Ryuko91

I picked up an 83 GL for 480 bucks a couple days ago. It has all of 93,000 miles on it. I also like that it has a moon roof that doesn't appear to leak, and the cruise control works. The main problem with it was the exhaust, since it sat with condensation in it, the y pipe rotted off. Past the doughnut in the middle looks like new exhaust pipe however. The rocker panels are pretty rusted, too, but the suspension looks solid. Even has an interesting paint job, which is soon to be redone. This one is a front wheel drive, EA81 5 speed, which I'm going to squeeze MPGs out of to get to work. Keeping my foot out of it, I'm going to strive for 40mpg highway with a couple mods. I'm thinking I want to lower it, and fit a front lip off a loyale RS that's in a junkyard here. Has anyone tuned a Weber for economy? I'm thinking I want to go with a different manifold, and a find a carb that's easier to tune than the stock Hitachi. I'll get pictures after work.

Should definitely find where your coolant is going if you're loosing a half a pint every time you drive it. +1 to small coolant line by the intake. I was loosing about a pint every 3000 miles, until a couple days ago when my heater hose started spewing all over the motor from a pinhole. I couldn't find the leak until I revved the motor up a little.

I managed to get it out, had to take the radiator and a/c condenser out, and after an hour of drilling with dull bits, I got it out. Couldn't find the old pulley anywhere. 40 bucks for the new pulley, the whole timing kit I had put on was only 65! Definitely going to use new bolts whenever possible now. Fired right back up with a new bolt. I went to a junkyard once I got home and found a new set of tbelts for a dollar incase one decides to break randomly after that.

This bolt has broken off, and I need to get back to Oak Harbor tomorrow. It's on the bottom of the block and pretty easy to get at, but I don't have any tools besides a socket set with me. I did the T belts in March and have put several thousand miles on them since then. When I did the belt job I ditched the covers and replaced the pulleys as well as both belts. Torqued everything to spec. I drove to my aunt's in Black Diamond today, and on my way to dinner, I watched the idler pulley fly into the woods. Surprisingly the belt is intact. I am now missing two things: I no longer have an idler pulley. I do not have a way to get the broken bolt out of the block. I can't get at it with pliers, and I don't have a drill or anything with me. This is my main issue at this point. Any ideas?

After I drove 440 miles across the state to my parent's in Newport, the day after I got there, driving about a mile on low speed roads, my car puked. I knew the timing belt broke instantly, and I was SO very happy the belt didn't snap somewhere in the desert. Pulled my car home with the Brat and replaced the T belts and ditched the covers. I bought a kit right after I got the car, I was just waiting for them to go. I got 30,000 miles on the car before they went. If anyone wants them, I have the outer covers for the far sides that aren't broken. Before I left I installed some 55W driving lights in the grill. It looks like daylight with them on. And my headlight bulbs were from 1995, so I bought new ones, makes a world of difference. Also a couple round tractor flood lights, rear facing on the top of the hatch, where the spoiler mounts used to be. Wired an amp while I was at it. And replaced the passenger window motor, with time to spare before the summer. Last summer wasn't great with one working window and no working AC, now all my windows work and I have an R34a conversion kit. *edit* Also, I nabbed a set of GL-10 seats out of the junkyard, dark blue with the height adjust and adjustable headrests. And headrests on the rear seats, which is the main reason I wanted them. Besides the fact that they look better and are more comfortable than my old ones.

This picture is from the summer, on my way east across the state. The odometer currently reads 232,5xx. The '84 Brat is creeping up on 300,000.

The seat belts in the back? I've yet to see one that retracted properly. I guess they weren't designed to sit outside for more than 25 years. One almost worked in our 84 brat, which doesn't have a glovebox mirror by the way.

My 87 GL wagon, carby, automatic, original motor and tranny, 228K 84 Brat, we replaced the original motor at 285K and rebuilt the transmission preemptively, but it was still working fine, minus the fact that you could start the car in drive. The original motor had a feedback carb and wasn't idling right, and after some rebuilt carbs we just threw in a resealed JY motor out of frustration.

If I get a chance tomorrow, I'll check out the plugs and change the oil.The wires look pretty new, I don't have my multimeter to check the resistance though. I'll put a new fuel filter under it and get some sea foam in the the tank, too. Now it's dark, and supposed to get pretty cold tonight, so I don't want to let out the antifreeze. Should probably get some on the morrow. and a bucket to drain the old stuff into. Man, if I knew I wasn't going to pick up the car this weekend, I would have driven my wagon. Not having a car sucks. I'd probably have it running decently by now! Maybe I'll be able to borrow my cousin's car tomorrow while they go to Seattle. I'm pretty excited to get this car running right. I can't wait to bring it home! I have to admit, when I started it and it smoked, and then overheated, I was lookin for a Brat that I could take home. I was pretty determined to bring home another Subaru this weekend. I want to start taking apart my wagon. I found a 5 speed GL-10 in the JY. Getting the pedal box and rear disc brakes out of it, and I already nabbed the new looking blue suede seats out of it.

If I get a chance tonight, I'll flush the radiator. It could very well be plugged, because the heater doesn't work very well. I was going to change the fluids next time I get a chance to spend some time over there. The owner of the house won't be back till next Sunday, which means I won't be able to use the shop facilities for 2 weeks, I'm in school all week. *sigh* I guess I'll start with the cheap stuff, like oil, fuel stabilizer, and flushing the radiator and heater core. Going down the road, not overheated, the car shudders when you accelerate, but when you let off the throttle all is smooth. Was worse when I first went above 30, but did not go away completely. Possibly a combination of old gas + water/oil in the cylinders?

It's topped off with some decent/clean looking coolant. It didn't boil over when I drove it around, and I checked it before and after I drove it. The oil doesn't look bad either. And it shifts like a dream. Where should the friction point be on the clutch?

It should at least get better mileage than my 87 3 speed wagon. I think I'll go over tomorrow and take lots of pictures and start unhooking things so I can get the heads off. I have a non contact thermometer, I'll check the radiator. But there are exhaust pulses coming through the oil filler tube, and smoke/water vapor will come out of the dipstick tube. And exhaust bubbles come through the overflow tank when it gets warmer. I drove it down the driveway and backed it up in it's spot. In the 5 minutes that is was running the temp gauge didn't go up at all. But there was almost no smoke/condensation in the exhaust when it fired up. What all should I start collecting before I want to put it back together? Cam seals, timing belts, maybe a water pump? I don't have a whole lot of kaching to work with, but I'd rather re seal the engine properly so I don't have to do it again in 3 months.

I'm not in desperate need of one, I just saw a blue one for 5 bucks and thought I'd ask about it.

I get to do the front brakes on my aunt's 02 ford ranger today, so that's going to put a damper on my play time with the XT. (and I might go get some MMO and carb cleaner and play around with a chevy sprint that's been sitting here for 10 years) I could just wait another two weeks for a chance to come down here and work on it. In that time I could go to the JY and tear the heads off a turbo or two so I know how to do it (in the process maybe score a pair that aren't cracked or warped.) I'm a little concerned about the state of the heads. I drove it maybe 4 miles and the temps were dangerous, so I idled it to flow the coolant around for a minute or two and let the electric fan run. He drove the car 11 miles maybe 6 months ago, and I'm guessing he wasn't easy on the pedal. Could the HGs have worsened considerably by sitting for a few months?:-\ I looked into the MPG rating, "before adjustments" it was 26/35. On real gasoline in the 80s on flat roads? I saw a 1.8L Impreza on Craigslist with some body damage down the sides of it... Maybe that would get it up to 35mpg. I wish I had a shop down here to work with. I was spoiled with a full shop, complete with organized tools and heaters to reseal and replace the EA-81 in our Brat. And I've yet to have a problem with my wagon. Everyday it's WOT for a while(even if it is just to try to get to 60 within a minute...) :cool:

Dang. There's a blue one on Spokane Craigslist in perfect condition for 5 bucks.

I was thinking about some gasket sealant, but I don't want to trash the radiator or plug the heater core more than it already is. The oil doesn't look burnt or watery, but there was some bubbles in the coolant. I've never done a HG before, and I don't have a book with me. But I do my tools. And I know how to turn a wrench. I think it would only take me a couple hours to do the gaskets. Where should I get the gaskets from? Is there anyone around Auburn, Black Diamond, Covington or Enumnclaw that is experienced with EA-82Ts? I think I'm down here till Monday afternoon.

double post.

I have been wanting to see this car drive around, and I wanted to buy it. Only 158K it's in Enumclaw, and it's not going to make it to Oak Harbor. I just drove it around it overheats pretty quickly and when it's hot it wants to die. I let it cool down, and it was normal again for a little bit, then the temp gauge goes up to right below the H(digidash). He said it drove fine, but he only drove it 11 miles from the auction. He's asking 500 for it, but in it's current state of leaky pop top and lack of seals, I don't want to go for it. There was some gunky foam under the oil cap before I started it. It hasn't ran in a while apparently. The main problem I have with it is the white exhaust pulses coming out of the oil filler tube and dipstick. It smoked for a couple minutes after I started it. When it's not hot, it pulls nicely, sure is a whole lot better than my auto 87 NA wagon. With the motor the way it is, is it worth getting? I wanted to get it because it was FWD and those get about 35MPG. The body only has one dent in the back and the paint isn't bad. It has rear disc brakes and the pop up roof, which leaks slightly, but the interior is in decent shape. The exhaust in the oil could maybe just be blow by from sitting? The oil isn't bad looking or watery. and about the over heating, the fans work, but I was going to go back and pull the Tstat and see if it still got hot. The current owner just went on vacation today but I have access to the car over the weekend. He's a friend of my aunt's and I'm staying at her house till monday. I would sure like to come home with this car. It runs decently when it's not hot. it idles at 650 to 700 rmps according to the tach. Might just go get some MMO and some motor oil. The lifters don't even tick! (sorry the picture is huge.)

