filled the machine with various non toxic fluids to strictly get it to the disposal yard? The machine has to be able to make it about 15 miles on an unregulated road, nothing crazy. Engine is EJ22, Transmission is the automatic 4 speed. I know I can get away with running water for coolant, and an emptied rear diff will make it the distance with or without the AWD fuse. Power steering I can empty and go without, easy. The A/C hasn't worked in years anyway... As far as the engine goes, I bet it would do OK if I pulled the pan to clean it up and otherwise filled it with a quart of vegetable oil. I am curious and pretty speculative about the brake fluid and ATF substitutes. As far as brake fluid goes, I am wondering whether water would work. After all brake fluid is water soluble and I dont expect to stop hard enough to boil it, I just need an airless system to get enough pedal to stop like 3 times, right!? Canola oil is nearly as thin but I'm unsure if it would swell the brake system seals like a petroleum oil does? Im also curious if water would wreck the master cylinder piston seals, the caliper pistons can eat it as far as I'm concerned. Heck maybe I should cut the brake lines, take it slow- and use the parking brake handle? (That isn't nearly as interesting) I am absolutely stumped on an alternative for ATF though. I believe the system calls for DEX3, I'm leaning towards laundry detergent to align the viscosity closer to ATF. It's not meant to foam up and is nearly as thick but I'm unsure it would hold up fluid pressures for very long since its water based, the car is nearly 30 so it might wash what's left of the clutch packs away(the transmission is doing fine right now, had a fluid/filter done in November). Perhaps I should go with vegetable oil there as well, but that's awfully thin! Crazy? I know. Stupid?! Absolutely. But this is how we learn things... This is something that's inconsequential overall and the only real risk is to myself and this junk car, which are both pretty low all things considered. Heck I might not even make it a mile on these various concoctions and may have to call tow Joe anyway, which I'm ok with! But i'm curious if anyone here also wonders if it'd be worth it to try? in any case, thank you for reading my beer ramble. The car will probably be scrapped sometime in June regardless if I get time to be stupid with the fluids or not. Take your bets! Suggestions and ideas encouraged! Updates will follow sometime in spring, probably starting in May.

Nope. Turning the screw full in/out changed nothing. It was set at seven turns out before I touched it.

I was going to drill out the plug for the mixture screw and try to turn it down....

Well, I got this one running for temporary use, but it's completely gutless. The CAT is probably not plugged, as it's running so rich that I burned the O2 away with a cherry red pipe. It only goes to work and back until the reliable one is repaired, but it can't pull its own weight. It will backfire under heavy acceleration of moderate load. I removed a rear CV axle and it keeps up in 4WD Low. There is no set screw for the distributor rotor, I dabbed a couple drops of super glue in there....

Alright. I've made my rounds again and have fallen back to Brenda. The carb was installed and I got it running, albeit the idle was nearly max. I took a look at the ignition via another thread on this site. I've set timing to the hood specification, and am now trying to get the vacuum/fuel sorted out. It's gutless

I get the same results no matter how much go dope I squirt down its throat. Right now the carb is clean and in pieces on my counter, assembly takes place this evening after work....

Hello. I've got an EA71 engine that came with my GL. The dang thing rolled into my hatch and quarter glass while avoiding an accident in an intersection. It's pissed me off! If you live in Alaska I'll happily deliver it, or you can come pick it up. Overall it's nearly complete but looks in poor shape on the outside. Hey, if you want to drive the ALCAN for this sucker, I won't stop you....

That makes a lot of good sense, I'm glad I'm not crazy and there are no codes to look for in the first place. I'll have a thorough look at the distributor after work! also, Is there an easy way to post photos via iPhone? Or do I have to link them to a site?

I've got the cover off for the rest of its life. Everything is old and should be replaced, but is still functioning as intended, idler pulleys included Never did get to find the OBD connections to read codes.

