mrroot

Look into this ASAP. That isn't good and you're gonna ruin your nice new engine rebuild! You going by dash guage or screw-in tester? Definitely want a tester - don't trust those dash guages. Check timing. Also, pull your plugs and make sure they all look like they've been firing. Check compression. What does your exhaust smell like? Check your spark color. New rotor/cap? How do they look? What about your injectors? Fuel filter? I could go on, but you've got a fair bit to start with. Cheers

I agree with gary. Replace your idler and tensioners. Check play/noise in your oil pump. And make sure all your sprockets are bolted on tightly. I know I had a bolt back out on one of my camshaft sprockets and it made a helluvah clacking noise as it clanked around. Good luck!

Good luck! I just replaced the *heads* ( and a million other things ) on my EA82T. Some things I might say: The heavy grease spoken of in the previous post is called Engine Reassembly Lubricant, and you can get it at any parts store. It's just thick grease that dissolves in oil - put it on *all* metal/metal contact surfaces. Also use it to hold parts in place during reassembly. I found it particularly useful on those damn oil o-rings in the heads - they want to fall out when you're installing the heads, so just gob them up with grease to hold them in place. I have tons of pics which might give you some ideas of what you're getting in to. Check out: http://www.mrroot.net/soob/ I definitely agree with the other guys: if you've got the money, just replace a lot of the major components. In order of importance ( if money's tight ) I'd replace timing belt idler and tensioners ( look on ebay - there's a guy that sells kits with everything you need for like $60 or so: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1986-1994-Subaru-1-8-GL-DL-Loyale-Timing-Belt-Kit_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33625QQihZ013QQitemZ230005080862QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW ), spark plugs/wires, dist cap/rotor, accessory belts, o2 sensor, oil pump, water pump, fuel injectors. After that, just start replacing whatever needs it. Obviously replace all the fluids and filters. The books say you have to jack up your engine if you leave it in the car. I found I didn't need to do this on my XT. YMMV, but I'd suggest trying to leave it in there if you can - speeds up the process and reduces the number of parts laying around your garage. And read that post about doing the timing belts. Read it and follow it to the letter. Oh, and ditch the stupid timing belt covers. They're just a PITA. It's a lot easier than it sounds. Just be methodical and label things as you remove them. Ziploc baggies and magnetic trays are your friends. Good luck and ask if you need help. Cheers

Yeah, I'd start there.. Though if you open the hood and see a hole in your block, you can safely assume you've got bigger problems. Good luck and let us know..

Not good, man.. Sounds like the oil seal failed inside the turbo, letting oil go spewing into your engine. Take off that aluminum air handler on top of the engine that says "Subaru Turbo" and look inside it and your throttle body - check for oil. If you see oil, your turbo's shot and you'll need to find a new one. Update with what you find.. I found an oil pump for my EA82T for about $60 from a local parts store - you'll have to call around a lot to find a fair deal. You should really check that turbo first. Then, if you're still worried about the oil pump, screw in an oil pressure tester to check your pump's functionality. Good luck!

Look around more. I had to check about 6 places before finding mine so cheap. The prices on those pumps are all over the place for some reason. Dig, and ye shall find. Get an oil pressure tester and screw in to the pump - that's the only way to know for sure. Cheers

Well, I found this on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8020377783&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT Bring my per-injector cost to $17.18. Not a bad deal for remans, and now I've got spares. I ordered them, so I'll let you know how they perform, both the seller and the injectors.

Actually, I was talking about a larger bit - small bits easily snap, so if you can get a larger one going, it's less likely to break on you. And as far as I know, cobalt is the hardest drill bit you can buy. Though maybe something with diamond would be available, and obviously harder. Let us know what you find, b/c I'm quite curious.

*whistle* Man that's gotta hurt.. :-\ I'm trying to think of some options, but there aren't many coming to mind. If you try drilling again, I might recommend using some cobalt bits instead of generic ones - hopefully they won't snap on you.. Also - try to use the largest bit you can - less chance of snapping. Good luck!

