GLwagon1984

Bennie, you convinced me that sorting the voltage regulator issue out first was the way to go, and I’m glad you did. I waited to get a new alternator before installing a new coil. I’d known for a while I’d probably need to replace it soon, so it was a good time to do it. Unfortunately though, it still wouldn’t start with the new coil installed, and I didn’t have time to do any further troubleshooting. I’m planning to charge the battery up tomorrow and see if I can figure anything out.

Update: I do have spark at the coil wire and at the plug wires, but it is only a weak orange spark, so I’m planning to pick up and install a new coil tomorrow.

One more thing I just thought of: I think my voltage regulator is shot. My gauge showed fine voltage at idle, but often way high while driving at much above 2,000 rpm. I’d turn the fan up to the third setting, and with the headlights on too, it’d drop to where it should be. This has probably been going on for the last 600 miles.

Thanks, Bennie! It’s got electronic ignition, so I guess it may be the ignition module. I just put a new cap and rotor on today, and it still won’t start, so I guess the coil and ignition modules are the next things to look at. I haven’t checked the resistance of the plug wires yet, but I can’t imagine they would just suddenly get so bad as to cause it not to run after running fine earlier the same day. I was planning to replace them though, but just haven’t managed to get NGK wires yet. Also, while replacing the rotor, I got another look at how much play there is in the shaft, and I’d say maybe 1/32 inch or 1mm. I did have the idle bumped up to around 900 rpm because it was rough at 700-800 - maybe that’s why? I am skeptical though that it would be the reason it won’t run now though.

So I tried starting it while spraying some carb cleaner down the throat of the carburetor, but didn’t get even a sputter. No spark with one plug out and grounded while cranking either. My voltmeter showed 20.6 volts at the coil positive and negative terminals, voltage at the coil output, the other end of the coil wire, and at the distributor cap (only after a few tries though, so not reliably?) while cranking. No voltage reading at all from the plug wires while cranking. Oh, and the spark plug I pulled looked fine. I’m thinking it may be time to buy a new cap, rotor, and wires.

I drove my ‘84 GL (Weber-converted 4x4 wagon) to work yesterday, and it died before I could shut it off after parking and idling maybe 20 seconds. I immediately tried starting it, which it did after a cranking longer than usual, but died again and then wouldn’t start later in the day. It’s cranking fast, it’s getting fuel, and the choke is operating correctly, so I think it’s a spark issue. The plugs have probably 1,000 miles on them at most, but they’re the only ignition component I’ve replaced since I’ve owned it. I went back to try to diagnose it today, but didn’t have the right size plug wrench on hand, so I haven’t pulled them. I took the distributor cap off and found a bit of reddish dust inside and a little play in the shaft - maybe 1/16 in. or less. Would that amount of play be enough for it not to run? I also checked the coil with a multimeter and got a reading of 1.5-1.6 primary and 10.2-10.3 secondary. Not sure if I did that right. I’ve hardly used a multimeter before and haven’t had to diagnose any ignition troubles till now. Any opinions and/or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks, Steptoe's photos! A compression test was the only remaining thing I could think to try. I had not even considered a clogged fuel line. As you said, a compression test might be easier, so I'm thinking I'll start there, then move on to the fuel lines and hoses and report back as soon as I've got results. Hopefully the problem presents itself in one of those two areas, and I'm hoping it's just a fuel line!

