Subaru GL 89 Four Repair Questions

[Cynthia]

Hi --

 

I have an 89 GL Sedan Subaru 5 speed, FWD, with 150,000 miles on it. One owner car.

 

1. I just had a used tranny put into it. (5,000 miles on the tranny and I got a 6 month warranty. Nice.)

 

Anyway, I had them do an engine compression check. I got these results:

#1 CYL=120PSI (when oil added 170 PSI); #2 CYL=155 PSI, #3 CYL=145 PSI, #4 CYL=165

 

 

I was told that the result on the #1 cyl meant the rings are weak. He said this is evidence the engine is aging and that I should start looking for a new car.

 

REACTION?? Do you agree? Short of putting a new engine in, what can I do? Should I use 10-40 oil now that it's spring? I live in the cold northwest, near Idaho.

 

2. 80/90 Gear Lube was used in the "new" used tranny. Reaction? good?

 

3. I have an oil leak. It looks like it is coming from front left driver side of engine. He said cam seals and front crank seals. He said when doing that repair that left and right (?) timing belt should be done also. It's about $430 in work and parts, he estimated.

 

Will an oil additive help? If so, suggestion as to what to add?

 

4. She runs super on flat roads and gentle slopes. But a long grade or steep grade? Well, she loses lots of power even if I take it fast at the start. We have a long 7 percent grade (US Hwy 95) here that comes from a valley in Lewiston, Idaho, to Pullman, Wash. It's six miles of constant up. If I start that at 60, I'll be at 35 in no time. It's horrid. I avoid it. She also doesn't like other hills. Mechanic thought it might be catalytic converter. Cost is about $430 to put a new one in. Any other suggestions? thought?

 

Thanks!

 

Cynthia (sunni) Freyer

[calebz]

Sounds like its time to learn to turn a wrench.

 

The seals and timing belts (notice the plural usage as there are two) are simply part of regular maintenance. THose belts are only deigned to last 55k

 

New motor? nah.. unless it is giving you problems, drive the piss out of it until it goes boom.

 

The belts and seals are reasonably easy to replace. Doing the waterpump at the same time would be a smart thing as well.

 

All told, belts, seals and water pump will run you maybe $150 for parts. With the right tools and decent manual, anyone with halfway stable motor control and the ability to follow directions can do it in a weekend. Then, if you leave the belt convers off, with the experience you gain, you will have it done in less than two hours next time:D

[rllywgn]

1. your compression is pretty high accross the board, allthough there not even.. theres a bunch of chemicals that say they'll help.. most are a gimmick.. if i was goona choose one i would say Lucas oil stabalizer may help..

 

2. 90w i what the manual trans calls for.. should be good.. an upgrade would be using synthetic.. if its questionable, run a quart of ATF (auto tranny fluid) for 100 miles then drain and refill.. atf has alot of detergents should clean out the trans nicely. (if thats an issue)

 

3. seals are expensive unless you can do this yourself. the Lucas oil stabalizer may slow this down.. but, don't forget its still something thats gonna have to be addressed at some point. if your timing belts are in question.. replace them.. if you havent done them in the last 40k.. do 'em

 

4. my experience is that most subaru's dont like mountains.. my turbo has the same issue goin up long grades (it has a new motor), as well as every previous model i've had.. maybe some have had better luck but my 2 cents

 

 

 

rllywgn

[MilesFox]

155,000 miles is not terribly too many for an older subaru.

 

chances are, being a one owner car, and the mileage on the care now, it most likely seen some sort of service between 75,000 and 125,000 miles.

 

please report back with the servicehistory if it is available

 

i wouldnt worry about a new motor. if the car runs fine and no onementioned the copression, you would never have thought it needs a new motor.

 

you can run 10w-40 or 15-w40(what i use) oil if you like. as far as additives, you can use valvoline max life oil to prolong the existing seals

 

max life also comes as an additive bottle to put with your favorite oil

 

if you spend mmoney on the car keep it within 500 bucks for the timing belts/cam and crank seals/oil pump SEALS/and NEW water pump. this would be sound investment for the next 75000 miles at least

 

you could attempt the work yourself if you are handy with your hands-on-ness.

