Gary Lewis

Don't know the other guys very well, but Dave/Franklin2 I know quite well. And he knows what he is talking about. I, personally, always use ported. It is what works for me, each and every time. Manifold will work pretty well on a manual transmission, but not very well on an auto. On an auto, if you set the idle speed in neutral it'll be too low in gear. If you set it in gear it'll be way too high in neutral or Park, and it'll bang into gear after you start. The issue is the amount of vacuum. You start the truck in Park and since there's no load there's lots of vacuum so the vacuum advance goes full tilt and speeds the engine way up. If you adjust that down via the idle stop screw and then drop it in gear the much lower idle in gear drops the vacuum, which reduces the advance, which reduces the RPM, which reduces the vacuum, which reduces the RPM, which.... So I gave up manifold vacuum years ago and use only ported. Works great on everything. I get a consistent idle, regardless of the transmission.

Good luck! And enjoy the summer. Reading today about how warm it is there. Yipes!

Me too, still trying to find a way to pick it up for this weekend, but it's hard due to the holiday weekend, everybody is using their trailers for their offroad toys. I'm too cheap for Uhaul and I would rather give the money to a friend, I give enough money to uhaultruckpartsonline (u-techcenter) as it is. You aren't paying them very much. Their prices are a steal! Wish I was close enough to help with my trailer.

Oh, ok. I guessed incorrectly. Anyway, waiting patiently to see what it is.

Got a bit more done on the A/C system today. Apparently leaving the flush in the evaporator overnight worked as today things poured out nicely. So I ran more flush through and blew it out several times, and it came out clean. Then I turned to the hoses. Ran flush through all of them as well. And then plugged them and cleaned the outside of them, one of which was gross. Got them cleaned up and then painted what I think is a muffler in one of the lines as it had been painted and was rusty. Here it is in the powder/paint booth: Next was the blower motor. I took a look at the squirrel cage on it and found it was filthy. So I pulled it and cleaned it. Lubed the motor just a bit, put it back together, and added self-adhesive foam weatherstrip as a gasket. Last, I added some foam to the evaporator and put it in the plenum, as shown below. But I still need to make a gasket, so I'm thinking I may paint, rather than spray, PAM on both surfaces as Jim suggested, line the joint with The Right Stuff, and put it together. Then I can trim the excess after it sets up and reasonably expect to be able to get it apart later if I need to do so. Thoughts?

Perhaps a retest is in order? Thanks, but no thanks. We've put 350 miles on it in two separate trips, and since I've done nothing to it since those trips that could have changed things I think I'll pass. Yesterday Janey asked "Can it make Charleston, SC?" My answer was "I believe that I could get it there. But I would watch the temp gauge like a hawk, and pull over immediately if the gauge started to waver, and I'd have to wait at least two hours before pulling the cap to top it up. And each and every morning I would make sure to top the radiator, not the overflow tank, up to full." What I didn't say was that they really should be sucking the excess coolant out of the expansion tank and placing it back in the radiator instead of just topping up the radiator. But I suppose that if they were topping up with a 50/50 mix of coolant they'd be ok just topping up and letting the expansion tank overflow. I need to take it in to have the oil & filter changed, which I'll do tomorrow. Monday was spent replacing the doughnut in the exhaust system, which was crumbling to powder, and discovering that the exhaust system, which is original, is hanging on by threads. I had to clean the flange to get as much of the old gasket off as possible, and found I could see through the flange in some places. So after a bunch of work I put it back together with a slight leak, but far better than it was. Anyway, I think I'm just about "there" with the Subie. Out of time and out of energy.

Gary doesn't. He is just speculating based on Shaun's statement of " I have plenty of experience with this vehicle, and know it's history over the last ten years."

I'll be anxious to see the plans - for both trucks. Which gets priority. What the engine plan is for the "new" one. Etc.

I think you are going in the right direction. If your alternator only puts out 63 amps you don't need to remove the ammeter as it is quite capable of handling that much current. I'd wire it as shown below. You will be removing the regulator on the fender and its associated wiring. However, the LG/R wire needs to go to the alternator to bootstrap it in when you turn the key - assuming your alternator has a provision for that as some just use the output wire to sense. But the ammeter wiring can be left alone, as shown.

Glad it is sorted. And you are right, the bypass hoses are a huge pain! (Reminds me - I have to put one on Big Blue. )

Why do I have a terrible suspicion I know what vehicle it is? I don't think it is a "terrible" suspicion. I think it is a "wonderful" suspicion. And if my hunch is right, Shaun is going to be one happy camper.

Dane - I'd not found that one. Thanks. Several takeaways from that. One is that the head gasket leak test is not reliable, so it is still possible it is a head gasket leak. But, we don't have some of the symptoms I'd expect, and they listed in that thread, of such a leak. And, if we did the cost of replacing the head gaskets is more then we'd want to spend on this car. Another is that the OP was losing coolant. But we aren't. If you keep it from overflowing the expansion tank, which it will do if you don't move it back after each long trip, you don't have to add coolant. It pushes some out but doesn't lose it. But there is also a difference. That guy was getting some of the coolant sucked back into the radiator. We aren't. There's still a pressure on the system the next morning - small, but enough to prevent it from sucking the coolant back in. Anyway, thanks for the link. And for looking for help. I'm still

The lady I spoke to, which may be his wife, said he quit his day job and started doing this full time a couple of years ago. But he told me that the covid virus has really done a number on his business, with more orders than he was prepared to handle. That's a good thing, but needs to figure out how to deal with it. Part of the problem is that he is relying on people ordering via the website, but what I want isn't listed since I needed only two of the items in a multi-item kit. And he isn't staffed to handle one-off requests. Anyway, he's a good guy.

Christian - I see what you are saying about the steering wheel. If the aftermarket wheel works but you want to use the original one, can you test it by placing electrical tape on the wheel? It wouldn't be a permanent fix, but it might prove you are onto something.

I visited their facilities in Munich a few years ago.

Here's all I can find from the MPC:

Just an update on this topic. I've had some problems communicating with James at Detroit Muscle Technologies. I'd called and left one message, gotten a call back and an assurance that he'd call the next day, an email from him saying he'd check on the availability for me and get back, and then two unanswered emails from me asking where things stand. So this morning I was about to give up and tell y'all that it is a waste of time. But I thought I'd give it one more shot and called. To my amazement James answered. When I told him why I called he said "They'll be in the mail today - at no cost. Please tell everyone that I'm not such a bad guy." Given that, I'm here to say "He's not such a bad guy!" He's apparently REALLY busy and needs a minder, but he isn't a bad guy.

Bill - Thanks, but there are no products of combustion in the coolant, so don't think it is head gasket. And we don't lose any coolant. It pushes it out to the expansion tank and if you bring it back the radiator is completely full. So I'm pretty sure there aren't any leaks. Besides, it sat for 7 hours at 15 psi and didn't lose any pressure. In fact, it'll sit over night and still have some pressure the next morning, which explains why it isn't pulling coolant back in. Just checked and today's extensive idling with the A/C on as well as a trip to town didn't push any coolant out. The temp gauge never bobbled. I'll check it again in the morning to see if it still has pressure on the system.

Actually there have been four caps in the last month: #1: The one that had been on for a looooong time. Probably a Stant as that's what I used to buy. May not have been bad as the car was exhibiting the same symptoms as it is now. #2: The bad Stant that the mechanic found bad when he ran out of other things to check #3: The new Stant that is now in the glove box. Gave the same symptoms as #1 and #2. #4: The Subaru cap, new as of yesterday, and gives the same symptoms So it isn't the cap. But I can't feel nor see anything wrong with the radiator's neck. And the caps seal fine up until the cap opens up, just as they should. They just don't let the coolant come back in. It is as if the engine isn't getting cool enough at night, and the cold water this morning didn't do it. Was just in the parts store and talked to DeWayne and he said his 7.3 IDI still has pressure on it in the mornings now. Am I chasing shadows? Just added 1 can of R134a, and idled the thing for an extended time, then drove it to the parts store, left it idling, stopped at Walmart and left it idling, and came home and added another 1/2 can of 134a. And the thing didn't push any coolant out while it was running. May now that I shut it off, so we shall see. But it cools very, very well. Just can't keep it full of coolant.

Nope. This is the coolant from it, and the reservoir is quite clean. Plus, the hose is cut at an angle at the bottom so shouldn't be able to seal against the reservoir. And, it has been out several times - with the same results each time. But, keep those ideas coming, folks. Please!

David - Interesting idea. So I just pulled a cleaning brush through the hose and only got a few fibers that were probably from the string I used to pull the brush. And, I ran a q-tip through the port in the radiator's neck, but there wasn't much in it either. Thanks, guys. But I'm Okay... now, how about the reservoir, itself. Could there be junk in the bottom, where the hose connects? I don't think so, but I'll check........

Yes! I'm I'm asking for y'all to come up with those rational explanations 'cause I'm all out.

Jim - I'm in total agreement. It defies something. The implication is that it isn't getting cool enough with the cool down. But we didn't use to have this problem, even in the summer. David - Interesting idea. So I just pulled a cleaning brush through the hose and only got a few fibers that were probably from the string I used to pull the brush. And, I ran a q-tip through the port in the radiator's neck, but there wasn't much in it either. Thanks, guys. But I'm

According to the mechanic there are no products of combustion in the coolant. And there's no oil in the overflow tank nor radiator. Nor coolant in the oil. Plus, if you carefully put what is in the expansion tank above the Full mark back in the radiator the radiator is full each time, so we aren't losing coolant. The issue really is why the system is staying pressurized. Not high pressure, but even after sitting overnight and then having cold water run over it for 20 minutes there was still a bit of pressure. So it won't suck any coolant back. And, on each drive it seems to push more coolant into the overflow, so it isn't long before it is low.

Time for an update and a plea for help. Let me try to summarize - the Subie pushes coolant out to the overflow tank, as it should, but doesn't pull it back when the engine "cools". In fact, having sat outside overnight where the temp got down to 80 degrees, and then running cold water from the hose over the engine and radiator for 20 minutes there was still a slight pressure in the system when I pulled the cap. However, the system was down 1 pint from a 75 mile trip where I ran it at 65 - 75 MPH, and frequently into a significant head wind. Obviously with pressure in the system it isn't going to pull a vacuum and suck the coolant back. But, what would cause the system to still be under a slight pressure? I'm at my wit's end and need help - in more ways than one!