Do I have bad valves?

[abcus]

Dear folks,

I bought an 86 wagon at a police auction. It has air going in and out of the tube where you put oil in. Also when you hold a piece of cereal box cardboard against the tail pipe it goes plop,plop,plop.Are my intake and exhaust valves bad? It needs a clutch ,and if the the engine is bad I probably won't go any furher with the car. How long would it take someone who has not worked on Subarus before to do a clutch replacement? It has 199,950 miles on it.

Thanks,

abcus

[85Sub4WD]

Generally, if you have worked on anything with a sideways-mounted engine, Subaurs are a godsend.

Not always as easy as classics from the 60's and early 70's, but close to them - keep in mind it has an aluminium block & tranny case.

 

That said, plop plop on cardboard held to the exhaust pipe is normal - it's a flat-four and will push the exhaust out with force, and then the cessation of the flow of exhaust gasses for that tiny period of time would probably be enough to suck the box in.

 

Realize that the valves are controled by hydraulic lash adjustors, and these require proper lubrication. Make sure there is 10w-30 of decent quality in the engine or else stuff can happen ie weird valve behaviour.

 

Blowing out the oil fill tube means you may have bad rings and/or a stuck PCV valve. Replace the PCV valve with an OEM one and do a compression test.

[rallyruss]

so It runs right? if so check vacume. good motor at idle will usually have over 18inches of vac.

or do a compression test. thats a better test of motor condition. what you describe may be normal. the movement of the pistons will cause air to suck in and out at the filler if its open.

[MilesFox]

i would check or replace the pcv valves and clean out all the involved hoses.

 

my car has a low mile motor and it does the oil fill noise for the sole fact all the pcv is not hooked up properly

 

if you have any ticking ots more an annotance than a mechanical problem and a now oil pump seal will usually cure it.

 

really the only thing that can go out all of a sudden is a timing belt, if you dont know when it was last done you may as well put on new belts for peace of mind, and do the engine seals while you are at it

 

as far as the clutch goes i like to pull the motor, good idea if you change any seals. although pulling the motor is not necessary for eaither, but i prefer do do it that way. may as well get the rear seal while you are there but they usually hold out for a while

 

you can drop the tranny out the bottom, i find it easier to leave the shifters attatched to the tranny, take the bolts out on the car end of the levers, and drop it out all as one. you will want to drain the gear oil as it will leak out once you pull the driveshaft

 

you could easily squeeze 300k out the motro considering it sounds to run good with its current mileage

 

oh yeah if you DO break a timing belt it WILL NOT crunch the valves, as these are non interference motors, so dont let anyone tell you different, not even the subaru dealer:rolleyes:

[rallyruss]

oh yeah if you DO break a timing belt it WILL NOT crunch the valves, as these are non interference motors, so dont let anyone tell you different, not even the subaru dealer:rolleyes:

 

I have seen it happen. It involves the combination of a lifter problem and a broken belt. result one bent valve.

[ballitch]

ya half the time they are talking out their A$$!!! grab yourself an engine stand and hoist and pull the motor outta there, do water pump oil, pump seal and all that jazz, maybe even HG's while your at it, it will cost a good amount but it is well worth the extra insurance and peace of mind, not to mention the 100k you'll get out of that motor. but just keep doin research and decide for yourself what you want.

 

 

~Josh~

[abcus]

Thanks for the help, I appreciate it. I did get a compressions check done. Three cyclinders were within 1 lb. of 153 and the one closest to the head lite on the passenger side was 109. This was a dry check. i have not done a wet one yet.A guy I talked to today said the low cylinder could be from bad valve guides. But I would think if the valves were making a good seat the guides are outside the chamber and out of the picture. Maybe worn guides affect the angle of the seat? The engine sounds fairly decent to my ear.

When you adjust the clutch can you adjust how tight it rides against the flywheel? Maybe the adjusting is just to allows it to slip into and out of gear more easily. I would appreciate any comments from you pros.

Thanks,

abcus

[MilesFox]

you will want to adjust the clutch so the cable takes the free playu out of the fork, but does not exert pressure on it. once the nut id hand tight you can turn it a few times and be right on.

 

the tighter you make the cable the higher the clutch engages off the floor, if it s too tight it stresses the pressure plate and cable, so it only needs to be tigh enough to take the slack out

 

i like th eclutch so it engages immediately off the floor, i keep my heel on the floor when working the clutch , i dont like to hover my whole leg for a high pedal

 

make sure the clutch cable is where you want it before adjusting the hill holder cable