PictureChasers

3 cylinders? Sounds about right for me? That sucks for him though! Electrical problems. Yet another reason why we buy old vehicles. I carry enough to wire arrrooouuunnddd wiring problems, then keep driving! My wife & I made the mistake of buying an 86 Range Rover couple of years ago. After the second time it's computer said "tow me home to my mommy" (400km away), we sold it at a $7,000 loss (still paying) and decided to impose a 1 computer limit on all future vehicles. I already have a spare computer for my Justy, and they're $25 on EBay! Our 1976 RV only has 1 ignition box & no computers. Our 1959 MCI MC-1 Motor Coach (Serial #560) was made before VIN numbers were mandatory and certainly before cars had computers. I think computers were bigger than my bus in 1959? Our Detroit 4-71 supercharged engine (121HP) is so simple it can actually run backwards. I did it once accidentally and it was not pleasant, nor did it want to shut off. I LOVE our bus wiring! There is a fat wire, often with a label to and from everything. If it meets another wire it's inside a junction box with both wires attatched to a screwed terminal. So obvious even I can follow it. Wiring style is identical to WWII bomber wiring. Our battery cables are #00 for 2 * 8D batteries. Bus weighs 24,000lbs and only has 4 cylinders. Why do cars need more than 3? ;-)

You mean this little guy? I talked with the co-driver of this car Richard Lynch this summer at the PNE in Vancouver. I can't recall the tire details, but they use a stock or very close sized tire. I was looking to fill the wheel wells for some extra offroad clearance. For people looking for 15" and I think he had 14" contact Patrick at Rocket Rally Racing in Squamish BC. Patrick told me he has his back wall of garage covered in used rally tires, but no 13" of course. I am planning to go see their new AWD chassis dyno, they claim the best in Western Canada, eh? http://www.rocketrally.com/ I could not make it to photograph PFR. What happened to Partick Robert, PFR results say "retired"?

I'm 100% on the earliers. I have been doing almost nothing for the last week except for designing my PVC garage & doing Justy research. After realizing that I must become my own "expert" to keep 2 HIGH use cars running, I am trying to learn all that I can about Justy's, much of it deciphered from "folklore". I'm not sure about 95's but believe they were never sold in Canada or USA. I am certain that the 88-94's had little or nothing in common with Suzuki's. The 96's forward even LOOK exactly like a Suzuki. They are most certainly rebadged Suzuki's. I have no plans to adopt any Susuki parts, though I DO plan to select a car to adapt suspension parts from.

I dont think that will be a bolt on, and I have no desire to throw MORE weird stuff in here :-) To my knowledge the 95's and up are made by Suzuki, but 94 and previous have nothing in common. Thanks

Tire size update for Justy's After finding NO 13" used rally tires, and learning that size range around 165/65-13 is almost impossible to find a decent tire, we scored a deal on some spring closeout Firestone full winters from Kal-Tire in Lacombe Alberta. We bought 5 & studded them. They work so good we bought 7 more! Now I rotate 6 studs for winter, and have 6 fresh winters for summer fun! My 91 Justy likes 175/75-13 with some very light trimming. Had to trim mostly in front of rear wheels. I notched out the bottom rib where the jack grabs, then cut off only a small but of rear quarter panel up to the wheel tub. They are tight but do not rub on INSIDE of wheel in front of real wheels. I know many use a BFH to fix this but I like my 4 wheel alignment the way it is. They rarely rub on plastic tubs in front wheel wells. Some say to remove them, some say no way to protect air intake. I am undecided... My wife's 93 Justy GL doesnt like anything except stock 155/65-13 which usually suck, but not stick. That spot on inner rear wheel is tighter on her car, but could be small difference in rims or I guess just the way the 2 different tire brands actually sit on rim. I LOVE my 175/75-13 Firestone studs. Staying with this size for a year or so until I get to a 2" (safe) complete body lift, and whatever I can manage to rework in suspension lift.

Sent an email to Standard for price on crankshaft, thanks. CCR doesnt do Justy engines. I found a guy in Oregon today who rebuilds oil pumps to factory spec. That and a SW guage should prevent any oil issues. I am seeking a dreveable beater in BC while I rebuild mine, found 2 but both knock, bummer!

Can anyone provide a parts list for Justy engine, preferably with part numbers. Prefer 1990 fuel injected, 5 spd AWD.

Actually I had thought they were both Landies, was surprised to realize it was a Rangie. I read a detailed account, they didn't really drive, more like hire 17 natives to muscle the car along. They talked about being left by one tribe, and the neighboring tribe would not help them, cause the tribes are hostile. The attempt previous went thru a large Columbian/Panama National park where a corrupt official tried to get a bribe, they said no. The official claimed their Range Rover as his own, and told them to walk out, or remain in the mud forever near the Rangie. One member was killed in an unrelated incident. This expedition avoided that park, making the trip much harder. We have been planning this trip forever, practicing RV life, selecting the right vehicles. I am so glad we found the Justy's, when they run they are exactly what we want.