 

for the steep hills downshift,use3rd gear even. the rpmswont hurt the otor, better than bogging it down.

 

if you shiftinto a gear to keep the rpms between 3000 and 4000 rpms theotor will perform very well. this is with the short throw of the crank and the gearing of the transmission. the engine is most efficient between 2500 and 3500 rpms andost powerful between 3500 and 4500 rpms

[GeneralDisorder]

Catalytic converter should be fine at 150k. Sounds like you are scared to really use the engine. The EA82 makes it's best power around 3500 - 4000 RPM.

 

My 86 sedan (same engine as yours) with 214k on it will do 65 over the mountains if I choose. I generally keep it to 55 myself.

 

You just need to use 3rd gear. Mechanic will take huge advantage of your lack of faith in the ability of the engine to work for you.

 

GD

[keltik]

Mechanic will take huge advantage of your lack of faith in the ability of the engine to work for you.

 

Amen

 

KELTIK

[Cynthia]

OK...so I'll:

 

1. replace timing belt(s) even though they were last done at 116,000 miles, 34,000 miles ago.

 

2. not panic about the weakening ring on cyl 1. I'll switch to Valvoline Max Life 15-40 oil to help prolong life of the rings. what about redline oil?

 

3. I just got some "No Leak" engine oil treatment, made by Gold Eagle. I'll try it and see if it works. Has a double your money back guarantee ($14 ) if it doesn't work. Anybody use it? Can it do any harm??

 

Here's the company's web site: http://www.goldeagle.com/no-leak/faqs_no-leak.asp?sub_cat=Brown%20Leaks

 

4. I'm sure I did the waterpump a ways back. I'll double check, though. Ick. Ka ching. Ka ching. Ka ching.

 

5. Right tools and a manual...and a woman like me could fix those seals/timing belt? I could try I suppose. What tools? Where do I get a manual? I could also pay a male friend. He drives a Ford double cab and is blue-collar. Is very handy with fixing but doesn't care a lot for Soobs. But I could talk him into it What would I pay him?

 

6. And for the loss of performance on those hills? How do I know if it's the catalytic converter?

 

POSTSCRIPT: OK...just got the message re mechanic taking advantage of me and reving engine up to higher RPM. I suppose I could try latter. Yeah, I do tend to back off. I can hear my valves/pistons working really hard when it goes up hill so I back away. Scared it will blow up into a million smitthereens. <lol> Silly women, hmm?

 

I do wish it had a bit more oomph. I can get it to 65 on straightaway but when it sees a hill, it goes "gulp."

[GeneralDisorder]

Well - if they were done only 34k ago, and the oil leak isn't literally running out of the engine in a stream, then it's going to be much cheaper to just add a quart of oil every week. A little oil leak is not a bad thing - in fact we like to say here that older Subaru's tend to "mark" their territory rather like a pet. Those seals should last another 15k till you are really ready for timing belts. Save your money and get the full mileage from the belts they were designed for.

 

When you do get to 55 or 60k on the belts, then do all the seals too - they are right there and are a normal part of timing belt changes anyway. Do the seals, both tensioners, idler, and water pump. Probably good to change the oil pump at that time as well. You are looking at around a $500 job with labor, but wait that 15k and save up the money while you do. Add a quart of oil a week if you need it to keep it full. As long as it has oil (between 3 and 4 quarts), a small leak is no problem.

 

As for additives, personally I think they are bunk. I'll run a little detergent (ATF, or MMO) through to loosen gunk buildup and free up lifters occasionally, but largely plain old oil will do you just fine. Have a Costco membership? Buy chevron 15w40 and call it good. They hold the patents, and manufacture most of the oil refining equipment used by everyone else, and their oil is very good quality, and cheap since they don't have to pay royalties on their own equipment.

 

GD

[Cynthia]

OK GD. But if it works, you wanna know? :-)

 

Mechanic said that the cam leak could cause oil to get on the timing belt which could cause problems. I can smell "burned" oil when I turn off the car.

 

Given that I just spent 640 on it this weekend, I was looking to buy some time. This month is IRS taxes, property taxes, state of Idaho taxes and...

