bobs97c5

Sorry, fixed...

I just picked up a 1990 Legacy AWD Wagon (5-speed). It is super clean and has rebuilt heads, cold air intake, new wheels, tires, brakes, A/C, and everything works. The only think I will need to do is replace the ricey sounding muffler and replace the antenna that's missing. I also want to find a stock shift knob to switch back to. $1200 to me was a steal for this car. Cheers, Bobby

Thanks, I am having a friend weld it up at his shop and then he'll file it down to be flat. Hopefully the new carb base gasket and intake manifold gaskets do the trick. Stay tuned...

I pulled the intake manifold off of the motor tonight and found a couple issues however the intake manifold was flat as can be. First of all, the paper thin after market intake manifold gaskets were crap and didn't hold up to the coolant that made it's way through the intake ports. Second of all, the carb base gasket was crap too. It looks like the last owner who installed the Weber carb did a poor job installing the carb base gasket. There appears to be a coolant port that went up to the stock Hitachi carb that the Weber does not use. Some crappy homemade gasket was plugging that coolant port in the intake manifold and it didn't hold up over time. Can I have that coolant port welded shut now that I have a Weber carb? If I have no intention of ever going back to the stock carb, is there any reason I shouldn't do this? It appears that the leaky carb base gasket was allowing coolant into the intake manifold and into the intake ports of the head. The heads being freshly rebuilt must be fine and I am almost certain now that the problem the entire time was the carb base gasket. I'll be finishing up the car on Monday. I'll keep you all posted as to the results. Thanks! -Bobby

One of the new heads did go to the machine shop and get pressure tested, but the other came with a certificate saying it had been pressure tested and certified. I guess it's possible that the remanufactured head could be cracked, but they pressure test them before shipping them out and guarantee them to not be cracked. I am going to start with the intake manifold gaskets and possibly the carb base gasket and go from there. Thanks for the input guys. Keep it coming if you have any other words of wisdom to offer, otherwise I'll update you all in the next few days as I have time to work on the Suby. Thanks! -Bobby

It is a soft rubber attachment that is specifically made for gasket removal and it did not appear to leave any sort of scratches on the block.

Thanks guys, hopefully it's just the intake manifold gaskets. I'll try checking the intake manifold for flatness and I'll pick up some Indian Head Shellac to use with the second set of new intake gaskets that I picked up. Hopefully that's all it is. I really hope it's not the brand new head gaskets. I'll report back in a few days to let you know for sure what the problem was/is.

I used all new gaskets from an ERISTIC head gasket kit (maybe I should have spent more $ on the Subaru head gaskets), and I followed the torquing pattern/process outlined in the Hanyes manual. I cleaned the mating surfaces really well with a NAPA rubber gasket remover tool that goes on a drill. I went and bought a new intake manifold gasket set, but I haven't got around to trying to replace those gaskets again. The intake manifold gaskets that came in the kit were really thin compared to the ones that I picked up at NAPA today. Can I use a thin coat of RTV in addition to the gasket, or is that a bad idea? I was thinking about pulling the intake manifold and putting it on a really flat slab of marble to make sure it really is flat. Since it has a relatively new Webber 32/36DVEG, I didn't think of checking the carb base gasket. Thanks for the ideas! (the head gaskets are in there too, but you can't see them in this pic)

Well stated Bill, but........ Oh heck, I was going to leave that sentence incomplete, but I'm trying to turn over a new leaf and not be such an rump roast sometimes. I agree, when searching threads it would be cool if there was an indication of closure or if the suggestions in the thread just sent the person on a wild goose chase. It is disappointing when I do a search before posting and find myself reading 5 pages only to find out that no one solved/answered the question/issue at hand.

I just spent the last week rebuilding both heads on my 86 GL EA82. Actually I bought one new head and one remanufactured head since the old ones were both cracked and failed the pressure test. I bought the car with one or possibly two blown head gaskets (according to previous owner) and had a local mechanic diagnose that it truly was at least one blown head gasket. I decided to go ahead and rebuild both heads (Which I have done before successfully on other cars). Now after replacing both heads and all of the associated gaskets, the car starts and runs for a few seconds but as soon as I add water it starts blowing thick white smoke. I dropped the exhaust back off and sure enough, it starts dumping coolant/water out of the driver's side exhaust port and what looks like a bit of steam out of the passenger side. At this point I am thinking I either have a cracked block or is it possible the intake manifold gaskets aren't sealing the intake manifold correctly? Unless one of the head gaskets were bad out of the box, then I doubt it's a blown head gasket as the car has only run for a total of 2 minutes so far. I'm sure I did the head build right as I had a friend there with me who has done head gaskets on a Subaru before. Unless I really f'ed up somewhere, I think it has to be something other than the head gasket. Any ideas? What should I check next? If it's a cracked block, then is it time to abandon this EA82 (new heads, water pump, weber, belts, hoses, etc) and drop in an EJ22 or E25?

Word

If you're going to abandon the car, then post where it's located and leave the title signed on the dash. One of us will go recover it. I've had smaller Toyota's stuck way out in the woods too, but all it takes is the right recovery rig, a good winch, snatch blocks, tow straps, and a good driver to get it out.

Everything with my manual steering is in good working order. No slop or issues. I'll do a visual inspection in the next day or two to make sure the boots on the rack are in good order. My GL is parked in my friends shop right now waiting for a rebuilt head to be finished at the machine shop and reinstalled. I also know that the last owner of my car put $ into replacing parts of the steering setup. I'll find the receipts and let you know what was replaced. Anyway, I live in Ashland, OR (just above the CA border). I likely won't have time to pull any of my steering setup off of my GL for at least another week once I have the car running again and back in my garage. How about your power steering setup? Is everything in good working order? Will anything need to be rebuilt or replaced? I can PM you my # or e-mail address if you'd like to discuss shipping, etc. Thanks! Bobby

Sounds like a good trade, but why would you want manual steering? To reduce power loss? Because there is less stuff that can break?

Actually I think he means this thread was posted in the wrong forum on this site. It should be in the USMB Calssifieds forum for eBay/Craigslist stuff. Cool car. I wish I could afford it right now...

Thanks guys! This information should help with my power steering swap. Much appreciated.

Yes I searched on this topic first, but no I didn't find much in regard to an 86 GL in which I would like to convert to power steering. It has a 4" lift with BFG All-Terrain tires so gets a bit tiring to steer at lower speeds. What all is needed? Power steering pump, brackets, lines, and steering linkage? Do I have to do anything with the cross member as has been mentioned for EA81 Subbies? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks! Bobby

I really like this Subaru. Tell your buddy to contact me if he ever sells it. I know one of the problems the last owner told me about was that it needed limited slip in front and rear to put down all of that power and he hadn't got around to doing that. He said he just drove it around in 4 Hi even on the freeway.