So, here we are again. Yet another plea for help for yet another old Subaru. The victim: 1986 Subaru GL wagon EA82 with it's stock Hitachi carburetor with a homer air filter. (Home made). Purchased it as a craigslist deluxe with 142K miles. I drove it 200 miles home and another fifty around Fairbanks that next day. As I was buying, PO told me that he has been having trouble with the "carb heater", and that it needs some help to become a daily driver again. He tossed in a spare rim and a blue tub of old carb parts. Brenda is dead now. when her heart stopped, it was while traveling at about 55mph. I downshifted in preparation for a turn and as I let the clutch out I heard a faint *pop!* and Brenda went zero on me. i had gravity on my side still, and tried to start her again, no Bueno. In gear? She wouldn't even try. So. I've gotten her home, and started assuming culprits: I've checked timing belts (worn out, but intact) Hard timing marks (still ok) Distributor cap & wiring (hardly scuffed, looks new) Spark plugs didn't look unusual I played with vacuum stuff, several parts are missing or plugged off (custom Air filter) but no obvious leaks or breaks were found. I went onto fuel- everything is working and clean from tank to carb, there's good flow. I removed the carb and disassembled it. Nothing noteworthy. All the orifices and jets are clear, float/needle is ok. The automatic choke electrics test ok, accelerator pump.....pumps, gaskets all look great. I went into the instrument panel. I checked for burnt bulbs, I checked every fuse and fusible link with my multimeter. Tachometer safety thing works too. I did notice the CEL bulb exists and is not burnt out, but does not illuminate when key is switched ON. Tried finding OBD 1 connections without success. The best method I've found is to listen to that starter crank. Hold pedal to floor and release after about third crank and the car sputters to life after the fourth or fifth. If I let everything go, Brenda will lug at around 100rpm for about two-three minutes before dying. I can repeat the procedure forever. But if I try to throttle any, Brenda dies. If I deviate from this awkward starting ritual, Brenda dies. What do I do next?! Try to put the stock filter assembly/vacuum together?! Compression test?.........shoot it? I'm more than willing and able to post pictures, provide info, and answer questions as needed!

oddly enough. i had a death wobble between 65-85MPH on my rear driver wheel on a 1998 Suzuki Sidekick. the seats shook well enough to get a back massage. I thought it was the worst. but, i took the car in to have new summer shoes put on & balancing done to the wheels, The steel rim was very slightly bent. We had it swapped for the rim on the spare tire and the car rolled like butter ever since. You never know... *hey! never mind. chances are low this will help. I didn't comprehend what i read at first.*

Well, true to my word: I've purchased a timing assembly/thermostat for this old engine. Installation will begin tommorow evening! Also, I got to contact the kid i bought the car from, and found out where "the oil is going". It seeps from the passenger valve cover, the oil pan, and the rear main seal at about a rate of a quart per 500 miles, ish. too bad i don't have facilities to swap engines, i'd totally make the drive to Knick recycling and grab a good used motor for $600 delivered to the back of my car. Just thinking out loud, old tinkerbell still starts right up at -20. yeah, i fix my steel at these temperatures too. it's great! makes the precision parts fit better. a torch helps, too. Also, going to try some 5W-20 motor oil. my car HATES 10w-30 in its current environment. i could tell the poor thing was complaining about how thick its blood was. Happy friday Ultimate subaru!

For my reference: 264,371 @ 12/11 10w-30 does pour like honey when it's -15F. Oh! Last night: I'm headed to the bank, I'm the only one in the lot. Right as I come to a stop I see a red car, same thing I drive with a burnt out passenger light..... Pull into the lot. I get out as the car does a loop around the little island at the end. I go out to my hatchback, and the car pulls up next to me. "Nice car! He says." I have a headlight bulb for you! Was my reply. "Really? 9004?! Can I have it?" Yep. I let the door off my head and it slams shut. Only if, I can tell you the secret to how I fixed mine. "Oh? He says, how did you do it?" I proceeded to tell him, and gave the bulb. I told him I got my car for five hundred bucks, it's like driving the dead. "Me too!" I awkwardly lean in, and look at his mileage, Not bad. (191k) I'm at 264k. "Wow. That's awesome! Thank you again!" No problem, and happy Thursday! "Thanks!" He let the clutch go and we parted ways. What was that all about, life?! Subaru's rule Alaska. I see at least ten other drivers with my generation car each day. plenty of other older models of all makes still roam these streets... say a good half of the drivers here drive something 15 or older, very fun.

finally some photos for everyone. I'm too busy to wipe my own butt at times. Enjoy! She still rolls!

And, to seemingly illustrate your point, what's RWC?