Ofeargall Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 I just picked up an 89 wagon from Craigslist in hopes of restoring my affections for all things Subaru. I had a GL hatch that I used when I was a rural newspaper photographer and that car took me everywhere I needed to go. I've purchased a Forester and a 2007 wagon since then and hated them both. This time I thought I would go back in time in hopes of getting to what I consider the 'good' Subaru's. The wagon I picked up is EFI, 5 speed, Hi-Lo and is remarkably clean for 265K miles. The questions I have is, if the engine doesn't smoke but has loud tapping valves (or lifters I suppose) and leaks oil like crazy off the front of the engine am I in good shape? We live in the Pacific Northwest and a Subaru of this ilk is a good tool to have around for our family. I guess I just want to know that clackety valve noise is not going to turn fatal. I'm planning on removing the timing belt cover and look around to see where the oil is coming from. I'm not afraid to work on cars (this Subaru is the newest car in the driveway...) and the support this forum provides gives me even more confidence, I just want to know what's 'normal' since I've been away from the EA engine for so long. Thanks in advance for any input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivans imports Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 heres a parts list for you cam seals x2 crank seal x1 cam orings x2 oil pump shaft seal x1 oil pump oring x1 oil pump mounting oring x1 valve cover set should seal it up the ticking is caused by air geting into the oil thrugh the oilpump shaft seal is a small seal in center of oilpump and is critical to come from subaru and most important seal on ea82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ofeargall Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 Thanks! This can all be done from the front of the engine and just pulling the valve covers I take it? Or is this one of those "you might as well do the head gaskets while your at it" kind of things? If this is a quick front-of-the-engine job, that would be super. I'm guessing the MilesFox #8 video about tearing down the frontside of the engine will walk me through a lot of it. Sure appreciate your reply. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 (edited) Welcome to USMB! ... The questions I have is, if the engine doesn't smoke but has loud tapping valves (or lifters I suppose) and leaks oil like crazy off the front of the engine am I in good shape? ... The Hydraulic Lifters' Noise is commonly know as the "T.O.D." (Tic of Death) Sound and despite its name, is not completely deadly for the engine. That sound usually comes when the "Mickey-Mouse" Shaped seal between the Oil Pump and the Engine, becomes hard with age and is "Sucked" somehow to the interior, letting Air to get inside the Oil and Mixed with oil does Bubbles... If the T.O.D. is Recent, you should Reseal the Oil Pump (or even Better: Find a New one, because over 200K Miles is time for a New Oil Pump in my Book) and the T.O.D. should Dissapear soon... but a Deep Cleansing with a Can of SeaFoam poured slowly to the intake manifold (thru the Brake Booster's Vacuum) with engine Running at mid-range RPM's is a Very Good Idea... also to pour some on Oil and Gasoline and drive it for a While like That. If the T.O.D. is Old, then the Hydro Lifters should be Worn enough to Keep the clappin' sound, even with a New Pump and Cleansing... That T.O.D. robs a Little amount of Hp and acceleration from the Engine but is not Deadly... in that case, your engine will need New Hydro Lifters to become Silent again. Another thing to Consider is: If the Oil leakage in the Front has smeared the Timin' Belts: those should snap soon... I Kindly suggest you to Run the Timin' Belts Coverless, after the engine reseal. MilesFox's Videos: "The Art of Subaru Maintenance" are Awesome, I really advice to see them prior to Start the Reseal Job. Finally: Those Old EA82 engines could Last many Many Miles and Years if they're properly maintained, so 265K is not Really a High Mileage in the Subaru World. I Kindly Suggest you to use the "Search" function of this Forum, many of your Questions has been Answered Before. I Hope to see Pictures of your car posted, We Love Pics here! Kind Regards. Edited September 21, 2012 by Loyale 2.7 Turbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ofeargall Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 (edited) Brilliant! Thanks for the information. Very useful in soothing my concerns. I do plan on replacing the timing belts while I'm at it. My membership/registration was just approved late last night. I've been trying to search the forum by Googling my questions and including "ultimatesubaru" in the keyword search until I was approved. Now that I'm approved I'll be diligent about search first, ask second. Thank you for your patience and guidance. I'll get some photos posted soon. Edited September 21, 2012 by Ofeargall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobiedubie Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 There is one more set of possible causes. The assembly of the camshaft housing onto the cylinder heads, requires one special high temperature subaru O-ring and also gasket maker applied to two contacting surfaces on the interior of that housing. That gasket maker allows oil to be pumped to the center of the camshaft and out to the wearing surfaces. If it was not installed, then you can fix all the other gaskets that you can find, and it will not help stop the lifter noise. The O-ring allows oil to be pumped to the hydraulic lifters, which then allows the lifters to capture that oil and stay firm. The O-ring does get hardened from cooking the engine, and looses it's ability to seal. Not everybody installs the camshaft housing correctly. You may have bought the car from one of those mechanics. Furthermore, some fly by night sellers of hydraulic lifters import and resell some chineese lifters that are a complete joke. I walked