Trident's 1986 GL 4WD Wagon

[Trident]

Just purchased my first Soob, an '86 wagon that has been sitting for approx. 7 years. I posted some info in the intro section, but here's a thread on it's (hopeful) resurrection. Years ago, I drove a '71 VW bus cross country so I'm hoping that experience will be handy when it comes to wrenching on this GL.

 

Purchased for $400 this weekend and towed home.

 

Started the cleaning process, which involved a holy stinkin' terror of a mouse nest in the glovebox. Since the glovebox is lined in that "suede-ish stuff" I think it's a goner.

 

I'll post more pics this afternoon and along the way. Heading to Oreillys today to pick up oil & fuel filters and a new Tstat/gasket. I'm thinking that to start off I need a complete shake down of the fuel, oil & cooling systems. What do you guys think? Any tips will be greatly appreciated by this newb Soob guy.

 

Edited to add:

- 5 speed

- 155,000 on the odometer

- mechanic diagnosed car as needing head gaskets and fuel system cleaning

- doesn't look like coolant mixed with oil just going by the dipstick.

- mechanic said fuel filter had "gummy residue" in it

Edited October 7, 2013 by Trident

[987687]

It's looking a bit low on blinker (corner light) fluid.

Edited October 7, 2013 by 987687

[Trident]

^^^ nah, that's just a rainwater gauge

 

So....we do indeed have coolant in the oil. Just drained the oil and it's obvious. I gotta say, pulling the engine is a daunting task imo but if that's what it needs so be it. Thoughts? Pull it and r/r head gaskets, maybe oil pump seal & crank seals?

[AdventureSubaru]

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/129404-pulling-engine-etc-through-the-eyes-of-a-noob/?hl=%2Bthrough+%2Beyes

 

There's a good writeup on pulling the motor and heads for the job. I think it can be done without removing the motor, but it's cramped working. Take it slow, these motors are pretty easy to work on.

[Trident]

Gotcha, thanks! I was reading over that thread last night actually. I think between that and Miles Fox's youtube vids I've got a pretty good references to tackle this.

[l75eya]

Agreed. There is a wealth of information and help available on these forums and on youtube to work on these cars so if you take your time, use common sense, get creative when you have to, and follow the direction of others when you're not sure; you'll definitely get it done.

From what I've heard, aside from getting everything disconnected under the hood, pulling the motor really isn't too involved.

That wagon looks like it will clean up fairly nicely!

[987687]

Pulling an EA is stupidly easy. My clutch failed 1200 miles from home. This is how I got it done. I had a come-along and some basic tools. Nothing fancy.

 

 

Edited October 8, 2013 by 987687

[Trident]

Nice. That's getting the job done in a pinch!

 

Last night I got the radiator out and lots disconnected, basically up to the point if taking the compressor/alt. loose, before I ran out of daylight. I've been reading a ton and wanted to ask a few things pertaining to what I've come across.

 

- Should I just replace the head gaskets and slap it back together without resurfacing the heads? It seems like I've read a few posts with this line of thinking.

- What seals/o-rings/etc. should I definitely get from a dealer?

- Those + the FelPro set and I'm good? (as far as soft parts go. I know the hard parts....water pump, etc. should be replaced as well)

 

I hope to have the engine out after work. Thanks guys!

[987687]

You should have the engine out no problem. The clutch R&R only took me about three hours, not much really to it.

[Trident]

Update: I've got the engine pulled and it's sitting in my shop ready for TLC. Ordered the cam tower o-rings and intake gaskets from the nearest dealer (70 mi. away) and they'll be ready for pickup Wednesday.

 

I've attached a few pics below of the engine and the interior. The last pic is what I found when I peeled the A/C comp. & alternator back. Looks like a messy repair was made on the intake previously.

[AdventureSubaru]

Looks good. I like the use of the quickdraw to lift the engine. Apparently I'm not the only one who mixes climbing gear and Subaru repairs!

[Trident]

Got the intake off after snapping one of the bolts. Pictures show the condition I found each side in. The driver's side gasket came off with the intake, where the passenger's stayed stuck to the block. That pic also shows the broken bolt. I'm letting PBlaster work it's magic on that currently. If that doesn't work, I'll go the drill bit route.

