thomas rubino

Sara, Thank you!
You beat me to it. I have favorited it and will dive deeper when I have the time.

And so, a quick search showed me that, indeed, I can adapt a VW TDI engine to my Subaru Outback manual transmission. (or automatic!)
https://subarugears.com/product-category/adaptor/
Will I do this...   if the stars line up perhaps I will.  First thing I need is a complete, running TDI engine...
I will start there; if one makes itself available, it might just have to come home with me.

Hey, Phil, that's word-for-word true!

Hi Christobal;
Currently, I have four 150-watt 12-volt panels, wired in series, using an MPPT controller. I charge a pair of 224 Ah 6-volt deep-cycle batteries.
It is not enough; I'll be adding two more 150-watt panels as soon as I get the new 48-volt house system installed.
I run a trickle charger from the house system to supplement the solar charge.
I am running two 12-volt deep freezers.
I'm hoping that once I add another 300 watts, it might be enough.

Hi all, as many of you may know, I'm a big fan of Subarus.
Our whole family owns and drives second-generation Outback wagons.
After an unfortunate accident last year, our youngest son totaled his Subi (no one was hurt)
Needing a vehicle to get to work, he quickly located a 2006 VW TDI Jetta, a 4-door car with a small turbo diesel engine, at a giveaway price of $750...
He loved it, said it handled like a race car, and the turbo diesel was super zippy.
From me, he received the side-eye look, with grumbles about knowing nothing about newer VWs (My last VW was a 1962 Beetle)
We/ he quickly learned that there is an entire line of tools that only fit VWs... Despite having three stuffed tool chests... I did not own any... I made him buy them...
Then he learned that common parts like brakes, wheel bearings, struts... all cost more...
But these past two weeks, he/we have gone to school on what we now know to be an infamous security system, known as a Skota IMMO system.
Used with all VW vehicles since 2000.  
A three-part system that must be synced perfectly, or your computer thinks the car is being stolen and activates the immobilizer system.(IMMO)
A small light on the dash will flash: a car symbol with a key.  As long as this light flashes, your car will start for apx 2 seconds and shut off.
There is nothing easy you can do to bypass this system. Your car is simply stuck wherever you may be.  With luck, in a city, a quality mobile locksmith can come to you.
The underlining problem here is the locking barrel that the ignition sits in. It controls the locking steering wheel. This part is known to fail. When it does, most people keep trying to turn the key... usually violently. When you do that, you destroy the IMMO connection. However, you will not know this for a while yet. First, you must remove that barrel; it uses breaking head bolts that you must drill out... takes hours; your locksmith or mechanic will be taking his wife out to a fancy dinner at your expense...
If you're unlucky like we were, after removing and replacing that locking barrel, and your car won't run, you rent a trailer, then load up a car that is super heavy but won't run for more than 2 seconds...
You trailer it 65 miles one way to a locksmith, who charges $150 in cash to try to program your new ignition switch and keys... with no promise it will work!  
In our story, this did not work; the replacement part from Rock Auto did not identify itself with the computer.  A $180 switch with keys made in Germany has to be removed and returned!
After many phone calls and hours searching the internet, we discovered the dirty truth.
The only place you can buy a switch with keys is a VW dealer, for the minor cost of almost $400.
You have to give the dealer the VIN number of the car, and it takes 10 days for them to program a new keyed ignition switch with a spiffy new fob.
This piece fits in the palm of your hand; without the keys and fob, it is about the size of your thumb!
All for a car that is twenty years old... talk about a long term rip off...
An honest car company would have timed that system to stop functioning after 10 years...

When my Subaru blew its motor this spring, we borrowed this car from Bill in Helena. I drove it home. As reported, it is a zippy car, lots of quick acceleration.
We filled it with diesel in Helena; it is 260 miles home. Then another 50 miles back to Plains the next day. It took 6 gallons of fuel for 310 miles... that's 51 mpg at 80-90 mph
Needless to say, I was very impressed.  Front Wheel Drive, low to the ground; it is absolutely NOT a Montana winter car.
BUT...I started looking on Marketplace; perhaps I should find one of these for a summer road trip car...
After spending the last three days struggling to make a simple new key switch work, watching the boy spend hundreds of dollars.
Finding out that VW continues to rip people off twenty years later... No pucking way!

I wonder if I can stuff one of those little 1.9 diesels into a Subi outback???

I have had a pork roast smoking for about 5 hrs; it's ready to come in.
Liz is making a nice ratatouille with homegrown veggies as a side.

September 7, 2026    Rain, 48F with a high of 53F.
When I rebuilt the Shop Dragon last year, I only had one 12x12 slab.
I used it at the rear of the core, and I used insulated firebricks for the front.
In order to use the individual bricks, I needed angle iron T-bars to support them.
Initially, they were protected by Superwool; unfortunately, the wool was knocked off last winter, and by spring they were not sealing at all.
The rear T-bar was twisted badly from the heat, allowing the bricks to walk and knocking the mortar off.

Today, I removed the offending pieces, and replaced them with a 12 x12 slab.
After completion, I fired her off for the first time this season!
With the bypass open, I was able to get a nice fire burning with no difficulty.
By the time it burns down, my repair will be fully dry.

John.
If you move the broken brick down, there may be a cheap option to try.
Matt Walker told us about a customer who used an automotive product meant to patch exhaust pipes on his core firebricks.
Although intended for metal, he claimed that this product sealed his cracked brick, and it was still holding fine with no reapplication.
A quick look online shows products from JB Weld Extreme Heat, Permatex, and Walker Exhaust.
I do not remember the exact product, but it was a paste, not a wrap.
Certainly worth a try; the price is right.

Hi Kara, I replant every year shortly after the piggies move on.
I have tried growing different things over the years, and I have found that a general pasture mix seems to be the best.
If you plant just one seed, if they like it, it's gone in the first couple of days. If they don't like it, they will refuse to eat it for as long as it is piggily possible...
This means a week or two until they can't stand it anymore!   When a pig does not like something, they eat it last... After all, eating, sleeping, and lying in the pond are what pigs do best...
By planting a pasture mix, they seem happy to pick the goodies out and then finish the rest. Very similar to how I approach a brand new box of chocolates!

Heat and mix well with your favorite BBQ sauce, serve warm on a large bun, and top with coleslaw.