jkinz

Here is my newest subaru. beetle. bugaru? Very rednecked, very cool. runs and drives! needs radiator mounting solution and lots of un-hillbilly work but gotta lend it to them, with what little welding skill they had and lots of spray foam, silicone and bondo they sure made a cool looking beast. 73? super beetle on top of 85? D/R GL hatch.

Thanks peacewize I have an adapter lying around somewhere. did you do anything to support the cupholder behind it or did you just cut a slot and stuff it in

is the cupholder out of a legacy? I swear the lack of cupholder is just about the only problem I have with the design of the late 80's subaru leone. I'm definitely doing that to mine after the stock stereo gets taken out. oh yeah, awesome car. what's up with the gray one on jackstands? mine is identical to that one... I love the gunmetal gray 87s. oh and I just realized it's the same car, duh

Thanks, I certainly misread the manual. I'll measure the height to see if they've been shaved before and I guess start pulling heads off the other engines to see their condition, or maybe drop a whole motor in for the time being and save the gasket kit for a later time... I suppose I should be checking the block for cracks and warpage as well. Once you start machining surfaces are there any issues that will arise from the removed material? I know on engines with a timing chain this can be an issue, or the combustion chambers shrinking or other stuff.

I'm hoping to bring this topic back up and maybe get some advice.. The car sat for quite a while after rigging it to run just enough to get done with school last may and after that my driving needs diminished. I pulled the engine and removed the heads to find that the culprit was indeed a blown head gasket pushing combustion gas from one cylinder into the cooling system. There is some very minor corrosion from coolant entering the cylinder but I'm not sure if it is really bad enough to matter. See attached photo. There is some white buildup in all the coolant journals but doesn't seem too bad either. I cleaned and inspected the warpage on one head, and I could fit a .008 feeler gage under the straight edge between the combustion chambers. The manual says the tolerance is .005. I'll measure some more with a better straight edge to confirm. I see no evidence of leaking between cylinders though I do remember somewhat lower compression on one side of the engine so maybe they were. The heads are cracked between the valve seats but I've noticed that is common. so I have a few questions: is the head warpage enough to warrant having them shaved or using different heads? I have three other engines of somewhat known condition that I could try to use heads from. what is a good way to remove the gasket material? It's hard not to gouge the surface trying to remove the stuck gasket chunks and there is a black residue that sort of comes off with sandpaper but I don't like using it on machined aluminum surfaces. I have the head gasket kit but don't want to just slap it back together and have problems I could maybe have avoided. The engine ran surprisingly well despite all the issues, was run hot a few times but never really overheated. so if the only major problem was the head gasket in one spot, is it a terrible idea to just clean and reinstall? Or is the head warpage really an issue. Thanks

Someone mentioned that little ell hose was an issue and hard to get to, I'll check it out. I doubt that has been my problem but I might as well check every possible point of failure. I like this engine, even though it has been having trouble it still runs like a champ. Especially after I found and removed a severely kinked section of exhaust pipe after backing into some train tracks... I had it parked but then had to use it due to other vehicle issues so I took a friend's advice and put a 3 gallon gas can under the hood and ran the radiator overflow into it. I removed the thermostat again because the air pocket was not allowing it to get up to temp at the right time. Now as I drive the coolant gets pushed into the gas can but the engine doesn't overheat, and when I shut it down the excess sucks back into the engine... Not very elegant but seems to be effective! At least for now.

I think I found the problem. Air pocket definitely caused by combustion gases, coolant is being pushed out of system into overflow and smells strongly of gasoline.... time to pull the heads I guess. or try sodium silicate, has anyone had success using it on the ea82?

