heartless

Have tried several switches in this darn thing with the same results. At wits end right now....(read - I GIVE UP! :-p ) Snowman - How did you run the wires when you added in the seperate switch?????? And what type of switch did you use? We need to get this darn thing operational soon - the other half wants to be driving it instead of the gas hog pickup truck, but he really would like the window to work somehow! Hard to hit up micky D's when the window dont work!!

Ok, I did a search for this but didnt find anything useful for my specific problem. Car - 88 GL wagon, DR 4wd, 5 speed... Problem - Drivers window does not work at all. Also, no power door locks either.... Have checked - Replaced the relay unit under passenger seat (all windows quit working at one point. Fuse is good, all windows but the drivers window work fine right now...pulled the switch apart and cleaned the contacts (didnt look that bad, but cleaned em anyway) re-lubed the little roller wheels, etc...put it back together, still no drivers window. Unplugged the motor and ran jumper wires direct from battery to test the motor...it works fine, goes up, goes down. but will not work from door switch. There is full power going to the switch module - tested with multimeter. As I said, everything BUT the drivers window works fine. When operating the switch, it should show ? volts on a meter? currently it only shows about .04 volts in either direction - this isnt near enough right? Any suggestions on fixing this would be GREATLY appreciated. Would also consider putting in a seperate switch for this window if need be....just need to know how to wire the darn thing. Thanks in advance

no official "classes" but 11 years of over the road truck driving in all conditions, and plenty of winter driving in Michigan, where I grew up, and Wisconsin, where I live now....driving all sorts of different vehicles - fwd and rwd. over all, I think I am a fairly good driver, but there is always room for improvement. I do push my Soob, and myself, when it is relatively safe to do so....practice makes perfect, right?

I cant believe all you guys missed one small but important step!!! before putting the new filter on, smear the rubber gasket at the top of the new filter with clean oil!! u will be sure to seat the new filter properly this way. and please do not over tighten the new filter! geez, come on guys, where's ur heads!!!

I had a similar problem with my 89 wagon, and mine is definitely the dimmer switch...pulled it out and the coil is burnt out. It may be the dimmer you replaced is no good as well. My solution, since I couldnt get my hands on a working dimmer, was to pick up four large size (top of lens is about 1/2 inch across) 12v led's from radio shack, and mount them along the lower edge of the instrumant cluster, wired in to the light system so they come on with the headlights, etc. They work great! and I can see everything fine with no real glare - I did run a strip of black electrical tape on the inside bottom edge of the clear dust cover so I am not looking directly at the lights - makes a difference. Just an alternative for ya if you cant get them working....

well, my heater core replacement has been put on hold for the time being... Turns out the other half failed to mention to me the waterpump on his car has been failing for some time, not a thermostat problem after all. soooo, it has become more important to get his backup car up and running to take the place of the poor old worn out taurus. His backup is an 88 GL wagon dual range 4whl drive. ( I am sooooo jealous! :-p ) The biggest problem with this one is the power windows and door locks do not work...have started trying to find the problem - got the passenger seat out to gain access to the relays and all - just havent managed to find the problem just yet. Plan on doing the timing belts and oil seals right away...what else should I be looking at in that area??? I know to check the tensioners carefully, but anything else??? huh, high jacking my own post!!! gotta love that!!

I have had the instrument panel out a couple times without removing the steering wheel - trying to get dash lights. it takes a little wiggling, but it does come out relatively easily. Just have to drop the wheel all the way down. Moosens - when did you plan on doing yours???? It is supposed to get pretty darn cold here for the next week or so possibly longer (single digits and below)

oh, come on!! bite the bullet and rip into her!!! I got a new heater core for $72 and change from Advance Auto and plan on doing mine very soon, and I have never attempted something this involved yet....if you want to, bring it on over and we can compare notes as we go!!! I am only about 3 1/2 hours from the cities, and I do have a large garage available, altho the only heat is a portable kerosene heater...better than nothing tho.

not real sure about changing bulb colors, as my stock dash lights dont work at all, but here is how you take the instrument cluster off... with a small flat blade screwdriver, gently pry up the defrost, and off buttons on the right side (heater controls), underneath you will find phillips screws - same procedure on the left side. You will also need to gently pry off the fan control knob on the right, and on mine (89) the emergency flasher button on the left (not sure if the earlier versions had the same button or not). Lower your steering wheel all the way down and carfully wiggle the panel loose, at this time you will need to get your hand in behind the panel to disconnect the speedo cable - tach is electric on mine so nothing to disconnect, not sure on older models tho... speedo cable is threaded on, kinda like a coax cable for cb antenna. Once you get that loose you will be able to move the panel out some more and disconnect misc wires that run to other lights and such, simple plug connectors....You will probably need to do a little wiggleing with the steering wheel and panel, but it will come out. The back side of the instrument cluster is a circuit board....have fun! As I said, my stock dash lights dont work at all (bad dimmer switch), so I wired in some large green LED's mounted at the lower edge of the guage cluster inside the dust cover so they dont glare, works great! they are wired into the light system so go on and off with my headlights. They are also availlable in red or amber from radio shack - wish they had blue, but no go there.

ok, i go pick up my heater core saturday morning, they called me tonight and said it was in. Toybuilder - you said 6 hours start to finish? Hmmm, probably at least eight for me!!! LOL Does one really need to remove the steering wheel to do this?? Or can i get the dash out with out taking it off? I can see why removing the seats would be helpful - more room to work. just had a thought, maybe I should see about getting the bushings for the shifter and take care of that while I have it down! Anyway, want to thank everybody for the info and encouragement. maybe i should take pics as I go for a repair write up - what do ya'll think? I have a little digital camera, would be easy enough to snap a few as I go, if anyone thinks this would be useful. Also sounds like we have a failed thermostat on my guy's car - no heat inside and engine is overheating. If it isnt one thing, it's another!

