Tom Dunn
-
Posts
82 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Store
Posts posted by Tom Dunn
-
-
I'm confused about obtaining a FSM for 1991 Legacy. I was unable to find a source after doing a search here, and on google as well.
Is this something that is essentially out of print and I'll have to hunt for one or can it be gotten from a dealer?
Sure like to have one, but I can't buy what I can't find!
-
SWEET!
I'm curious if you had a full service manual or what all to go by?
-
Continuing my fight with my 91 Legacy, I went out today, removed the air blled plug and addied coolant to the radiator. Resivour is at full. Fired up the motor and let it idle. During the time it took to warm up, I added a bit of coolant from time to time, but not much. Once it was up to temp, the heat was blowing cold. Also, the upper radfiator hose was cool and soft. Although it is very difficult to see into the radiator, there was no apparant "flow". Neither did the cap opening "steam" as I might have expected, its only 3 degrees F out. It sat at warm idle for perhaps 10 minutes. Put the car in gear and drove, literally, 100 feet MAX and the guage took off right to hot. Shut it down and popped the hood, the upper hose was warmer than it had been at idle.
Also, while at idle, the fans both came on properly.
Am I correct in asuming that the thermostat is working properly because the temp held steady at idle? I have the sinking feeling that this is going to be a head gasket, but I'm sure hoping that perhaps the radiator is largely clogged? It was replaced by the previous owner at some point and was a used one that was installed. There is no white smoke in the exhaust, not coolant in the oil.
I'm bumming over this, it's my only transportation, other than the "Shoeleather Express"!
-
You don't shop at the world famous Old Forge Hardware ???
Mark, if I could afford to shop at that joint, I would't be driving a 1991 Subaru!
-
The thermostat is on the BOTTOM of the motor? WTF? Shows what I know I guess....
Unvik, I live and die by UPS. I HATE to go to Utica so I get all kinds of stuff delivered. Reloading supplies, trapping supplies, clothes, you name it.There is a NAPA in Old Forge by the way, (localy refered to as "Never Any Parts Available)I'll at least give them a check. There is also a good shop in Utica where I could have the ex pick one up and bring it, she's supposed to be heading this way in the next couple days.
But when you're talking no tax and no shipping, I'm all ears! I'll price one out at that site.
-
This is related to my earlier posting on my overheating problem, but the questions are kind of general.
After adding coolant and stop-leak to the radiator, I took the car for a short drive to the store. Note:Its about 12 degrees out at the moment. Temp needle came up to normal and stayed there. In order to keep the sealant circulating, I let the motor idle while in the store <10 minutes I'd say. I started to drive back and the guage began to climb out of site. Shut the motor down and again, the coolant, under pressure is squirting from the left upper area of the radiator, with all the steam its real hard to see. I checked the coolant after the motor cooled down, coolant loss was minimal. This radiator was replaced at somepoint(I've only had the car a few months, and I think it was a used or rebuilt unit, 'cus there is chalk on the radiator top with the number "90" and what I assume to be a part number. The car is a 91. If the thermostat was sticking, I don't understand why I have the coolant coming out of the radiator. Would a stuck closed stat cause pressure to build on the radiator side and thus cause a failure?
Also, I can't comfused as to where the stat is located. I did a thread searce and in another post it said to follow the upper hose rearward and it woud come to a housing that held the stat. I tried that, abd the hose goes to a cast aluminum pipe, with a bend in it, and this pipe essentialy vanishes under the foward manifold. Am I on the right track/ It looks as though it would be a bear to access the distal end of that aluminum pipe.
Help, please, I'm a carpenter............
-
Lose that mechanic!
A radiator specialty shop might be the best way to go.
Removing the thermostat is cobb-job, no professional mechanic would be satisfied with that approach!
-
My tools for working on the Subie, or any vehicle for that matter, are pretty lame, mostly a hodge-podge collection of various brands and sizes.
I'd like to buy a set of sockets and wrenches to enable me to do most repairs on the car.
I'd appreciate any input as to a good starting point for a decent set of tools. On-line sources are good, cuz I hate to pay sales tax and the selectiom available locally is pretty limited. I don't want to spend a fortune, but I'll pay what I have to for quality, Snap-On included, although they seem a tad overpriced perhaps?
-
It appears to be a pinhole leak, in the radiator side member, maybe 2" or so down from the top, in the front. It is very hard to see. I'm going to jam clean paper towels in the space where it appears to be and see if the towel becomes anti-freeze soaked.