Thanks for the replies! The thermostat is from the dealer but I suppose it could still be sticking I filled it as much as possible from the heater hose after back flushing several times, and had it parked on a hill, not SUPER steep but seemed enough, I'll try another hill. I think I took out the prestone flush tee, but I guess I'll try that for burping again. been through 2 radiator caps, I started with the kind with a lever on top so I could park it on a hill and bleed out the air. seemed to work for a time but it was pretty crappy so I went to another which looks about as funky as all the rest I've seen but still appears to hold pressure. I might try cracking the thermo housing and see how that works, maybe re seat the thermostat while I'm at it It might be combustion gases from the head considering the odd noise, I always noticed a sort of "swooshing" sound from the cam pulley or somewhere behind it. I've had to take off the timing belts a few times, I wonder overtightening the belt at one point could have screwed up the bearings or alignment? Thanks

ea82 spfi, I have been having a problem with the cooling system for some time. The main annoyance is that whenever I drive the car, as it warms up the temp gauge creeps up past normal operating temperature and stays about 3/4 of the way up but still out of the red, then eventually drops down to a quarter of the gauge like it normally runs. during the time it's reading hot, the heater is lukewarm so I figure the thermostat has not opened. Here's what has been done: new OE thermostat, <- maybe I didn't line up the bleed hole properly? radiator of unknown condition taken from parts car after sticks jammed through old one and it dumped. Seems to have been working ok since I installed it. I don't know if the coolant temp sensor is working right but it seems to read the same as the other one. coolant flush new water pump and hose I did all this work during a short period of time so I'm not exactly sure when each symptom occurred. I do remember having difficulty burping the coolant system after replacing the radiator. when it was supposed to open the thermostat and the coolant level should have dropped, instead it would start overflowing and coming out of the radiator.There is some coolant loss while driving but not very much. Exhaust isn't very telling, no white smoke. I hear gurgling noises from dashboard and the overflow container especially when turning the car off after driving for a while. no mixing of coolant in the oil some crud on the radiator cap and in the tube but I'm not sure if it's a significant amount passenger side head has a noise similar to a belt slipping, sounds like the valve train or cam. Not sure if head cracks or gasket leaks can be heard. It does seem to run rich and miss a little so I might have a valve issue? I figure I should start by inspecting the thermostat and passenger side valves, and I suppose eventually the head if nothing else rules out the issues. Any advice would be appreciated, Thanks

I haven't had the problem come back since I replaced the distributor. My old one appeared to have the bottom seal go out which allowed oil in that eventually made it stop working, I think. Mine was getting spark, but I think maybe not enough or somewhat erratically. That confused me because it seemed like enough spark and there was definitely fuel. Sometimes it would run then randomly die and I couldn't start it for a few hours. eventually it wouldn't start at all. sixtycg do you have any check engine codes? mine didn't but maybe you have something else wrong. in my opinion your best bet would be to find a donor spfi system if you can, and start replacing parts like the distributor, ECU, throttle position sensor etc. and see if something makes it work. I've had little luck finding junk spfi cars but $300 or $400 for a whole vehicle still could save you money in the long run instead of buying the parts individually.

Thanks for reminding me sixtycg, I did eventually solve the problem and it wasn't the power transistor. Thankfully because it appears to be a very hard to find part. What ended up happening is a friend bought an 87 GL SPFI that did not run but the previous owner had installed a new distributor thinking that was the problem. The issue turned out to be a broken timing belt, but when my friend fixed the belt his car behaved exactly like mine. So I gathered up every distributor I could find and we tried each one in both our cars. 2 out of the 5 we tried (including the brand new one in his car) were bad. when I opened mine up it was full of oil which I assume screwed up the optical sensor maybe just by filling the slots in the plate. Either way, I found the proper distributor, cap and rotor for my car (what a pain) and happened to have one for my friend's, and they both run great! Thanks for your help everyone!

