Syonyk

Um... yuck. 140k miles or so on the engine (EA82). I pulled it apart to reseal it. It's... really gross inside. Is this normal, or does this speak to neglect on the part of the previous owners in terms of oil changes & such? This is WHY I was doing the reseal: This was a puddle of oil in the bellhousing: Inside the bellhousing, partially cleaned: Yea. Watch for that rear main. It's nasty when it leaks. -=Russ=-

They're light, they have a lot of suspension travel, handle surprisingly well for wagons with such good ground clearance (I was amazed by the grip on the autocross course), and will turn around and bite their own tail if you let them when turning around. I needed to move my brother's minivan at one point ('94 Dodge Grand Caravan). My comment after this task was, "It turns like a Mississippi river barge." I'm used to being able to turn tightly & get into places, and that van DOES NOT TURN. I have one car that's good for hauling people/stuff (if a bit underpowered), that's awesome in dirt/gravel (though won't keep up with a WRX), that's unstoppable in snow (and snow tires just make it better), that's easy to work on, etc. I have an RX-7. I haven't driven it in several months. The Subaru, while definitely slower, is just more fun to drive. -=Russ=-

1. My rear main failed, soaked my clutch/flywheel/etc in oil. I've cleaned everything up, and used brake cleaner to get all the oil off the flywheel. I have a new clutch & pressure plate to use. However, there's still some interesting discoloration on the flywheel - I'm not sure if it's from slipping, or oil getting baked in, or what. Should I be resurfacing the flywheel, or will just cleaning/lightly sanding it be OK? It was gripping just fine even when oily, so I'm not too concerned about it. 2. After I get done stabbing the Subaru dealership for giving me the WRONG ****ing rear main seal (apparently the EJ & EA main seals are different, despite what the guy who'd been there forever thought)... How far in do the seals need to be? I gathered from another thread that the rear main needs to be slightly past flush or it may pop out. Is the front main the same? I got it installed, but it's ~2mm past flush. Is this a problem, or will I be fine? Same question with the rear main - how far past flush should it be? And the cam seals are currently flush - is this OK? Also, what's a seal protector (in reference to installing an oil seal)? Finally, there was a disturbing amount of sludge buildup on the insides of the valve covers & such when I took it apart. I suppose I'll be Seafoaming it pretty hardcore when it's back together. I've got some pics I'll get posted soon. A few other useful comments for those doing a rear main seal or general reseal on an EA82: *If your rear main is leaking, get a clutch kit while you've got it apart. There's a LOT of oil in the clutch material now. *Air tools are awesome for taking engines apart. Things that are a royal PITA without them (flywheel, etc) are trivial with them. *Use the starter to pop the front pulley bolt off. Disconnect the ignition, put a long breaker bar on the nut, wedge it against something, and blip the starter. Presto, loosened front pulley bolt. *The timing belt drive pulleys (the geared ones) *do* pull straight off the front of the crankshaft. They're likely fairly stuck, but they just come right off the front. I had success using a screwdriver to pry the front one out slightly, and then wiggling it with some screwdriver pressure from behind to pop the front one off. The rear one slid right off. *Having a friend who wants to learn about cars is great. They can be assigned to the task of cleaning the crap off the crossmember & such. *The grass-like stuff embedded in the oily sludge on the crossmember is "engine fiber", *not* a reason to stop offroading. *To remove a front or rear main oil seal, I had success removing a segment of rubber in front of the main metal ring of the seal, then using a small screwdriver to hook between the ring & the engine case to pull it out slightly, catch it with another screwdriver, and pop it out. The rear main was tougher, but I was able to pull the metal ring out slightly, wedge a screwdriver behind it, and pry with another screwdriver as the fulcrum to pull it out. Be sure to put something soft between the screwdriver & the crankshaft if you're on that side of the oil seal - a scratched crankshaft in the oil seal area is Bad. -=Russ=-

Sorry, was banging that reply out as I headed out the door. I don't think it's the case for you, but in addition to the solenoid & everything working, you need vacuum to drive the actuator. If the engine is at wide open throttle, there's no manifold vacuum (or negligible vacuum), and the 4WD won't engage. The common case for this being a problem would be blasting down a gravel road at WOT, wanting 4WD, and it not engaging. Letting off the throttle for a second will produce a lot of vacuum (closed throttle at high RPM = almost complete vacuum in the intake system, significantly more than at idle), and should snap 4WD in. -=Russ=-

Also, it won't engage if there's no vacuum. If your foot is on the floor, you won't engage 4WD. Hit the button, let off the gas sharply, and if the systems are working, it should kick right in. -=Russ=-

Also, it won't engage if there's no vacuum. If your foot is on the floor, you won't engage 4WD. Hit the button, let off the gas sharply, and if the systems are working, it should kick right in. -=Russ=-

And Subaru gave me the WRONG REAR MAIN SEAL! *stabs* Next question: When putting the front main seal back in, I got it ~1/8" below flush. Is this a problem, or is that where it's supposed to be? Also, with the rear main, should it be flush or slightly deeper than flush, or "as far in as I can get it"? And... cam seals, same question. They're flush right now. -=Russ=-