 

One last pic, the engine after a small amount of cleaning. I think it'll turn out well.

[987687]

You're really lucky. You have a lot of bolt sticking out. Do not start by drilling that, you have a gift there. Heat it and use vice grips to wind it out. Or weld a nut to it, or something. But you don't go start drilling when you have a piece of the fastener sticking up. Drilling bolts out of the engine SUCKS. Try to avoid it.

[Trident]

Gotcha. Heat only the bolt itself correct?

[Trident]

Got the passenger side head off and on the bench. Still no luck with the manifold bolt. I may end up taking it to the machine shop. I found some corrosion on the upper bolts on both the cam tower & head itself. I don't think these head gaskets have been on too long, judging by the condition of the head bolts and gasket itself. I did find unequal torque on the head bolts and the cam tower o-ring in bad shape. No discernible cracks on the head either. Lucky I guess?

 

Here's the link to a more complete gallery of pics

 

http://imgur.com/a/p6org

[AdventureSubaru]

A thought on that busted bolt. You have at least one more good try before you have to think about drilling. Soak it in PB Blaster or something similar for a while. If you can weld, or take it to a shop and have them weld a nut right to the bolt. (You can fit a pretty big one on there.) Then put your socket on there and spin away. With the amount of material sticking out, there's a very good chance you can spin it on out. Even if it snaps again, you're no worse off than where you started. I've done this a number of times both successfully and unsuccessfully. (Probably about 50-50 split.) But you've got more material there than most of my attempts so you've got a good shot at getting it out of there.

 

Heat from a propane torch can also help coax it out.

[Trident]

Broken stud removed & the head has been sanded, ready for re-installation tonight. The stud removal took about a week soaking with PB Blaster and a moderate amount of pencil torch. I purchased a cheap stud extractor but never could get a good bite on the stud.

 

I followed GDs thread on sanding the heads and it worked well. 220>320 grit and the picture below is what I ended up with.

 

The common cracks between the valves that I thought weren't there of course ARE there, but not letting those worry me.

 

The last pic is of an EGR bolt I snapped. Now I've drilled thru it and believe I'll have it out soon.

[SmashedGlass]

Sand a little more; can still see a bit of the fire ring there. 

[Trident]

1 cylinder head back on and torqued, the other sitting on the bench ready for sanding. I definitely found the cylinder which was pumping coolant. Driver's side head and block full of "georgia clay" looking stuff. Gonna flush that out tonight.

 

Random thoughts during this process

 

- I've read a few posts concerning seized valve lash adjusters. Mine came out extremely easy

- Crank sprockets also were easy to remove. Waiting on UPS man with my eBay belts/tensioners

- Much more (really TIGHT) torque on a few head bolts on the 2nd head I removed. Consistency is not the word I would use for those, on either side.

[Trident]

After much too long without an update, I'm back. Where to start?.........

 

 

 

-The 2nd cylinder head has been sanded & reinstalled along with new cam tower o-rings, valve cover gaskets & grommets. Both sides are totally bolted back together & waiting to be put to work.

 

-Oil pump has been rebuilt with all 3 new seals.

 

-new water pump & gasket installed along with new bypass(?) hose

 

-oil pan gasket replaced. Found ungodly sludge & quickly banished it to the parts washer. There is no telling how incorrect the dipstick was reading.

 

-new tensioners & pulley

 

-new crank seal

 

 

 

 

 

old water pump

 

 

 

 

oil pan before (sorry bout the quality) 

 

 

 

 

 

after

 

 

 

 

lots more pics at http://imgur.com/a/p6org

 

 

 

Problems I've yet to solve:

 

1. The EGR bolt that I broke off. After drilling the heck out of the center, I still cannot get it out.....any ideas? For clarity, this is on the passenger side cylinder head. What about the gaskets for both these pipes? What are they called or parts #s so I can look them up. (It may be for the ASV I guess, but I'm thinking it's the EGR)

 

 

 

 

2. So when I ordered the t-stat/gasket from Subaru, I received the rubber thermostat gasket. The old one that came off was a paper gasket & I ordered this one thinking I was doing the right thing. Now I find that the new seal will not fit in the recess where the thermostat itself sits. Should I just go with a paper one?

 

thanks fellas!

