Skylar Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 hi my name is skylar from Washington ! just bought my first subaru. its an 88 Gl wagon with 220k 5sp. 4hi/low with power everything Bought it friday and it drove home great .. then the next day im on the freeway and it just dies :-\ towed it home, ive got spark, plenty of fuel going to carb. checked to see if the rotor was spinning while cranking over and it is. so now im stuck. any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 (edited) Check both fuel filters. There is the one under the hood(should be) and one mounted at the fuel pump under the car just behind the rear wheel on the passenger side. (assuming its a carb, 85-87) Good job checking the rotor, so we know it's not the timing belt(has spark) Wgen you say carb, are you referring to the throttle body? (SPFI for 1988 and up, SPFI has one fuel filter under the hood) There are a pair of green connectors on the strut tower for diagnostic purposes. these remain uplugged for normal operation. when plugged in, the fuel pump will cycle every 2 seconds. The fuel pump relay is located directly above the steering column behind the kick panel. The fuel pump relay is brown, the ignition relay is green. Check fuse #5 (horn/hazard/clock) as this supplies a 12v constant to the ECU Check the fuse links under the hood in the little black cover next to the battery cable. Does the car start with starting fluid? 220 thousand miles is enough for some work to be warranted, but there is also another 100,000 miles of life left in the engine if everything is current with maintenance. So you have spark, and the rotor is turning. Make sure the rotor is not loose, as there is a small screw that secures it in place, and if the screw fell out, the rotor will not be in the right position. watch the subaru maintenance videos to go through the timing sequences to be sure the rotor is in the right direction Edited November 14, 2011 by MilesFox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 yes theres one fuel filter that under the hood. im gonna replace that today. and yea i guess id be talking about the throttle body ? i was reading something about fuse #5 and i havent gotten out there to look at it. will be in the hour or so. it didnt come with a manual so im not sure how to locate it. does it just have a 5 on it LOL ? and no i sprayed i little bit in there and it wants to start. if i press on the gas a couple times it backfires out of the carb ? and yea im plannin on doing some work to it. i have a bunch of receipts for stuff hes done to it like timing belts, clutch kit, hoses etc. i believe the timing belt doesnt even have 20,000 on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Fuse 5 is in the fuse panel under the dash. the fuses are illustrated on the cover which # and its circuit. Does this car have an aftermarket radio? (fuse 5 supplies the green wire to the radio, which could have shorted if the install has bare wiring) If its backfiring out of the throttle, the timing could be off (loose rotor) I had a car break down, walked home, and waited 2 months to check the timing belts. Turns out is was a loose rotor the whole time; it can and does happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 okay ill check that out. the fuse cover wasnt on there but i just found it in the back lol it has a 2 little 6" speakers in the front doors and a cd player nothing special and yeah i was thinking the timing might be off too. i was looking at the distributor and it looks like whoever changed it last torqued a bolt down to tight and snapped it. the one where it holds in place im gonna do a cap/rotor and fuel filter today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 So i didnt even see those last 2 sentences about the screw holding rotor in place until now LOL when i popped the cap off yesterday there was a small screw just laying there. and i just went out there and my rotor turns freely so im pretty sure that screw is the one that holds it in place. thanks for your help ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 :clap::clap::clap::clap: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 so bad news is my timing is off. i watched that video on youtube. when i put the rotor on, its not facing towards the master cylinder. its facing down towards the front of the car :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted November 14, 2011 Share Posted November 14, 2011 make sure you are not on the exhaust stroke. if you rotate 180 again to the o mark, it should be pointing at the master cylinder. the screw that holds the disty should be just off the midddle of the slot. this would not have moved while driving, unless it was installed wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 How do you rotate it ? I'm not too mechanically inclined :/ and I don't want to ruin anything on the motor . Is it hard to get it back to the right position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Heres how it sits now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted November 15, 2011 Share Posted November 15, 2011 It should be pointing to the right of the other cap screw hole. What mark are you using on the flywheel? the passenger