Quick question... Would a 91 lego cargo cover fit in a GL wagon? Here's the specimen, it's just 400 miles away right now so I can't check. Here's the image

I have an 87 automatic GL, and yeah, the ratio in 3rd is 1:1 I think. at 70 it's running 4K ish also. and about 24mpg. Can't wait to get an MT behind my engine!

I've found a certian amount of electrial tape with the right tension keeps them going while it's raining, but I won't have to do that much longer! The ONLY Subaru I've seen in the yard here for a month or so. When I got there, it was on the forks going to the crusher, but I got to pick though it and came up with this: Oh, and WOW, taking a steering wheel off by yourself without a puller SUCKS. I accidentally ruined the nut because it threaded back on while I was hitting it, and I had to rip the nut off the steering column with pliers. But I guess it was a learning experience. Anyway, this is out of an '88 DL coupe. The connectors are female on this unit, however the plugs on the one in my '87 GL wagon, happen to be male. The pin out looks the same, but this looks like a lot of soldering and taping to me. I'd go get the other side of the plug and try to switch pins out, but they probably smashed the car by now. :-\ Are these connectors different for a reason, or did they just not feel like making everything easy on us 20+ years later?

Right before it starts raining... My stereo got ripped off, and in the process they were kind enough to do this as well. Stereo wasn't a huge loss, it was a Dual Electronics $40 deck, 40W over 4 channels, it put out pretty terrible sound quality, but I guess they needed it more than I did. Any ideas on some kind of quick fix? I can't find an 87 or newer parts car here, lumpycam has a couple parts wagons up here, but they're older than 87 and have the dash controls. And the yard here is subieless again. My wipers still work, I just have to push the stick in and hold it there. But that's no fun when driving over 45mph in a downpour of snowy rain.

Well, there's that saying about assuming things... I've heard from a few people that the stock boxes block flow, but I suppose looks can be deceiving. I beg to differ! According to Wikipedia, the carby EA82 only has 84HP stock. I know very well it's not a race car(even though it totally looks like one) :cool: Just seeing if I could make it breathe better with sharp things. I would love to get a 5 speed D/R, but it's rare to find one that doesn't have close to 300K on it. I even found an 86 with 490K on it in the yard here. As for the starter, it just clicks loudly, and takes a few turns on the ignition switch to get it to go. It's a really old Napa starter, I need a new one, and I'm hoping to get a manual in there before I have to actually spend money on the auto.

As everyone knows, the stock air cleaner is quite restrictive. I was wondering if it would help the throttle response any to open it up around the filter, keeping in sealed, but removing as much as possible. I looked around and didn't find any pictures of mods to the stock box, or anyone saying it does anything noticeable. I took off the warm up flap, and is that little vacuum plunger supposed to have oil in it? It was clean, but it doesn't seem like it should have motor oil in there. the PCV filter has stayed pretty clean, so I don't think it's from blow-by the motor has 220,000 on it, and still starts right up(when the starter works) I just want to improve upon it's power a little if I can. I'm saving up for an EJ swap but I'm just until the motor drops dead. but in the mean time, I'd like to work with what I have. Also, I have an exhaust leak behind the rear tire, past the last bend in the exhaust before the muffler. It's not very big, but I've noticed it revs easier and gets to highway speeds a little better. Is there any noticeable gain from lopping off the muffler(besides noise)? Anyone have a starter for an auto ea82 by chance? it's an 87, I cleaned the contacts on mine but they're about gone. The junkyard here just crushed EVERYTHING in the yard that isn't an old American car.

It's ran fine after the 30th.No more tach jumps. I made my way to Oak Harbor, and it was just fine, minus the bent wheel in the back. I got what sounded like lifter tick on a hot morning. It went away after like 10 minutes. I pulled over and stopped the car and checked the oil, it was all there and the appropriate consistency. About 2 minutes after that it stopped ticking. Could that be a dying oil pump? It's never done that and it hasn't done it again after about 50 more miles.