Where do I start? Can someone tell me about this car?

[Fish Nutz]

1990 Loyale AWD Turbo Automatic

 

I understand the obvious....But what motor is in it? How big can I go with the Pugs and tires before things rub? Has anyone ever done the spray on bedliner from the wheel wells down? Is that even feasible?

The car has a perfect interior. All the power stuff works great. ( The windows are a little slow but I think that's normal isn't it? ) I got it from a "subaru guy" who is actually the one who turned me on to this site. I really like this little car and I see many road trips to my fishing and camping spots coming up. But it needs some work.

 

It sounds wierd and runs rough.

There's an exhaust leak.

 

It almost sounds like a rod knocking, but I'm not sure what that means in Subaru-ese.

 

I'll try to get a couple of before pics up and update along the way.

[Turbone]

Welcome to the USMB.

First of all, your engine designation is a EA82T (T for turbo).

It will have the Multi Port FI.

Theres a few sites out there that have all the specs on it.

If the tranny is a 3spd, you may want to flush it and put new fluids in it.

But I think its most likely a 4EAT, which isnt all that bad. If you have problems with it shifting or being slow, give it a flush.

The cooling system is the weak link for this engine. Theres a couple of companies that sell 2 row radiators for this model, I suggest doing this.

If theres oil leaks from the front of the engine, a re-seal is a good idea. That way you can replace the waterpump at the same time.

There is a limit to the tire size, I believe there is a thread about it in the Offroad Forum.

As for the noise, it could be whats called TOD (Tick of Death).

Dont worry, its not that bad. The engine has hydraulic lash adjusters(lifters) and if the oil leaks out of them they tick/clatter until they get pumped up again. Sometimes if its a high mileage engine, sludge gets built up and blocks the oil passages to the lifters. One of the remedies is to use some Marvel Mystery Oil during a oil change. Or add some if the oil is low.

I think a couple of people have done the spray on liner on thier undercarriages. Anything will help in that dept.

Again, welcome.

[MilesFox]

if the radiator looks corroded its wise to install a new one. depending on your driving or the heat on the temp gauge it wouldnt hurt to put a trans cooler on, you can get a mid-duty unit at the u-haul for abour 40 bucks if you put it on yourself

 

how many miles? if a timing belt goes the motor will be ok as far as valve clearance but overheat is what to beware of. it wouldnt hurt to have the timing belts done(and seals, oil pump seal, water pump while it's apart) if you cannot verify the last service. typically factory original belts will go till about 135-145,000 mi so if your mileage is near that check into replacement. if you miles are beyond that it is likely they may have been serviced already. look up the article in the repair manual forum

[Fish Nutz]

 

 

Thanks,

 

I'm going to get on it with some tools this weekend and see what I can learn.

This TOD you speak of.....Is it a main bearing thing, or something in the head? I'm more the mechanical engineer than the mechanic, so I am studying the engine schematics to understand how and why it works.

I'm sure that I will have many, many more questions.

 

[cobcob]

Just the lifters clattering away, something the EA82's are known for

[yzerman19]

After I finished pulling the engine on my 90 Loyale to do a engine gasket kit job, the lifters sounded like Sammy Davis Jr. was dancing on my hood.

 

I dropped in about a half quart of of ATF in the oil and about 60 miles later (and some frequent periods of high revs) she purred like a kitten.

 

If she leaks 'here and there', pull that tiny engine out and slap a engine gasket kit on it.

[Fish Nutz]

OK.... The Mystery oil worked great... For a while.. Until things got warmed up.

I'm worried about the engine now. Is this a thing that I could fix with a new head or two? Or, is this a thing that may need a whole new engine?

I need to make this thing last as long as possible if I need to replace the engine. Any hints????

You guys were right on all counts.

It is the E82TI.

It already has the dual core radiator.

It has 1015XX on it now and it takes a couple seconds to engage Reverse, so the trannie gets flushed and done this next weekend.

