Syonyk Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 Posted this in a thread in the offroad forum, but it's also relevant here. This is a list of things I'd suggest checking/changing on a "new" Subaru. I have an 87 GL (D/R 5 speed) that I commute in and generally haul around the midwest... 4000 miles last month on a junkyard salvage Subaru. Now that you have it... fix it. There are a few things I'd suggest doing right off the bat. If it's something that should have been done at X mileage, assume it hasn't been done in 2X miles and is due to fail at any point. You can do all of these things yourself easily enough - all you should need is a decent metric socket set & maybe a few deep well sockets. If you haven't learned to work on a car before, now is the time. 1: Change all the fluids. Oil, coolant, and transmission/differential fluid. If you have the money, putting in some synthetic RedlineMT or Royal Purple might help get a bit more power to the wheels (less driveline loss). 2: Change the timing belts. They're not difficult to change. The EA82 engines are non-interference, so a broken timing belt won't damage anything, but it's still a pain. They're good for 60k miles or so and about $40 for a set. Also, while you're in there, many people on the board suggest removing most of the timing belt covers. They're supposed to keep stuff off the belts, but they usually end up keeping any oil/coolant ON the belts. Plus, changing the timing belts without the covers is pretty trivial. It's a lot easier to change the timing belts with the radiator out, and if you're doing a bunch of this stuff at once it would be well worth the 5 minutes it takes to remove it. 3: Ignition system. It's shot. Plugs, wires, distributor cap/rotor. Should be $50 or so, but if you can take the cap & rotor off in the parking lot of the parts store you'll be happier. Match parts up, because there are a wide variety of parts that claim to fit, and only one or two actually do. If you want, you can get another ignition coil (Blaster or Accel) and gap the plugs a bit wider (0.050" or so). Plus, then you have a spare ignition coil. 4: Coolant system. Replace the thermostat, just as a preemptive measure. After a while, they start to stick and not open fully... it might be fine for normal driving, but it won't open up fully when you're running WOT for 15 minutes straight going up a mountain (or through mud). Also, check the hoses & radiator. If the radiator is pretty bad looking (fins falling off), a new one is $90ish. The hoses should be replaced if they're soft or tearing. 5: Fuel filter & oxygen sensor. The fuel filter is probably half clogged. It's easy to get at, right in the driver's corner of the engine bay. The oxygen sensor is also shot, but they have to get REALLY bad before throwing a check engine code... I went from 23mpg to 27mpg just by replacing mine. You'll have to drop the exhaust off the engine to do this, and you may as well replace the exhaust gaskets (heads to Y-pipe) while you're at it. $20 for a generic O2 sensor, $6 for the gasket set. 6: Accessory drive belts. $8-$10 for a set. It's not worth *not* replacing them - there are two, but they're probably the same age. The alternator & water pump are important. Throw the old ones (or just one) in back as a spare. 7: Oil leaks. Subarus mark their territory. This is a given - if a Subaru isn't leaking oil, it's probably out. However, it shouldn't be dumping massive amounts of oil. If it is, it's probably the fault of the cam cover oil seal - a little o-ring that seals a high pressure passage between the heads & the cam cover. This is a bit of a pain to do with the engine in the car, but perfectly doable. There are writeups on it, just search for "cam cover seal." 8: Spare tire. Look at that tiny little spare tire under the hood. You can't use 4WD mode with that on any wheel. Consult with your local junkyard & get a full size spare tire - it fits under the hood just fine. Make sure the tire is the same size as your current ones, or you'll make the transmission very unhappy in 4WD mode. 9: On the topic of 4WD mode, it's for use only on wet pavement/gravel/snow/ice/etc. It doesn't have a center differential, so don't use it on dry pavement. If you do have trouble getting it back into FWD mode, back up in a straight line for 2 car lengths or so and it'll release tension. 10: Headlights. The bulbs get dim before burning out. Change them... you might like it. Also, if you're not familiar with Subarus, the headlights are wired to the ignition. Leave the light switch on, and the lights come on when you turn the car on and go off when you turn it off. The little rocker on top of the steering column lets you turn the parking lights on with the key off. More likely, you'll want to poke that when you can't figure out why the parking lights refuse to go off when you turn the car off. 11: Brakes. Check 'em out. You'll need a nice 36mm socket & breaker bar (or impact wrench) to get the rear brakes off. The rear brake cylinders like to leak on these cars (or at least on both of mine), and aren't very expensive to replace. $30-$35 for a set (both sides). 