Need help please; 1992 Subaru Loyale Wagon w/various issues

[Helios 1]

O...k...so here's another question. Even without the rear driveline in, the 4WD light on the dash is still on. Ideas?

[SmashedGlass]

Because the transfer in the transmission is what engages the 4wd, regardless of whether or not you still have a drive shaft hooked up to it. Sensor is in the tranny.

 

[Helios 1]

Oh...ok. I see. That being said, if the sensor still thinks it's in 4WD, but the car is driving in FWD, where will my gas mileage sit?

[NorthWet]

Gas mileage is really not related to FWD/4WD in these Subarus.  The big mileage hit is in the extra weight.

 

So... to straighten things out a bit, your transmission/transfer-case is still in 4WD, and the sensor is reporting this.  But, since you have no driveline to the rear wheels, being stuck in 4WD is not an issue.  You should still crawl under the passenger side of the car and find where the 4WD engagement cable attaches to its tranny-lever, and see if you can move that lever.

[Helios 1]

That clears quite a bit up. Thanks NW. Now to locate that lever...which should be interesting since I had issues trying to find the lever last time I had the car jacked up. Now I need to locate a jack and make sure one side of the car is clearing tires off the ground. Wound up returning the bottle jack I got from OReillys since the maximum lift wasn't that great. That or it was operator error. Gotta love O/E.

 

Loss of power and jerking while driving is driving me nuts, but I have to wait for resources before I can get the parts I need anyways. I gave it some thought last night and I'm tempted to make my own "EctoMobile" (Ghostbusters) wagon once I have the resources, time, and ideas for it down. That would be pretty cool IMO.

Edited July 18, 2013 by Helios 1

[NorthWet]

Did your wagon not come with a jack?  There are 3 storage areas under the carpet in the back of the wagon:  One behind each rear wheel, and one across the back just inside of the hatch.  The jack, handle, lug-wrench and tool-kit bag should be tucked into one of them.  The jack is to be placed on the body's rocker-panel seam where there are semi-circular cutouts (one behind the front wheel, and one ahead of the rear wheel).

[Helios 1]

I found the rocker panel seams already and the middle area near the hatch, but didn't know there was two more. Also, what's the safest RPMs you can get these Subis up to before the engine gets too hot and causes damage? Not counting the red line areas of course.

[MilesFox]

Talent minus the driving force huh? That's unfortunate. Your film could portray you as a modern day Steve McQueen-esque type.

 

I'll try that on the car. The rear driveline appears symmetrical so perhaps I can just put it back in myself. It's just a metal shaft and like 8 retaining bolts, not rocket science, yea?

 

You talked about baja'ing on your Fox pages and such. Is there certain things you wouldn't try again in a Subi?

I only wouldn't to stay out of trouble (not get arrested, etc) but not that i was afraid of breaking the car. 

[MilesFox]

I found the rocker panel seams already and the middle area near the hatch, but didn't know there was two more. Also, what's the safest RPMs you can get these Subis up to before the engine gets too hot and causes damage? Not counting the red line areas of course.

Rev it up as much as you like. She will only get too hot ifther eis a problem with the gooling system, at any rpm.

 

The engine cruises best between 2500 and 3500 rpm. 3500 rpm is expected at highway speed. She really comes alive if you let her rev out to 4500-5500 when accelerating.

 

If you find yourself driving at 15oo rpm, short shifting, bogging and lugging, you will get worse performance and fuel economy and complain how show your car is.

[SmashedGlass]

Pick up one of those cheap (~$30) floor jacks from Walmart or Harbor Freight, with at least a 17" lifting height. And for safety, a jack stand or two and maybe some wheel chocks (for when you jack the front end up). I wouldn't work under any vehicle relying on just the hydro jack alone, and particularly a bottle jack. Bonus is that most of the smaller floor jacks will fit in the compartment in the cargo area.

Edited July 18, 2013 by SmashedGlass

[Helios 1]

I only wouldn't to stay out of trouble (not get arrested, etc) but not that i was afraid of breaking the car. 

 

Yea, the law can be fickle. Here in Oak Harbor there's plenty of orney sailors and the towns folk tweakers so the cops tend to keep busy enough, especially since there's a retirement community here too. People here tend to call the police on almost anything. I should know, they called on me a few times just because I hopped a curb by accident when taking a turn too wide.

 

I used to use my 2WD Ramcharger to go explore before I sold it. The Subaru will hopefully be "quick like a bunny" once it's tuned and fixed.

 

Rev it up as much as you like. She will only get too hot ifther eis a problem with the gooling system, at any rpm.

 

The engine cruises best between 2500 and 3500 rpm. 3500 rpm is expected at highway speed. She really comes alive if you let her rev out to 4500-5500 when accelerating.

 

If you find yourself driving at 15oo rpm, short shifting, bogging and lugging, you will get worse performance and fuel economy and complain how show your car is.

 

Yea, I'm slowly realizing this when I test drive it to diagnose issues. Apparently, it likes the revving.

 

Pick up one of those cheap (~$30) floor jacks from Walmart or Harbor Freight, with at least a 17" lifting height. And for safety, a jack stand or two and maybe some wheel chocks (for when you jack the front end up). I wouldn't work under any vehicle relying on just the hydro jack alone, and particularly a bottle jack. Bonus is that most of the smaller floor jacks will fit in the compartment in the cargo area.

 

Yea, I realized from personal experience that bottle jacks work, but well enough to perhaps change a tire. The one I had bought/returned a week ago didn't go high enough and realizing this thin metal pole was supporting a 2500 lb car didn't put my mind at ease. I prefer scissor/floor jacks myself. Scissor jacks when I don't have any place to stow the floor jack.

 

Here's another issue I forgot to address in my original post (seems these things slip the mind unless in the car), I can't get the car to go above 35mph without engaging the clutch and seriously revving then disengaging the clutch and accelerating again to use the higher RPMs as momentum. Even then, I may be lucky to see 45MPG. Compression issues perhaps? Keep in mind the distributor cap/rotor, plug wires, plugs, fuel filter, and air filter are all new.

Edited July 18, 2013 by Helios 1

[NorthWet]

Have you checked the ignition timing yet?  Don't look for exotic causes until the basics are known right.  If you don't have a timing light, and if your body doesn't or he is unavailable, quite often parts stores will "loan" tools (like timing lights) to their customers.  (The "loan" usually takes the form of them selling you their loaner tool and you returning it within a timing period, like 48-72 hours.)

 

Ignition timing is important, and easily gotten wrong by someone not familiar with Subarus or computer-controlled ignition.

 

It would also be nice to verify that the timing-belts are timed properly.  This is a bit of a pain, since you need to remove the belt covers on the heads:  This is sometimes made a problem because the bolts that hold them on tend to seize in the brass nut-inserts in the plastic back cover, causing the insert to spin when you turn the bolts.

 

BTW, did you find your scissors jack under the cargo area?

Edited July 18, 2013 by NorthWet

[Helios 1]

Ignition timing probably has a lot to do with the loss of power. My local auto parts stores sells timing lights, but the cheapest is $115 and they don't loan out timing lights apparently. I haven't tried NAPA, Autozone, or the little auto parts tore by Les Schwab here in town yet though. Last time I was in NAPA, they seemed dull and disorganized. Autozone was rude. The little shop was cool about everything, but had a limited inventory due to limited shop space. Good guys though.

 

I didn't find the scissor jack so I assume someone swiped it already. I did however find the compartments above the wheels. Clever. If all else fails, I'm just going to wait a few weeks for me and my buddy to go gung go and fix everything up on my Subaru and Ramcharger.

[Helios 1]

Well folks, I have a recap...

 

...after literally just having taken the wagon out for another test spin, I've confirmed a few matters.

 

First of all, I managed to achieve 55 MPG, but not much more seeing as how as soon as i hit an incline going up, I slowed down quickly...foot flooring the gas pedal mind you...so no time travel yet (c'mon 88MPG).

 

Second, between the loss of power and backfiring, I'm heavily leaning towards ignition timing issues as was previously pointed out.

 

Third, this car likes to rev and take off when possible. Between certain shifts, my tires were squeaking a bit, the same squeaking achieved from burnouts, abrupt stop, or otherwise. Friction. Perhaps this is due the timing.

 

Fourth, I discovered a set of UNOPENED brake pads in the right tire compartment so I'm assuming someone had the issue on mind, but never got around to it. Before I get too excited though, I'm going to check the part number online and see if it's the right pads. I say that because someone wound up buying the WRONG fuel filter...there was a fuel filter (unopened) in the car when I bought it.

 

So far I'm liking this car a little more each time I drive it. I'm sure once the timing is properly set, the brakes are redone, and my 4WD issue is resolved, I'll be having a blast.