ihscout54

Im not too fond of how rare these cars are becoming. Parts have never been real easy to find for the EA81s and its only getting worse. It used to be fun to buy an old EA car for 200 bux, and make it road worthy with junk yard parts. Those days are over.

Its the same for the EA81s. I also keep an extra set of "good" intake manifold gaskets in stock. As mentioned, fordssubarus post offers a valid point. The reason I discovered the masonite intake manifold gaskets suck, was becuase they came in a Felpro set with the HGs. I installed them and thought nothing of it. After about 9 months they emulsified and needed replaced. Some Felpro sets may even come with different HGs, so I now just get what I need and avoid the kits. I would not be opposed to buying this stuff from an online Subaru parts source, if the prices were good.

Also, Felpro claims that the gaskets dont require re-torque after installation. Its what sold me on them.

Why argue with a good opinion? Just becuse some of us didnt use the genuines doesnt mean they arent awesome. The felpro HGs seem to be quite acceptable in quality. Now, some aftermarket intake manifold gaskets and clutch cables are good examples of quite unacceptable quality. At least the factory gaskets have a real proven track record. I have a set of Subaru HGs for an EA71, IIRC they looked lame next to the felpros, but again we know the facotry units work pretty well,

My new hatch is giving me some of these symptoms. My gut is telling me Im gunna have to do a head job. Im too busy to mess with it so I refuse to buy fluid and use the tester on it. I dont wanna know right now. Its not using alot of coolant and doest run hot. Once the house is done Ill order up some gaskets, a clutch, some hoses, and plan to give the machinist his hundred bux. A head gasket is rarely ever just a head gasket.

The felpro blue permatorq gaskets are all ive ever used. Have used them on one ea71 and 2 ea81s. Didnt have any post-op issues. It is one of the few things Ill go aftermarket on. But you still need many other gaskets for this job. Please read that linked thread I posted many posts up, and test before you dive in. Some bubbles and and off reading EA81 gauge would not be proof enough for me... Now if the fan is running nonstop and the radiator is full of foam, ok its time to order parts.

And if its bad enough to leak, be gentle during removal youll probably snap one or two.

This is definitely one of those parts that you buy OEM. There are brands that resell old Subaru inventory or make the gaskets to OEM specs, so you dont have to go to the dealer. I guess the point Im trying to make is; do not use the thick paper ones (Felpro). Unless you plan to do the gaskets again in 8 months.

Are you sure its the gasket and not the throttle shaft bores? Its a common failure. You could enrich the idle mixture to compensate, if its minor. Eventually they get worn enough that they start giving you real problems.

Detail your car. I love detailing my old cars with nasty apholstry and faded paint. Mop n glow is your freind.

Agreed, any noticeable consistent change in readings is not a good sign. But using the stock ea81 gauges to diagnose an HG would be a poor choice. I posted a link the above thread since its an epic example of what Ive seen with my cars.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/154693-86-brat-overheats-after-clutch-replacement/

Have you confirmed that its actually running hot? Forget the gauge on the dash.

misprint, sorry (I have kids) not sure why that came thru. No strips that Im aware of can test for gasses in fluid. PH not gas. Test kits on the other hand... I have something like the unit in the link with a bulb, tube and juice. Drain some coolant warm it up and do the test. Is this test 100%? Does it cost more than the gaskets? http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-75500-Combustion-Leak-Detector/dp/B0007ZDRUI

As the heavy hitters above me have posted, HGs can fail in a number of ways. In my experiance most issues Ive run accross left me debating if there was actually an issue. Your not always lucky enough to have mixing of fluids or billows of white smoke that scream "failure". The most common complaints are occasionally running a little hotter than normal and bubbles or foam in the coolant. This usually comes with a slow loss of coolant. The tail pipe may smell acridly sweet even after sitting over night. Pulling the dipstick or oil fill cap with the engine running may reveal odd ticking wissing sounds. Its all just evidence tho, and means little. One thing has served me well in prossecuting such a case is test strips. Do you have an issue or are we just chatting?

When you say "crankshaft sensor" your referring to the distributor?

Most of my previous thread still applies. Trust me. Fuel pressure tps and injector/boot condition should be checked. Diagnosing these sorts of drivability problems can be very frustrating and often are caused by something really simple (like a voltage/ground issue) . Im not saying you dont have a weak cyl or a timing belt that has slipped, but Im saying the above posted advice should be considered. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/155251-ea82-rough-accerlation/ If you have time give this long thread a read through.

SPFI or turbo? Time to check your fuel pressure, just becuse the pump is new doesnt mean theres not a restriction (like a bad filter) or a failed regulator. If that checks out youll need to visually inspect injector flow (SPFI). This requires unhooking the MAF and removing the boot. This would also be a good time to check the boot for damage and proper fit of all connections. There can be no leaks between the throttle body and the MAF. Next, check and clean your MAF (mass air flow sensor), check your TPS (throttle position sensor). Im assuming you have a service manual?

I tried to fix the vid but as you said it wont work on the phones, but works on the desktops? Oh well

So the video I posted isnt working I guess.

You need a pic or flat blade and a rag... There is a wire clip holding it in, and yes, they are a real pita. There are tools made for this purpose but Ive always made due without. " " Install is much easier; snap the clip on the crank and push the crank on the splined shaft.

GDs tap n bolt trick will fix 90% of the slop. You could easily rig up replacements for the shift shaft bushings after a trip to the hardware store. Seems SOAs system simply calls the parts bushings, some of this stuff is still available via Subaru and third parties. Some google-ing of these p/ns will get you close to what you need. Thanks plucky from ausubaru for these numbers. Shift shaft to lever: Rubber bushings 733229010 Nylon 633124170 Sleeve 633042030 "Ball joint pivot" bottom of lever: Boot 631504021 Bushing 733146090 Parts for the lower "ball joint" pivot seem semi extinct.

Chris your still around!? Sorry no help with ur questions but glad to see your still out there. -Sam

Might be easier to hide a tire size ping issue with the carb. If it runs good there wouldnt be a reason to sacrifice F.I. for carb. I realize its easier to service the weber and sourcing parts is less of a headache as well.

Check that wire going from the (+) on the battery to the fusible link box. Ide take it out and inspect it. It could be dismal inside the connector. Or weak where it connects to the battery.