New owner looking for details

[Rag_v2]

Hey All,

 

I crossed over to the dark side and bought a 1987 GL Wagon 4wd. There is so much I want to learn about this vehicle. For now I want to give it a freshening up. I'm looking to find out what the best fluids are for the car (diffs, transmission, transfer case, coolant, power steering, brakes). I know the repair manual says one thing, but I want to see what you guys have found that works best.

 

Also, this may sound like a stupid question, but what is the "proper" way for shifting in and out of 4wd? I don't want to go wrecking things up, I need this car to get me through the winter!!

 

Thanks in advance

[idosubaru]

welcome aboard. there's no transfer case, so nothing to do there. I assume this is a manual?

 

nothing special to the fluids. standard stuff in the owners manual is fine - the only thing i may do different is go with synthetic gear oil in the trans and diff.

 

change your engine oil OFTEN, that's far more important than what grade or brand you use. these engines have HLA's that don't handle infrequent oil changes very well.

 

drive in a straight line at about 15 miles power while shifting if it seems to "stick". usually you can shift whenever you want...or that's what i've done and never had a problem. just make sure you don't drive in 4WD on pavement or hard surfaces (owners manual should tell you that).

 

if this is FT4WD (which i don't think it is - it's PT4WD right?)...but if it happens to be FT4WD, then make sure your tires match at all times and are rotated properly.

[Turbone]

I basically use Castrol in all my stuff, oil wise.

I dont skimp on the other fluids either.

But it all comes down to personal choice and $.

Theres a few items that should have no compromise tho.

Plugs - NGK

OEM thermostats and PCV.

DO NOT use Fram for anything.

WIX, Purolater or Napa for oil filters.

 

Do not run on dry pavement in 4wd.

You can shift on the fly in conditions that require 4wd.

[GeneralDisorder]

Hey All,

 

I crossed over to the dark side and bought a 1987 GL Wagon 4wd. There is so much I want to learn about this vehicle. For now I want to give it a freshening up. I'm looking to find out what the best fluids are for the car (diffs, transmission, transfer case, coolant, power steering, brakes). I know the repair manual says one thing, but I want to see what you guys have found that works best.

 

They aren't very particular with regard to fluid. Transmission (transaxle) and diffs are 75w90 gear oil - any mid-range brand will do. Transfer case is part of the transaxle so it shares gear oil with the transmission and front diff. Coolant is the green stuff in the required ratio for your climate (brand really doesn't matter - just change it bi-annually and use distilled water). Power steering is Dexron ATF (again - any cheap brand will do). Brake fluid is just plain old DOT 3 - any brand is fine just change it bi-annually when you do the coolant.

 

I run chevron 10w30 in all my engines. It's high quality, and it's cheap at Costco. Changed regularly with a top-grade filter (WIX/Napa/OEM) you will get just as many miles from the engine as anyone else. Don't go with a higher viscosity or a "high mileage" type oil because you think it's an "old" engine. The tolerances are VERY close in these and 10w30 is the right choice.

 

Also, this may sound like a stupid question, but what is the "proper" way for shifting in and out of 4wd? I don't want to go wrecking things up, I need this car to get me through the winter!!

 

Push in the clutch and shift. Just don't do it while turning sharply at speed. It is 4WD not AWD so you can't turn sharp corners on dry surfaces while in 4WD - it will bind as there is no center differential.

 

While you are doing your fluids do the timing belt, tensioners, idler, water pump, front main and cam seals, and reseal the oil pump. If it's got over 200k on it just replace the oil pump. Timing belt is called for every 60k and they have a high likelyhood of not making it to 50k. Oil pressure should be 20 psi or higher at idle/operating temp. Change the thermostat and radiator cap and check/replace the cooling system hoses including the heater core hoses. These engines do NOT like being overheated and you'll be kicking yourself when you overheat due to a split OEM heater core hose that's 21 years old.

 

GD

Edited November 13, 2008 by GeneralDisorder

[Rag_v2]

Thanks for the responses guys. I guess I did leave out some detail. It's a 5 speed part time 4wd. It turned 229,000 miles while driving it home. I have no idea what kind of maintenance was performed on it before I bought it, so I figure better safe than sorry.

 

Grossgary, if there's no transfer case, what method is used to engage the rear wheels?

 

Turbone, which brand fluids do you use for your different components?

[GeneralDisorder]

Thanks for the responses guys. I guess I did leave out some detail. It's a 5 speed part time 4wd. It turned 229,000 miles while driving it home. I have no idea what kind of maintenance was performed on it before I bought it, so I figure better safe than sorry.

 

Do everything I suggest above as a precaution. You don't want to be stranded for a broken timing belt.

 

Grossgary, if there's no transfer case, what method is used to engage the rear wheels?

 

There is a transfer case of sorts, but it's part of the transmission. It's known as a transaxle. It's easier if you just go look under the car and see for yourself. The portion that would be called the transfer case on a normal 4WD setup is called the "extension housing" and because of the way the Subaru transaxle works internally it's not a gear reduction transfer case like you are thinking. The gear reduction for high/low is done at the input shaft at the front of the transmission, not in the transfer case. There doesn't need to be a "transfer case" as there is no need to transfer power back to the front wheels - the front wheels are powered from half-shafts that emanate from the sides of the transaxle. It's the same setup as the VW beetle turned backwards with an output for a tail-shaft, and the same system that Audi uses.

 

GD

Edited November 13, 2008 by GeneralDisorder

[Rag_v2]

While you are doing your fluids do the timing belt, tensioners, idler, water pump, front main and cam seals, and reseal the oil pump.

Thanks for the info General. Is there a preferred place to buy these parts from? I don't want overpriced garbage parts.

[GeneralDisorder]

The dealership is quite reasonable on parts. I buy almost all my parts exclusively from them. Some of the online dealers are about 10 to 15 percent cheaper than local dealers. subaruparts.com, subarupartsforyou.com, 1stsubaruparts.com, etc.

 

For the EA82 timing belts I buy the "kits" on ebay. Timing belt/rubber technology has come a long way but unfortunately the EA82 is very hard on it's timing belt arrangement (two separate belts, with tight turns and non-hydraulic tensioners ). The ebay kits last as long as any belt will last and even though the idler and tensioners are probably using cheap bearings they last the required amount of time till the next belt interval without problem as the interval's are so short. Plus the savings are pretty hefty. About $65 for the kit on ebay or closer to $200 from the dealer. The oil and water pumps can sometimes be sourced from Atsugi (the OEM manufacturer), but if you can't get them from the dealer. I don't trust aftermarket at all on this stuff. Gaskets and seals are best bought at the dealer as many aftermarket are severely inferior and the ones that aren't don't warrant a seperate trip as the cost savings amounts to a few 10's of dollars at the most between them all.

 

GD