Syonyk

Wow. Original engine? -=Russ=-

Zip ties! Seriously though, maybe a stuck PCV valve? -=Russ=-

Ironically enough, my GL feels like a luxury car to me... -=Russ=-

I have a D/R GL, and I honestly don't use 4WD Hi offroad at all. I've tried it, but for anything other than just gravel/dirt, it's just too high. I imagine it'd be great on road in the snow, but we haven't had snow since I got the car. For offroad, in the mud, 4WD Lo seems to work a lot better. -=Russ=-

~27mpg highway, 70-75mph, new O2 sensor (took it up from 23), Blaster coil, and enough exhaust leaks that I may as well have a straight pipe from the cat. -=Russ=-

I'm a bit far from Connecticut (lived there before though), but if someone local found pieces to do a rear disk brake conversion on a 4WD 87 GL Wagon, I'd make it worth their while. -=Russ=-

Oh. I don't know... I got a GL instead. It's not much better, but it has a tach so I feel better winding it out. The DL's timing was all the way advanced already, and it wasn't pinging, so I just left it. I had to replace the timing belts, but I haven't had it out much since then (selling it back to the guy I purchased it from - his brother-in-law needs a reliable car). The biggest things that have helped are just driver modification. Realizing that I can take on-ramps a lot faster than I had been, that I can just wind the engine up to 5k+ RPM before shifting, and that WOT for 30-40 seconds isn't a problem. That said, my GL is getting some more work on it soon - cold air intake, and a freed up exhaust system. Possibly a MSD6A to go with the Blaster 2 coil as well. -=Russ=-

How can you tell that your valves are floating? I usually shift somewhere between 5k & 6k when merging onto the highway. I learned that if I treat it like a rotary engine, it's much happier. -=Russ=-

I'm debating going out there with a few friends, but I've heard that it's apparently not well suited for stock vehicles. We'd be going on a dryer day, so not absurd amounts of deep mud... but I was curious as to anyone's impressions of it. Theoretically, three of us will be headed out there - me in a 87 GL D/R, a friend in his RAV4, and another friend in his F350 (4WD). Are we likely to have any fun, or just sink in and have to dig out? -=Russ=-

20W50? Wow... I've just run with the assumption that if my Subaru isn't leaking, I don't have any oil in it. -=Russ=-

I wrote up some other things to check http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=32721 And many people leave the timing belt covers off - makes inspecting the belts easy, replacing them easy, and doesn't keep them running through any oil that has leaked - they fling any crap off. -=Russ=-

Don't forget to upgrade your sigfile with the new data... It's great to have old cars working well. Especially when you get the "Wait... you went HOW FAR in a car that's HOW OLD?" response. -=Russ=-

I'm not sure on how to change the thermostat (haven't done it yet), but it would make sense that the fan isn't coming on if the thermostat isn't opening. The thermal sensor for the fan is on the radiator. If the thermostat isn't opening, the coolant circulates within the engine, and doesn't get to the radiator (hence why it heats up too much). The coolant in the radiator will still be cool while the engine is overheating, so the fan won't come on. -=Russ=-

Are you sure you have all the bolts removed? When I pulled apart my EA82 to fix the cam cover oil seal, there was a bolt or two I missed under the gunk. -=Russ=-