 

Hey, and while I'm at it, I have a very light vibration going on, too. I can feel it in the stickshift. It's nowhere as bad a vibration as was there before the tranny was fixed. But it's there... a little vibration that annoys. I had the CV boots and front axles done october 04. So I don't think it's a worn axle.

 

I wonder if he mounted the tranny wrong? Should I try duct tape?

[mikeshoup]

As GD said earlier, these engines leak... you'd almost think they were designed to leak! Actually, most cars with that many miles will leak oil, and as long as its not too bad, nothing to worry about. Check the oil once a week, and top off as necessary. Remember to do regular oil changes.

 

I wouldn't worry about the compression test.

 

I wouldn't use any engine oil additives. You'd use the bottle, and probably still have oil leaks. Waste of time.

 

Just because you're a woman is no reason not to learn how to wrench. My best friend is dating a girl he met in his automotive tech class. Who knows, learn enough, and maybe you could start fixing things on all of your friends cars for money

 

As for oil, just use regular plain old Chevron 10w40. That's what I've used on everyone of my cars, and none complained. $1.79/qt at the local auto parts store (cheaper than most other brands), and is still one of the best oils out there.

[GeneralDisorder]

The way the cam sprokets are designed, and the way the belts are routed, oil never really touches them. There is a healthy gap there that that oil does not cross.

 

Besides that, a little oil would not hurt, and will be flung off by the belts - they travel rather fast.

 

The oil burning smell could either be oil dripping down the heads and onto the exhaust, or could be bad CV boots have flung CV joint grease onto the hot catalytic converter - that will smell similar. At any rate it's more of an annoyance than anything. Valve cover gaskets are likely pretty scorched by now. Those are cheap, and easy to install. Anyone with a 10mm wrench can accomplish that in less than 1 hour.

 

Vibration - have you had your tires rotated and balanced recently?

 

GD

[Cynthia]

Ok! Thanks for all the replies. Nice to converse about these things.

[heartless]

figured I would chime in here as I am a female also.

 

working on a Subaru is NOT hard at all, all you need is a decent set of metric wrenches & sockets, a couple of screwdrivers, perhaps a good set of vicegrips and a good set of directions for whatever it is you are trying to do. smaller hands are better at getting into tight spots...

 

Timing belts are a common fix on these cars. have done it several times myself now, on both my car (twice) and the other half's car. Miles Fox has done a very nice job of writing up the procedure - with pictures - in the USRM (ultimate subaru repair manual) found via the link at upper right.

 

As the others have mentioned - wouldnt worry too much about a small amount of oil leakage - very common with these cars. the "burnt" oil smell you are smelling is probably caused by oil droplets hitting the exhaust as you are driving down the road and burning off. a quart of oil per say 4-500 miles (or more) really isnt anything to worry about. more than that, then yeah, would be looking for where it is leaking the worst from and start resealing.

 

Subarus run thier best at higher rpms - downshift when going up hill - keep the rpms up in the 3500+ range - if you get down under 3000, downshift again, you wont hurt it! I have an 89 GL wagon, 5 spd, FWD (same drivetrain as yours), with 228,700 miles on it - have hit 70mph in third gear with it a few times - you will NOT blow your engine running higher revs unless it has been seriously abused in the past (overheated, run dangerously low on oil, etc) have pushed my car to over 90mph in the past (going downhill with a tailwind! ) these cars are not powerhouses by any means.

 

I live in Wisconsin - we get pretty cold around here too - i run 10/30 in the winter, and 10/40 in the summer altho I am considering going a little heavier this summer, thats just my personal choice tho.

 

vibrations could be caused by a number of different things - first thing I would check would be wheel/tire balance - go for the cheapest thing first. a slightly bent wheel can cause problems as well, that can be found when getting wheels/tires balanced - if they cant get it to balance properly it should be replaced.

 

mechanics/shops have a tendancy to attempt to rip women off - most dont think we know anything about cars, or repair work. also, many of them dont know much about the older Subarus and want to charge more for working on a "foreign" car. If I were you, and I didnt want to do it myself (or didnt have time to), I would do some shopping around for a good shop/mechanic. go to as many as you can - get estimates, see how you are treated. being treated decently is just about as important as getting the work done right in my book.