[Trident]

During the last month, my sister acquired a '92 Civic p.o.s. that has been taking up a lot of my time, but I digress....

 

The EA82 is completed and has been reinstalled in the wagon. A good (read: GREAT) friend let me tow it to his shop to get me out of the elements a bit.

 

Chomping at the bit, we hooked it up to a makeshift "gas tank" which consisted of an electric fuel pump & a 5 gallon gas can. After installing a new battery and crossing fingers I hit the key......SUCCESS!! She fired up as soon as gas hit the carb with nary a bit of lifter noise. I haven't reinstalled the exhaust, so she was a bit loud To this point, we've only ran it 20-30 sec. intervals so I'm cautiously optimistic. This is my first engine removal, reseal, etc. so......

 

Still dealing with a few issues before she's roadworthy. I took the original alternator off and up to have it tested. I know the AutoZone/Oreillys/etc. testers aren't the end all - be all, but it failed all 3 sections of the test so I'm looking at possibly the Maxima alt swap or just buying a reman.

 

I pulled off the fuel tank inspection plate and discovered pure nastiness inside the tank. It needs to be dropped and cleaned before I'll use it.

 

Getting 4 new tires mounted at lunch, so we're good there.

 

as a footnote: I ended up leaving the broken bolt in the EGR pipe & sealing it up. Hope it causes no problems. Also, I used the paper style gasket for the thermostat, the rubber seal I ordered would in no way fit.

[Trident]

another day, another hurdle for the Soob. Upon dropping the mustache bar down and dropping the tank, I found that the tank is ruined. The old gas left in the tank rotted a hole straight through. Looks to possibly be where the sending unit float sat. Replacement to be ordered today. Pleasantly surprised with the $75 price tag on the Spectra replacement tank & I'll know the fuel system is spotless.

[l75eya]

Definitely a pro-maxima alt swap guy here. Great little mod that will negate any future potential voltage problems you may encounter. Also great work and great pictures. I can only hope things go as smoothly for me as they did for you (minus broken studs ) when I tackle all this work myself. Great stuff here.

[Trident]

Thanks for the kind words! Before this, the "biggest" single repair I've ever made on my own vehicles was prob. an exhaust manifold in my Jeep TJ. This place has been an irreplaceable asset during this project. The "pulling an engine thru the eyes of a noob" thread was instrumental as well as the usual tidbits from GeneralDisorder & many others. Combine it with the How to Keep Your Subaru Alive book and the 1989 EA82 .pdf available from numerous links here and you've got all the weapons you need.

[Trident]

As my little project rolls along, it seems little gremlins rear their heads at every turn. Not entirely unexpected given the recent history of the car. After installing my new tank (around $48 shipped from Amazon! ) it seemed as though the carb wasn't getting fuel. Further inspection revealed that the short length of metal fuel line between the tank & fuel filter was 100% plugged. After trying unsuccessfully to clean the line, a short length of 5/16" fuel line solved the problem. It didn't take long for fuel to reach the carb and VROOM....she's alive.

Joy was short-lived as gas began to pour out of the accelerator pump and possibly elsewhere on the Hitachi. I knew then that I was faced with the "rebuild vs. Weber" decision. I've decided to go with the Weber and currently have ordered the TransDapt 2107. I'll use tomorrow morning to decide on which Weber to order and get it on it's way. Any suggestions as to which model to order is greatly appreciated. Until its here, I'll be reading every carb swap thread I can find to deal with the plugging of vacuum lines, elimination of coolant passages and what to do with the EGR, ASV, etc.

 

One unrelated issue that I just remembered....while unloading her and rolling her into my friends shop we noticed an oil leak. After a quick look-see we determined it originated from what I think is the speedo cable on top of the transmission. From what I've read here, that's not good. I wonder why it just now started leaking, and not when the car was moved the other couple times......like onto the trailer to bring it home or when we unloaded it and rolled it onto my carport or onto the trailer again for the last move. The only difference I can think of is I had to get on the brakes pretty good while unloading it this last time to avoid hitting my buddy's stuff around his shop. That being said, there isn't much brake pedal to begin with & I ended up pulling the e-brake to stop it. I sure hope this dang problem doesn't end up being a huge deal.

 

Til next time.....