My 1984 GL Wagon will not maintain a steady idle once it is warmed up (choke open), but idles fine cold (choke closed), and it sputters when I take my foot off the gas pedal and allow the revs to drop from a higher rpm. Just sitting idling, the needle on the tach bounces around between about 600 and 1,000 rpm, but just applying enough pressure to the gas pedal to bring it above 1,000 rpm stops this. Like the tach, the reading on my vacuum gauge is all over the place when hooked up at idle. Does anyone have any ideas as to the cause? Here's the backstory / what I've done to it so far: The car was driven regularly until being traded in at an independent Subaru shop/used car dealer, then sat for about a year - only driven occasionally I bought it and drove maybe 100 miles over the course of a month, and it ran and idled great until it suddenly started dying every time I let off the gas pedal while out of gear (or clutch in) I replaced both fuel filters, and did not notice any bad smell to the gas or any junk in either filter That didn't fix the problem, so I converted to a Weber carb, and it ran great, but idled high around 1,000 rpm I adjusted the carb per Weber's instructions and to bring the idle down to around 800 rpm, and the rough idle issue started I couldn't fix the issue no matter how much I fiddled with the carb, so I thought it was a vacuum leak I searched for leaks using carb cleaner, then removed all vacuum hoses (including vacuum advance) and plugged all the ports, but the issue continued I replaced the PCV valve and intake manifold gaskets, but still no difference Just today I tried to start it after a month without running it, cranked it for 30ish seconds a few times (with breaks in between) and noticed the fuel filter at the firewall had very little, if any, gas in it (but I'm pretty sure the tank is over half full), so now I think I've got a fuel pump issue and am wondering if this has anything to do with idle issue. Sorry for the long write-up, but I want to share as much relevant information as I can. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Does anyone know of a suitable replacement for the coolant bypass hose that connects to the top of the water pump on an ea81? Mine is leaking and needs to be replaced, but I can't find a moulded hose specifically for that application. Somebody has probably already written about this on here, but I've not been able to find anything. I am hoping there is a hose of the same size with a similar radius from another vehicle that could be cut to fit the ea81, since it seems like the only hoses available from Subaru or the aftermarket at this point are the upper and lower radiator hoses.

Thanks! Lately, it wouldn't stay running long enough to get to operating temperature anyway, but the propane torch did the trick for one of the studs. Hopefully the other will break free after another attempt or two.

I am currently working on converting my '84 EA81 to the Weber 32/36, and the first hiccup I've run into is in removing the old studs from the intake manifold. The back two came out fine using the 2-nut method, but the front two are badly corroded and will not budge even after numerous applications of PB Blaster. I think it's time to take a propane torch to them, but I don't know if I need to heat up the studs themselves, the manifold, or both. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks for suggesting that! I certainly would have given it a try, but I am actually now working on converting to the Weber 32/36. I really wanted to make the factory Hitachi work, but I got tired of messing with it and decided the Weber would probably serve me better long-term anyway.

Thanks! I'll certainly read up and watch any videos I can find before diving into it.

Thanks for all the input! I removed the top of the carburetor, shot it with plenty of carburetor cleaner, and tried to clean everything I could get to about as well as I could with the carb still on the manifold. When I put it back together, there was no change. The inside of the carb still looks filthy, the gasket material is disintegrating, and since it still doesn't run right, I'm thinking it might be time to get a carburetor kit, pull off the carburetor, and clean/rebuild it. Does anyone have suggestions for a brand of carb kit and/or where to buy it?

Now that I've got some free time and decent weather for working on the Subaru again, I'm back to trying to get it to stay running. I did manage to get the choke to open with just a few shots of carburetor cleaner, but I'm still having problems. When I start the car cold, it idles at about 2,000 rpm for maybe 30 seconds or so, then the choke opens most of the way and rpms drop to 1,200-1,500. At this point, if I give it a little gas, as soon as I let off the gas completely, rpms drop like a rock and it dies. So I tried just letting it idle without touching the gas pedal to see what would happen. It stayed around 1,500 rpm for a couple minutes, then began to climb slowly. Once it got up around 3,000 rpm, I put a little pressure on the gas pedal and let off, and again it died. I have no idea what to make of this, so if anyone has ideas, I'd love to hear them. I don't know what to try next. Also, I did check the contact points in the distributor. All looked clean, but I went over them with some fine sandpaper just in case. The air filter appears to be new, and is very clean, so no issues there that I can see.