If that is the case, I'd like to try some "stop-leak in it. The hardware store here as "Alumaseal" but thats the only brand they have. I've heard of some ceramic-based sealants that are supposed to be much better, but I've no experience with them. Perhaps I'll toss up a post on sealants after doing a search.
Eagles huh? Was all Phantoms when I was there..........the greatest fighting plane ever built!
-
That would be sweet if thats all it needs, I'm going out to check it shortly.
Anchorage huh? LOVED going to Flapjack Jim's years ago when stationed on Elmendorf.
-
My 91 Legacy has been thru some serious cold lately. I've only had this car since November. Because of expecting to be in North Carolina by now, I never tested the anit-freese, but when I noticed the coolant was low, I added pure Prestone. The last few days I noticed that after driving a bit, the windows would fog, thern clear, but thought little of it. Tonight I started the car(its about 8 degrees, we've had some -28 over the last week) and drove a short distance to a local bar. Because it was so close I let the car idle for about an hour or so whille I was inside. When I came out, I noticed the defroster was blowing cold air and the temp guage was high. I immediatly drove it back home and added more coolant. I then drove it about 10 miles to a friends house. On the way there, the guage would climb and fall, climb and fall. The heater was blowing hot air. It's a straight drive and I was doing about 45-50. Upon slowing down comuing into town, the guage began to climb again. I got to my destination, shut the motor down and was inside for a couple hours. Came out and headed home. On the way the guage began to climb fairly quickly. I live in a REAL remote area so I had little choice but to keep driving. I got home, but with lots of steam on arrival and the guage was about pegged, although the valves were not knocking or the motor faltering like in a major cook-off. I looked uder the hood and the passenger side of the engine compartment is covered in coolant. I'm wondering if maybe I lost a soft plug on the block or what might be up? The hoses seemed good but its difficult to tell with the dark and the steam and all.
Any suggestions on how I should approach this problem tomorrow would be much appreciated.
The very last thing in the world I need right now is a major problem like a cracked head or whatever. This car is supposed to take me and my two dogs and our worldly possessions out of this miserable winter weather once and for all!
-
Turns out the overhead mounts via sheet metal screws, so it requires a double roof. If I'm not mistaken, the Subie does not have that. Possibly it could be mounted to a cross member, but I've no idea what the roof construction is under the headliner.Back to the drawing board......
-
Cranberry Lake is some sweet country, the state campground there is my favorite in all the park. Great fishing too! That whole area is not so over-run like its gotten around here. Been here 11 years, but will be moving to North Carolina in a couple weeks.
-
I'm thinking the Cabelas overhead two gun might work if I mount it, either cross or longways in the rear. Theres no way theres enough headroom up front. The overhead is sweet because it does a decent job of concealing the guns from casual view. Theres enough guns on the street as it is, I've no interest in adding mine!
The rack does seem a bit spendy at $60 bucks plus shipping. I hate paying shipping based on price. Actually, I hate paying shipping period. I'm a cheap motherchicken, I know. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jhtml?id=0005330220670a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnString=No=0&hasJS=true&Nty=1&Go.y=9&Ntx=matchall&Go.x=23&Ntt=gun+rack&N=4887&QueryText=gun+rack&noImage=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jhtml.22&Ntk=Products&returnPage=search-results1.jhtml
-
How do I know what size pickle fork to buy for wacking on the ball joint of my 91 Legacy, or are they a "one size fits all" proposition?
-
Mudrat, I have no doubt you could fabricate something along those lines. Trouble is, the rear seat in my Subie is ALWAYS folded down. I tote two beagles around with me and seldom have use for the passenger seat, let alone the rear, I need the deck space.
-
Frag, I don't thinkso but might be wrong. It's the fuel pump you need to disable. Otherwise, when you turn the key on, you get a shot of fuel to the throttle body. If you crank the motor with the pump disabled, the excess fuel can get down the return line. The Subaru manual sez to hold the pedal down and crank the motor, but, in my opinion, in these type temps, the slow crank, wet plugs, "everything is frozen" combination is just too much. Gotta take something out of the combination. Dry plugs would be great for instance, but not practicle. The ceramic heaters work well because they are pretty subtle in the warming effect. Like I said I put the hood up, blanket over the engine compartment and slid the heater under the front. I had a Harley that I used to ride when it was cold(Young and stupid then, just stupid now) and at night I'd hang a trouble light so the bulb was between the cylinders. Helped a lot. Theres really no substitute, in my experience, for a block heater. Alaskans and those from northern Canada will back me up on this I think. Plug her in at night and in the morning she's good to go, plus it heats up on the inside more quickly and I'm all for that! The barracks parking lots on Elmendorf and Eielson AFB's in Alaska were fully stocked with outlets to accomadate this technique!
