Going To Look At a Subaru, What Should I Keep In Mind?

[Ken_B]

Hopefully This Weekend I Will Be Going To Look At a 1991 Fuel Injected 4x4 Loyale Wagon 5 Speed With 30,000 Miles On A Rebuilt Motor. What Types Of Things Should I Keep In Mind To Look At Especially Close? I Mean ANYTHING, I Know Very Litle About Subarus But Hope To Change This Soon.

 

Thanks For The Help

[MilesFox]

find out when the timing belts were changed (prob 30 k ago) and check the condition of the radiator. with a rebuilt motor you probably have a new water pump.

 

cooling system takes the most priority with longevity.

 

check the axle boots, but its nothing to walk away from.

 

if anything a new radiator for PM and be good to go for a long time

[hatchsub]

Check the entire car for rot. Subarus of that vintage are notorious for rotting out. If it has rust ask yourself if you mind it..as long as its not structural. If it is structural turn around and walk away.

[torxxx]

check for the cam cases leaking oil on the outside of the exhaust pipes. They can be fixed in the car, but its ALOT easier to do outside the car. its not a major problem with these cars, they all leak oil from those o-rings once or twice in their life.

 

wrong forum btw.. this belongs in old school forum

Edited September 26, 2008 by torxxx

[Bill90Loyale]

Why was the engine "rebuilt"? My Loyale has 242K on it. No rebuild, no sign it needs one. (This is the "buying a lemon" question).

[Ken_B]

Went And Looked At The Car, Has WAY More Miles Than I Am Comfortable With And The Price Was A Bit Steep. But I Came Away With One Question. Is It Normal For These Cars Transmissions To Whine/Hum In 1st Gear?

[The Dude Abides]

depends on the miles man. I have 200 thou on mine and its still in her 30s age wise. How high pich of a wine is it. These cars shouldnt go for more them 1500 bucks. Now for 1500 bucks it better have no rust, immaculate interior, and a flawless drivetrain. Most people around here pay 1000 or less for something like that. Is it 2wd or 4wd.

 

Ben

[Ken_B]

This Car Is In Pretty Nice Shape Interior And Exterior but by no means perfect. Runs Good, 30,000 miles on a rebuilt motor. 294,xxx miles on the rest. needs front brakes, tires, and rear CVs. $1750. Im gonna keep looking. The noise Changed Pitch with speed, faster=higher pitch

[Ken_B]

One More Question, What Is The Average Life Expectancy For The Timing Belts? I've Heard All Sorts Of Numbers Pretty Much Anywhere From 30,000 Miles To 150,000 Miles. Id Like To Know If Theres Some More Accurate Numbers Than This.

[2.5GL]

Subaru belts installed properly will run for nearly 100K that I have seen. Pending no pullies seizing, or severe oil leaks soaking the belt, etc.

NAPA or other off brands may break sooner, especially if the installer didn't have a clue on how to properly tension them. Subaru recommended 60K for the timing belt replacement intervals, I would go by that number to be safe. Just remember that if they break, the only additional cost is the tow truck to get it to the shop, it is a non-interference engine.

 

Lewis

[GeneralDisorder]

55k to 60k on the EA82 belts. The newer EJ engines can go much longer (100k+) which is what I'm assuming the last poster is referring to. The EA82 belts were spec'd for 60k but they often don't make it that long. It's an inferior, thin timing belt and there are two of them rather than one. It's a rather obscure belt system as timing belts go.

 

GD

[Bill90Loyale]

55k to 60k on the EA82 belts. The newer EJ engines can go much longer (100k+) which is what I'm assuming the last poster is referring to. The EA82 belts were spec'd for 60k but they often don't make it that long. It's an inferior, thin timing belt and there are two of them rather than one. It's a rather obscure belt system as timing belts go.

 

GD

This conforms with my experience. In three timing belt rotations, I had two go the full 60K (as a matter of fact more like 70K) and one early failure (at 45K).

[torxxx]

I get between 10-50k between belts on my car. Keep in mind, my wagon is a brush basher running without timing belt covers and the car spends a lot of time in sand and silt.

 

I've had belt failure to a bad pulley once and I've never seen a tensioner fail like this. it actually pulled the pulley off teh mounting ear that bolts to the block.

 

Either way, 2 belts is FTW. blow off the passenger side belt, and keep drivin her home on 2 cylinders..

[bratman18]

Thats funny! My first loyale which I converted to 5 spd d/r and lifted, I put close to 100,000 miles on after I bought it and I'm pretty sure the belts hadn't been done for a while before I got it. I beat the crap out of that car on and off road, I went almost 40,000 miles without changing the oil, and I never changed the belts or had them break! I sold it when I got a new car and two years later it was still going strong!! I have never had to do belts on any ea82 that I've owned! But I guess I was just really lucky!