Dugzy33 Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Day 1 of Subaru Ownership Just bought an 85 gl 4wd Wagon 5 Spd. The guy told me he replaced the o rings in the oil pump to stop oil leaks. Also said his daughter was learning to drive stick and jumped a tooth on the timing belt on one side hence the ticking sound on one side of the car. Driver side. The car drives ok seems a little low on power. He wanted 350 it had a full tank of gas and 4 brand new tires. Interior is good and exterior is ok. 4wd works in high and low. So I bought it. He never put the timing covers back on after oil pump job and the oil sending unit wire rubbed on the belts. While driving home I noticed the oil pressure gauge shows one third up from 0! Opps, maybe I got a stinker? Please help me figure this out. I am a pretty good shade tree mechanic and will probably try the timing belts as he already bought them and said the ticking noise was not there before his daughter drove it. I would like any and all info on these cars. I need a good 4wd car for the snow. I hope I Made the right choice. Day 2 Of Ownership Just got up to check on my new toy. It started right up this morning. 40 degrees outside. Oil pressure is up to about 2/3 to the middle mark (45) After warming it up it dropped back down to 1/3 of the way. Then after a few more min. it drops to 0 at idle, but When I rev it up to about 3000 rpm it goes right back up to 1/3 of the way to 45. About the same when on the road up to speed. The car I have been driving is a 96 jetta with a 4 cyl. Terrible in the snow!!! Also, Do I have to pull the engine to do the timing belts? And is my haynes manual wrong on how to do this job? I have heard that it is. Any definitive write up on this would be appreciated. Also Do I need any specialty tools for this job and where would I get them? What is the Best repair manual for my car? Sorry for all the q's but I am committed to getting into this "Subaru" thing now that I need a 4wd car where I live. Thanks, Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Oil pressure is up to about 2/3 to the middle mark (45)After warming it up it dropped back down to 1/3 of the way. Then after a few more min. it drops to 0 at idle, but When I rev it up to about 3000 rpm it goes right back up to 1/3 of the way to 45. About the same when on the road up to speed. That's typical. It's probably in need of a new sending unit. They are about $40 from the dealer. The stock sending unit is 22 years old at this point and wants replaceing. Test the oil pressure with a known good mechanical guage. I like to see 20+ at hot idle. If I see less than 15 at hot idle it's time for a new oil pump. Sometimes replacing the seals will do it, but it sounds like that has already been done. Also, Do I have to pull the engine to do the timing belts? And is my haynes manual wrong on how to do this job? I have heard that it is. Haynes manual is correct, Chiltons is wrong.... IIRC. I've used the Haynes many times back when I was still unfamilair with the procedure. Never led me astray too far. As a general rule I prefer Haynes over Chiltons anyday. Pull the radiator. Engine stays in place. Do the cam seals, water pump, timing belts, and tensioners/idlers at the same time. If it were me I would replace the oil pump with a new one. His assertion of the timing having "jumped" is BS. The ticking is the hydraulic valve lash adjusters and it's almost certainly related to his oil pump seal replacement. The lifters are getting air in the oil supply. Many things can cause this, and if I had the timing belts off already I would be pulling the cam towers and replaceing the metal-reinforced o-ring for the cam tower oil supply galley. These tend to fail, and being an 85 it certainly has the non-reinforced o-rings used prior to the change unless they have been replaced. Get them from the dealer, or thepartsbin.com. Any definitive write up on this would be appreciated. Also Do I need any specialty tools for this job and where would I get them? What is the Best repair manual for my car? There's a procedure in the Ultimate Subaru Repair Manual (USRM). Check the links on the main page. No special tools are required. If you are doing the cam tower o-rings then get a 10mm ratching wrench. Makes removing the valve covers a lot easier. Sorry for all the q's but I am committed to getting into this "Subaru" thing now that I need a 4wd car where I live.Thanks, Doug Right on Doug. Looks like you are relatively close to me. PM me if you need more help. The EA82 is quirky, so don't get too frustrated right away. It's not like other engines. You can leave the timing belt covers off as long as the splash guards and skid plate are in place. They are more trouble than they are worth. Do a search for threads on this debate if you want to know more. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 + 1 to just about everything GeneralDisorder said. I wouldn't worry about the oil pressure, as long as it comes up at speed. It's proably a faulty sender. Even if it is very low, The mains in these ussually outlast everything else anyhow. Espescially if it is to be a $350 dollar beater. I'm a bit further south than GD, in the Corvallis area if you need advice or help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[HTi]Johnson Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 GD was right on with everything he said, except I don't trust the Haynes manual, it doesn't say to have one cam sprocket up and the other down. Here's MilesFox's Timing Belt Procedure I'd trust it over a Haynes. And, since your doing the timing belts, reseal the oil pump (If your mechanically inclined) it's not too hard. Just search for a how-to or ask. If that doesn't solve the ticking, try some ATF in the oil or Seafoam (It's an additive). I'd do 1/2 quart of ATF. Just make sure to drain 1/2 quart of oil. You kinda have to drive it hard...high rev shifts. It's always worked for me. Once the ticking stops change the oil. If a belt breaks, they are non-interference engines...just replace the belts and get on your way. If you feel like you should replace that O-Ring GD was talking about, PM I have 10 or so I could send ya (they make you by 12 minimum.) Also, you don't have to pull the engine to to the belts, just remove the radiator. Some people don't even remove the radiator, I do though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Johnson']GD was right on with everything he said' date=' except I don't trust the Haynes manual, it doesn't say to have one cam sprocket up and the other down.[/quote'] I beleive it says to rotate the engine 180 degrees. Which is correct, but not entirely monosylabic enough for a lot of people. I agree that it could be more clear about this important point. Johnson']And' date=' since your doing the timing belts, reseal the oil pump (If your mechanically inclined) it's not too hard. Just search for a how-to or ask.[/quote'] He mentioned that was already done. And it may have been done incorrectly, or some kind of improper sealant used. Definately pull the pump off and inspect. If the seals are indeed brand new I would put them back in and see what happens. Test the pressure with a known guage. If it's still poor don't walk - RUN to the nearest retailer of Paraut or Subaru oil pumps (Paraut is the OEM). Johnson']If that doesn't solve the ticking' date=' try some ATF in the oil or Seafoam (It's an additive). I'd do 1/2 quart of ATF. Just make sure to drain 1/2 quart of oil. You kinda have to drive it hard...high rev shifts. It's always worked for me. Once the ticking stops change the oil.[/quote'] I'm not big on additives. Only thing that should be in the oil is oil. But that's just this one mans opinion. A flush with ATF can be useful on seriously neglected engines, but I wouldn't leave it in there for long or drive with it like that. It's going to do some serious wear to the rings and bearing inserts with that thin of lubrication. It's an excelent cleaner though. Johnson']If you feel like you should replace that O-Ring GD was talking about' date=' PM I have 10 or so I could send ya (they make you by 12 minimum.).[/quote'] I think that's a partsbin thing - the dealer sells singles to me all the time. About $3 each. Johnson']Also' date=' you [i']don't[/i] have to pull the engine to to the belts, just remove the radiator. Some people don't even remove the radiator, I do though. If the belt covers aren't on I don't pull the radiator. If they are I do as I don't want to either destroy my knuckles, or damage the radiator in removing the crank pulley - neither of which is very much fun. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[HTi]Johnson Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 I think that's a partsbin thing - the dealer sells singles to me all the time. About $3 each. GD I think I got mine for $1.20 each. I was offering to sell him 2 for that price. They'd fit in a regular postage envelope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Johnson']I think I got mine for $1.20 each. I was offering to sell him 2 for that price. They'd fit in a regular postage envelope. Yeah - and they seem to be the same part as far as I can tell. That's a good price. If he's going to do those, and he's still listening, he should definately take you up on that. I just never have enough stuff to make the shipping worth ordering from thepartsbin.com.... but I also have a dealership that gives me wholesale on anything I want. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[HTi]Johnson Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 but I also have a dealership that gives me wholesale on anything I want. GD Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dugzy33 Posted September 23, 2008 Author Share Posted September 23, 2008 Ok the car stopped running. Itook a look at the timing marks and the one on the driver side is down at the bottom. The one on the pass side is up at the top looks pretty close to where it should be. So then the timing is not off? right? The belts actually look good. BTW the belt cover are off all of them. I looked at the write up in the link i was given and was wondering if the marks on the flywheel might be off? I did a quick look and didnt see them. At the back with the tire off? I am going to take some tools over to the car tomorrow morning and see if I can adjust to get running. Any tips? The link is a little vague to me on adjusting the belts as i am a noob to these engines. Thanks in advance for all the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaru_dude Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 If it just suddenly stopped running and the timing belt is still intact I would recommend removing your disty cap and having a look at the rotor. It seems like the 4wd rotor button wasn't held on with the single screw and weren't as prone to loosening however... but anywayzz see if that's the prob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 it's ipossible that the belts were serviced and aligned to the 0 deg btdc mark. this is NOT the mark to alighn the cam to, but rather 3 hash marks ||| depicting the crankshaft and all the pistons are in the center of their bores. the haynes book is correct in the procedire if you READ THE TEXT,but the illustrations do not depict the 360 deg crank rotation between doing the first belt and then the second. usually you will find a subaru that has had the belts repaird only to run like crap becaquse of "bent valves", unbeknownst to random mechanics that these are non interference engines, and the crank rotation between belts. if both cams are up or down at the same ime, then this is your problem. i would bet on the timing marks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dugzy33 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 Thanks everyone, ill be heading over to the car in a hour. As to your take fox, would my car have been able to run set at the wrong marks on the flywheel/bellhousing? Because the car was running then just quit. Thanks again, doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dugzy33 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 it's ipossible that the belts were serviced and aligned to the 0 deg btdc mark. this is NOT the mark to alighn the cam to, but rather 3 hash marks ||| depicting the crankshaft and all the pistons are in the center of their bores. the haynes book is correct in the procedire if you READ THE TEXT,but the illustrations do not depict the 360 deg crank rotation between doing the first belt and then the second. usually you will find a subaru that has had the belts repaird only to run like crap becaquse of "bent valves", unbeknownst to random mechanics that these are non interference engines, and the crank rotation between belts. if both cams are up or down at the same ime, then this is your problem. i would bet on the timing marks ok, checked the timing marks at the flywheel and they are right on. checked cap and rotor, look new and everything in order. the rotor on mine is the push on type. no spark with screwdriver or starting fluid in carb. so all i can guess is that it needs a coil or the little module in the distributor, right? is there anything else that it would be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dugzy33 Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 (edited) ok, checked the timing marks at the flywheel and they are right on.checked cap and rotor, look new and everything in order. the rotor on mine is the push on type. no spark with screwdriver or starting fluid in carb. so all i can guess is that it needs a coil or the little module in the distributor, right? is there anything else that it would be? ok i am going to take the module in the dizzy off and get a new one. (edit: HOLY COW 170 bones for the ignitor/module or whatever it is called!!) but the darn thing is wrapped around the dizzy shaft!!! so i guess i need to get a puller to get the star shaped thingy off first. (haynes manual calls it a reluctor on my late hitachi dizzy) has anyone replaced the module in their dizzy? please advise Coil or ignitor? Edited September 24, 2008 by Dugzy33 Ignitor cost way toooooo much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 As I posted on the other Board... Put up a WTB in the Wanted Forum. There should be somebody in the PNW area that has a disty. If that fails, get ahold of Aarons here in the Seattle area. http://aaronsauto.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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