86 Wonder Wedge

Hello USMB! Love the board and am extremely glad there is a place for the EA crowd to hang-out, unlike NABISCO over there... Anyway, I know my handle says 86 Wonder Wedge, and after a long, sad story, is no longer with us, but I HAVE however bought the deal of the century. It's a 91 Loyale sedan, EA82, SPI, 5speed, FWD with 115K miles and in "old lady on Sunday" condition. epic for $800 bucks! However, upon driving it back home, the oil pressure seems to play games. When it's started cold, the gauge reads approx 35-40 psi (just under the 45 mark) at any RPM. (FYI, no TOD, no knock, DEAD SILENT) Then it warms up, and the oil will exist near 0. The pressure will rise when I spin it past 3K, but only to about 15-25 psi, then slowly bleed off after it returns to idle. Here comes the ringer: when driving, it will hover around the 10 psi level from 1k rpm to 6K rpm UNTIL I engine brake (let the trans wind down the motor). When I do that, the oil pressure will go from near zero to the 20-25 psi mark quickly and slowly bleed back to 5 or 10 while accelerating or idling. Also, never a sound, tick, or anything other than that beautiful burble. I have NOT pulled anything apart, I DO see some wetness around the lower belt cover AND the under side is wet, but I was just wondering if that is a normal sign of either pump wear or the gasket failure OR if the sender is packing up... PO has a Fram filter and fresh oil, on the correct level, motor runs great, and the oil looks clean and amber gold.. Ideas? P.S. The "120K" service is planned (T belts, cam/crank seals, MM gasket, fluid swap, ect) so the front will be gone into regardless.

If you bring the revs up to about 5 or 6k in first, then let off the gas (engine brake), does the sound happen again? It sounds like a lay shaft or even the trans isn't torqued down or something is shifting under load..

You, sir, have great taste in motors AND cars! (I love the P1800 but especially the TR6!) And this is the blueprint for my swap in a 91 Loyale (albeit, without the turbos ) Keep up the good work!

Hello all! Just wanted to say hi and say what a great place this is! I've been a Subaru fan for a while, and was ecstatic when an XT was FINALLY posted on craigslist in NEO (North East Ohio). While already driving a 9-2x (A dolled-up Impreza wagon), I wanted a winter beater since the area I work in is.. less than perfect.. Anyway, went down and saw it, was a mess, needed some lovin', but it was all there and drove and stopped. Dropped $350 and drove away. With 161K on the clock, and a newer motor in there, there are some problems, but nothing major, and I'm lovin' her more every day. Hope to be around for a while, cause this one will go in a barn for my kids some day.