MR_Loyale

This weekend I had Ash out on the highway for 200+ miles. I took him close to snowy areas as we have here right now without going in the snow. Heater works great. Had to clean out the 4WD button on the stick as it would push down but not come up for disengaging the 4WD. It was an easy fix to just spray it down with electronics cleaner and work up and down (with power off of course). All the major electrical issues have been resolved. All the exterior lighting is working, fluid levels optimal, new snow tires. Only thing is the radio doesn't work. Driving with tunes is a much more rewarding experience. That will be my final task before the xmas tree run.

I guess it is a moot point now. But I generally do pre-trip runs where I try to go out on the road to shake things down. I don't rely on daily driving to meet this requirement. If anything is weak, I will generally replace it. For me it is a cost benefit analysis. Is saving that $30 worth ruining my trip? If I can't afford $30 to fix a potential fail point before the trip, I am not going to be able to afford the costs associated with it failing during the trip (e.g. tow costs, cancelled reservations etc) I also have AAA. Never used it yet but I have it.

Love the pics. I am looking forward to this.

I still got my large roll of quality electronics solder from years ago. And they all laughed at me when I bought so much back then

Got some new studded snow tires today. I am sure not to get stuck in the snow now though my wallet is now so much lighter I may need to carry extra balllast to get traction.

I don't have time for a Brat (Subaru or otherwise). I am too busy running the foster home for wayward Loyale Sedans. You don't know how much self control it took to not make an offer on Ned.

What have I done to my Subaru? Ash got a new pair of studded winter shoes. What have I done to my budget? This is me, after hearing the price: (shock) (confusion) (acceptance) If I get stuck in the snow I am throwing them through their window like the old lady in the advertisement:

Today I bought a spanky new set of studded winter tires for Ash. It was quite a sticker shock. But tires are basically safety items and not really a good place to cheap out.

Thank you. Glad it was helpful.

I like your thread. And the timing is perfect because in the spring I will be installing the BOSS lift kit I bought for my Red Sedan ASH, I thank you for working out the wrinkles so that I can be spared them when I do mine.

Crap damn you! Now I will have to get one or maybe TWO of those.

Here are few pics that should clarify. Yes, on the sedans apparently they are metal, well two of the three are metal and one is a plastic thing. This is probably why the molding hasn't completely come off. Took the car through a touchless car wash a few weeks ago and this is what I got for it. I may have found a source for these. I will update the thread later this week with the result for future documentation. From inside the trunk:

No. I am talking about the strip of molding that goes along the rear left quarter panel.

The black molding strip on the left rear quarter panel is hanging on by one clip and flopping around. The clips are rusted out. Does anyone know where I can get those clips?

Ok since you brought up the subject, maybe you can help me out. I got a Loyale Sedan (4WD). What is a good inexpensive tire for this that won't make me the one everyone is cursing under their breath because he got stuck on the trail? I am still running the 13" wheels that are stock. I will probably only use these one season as I expect next year it will be lifted with bigger wheels etc. I don't mind dropping good money on good tires if I will have them a while but in this case one season and i will probably be selling them. Any recommendations?

The pilot bearing is supposed to be flush with the flywheel. It would not get "pushed in" when bringing them together because the trans input shaft would fit through the inside of the pilot bearing, that is the way it is designed. You have the clutch disc bound against the pilot bearing part that is proud of the flywheel and that is what is keeping it engaged. Think about it. The outer body of the pilot bearing is in contact with the flywheel. Now the clutch plate is up against that and there is no way to break that friction. The part of the body of the pilot bearing sticking out exceeds any range of release providing by depressing the release fingers and thus even if the release bearing is properly pressing against the clutch plate, it will not release the clutch. Kind of like a tubular shim. You got to take it out and make the pilot bearing sit flush as shown below:

See pilot bearing theory in post below.

You didn't reuse the old clips did you?