That sounds a bit low to me.. I just installed a new oil pump on my EA82T and cold I'm seeing around 65-70 psi and warm prolly around 45 psi ( I'm guessing - I haven't run the engine long enough to really warm it up ). Note that these measurements were with an oil pressure guage attached to the pump, not through a dash instrument, so they should be very accurate. If you're up to it, I'd suggest pulling that oil pump off and checking all of the tolerances very carefully, and of course replace your seals. Then check it with an oil pressure guage screwed into the pump and see what you get. Honestly, if you take it off, you should just replace it. I got a new one for about $60 from a local parts store, which is definitely worth the insurance. You don't want to run on low oil pressure for long b/c oil won't be able to get to all the places it needs to go. Cheers

Hit it with some PB Blaster, too. Let it soak in 5 minutes, then hit it again and wait another 5 minutes. I'd try to get it off with a breaker bar and a cheater bar ( pipe ), and if that does work, then go to impact wrench. I know when I first pulled mine off, I had to get about 3 feet of advantage with a pipe and my half inch ratchet - came right off once I locked up the flywheel. Good luck

Hrmm... Yeah, I'm noticing that no one stocks that particular gasket.. I might pick up one of those gasket-making kits tomorrow and/or call a dealer later this week.. Thanks!

I'll agree with Wayne that you need to check it. Another thing to worry about is if the oil seal goes out and starts dumping oil into your intake manifold. Not a pretty sight ( just saw this at the JY last weekend ) and a *************** of a cleaning job ( prolly no permanent damage, but expect to spend $100 or more in gaskets and things as you tear the engine apart to clean it ).

How long have you been running with your own gasket? Some people say they don't work for ************, others say they're fine if you take the time to cut them out properly. I'd say that miles speak louder than words.

Now that makes sense on the air suspension. Electric cooling fan - duh - I should have remembered that. 1 & 2 I'll have to look at more closely - I think that vacuum line feeds the cruise control. As for #3, there's nothing around it could connect to. And as an interesting side note, at the junk yard yesterday I was pulling parts from an '86 XT and it also did not have that plug connected to anything, so I'm thinking it's a shared wiring harness that has use in some other car. BTW, on that JY run I scored: - starter - distributor - air filter assembly with MAF - coil - windshield wiper motor - knock sensor - camshaft sprocket and seal retainer - power steering pump - 4 fuel injectors - aluminum turbo intake air doohickey - coolant overflow reservoir - brake master cylinder - throttle body - AAV ( sensor on top of thermostat housing ) - spare radiator cap All for $100. Not shabby, methinks. And now I've officially started my spare parts collection. N

$35 isn't too bad - though suncarb does rebuilds for $25.. Thanks for the link, though - another website to add to my list. Cheers

Looking for a throttle body gasket for a 1986 XT Turbo 2wd. EA82T MPFI. Where can you find one? I've tried partsamerica ( advanced auto parts ), autozone, oreillys, napa as well as just google searching and I haven't found a thing.. Is this a dealer-only gasket!? Can you successfully make your own? Thanks

I'm sure it would start now. I *did* have the rotor 180 degrees out of phase. Right now I'm in the process of getting new injectors. Anyone know of any good places? I'm not too keen on paying $57 each ( new from partsamerica ).. I think suncarb.com will rebuild them for $100 ( all four ) - anybody have experience with these guys? Thanks

*sigh* Ignore me. I know why it wasn't starting. In re-doing the belts, I just happened to pick the unlucky phase of the engine that didn't match up with my rotor. I had it set correctly before. Now it's out of whack again. Easy enough to fix. But I think I might put out a complete timing guide when I'm down with this. Not only the stuff milesfox talked about, but also how to check and get your distributor back in order. Note: this isn't a problem normally - just when you're rebuilding the timing from scratch, as I am. And if I'm just blatantly missing something here, feel free to call me an idiot. Any other input on those vacuum lines and electrical connections? I'm probably going to get a set of injectors as the notion of gas leaking onto the engine seems like a Bad Idea.

