aphat426 Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Hey all I am a new guy to the usmb and I have an 83 gl wagon auto 4x4. 227K on the car guy i bought it from said it got rebuilt at 150K but i'm not sure. anyways this car is gutless, It won't even attempt to spin the tires on loose gravel and has a hard time going over 55. Is this normal or could something else be wrong( plugged cat? ) It doesn't use a drop of oil or smoke and the oil pressure is normal. I did cap-rotor, wires, and plugs. I love the car but i would like to do at least 65-70. The other thing i noticed was how loud the fuel pump is (click,click,clickclick,) is this normal or should I replace it? thanks for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Sounds like a clogged fuel filter (or 2 there are 2 on this car), or the exhaust is plugged up. I would tend to think its the rear fuel filter under the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aphat426 Posted June 28, 2004 Author Share Posted June 28, 2004 Thanks i will change the filter and see if that helps. what about the noisy fuel pump is that normal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Its not normally too loud but they aren't quiet pumps either. I bet it would be noisier if it was trying to push fuel thru a filter thats clogged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganM Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Definatly sounds like you have an issue with lack of power. Youre right they arent fast cars by any means but you honestly should be able to drop the clutch and spin the tires; gravel or pavement. You should also have little trouple achieving 70 MPH. Much beyond that you better hang out in 4th gear till 80 before going for 5ith! lol Anyway it could be a number of things. Sounds like you are already hot on its trail. New ignition componets was a good shot; dont stop there! How about timing? Get a timing light on there and find out. Should be 8 degrees BTDC for carbed EA82 and 20 degrees BTDC for fuel injection EA82. Might try a new coil. They arent very expensive and despite the hype around how long they last they DO wear out and can deliver a weak spark QUADRUPLE check your fire order! You definatly can have some funny swaping plug wires and stil run, and run poorly. Fire order is 1 3 2 4, cylinders are labled right on the block, cap should be labled somehow with #1. Clogged cat certainly could give you a lack of power for no apperent reason. Some cars have plugged them so bad they are very hard to start and run like dogs but show now physical reason why when you start looking under the hood. The air passage holes and screen mesh in the cats are VERY narrow and easily plugged up. I belive someone here has used a magic potion (fuel addative?) that 'cleans' your cat and maybe they can comment further on that. I have just pulled and punched out a few cats; that works for me. That fuel pump could also be in question. Get up under there and make sure its all mounted well and not wiggeling around. Just a loose fuel pump can make it sound pretty bad. I can hear mine at idle over my loud exhuast so they arent exactly quiet pumps. As noted above filterS is a good idea. There are two, one under the bonnet and one in the back near the pump Keep hunting, youll find it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subestyle18 Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Not meaning to highjack this thread but wheres the 2nd fuel filter on an 83'. Theres the one under the hood by the wind shield on the drivers side, wheres the other one. Thanks David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 Its right next to the fuel pump on a tray. Its found in front of the rear axle assembly bolted to the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted June 28, 2004 Share Posted June 28, 2004 You definately have a problem. Check to make sure it's running on all cylinders (pull each plug wire and listen for a difference in engine sound). Check those fuel delivery issues that everyone else brought up. Check your air filter too. Is the engine original? If it is it would be a hydraulic lifter model, and does not require a valve adjustment. If it isn't, then it could be a solid lifter engine and maybe the valves are in need of adjustment. On the valve cover there should be a gold sticker that will say to not adjust the valves..... if you don't find that then you may need to look for some other indications.... Also - check the adjustment on your throttle cable, and make sure the vacuum secondary on the carb is opening. Don't expect to ever do a burn out in this thing - even on gravel - the early subaru auto's were pretty horrible about power transfer. But I did 80 MPH down the freeway in a Gen 1 automatic - 1.6L. And frankly, with the 3.7 gear ratio, you should be able to hit 100 MPH if the engine were in decent shape. I hit 110 one time in my 2WD 5 speed wagon - same gear ratio. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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