rickyhils

And good on you for continuing with the search. I am not a perfectionist where "nothing makes me happy" but I want a GOOD running reliable car, that's all. I have little experience (only some) but the learning is a rich experience, ESPECIALLY when I do the job done right. But the lack of good training can easily lead to perhaps "getting lucky" and becoming over confident the next time. you say the exhaust valve tip sits lower than the others, not higher... I remembered it sitting higher , but mind is on other things Have reposted a pic here. * Note- This pic was before I removed that valve spring and subsequently installed it upside down. I should stop here and list a GoFundMe account to share the repair costs before revealing And then we find out who really are our friends. (ha ha) It has the heads with K-line insert used to repair the problem ! After removing that valve spring I saw that it has new valve guides, with no crusty or cooked appearance at all. (Yay!) And there was a large washer (brass?) at the very bottom, that had a "This Side Out" stamped on one side. At least I put THAT back in correctly.(Pat myself on the back.) But it was when I became very frustrated at getting those "keepers" back in (engine is sideways while in the car. (Loads of fun!) that my mind failed to consider ALL aspects of proper spring installation. And I know that I would have quickly sussed out those spring coil groupings if I had been more patient. Good to hear car talk from "down under". ha ha ha

Step-a-toe. Left side cam was running not as quiet as right side and I wanted to know why. That was likely an over concern on my part due to my lack of experience. So, I double checked the oil paths and the rocker/cam lobe surfaces. All good there. And, while I was there, I wanted to be sure that the four valves ran smoothly and were not bent. And it was so difficult to remove the springs [while in car] that I stopped after the first one. That same exhaust valve at cyl #2 was hung open three weeks ago because the rocker was not aligned. And that same valve appears to sit lower than the other three, as my other post shows. After verifying that the valve was not bent I put the spring back on. Not til then did I see the difference in the top/bottom coil ends.

With my infinite wisdom I installed an exhaust valve spring UPSIDE DOWN. 1991 Loyale EA82 non turbo SPFI . I will correct it but not till I fabricate a safe and efficient way. I am going to be driving it a bit and stay below 3k rpm. I will need a better way to compress the spring with engine in car. The rental tool was a PITA as limited space. Any thoughts much appreciated.

Yeah. Totally NOT good practice, as a rule. But should not the HLA take up the slack? Anyhow, before I button it back up I'll also check the other three valves on that side. And yeah, higher rpm nothing to be squeamish about. 4,000 ok. And up to 5,000 it has been while accelerating. But it is FWD so it will never be a good "Trash Wagon". ha ha ha

Bennie- the rope trick worked way good just now, Thank You. Hey, my goal is to simply NOT get stranded with a dead engine on my hands and have the hassle of getting it towed back home. And THAT, my friends, is what motivates me now. I also have a 97 Honda Accord 5 spd 2.2 non-vtec that runs well but I like this Loyale 5 spd of the post GL vintage. It's a wagon and it's so easy to load up and go. Sure I will have to downshift on a grade but WHO CARES?? Don't need no stinking EJ PITA swap. And I pass California smog with flying colors. And the timing belts? OK, I think I would really like pushrods better, but I am getting close to being a TB and a c/v axle expert on this car. ha ha . OK, I know that the EA82 is a "dead puppy" but I know more of what to have on hand to get a bunch more years out of this car. And the findings from my efforts an hour ago are: The exhaust valve in question is OK. It turns and pushes in/out smooth as you want. And it seats [pulls out] closed with a solid "bottom feel" with no crusty bits to add a shred of doubt. And that OEM tiny spring around the the valve guide seal looks new. So, why the missing 5/64 of an inch on the length? Was the grind deeper on the other valve seats? And won't the HLA just take up the slack? Rebuild history is 100% an UNKNOWN. And the power on acceleration is what is should be, and it hums all the way up to 4500 rpm, but I try to stay around 3k or 3.2k max on the highway. If it idles on the slightly rough side then I'll keep at it.

I am all for checking that valve. I will devise a way to compress the spring safely. And at least the cam carrier is still off the engine. Three or so weeks ago I had ZERO compression in cyl #2. The reason was a straddling rocker on . . . you guessed it, exhaust valve on cyl #2! The same valve in question here. Right now I am a bit bothered that I did not put 2 and 2 together on this. But thanks mka and Dave T for making more sense than I seemed to have been able to muster up. Will get to checking that valve now. Will put some rope into cyl #2 and bring compression stroke comes up as I don't have compressed air otherwise .

Grounding for ECU should include both the mounting bracket under the driver dash AND the heavy wire eyelet [in the harness] that bolts onto the thermostat housing. Check those. And, just curious, with ignition ON and engine OFF, how many blinks does the ECU show. Maybe six blinks that repeat?