OK, well I have to bring this up again, sorry to be an amateur but I'm not so great with electrical issues... I kind of gave up on the car for a while due to more pressing issues in life, and I've now returned to it finding that my problem is the car will start and run fine (at least as well as I'd expect) for a little bit, then it might start missing and die or just die suddenly. if I try to start it again, the motor cranks but won't start. when the key is in the "run" position after the motor dies, I can hear what I think is the fuel pump relay coming on somewhat erratically under the dash; under the hood I can hear the injector at the same time, and I can smell gas. as aforementioned I have had issues with my distributor cap and rotor, leading me to believe they might be the wrong ones for the distributor. also there is a tiny bit of play in the distributor shaft but really seems not enough to be causing this problem. The rotor I had been using is able to shift side to side easily so I think that could be throwing off the timing as it spins. I tried using the screw type rotor but it still ran the same, and I can't be sure if the cap I'm using is correct. I have checked the coil and its resistances are acceptable, the coil and plug wires have OK resistance, the fusible links look good, I could go through the grounds some more, but they seem fine. I have a spare ignition coil, but no extra power transistor and I couldn't figure out how I should test the transistor to see if it is functioning properly. I have a spare distributor but it is a 22100 AA440 and I have the rotor, but no cap. what are the correct cap and rotor part numbers for the 22100 AA440 distributor? anyway, I'm not sure if I'm heading in the right direction or what, I guess I'll start with checking all the easy stuff again and then swap the distributor and coil. Here are some pics for fun. UPDATE: If anyone is reading...I looked at the throttle position sensor and the wires and terminals are very corroded. don't know if this has anything to do with the problem but I assume it's not a great thing. I have a new connector and I guess I should replace the wires to the harness..? this dizzy is in car: this dizzy is on parts motor: this is the motor: this is the car thanks for any help

If you still need a compressor, I've got two. One I know for sure was working great before I had the refrigerant drained and removed it, the other I didn't test first but it was charged up too. I was planning on using them as air compressors, but I'd gladly sell you one or both. I believe the one out of my car was using R12, but the other may have been converted. Not sure what that involves since I don't do AC and as far as I thought, they were more or less interchangeable, but I'm probably wrong on that.

Thanks for your help everybody, I've found the parts and will try to look for a new disty.. But I'm broke and at $200 for the part I'll just get a whole subaru for that much... Our local junkyard hates subarus and crushes them instantly so no luck with used parts...

Thanks naru, its a 2210 AA053 distributor, the car was mfg. 11/86 no sideplay in the shaft but there is about a mm of endplay. I was told this is normal but I can see how it would cause the center post erosion. Is the only solution a new distributor? guess I'll check my parts motor for a replacement Oh also I found some matching parts at NAPA, the right cap but the rotor they had uses a set screw instead of a flat spot to hold it on the shaft and the screw was missing from the box... my distributor shaft has a threaded hole in the right spot so I guess I can use that type of rotor as well? thanks again

From what I can tell, it's the original motor, I found just about every receipt since 87 in the glovebox and can't find any info indicating otherwise... But there is nothing that indicates SPFI, except that all engine components and electrical wiring look to be original. Well, minus the AC and power steering which I removed... http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Vehicle_Identification_Numbers_(VIN_codes)/Subaru/VIN_Codes JF2 - fuji Heavy industries MPV A - DL/GL/GL-10/Leone/Loyale/Alcyone XT/XT6 N - 85-94 3rd. gen Leone/DL/GL/GL-10/Loyale wagon 5 - 1800cc 4WD w/out air susp - 1988, 1989; 1800cc 4WD 1990-94 2000cc 2004- 3 - L (model) B - Class B (GVWR 3001-4000 lbs.) 7 - check digit H - model year? E - plant and transmission type, there is no E in the list! hmm 426719 - production sequence From what I can tell, this is a factory EA82 SPFI 5MT D/R GL Wagon (with PermaPlate!) coil has two wires to a round connector and two wires to a rectangular connector. here's some pics:

Follow up: well I never found the problem, since it seems to come and go, and because this car has many more problems that seem to take precedent... anyway it's been running rough lately and I decided to check the distributor cap and rotor, and discovered that are in the same shape as the old cap and rotor were when I first bought the car: the center post is charred and eroded, and the top of the rotor is charred as well, and the terminals are fairly corroded but not worn. It seems like the rotor is too low and arcing to the cap. I have had no luck finding the right cap and rotor for this car (ea82 spfi), all three local parts stores have the wrong parts in their inventory and I have to hold their hands through the process of using their own database. All I got was "gee looks like you got some arcing there, that's your problem.." Duh. a year ago I tried O'reilly's, Carquest, and NAPA (all we have here). I forget which one ended up having the parts that actually fit, and I forget if they were even listed as subaru parts. I think I ended up with a denso cap but really not sure as there are no markings at all. I'll call the dealer tomorrow and order the right ones hopefully, or does anyone suggest a manufacturer, parts store, part number, web site, whatever that has the cap with two clips (no screws) and rotor with a flat spot on the shaft (no set screw, just pops on)? would pictures help? thanks

Hmm well I've cleaned up my ground wire connections, checked the alternator and it's putting out 14.4V. I checked AC voltage off the alternator and it read 40 mV which I guess means no AC ripple? not quite sure if that's the proper way to check that. I'll check the coil next, at the moment the problem has not resurfaced yet, but it would be nice to figure it out to avoid it happening at a bad time. darn intermittent problems...