No short blocks in North America nor crankshafts. Checking in Japan as we speak for both. We had found 2 short blocks last spring, but we were already in the middle of rebuild. Our Canadian Subaru dealer had found none, but we later checked in the US. The short blocks and crankshafts we found last spring are now gone. Crank was already .020" over last time, so I suspect it will be toast this time. I would prefer a new or beter condition crank this time. I dont have VIN handy as car is still 500 miles away. It's a 90 Fun Justy, Fuel Injected 5 spd AWD. General consensus is that it was the slightly bent & resized rod. Though there are MANY things I will do different this time. There is a guy named Ron in Oregon who rebuilds oil pumps and tests to exact OEM spec. You bet he's gonna see my oil pump!

Very cool article, of course RPM has no listings for a Justy... OK balanced it is, and likely blueprinted. I am now leaning towards the rods as failure point myself after that article. Would like to say it's Subaru's fault as they should have recommend new rods, instead of resizing. Really though, I suppose it's MY fault for letting Subaru do it in the first place. I was afraid of this creepy little engine, I admit it. Now that the dealer rebuilt engine has spun bearing after only 5 months, I don't suppose I could do that much worse on my own. So WHERE should I buy all these hard to find parts for complete rebuild? I think we will replace pistons, rods & all with NEW if we can find them. Seeking NEW crankshaft if I can find one. Anyone have a part number list for Justy engine? I am already on the phone this AM! My head is likely perfect, but will remove and send back to machine shop. Will also send them block this time. Have been waiting for perfect reason to buy a GOOD torque wrench. Any suggestions on best bang for buck between $50-$150USD in Canada or US?

This place is a speed shop. Oroville & Omak have a big oval track community, and Paul's builds many of the race engines. There are only 3 crank grinders within 150 miles, these guys have the best crank grinder and most experience of the 3. I watched them work, and they are VERY good. They were concerned about balancing cause the rods are so skimpy already, I doubt they have ever done a Justy before. What is blue printing I forget, detailed balancing? There was a guy on ebay claiming he makes his engines with tighter tolerances than recommended, and the only condition is stringent breakin procedure. He says motors normally are built loose so that they can be run by joe public right away. What about making clearances tighter, and breaking in properly? His engine was bored, deck & line honed, but it's apparently gone. Any thoughts? One other thing is Subaru told me not to service the block cause it looked good, this time I think we will tank the block and have it checked. Our head looks spankin new as long as the glass beading has not left glass behind. My backyard Justy guy does not like the glass peened head, but it's milled, valves ground, new guides, and it's cleaner than new. Paul's does it for all their race engines, I think it's fine and am going to reuse head.

- 1 vote for glass peening, great - machine marks were still on pistons and cylinder walls, compression rings perfect, oil rings shot - I think I told dealer oil pump was new, had not considered at the time that the original spun bearing I know believe could kill the oil pump and the timing chain guide(is it plastic). I believe it was their duty to replace both pump & chain. I woiuld have approved if they suggested it. - Rod was shortened only 2 thousands of an inch, you have to resize the bearing race. Resizing was Subaru's idea, and it HAS to be shortened a tiny bit to resize. Not 20 thousands, but only 2. You never heard of destroking a rod? A JUSTY holds the land speed record in it's class at I believe 133MPH on the Salt Flats for a 1.2L destroked to 1.0L. - Mis sizing on a new engine? Am I correct in that if I carefully use Plastigage the old hot rodder way, that I should find most any machining or part mismatch? I dont believe Subaru uses it, and my back yard Justy expert doesn't, that's the main reason I am doing it myself! I have only had Justy's for 6 months, and learned everyting I know in that time, mostly on this board, THANKS everyone! Nipper your stashed 2WD Justy is a little far for me.

The rod was hardly visibly bent, it was resized which makes the bearing race perfect, but I suppose that the OUTSIDE of rod was still crooked & off balance. I had forgotten about seeing balancing in old hot rod magazines, I would do it myself on a v8, but will leave this one to the maching shop. How much could it be to balance 3 little piston/rods?

