thealleyboy

If all else fails, I have the FSM set for 85. I could send you photocopies of the Hitatchi section john thealleyboy@yahoo.com

Let me suggest the long-out-of-print "Readers Digest Complete Automotive Repair Manual". This was the dummy guide for cars, before there were dummy guides. But this was not a fluff book by any means. In fact, lots of excellent mechanics, both professional and amature, got their start with this book. It covers the fundamentals as well as any book I've ever seen, and was actually fairly comprehensive for the cars of that era (late 70's). Even though it's a bit dated today, the fundamentals still apply. If you are into older cars, this is the best general repair manual you could ever hope for. Well worth the effort to track down a copy on internet, yard sales, etc. This and "How to Keep your Subaru Alive are two books I highly recommend. John

Yes, the thermoswitch circuit is likely to be the reason the fan isn't coming on. Still, I would want to get that guage working again. I'll see if I can dig up some materials on the Brats from that era. Cool that you want to keep things original. I'm into vintage Mustangs, and understand how much of a challenge it can be to do a faithful resto on those older cars. good luck, John

The non-operable temp guage is a drag. Without knowing the engine temp, you can't even determine if the fan should even be coming on at all!! If I were you, I'd install a basic aftermarket temp sensor/guage. That way, you'll at least have somewhere to start. You are grasping at straws otherwise... good luck, John

I looked at the FSM for 85 and couldn't find a location diagram for the relays. Seems like they are usually up under the dash on a clip assembly. Probably under the lower dash panel, beneath the steering column. You dont need to tear out the whole dash to get to the switch terminal. Just pop the selector knob, and unthread the fastener holding the shaft of the switch. Then drop it behind the dash, and access it from underneath. You can check for "juice" here, and assess the condition of the switch. good luck, John

BD: I've done a lot of bodywork over the years, and I've come to the conclusion that "controlling" rust is the best option in terms of time and $$. For your vehicle this would be a wire brush, Extend spray, and rubberized undercoating. The frame rail caps may be worth cutting out and replacing if the body is above average. "Bodywork" looks good, but does little/nothing to improve the strength of the unibody. It's hard to make a judgement call on your vehicle, but the unibody can pass the "look test", yet still be very weak before it eventually buckles. And until it does buckle, you'll have a false sense of security about its structural integity. You'll know better when the car takes a good smack... The good news is that the undercarriage rust is fairly easy to keep under control if you start treating it early. In this part of the country you should powerwash the undercarriage in the spring to get rid of road salt deposits. Then hit the rust spots with the wire brush/Extend/undercoating. If you do this once a year, you'll stretch out the life of your Subie considerably. good luck, John

RD: I have the 85 FSM at home. I'll try to find out where that relay is located. You may want to look into switch circuit too, as a faulty switch can give you those symptoms. good luck, John

Pete: If the intake checks out, looks like I'm heading in that direction... WJM & Cab: I did check the intake manifold bolts and they were nice and snug. It's possible that the gasket is not seating properly or was damaged during installation. The intake is about the only thing that makes any sense right now. Last shot before pulling the motor. Gary & Snowie:The car has 110k and is all original. The motor displayed all the classic signs of a blown HG before it was redone. It blew h20 out the tailpipe, but there was never any coolant in the oil. I suppose the block could have cracked since then, but it was definitly "solid" before it was torn down. thanks for the responses guys!! John

I'm still struggling with this. It's sucking up too much coolant to be a "HG seating" problem. The water is going strait to the crankcase. Whatever leak there is, is pretty substantial. The good compression is throwing me off, but there must be a logical way that h20 can enter into the oil, and still give healthy psi's. The high compression on #4 may have been an abberation. Not sure it is related to coolant in the oil. If anything, this was probably an example of the new HG "seating" problem. Whatever the problem is, it just about has to be something big and obvious. Would definitely appreciate some more theories... John

This is the only theory that makes sense to me at this point - especially if the fluids do not come into contact inside the turbo. I'll drain, refill and observe again tonite. Thanks for all the comments guys... John

I like CCR alot. I bought a motor from them when I blew a HG a few years back, and could not pull off a rebuild myself in a reasonable amount of time. They definitely deliver the goods, and make it easy to get your Sube back on the road fast. The motor they sent was ready to go without any hassles at all. They really do know their sh*t, and it shows in the end product. This is about as close to a "sure bet" as you'll ever find in a rebuilt engine. Emily is great to talk to. She's a classic Sube derelict. Just make sure you have lots of unlimited minutes on your calling plan... John

Some more testing... All the cylinders now in healthy range (150-170 psi). Dry paper towel soaked up some coolant from #4 before the compresion test, so the excess fluid was probably responsible for the high initial reading. So, it would be logical to rule out the HG at this point. Tightened down the intake bolts. No reason to believe it was a leaky intake manifold, cause they were already nice and snug. That leaves the turbo unit itself. I'm still not sure I understand how water and oil can be mixed at this stage. The lines are foolproof, so that would point to an internal failure of some sort. Is there any reason to suspect something like this? John

