FUJI-HEAVY Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Hey, just picked up a mint 1985 gl-10 wagon and have just bought the best car with the most power I've ever owned. It was sunny today as I waxed it for the first time, YEAH! I name it my ski car and will drive it to whistler in deep snow. A question though, the guy I bought it off treated it well but didn't have much mechanical knowledge and this is my first Subaru... Q#1: The engine seems to be running hot (just below red when casually driving, into the red when flying on the highway) and I will check the usual things (thermostat, water flow through rad, water pump) but I'm just wondering where the best starting point might be, like if there is any comon problems or more frequent areas of trouble in this department. I read that some people just toss there thermostats, is it because of running to hot? Q#2: This is my first experience with four wheel disc brakes and they feel soft. The previous owner said thats just the different feel of all disc brakes. There is a decent amount of pad left and it does brake fine, I just wonder if this is the case or should I think about the booster or air in the brake lines? Well I'm stoked to join this community of Suby lovers, my bro has a 2004 WRX-STI and it showed me what real vehicle engineering can do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 running in the red is not good, you could have a blown head gasket, or oneis about to go running hot. make sure the radiator is ood and the coolant level is correct. it is possible the water pump may not be functioning properly thus causing the running hot. you should consider replacing the water pump first thing, may as well do the timing belts and seals. but water pump st least for now to see if that fixes it i would assume your car is mpfi, if not turbo. if it isnt turbo yopu can swap one on if you get the proper disty with knock sensor/control unit form 85-86 turbos its quite possible the head gasket could be blown, but see this as an excuse to do the engine up good. inspect the exhausst ports for cracks as these will lose coolant. the cracks between the valves are normal you can close them up with a punch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBrumby Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Welcome to the board, The over heating issue could be the t-stat stuck half open or most probable has the orriginal radiator it came with from the factory. Check over the rad and see how much fin rot its got and how much crust its got inside. Heat is the main thing that beats these soobies as their heads warp pretty easily so a new radiator would be a good idea if the old one's shot. I duno how to test a waterpump. Yeh the brakes could use a bleed but you have to asks someelse cause u have to do it in order to get it right. Does the car have a sweetish odour? While running do you get bubles in coolant? How many miles you got on your gl-10? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanislru Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Welcome to the board guy there's quite a few canucks on the board, all tho most are lurkers. Whistler, do they have snow? I've been looking at a road trip to Powderking this Feb, in the desperate search for snow the mountains here on the island are screwed. my discs on both of my 86's feel firm with only about an inch or so before the brakes do there thing when I'm on the pedal, the only time they haven't is when I didn't bleed them properly. The high temp of your car is bad juju, check the things you mentioned, maybe buy some rad fluid tester strips, they can tell you if there is exhaust in your coolant and if you have a bad HG. Is there any white chuffs of smoke out of your exhaust? When it's running does the upper rad hose get really hot after driving, if it does then your pumps fine. What kind of shape are things in? Is it turbo, more info please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUJI-HEAVY Posted February 6, 2005 Author Share Posted February 6, 2005 The hose does get hot, and it is a turbo. The engine has 239,000 km on it but I'm sure the car has been treated well with regular oil changes and such, judging by the shape of car as a whole. To add to the question is that in the last couple days the temperature gauge has gone from just below red to dropping to middle suddenly and staying half to three quarters for a while before rising again. Thermostat? radiator? or maybe temp. sending unit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Sounds like the thermostat is sticking. Make sure you replace it with OEM, all others suck and dont last. 180deg is the recommended temp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phishy75 Posted February 6, 2005 Share Posted February 6, 2005 Welcome to the board:drunk: Where are you located exactly? For the temp issue, definitely get a new t-stat (180 deg OEM) and maybe do a flush. If there was ever a coolant leak and someone used bars leaks or something like that it can really gum up the cooling system. If your pads are good on the brakes, it sounds like they might just need a good bleed. It is crucial to do it in the proper order too - rear passenger, front driver, rear driver then front passenger. I bled mine twice with the same problem before I know the order and it didn't help. Did a good bleed in the right order after I found out and it made a huge difference. Good luck and keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUJI-HEAVY Posted February 7, 2005 Author Share Posted February 7, 2005 I live in Victoria too. This is the land of the preserved suby. Everywhere I look I see old grandmas driving mint subarus with low km's. I would like to buy them all someday. Welcome to the board:drunk:Where are you located exactly? For the temp issue, definitely get a new t-stat (180 deg OEM) and maybe do a flush. If there was ever a coolant leak and someone used bars leaks or something like that it can really gum up the cooling system. If your pads are good on the brakes, it sounds like they might just need a good bleed. It is crucial to do it in the proper order too - rear passenger, front driver, rear driver then front passenger. I bled mine twice with the same problem before I know the order and it didn't help. Did a good bleed in the right order after I found out and it made a huge difference. Good luck and keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 I live in Victoria too. This is the land of the preserved suby. Everywhere I look I see old grandmas driving mint subarus with low km's. I would like to buy them all someday. No, you aren't allowed to. I have been eyeing those for years, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phishy75 Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 Everywhere you look you see old grandmas driving. That's what's so scary about Victoria!!! True point though - lots of mint subies and also lots of bagged rustbuckets that have been totally thrashed - that's why we lovem though, they keep on runnin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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