I had probably the same issue with my 87 GL, and it was indeed a bad wheel bearing. I followed the advice of the Haynes manual and removed the knuckle axle assembly and took it to a machine shop. One auto shop said they just bash out the axle with a hammer and a block of wood as did my friends, but the machine shop strongly discouraged it as they claimed to have had the displeasure of working on hub/axles where the customer tried to do it beforehand. Maybe they were just dealing with morons, I don't know. Anyway I felt a little silly for having them do the work, but in the end I realized it wasn't so bad since they did remove the axle, seals, bearings; they packed the new bearings, pressed them in, installed the seals, and pressed the axle back in, all for $70. They said on newer subarus it's only $50 because it takes them an hour rather than 1.5 hours to do the job. I suppose anyone could do it just as well with a shop press, some kind of puller and a bearing packer but it was nice to just get the assembly back all nice and tidy and then just install it back in the car. Oh, if you do get a shop to do it they need your brake rotor also to have something to grab onto with the puller. That was just my experience, seemed to work out ok for a minimal price. I'm curious about doing it on my own, I guess I'll just have to wait until the other bearing goes.

Distributer is what someone else suggested, I haven't checked it out yet but I remember when I bought the car it wouldn't start and I discovered the center post on the distributer cap was totally burned up and fell out, the new one turned black right away and seems to be eroding faster than I would expect. There also appear to be scratch marks on the top of the rotor but I don't imagine it could be wobbling that much. At one point I did check the shaft play and it was tight but I'll check again. plugs/wires are relatively new but I guess I can check it all again. At one point I pressure washed the engine compartment and it wouldn't start for a day, so for a while I suspected bad wiring of some sort but I haven't found anything suspect yet. My voltage dash gauge reads fine but I'll check at the alternator, can I check for AC ripple by just using the AC volts setting on a multimeter and look for a reading? thanks

I have an 87 GL EA82 SPFI. Have a problem that happens more or less randomly, although seems to happen most often if I run the car, then stop it, then start it again. the motor will idle very rough and miss, the tachometer wavers and reads incorrectly. When gas pedal is pressed, the missing gets worse and the tach shoots to the 7000 rpm. exhaust and engine compartment smell strongly of fuel. It would probably continue running like this but usually I just shut it off. After that the car will crank but not start, then after waiting a few hours starts and runs like normal. No Check Engine light or codes. Bad ground? ECU? any more information I can provide? Any help is appreciated Thanks

Thanks for the info So it seems like I can disconnect the white plug for the pressure switch and join the two wires off the black switch no problem. I wonder, will joining these two wires cause the fan to never turn on, or will the coolant temp sensor handle this. I guess I'll just try it and find out. I'm thinking about swapping my mechanical fan for an electric fan if the clearance works. Then I guess I'll be wiring a switch in my dash anyway, maybe for both fans. Not sure if it's worth the effort but it would be nice to never have to remove those pesky four nuts holding the fan onto the water pump pulley. I got frustrated enough that I welded a 12" piece of rebar to a 10mm open end wrench just for that task. Makes it a little easier to do. (Note: just started browsing Loyale 2.7 Turbo's profile and it looks like I've found nearly all I need to know! Awesome) Thanks again for the input, I really appreciate it

Thanks folks, I figured the pin(s) was the solution, just wanted to be sure. I'll clean it up and I guess try to get the smaller pin out first..

If I undo the other end of the C bracket then the shift lever can come off but I'll still need to figure out how to get that bolt out to replace the missing bushing shown in the picture. To me the only apparent solution is to remove that pin and slide the assembly off the shaft, I'm just not sure what kind of pin it is and there isn't a great angle for getting a punch in there either.