into their distribution shack near Sweethome, Oregon, and returned my crappy ones that they sold me, in person. Boy were they surprised to see one of their customers that they swindled, show up on their door step. Rockauto will also sell their hydraulic lifters by the handfull and throw in a bunch of junk lifters, that will not pump up with oil. They also sold me a cracked water pump that they kept for special customers. Consequently, I don't buy anything from Rockauto anymore. Buy your hydraulic lifters from a Subaru dealer so that you can take it out of the box right there, and see whether it is already pumped up with and holding the oil. If and when you reinstall this housing, it helps to jack up one side of the vehicle front, in order to help hold the greased rocker arms onto the hydraulic lifters tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ofeargall Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 Thank you scoobiedubie. I'll do a search on the camshaft housing procedure. My assumption is that it's possible to do this work without removing the heads. I'm trying to figure rough costs on this process. If I purchase the timing belts and the aforementioned gaskets, do you think I could get the job done for $120? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobiedubie Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 while you have it apart, you should change out the 2 pulleys and gear in the front. You buy those and the belts on EBAY for about $80. Whole engine gasket kits are also on EBAY. Their exhaust gaskets are garbage, however. You might as well get cylinder head gaskets and valve guides, in the kit that you may buy. The O-rings only come from Subaru. You will probably spend more than $120. The oil pan leaks can be helped by just carefully tightening up the small bolts on the front, left and right sides, that have weakened with age due to heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 (edited) Thanks! Or is this one of those "you might as well do the head gaskets while your at it" kind of things? This comment only applies to engines later than the ej22e In regards to the lifter tick and oil leaks, it's a "you might as well do the cam tower o-rings while you're at it" kind of thing. make sure to get real cam tower o-rings. If you go this far you can follow the head re-torque sequence. remove the motor mount nuts and pitch bar to jack up the engine a few inches to get the cam towers easier. remove the disty to make it easier. you can raise the engine a few inches without dropping the exhaust header. take out the battery and air box for more clearance Edited September 22, 2012 by MilesFox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ofeargall Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 Cam tower o rings and sealant, timing belt, front seals, tensioners, pulleys and gear. Got it. New oil pump... got it. Raise the engine, use grease to hold cam parts for reassembly, got it. Re-torque the heads, will do. Spend $200+, do-able. Is this a weekend assignment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 You forgot "Purchase beer." Welcome aboard. If you're well versed in taking things of this nature apart, should be a good weekend assignment. Have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Def. a weekend job. the HG can be done in a weekend easily. Bring beer for sure. getting apart is easy, but installing the cam towers is the most frustrating part. from there it is cake. use ultra grey or anaerobic sealant for the cam tower, never RTV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobiedubie Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 I used ThreeBond 1211 Silicon Liquid Gasket for the cam towers. It is available in motorcycle shops. The trick is that you apply it and let it sit unassebled for 20 minutes or so, until it stops running and becomes tacky. It is important to get as much drying to take place as you can get away with, before assembling the parts. And then don't forget to cleverly place this gasket maker on the two interior surfaces while still allowing the oil holes to not get plugged with the gasket maker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 And then don't forget to cleverly place this gasket maker on the two interior surfaces while still allowing the oil holes to not get plugged with the gasket maker. There isn't supposed to be sealant needed there. Can't see why it would be bad, other than clogging the oil passages and HLA's. Just an FYI, that it's not needed. I wouldn't do it unless I was fighting a motor with chronic TOD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobiedubie Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I have tried it both ways. The engine runs quieter with gasket maker on those two surfaces. When I first took my engine apart after the Subaru mechanic worked on it, there was signs of gasket maker having been applied to those interior surfaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I have tried it both ways. The engine runs quieter with gasket maker on those two surfaces. When I first took my engine apart after the Subaru mechanic worked on it, there was signs of gasket maker having been applied to those interior surfaces. Then it's possible that the first guy to put sealer there caused the valve tick by getting sealant goop into the HLAs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ofeargall Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 I've read the Seafoam trick but has anyone tried 1qt of tranny fluid with 3 quarts oil after an oil change? I've done this with a rig that had sticky lifters and valves and it helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobiedubie Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Then it's possible that the first guy to put sealer there caused the valve tick by getting sealant goop into the HLAs. I didn't have a valve ticking problem. I was taking it apart to put my old cylinder heads on another short block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now