Subaroo82 Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Hey folks, I recently purchased a 82 Subaru GL Wagon. Found it on a farm for 100$. It has a 1800 engine, dual range tranny, and a POS carter carb. Im not very familiar with Subaru's so if you guys would give me some thoughts on gettin in runnin better that would be grand! So far i tore the carb apart cleaned out jets and everything were plugged up. I reused the gaskets when i did that and a few days later some gas spewed out between the top and bottom half of the carb it hasn't done that since though. New fuel pump, Wheel bearings, Cap&Rotors, Spark plug wires, Adjusted valves, All new filters, Timed it..Changed the oil about 6 times with around 20 miles in between it kept coming out black as night and i ran some seafoam through the gas. It was getting about 14mpg and horrible performance i replaced the spark plugs today and the old ones were gapped at .040mm when they need to be 1mm drives soo much better now. Trannys wasn't popping into reverse the hole where stick connects to the shift got wore out pretty good just needed a bigger bolt. Also have a exhaust leak on the passenger flange one of the bolt holes is stripped. Im hoping fuel economy will jump to 20+ after the spark plugs. It needs a good bit more performance still though. Currently it kind of guzzles in town at about 25mph you can feel it pull back like it gets a little bit bigger burst of gas all of a sudden. It's pinging alittle bit and when i go to turn of the engine it will try and shut off but it acts like theres still gas in the chambers and it trys to fire It's also infested with mice as it sat in a field for so long anyone have experience with that? Thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elcaminokurt Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 If your sooby is pinging, you may need to retard the timing a little bit. Also, it sounds like you may have carbon built up in the cylinders which can cause an engine to keep running even after you shut it off. You can use Seafoam to help remedy this issue; there are directions on the side of the can that call for Seafoam to be sucked directly into one of you vacuum lines such as the line for your brake booster. Cjeck out the can for more details. As far as mice, the smell can be tough to get rid of unless you cean out their nest. I have heard that a bunch of Bounce fabric softner sheets spread throughout the cabin can help to deter mice. Good luck, and enjoy your Subaru, Kurt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferox Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 POS carter carb. This is probably your main problem right now. Are you in an emissions control area? (Include a location in your profile, no one is going to track you down from this forum and it helps us help you.) If you need to pass emissions, you might want a Hitachi carb and new EGR valve. Obviously your ambitious, so you could also do an SPFI swap. If you don't have to pass emissions, then you can get a Weber carb and get 20+ mpg. It's also infested with mice as it sat in a field for so long anyone have experience with that? Thanks guys You are going to want to get OCD with the cleaning. The three main areas to target are behind every interior panel (e.g. inside doors), under and inside the seats, and inside the climate control and ventilation system and probably on top of your heater core. Shop vac, remove all trace, and sterilize. Deploy anti-rodent measures of your choosing. Repeat until desired results are achieved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 If you had to wofc (watch out for critters), then you probably should carry one of those small 15 dollar fire extenguishers, cause mice like to feed on wire insulation, which in turn, causes fire at some point when something shorts out under the dash or hood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaroo82 Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 Thanks for the replys guys. I live in washington no emission bs. I was reading up on the hitachi/weber carb swap and the same guy i bought the car from has a suby of a similar year at his house i'll go check it out for a intake manifold/carb. Problem is right now i dont have the money for a weber so i'll have to live with this one for a little longer. I'll check that seafoam out elcamino sounds like a great idea! I've ripped all the carpet out of the car, some of the dash and i disconnected the vents from the blower motor to shop vac all that up. Still need to tear the dash completely out to get everything back there its ridiculous i pulled a rattler snake out of the vent yesterday. When i replaced the fuel pump the little relay do dadder thats under the passenger seat that gives it power..wasnt getting power so i just routed a wire from the fuel pump to the fuse box that gets power on ignition. Will that hurt it any? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 When i replaced the fuel pump the little relay do dadder thats under the passenger seat that gives it power..wasnt getting power so i just routed a wire from the fuel pump to the fuse box that gets power on ignition. Will that hurt it any? Amature wireing when you don't have any idea how the system is supposed to operate is always dangerous. You need to immediately correct this - the fuel pump is driven from a Fuel Pump Control Unit (FPCU) that only gives it power for about 2 seconds when the key is first turned on and then only when it gets a tach signal (cranking or running). This prevents the fuel pump from running after an accident. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markjw Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Do you know the pressure of the New fuel pump? The stock one you replaced only puts out 3-4 lbs. Any more than that, and you'l have problems. Maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaroo82 Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share Posted July 9, 2011 (edited) Amature wireing when you don't have any idea how the system is supposed to operate is always dangerous. You need to immediately correct this - the fuel pump is driven from a Fuel Pump Control Unit (FPCU) that only gives it power for about 2 seconds when the key is first turned on and then only when it gets a tach signal (cranking or running). This prevents the fuel pump from running after an accident. GD Oh i see do you know where the fpcu draws power from? Mark: Its around 2-4.5 iirc. Drove it to town today and it did horrible found the carb was loose tightened it up and it was a good bit better. Filled her up and it got 12mpg on the last tank that is really frustrating. I have a few questions for you sub gurus. As far as acceleration where my foot sits at 60 on the pedal and the play in the pedal after that when i push down it seems like its getting it but it isnt doing anything with it. Im assuming this is because the 1barrel cant suck in enough air or could this be a ignition problem? Also what in the world could be causing such poor fuel milage? Edited July 9, 2011 by Subaroo82 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The FNG Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 I know nothing about carbs...so can't help you there. However, I had a similar mouse infestation, in fact, a terrible one. The vents were so plugged with nesting that no air would come out and the stench was horrible. Removing the dash is a PITA, but a must. I searched around on the internet some and found that pinesol is supposed to be the best. It cleans, sanitizes and helps the smell in one. I wiped everything down with it and it is now much better, but the AC radiator and heater core were the worst. I was not able to completely clean them out, but did the best I could. If those are bad, I would recommend replacing them when they come out because mine still stink a little. Also, for carpet and seats, got to Petco and get Nature's Miracle. The stuff is all natural and chemical free. It seriously works wonders on animal smell and stains. Best of luck, Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Oh i see do you know where the fpcu draws power from? The FPCU is located above the hood release handle on the driver's side under the dash. It's a black or blue module with a 6 pin connector. It will have a Mitsubishi emblem on it. You need to check for power, ground, and tach signal to that box - it also runs the choke on most models and there will be a blue w/red wire that runs to the fuel pump. The FPCU receives it's power from the main fuse box under the dash. Be sure you check for power at the pump while someone is cranking the engine - otherwise no power will be present due to the FPCU's failsafe against running the pump when the engine is off. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bud81 Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 welcome to world of subaru. i like you picked up an 81 gl wagon not running. My suggestion in to got to your local auto parts store and pick the haynes service manual. it comes with wiring diagrams and all the info on how to set your carb. keep working at it i got mine running and getting 26mpg. bud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaroo82 Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 Thanks guys fuel pump is back on the fpcu now. I have a new symptom the idle is really jumpy like it'll bounce between 800-1000. When i take it out to the highway road we have a little slope when i put it in first and try and go it bogs down really bad and i can push the clutch in and rev it but it takes a while like its getting flooded and has to burn the gas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaroo82 Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 Got it running a lot better today. Lots of power in first and second decent in third, but once i hit the highway and pop it into 4th its has horrible acceleration 55-60 is the worst and forget hills haha. Is this normal with the one barrel carb or does anyone have some suggestions? Mice infestion is about gone still have to tear out the dash though. Thanks again everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BratWarrior Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 I am having the exact same acceleration problem right now. I can't figure it out! I'm scared to go past 60mph! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 You were saying you gapped the plugs at 1MM... and they WERE at .040... I think what it WAS before was closer to correct. I dont have my manual in front of me but I seem to recall the proper gap is in the .043 range.... maybe thats inches?? I just know where it should fall on my gauge though (and the OEM ones are correct out of the box 99% of the time) Of course maybe I am reading stuff wrong.... 1MM may convert to the proper measurement in inches and the previous owner may have used the inch measurement in MM or CM or something.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaroo82 Posted July 25, 2011 Author Share Posted July 25, 2011 You were saying you gapped the plugs at 1MM... and they WERE at .040... I think what it WAS before was closer to correct. I dont have my manual in front of me but I seem to recall the proper gap is in the .043 range.... maybe thats inches?? I just know where it should fall on my gauge though (and the OEM ones are correct out of the box 99% of the time) Of course maybe I am reading stuff wrong.... 1MM may convert to the proper measurement in inches and the previous owner may have used the inch measurement in MM or CM or something.... 1mm is .040in they were gapped at .40mm. No updates just got back from a family thing havent had time to do anything but put the exhaust back on. Noticed it ran like crap on the way home and it was surgin pretty bad, till i cruised down our huge slope in neutral ran great after that.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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