hey moosens, I am not gonna give up that easy either...I managed to do the timing belts ok - first real work I did on my lil subie! My biggest problem is this is my daily driver, so cant afford to have it down for too long - especially since I am still looking for work!! Most I can afford to have it down is two days - one to take apart and one to put back together. :-p I have had the dash partially apart a couple of times working on dashlights, and putting in a new stereo, so am somewhat familiar with parts of it anyway...have even had the glovebox out, forget what for... My only other running vehicle is my 1967 F-250, nearly perfect, and I refuse to get it out in the winter - it has never seen salt and not going to let it see it now! My Sube, too, has been very good to me, and is still a great running car considering I only paid $150 for it two years ago. May not be the prettiest thing on the road, but has been very dependable and versatile. got a look at the hoses going into the heater core this afternoon and could not see any moisture anywhere around them, no drips underneath either, and this was after it was warmed up and heat going full blast. it does have the original clamps on it as far as i can tell. Soooo....moosens, keep the info coming!! and a pic or two might be helpful if you have a digital camera... (if not, dont worry about it!)

Idj - not working on a brat, altho from what I understand the method you described would be easier.... Snowstormer, thanks for the good wishes, I may be in need of them!! Will be taking a thourough look at her in the next day or two - everybody keep your fingers crossed for me that it is just a bad hose or failed clamp!

you guys are scaring me on this one!! now I am kinda bummed...knew it wasnt gonna be easy, but geez.... I did find a new core at our new Advance auto parts, will be in by friday....even if I dont use it right away, will be nice to have on hand for future. Wasnt all that expensive either - $72 and change...was quoted $211 at Car Quest, and the closest he could find was in northguy's country!! I will definitely be checking the hoses and clamps carefully before I go any further on this one....maybe I will get lucky! (and yes it does have mostly original clamps, save the couple I have replaced up front. But would leaking under the hood still cause that darn smell? the rattles and squeaks wouldnt bother me that much, just turn up the stereo!!! Say what you want about Ford motor company, but my last car was a 77 Lincoln Mark V, and the heater core was super easy to change on it - there was an access panel under the hood, about 8 small bolts and it was free! Sometimes I really miss that old beast - died of cancer, but became an organ donor for another project! anyway, thanks for the input guys ps: sweet - I cant afford to sell my Subie!!! Not that I would even if I could afford to! no job is making things tuff all around.

I think my heater core may be leaking and want to know how involved it is to replace it. I dont have 'foggy' windows or moisture on the floorboards - yet - but there is a definite sweetish odor and the coolant level goes down a little over time. Still getting good heat, but the smell is getting to me. :eh: so here goes with the q's: 1. Can i get a replacement at any parts store easily? 2. Any ideas on cost of said replacement - ballpark figure ok 3. is there anything else i should be replacing in the process? 4. How involved is this project? ie what do I have to dismantle to get to it? 5. about how long should this take once i have all the needed parts? not a certified mechanic, but know my way around a socket set, and I do have a garage to do this out of the weather (with a portable heater) Car is an 89 GL wagon, 2wd, 5 spd. I did do a search for this but it didnt come back with much... thanks in advance guys

Geez, mine doesnt even come close to some of these, BUT - does make me feel good that it will last a Long time with the proper care and maintenance!!! 89 GL Wagon, 2wd, 5 spd - 179k btw - get an average of 28 mpg country and town driving...not much for freeways around here!! but lots of county roads and half an hour to town!

LOL Looks like a santa car to me!!! Very cute.

Congrats on passing, Craig! Looks like she passed with flying colors too. I'm just glad Wisconsin doesnt require emissions testing....yet. I can get away with a lot of stuff that way!!

Him being in Oregon, he might get six to nine months outta that flex pipe....maybe a little more...they dont use the salt there like we have in MN and WI. But flex pipe will definitly not last nearly as long as solid pipe. Run it while it lasts, Jon, but would be thinking about how you can upgrade it and gather whatever you need before it falls apart on ya. I have a cherry bomb on my 89 GL wagon, and it is a little on the loud side when I get on it and when downshifting (gets that rumble/crackle thing going on downshift ), but normal cruising speed and idle it is barely noticeable, altho i do still have the cat in it, sits right at the junction of the Y pipe.

How much are they wanting for those models?

I would be intersted in the wiring details too, as I am going to be doing pretty much the same thing as the_bard...reverse turbo swap. I know the turbo motor in mine is toast, and besides, it is missing some pretty important parts! but have two spfi motors available for transplant. I have a complete donor car available, but not 100% sure what all I need to change over besides the ecu...would it be easier to swap the entire dash out? Not real keen on digital dashes anyway... more details please!!

COOL!! Hey nomad, what year(s)/make(s) mazda wheels are you using?? are these the same lug pattern as the toyotas? (figuring yes, but never hurts to ask) would be great to have more options!!

I know several of you have made the conversion to toyota 6 lugs on your brats, but I am wondering if this conversion would be doable on an EA82 4wd wagon as well? Would certainly make finding different wheels much easier for me! Thanks in advance.

Mine does this as well...I considerit to be normal since it kicks itself down after reaching operating temp...warm weather here is from mid April to about mid Sept.

Thanks for all the great info, subarubrat!! so many options, so little cash right now!!!

Most Definitly! It does need some cleaning up, but since the blower motor resistor thing is a common problem, there needs to be some kind of reference (and alternatives?) for fixing it. Being in an area that is more or less devoid of old Subies in junkyards, or old subies in general, and the nearest dealer is hours away, i have a real problem getting some parts for my car - usable blower motor resistors being just one! ah well, it could be worse, at least i still have 3 and 4!!