MR_Loyale

As I recall mine came from the factory with 5w20.

Thanks man. I am going to miss showing up at WCSS this year.

I had an exhaust leak when I bought my Loyale two weeks ago. This is what I did. If the exhaust is loud and you cannot see obvious holes, check where the flanges attach to the engine. Are they tight? If tight and you can still hear noises from there when the engine is revved, replace the exhaust manifold gasket. Two gaskets, four bolts 20 min. SIlence. Ahhhhh.

Right in my back door and I will be half way across the country then.

I emailed Subaru and here is their response: Dear ----, Thanks so much for your most recent email and I appreciate you providing me with the VIN for your vehicle. It is also great to learn that you are still driving this vehicle since August 1994!! I did have the opportunity to review your question with one of our Technical Representatives who explained to me that the transmission in your vehicle is fully synchronized - first gear through fifth gear. Once again, thanks for your email and I appreciate the opportunity to assist you. Sincerely, Jody Cullen Subaru of America, Inc. Customer/Dealer Services Department 1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783) Service Request Number: 1-6222806631

Yes! I did exactly that on my Loyal Sedan. I added a "How To" to the USRM. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/137299-adding-a-trunk-popper/

Thanks man. But the job is not yet done. First start up is a few days away. Taking my time trying not to miss anything.

There were cracks on my heads but C&D knew Subarus so they said it was no big issue. I think if a shop doesn't normally do Subaru heads, they freak out and say to junk em.

Tonight after work I cleaned up the pressure relief assembly (aka banjo bolt) and tidied up the distributor.

I do understand the Subaru dilemma with the BRZ. If they put a turbo in it, the thing starts to compete with their baby, the WRX. You don't have to be a marketing genius to figure that out.

The head of Fuji Heavy Industries has come out and basically shot this rumor to bits. A second generation is pretty much assured. As for whether or not it will fulfill the biggest gripe of more horses is yet to be seen. The crap that comes out of the Australian rumor mill astounds me sometimes.

Can I use permatex ultra gray on the water pump gasket? Any reason i should not use it there?

Josh is right. You could cut off the hoses for the canister and put a 35 ohm resistor on that circuit and the computer would never know the difference. (If you get emissions tested, DON'T DO IT THOUGH) The ECU is measuring the resistance across the coil of the solenoid. That is the only basis that it uses to set the code. My other Loyale Ash is also setting this code. If you go to the dealer for this solenoid it will prob run over $100 just for the auto equivalent of a doorbell - same principle.

This past weekend I got the heads on and torqued down. It is a three step process using 22,43 and 47 ft lbs on each pass.

The heads and flywheel were dropped off at C&D Engine rebuilders in Kirkland. I got the flywheel back in a few days. BEFORE AFTER The heads were a different story. I had to get the lifters (aka Hydraulic lash adjusters or HLA) out of their bores but they would not budge so I took the heads with the HLA's to C&D and let them deal with it. The heads are aluminum and sheer brute force will not work to get them out. C&D were able to get them out with the machine and I then sent them off to Mizpah in MN to get them reconditioned. However, C&D informed me that the sleeves that sit in the bore and hold the HLA had and inward flare at the top. This was the reason the HLA would not come out. They had to address this with an inside chamfer. The reason for the inward flare was unknown at this point. However when I went to pickup the heads when they were done, Pat at C&D explained it to me. The HLA sits in a steel sleeve which is inside the bore on the aluminum. There is a slip ring on the HLA that holds the HLA at the correct depth in the sleeve to get the oil to keep the hydraulic action of the HLA functioning. It ensures the HLA is pumped up as oil flows through a small hole in the sleeve. Over time the rounded ring keeps banging against the top of the sleeve due to the action of the cam turning. This constant banging curls the top edge of the sleeve inward thus causing the sleeve to grip the HLA. And that is why HLA's are a PIA to remove after twenty years of continuous service. While the drama of the HLA's were playing out, I also had a transmission to deal with as shown below: I read GLoyale's excellent writeup on replacing the bearing and seal and got inspired to do mine also. Many thanks to GLoyale who graciously answered my questions on this. You can find his writeup here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/87305-easy-transmission-front-seal-replacement/ Though the transmission he did was a 4WD 5MT with the transfer case at the end, my transmission (TM70F) is a FWD only with just a shift case on the end. His was the more complex transmission to do and while very similar, the two do have some important differences. I will do w writeup on my experience to hopefully help out others who come after. After draining the gear oils and a thorough degreasing, the transmission was ready for the operation Laying the transmission on its left side to split the case: Undo the two retaining bolts on the end: Then remove the 17 bolts (12 mm and 14 mm) and split the case: The top shaft is the input shaft and the one that needs to be removed to replace the seal and bearing. t just lifts out: Now I was trying to track down the seal and bearing. I ordered it but they got in the wrong part so reordering ate up more time. Took two weeks just to get the right parts. This is the other half of the case. The gear you see is the speedometer gear and it is driven by the helical groove in the output shaft. After replacing the bearing and seal on the input shaft, I used permatex ultra grey on the case halves and put it back together. It was now time to get the transmission installed: In the interest of full disclosure, I must mention that for the part of actually unhooking and hooking up the drive shafts and linkage, I hired out the work to jj421. Due to my autoimmune condition, I am somewhat limited in my exertions I can do. That is one of the reasons things take me so much longer than others. It sucks, but one must live with the cards they are dealt. Back to the engine. Last time it was mentioned, we saw nasty carboned up heads and cylinders. Those became this And this The nasty cam covers Although it took over 4 weeks, they became this:

Remove the access panel and check for a computer code. Report back.

No trick, those hone marks are original to the car. Glad someone noticed that. I did lightly oil the cylinder to prevent damage on first startup. Not a new OP switch but that pump is young. It has only 43k on it. That nasty old water pump will be replaced with a brand new Subaru one though. The other car will get the hand me down water pump.

Uh, I am going through Indiana in August. Can you please elaborate on the "toll road is death" comment? I don't want Buford Pickens pulling me over. Thanks.

I have erred in both directions. Broke a bolt off doing a water pump because Haynes torque numbers were wrong. Then the crank bolt came off because I didn't go gorilla tight. Call me paranoid.

I was told that the first gear in the TM70F 5MT transmission (FWD) is not synchronized. Is this true? I thought this transmission was the same basic one as that in the push button 4wd cars (TM75F I believe) and I can definitely downshift into first while moving slowly without grinding. Also, the Haynes manual states that the transmssion is "fully synchronized". I cannot find any definitive information regarding this so if anyone has that please speak up. Thanks.

I cannot find the torque number for attaching the power steering bracket to the block. Does anyone know this? I would just wing it but I use this as a point to lift the engine so it is kind of critical.

In August 1994 I had an EA82 that was factory fresh. I want to experience something like that once again.

Note the darkness in the cam towers below. It wasn't like this 43K ago in 2006. I had switched from 3000 mile oil changes to 6K synthetic. Never again. Yuck. Keep it organized Note the clear spots on the pistons in the image below. That is a tell tale sign of a head gasket leaking. The steam from the coolant washes off the piston.

On May 8 I finally got off my rear end and began the process of disconnecting things. I did this same procedure in 2006 when I did the timing belts. It always makes my stomach uneasy after looking at all the belts, hoses taken apart wondering if I can really get it all together and working again. But out the engine must come. Look ma, no engine: After taking the engine out, I felt the pilot bearing I had put in 43K ago. It felt wobbly like something had gone wrong. I cannot just sweep a known issue under the rug, so I looked at what might have caused that problem. Turns out there is a bearing on the input shaft of the transmission that can get loose over time and destroy pilot bearings. By junker standards the bearing may have been useable if one is the sort who drives their cars into the ground. I am not that sort. So of course that meant: Yep, the transmission had to come out too! Then the engine dis assembly process began. Timing covers are first to go. Next, a post mortem on the oil leaks: At this point I wasn't even sure if the head gaskets were an issue. The engine never overheated. Luckily I thought ahead and put UV dye into the oil. I had driven it for 50 miles after that before I parked it for the procedure. So any leaks should show uder UV light. These tests confirmed indeed the head gasket had failed and was leaking oil. The engine would have to come apart to the block.

In August 1994 I purchased the Loyale with the help of a dear friend. In October of 2013 she moved back East to retire and be with her daughter. It was in December of last year that I had the idea for the trip. I even made some of the reservations in January for Yellowstone. I then spent the next 4 months driving long trips to get the mileage to 160,000 miles. On May 7, 2014 I washed the patient in preparation for the procedure: Note: I also went ahead and grabbed the custom license plate in honor of 20 years. I also took pictures of the engine and how it looked so I could reference it upon reassembly: Note the oil on the passenger side subframe over the exhaust. It would drip onto the exhaust and leave a cloud of smoke whenever I stopped. I would powerwash it and about two days later ol' smokey would be smoking again. I thought of naming the car stinker.