side cam dot will be pointing at the hard edge of the valve cover when it is at #1 tdc. (you would have to remove the belt covers to see this) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 sorry for not getting back to ya. had my buddys dad stop by and he moved it another 180 for me and i i screwed it back in and fired right up ! :] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Here are some pics of my soob everyone ! The night i brought it home: Day after: And how it sits today: Since i've had it i've found a matching stock rim for the front, brand new all season tires. Replaced the oil/filter, trans fluid, fuel filter. reverse light and a fog light. If anybody has a drivers side blinker lens for the bumper for sale let me know! its the only other thing that needs fixed besides oil leaks and choke work :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subruise Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 nice rack! and welcome. if you ever need any hands on help with that thing im up in parkland, so not too far from ya. i just escaped appartment life and got a REAL garage. i drive two EA82s and have a bunch of spare crap. RV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 lol thanks ! i actually just sold that rack :/ i kinda wish i didnt but i needed money for a snowboard rack, which i got . and i actually do need some hands on help. i'd like to fix the oil leaks on this thing, im gonna be driving it alot this winter ... and if ya got any spare drivers side blinker lens for the bumper for sale I'd be interested in purchasing one. thanks ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indrid cold Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 congrats on your new wagon and official first fix-bonding experience.. more to come and you will learn alot. I had an 88 wagon and they are alot of fun.... and yours looks sharp. I love these for kids cars (had my son in one for a year or so)... no major power, traction and it teaches you defensive driving and you can work on them with out doing any major damage and parts are somewhat cheap!!! Just a suggestion, if getting tow's home are diffecult and you plan alot of road trips etc.. I am sold on the AAA-extended tow card.. that way your dad doesn't have to come running should it have a hick-up... but I have gone years on my roo's with not a problem... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Welcome to the Board and congrats on the wagon. You'll be able to find a left blinker assembly at Pick n Pull in Tacoma (closest yard to you). If they don't have one today, they'll get one in soon. Try the check inventory link at www.picknpull.com/. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Thanks edrach. These forums are SO helpful . And yeah I called them last week but they didn't have any. Gonna call them again soon . And hey do you know if that emissions guy you mentioned in another post is still in business. The wagon failed emissions yesterday :/ don't really want to go spend the min. 150 at a shop for them to tell me nothing . Thanks ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Thanks edrach. These forums are SO helpful . And yeah I called them last week but they didn't have any. Gonna call them again soon . And hey do you know if that emissions guy you mentioned in another post is still in business. The wagon failed emissions yesterday :/ don't really want to go spend the min. 150 at a shop for them to tell me nothing . Thanks !I haven't been down there recently, but I think he's still in business. He parks his van in a side street just south of the State emissions place on 6th avenue south in Seattle. He's generally not there on Mondays since he works on Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skylar Posted November 26, 2011 Author Share Posted November 26, 2011 So I ended up taking it to the shop, found out I had a bad cat and it was hollow MAF was also really dirty and the o2 sensor was unplugged, which was why my check engine light was on . It passed emissions great this time ! Idles a little high still, had to turn defrost on blast at emissions place to pass .. Any ideas on how to bring that down or is it normal ? Sometimes after I've been driving and its warmed when I go to start it again the rpm needle bounces up and down for a bit between 1000-1500 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Just a suggestion, if getting tow's home are diffecult and you plan alot of road trips etc.. I am sold on the AAA-extended tow card.. that way your dad doesn't have to come running should it have a hick-up... but I have gone years on my roo's with not a problem...+1 on the AAA. Get the Plus which tows you free up to 100 miles (I hear a rumor that there's a 200 mile version now also). When all three of my kids were driving, we used up the 5 free tows almost every year. Now that they are moved out, I hardly ever use it; but it came in handy last week coming back from Portland when the Forester started to overheat. Glad to hear it passed emissions. Only one more pass needed in 2013 and after that your car is exempt since it's over 25 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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