86gl10 Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I have a 86gl10 wagon and it recently started going through lots and lots of oil. Like a quart every week. Following this problem I have also been going through most of my coolant everytime I drive it. It is overheating. There is no puddle of oil in the driveway and from what I see im not leaving clouds of smoke. I dont know where it is going. I thought head gasket but I did a pressure test on the radiator and it held pressure fine. Also did compression test. About 120 without oil and 150 with oil. I also replaceed a bad thermostat yesterday and it did not help. Please help me!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 check to see that the water pump is leaking or not. Either by the weep hole(worn pump), or by the o-ring on the metal tube to the lower hose where it fits into the oil pump. perhaps the oil is being consumed through the PCV valve and hoses. Bad intake gaskets can burn off coolant, but that would show in the pressure test. You may still have an air pocket in the system after installing the thermostat. Make sure you are using the recommended thermostat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Sounds like the heads are cracked into the exhaust ports. Very typical on an EA82T, especially one of the earlier ones that have the first generation turbo heads on it. Even though its not leaving spots on your driveway when its parked doesn't mean its not leaking it while you drive, like onto the exhaust where it might get burned off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86gl10 Posted October 29, 2011 Author Share Posted October 29, 2011 (edited) Wont a cylinder leak down test tell me whether the head is cracked? Or what is the easiest way to test my heads? Edited October 29, 2011 by 86gl10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 No. There is a coolant passage that runs through the bottom of the head and down the center of the exhaust port. Its the ridge that separates each cylinder's exhaust port until it meets the exhaust header. If that's the case, you will need to either have the crack welded up by a machinist or source up another head or heads depending if one or both are cracked. The cracks between the valves however is usually all right unless they've opened up pretty wide . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Leak down test won't tell you anything. That is purely for checking the valves and rings. Compression test and leak-down test are not going to show a blown HG or a cracked head unless the problem is extremely severe. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86gl10 Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 (edited) Oh okay. Well the car is only overheating when I climb hills. Everytime I stop to add some water it is bubbling in the overflow tank. What could that mean? This car has been overheated a few times before. I heard these things will almost always blow head gaskets or crack a head when you overheat them. Im getting sick of so I think im just going to tear the heads off and take a look. Oh I also notice the coolant having a kind of burnt or exhaust smell. Its pretty strong. Edited October 30, 2011 by 86gl10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Overheating is VERY bad for the EA82T. You should likely start looking for a new engine or plan on rebuilding yours. Either that or just get a nice Legacy and forget about that POS. They are a huge headache unless you drop some serious money on doing a proper rebuild with all the trimmings. Cost is likely more than the car is worth. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 (edited) IMO, people buy these cars and right away get into them way over their heads. The appeal is they can be bought so cheap. But the associated repairs cost more than any youngster typically can afford, for what the car is, a pos. I don't think this is any way shape or forma good car for someone just learning cars. The engine is crap, and once overheated, even more crap. You are better off to sell it for scrap or sell the good parts, and move on up into a first gen legacy or first gen impreza. Before long, you will have 1000 dollars in newparts on this, and it will still not be reliable. Do not spend a dime more on it, sell parts off it, call it a wash and buy something trouble free like the legacy or impreza, mentioned by others here too. Edited October 30, 2011 by bheinen74 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Im getting sick of so I think im just going to tear the heads off and take a look. Oh I also notice the coolant having a kind of burnt or exhaust smell. Its pretty strong. Check for bubbles in the radiator when the cap is off and the engine is running. You may have a blown HG where exhaust is getting in the coolalnt, and pushing it our the overflow. If you are confident in taking the heads off to have a look, you can fix it yourself for within $150 in parts. You could get by with a can of sodium silicate block sealer if yu follow the instructions on the bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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