We thought about this, but couldn't determine where the two fluids would come into contact with one another. Definitely worth a look... John

I didn't have a helper last nite when I did the compression test, so I couldn't see if anything was spewing out of the motor. However, all the plugs were out of the cylinders as I did the test. I took two readings at each cylinder, and #4 was the last one I checked. I didn't notice anything coming out of the cylinder, or on the guage - after a total of 8 readings. I'll try cranking it while a helper observes #4 tonite. John

I had no idea there were problems with the NAPA gaskets. Does this apply for all EA82's, or turbos only? I'll definitley look at the possibility of a leaking intake gasket first. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the HG continues to hold compression, if it turns out that the "coolant in #4" theory is correct. thanks, John

We used NAPA gaskets. They seem to have a pretty good track record among Board members. I'll definitely use OEM's next time around - if they are still available. John

This was the initial run for this motor. It probably ran a total of 15 minutes before the h20 was discovered in the oil. Coolant in #4 is a good theory that hadn't occured to me. There should be a way to verify this somehow. (drain oil?) John

OK, here's the story... Newly "partial" rebuilt EA82T. Built on a solid core. Professionally reconditioned gen1 heads. All new gaskets etc. New H20 pump, oil pump, etc. Nothing left to chance. On initial test run, noticible loss of coolant. Upon further inspection, coolant discovered in crankcase. Compression test indicated #1, 2, and 3 all "normal". #4 excpetionally high at 220psi. Common sense would indicate a blown HG/cracked head - but not with readings ranging from 150-220psi. The high reading on #4 might suggest a valve issue, but does not explain the contaminated oil. My only conclusion is that it must be intake and/or turbo related. Any creative theories? I'm stumped... thanks, John

GM has a fuel system cleaner that is excellent. You won't hear me praising GM very often, but this product really does the job. I guess they had to come up with something good for all those P's.O.S. breaking down under warranty!! It is available thru any GM dealer. About $20 a treatment. good luck, John

Finding cheap Subies isn't too hard. But making a "find" takes a little digging... Lets face it, a 15-20 year old Subaru isn't a whole lot to get excited about(unless you happen to be a derelict). Most of them are over the hill - and then some. Depending on where you live, you'll either find rust-free Subarus on thier last leg, or rust-bucket Subes, also on their last leg. The good ones take some patience, and maybe a little more $$. Not every $150 car is a good deal. My advice to you - go for the good deals. good luck, John

. Possibly swaps from newer Subes, or aftermarket. Good luck, John

I'm doing some work right now (on a wagon). I don't know the Brats very well, but I believe you can get to the problem areas thru the access panels on the inside of the bed. POR is supposed to be a very good product, but is too expensive to use on our Subes (IMO). POR is what I plan to use on my 67 Mustang restoration. I've had good luck with Extend in the past with good prep (this is very important). I ususally cut all the rust-thrus out, and wire brush surface rust. Then I blow the dust out with compressed air. Rubberized undercoating is a good topcoat over the treated areas anywhere that's not visible. On the car I'm working on now, I plan to experiment with roofing cement. This would be even more cost-effective than rubberized undercoating - if it works!! good luck, John

Way to go Paul!! I was going to suggest that Board members offer up some of their parts stash, and help this lady out. Sounds like Moosens has got things covered. As someone said earlier, safety items should be addressed first. Fortunately, brakes aren't too hard on these cars, and wear parts are not overly expensive. You should be able to score some used tires mounted on subaru rims from junkyards (or Paul). Just keep a couple extras around, and make sure you have a good jack set in your Sube. I would concentrate on getting things fixed that are already broke, rather than worrying about preventative maintenance. You can let the timing belts go for awhile, and if you get lucky, you might be able to replace them on your own terms. I don't normally recommend "alley" fixes, but since you are so far behind, you might have to cut some corners. Exhaust is something that can be dealt with, with a little creativity, sheet metal and roofing cement!! You could probably flush that motor, then run some "stop leak" products thru it to slow down the leaks. Take a good look at your cooling system and make sure you are running cool. You may not get a second chance if you blow it on this system. The clutch is one area that you might need help on. I would try to deal with this ASAP even if you have to hire someone. But the good news is that Subes are ideal cars for those with limited resources, and there are lots of derelicts around that have the information, knowledge and used parts to help you out. Don't get discouraged good luck, John

The "hot-cold" condition could also simply be caused by low coolant level. All the suggestions offered above are good ones. Just go thru the system meticulously, testing all the components along the way. The t-stat, and rad cap are two likely culprits. good luck, John

I'm down here in C-Bus, and I'll keep my eyes open for you. There are a couple other guys in the area that are into older EA82's. You might have better luck finding one in need of repair (like a blown head gasket). People that have good-running turbos usually hang onto them. Especially around here where just about any EA82 in decent shape is scarce. good luck, John