alastor555 Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Being a devoted Subaru fan, last year when I saw a 1984 Leone for sale in northern Italy I just couldn't let the occasion go, and I went on and bought it. It is now in good company with a 1999 Impreza type-r and a 2004 Impreza WRX Wagon. It is very rare to find 1980s Subaru cars in Italy and Europe in general, I think they are much more common in USA and Australia, so I didn't want it to end in a scrapyard. The car (I attach a couple of pictures) is a metal grey Subaru AB5 sedan with 1.8 liter engine, 4 gears manual gearbox and AWD. In over 30 years the car has covered only 90000 miles. It was in decent condition when I bought it but it had a bit of rust, a rotten exhaust and a noisy wheel bearing, so I had some mechanical work done at my Subaru dealer and fixed the rust. For the past year or so and few thousand miles the car has been great, I think one wheel bearing is still making a bit of noise so it will have to be changed soon. The front windshield has many little scratches which are annoying when facing the sun, I think I will change it with a newer, safer one. Recently I also started to hear on startup a loud noise similar to that of a liquid flowing in a pipe - apparently located just behind the dashboard - proportional in intensity to how one accelerates... It goes away after a few miles once the car is warm.... no idea what that is, it would be a great help if someone had any suggestions about it. What I would like to do is to slowly "rejuvenate" the Leone, changing the parts that are going to break eventually, before they actually break... Some preventive maintenance to avoid things going wrong, with a budget of around 1000$ per year. I hope some of you have experience of these cars and know what needs to be done to keep them fresh... I was thinking for instance to replace the water pump, gasoline pump, clutch and brake lines. Maybe the gasoline tank also? Any suggestions and feedback would be very welcome to make a proper to-do list for keeping the Leone in shape! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Welcome / Benvenuto it is nice to see another great old-school Subaru being saved. About this: ... Recently I also started to hear on startup a loud noise similar to that of a liquid flowing in a pipe - apparently located just behind the dashboard - proportional in intensity to how one accelerates... It goes away after a few miles once the car is warm.... no idea what that is, it would be a great help if someone had any suggestions about it... Sounds like the Heater Core being noisy... Maybe your engine does Not have the Thermostat, ...or it could be stuck open. Kind Regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crawlerdan Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 oh what i would do to own that. never seen one in that condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I agree with Jeszek, you really diagnosed it yourself - coolant gurgling about in the heater core and hoses inside the cabin. All I can think is that it is air in the system to allow these noises. I get the same noises in at least one Subaru that has no thermostat - one that by all good practice should have a thermostat - efi turbo that delivers beautiful power and economy, runs just so sweet ! Defies theories Try parking it on an incline and an angle to get the radiator cap at the highest point and run it from cold in this position to see if you can burp the suspect air out. Your coolant level may be low, or maybe not my case though, the seal on the rad cap allows air in as it cools ? It has made it 30 years so far - can't be too bad !! Nice car and gd on ya for the rescue 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Very nice looking SUBARU!!! Agreed, gurgling in the dash area is air in heater plumbing, low coolant. As Jono said, front of car pointed up to help bleed the air out. Start the engine with the radiator cap off, and heater temperature setting on Hot. Let it warm up and watch the level in the radiator. Once the engine warms enough to open the thermostat, you should see a good flow of the coolant. Add in what ever it needs to top it up. The EA81's didn't come with an overflow tank for the coolant. I stick the free end of the overflow hose into the jug of coolant, put the radiator cap back on, and then let the engine cool back down. It should draw some coolant in as it cools. May have to repeat the cap off, warm it up, top it off though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastor555 Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 Thanks for the answers! If I understand correctly, the air in the heater core is making the gurgling noise, and that is because of the low coolant. Also, the thermostat could be missing or stuck in the open position, and the radiator cap could be letting air in. I just noticed - reading the receipts of the past services - that since april 2013 when I bought the car the coolant has never been changed... then changing the coolant, radiator cap and the thermostat should fix the problem permanently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 (edited) It should, once you get all of the air bled out of the system. But remember, the EA81's don't have an overflow recovery tank like the EA82's or newer ones do. So, if it should burp some coolant out for what ever reason, you have lost that from the system. Should it happen a couple times, now you may be low on coolant. Probabily why, it is low now. edit; I really need to go back to school and learn how to spell again.... Edited January 28, 2015 by TomRhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastor555 Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 Thanks a lot, I will try the method described to spill the air out. My garage has a quite steep ramp, so it should be fine to have the car pointed up. If anyone has any recommendation on what parts to change in advance to keep the car fresh and trouble-free in the long term please share! As a starting point I found this info on a webpage about an amazing 1981 Leone with over 510000 miles: "The engine is original, however I've replaced water pump 2x, radiator, heater core, clutch 2x, front axles, alternator, and repaired transmission. Nothing done to the engine other than oil and filter changes at regular intervals." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two85s Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Welcome and Great Subaru in beautiful condition!! Aside from air in the coolant issue, there's is a wealth of information within the USMB from members experiences, posts, answers, and build threads. Use the search feature to look up information. Also look on the internet, find and purchase the Subaru Factory Service Manuals (FSM) for your car. Generally for your car. 1) I would say use a kit and follow the instructions to "flush" and drain your engines coolant system, then refill with a properly mixed coolant. 2) Replace the fuel and air filters with new ones. 3) Use a product (I've used Gunk brand Motor Flush) to "flush" the engine, then drain the motor oil, change the oil filter (use same as OEM filter), and refill with motor oil Subaru recommends. 4) Make sure the transmission and differential fliuds are full. 5) Removing, draining, and treating the inside of the gas tank before reinstalling would be a good idea. 6) You could drain the brake hydraulic fluid and then replace with new fluid and also check and replace worn brake pads or shoes. 7) If your motor has timing belts, you might want to get that service done. For all the others parts I would not replace until they fail or you know they will soon fail. You could start buying common replacement and maintenance parts and storing them for when they will be needed. My advice also is keep your axles and have them rebuilt and rebooted, the aftermarket axles are inferior quality. The clutch should be good for another 90K at least in my opinion so I would leave it as is. Photos are always GREAT to include in your posts. All the best to you. Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastor555 Posted January 29, 2015 Author Share Posted January 29, 2015 Thanks for the tips. I think the ea81 doesn't have a timing belt so that's one thing less to worry. Good to know about the axles, I'll look for someone able to rebuild them eventually when they wear out - maybe they are already after 30 years! As engine oil I'll use a triple ester one from Millers, 10w-40 (with a 5w-40 apparently there can be some piston slap?). About the gas tank... one problem i have with refilling it is that the gas spills out when it gets full, the gas pump doesn't stop automatically as with other cars, they told me it could be air in the tank... I'll definitely clean and treat the gas tank as you suggest, would that maybe solve the problem? I could even replace it if it's worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastor555 Posted January 29, 2015 Author Share Posted January 29, 2015 Another picture, at the sea, near Pisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two85s Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 You would know if an axle needs a rebuild because of clicking, rumbling, or grinding sounds. Once the joints are in this condition they might not be "rebuildable". The parts that fails first, and leads to the damage, usually are the rubber boots. Then much of the grease escapes and dirt gets in the joint....which will cause the real damage. Inspect all the boots regularly for damage. If you find one torn, URGENTLY have the axle removed, cleaned, regreased, rebooted, and reinstalled and you will avoid the joint becoming damaged. My Subaru is 1985 and an EA82 with many differences from yours. I can't help with your fuel pump/ gas spill problem.....I don't know. But I don't see why you would need a "new" tank. The problem is maybe a gasket or a crack in the input area. Nice Photo!! Do you have photos of the engine compartment? Take care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 my tip on angle the car upwards to burp the cooling system is with attnetion to angle the radiator cap up most, so park it on an angle on a steep slope, or just lhs up on one car ramp, axle stand should do. I'd say do it with current coolant to see if that fixes things first, and yes, important is not only heater to hot - make sure the tap actually operates - you may need to remove a rubber boot to see the action. The fusible links in the FL box within 300mm of the battery pos terminal, under a plastic cover, red and green fabric covered fuses - they can coorode in 20 years abd cause electrical/starting issues- can be replaced by modern Female Fusible link plastic boxes individually - search new generation fusible links ausubaru should fill your head with enough to confuse A new clutch cable if is a manual box or at least remove and lube it up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastor555 Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 Thanks a lot for the info, I'll use it to make a good to-do list! I realise I don't have a picture of the engine bay, but it's dirty as hell and still with the original spare tire from 1984, I doubt it would be usable When I bought it I didn't clean the engine bay, I was afraid it may ruin something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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