Posted this in a thread in the offroad forum, but it's also relevant here. This is a list of things I'd suggest checking/changing on a "new" Subaru. I have an 87 GL (D/R 5 speed) that I commute in and generally haul around the midwest... 4000 miles last month on a junkyard salvage Subaru. Now that you have it... fix it. There are a few things I'd suggest doing right off the bat. If it's something that should have been done at X mileage, assume it hasn't been done in 2X miles and is due to fail at any point. You can do all of these things yourself easily enough - all you should need is a decent metric socket set & maybe a few deep well sockets. If you haven't learned to work on a car before, now is the time. 1: Change all the fluids. Oil, coolant, and transmission/differential fluid. If you have the money, putting in some synthetic RedlineMT or Royal Purple might help get a bit more power to the wheels (less driveline loss). 2: Change the timing belts. They're not difficult to change. The EA82 engines are non-interference, so a broken timing belt won't damage anything, but it's still a pain. They're good for 60k miles or so and about $40 for a set. Also, while you're in there, many people on the board suggest removing most of the timing belt covers. They're supposed to keep stuff off the belts, but they usually end up keeping any oil/coolant ON the belts. Plus, changing the timing belts without the covers is pretty trivial. It's a lot easier to change the timing belts with the radiator out, and if you're doing a bunch of this stuff at once it would be well worth the 5 minutes it takes to remove it. 3: Ignition system. It's shot. Plugs, wires, distributor cap/rotor. Should be $50 or so, but if you can take the cap & rotor off in the parking lot of the parts store you'll be happier. Match parts up, because there are a wide variety of parts that claim to fit, and only one or two actually do. If you want, you can get another ignition coil (Blaster or Accel) and gap the plugs a bit wider (0.050" or so). Plus, then you have a spare ignition coil. 4: Coolant system. Replace the thermostat, just as a preemptive measure. After a while, they start to stick and not open fully... it might be fine for normal driving, but it won't open up fully when you're running WOT for 15 minutes straight going up a mountain (or through mud). Also, check the hoses & radiator. If the radiator is pretty bad looking (fins falling off), a new one is $90ish. The hoses should be replaced if they're soft or tearing. 5: Fuel filter & oxygen sensor. The fuel filter is probably half clogged. It's easy to get at, right in the driver's corner of the engine bay. The oxygen sensor is also shot, but they have to get REALLY bad before throwing a check engine code... I went from 23mpg to 27mpg just by replacing mine. You'll have to drop the exhaust off the engine to do this, and you may as well replace the exhaust gaskets (heads to Y-pipe) while you're at it. $20 for a generic O2 sensor, $6 for the gasket set. 6: Accessory drive belts. $8-$10 for a set. It's not worth *not* replacing them - there are two, but they're probably the same age. The alternator & water pump are important. Throw the old ones (or just one) in back as a spare. 7: Oil leaks. Subarus mark their territory. This is a given - if a Subaru isn't leaking oil, it's probably out. However, it shouldn't be dumping massive amounts of oil. If it is, it's probably the fault of the cam cover oil seal - a little o-ring that seals a high pressure passage between the heads & the cam cover. This is a bit of a pain to do with the engine in the car, but perfectly doable. There are writeups on it, just search for "cam cover seal." 8: Spare tire. Look at that tiny little spare tire under the hood. You can't use 4WD mode with that on any wheel. Consult with your local junkyard & get a full size spare tire - it fits under the hood just fine. Make sure the tire is the same size as your current ones, or you'll make the transmission very unhappy in 4WD mode. 9: On the topic of 4WD mode, it's for use only on wet pavement/gravel/snow/ice/etc. It doesn't have a center differential, so don't use it on dry pavement. If you do have trouble getting it back into FWD mode, back up in a straight line for 2 car lengths or so and it'll release tension. 10: Headlights. The bulbs get dim before burning out. Change them... you might like it. Also, if you're not familiar with Subarus, the headlights are wired to the ignition. Leave the light switch on, and the lights come on when you turn the car on and go off when you turn it off. The little rocker on top of the steering column lets you turn the parking lights on with the key off. More likely, you'll want to poke that when you can't figure out why the parking lights refuse to go off when you turn the car off. 11: Brakes. Check 'em out. You'll need a nice 36mm socket & breaker bar (or impact wrench) to get the rear brakes off. The rear brake cylinders like to leak on these cars (or at least on both of mine), and aren't very expensive to replace. $30-$35 for a set (both sides). 12: Things to keep in back. There are a number of things that you should keep in the back of your car to make life easier for you (and possibly others). A good 4-way tire iron is very useful, as is a decent jack. Changing a tire with any car's built in stuff sucks, but is a quick and easy job with the right tools. You'll also want to keep a quart or two of oil (5W-30) around, probably some windshield wiper fluid (you go through a lot when you're racing through mud, and it can be used as coolant in an emergency), some brake fluid, your metric socket set, and maybe a spare set of timing belts. You might also want to keep a voltmeter, prybar, and flashlight in the back. I keep my 75W work lamp back there as well, and power it off my inverter if needed (wonderful for helping other people on the side of the road at night). Once you replace everything that most likely hasn't been replaced, they're quite reliable. They're also, as mentioned multiple times, very easy to work on - the engine being mounted the "right way" really helps. Other than that... enjoy! ... anything else people want to add? -=Russ=- keywords: new subaru owner ea82 fix replace repair

Congrats! I have an 87 GL (D/R 5 speed) that I commute in and generally haul around the midwest... 4000 miles last month on a junkyard salvage Subaru. Now that you have it... fix it. There are a few things I'd suggest doing right off the bat. If it's something that should have been done at X mileage, assume it hasn't been done in 2X miles and is due to fail at any point. You can do all of these things yourself easily enough - all you should need is a decent metric socket set & maybe a few deep well sockets. If you haven't learned to work on a car before, now is the time. Get your wife/kids to help too - small hands are useful for somethings. Plus, they're probably a bit more likely to trust a 19 year old car if they know things have been fixed up recently. 1: Change all the fluids. Oil, coolant, and transmission/differential fluid. If you have the money, putting in some synthetic RedlineMT or Royal Purple might help get a bit more power to the wheels (less driveline loss). 2: Change the timing belts. They're not difficult to change. The EA82 engines are non-interference, so a broken timing belt won't damage anything, but it's still a pain. They're good for 60k miles or so and about $40 for a set. Also, while you're in there, many people on the board suggest removing most of the timing belt covers. They're supposed to keep stuff off the belts, but they usually end up keeping any oil/coolant ON the belts. Plus, changing the timing belts without the covers is pretty trivial. It's a lot easier to change the timing belts with the radiator out, and if you're doing a bunch of this stuff at once it would be well worth the 5 minutes it takes to remove it. 3: Ignition system. It's shot. Plugs, wires, distributor cap/rotor. Should be $50 or so, but if you can take the cap & rotor off in the parking lot of the parts store you'll be happier. Match parts up, because there are a wide variety of parts that claim to fit, and only one or two actually do. If you want, you can get another ignition coil (Blaster or Accel) and gap the plugs a bit wider (0.050" or so). Plus, then you have a spare ignition coil. 4: Coolant system. Replace the thermostat, just as a preemptive measure. After a while, they start to stick and not open fully... it might be fine for normal driving, but it won't open up fully when you're running WOT for 15 minutes straight going up a mountain (or through mud). Also, check the hoses & radiator. If the radiator is pretty bad looking (fins falling off), a new one is $90ish. The hoses should be replaced if they're soft or tearing. 5: Fuel filter & oxygen sensor. The fuel filter is probably half clogged. It's easy to get at, right in the driver's corner of the engine bay. The oxygen sensor is also shot, but they have to get REALLY bad before throwing a check engine code... I went from 23mpg to 27mpg just by replacing mine. You'll have to drop the exhaust off the engine to do this, and you may as well replace the exhaust gaskets (heads to Y-pipe) while you're at it. $20 for a generic O2 sensor, $6 for the gasket set. 6: Accessory drive belts. $8-$10 for a set. It's not worth *not* replacing them - there are two, but they're probably the same age. The alternator & water pump are important. Throw the old ones (or just one) in back as a spare. 7: Oil leaks. Subarus mark their territory. This is a given - if a Subaru isn't leaking oil, it's probably out. However, it shouldn't be dumping massive amounts of oil. If it is, it's probably the fault of the cam cover oil seal - a little o-ring that seals a high pressure passage between the heads & the cam cover. This is a bit of a pain to do with the engine in the car, but perfectly doable. There are writeups on it, just search for "cam cover seal." 8: Spare tire. Look at that tiny little spare tire under the hood. You can't use 4WD mode with that on any wheel. Consult with your local junkyard & get a full size spare tire - it fits under the hood just fine. Make sure the tire is the same size as your current ones, or you'll make the transmission very unhappy in 4WD mode. 9: On the topic of 4WD mode, it's for use only on wet pavement/gravel/snow/ice/etc. It doesn't have a center differential, so don't use it on dry pavement. If you do have trouble getting it back into FWD mode, back up in a straight line for 2 car lengths or so and it'll release tension. 10: Headlights. The bulbs get dim before burning out. Change them... you might like it. Also, if you're not familiar with Subarus, the headlights are wired to the ignition. Leave the light switch on, and the lights come on when you turn the car on and go off when you turn it off. The little rocker on top of the steering column lets you turn the parking lights on with the key off. More likely, you'll want to poke that when you can't figure out why the parking lights refuse to go off when you turn the car off. 11: Brakes. Check 'em out. You'll need a nice 36mm socket & breaker bar (or impact wrench) to get the rear brakes off. The rear brake cylinders like to leak on these cars (or at least on both of mine), and aren't very expensive to replace. $30-$35 for a set (both sides). 12: Things to keep in back. There are a number of things that you should keep in the back of your car to make life easier for you (and possibly others). A good 4-way tire iron is very useful, as is a decent jack. Changing a tire with any car's built in stuff sucks, but is a quick and easy job with the right tools. You'll also want to keep a quart or two of oil (5W-30) around, probably some windshield wiper fluid (you go through a lot when you're racing through mud, and it can be used as coolant in an emergency), some brake fluid, your metric socket set, and maybe a spare set of timing belts. You might also want to keep a voltmeter, prybar, and flashlight in the back. I keep my 75W work lamp back there as well, and power it off my inverter if needed (wonderful for helping other people on the side of the road at night). Once you replace everything that most likely hasn't been replaced, they're quite reliable. They're also, as mentioned multiple times, very easy to work on - the engine being mounted the "right way" really helps. Other than that... enjoy! -=Russ=-

A sticking thermostat could easily cause the symptoms you're describing. -=Russ=-

