daeron

one good way to remember it is simple.. i grew up with a test up my sleeve. Gevernally speaking, if a car has enough battery power to run the horn and the headlights without serious difficulties (the headlights would get dim and horn sound weird when both on at the same time) then it should be able to start.. so if you turning a key and getting nothing, thats the first thing i always do. if headlights and horn work, i know its not a dead battery (and that i need to smack the starter, and pray) so the horn has always been like a barometer to me anyhow.. when this info bubbled up, i latched it on to that group of brain cells and it found an instant home :- )

good catch. we need to bang together a thorough checklist of things to go thru.. on a Zcar forum there are guys who swear that theyve gone up to cars that have sat in a pasture for some time, powered and gassed them, run them thru all the FSM sensor checks until they checked out, and cranked them right up. We need to get a flow chart, or task list on EVERYTHING that needs checking done.. Im going to start mining the USRM for writeups that have already been done, and see if i can put a document together, like the USRM's HTKYS(ea82SPFI)A

DW: Yah. noise reduction was a side benefit to me, the big thing was HEAT.. have you ever ridden in or driven a datsun 240/260/280Z?? the seventies style? them things get toasty.. also noxious sometimes with exhaust, but thats another matter.. :- ) but that was exactly what i thought. primarily heat insulation (likely two layers on the tranny tunnel, especially on exhaust side) and a minimal side benefit in putting another layer to dampen sound. that air-filled multilayer honeycomb behind the mylar should baffle SOME more sound than its mass might lead one to believe..and its a side benefit anyhow. good thoughts though.

russ, check the FSM, there are detailed instructions there. going from memory, you connect the green timing connector, turn the engine on, rev it over 2000 for at least 40 seconds, and the CEL starts flashing. then you go down to the ECU and read the blinkenlight. I dont know how super-duper this "diagnostic" is but it turned up codes that read memory didnt.. and i had never even had a CEL. i need to pull them again though, but not till i properly calibrate the TPS. i dont have the link anymore, but if you search throttle and put my name in theres a recent post where someone linked me to a diagram on how to calibrate the TPS with a good multimeter and feeler gauges. that particular info was not in the partial FSM that we have in pdf... the corresponding entry was much briefer in the partial PDF than the page scan linked in the post. im curious as to how effective this diagnostic mode is, what experience does anyone have with using it from time to time, or to check into problems that havent registered a CEL? my TPS was bad, and it caught it without throwing a light, so thats one point for the diagnostics i guess.. Anyone who tries it just for sh*tsandgiggles, start a new post with your result. maybe get a sticky going?

jordan: the race is the surface that the bearing rides on. you know what the wheel bearing looks like, right? if you look at it from above (as it will be mounted in the hub) the bearing takes on a trapezoidal shape... that trapezoid fits into a ring that gets pressed into the hub, the outside of the ring is perfectly round to match the hub, the inside of the ring is tapered to match the bearing. that ring is called a race. they make it a separate part so it can be replaced when it gets worn. (IE, when you relpace the bearing) The new race comes with the new bearing, so its not an extra part to buy or anything. there shouldnt be any seals that NEED to be replaced, but you may find you want to replace an o-ring or something, i cant recall.. but alot of the time whats still on the car is OK. it may be a corner i shouldnt cut but its one i frequently have with little thought. good luck

have you tried running the ECU diagnostic mode? i did, and a TPS code was one of the three thrown.. so i took that as motivation to test my theory, and experienced one of the most awesome sensations of "i was wright and the people around me who think theyre smarter than me were wrong" ive ever felt... gloating is bad, but pride to an extent is not. and those people were my family, not the soob folks. anyhow, its not a bad idea. i figured, it must be there for a reason, right?

gary- thanks a ton. im looking thru parts on the internet and im seeing both a rear crankshaft oil seal, and a rear main seal that seems to be associated with the rear main bearing?? but i assume when you say "rear main seal" you mean the seal just behind the flywheel :-) its an auto, thanks for that point on searching for the re alignment... and given your advice, i suppose maybe i will NOT pull the motor. that was my original thought, but as i started leaning towards a complete re seal i began to assume that the extra work would make pulling the engine that much more of a good idea.. but since im failry sure i do have access to ratcheting box wrenches, and air tools (yay) i guess ill leave the engine in. it has been discussed lately that one could achieve the best of both worlds by unbolting the motor mounts and jacking the engine up from beneath.. and i may explore this avenue. I'm torn on what to do for my heads. If i can pick up some cheap junkyard units, i think that may be the best way to go. this is an NA auto, NOT my sports car, i have a 280Z for that, thank you very much. However, i want this car to be as potent as i can make it, simply.. so i was basically wondering if there was any significant difference in ANY of the heads, as much to avoid thee wrong ones as to get the right ones. There is an older, carbureted EA-82 in the boneyard right now, and its crashed real bad. all the rest are just... dead???? so im thinking that the crashed car PROBABLY has the best chances of a running motor... of course, i noticed both the ECU test connectors connected on one of them (picture junked because of persistent CEL, maybe with accompanying "battery drain" from the parking lights lol) anyhow, thanks again, that was great advice. ive been around motors for years, so i know the basics about cleaning etc... i just dont trust my knowledge base to render me an opinion i want to put the next 100K+ worth of confidence in, you know? im still learning, but this soob has made cars a new thing for me.

well, the biggest thing other than rust to look out for is possible history of overheating. the EA-82 engine's weakest point is its cooling system, and how it relates to the heads and headgaskets. one overheat on an older engine is often enough to blow a headgasket, and sometimes warp or crack the head(s). when you say it looks like its leaking coolant, what do you mean?? it sounded at first like you saw a leak.. does coolant disappear from the radiator? if so then the oil should be checked, and if it looks like a milkshake-type slurry, then theres a blown headgasket (most likely). If the headgasket is blown, then you will either lose cylinder compression, leak oil into water or vice versa, or be blowing coolant or oil into the cylinder... which should produce smoke. the overflow doesnt bubble when the car reaches operating temperature does it? that can also be a common sign. Im sure others whose knoledge is more thorough will come along and comment on anything i failed to mention, or may have led a tad astray on. this forum, if you get the car, will certainly help you in working on it :- )

okay, GREAT tip on the spare heads.... i may have to check into the cost of a pair of junkyard heads, because as soon as you mentioned it (especially on the tail of the comment about the likelihood of a snag or six) the logic and wisdom was apparent. besides, i already know im gambling in assuming that the heads on the car will be reusable...not a SIGNIFICANT gamble, but ive got those irish leprechaun demons chewing on my neck all the time anyhow... it doesnt take a high likelihood to happen to me beyond maybe having them checked and milled if needs be, is there any real work that i would want to have done to a set of junkyard heads? i personally would not necessarily be able, alone to do a thorough look-over to make sure theyre A-OK but i know i have family members who can show me what to be looking for. this is a job in a region that im still unexperienced in, never having had head problems on _my_ car. life was different when i was just helping. there IS a decent chance that i could pull heads off a car in the boneyard and have them OK to slap onto my motor, right? also, the perma torque fel pro gasket, would that be the ones included in the head gasket set?? as for pulling the motor, i was planning on doing all the seals, too.. wouldnt the rear crank seal require me either pulling the motor or dropping the trans? ive read all about doing the headgaskets only with engine in car, but the seals were really what prompted me to think pull the engine. continued dialogue is appreciated, since i want to do the best job in the least time possible here... I know its not going to be cheap, just the gaskets and seals already amount to as much money as ive spent on the car at one time! what would i want to look for in a cylinder head? would a later model, or an XT head provide me with any better flowing? ive read a few vague references to different generation heads, but no real specifics (i know my datsun heads pretty well, tour P-90s, you N-42s, the p-79s.. lol) so i dont know if its even a subject worthy of a search. I guess I will go do so now, but thanks for the remarks.

you said you finally got it in working order.. what was taken apart? thats certainly the first place to start, but if you want to go on a goose-chase, you could check any fuel lines.. there is a vent tank inside the rear panel, just behind and to the rear bumper side of the gas tank door... well thats where it is on my gl-10, on a brat ive no idea, but imsure there is one.. sniff around and see if its stronger anyplace in particular. it could also be something else in the garage thats producing the smell.. correlation does not imply causation.

soundin like bugs bunny there... did you know that the gremlin was invented by Roald Dahl, the wonderful man who brought us Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and so many other classics... heh, i thought id make myself sound like the back of a book...

russ- does your problem seem to be at a consistent point in the pedal travel? to my thinking that would make it a dead ringer... but its a simple enough test procedure, IF you have a good multimeter. my dad has my good one, so i had to buy a ten dollar bargain unit to confirm that i had a unit in the boneyard that passed the simplest checks...

heed what bgd said. hes sorta your neighbor. subaru == great, you already know that.. a second opinion never hurt ANYONE and honestly you should look into doing some work yourself. alot of it is easier than you might think, and its diverting. right guys?? diverting! and anyhow, rust is only hard to fix in certain spots. it just takes some thinking, and like he said there are plenty of mechanic's shops full of people who arent that big on original thought.. they tend to be skeptical of modern compact car manufacturing techniques, and will say any significant rust on a unibody car is terminal and compromising.. and besides, you can always weld steel framework into the car around the unibody if it started to get REALLY bad.. just do so before integrity (and more importantly, geomtery) is compromised :- )

heh, well, that didnt occur to me.. and i still think id rather do it the other way, but i can see why someone else might disagree. its not difficult, just a bunch of steps.. also less to get wrong in the re-assembly. however, if youre needing to do other stuff with the intake anyhow, may as well. I just know i can take all that apart and put it back together easily enough, ive done it three or four times.

i am becoming convinced that alot of ppl with the SPFI have sleepy TPS problems that never get bad enough to diagnose.. id bet cash money that someone with a new GL/loyale that seems a bit sluggish has at LEAST a 50/50 chance of benefiting as much from a new TPS as it would from plugs wires cap and rotor... I only say this because im frankly shocked at the difference in my cars performance with a new (junkyard) TPS installed.. and i still need an O2 sensor, maybe a CAS, and headgaskets.... and i no longer think the cars slow at all, its now BLATANTLY obvious that its just a three speed auto instead of five speed manual.... so that old sube might be fast if.... you put in a new TPS. theres my thought.

bump. i didnt have a tape measure in the boneyard, so if anyone with a wagon and stock luggage rack could check the measurement id appreciate it.. the distance between the centers of the rails, and the width of the individual rails, would tell me if it would fit..

i didnt think it would wiegh too much. I worked at a veterinarian for many years, and at one point one of our main suppliers started using these insulated bags for cold shipments.. they have a mylar outer layer, and inside it seems like bubble wrap, but a good bit stronger. I managed to snag about ten or twelve of them, and theyre about 10x18, 10x36 if i clit them into a sheet...and Im gonna use that underneath the carpeting on my Datsun, mylar side down as insulation/sound dampening.. it might not have a HUGE effect, but its gonna be super lightweight...and i could even do two layers if i had to. i cant wait to see what it works like.

sweet... I made a difference in the world. i ROCK!

I like that thinking. if i recall, now that i think about it, i seem to remember a spot that looked like it was almost 180 degrees from straight up.. maybe the seam between head and valve cover.. but is it possible that one might have a tendency to use that for a mark, and miss by a tooth that way? I now see why one would NOT do it like that. Next time i have my belts off, i'll probly decide then, but its good to hear that it is doable, and how it is likely to be screwed up. good thread.

Thanks for the prompt correction.. you rump roast!! im just razzin, i _did_ say i dont know much about justys... and that just goes to show you haw many subarus I get to see down here in swampy Paranoia-ridden south florida..... i just saw my first carbureted EA-82 the other day!! and i havent seen an OHV soob since my buddy and i had a brat when i was 17... and it is still WEIRD seeing the XTs with the 4-cylinder in them.. because my dad had an XT6 when i was 9, and that car meant cool japcar to me for a LONG time.. then this car was always my brothers rusted out nasty old subaru, that HAPPENED to be a GL-10 so it was "loaded".. and now im finding out that the non 6-cyl XTs had the same motor as this thing that for years i thought of as a piece of junk.. its just weird.

yah, i know what youre talking about.. my brother gave me the car but i had to put timing belts on it. so i paid nothing for the car but immediately paid 120 bux to fix it that, PLUS the other day i spent more than i have to date in a day on my car.. 140, for tierod ends, a new trunklid, a TPS, and an oldskool checker-style grille off an 86 (i think) carbd GL wagon.. good day to be sure, but that total is after i got the 40 dollars back from the defective tierod ends i had gotten previously :-\ so the soob headache continues.. but seriously, this car is absolutely ideal for such a relatively younger driver... and in twenty years, if you keep this one and use it to learn yourself all about fixing everything on a car, you will be much happier than if you do otherwise.. because knowledge is power, and this car is a WONDERFULLY simple machine to work on, and very easy to learn on. i dunno if the legacys were as forgiving (tolerance engine is a GREAT thing to have..) but whatever, its your car. thats just my thoughts on the matter. good luck, whatever you do.

two words: Junkyard. its something of a PITA, because you have to tear the alternator and AC compressor off to remove it, which means you probably get to do that twice (once to get it out in the boneyard) but its a pocket-sized item, so if you pick up something else cheap to take their attention, youre golden :cool: maybe im a jerk for stealing from my junkyards, but they are a bunch of bandits themselves....

in my experience, and open diff will either spin the other wheel the other way, OR not spin it at all. it depends on whether something inside is left engaged or not.. im trying to describe something that ive never seen to fully grok it, but i think that you could probably go and rotate the driveshaft until you get the wheels spinning, and then go rotate one wheel and get the other to move.. but sometimes it can be that if you jack it up and spin, the other wheel won't spin at all. but i know ive seen many many open diffs that you spin one wheel the other doesnt necessarily spin at all.

well since my original post i managed to do some research, and i think im set on the fel-pro headgasket kit that includes the intake/exhaust manifolds, and a whole bunch of other stuff including i think everything that was recommended.. I haven't checked the price of the timing belts yet, but i think ill give that one a pass. Like I said, i did them 30K miles ago, which was just under two years. If I can get a pair for cheap, then maybe.. but this is already getting expensive. Im pretty well set on doing the camshaft seals, and the front and rear crank seals.. as well as an oil pump rebuild. I have the digidash, with no oil pressure gauge.. only a light that ive never seen come on, even though i know ive let it get over a quart low.. but I get the TOD on occasion, and it seemed pointless not to do anything.. but how likely is it that with no _particular_ problem i should need to replace the pump?? i was anticipating replacing some sort of impeller or seal or something, havent looked into the specifics beyond vague references on the board to "resealing" it..and i dont think i have ever had an oil pump issue on any car ive worked on.. seen em in my uncle's and dad's cars, etc.. just never had to deal with mine. I haven't gotten any water in the oil, the water dissappears (and some bubbles out of the overflow) so i think its a leak from coolant passage into combustion chamber. could i confirm this by compression checks with the radiator cap on and off??? i would think so, but i wouldnt rule it out if it "failed" the test.. and of course, ultimately, pulling this engine and doing all this resealing (<$140US) is only going to be a good thing, and increase viability, reliability, and overall worth of the car. The biggest reason Im going to pass on the timing belts (probably, unless i manage to put this off longer than i fear) is that I have another car that i have failed to start working on for almost two years (in october now) and i HAVE to get going on my Z before it winds up getting hauled away... my datsun is really my baby and I want to make this headgasket project my last one on the soob until i get some visible progress in on the Z. Anyhow, if in the future i pop a timing belt, its something i have done before. I will know immediately what it is, and i wont take too much time to replace them. timing belts on a geo turned me from a kid (who helped his dad alot) into a full fledged shadetree mechanic.. and this soob has finished taking me to amateur technician status. so timing belts and me go waaaay back :cool: thanks for the feedback.

i just typed alot, and realized i never started right: 87, spfi, non turbo EA82, 3AT, 139K (yesterday) Well, I am 99.9% certain I need new head gaskets. I first had a stuck thermostat, then a LONG time later, blew a radiator hose and a water pump together, then the other radiator hose, then replaced the radiator, then removed the thermostat, and just blew another heater hose. Im still losing coolant, not into oil, no puddles or drips, no detectable water being dried up by heat before the ground... no smoke from the exhaust, to my knowledge.. i havent verified that with an assistant intent on ruling it out yet. I have bubbled into my overflow without overheating the whole time (practically) and its gotten more and more regular. I dont lose too much coolant as long as i top it off every day, which is about 100 miles. if i miss a day it deteriorates more rapidly. (think less than a quart in a day and half a gallon in two) Ive had an oil leak forever, and already replaced the water pump. I put timing belts on 30K ago, but didnt do any seals because i had no cash. I am going to do the headgaskets. I never got around to checking compression. Im convinced its the spot on the head gasket between combustion chamber and coolant passage, letting compression into the coolant system. the water always looks almost muddy, and its more than just engine contamination and rust.... so i should just pull the motor from the car right? i have access to a good nonpro shop with a big compressor, engine hoist, etc so i have the tools and facility that its not too big a deal.. the other big question is, what all should i reseal? im not certain where my oil leak is coming from, i am thinking rear main, but it doesnt seem to be the heads... but its all over. not too major a leak, but steady enough that if i dont check it (and add) often enough i may get the TOD to remind me... so should i get cam seals, and front and rear crank seals, and an oil pump seal too? since the Tbelts are 30K should i go ahead and replace those too, and keep em for spares? i think that might be a tad excessive, as i think i could put new t-belts on easily enough in the future.. but the seals, i mean some of them are no brainers. should i reseal the oil pump too? oilpan gasket? intake manifold? exhaust? i dont think i should need the intake or exhaust, but how wise would it be to be prudent on which of these? heck, if i can replace the motor mounts i suppose that would only help too, huh? what of this is included in the fel-pro headgasket kit? im trying not to break the bank here, and i honestly have decided that i NEED to buy the headgaskets ASAP even if i wait to put them on.. I am afraid of blowing them on the road one day to a point of non-drivability, and if i do that on the wrong day then i _might_ be broke (happened with my tierods) and since i drive pizzas, it would make life hard.. so i want to be prepared for that eventuality. However, i also want to get everything i can get done, done when i do this. am i missing anything? anyone have any advice? im planning on fel pro gaskets because theres no need to retorque.. good idea, right? any cons to that one? thanks for reading another chapter in the book of shawn....Im sorry i talk so much, but i default to using stream-of-consciousness when im fixing on and thinking and talking about cars, and im NOT good at summarizing. I really would like some feedback on this even though i know alot has been covered in the past..