I have just removed and inspected cam, rockers, HLAs, and valve ends on the left side of a 1991 Loyale SPFI non-turbo. Will get this all back together today and then just be happy that this rebuilt long block runs as well as it has over the past few weeks. I just felt better in double checking that left cam tower. Now it's time to just drive it. * Cam shaft turns smooth and solid using fingers. * All oil holes are clear and that banjo bolt oil spray assembly is clean and the long spring is doing it's job. So, at higher rpm (and higher oil pressure) more oil squirts directly on each cam lobe? I'm impressed. * HLAs feel hard and cannot be depressed with using only fingers. In a vise they did start to ooze out oil at the hole. So, all good on the HLAs as tested? My old engine w 326k miles had HLAs that would easily compress using just fingers. And in a cup of oil they would not pump up at all. * Valve end. Only one valve looks like the measurement from the keeper to the valve tip is not exactly as the other three. There is a pic here of that. Would guess that it is no issue. Anyway, all valve springs are there. * No remarkable wear marks at rocker/cam lobe areas. That's after maybe a cumulative 10 hours of idling over the past two weeks and 20 miles of local driving. I did not "baby" the acceleration. I just drove it like it should be driven. And the oil [10W-40] has been closely checked over the past two weeks. * It seems like EA82 rockers have a minuscule "barely perceptible" horizontal flat spot about in the center of where they contact the cam lobe. It can be felt using bare fingers. Am not concerned, but just asking. * And, just curious. Looks like all EA82 cam lobes have a little steep "bump" in the curve just as they reach full height. I guess that is part of the standard cam lobe design. Now, time to put it back together and drive. And I will NOT forget that "o" ring [Subaru OEM] where cam meets the head.

And it might just be that HVLAs in tip-top shape would cause that left side cam to run quieter. And if I go in there I'll check as many oil paths as I can.

Thanks. I trust your judgment and I had a feeling I was a bit overly concerned there. So, I'll just drive it as is. And I do have the other 8 HVLA in that engine I just removed. I'll contact Mizpah. Thanks.

Dave T - I hear you re: the 10W-40. I am in Los Angeles County. Not ever very cold.

I think I have the disease called - "I spent so many hours/days on my car, so why does it not sound perfect?" Do I dare put a bottle of Marvel Mystery Oil in the crank case, let it idle for twenty minutes, then change back to all 10W-40? Or should I just drive it? I just don't want to have any possible cam shaft premature and accelerated wear.

Here is some audio. There is some added static from the electronic ignition that my digital recorder is picking up in it's circuitry. Subaru Sound (2) to mono.mp3 Subaru Sound (7).mp3

I used 10W-40 oil. Maybe 10W-30 will cause the left cam to sound normal.

The oil pump was spun with a drill and a socket, and plenty of oil quickly went to the disty slot on the cam. That was when engine was still on the stand. Engine did sit for a good long while after rebuild. However, there has never been a "tick of death sound" at all. I know that sound well from the other engine. You are saying rev for 20 seconds. At what r.p.m.? Have already test driven at 3k rpm.

The disty rotor is not chewing into the cap. Can only look at rockers and HLAs for the answer.

The disty rotor I can double check it's path clearance by comparing to removed engine. Could be that at least one HLA is somehow stuck at a way high position. If it is, then maybe that could cause that one cam lobe to sound "different". When rocker cover off I will try to push on the HLAs. Can compare it with a working HLA from old engine. I do know that all four HLAs have plenty of oil.

That chafing sound is coming from inside the cam carrier and not from the belt and cam gear.

I am not grasping how belt tension can affect a single cam/rocker.

I've run with no TB front covers for years now. Maybe try adding some more slack a bit more on that side? Or, I might just put on another new belt that I already have.

EA82 left side cam has a chafing sound. 400 or so times per minute at idle. Has got to be a single cam lobe/rocker making that sound. Stethoscope on right side cam has a more uniform machine sound. Left side sound is not a clunking or scraping sound, but like a chafing sound which does not sound overly loud so not really alarming. Car runs well. Rebuilt engine has only 25 miles and maybe 6 extra hours at idle spanned over one week. Could this be a "breaking in" sound? The rockers are sitting squarely last time I checked. And there is plenty of clean oil getting there.

I will be back here for sure. I will be putting a lot more local miles on this car. I'll look out for a few extra spare parts. I have an extra oil pump [Beck Arnley], front wheel hub, OEM starter and and OEM alternator. And a backup C/V axle. Car is FWD. Important to get that axle nut up to 150 ft/lbs or hub splines will strip out. And on the hub centerpiece I ground off that outermost "lip" that forms over time. There is still enough "meat" on it for the "THIS SIDE OUT" washer to give a good push on it. Onward.

I still had a rough idle and erratic acceleration. So I swapped out the NGK plugs for another set and double checked the gap, making sure the plug wires were firmly attached. The car now runs well. Once again it is a fun and reliable drive. Gotta hand it to them Subaru cars. And there is that thin metal wheel well panel that the left tire would rub against when steering hard right. It was bent outwards enough to have the tire make contact and the horrible scraping sound I first thought to be the outer CV joint self destructing. I had bent [pulled] that panel inwards when fighting the strut back into the steering knuckle after changing the axle. Point is that even well researched and correctly done repairs by the novice can quickly lead to causing peripheral problems. That's why good professional mechanics are worth every penny.

The exhaust has new OEM gaskets and the studs and bolts are ok. I did make a small galvanized steel cover for the driver side EGR outlet at the exhaust pipe flange. This EA82 was from a carb fuel system. The sound is emminating from the cam areas, and slightly more on the driver side. This engine has less that 20 miles on it. And maybe an extra 3 hours max of running time at idle, spanned over a week or more. Plenty of oil is getting to the cams and I checked today that the rockers are solidly on the HLA and valve.

I used the stethoscope. Nothing inside that sounds like a rod bearing. It sounds like the parts are working together reliably enough. I keep the revs below 3,500. I'll change the oil filter after a few hundred miles and, out of curiosity, cut it open and run a magnet over the elements. Just to keep tabs on it. It is running stronger than the old EA82 with 327k miles on it. As stated before, it was found locally on Craigslist for $100. Unknown who did the rebuild. And the new clutch is working ok. Part of it is that I was imaging problems that were not real problems. Different from you guys with all that experience.