Newbee Scoobie Questions

[yosemitescooby]

Hello Subaru owners! I am a new owner of a 1991 Subaru Loyale 4WD Wagon. My neighbor had it parked outside and for sale. I am a hot rodder and a crazed owner of over 20 cars. I have old Chevys, Desotos, Willys, Caddys, Buicks, Pontiacs, and even have old FIATs and an old powerwagon. I do all engine work, bodies, custom paint, and mild and radical customs.

I have never owned a Subaru... until now.

 

What a cool little wagon!

 

The Loyale was so inexpensive that I purchased it and then plan on fixing it up for the winter snows and black ice that is common in the mountains near Yosemite National Park here in California. I was scared at first when I first opened it up and the engine sounded like it was going to tear itself apart. I have built 500HP motors that were still smooth sounding. This engine is VERY different sounding.

 

Do old Subarus always sound thrashy like Volkswagons? When I hear the motor it sounds like a Porsche waterboxer motor. Looks like one too.

 

I talked to a local mechanic who works on Subarus and he said the motor was normal. He said that the motors wiggle when they idle and that they often leak oil like old Triumphs. Is that correct? The Subaru passed smog just fine. It seems to be getting great mileage... around 26 mpg mountain.

 

I pulled the plugs and all of the old plugs were in really good shape. Someone has done head work on this car as I see newer RTV on the valve cover gasket areas. It has over 200,000 miles on it. How many miles do unrebuilt Subarus generally go?

 

I changed the oil and filters. I was impressed with how easy it is to do all of that on the car. Whoever designed this car at Fuji Heavy Industries was thinking. Are all Subarus so well designed?

 

At around 4500rpm the little 1.8L motor starts to pull and at over 5000rpm it gets fast. It just sounds so thrashy. It is a general motor sound, not any valve train problem. It rides smooth, corners fine and sure carries a lot of stuff. All of the Subaru owners in the area who see the Loyale say that they are really great in the snow and ice as they have 4WD not just AWD.

 

What do Loyale owners put on the tires in the snow: Cables or chains? On front or rear wheels?

 

BTW, how hard is it to change the clutch in the 5 speed? Mine is a little near to the top of the pedal.

 

I bought paint and will fix a few dents on the wagon and then will paint it the original silver, which is peeling off the roof and hood at present.

 

More questions... The heater doesn't want to put out heat. It is just warm. Maybe the thermostat is missing hiding an overheating problem. Do any of you have trouble with your heaters?

 

Also, the CHECK ENGINE light comes on when I start up and then after 1/4 mile turns off. How do I run codes and why would it go on, then off?

 

Thanks for any info you share, and it is nice to be a Subaru Loyale 4WD Wagon owner! (Car 23. I have lots of hidden land and a very understanding wife! Yes, I'm a sick man.)

 

Gary;)

[75subie]

welcome Gary

 

i too am car crazy. i`ve owned probly over 100 cars since i was 10. various makes and models. many volkswagons, hondas, chevy's, ect, ect. i had a fiat 1100 and a fiat 600 as well. subarus are my favorite.

 

the noise you are hearing is a valve tap, totally normal for subarus, don`t worry about it. also oil leaks are nothing to worry about with soobs:headbang:

[yosemitescooby]

Thanks for the response. I am not hearing a valve tap; I think that the opposed 4 cylinder motor is just not as smooth as a vertical 4 or other engine. The sound is similar to a V-dub water boxer. The car has no vibrations in the body whatsoever. I have never seen a car with 200,000 miles on it with absolutely no vibrational sounds. Cool!

 

Good to know that the leaks are normal. They are minor. Can anyone answer my other questions, like what's up with the check engine light coming on for around 1/8 mile when it is cold and then turing off?

 

BTW, the AC on this car is GREAT!! It will freeze you off. Wierd that the heater will not heat up much.

 

Gary

[Caboobaroo]

Welcome my friend! I have some relatives that live out there in Yosemite also but have yet to make it out there to see them and their new houses. Anyways, there is an article in the USRM about codes, how to check them and what codes mean what.

 

I think this should help you http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49918

 

Hope that helps you out. For your application, since its a Loyale and probably SPFI, it'll be down close to the bottom under '88 and newer SPFI.

[Syonyk]

Hello Subaru owners! I am a new owner of a 1991 Subaru Loyale 4WD Wagon. My neighbor had it parked outside and for sale. I am a hot rodder and a crazed owner of over 20 cars. I have old Chevys, Desotos, Willys, Caddys, Buicks, Pontiacs, and even have old FIATs and an old powerwagon. I do all engine work, bodies, custom paint, and mild and radical customs.

I have never owned a Subaru... until now.

 

What a cool little wagon!

 

Welcome. You can check out any time you'd like, but... you can never leave. Welcome to the Hotel UltimateSubaru... er... sorry. Yea. They're addictive little cars.

 

Do old Subarus always sound thrashy like Volkswagons? When I hear the motor it sounds like a Porsche waterboxer motor. Looks like one too.

 

Yup. It's a boxer engine. They sound unique.

 

I talked to a local mechanic who works on Subarus and he said the motor was normal. He said that the motors wiggle when they idle and that they often leak oil like old Triumphs. Is that correct? The Subaru passed smog just fine. It seems to be getting great mileage... around 26 mpg mountain.

 

It shouldn't be shaking much. All the forces are balanced, so... theoretically it will be nice and smooth. A bit of a wobble is OK (just worn motor mounts), but shaking isn't normal.

 

And, yes, they leak oil. It's possible to reseal the engine & stop this, but in general, if an old Subaru isn't leaking oil, you'd better make sure there's oil in the engine. I affectionately refer to my oil leaks as "the external dipstick" - I can tell by the size of the spots under the engine if I need to add oil or not.

 

I pulled the plugs and all of the old plugs were in really good shape. Someone has done head work on this car as I see newer RTV on the valve cover gasket areas. It has over 200,000 miles on it. How many miles do unrebuilt Subarus generally go?

 

250-300k miles is normal. They generally wear the rings out around then.

 

I changed the oil and filters. I was impressed with how easy it is to do all of that on the car. Whoever designed this car at Fuji Heavy Industries was thinking. Are all Subarus so well designed?

 

Yes. And wait until you try to swap parts around between cars - they're built like legos. You want rear disk brakes? Get a set, bolt 'em on. Engine swap? Pretty darn easy. WRX drivetrain? A bit more difficult, but still pretty much bolton.

 

At around 4500rpm the little 1.8L motor starts to pull and at over 5000rpm it gets fast. It just sounds so thrashy. It is a general motor sound, not any valve train problem. It rides smooth, corners fine and sure carries a lot of stuff. All of the Subaru owners in the area who see the Loyale say that they are really great in the snow and ice as they have 4WD not just AWD.

 

They're *incredible* in the snow/ice/mud. The fact that they're light doesn't hurt either.

 

What do Loyale owners put on the tires in the snow: Cables or chains? On front or rear wheels?

 

Snow tires around. I use Blizzaks, but I'm mostly driving in town. For more rural/mountain stuff, I hear the studded Nokian Hakapilitas (I'm sure I butchered that spelling) are incredible. You want the same thing on all 4 corners, since the 4WD system has no center differential.

 

BTW, how hard is it to change the clutch in the 5 speed? Mine is a little near to the top of the pedal.

 

Well, the first step would be to adjust the cable, but changing the clutch isn't too bad - if you have an engine lift, just pull the engine out. That would be a good time to replace all the seals on it as well.

 

I bought paint and will fix a few dents on the wagon and then will paint it the original silver, which is peeling off the roof and hood at present.

 

More questions... The heater doesn't want to put out heat. It is just warm. Maybe the thermostat is missing hiding an overheating problem. Do any of you have trouble with your heaters?

 

The heater core is probably clogged. The heater in these cars should be enough to cook on - I've had NO problems even in sub-zero weather with the temperature of the air coming out.

 

 

Enjoy the Loyale!

 

-=Russ=-

[85Sub4WD]

hey - soobs tend to be VERY smooth at idle if they are running properly - as in, you need to check to see if its actually running - check for vacuum leaks - common problem on older soobs, especially at that mileage - sound-wise, they are throaty engines, because of the internal hamonics - if you do a detailed engine analysis for the harmonics, flat 4's are more harmonically stable than just about anything short of an I-6 - the crankshaft throws are a good indication - the cranks on these engines do not even have/need counterweights (the 5-main legacy ones do, 3 mains don't because the opposing pistons balance each other)

 

what plugs are you using? - NGK's are best by far - quality wires, cap, rotor are also essential - make sure you have copper contacts on the cap, and rotor - federal mogul wires are far less than ideal (what most parts places have), but the work for about 30-40k OK

 

once again - check for vacuum leaks - or any air leaks after the MAF - also it would be a good idea to replace the O2 sensor, check filters, clean TB, replace PCV valve, normal 200k stuff....

 

incidentally - I have a friend who has a '92 loyale with over 400k on the original engine - he did the valves ~250k, but the bottom ends on these things are very hard to mess up, overheating is your biggest danger to the engine