As for asking your freind to do the work - most of the guys i know will do stuff for a case of beer and/or a home cooked meal...best advice i could give you on that one is ask him what he would charge you.

 

Good luck with the Subaru - oh yeah - and welcome to the insanity!!!

[MilesFox]

the vibration in the shifter could possibly be the driveshaft u-joints. it will be cheaper to replace theREARHALF of the driveshaft witha salvage one, swap in, vs having the existingreplaced asit requires a slight bit of achining and a press to replace them

 

the rear half of the driveshaft is the same for any ea82 car, 85-94 and xts's

 

should you have the u-joints replaed, toyota joints willwork. if you have this done have it done at a shop that is experienced withstaked u-joints

 

if you got the salvage driveshaft instead its a matter of 8 12mm bolts to replace it

 

i would agree with the advice to hold off on oil leaks until the timing belts are due

 

i would avoid the oil stop leak additives, just use the max life, or themax life additive to new oil

 

before you change your oil, run 1/2 to 1 quart of ATF in the oil for about a days worth of driving, to help clean the oil passges and the hydraulic lifters

 

if you want to read more about servicing the car check my website:

http://www.economysuperstar.com/milesfox/subaru/service/service.htm

 

you can refer to these articles yourself or print theout for anyone you would find to do the work for you

[torxxx]

OK GD. But if it works, you wanna know? :-)

 

Mechanic said that the cam leak could cause oil to get on the timing belt which could cause problems.

 

 

the solution to that is running with out the timing belt covers. the oil will whip off the belts. I'm amazed after 2 years how clean the front of my engine is. Thats mudding with the covers off, puddle jumping, ice racing.

 

cam seals leak straight down behind the cam pulley so the chance of hitting the belt is very low.

 

I also agree with the guys about reving these engines. My engine hits redline quite a few times a day. And I've never replaced any seals in it. Been driving it WOT for 6 years straight and the only problem is the main bearing on my input shaft on the tranny is going bad.

 

Like they say, drive em til they go boom, replace with a 300 dollar engine out of a wrecked car

[heartless]

miles - she has a 2 whl drive car - no driveshaft or u-joints....

 

cynthia - only time the oil becomes an issue with the timing belts is if the leak is pretty bad. replaced my belts once without doing the seals - drove it for over a year that way before the drivers side belt become saturated enough that it sheared a few teeth off the belt - and my oil leaks were pretty darn bad - and i had the covers in place, so it had nowhere else to go. lesson learned. that was the one and only time this car has left me stranded miles from home.

second timing belt job included doing the cam and crank seals. no problems since.

 

for what it is worth, you should be fine with your car till it is due for new belts in 20 - 25000 miles, just get the seals done at the same time since the belts need to be off to get to them. all three seals should cost in the range of about 20 to 25 bucks. (2 cam and 1 crank seal)

 

150K on your engine is barely broken in - mine currently has 229K+ and counting!! putting close to 100 miles a day on the ol girl going back and forth to work. should see 230k by late next week!

 

long live the SUBARU!!

[torxxx]

 

long live the SUBARU!!

 

With open T-belts......

[DaveT]

Mechanic said that the cam leak could cause oil to get on the timing belt which could cause problems. I can smell "burned" oil when I turn off the car.

 

Old Subaru with leaky cam seals = burned oil smell. My 92 used to leak so much oil that the smoke hazed up the 3 car garage. The oil sticks to the aluminum, flows back until it drips on the headers. Oil leaks also hep slow down body / frame rot. I have not seen oil get on the timing belts. I have been running EA82 Subarus since the late 80s. Somewhere along the line, I found out that Subaru chaged the service interval on timing belts to 40,000 miles. I never had one last past 60K. When replacing timing belts, be sure to check the 2 tensioner bearings and the idler bearing.

 

The seals get hardened by the heat of the engine. Also, there is an o ring that seals the aluminum piece that holds the cam seal in place, and it gets hardened also.

 

Dave