Hogsubie Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 I just looked at 88/89 (manufactured date of 6/88)GL-10 full-time 4wd turbo wagon with an auto. Overall the car is in really good shape. Interior showing age but holding. All power options worked. A/C worked but needs a charge. Needs windshield replaced but that can wait. Exterior was good except for repaired area at the left rear wheel arch with rust coming through the fix, also not body color. Paint is fading, hood paint is bad. Here's the bad part. It smoke so bad I couldn't see out the back while drivng. It had no power when accelerating and I heard a really bad bearing rattle. My guess is the turbo is bad. What do you guys think? Is this something that can be potentially fixed by replacing the turbo? It also had moderately hard shift from first to second. What about that? Anything to look for? How about the full time 4wd system? Can someone explain how it works. Is it good for wheeling or rallying? What I want is a dual range 5 speed. Is this a good place to start then plan for a swap later? I'd also like to lift it as well. Older Sube's are not very common down here in Arkansas. Tell me what you all think and suggested offers. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torxxx Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 GL-10's are nice cars.. Theres an 88 sitting in a JY up here that I just looked at.. Real nice.. except for the front of the car being burned up (engine fire) I don't think changing the turbo would fix the smoke part.. Guess it depends on the color of the smoke.. Blue smoke = rings Black smoke could be turbo. Full time 4 wheel aint bad at all if your going to rally it. I'd ditch it for a DR 4wd 5 Speed Manual. It sounds like the car you looked at is well aged.. I'd look around some more. Find one with out the rear wheel well fix.. If one side did it, the other side is going to do it soon. I'd go look for a 86 GL if you want a good wagon. They are DR 4wd 5 speed Mans. After 6/85 (manufactured date) they changed some parts on the timing belt part of the engine and from what I've been told, they have more problems with them. Just my thoughts.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 I own a 89 gl10 turbo 2wd (touring wagon), and I think it's the nicest EA82 I've ever had. The one you are looking at is even better yet because it is the AWD model. Mechanical condition doesn't sound too great, howvever. This shouldn't neccessarily rule it out, because those things can be fixed, and would probably be worth fixing on a hi-line model like that. The real key (in my mind anyway) would be the body. If the body is solid and straight, I would grab it for the right price. Looks aren't as important as structural integrity. If rust has gotten a foothold, you should pass on it unless you want it for parts. What is a good price? Hard to tell, but if it runs bad, and looks like sh*t, you've got some good bargaining power. Remember, you are buying it as it is, not for what it can be. How much is he asking for it? John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogsubie Posted January 2, 2004 Author Share Posted January 2, 2004 It's only a small spot where the rust fix is. We don't get the cancerous type around here. The smoke was a whitish grey color, not black. How about the auto? Anyone know about the harsh shifting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torxxx Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 The white smoke is prolly the turbo.. Maybe someone else here can second me on that and the hard shifting with the auto could be a number of things.... is it a 3 speed auto? My sister had one of those in her soob and that thing shifted wierd as hell.. I hated it Could have been worn gears, dirty tranny (did you check the tranny dipstick and if so, how'd the ATF look? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogsubie Posted January 2, 2004 Author Share Posted January 2, 2004 There's probably no point in persuing the car because the owner is a former employee of the guy trying to sell it. The former employee owes him $1700 which was what he is asking. I told him I couldn't offer more than $500 and that was stretching it. He said he was going to take him to court so it will probably disappear because the owner is no longer in the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torxxx Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 Good call.... My rules are never pay over 5 or 600 bucks for something that smokes when its running.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogsubie Posted January 2, 2004 Author Share Posted January 2, 2004 It's a shame cuz the rest of the car is in really good shape. If the problem is the turbo, can you just replace it with another one. What else is there to check, look for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torxxx Posted January 2, 2004 Share Posted January 2, 2004 Cv Joints.. Grab then and shake them up and down.. They should move just a little bit (less than 1/8th inch) if they move more then that, you'll be replacing those. Check the rear driveshaft and inspect the u-joints and carrier bearing Check the waterpump shaft (check for up and down movement) Double check the exhaust for rusting out spots And the turbo can be replaced.. I dont think its that hard.. never owned a turbo soob so I can't really say Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted January 3, 2004 Share Posted January 3, 2004 Hog, check the fluids, the one that is low will give a good indicator of what it being burned- it could be ATF. The modulator, similar to the 3AT mod, can rupture and cause ATF to sucked into the intake manifold. The rattle you hear could be the AFT in the combustion chamber - as it burns much hotter. If the oil is low, it could be turbo bearing seals. As for the shift problem,- this will be a 4EAT transmission. The hard 1-2 shift is caused by worn fluid or the line pressure duty solenoid, which is known to fail. This will also cause a TQ early lock up also. If you get to check it out again there is a "power" light on the dash, it will flash after start up indicating a problem, the TCU (Transmission Control Unit) will output codes if asked to. Good luck, your $$ est is correct. BTW I also have an 89 GL-10.FT4EAT turbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beauregaardhooligan Posted January 3, 2004 Share Posted January 3, 2004 White smoke could be a blown head gasket. Look for oil in the water and/or water in the oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WagonsOnly Posted January 3, 2004 Share Posted January 3, 2004 I'm seconding the blown-gasket opinion. When my turbo went (on my '87 GL10) I ended up with black smoke. As for the tranny....go with a 4EAT or a 5-speed. Avoid the 3AT at all costs. For the price you mentioned...I wouldn't touch the car with a 10-foot pole. If need be, spend a weekend and $2K and bring one back from Cali, rust-free and running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogsubie Posted January 3, 2004 Author Share Posted January 3, 2004 Well it's sound more and more like a project I shouldn't take on. I really don't have the time right now to do an engine rebuild or swap. I could handle a turbo replacement . Like I said earlier, the ownership situation looks messy and probably won't get resolved anytime soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted January 3, 2004 Share Posted January 3, 2004 Yeah - and you don't want a lifted turbo anyway - even if you replaced the tranny with a D/R (messy cause it's an auto to start with...).... turbo's are not any help off-road. And the added complexity mixed with mud and water is also not a winning combo. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beauregaardhooligan Posted January 3, 2004 Share Posted January 3, 2004 Show them the $500 cash, if they don't bite, walk away. It may show up at auction later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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