12: Things to keep in back. There are a number of things that you should keep in the back of your car to make life easier for you (and possibly others). A good 4-way tire iron is very useful, as is a decent jack. Changing a tire with any car's built in stuff sucks, but is a quick and easy job with the right tools. You'll also want to keep a quart or two of oil (5W-30) around, probably some windshield wiper fluid (you go through a lot when you're racing through mud, and it can be used as coolant in an emergency), some brake fluid, your metric socket set, and maybe a spare set of timing belts. You might also want to keep a voltmeter, prybar, and flashlight in the back. I keep my 75W work lamp back there as well, and power it off my inverter if needed (wonderful for helping other people on the side of the road at night). Once you replace everything that most likely hasn't been replaced, they're quite reliable. They're also, as mentioned multiple times, very easy to work on - the engine being mounted the "right way" really helps. Other than that... enjoy! ... anything else people want to add? -=Russ=- keywords: new subaru owner ea82 fix replace repair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[HTi]Johnson Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 If this hasn't been posted in Either USRM - Repair & Mod or Auto Tech it should be. [HTi]Johnson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baccaruda Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 great primer. i would choose to be a little more picky about a junkyard spare tire as different manufacturers often have different specs for the same tire sizes. and as many of us have personally seen subarus with mismatched tires that have been junked or given away due to bad differentials or transmissions, we know this is bad for the driveline. Something else to mention: Check the eletrical grounding! get a can of diet soda and clean all that powdery crap off the battery. use diet coke or pepsi as they are the most acidic. use diet because it has no sugar to make your car sticky. then use a battery terminal/post cleaner (don't pay more than $5) and shine up your connections. check the terminals at the wiring harness for stiff wires or fraying. battery terminals are inexpensive and if you go to a battery shop to get your new car's alternator checked, they can help you replace any bad wiring on the battery harness. Standard Battery in Spokane has a really great crew if you're "here." You will want to add grounds (especially if you have a more sensitive digital dashboard) from the engine to the frame, from the transmission to the frame, and from the battery to the frame. sometimes i've seen the radiator grounded as well to combat electrolysis. also, get a few extra fusible links from the junkyard. on the EA82 they're in the black cigarette-pack-sized box on the coolant overflow tank. On the EA81 I hope mine are OK because i've not looked for my brat's yet and use deionized water only in your cooling system to prevent mineral deposits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SakoTGrimes Posted May 11, 2005 Share Posted May 11, 2005 Thanks for the great post. I was wondering what that little switch on the sterring column was. My lights work all the time though. I will do lots of the little crap listed if don't decide that sitting around all day is more important. Hmmmm. Tough one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTrain Posted May 11, 2005 Share Posted May 11, 2005 ha.. ya that switch on top of the steering wheel is kinda funny.. the girl i bought my loyale from didn't know about it, so every time she would park the car she would unhook the battery so it didnt get drained from the switch being on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted May 11, 2005 Share Posted May 11, 2005 Ok here's a few more things to add: As far as oil leaking, it will be coming from generally 4 different places most likely. #1. The oil pan gaskets will become nonexistant after many thousands of miles. Very easy to replace with the engine out of the car but very difficult with it in. I suggest spending the few hours to learn to pull the engine if you haven't already and replace it. Then drop the motor back in and you're ready to go. #2. Valve covers. Yes these are very easy to get to even with the engine in the car. Driver side is 5 - 10mm bolts and the passenger side is 4 - 10mm bolts. Remove the bolts, clean up the gasket surfaces on both the valve covers and the cam towers, replace the valve cover bolt grommets with new ones, and install the valve covers. #3. The oil pump. Its held on by a few (can't remember how many) 10mm bolts, Easiest thing is to remove the radiator to give you more room, remove the front timing belt covers, and unbolt the oil pump. At this time, you can also check the clearances of the oil pump to determine if you need a new one or just go ahead and replace it for about $90ish. Very good idea when it comes to a motor that has over 200k miles on it, especially when you have no idea if its been replaced or not. This will also help rid your EA82 of the TOD (Tick Of Death). There will be an O-ring and a "Mickey Mouse" gasket. Gets its name from the shape it is compared to Mickey Mouse's head:D Reinstall oil pump in the same way as removal. #4. Cam O-rings. These are the O-rings that go in the front of the cam towers where the timing belt pulleys are bolted to the cams. When these go out, bad day. They will spray oil all over your new timing belts you just replaced thus making the life span of them very short. When you replace the timing belts, make sure to look at them and the slightest bit of oil leak, replace them. They're cheaper then having to go out and buy another set of timing belts after your first new set give way. Here's a couple things to think about on the coolant system. Since you're probably going to be replacing the timing belts, now is a great time to replace the waterpump with a new lifetime warrant one. I replaced mine for a lifetime pump and it cost me about $45 from the parts store. On turbo EA82s or EA82T, make sure you have a good working cooling system or else you will end up A. blowing head gaskets or B. cracking heads. Now the first one sounds bad but really it isn't. Just search around on the board on how to's and secrets people do to fix them. Cracking heads is a little worse. The car will run fine if they're cracked into the exhaust port but it