Winter Steelhead starts soon and I need to be some places:banana:

[dragonfire]

i used seafoam for my lifters they still tick from time to time. but no where near as bad. marvels mystery oil works well too. you may have to let it run for awhile then drive it. that is what i did with mine. then me and a friend pulled the motor resealed it and new water and oil pump, now she is golden. my gl has 325,000 and runs like a champ, after the reseal and other work.

 

if you treid the MMO> and it still ticks there is atf trick to try also. i did that on an old truck i had that kept ticking no matter what i did. 1/2 quart of atf and 100 miles later oil change and the tick was gone.

 

try a search on the atf thing. or maybe a fellow board member can find it for you. i could not seem to locate it. of course i am not very good with computers either. welcome to the land of subie:banana:

[Turbone]

ATF///MMO will get you the same results. If its still a tickin then the oil pump needs a reseal. You can buy the gasket and seal from the Dealer for around $25.

[john in KY]

Had this exact model a few years back. Used it as my work car. Still was running strong when I sold it with 240K miles. You will be well ahead of the game to replace the radiator. Trust me it is now at least 70% clogged if it is the original. Engine probably needs timing belts so this is the time to do it all and be done with it. New radiator, reseal oil pump, new water pump and replace those other seals in the front. Very important when the camshaft seals are replaced that those O-rings also get replaced. You will know what I am talking about when you replace the obvious camshaft seals. I learned over the years most of the front of the engine oil leaks come from those O-rings leaking. Replace the ATF because for no other reason that transmission you have is a difficult puppy to replace. Just not many ever made.

[daeron]

TOD is hydraulic lash adjuster ("lifter") noise. You understand that the camshaft opens the valves, right? the camshaft hits whats called a rocker arm, which is a lever that hits the valve on the other end. The pivot point for the rocker arms is called the las adjuster; "lifter" on older engines (solid pivot) or the "Hydraulic lash adjuster" or HLA on newer engines. Solid ones need to be set at a certain height, and checked every 10K miles. Hydraulic ones are basically powere by oil pressure.

 

They tick because they aren't being pressed snugly against the camshaft. This is caused by low pressure inside the adjuster itself. There are a few possible reasons for this.

 

1. Something is clogging the orifice on the HLA itself, causing the check ball to stick open and keeping pressure from building up inside. <-- THIS is the one that is "treated" by addind ATF, MMO< or Seafoam to your oil.. the thinking is, flush the gunk out.

 

2. You simply have low oil pressure. This is remedied by replacing or resealing your oil pump.

 

3. Something is clogging an oil passage somewhere. This is commonly a failure of the Cam Case O-ring, which was initially a plain rubber O ring, but in ~88 Subaru started using metal-reinforced O rings. The O ring can get sucked into the oil passage, causing air bubbles to form, and air bubbles compress much easier than oil.

 

USually TOD is caused by some combination of the above problems. Low oil level is also a common problem, but that is easy to fix and something tells me you've *probably* already checked that.

 

HTH, try flushing it again. In any case, it is a very common issue to have come-and-go TOD, and it CERTAINLY is no fatal flaw with your motor.

[Fish Nutz]

Thanks Guys -

I really appriciate all of the great advice. I changed the oil and filter today. Used a synthetic blend because of the things that I have been reading on this site. I found my elusive exhaust leak. It seems to be from where the engine exhaust goes into the turbo. It looks like a pain to get to and it sounds like it could take a while to find. I'm going to check a few things on this site. I'm also going to pull the pan to replace the leaky gasket and put a new oil pump in while I'm at it. Is there anything else I should do while I'm there? I downloaded a pretty good owner's manual so at least I'm not going in completely blind.

I also spent a few hours in a junk yard today. That was way more fun than I thought it would be. I practiced tearing things apart and didn't mess my car up at all! I was able to add a rear window spoiler thing, a Subaru logo ( I've felt very ghetto without the brand on the back. ), and some working struts for the lift gate so I can loose the 2x4. Oh.. I also grabbed a few dash clocks if anyone needs an extra.