-
She's going! Went out to give it one more try, then I was going to put the battery charger on it. Just a simple unit, it has no "Start" circuit. The ceramic heater has been under it for about two hours. It's still -12 here at 2PM. She cranked awhile, the interval of firing increasing then caught. Think I'll get inthe habit of starting it up and letting it run an hour or so everyday in these types temps. I've been sticking real close to home lately, normally it's driven every day. However it seems almost everyone here in the Adirondacks is sick! Normally I go out for a couple "dustcutters" in the evening but I've been laying low. I live by myself with two beagles and the LAST thing I need right now is to get sick! Moving to North Carolina soon, but not soon enough!
-
My owners manual sez fuse 14 is the EGI unit, AT unit. Is that the right one?
I don't see a fuse for ecu?
-
My 91 Legacy has been sitting for a few days now in some mighty cold temps. I was tempted to start it up each day but dislike doing that if I've no place to go. In hindsight, not the best decision maybe.
-25 here this morning, and she just won't fire. I've no doubt flooded the engine so I'm letting it sit a couple hours. In my experience, once you flood a fuel injected car, its misery to get going again. I put a small ceramic heater under the front and a blanket over the engine compartment and will let that go for a couple hours.
I think she would fire off with some starting fluid, but I'm no sure how to introduce it. The plastic cowling over the intake is too brittle to mess with. In fact, I cracked the plastic armrest by leaning on it with my elbow getting out of the car.
Any suggestions on how to get a little ether in there?
-
I'm wondering if anybody has any info or ideas on a suitable gun rack for my 91 Legacy wagon. I had a rack in one of my pick-up trucks that held two rifles overhead. It was the NUTS! I most always have a rifle or two with me and it would be slick to stow them someway nice-nice instead of leaning on the passenger seat or bouncing around the back.
-
-25 as in negative 25. The fuel injected cars are MUCH better at starting in the cold than carbed motors ever thought of being. HOWEVER, in my experience, if you flood an injected motor, they are MUCH more difficult to get to fire off than a carb.
-
Ha! Thats funny! Bruce Caldwell is still here and his Ambulance dealership is going pretty good. Dealer for "Road Rescue" Ambulances I think. Helps him supplement the disability income he gets from the town since he hurt his back on a town job.
Man oh man........ -
Good to know about these sites, thats for sure! But, I like to check local first. With anything, not just car parts. Just bought a ball joint from the local NAPA(Never-Any-Parts-Available) for $21.36 tax and all. Not worth fooling around on-line in that case, at least to me.
(This is where someone will post a link that sells the same joint for $7.82 with free shipping to make me look dumb!)
Temp pegged again
in 1990 to Present Legacy, Impreza, Outback, Forester, Baja, WRX&WrxSTI, SVX
Posted
It appears the crux of the problem was that the fadiator "slush-froze" in the extreme cold we had been having. With nowhere to bring it inside, the slush was going nowhere, so circulation was, if not nil, close to it. Very hard to get heat to the radiator from an external source, not much grill area and theres a pan under the radiator that pretty much prevented heat from rising to it. But, the weather moderated a bit, I put it out where the sun could help a little, shrouded the engine compartment with an old blanket and placed one of those little ceramic heaters under the front a little ways. Let that run for 5-6 hours anyway. Mixed up a batch of 2/3-1/3 anti freeze proper like and kept introducing it to the radiator a little at a time. I'm not convinced I've all the air out yet,, but the sealant has apparantly plugged the leak in the radiator and I've ran it on a couple-three 5 mile or so jaunts with no problem, needle is staying right where it should be. That was just yesterday. I still plan to replace the radiator, should pick the new one up tuesday or wednesday. Then I get to change the ball joint, oil change, and hopefully I'll be good to go. Literaly "to go", I'm planning on moving to NC as soon as the car is up to snuff. Bought it right, and I'll have replaced the windshield, radiator, and ball joint in the bargain. looking foward to many miles more from it.
SS, I notice your signature sez 91 Legacy AWD, while mine car sez 4WD.
??????