Spent the entire weekend working on Ash. The door lock circuit was blowing fuses as soon as they were put it. I took all the door panels off and removed the actuators on the three doors (driver side has a master switch and no actuator). The passenger side mounting screws for the actuators each had one bugger that would not budge and stripped out. So stop and drilled them out, which of course means time to learn to use an EZ Out. You would think you could just reach inside and unplug the actuators just to do troubleshooting, but you would be wrong. The actuators are buried inside the doors in a tight space and the connector plugs right into the bottom of the actuator body. So unless one is Mr Fantastic of the Fantastic four with the ability to stretch to any shape, the actuators must be unmounted. With all the actuators disconnected, it still was blowing fuses. So the next step was the master switch on the door. I took it out and then the fuses stopped blowing. I pondered a run to the junkyard or a kitchen table disassembly like I did for the master power window switch. I did notice the plug to the master switch seemed to be globbed in a mix of dielectric grease, carbon and dirt. So I cleaned it up and tried plugging it in. No fuse pop. Progress at last. I worked the switched back and forth and still no fuse pop. One by one I plugged in the actuators, which by this time were completely removed from the locking rod and just laying in the door well. Each clicked as I moved the master switch until all were connected and clicked in unison, a beautiful sound indeed. While the panels were off, I took the opportunity to thoroughly grease the tracks. It made a huge difference. When I first got Ash, the windows wouldn't even work. In the past I hit the mechanism with WD40 but even then the windows groaned and squeaked as they moved on their tracks. Now however they move as if they are new, gliding up and down effortlessly. Due to the weather constraints, I did this over Sat and Sunday. Saturday I had discovered the issue but then had to put Ash inside as it was raining and that is not good weather for working on electrical issues in the door. Sunday I finished up the doors and took Ash for a nice long drive. While out driving, I noticed the passenger side running light was out so I drove to the Poulsbo Walmart to get the 194 bulb. I replaced it in the parking lot and got in to leave. Turning on the headlights, I noticed that the driver side was out. I turned on the brights and they both worked for a few seconds then the driver side flickered and went out. Back into Walmart I went to grab a 9004 headlight lamp. Although I tried to change it in the Walmart lot, I couldn't get the old bulb out so I decided to just drive home with one headlight and fix it at home. Good thing I waited too, because the reason the headlight went out was that the enclosure had a puddle of water inside. Had I changed the lamp in the Walmart lot, it would have been out by the time I got home again. So I had to pull the headlight enclosure and get the water out by baking it at a low temperature in the oven. I did a post about it: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/150355-todays-recipe-slow-roasted-headlight-enclosure/ Now I have both headlights working and all the indicator lamps are working too. Unfortunately now the radio isn't working but that isn't going to stop me from doing the Dec 6th Hatch Patrol Xmas Tree run up by Enumclaw. Next weekend, snow tires for Ash and a thorough underside inspection.

The blower speed control only does the two highest settings. It has been that way for a while now. I wanted to swap it out and put in the one from Ash this weekend , but there is one side where the screw is stripped. Since I spent the weekend working only on Ash, I decided to leave this bit for later.

Tired of driving down the road with just one headlight? Always replacing the same side headlight lamp (9004) over and over? Well then, this is the recipe for you! You are probably in need of a roasted headlight enclosure. This recipe takes 1 hour. Goes well with your favorite libation. Often times, headlight enclosures will accumulate water such that a pool forms inside and sloshes around when driving. if the water splashes onto the hot bulb the glass breaks and the lamp goes out. Sometimes a chip in the glass is letting in water. Other times an accumulation of condensation can be the culprit. Before you replace the bulb, you need to get the inside dry again or the new bulb will just explode like the others. You need to bake your headlight enclosure. Remove the headlight lamp and socket from the back of the enclosure by first disconnecting the electrical connector from the back of the assembly. If you are working on the driver side, you may need to move the battery out of the way to have easy access. Then unscrew the white retainer ring. The bulb should slide out. If the bulb is broken, it will have sharp ragged glass edges so be ver careful to only handle the bulb by the plastic body. The enclosure is held on with four 10mm nuts in back and connected to the fender with a single phillip head screw on the top. Set your oven for 225 degrees and bake for one hour on middle rack with the oven door slightly ajar to let the moisture escape. Tip: If you are married, toss a casserole in front so it obscures the headlight. You wife will be impressed you are finally taking an interest in helping with the cooking. TIP TIP: A few drops of vanilla placed in the oven will waft sweet vanilla smell throughout the house to be more convincing. Turn off the oven, open the door and let cool for 30 minutes. If the cause was a cracked glass front, it must be sealed or it with accumulate water again. Silicon sealant is a cheap fix. Reinstall the enclosure and the new bulb. Serves any EA82 and possibly an EA81.

Make sure you follow up with measures to block any future infestations. In the past I had to resort to setting traps in the engine compartment.

Roger that on #3. Used real grease this time instead of just a shot of WD40. The two I have done glide like new.

Love the sedans so much I got two of them. LOL. Is it manual transmission or automatic?