Hrmm... Any ideas on where to get a good cheap replacement? Partsamerica wants like $150 for that knock sensor..

Well, I fixed the belts and now she won't start.. I did notice that the front passenger injector is leaking a lot of fuel - I hadn't noticed that before, so I don't know if it just started or was always like that. Could this keep the engine from starting? I mean, she doesn't even cough.. Just crank crank crank crank crank. I'm getting fuel to all the cylinders becuase I removed each spark plug and blasted compressed air in each cylinder for a while to dry them out. Thought maybe I was just flooded, but no such luck. Still won't start. I checked spark for each plug using my timing light and they're all getting pulses.. Pulled out the number one plug and checked the spark in the plug - nice and blue. Any ideas? I've tried engine starting fluid to no avail.. At this point I'm rebuilding the fuel system - going to try and find new injectors and see how that changes things. Anyone have good suggestions on where to get these cheap? I'll look into ECU codes tomorrow.. Just strikes me as odd that she ran before with basically half the engine not firing ( timing belt fiasco ) but now with the belts properly set she won't run at all.. Maybe just a nasty coincidence.. Heading to the JY tomorrow for spare parts! Thanks for all your help.

Holy cow.. I have a confession to make. For some reason, I had it in my head that they both needed to point up, at the marks.. I think between the fact that you install the camshaft housings with the dowel pointing up and you slip the belt on with it pointing up, I made the [incorrect] assumption that they both pointed up when you're done. The amazing thing is that the thing still runs.. I just hope the damage to my pride isn't beyond repair. Thanks for pointing me to the Milesfox thread. I'm going to fix my mistake tonight and let you guys know how it goes. I am still interested/concerned about those suspects, though, so if anyone can speak with authority on those items, feel free to pipe up. I'm going to sit in a corner now with my dunce cap.

Ok, Been a long while since my last post. Got tied up with other projects, but now back to the soob! It's a 1986 XT Turbo, 2wd, no air suspension. I've had to rebuild her from the heads up. Anyhow, everything is back together now, and I'm in the tuning phase, and have a few questions for you experts. I have several vacuum and electrical lines disconnected around my engine compartment that I'd like your opinion on. I have *lots* of pics for your viewing pleasure. I hope you enjoy this detailed account of an EA82 head job. I'll update the text more some day. http://www.mrroot.net/soob/ Anyhow, at the bottom is a list of suspects. If anyone can provide information on those guys and what they might do/need, I'd greatly appreciate it. Right now, the engine *runs*, but is running very rich ( exhaust is horrible, backfires occasionally ) and very rough. She won't run below about 900-1000 rpm ( coughs, chokes, stumbles and dies ) and appears to run best when advanced incredibly far; about 40 BTDC right now ( should be 25 BTDC for the turbo engine ). As always, I appreciate your insights. Hopefully they'll lead me to Subaru Nirvana!

He was going to fix it up, but never got the time. Pretty standard story. On the cracks, is there a procedure I can do to inspect it, or can I take it to a shop to be inspected? Or should I consider getting a new head right away?

Ugh.. I hope not. Looks like I'll be removing that head and taking a look for cracks. Didn't notice leaks anywhere else on the bottom of the head - just that weep hole. Oil looks ok. But that's not too indicative, as the car sat for over a year before I bought it and started overhauling it. Plus, I haven't had the chance to really look at things while the car is running. Didn't notice air bubbles in coolant, but again, wasn't looking during the short time I had her and she was running ( oil pump seized on drive home from seller ). Definitely loosing coolant, and it seems to be out of that weep hole. After I got her home, she continued leaking coolant for a week or two. Didn't notice anything particular about the exhuast. I watched the temp very closely on the drive home, and she seemed fine. I'm praying it's not a cracked head.. I'm actually fixing this car up for a friend, and it seems like we're spending more and more money as I get deeper into the engine. But what's new with an old car?