Steven Romero

Ennio you out there? ./steve

My '86 EA82t with 145k leaks oil, but I haven't had it long enough to know how much yet. The leak appears to be coming from the front seal or the oil pump. I suspect it is the pump though as the valve train is noisy (at least it was last time my car was running...it's dead right now). From what I can tell very little oil is being burnt (yea!) as I just changed the plugs about 3 weeks ago, and they weren't fouled. Also no smoke out the rear...just a little steam from what I suspect to be a cracked exhaust after the turbo. ./steve

For comparison my '86 GL-10 is a Hitachi electronic. Make sure you get the right one. ./steve

I just did this, and experienced great difficulty in getting the bolts off. I was afraid I would shear them so I was very careful about the whole process. Here is what I did: 1) spray liberally with PB Blaster each 17mm bolt in the upper shock mounting bracket 2) use a 1/2 drive extension (about 10" at a minimum), and a breaker bar to turn the bolt. If you have difficulty getting the nut to turn initially you can strike the breaker bar with a ball-peen hammer very lightly, more like a tap. This will break free any corrosion that has built up on the bolt inside the threads. I have also been told that you can heat the bolts with a torch for a minute or two, and then apply a cold water-soaked rag to the bolt head to rapidly cool it off. This has the effect of expanding (heat), and contracting (cold) the bolt inside the threads thus breaking it loose. 3) after you break the nut loose spray more PB Blaster on it, and let soak for a few minutes 4) if you encounter resistance after breaking the bolt free, and turning it a bit, spray more PB blaster on the bolt, and ratchet the bolt all the way back into the bracket. Then ratchet it back out to the point where you were stuck. Repeat this process until you don't experience a lot of resistance. Be patient. The temptation to remove the bolt at this point will be very great because of your success at breaking it free from the mount initially, but if you proceed too quickly here you will shear the bolt. Remember the greatest tools to help you in this process are patience and PB Blaster. Good luck. ./steve

I'm "working" late tonight, so I haven't had time to get the covers off. I only just got the car back into my garage this afternoon. I'll let you guys know as soon as I get them off, and have a chance to tell what is going on with the timing belts, etc.. Thanks! EDIT: I did try to remove the timing belt covers right after the car broke down before I called for a tow, but I wasn't able to get them off because as was mentioned the brass screws are spinning in the plastic...bother. ./steve

I'm not there yet man. I'll let you know if it gets that bad though. Thanks. ./steve

Can you explain a bit more about the keyway. I'm not sure what that is. If someone has a picture, that would help. Thanks. ./steve

SWEET!

As long as someone is on this topic I'd like to ask how do you go about de-pressurizing the A/C system on the car as it would seem you need to remove the A/C components, hoses, etc. when doing an engine pull... Thanks. ./steve

Jude thanks for the input. I may be PM'ing you about those belts and tensioners (and maybe the engine). ./steve

You've got an interesting website there Miles.... Thanks for the tip! ./steve

Thanks for the tip Dean. I'll check there after I get my car running again. It broke down Suunday. See my new thread "subie broke down, need input". Hehe. That's life I guess. ./steve

That's awesome dude! I hope I share your success very soon as I am experiencing a very similar problem to yours, and am probably quite a bit more ignorant about old subarus. Congratulations! ./steve

Wow you guys are awesome for giving me such confident support. Thanks. I think I've decided to have the car towed to my house where I will try to find out what is wrong and go from there. I'm almost positive, as are you all, that the belt is the problem. I guess I'm out the $78 bucks, and the towing fee (good thing I have Sprint Roadside service), but it's better than paying $300 for a simple diagnostic. That's just crazy. You know I wish there were some non-dealer Subaru experts around, but the Subaru hasn't really caught on in the South like it has where you guys are, so there really aren't any specialty shops that I know of in Houston that deal with Subaru. I enjoy the warm weather here in Texas, but when it comes to the Subaru I wish I was up north where there was a bit more local support. Any subaru mechanic worth his salt and a little capital would make a killing by coming to Houston and opening his own specialty shop. If you are out there consider the risk because the newer Subaru's are getting very popular here, and there really isn't a lot of expert knowledge to go around. Thanks again. I'll update this thread in a few days when I have time to look at the car. ./steve

Ok so I got in contact with the mechanic, and told him I was going to back out. Even though the bill is only up to $78 now, he said that they think that the timing belt slipped, and that there is some sort of noise coming from the drivers side which makes him think that the cam is broken or that a "valve may be bent or broken", and thus the noise. Now he's offering the initial diagnostic fee of $300, and he told me that I could make payment arrangements to make it easier to pay. I'm very split on what to do from this point. I could have it towed all the way back, and then try to fix it myself, but if I have to pull the engine to do some sort of valve or head job, I'm screwed. I have no room or time for that, and my fiance would kill me if I told her I was going to do that. So my choices now are: 1) have them tell me what is wrong with the car for $300, and then go from there :-\ 2) have the car towed, and try to find out what is wrong with it myself, and maybe repair it 3) tell the mechanic to find a salvage yard that wants to buy it :-\ 4) offer it up for sale on this board I'm sorry I'm dumping here guys/gals, but I'm really confused about what to do now, and need to use you as a sounding board... Damn, and this car was running great only 2 nights ago... thanks. ./steve