We were able to get it, finally. Engine's sitting on the lift. Time to go test drive a Forester XT. -=Russ=-

I can't get the lower passenger's side bellhousing bolt off - I can't get a good angle on it, or enough force. Is there a trick to this? Removing the starter, or something? And, also, what do I lift the engine with? I'm planning to use the rear brace, but the front of the engine - should I put the power steering brace back on to lift from that, or is there something else? -=Russ=-

I'll let you know in a few days. I'm pulling my motor this weekend ('92 Loyale) for a full reseal. -=Russ=-

When I'm troubleshooting odd leaks, I'll go for a good run to get it hot, idle at 4000 RPM for 2-3 minutes, shut it down, and jump out with my nose & a flashlight to find any little sprays. -=Russ=-

If I have, say, a 3"+ puddle under the car when I park it after an hour or so, am I near enough to total seal failure that I shouldn't drive it? Parts aren't going to be here for a week. :-/ And I'm a total and complete moron for not dealing with this the previous few weekends, since I knew it was leaking. Stupid Syonyk, being social instead of fixing his car. -=Russ=-

My rear main seal or something back there is letting go pretty badly. I guess I'm pulling the engine either this weekend or early next week. How long should I expect it to take to pull the engine ('92 Loyale, with AC), pull it apart, replace the assorted seals, and get everything back together? Also, should I replace the head gaskets? They don't seem to be leaking, but... it's going to be out of the car. It has 145k miles on it. If replacing the head gaskets is a fairly simple process, I may do it while it's out. If it's going to involve 10 hours of gasket scraping, I'm probably not interested. Oh, and while I'm at it, how should I remove all the oil/grease/etc from the engine bay? It's... really bad. -=Russ=-

Double post

You enjoy replacing head gaskets, right? They're generally the first to go. -=Russ=-

The engine stops running. It's a non-interferance engine, so it won't hurt the valves or anything, you just put new belts on & go. -=Russ=-

Hauling some computers: -=Russ=-

First, did you disconnect both the white & green connectors after clearing the codes? Second, the light flashing on the ECU should be visible if you pull the lower dash panel off - under the steering wheel, there's a large panel. Remove it (should be 5 or 6 screws/trim holder things), and you can see the LED flashing on the ECU without removing anything else. -=Russ=-

It should work. I don't know how effective it will be (oil coolers typically pull in a sub-100F air stream, as opposed to the 180F or so coolant), but it should help keep oil temps a bit more stable. -=Russ=-

V-belts if they've got more than 30k or so on 'em, timing belts, and if your oil pressure is low, this would be a good time to replace your oil pump. -=Russ=-

"Hey... uh, you know someone left a spare tire under your hood?" "Yes. I put it there. Where ELSE does a spare tire go?" I'd do a full frame up rebuild on my '92 Loyale, good suspension bits, coilovers for adjustable height (handling in the summer, clearance in the winter), window tint, full WRXish drivetrain. Beyond that, I really don't need much. It'd be a reliable, fun to drive, year round daily driver that looked awesome (I quite like the styling). Though the thought of a gas turbine Subie is quite appealing, I'm not sure I'd want to deal with the lag on a daily driver. *looks around* And maybe seal the bottom of the engine bay, fill areas with foam as needed, get better seals on the doors, add a prop shaft to the rear differential, put a rudder in, and make it a boat as well. -=Russ=-

I believe there are two coolant temperature sensors. There's one on the thermostat housing that feeds the ECU, and one on the radiator that feeds the gauge. I think. About 90% sure. But, yes, the engine computer does require a coolant temperature sensor input to control cold temperature enrichment. -=Russ=-

If the oil was black (not milky), the car hasn't been using oil or coolant, and isn't belting out white smoke, the chances of your head gasket being blown are nearly zero. There can be water in the oil from condensation, water in the container, or a variety of other reasons. I wouldn't worry about it. And just take your oil somewhere else. In most areas, it's used for paving. Water in the oil isn't a problem (it evaporates off when everything gets heated), *coolant* in the oil is a problem. -=Russ=-

NO! PB Blaster is a penetrating lubricant that will help get stuck nuts/bolts out, and help free things up when they don't want to move. Brake cleaner is a harsh organic solvent designed to remove all oil/grease/etc from brake system parts when putting things back together (because brake pads don't work well when oiled/greased). Neither one will do the other one's job. Using brake cleaner on a frozen nut will just not do anything. Using PB Blaster as brake cleaner will make the brakes work very poorly, if at all. -=Russ=-

What's been said. You may want to stuff a rag in the bearing hub area to keep the dirt from getting into the bearings, but once the three bolts are removed, tap it to rotate it, get it spinning freely, PB Blaster it & clean it, and then you should be able to start rocking it off. You'll see a nice ridge of nastyness built up in front of it as you pull it. This is what's holding it on. -=Russ=-