An 87 should be SPFI (or, at least, mine is). *points and laughs* Good luck making it fast. If you do, please let me know, because I'd like to do the same. If you have 4WD and/or a dual range, you might have some luck racing Hondas in mud... if they get stuck & you can get through, it's kind of like winning. Realistically, I think you'd be lucky to get 100HP out of the engine (it's 90 stock IIRC). You could get some race cams, but they just shift the power band up higher (and out of normal around-town areas). Some things that will help are anything that reduces frictional losses in the drivetrain. Synthetic gearbox/differential lube helps some, keep the tires inflated, etc. Also, you might want to consider a cold air intake with the K&N. Get cooler air into the engine, and it'll make a bit more power. If you haven't redone the ignition system, it's probably due for a bit of work. Plugs, wires, distributor cap & rotor, and maybe a new coil. Send the fuel injector in to be cleaned. If the fuel doesn't get injected properly (streams instead of a spray), it's not going to burn as well. -=Russ=-

Actually, I might be arranging a dyno day in Des Moines within the next month. If I can get multiple pulls in, I'll get data with the stock ignition system vs the Blaster/MSD6A setup. Assuming I take my Subaru... I might have my project RX-7 running by then. Also, I'm debating taking some synthetic gearbox/differential lube, and changing it out between pulls - see if there's any noticeable difference in power to the wheels. -=Russ=-

I searched, and didn't find anything conclusive. I'm considering putting in a Blaster coil & MSD6A unit. I'm looking mostly for improved fuel economy, but more power wouldn't hurt either. If it turns out it doesn't make much of a difference, I'll just keep the MSD6A around for my RX-7 project car. Am I likely to notice anything from this? -=Russ=-

Well, I know my electric fan works (87 GL w/out AC), because today it decided to come on, and shriek loudly (and scare the **** out of my passenger, who doesn't trust my cars terribly much to begin with). It sounds like something in the engine bay is coming apart, but I confirmed that it is coming from the fan. Is there anything in particular that I should lubricate, or is it a sealed unit? It sounded vaguely like a very loud version of a computer fan I had years ago with bad bearings, so I'm not sure just lubricating it will fix anything. -=Russ=-

Um... that's usually a Really Bad Thing to do. It may have done something like jam the input shaft on the transmission back or something else equally bad. Not for sure, but... you shouldn't ever do that. -=Russ=-

It's most likely not the head gasket, but the cam cover seal. There's a small o-ring that seals a high pressure oil passage (provides oil for the lash adjusters & spraybar), and it gets old and stops sealing, leading to oil leaks. There's a webpage that details fixing it, and I can't find it right now. It's really not too bad... I did it in a few hours on my Subaru. You have to pull the passenger's side cam cover off (leaving the cylinder head on), replace a little $0.50 o-ring, and put things back together. -=Russ=-

Oh. I thought I had mentioned that. Guess not. I did check the timing belts before I left (they looked new), and I had a spare set in the back of the car anyway. I do need to get around to removing the timing belt covers though, they're a pain in the rear. -=Russ=-

So, after a bit of a road trip this weekend (1800 miles, attempted to fix a RX-7, failed, will have to tow said '7), I have a few observations from me & the other people who drove my Subaru. My Subaru came from a junkyard, 1987 GL Wagon 4WD Manual (EA82 non-turbo). Fixed the fuel pump, gave it a tuneup, and about a week and a half later (and 500 miles or so) went on the road trip. The only problem it had (has?) is a slight leak in one of the rear brake cylinders, which will be solved by replacing the rear brakes with disk brakes (I'd been planning to do it anyway). The load for the trip was 4 guys (probably 750 lbs combined), about 100-150 lbs of stuff (tools, spare battery for the '7, bags, food, etc), and a 200 lb engine block on the way back (blown rotary engine). Observations: 1. The stock brakes kind of suck with that much load. They worked, but it took a bit of effort to convince them to do much. I'm replacing the rear drum brakes with disk brakes, and redoing most of the brake system in the process, so I'm not too worried about that. 2. A non-turbo EA82 with 1000+ lbs of extra load running on the highway through the mountains is somewhat lacking in power going up the hills. Fortunately, 3. the engine has no complaints about sustained high RPM or WOT. Going up some of the hills involved minutes at WOT, usually in 5th or 4th. The engine didn't complain, nor did the temperature rise above where it normally goes. 4. Once people figure out that the engine revs up rather high, they have a lot more fun merging onto the highway. As we observed, "You can drive it like you stole it, and still not speed." 5. My GL will leave a decent amount of rubber if asked to (or driven by someone learning to drive stickshift). 6. For an old car, the alignment seems to hold up really well. Both of my Subarus track straight, and several of the other drivers commented on how well it tracked. 7. All the drivers REALLY liked the "fresh air vent" feature. 8. After the initial confusion, all the drivers liked how the headlights were tied to the ignition. And, on the way back, one of the people asked if it was for sale. After being informed that it was not going to be sold any time soon, he asked me to keep my eyes open for something similar. -=Russ=-