I am missing deep sockets, decent nut drivers and the odd everything. It's not just for the Justy, I also restore & maintain a 1 of a kind 50 year old motor coach. We have 2 DD Justy's, a DD Class C RV, and the bus parked for restoration so making minimal toolkits for each has left my red toolbox quite bare. Our old bus received about $32,000CDN damage when hit by a reckless driver at double the speed limit in 2003. Even though other driver recieved 3 charges and me none, the "good neighbor" has not yet come thru. It seems that I am now my own 20ton bodyman. Oh well, I became a budding diesel mechanic on the roadside. We have bought a some hydraulic toys for $150 and actually enjoyed getting our door at least street legal status. This old bus saved the life of my entire family(and likely the other driver), can't wait to make it right again! I inherited over $3,000 in Craftsman tools when I was 17 and they were ALL stolen a year later, I still miss them 20 years later. I worked as a brake press operator in metal shop around same time. This winter I am picking up a small hand brake press and pipe bender to relearn some of my old skills making a combo elephant rack/rooftop photo platform/land bridges. Welding is my last hurdle, seems I always want something welded, and the storefront welders dont want to weld anything automotive cause of liability. I can design & fab & prep, but have always depended on someone else to stick stuff together. I have 2 years to create an "Adventure Car" before we leave on a 45,000km journey, have been restoring the bus for 2 years already. My wife sacrifices big time and works 800km away from me to provide our expenses, and I work very long days as a photographer and bit of a programmer. She has another job interview this week in Calgary AB, and may soon be only 700km away, yippee!! We are now 3 years into our 5 year plan to leave debt free on a 3 year adventure of photography & fun! You would not want to see our spare parts list. My Justy has 12 new winter tires, 6 with studs, proposed to my wife while we were at Kal-Tire too, since our first date included Kal-Tire 3 years previous. Still seeking bargain 13" stock rims in BC & WA.

It's over $700CDN here (with jobber discount) for all parts for total rebuild from Subaru dealer, not including a crankshaft. Good used cranks are non existant here. I am looking at one this week, but since it's the weak spot we are seeking a new crank if possible. We travel 1,000km journeys every week or 2, so we need tight cars. We have already paid to completely rebuild this engine, and it still cooked, so we are taking no chances & replacing everything. This block has now spun bearings twice so it's not my favorite piece of metal. The rods were resized but we suspect there are at least 10 things that caused our failure in 5 month old engine. We had head planed, new valve stem seals and valve grind. I wanted heads polished but they are pretty much streamlined, they are not quite like an old dodge. We are installing a mechanical oil pressure guage this time since that seems to be the big issue with failures. A mechanic talked me out of it last engine, so this engine I am following my gut! Also I believe a second water temp guage is simple thru block heater hole. We changed our oil at 50km, 200km, 1,000km, and 2,000km, then every 2-3,000km with 20W-50W Castrol GTX or other brand name, Subaru oil filters. We check oil every fill and neither of our Justy's lose much. Our Subaru built one leaked a bit. Our Justy friend used aviation gasket cement on our stock Justy and it doesn't leak a drop. Our potential failure cause list, please comment as we are planning our new engine. Keep in mind that I trust the machine work at Paul's explicitly. I will likely take this new motor work there. Oil Pump - It was brand new so we didnt replace it, now I have learned that it was likely ruined when the original bearings packed it in Timing Chain set - Same thing, were brand new so we left them in, both on Subaru's advice Oil Pressure guage - Could have prevented failure I bet Sloppy assembly - Subaru waited for a month, then rushed to assemble it. Timing - was off 10.5 degrees Piston Rods - Were resized and de-stroked by .002 inches, my Justy expert cringed, but they were slightly bent Head glass beaded - I thought it was great idea, but my Justy friend again does not like glass beading, saying it's difficult to get all glass beads out. Heads were pressure washed afterwards in a spinning steaming machine with some solvent or something. These guys build many race car engines, so I think the glass beading was a good idea. Pistons - They looked fine, but I asked Subaru mechanic 3 times to order them, he talked me out of it. I just figured that they were only $150, on top of an job that cost over $2,000 with Subaru labor. Plug Wires - Original Subaru items were not replaced, our Bosch Platinum plugs had a burn mark on one of the wire ends, but the electrodes were beautiful Fuel pump or filter - We learned just before spun bearing that it was running lean, likely fuel pump or filter RPM - I drove for 9 hours at 120-140km/h, 4-4,500RPM, but everyone here says that with oil pressure that should be no problem. Temp guage ran at bottom third. Car packed it in a month later doing the speed limit Catalytic Converter - I do NOT think it was the Cat. This car hauled rump roast, I dont run them hard, but at high speeds where limits & safety permits. Crankshaft - turned nice at .020 inches (is that how you write 20 thou?), with Clevite bearings Plastigage - I suspect that Subaru doesn't have any Balance - Machine shop said it was not worth balancing, anyone balanced a Justy engine? Or other soobies? I dont want power, I want smooth reliability. Will it help, or make the parts TOO light/weak. Genuine concern for engine - This engine was built by a Subaru dealer trying to get us out of their hair, the next one will be hand built lovingly by me! Any other causes? Please post them but this is what I have learned so far... Any machine work advice GREATLY appreciated! I am not concerned with machine costs, I want the best engines possible within reason. Machining is cheap insurance in my opinion. Any other tips to improve LONGEVITY and RELIABILITY are very welcome on our journeys. I'm not sure about the turning up the oil pressure relief valve screw trick? I like the idea of an external oil filter, but I think maintaining pressure is more important on these little engines.