12 replies to this topic

[SubaruMaverik]

ok so i bought an old sube (new to me)
not the first i've driven but the first i've owned
its an '83 GL Wagon
4speed manual, duel range 4wd, 4 cylinder carburated engine...




problems...
-soft brakes
-no vent/defrost fan
-loose exhaust headers
-extremely soft and sloppy shifter

ok so i'll probably just bleed the brakes or replace the brake master cylinder to fix the brakes...
but does anyone know anything about the vent fan or what the problem might be to fix it,
also, any suggestions on weather to drill bigger or use a heliocoil on the exhaust,
and is the sloppy shifter even fixable or need i replace the transmission??

any advice would be appreciated!

[Durania]

The soft brakes could be due to air in the brake lines and could need a bleeding.

There is a fix in the USRM about a sloppy shifter, I need to do the fix myself and have yet to try it. But word around here is that its awesome.

Heres the link:
http://www.ultimates...ead.php?t=49954

[SubaruMaverik]

i really apreciate the link man
i'm new to the forums and dont know my way around

[markjw]

On the loose exhaust headers..If your just trying to tighten the bolts and they are no longer grabging, pull them out. Chances are they are the threaded studs with nuts rusted in place. Break loose the nut, unscrew it out to the end of the stud, put a second "jam" nut on it and re-insert into the head. Maybe the extra lenght will find new threads. Maybe not.
I just got a set of Pugeot wheels just like yours. Hey, Ya wanna sell a couple of those Lug Nuts? Just Kidding.

[subaruguru]

hey if you needa new heater fan let me know i have one for an ea81

[SubaruMaverik]

haha
nah, i need some new lug nuts too
half of the ones that came with them were broken in half

as for the loose exhaust, i took another look and on the one loose bolt i took out, all of the threads are pretty much gone from the hole




note my highly custom exhaust headers


i've heard that heliocoils work for a while and that drilling out larger and tapping a larger thread size is the way to go, but a friend of mine used heliocoils and its worked fine...
any opinions?

[hatchsub]

Drilling and putting a bigger bolt in is sorta the temporary fix while helacoiling is the best route if done correctly. I have sorta the middle ground. Someone did a good job helicoiling new threads in the heads but when i went to take the exhaust down the stud just unthreaded out of the head. I ended up using bolts instead of studs and its been find (knock on wood) since last winter.

[thealleyboy]

i've heard that heliocoils work for a while and that drilling out larger and tapping a larger thread size is the way to go, but a friend of mine used heliocoils and its worked fine...
any opinions?

If done properly, the heliocoil will work for much more than "a while". The problem for the DIY'er is they can be difficult to install by crawling under the car. They have to be drilled precisely, and the angle and clearance is pretty bad without a lift. If you do a sloppy job, they'll fail pretty quickly. I usually have them done at a gas station I know of that charges a reasonable rate ($15-20 apiece) and most of that cost is for the part. Money well spent, IMO.

I wouldn't reccommend re-tapping on the vehicle under any circumstances. Again, this is a precision task, and to do it right, the head should be removed and taken to a machine shop.

Now, there are people on this Board that'll disagree with me. There are other fixes that work - sometimes for a good long while. But by forcing increasingly larger fasteners, and constantly stripping them out, you risk damaging the head beyond repair.

good luck, John

[SubaruMaverik]

i appreciate it, ill see if i can find a good place that will do it for me, yeah, the clearance is oretty bad up on some wooden blocks and i'm not the best with a pnumatic drill, yeah also does anyoen know where i could get some peugeot lug nuts
half the ones i have are in a couple pieces each, they fell apert when i took them out

[86BRATMAN]

Timeserts are a longer lasting fix than helicoils. I've seen helicoils come back out the next time the bolt is removed. From what I hear timeserts are permanent and stronger than factory threads.

Looks like you removed the ASV ports fom the heads, did you notice any effects after this?

[SubaruMaverik]

Timeserts are a longer lasting fix than helicoils. I've seen helicoils come back out the next time the bolt is removed. From what I hear timeserts are permanent and stronger than factory threads.

Looks like you removed the ASV ports fom the heads, did you notice any effects after this?

i bought the car like this
the old holes are stripped out so he welded custum headers and drilled new holes and just bolted his custom headers on without the asv ports i guess
i didn't noticed anything on teh drive home, but then again i wouldn;t knwo what to pay attention to

[86BRATMAN]

Ok, I was just looking for other experiance with it. I did the same with my hatchback and didn't notice any substancial differences.


But he didn't make new holes, there are four in the head from the factory. Two to hold the bolts for the asv plates, and the two where the studs for the manifold go.

[SubaruMaverik]

Ok, I was just looking for other experiance with it. I did the same with my hatchback and didn't notice any substancial differences.


But he didn't make new holes, there are four in the head from the factory. Two to hold the bolts for the asv plates, and the two where the studs for the manifold go.

ahh ty, i was wondering wtf was going on
lol they are custom headers though
its cut and welded all the way down intermitantly, the cat is gone and im not even sure if it has a muffler... (: