PonchoCatalina

...it was caused by a darned freeze plug coming loose. I fully expected a blown headgasket, but when I took off the driver's side cam case, out fell a little brass-colored disk (looked sorta like a bottlecap). At first I didn't recognize it for what is was, but I set it aside until I discovered where it came from. I'm still going to do the head gaskets, but it looks like the freeze plug was the reason water poured into the radiator went straight to the oil pan. Does anyone have any recommended freeze plug sources - I think I'd like to replace all of them since the one that fell out is pretty badly corroded (looks rusty, so it must not be brass). Will regular old auto part store plugs work, or should I go OEM on these? Thanks.

I hate to seem so thick, but I just went out with a flashlight looking for the bolt near the distributor and fully expecting to discover the cause of my woes, but I can't find the darned thing. There was a fifth bolt in the cam (valve) cover near the disty (as opposed to the passenger side, which only had four bolts), but there doesn't seem to be an extra one holding the cam case to the head. There appears to be only eight - four inside the cover, and four outside. Also, Haynes has a pretty good picture (Page 2B-8, fig 8.6) showing the same thing. Where is the last bolt hiding?

Thanks, Gary. I did try bracing a piece of 2x4 against it and whacking the end of it with a two-pound sledge, but I'll try again. Your idea about leaving a couple of bolts in is a good one - maybe I should count my blessings it *didn't* break loose earlier, because it could have gone flying. I do believe I got all the bolts - four inside the covers and four outside. I guess I'll go give it a few more whacks in the morning.

I am spending my Thanksgiving weekend replacing head gaskets on my '91 Loyale (or at least pulling the heads to take to the machine shop next week). I've made pretty good progress, but I've hit a stumbling block. On the driver's side I have removed all eight of the bolts holding the cam case to the head, but it is stuck fast. The passenger side just fell right off in my hands, separating as the bolts backed out. What gives? - is this thing just stuck to the sealant, or is there some hidden bolt(s) I'm not aware of? I tried searching the forum, but I didn't have any luck. Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks.

I wonder if something like this (from a Land Rover Discovery) would work with a Subaru console? http://www.pangaea-expeditions.com/images/vehicles/camel/cupholders.jpg

I don't know if they'll have anything you're looking for, but I just picked up a dual-range five speed from these folks for $75 (already pulled and on the shelf). The tranny came out of an '87 wagon, so they may have other mid-eighties Subaru stuff. The yard is in Fort Worth. Check out: http://www.actionautorecycling.com/

The A/C compressor won't even try to engage on my 91 Loyale wagon. I would like to jump the low pressure cutoff switch to see if the problem is just a lack of refrigerant, but I can't find the darned switch. I expected to find a plug on the accumulator/drier, but I sure couldn't see any. I assume therefore it must be in the low-pressure line somewhere, but I traced it and didn't spot what I was expecting. What exactly am I looking for, and where is it? Thanks!

msteel, I did the same thing once - made a battery terminal connector for a Nissan pickup by hammering flat a piece of 1/2" copper pipe, folding it around the terminal, and drilling a hole through the "tails" for a nut and bolt to hold the whole mess in place and attach it to the cable eyelet. It worked great for a couple of years until I finally got around to doing a proper repair.

I know this thread is a little old now, but I'm wondering about the outcome as I have exactly the same problem with my 91 Loyale (chocolate milk in the airfilter box). Did it turn out to be head gaskets, intake gaskets, carb gasket, or PCV system problem?

Head gaskets or junkyard engine? This may seem like a silly question, but here's the rationale behind it: I recently picked up a 91 Loyale with water in the oil (thanks, by the way, to everyone who recommended flushing out the old stuff). I haven't yet pulled the heads, but I'm certain that either there is a head gasket failure, or worse cracked head(s). I don't know the overall condition of the engine since I don't know what caused the failure, how long ago it happened, how badly overheated it may have gotten, how long the vehicle has sat with water in the crankcase (maybe as much as 6 months), etc. Assuming everything is okay on the bottom end, I will at the very least probably need to get the heads milled, or replace one or both if cracking is a problem. So, with a head gasket kit and machine work, I'm looking at at least $200 and maybe considerably more. On the upside, the engine was pulled and completely resealed and got new timing belts, tensioners, water pump, et. al. less than 30,000 miles ago (I have the service records). So, here's my dilemma: go ahead with the work on my existing engine and hope that the bottom end is okay, or buy a 1988 engine (unknown mileage) from my local wrecking yard for $250 with limited warranty, swap on good components (like water pump and timing belt stuff) from my existing engine, drop it in and go (keeping my existing engine for possible future rebuild)? I'm not sure which way to jump. Thanks for your thoughts.

My 91 Loyale has a crankcase full of chocolate milkshake, and it may be several weeks before I get time to tear it down and replace the head gaskets. I'm hating the thought of water sitting in the engine for any duration, so should I drain my radiator (whatever's left in it) and my oil and just replace with fresh oil in the crankcase for the time being (and leave the radiator dry)? Luckily, there was little or no coolant in the water, so my bearings might not be entirely under corrosive attack. I've heard of some people flushing diesel through the engine with the coil disconnected. What do you recommend for this situation? Thanks.

Glad to hear the "puking through the airbox" thing is not unprecedented. It was kinda scary to see. Since I just got the car and the origins of this HG failure are unknown (multiple overheatings?), should I be concerned about a cracked block, or is such a rarity in EA82's? Thanks. -Ian

Thanks for the information. I figured it was a headgasket issue, but I hoped it might be something else. You guys sure make bad news a little easier to swallow - I really appreciate your encouraging tone! - Ian

This can't be good. My 91 Loyale is pretty vigorously puking a coolant/oil blend out the air intake box. I assume it is coming out throught the throttle body (I opened the air filter box and it was full of the stuff - I didn't, however, pull the intake boot at the TB). The radiator was almost completely dry, so I filled it and started the engine and the goop started spewing out. Amazingly, the car didn't stall, but I quickly shut it down once I realized what was happening. I assume this means I've blown a head gasket? Could it possibly be anything less severe? Something maybe to do with intake manifold gaskets? I've never seen a car cough up stuff like this through an air intake! Thanks for your thoughts. - Ian

I just bought a 91 Loyale that seems to idle fine when first started, but as it warms up, the RPM's start dropping. Eventually, it stalls, and then it will only start and run if you keep the accelerator depressed. I've tried to check codes, but only get five rapid flashes repeated over and over (I must be doing something wrong). The car has a brand new MAF sensor installed (less than a month ago). I'm thinking the sinking idle is caused by a bad coolant temp sensor or maybe a problem with the IAC valve, but I just don't know. Wouldn't an IAC problem be more prevalent at cooler temperatures than warmer? If anyone has any ideas, I'd sure appreciate your thoughts. Thanks!

I was wondering if anyone knew of any junkyards containing late-80's Subarus in Texas? From what I've gathered, you can't take a step in the Pacific Northwest without falling over a pile of Subaru parts, but down here I just don't see many. I'm specifically hoping to find a dual-range 5-speed tranny for my soon to be acquired 91 Loyale. If anyone knows of any yards in Texas (or if anyone down this way has a D/R for sale), I'd love to know. Thanks. - Poncho