SparkSVT Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Well im new here so I figured I would check in. I recently bought a 93 Loyale 4x4 wagon that has a true 31,500 miles on it. I love the car but found that it has a mouse nest in the heater system causing a BAD smell. I still have not addressed that problem yet. The car is in great shape and belonged to some crazy older woman who traded it in on a forrester. I noticed that the engine taps a little more than I would like and hesitates when the engine is cold. Its a fuel injected engine. The 4x4 works. I paid 1400 for the car. Can someone tell me if the tapping in the engine can be fixed? Is it a huge job? Also is getting into the heating sytem going to be hard to clean out the dead mice and mouse nests? Hay from the nest blows out when you turn on the blower motor, along with a foul smell. I think the nest is in the box where the temp control would be, when i switch from hot to cold it seems some sort of "flap" moves and thats where the nest is. whereever that flap is is where i think the nest is. Also I find that at 65 MPH on the highway im at 4,000 rpms or above. It has an automatic trans in it and im guessing there is no overdrive gear. It seems to be really reving at highway speed without an overdrive gear... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northguy Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Welcome to the board. Almost all subbies tap a bit. You might try sea foam or MMO in the oil for a couple hundred miles then change the oil. Mouse nest: yes, it will require a bit of disassembly to get to it. Best to get a repair manual before digging into it to assist you. Sounds like a good buy. You might check the condition of the ATF for the tranny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Regarding the transmission, do you have a 3-speed of 4-speed autoamatic. If it is the 3-speed then the engine speed is normal; and, except for maybe an increased noise level and fueld consumption, it is OK. The design of these engines ("short-stroke") is such that they are able to handle high-engine speeds for long periods of time and distance. As northguy said, the ticking might be cured or at least reduced by using various "cleaning" products. The ticking is from the hydraulic valve lash adjusters (aka HVLA or HLA) which tend to crud-up and not fully extend. It is not in itself harmful. The rodent nest seems to be a common problem with Subarus that have sat for a while. Someone said that it is because there is easy access through the base-of-windshield air intake; strategic placing of some screen may help future problems. There is also a writeup in our USRM (online repair manual) that discusses getting at the heater core, and it may be useful as background info. Welcome, and good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baccaruda Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 hi and welcome. regarding the heater: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=27537&highlight=heater+core don't forget the bleach BTW I tore my dash out to change the heater core (haven't gotten the new foam yet so it's still apart) and it really is this easy. you may not have to remove the center heater box with the actual core - depending on where the mouse set up shop - but you might anyway just to check out your core. low miles are nice but that doesn't affect the car's overall age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Welcome to the board! I'd think you could clean the insides of the duct work through the front of the vents by reaching in with a flexable cleaning/retreiving tool or dropping your heater blower motor and gaining access that way. A compressor and a long nozzle may blow that crap out? I'd be careful about breathing that crap too! Mouse droppings can contain the Haunta virus? Good Luck, Glenn 82 SubaruHummer 01 Forester Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyg41383 Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 I know your pain!! I had a mouse nest in my old 87 GL wagon. We just pulled the core apart and went at it with the vacuum. Then hit it with some sort of cleaner. Big improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkSVT Posted April 26, 2005 Author Share Posted April 26, 2005 Thanks for all your replys..yes the car is a 3 speed automatic. The mouse nest will be a challenge im sure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkSVT Posted May 9, 2005 Author Share Posted May 9, 2005 ok i allmost have my dash completely out and im becoming very concerned on whether or not ill ever get it back together. im disconnecting a million wiring harnesses and what not. all to get at this hvac system..am i going to be able to get this back together? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 Well, thats up to you. Dont wait to long to do it, you may forget. Almost all the plugs in there will only go one way, to one plug. Just take your time and try not to get frustrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooziewhatsit Posted May 10, 2005 Share Posted May 10, 2005 ok i allmost have my dash completely out and im becoming very concerned on whether or not ill ever get it back together. im disconnecting a million wiring harnesses and what not. all to get at this hvac system..am i going to be able to get this back together? I have the entire dash out of my new 85 t-wagon. It sat for at least 6 years and had some rodent take up residence. Once it stops snowing/hailing/raining here I'll put it back together. From what it looks like, if we take our time and aren't colorblind, it shouldn't be too hard to get everything back together. good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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