will eat coolant and puff white clouds of smoke out of the exhaust. My advise, check Ebay for remanufactured heads for about $200 or here on the board. Have the heads off? Might as well replace the head gaskets but something to remember. Replace them with OEM Subaru head gaskets or they wil blow again. Cost? About $75 bucks for me from Subaru but people here on the board work at Subaru dealerships across America and can probably get them cheaper. Hope that helps out:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggroller Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 This list should be higher in the forum or a part of a sticky. I have lurked here for a while and have done nearly everything on the 1st list...yesterday. Would have helped to have read this 1st! So, here is a bump to bring it to the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooziewhatsit Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 you should append to #8 - Spare tire. Check the spares tire pressure. I've checked the ones in my cars and noticed that they had *no* pressure in them. They won't do much good if they aren't pumped up. Also, go ahead and just replace all the coolant hoses you can. This includes upper & lower rad, the two heater core hoses, the two small ones to the manifold, and if you do the water pump, the 90* hose on it. My 91 loyale blew up (literally) the upper rad hose... ended up needing a new water pump after that... Other than that, great list! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 ... great list! Yes, I Agree! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 You only forgot to say to all EA82 owners To Cap and seal the EGR. close it and cap it`s vacuum... I think EGR is Dangerous to the EA82 due to its design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewDriverOlderRide Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 You only forgot to say to all EA82 owners To Cap and seal the EGR. close it and cap it`s vacuum... I think EGR is Dangerous to the EA82 due to its design. Explain? I'm a suby newby. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted June 2, 2006 Share Posted June 2, 2006 Well... it started in 1993... Our white EA82 -Now Weberized- was having problems in the engine, specifically in the engine`s tunning and explosions, etc... so my dad took it to the dealer`s mechanic shop. The master mechanic at the dealer said that in some EA82, the EGR design, that connect with the first cylinder, may damage the engine`s function... ...I was too young then, but I know that when they closed the EGR Pipe that goes from the intake (I know that maybe in some other newer EA82, the EGR design is different or Better, mine is from 1985) and capped the vacuum... and "Voilá!" ... The engine became "Normal" and stable in about three hours of drivin` ... and still is like that up today... I don`t know exactly why, but maybe any other member can help with more info about. Also I know that EGR can be an issue to pass emmissions test there in U.S.A... so be careful with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOOBOUTLAW Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 I've replaced the oil pan gasket of an EA82 with the motor in the car, and with power steering. I unbolted the motor mounts and raised the motor a few inches to get a swevel socket through to get the back bolts on the pan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogiesdad Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 That's a good list so far, but I've got one that just cropped up last week--if you bought your soob from somebody who parked it close to or under a tree, pull and clean the blower and use a shop vac on the vents! Amazing that squirrels would drag all that stuff in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlindSight Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 bumpage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgd73 Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 That's a good list so far, but I've got one that just cropped up last week--if you bought your soob from somebody who parked it close to or under a tree, pull and clean the blower and use a shop vac on the vents! Amazing that squirrels would drag all that stuff in. good idea. mine smelled like a dead animal after sitting!(made a nest-- there was no dead animal) and tree parts flying out of the vents after years of being closed if the fender air duct has an opening on the bottom little critters love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tosh Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 is there anything that I should also do to prep for winter driving besides; Snow shovel, Snow tires, chains, New starter, New battery, new wipers and new Halfshafts ? I've also just changed the timing belts and water pump. I plan on going snowboarding almost every weekend this winter and its gonna be a real bummer if I can't get my wagon to start after a cold day in the snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syonyk Posted June 27, 2006 Author Share Posted June 27, 2006 is there anything that I should also do to prep for winter driving besides; Snow shovel, Snow tires, chains, New starter, New battery, new wipers and new Halfshafts ? I've also just changed the timing belts and water pump. I plan on going snowboarding almost every weekend this winter and its gonna be a real bummer if I can't get my wagon to start after a cold day in the snow. Plugs, cap, and rotor. And keep a spare distributor cap in the car - I had some issues after plowing through 2' of powder with water getting into the distributor. Beyond that... mine have started all winter, in all conditions. -=Russ=- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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