89Ru

Subaru's don't like to run hot. If your Leone is showing any signs of running hot, make this a priority to fix. The corrosive effects of water vs. radiator aluminum are pretty well established, hence all the anti-corrosion products out there. Running hot will accelerate the corrosive process. Of course, there are backflush kits that can be used to clean out the mineral buildup (don't know about rust though), but the one I used didn't work well long-term, the cap of the plastic "tee" that I put in with the kit eventually crumbled to pieces. After 100k miles, running the a/c would cause the temp needle to approach the red. When flushing didn't work, replacing the radiator corrected the problem. Use distilled water when you re-fill. 89Ru

From one newbie to another, welcome to the board. Long shot, but check to make sure that the distributor rotor is turning while you crank, if not could be broken timing belt 89Ru

Welcome to the board. My 89 GL used to do this about once a year at startup, then mysteriously run fine shortly afterward. The gear shift would shake at idle. There was a significant power loss. I figure after enough parts were changed I got rid of the problem. One time it didn't go away and it was determined that a timing belt had slipped a tooth. If you have an inductive pickup timing light you could check this. Ask for help on this if you need it. Have you noticed a loss in power? Maybe a cylinder isn't firing. How does the chugger idle? Try to pull plugs, one at a time. Wrap a rag around the rubber boot of the plug (with gloves on if the engine is hot) You might do a dry run to check for hand holds that aren't moving. If the engine dies down a little and runs rougher then that cylinder is getting spark and fuel. If there isn't a change, then go from there to figure out why (bad plug wire, bad plug, etc.) 89Ru

This is going into my 89 EA82 SPFI as soon as I get the right coupler (and the weather is nice Do you guys have new fuel tanks or clean tanks? I'm wondering if the high flow from this whizbang pump will stir up the crud in my original tank and clog the pump. To mate with the (12mm??) line from the tank, I've been around looking for a 1/2" to 5/16" brass hose barb coupler (high pressure air fitting), but nothing yet. Best I've found so far is a two-piece rig from home depot...a 1/2 hose barb to 3/8 NPT, and NPT to 3/8 hose barb. The 5/16 fuel line strains a lot on the 3/8 hose barb...might split eventually... cornerhardware.com has a lot of these fittings...but not much in 5/16" I also asked a couple of places for a coil clamp and they just stared at me. Might have to make one out of galvanized pipe hanger or ??? thanks for your help on this...looks like a solution might not be far off. 89Ru

Napa trip: bought the P74028 pump for $107 (local shop here doesn't carry the 2P74028, but napaonline.com does, for $66) Its made by Federal Mogul or Carter, can't figure which. Bought some 5/16 ID fuel-injection hoses, they don't fit tight like on my oem pump, the 5/16" hose on the pump is loose until it hits the seal flange. This pump's i/o isn't 1/4" by chance? The clamps that come with the pump are plastic, did you guys use a different hose clamp? My rustbucket pump is happy for now and gets me to work, but I'm keeping the new pump in the sparky blue rolling toolbox with a coat hanger just in case.

CHIM, I tried RedlineWeber and they referred me to Fast Freddy's at 800-821-2195. The 45 psi, 34 gph fuel pump with a 12 mm inlet is out of stock (this is the one I would need) and the same with a 15 mm inlet is $175. Thanks for the referral. Maybe some other folks can use it if they have stock later. Mike

Archemitis, Thanks for the napa info. $40 beats paying 200+ for the stock pump (Airtex E8059 from autopartsgiant). If I go with the napa pump I'll need 2 clamps and a coupling to go from the 1/2" ID of the gas tank hose to the 5/16" ID? of the napa pump...maybe napa sells these too. What did you use for the coupler? Brass? Nylon? Hose barb? I hadn't thought of mounting it inside the cab. I'm not really serious about mounting it inside, but if I was I would need a lot of help in the form of this barrage of questions... Where do you mount it? Under the rear seat? I'm curious about how to run the fuel lines...from the tank through an existing port, I see that the electrical goes through a rubber seal... How to get thru the firewall to the fuel filter? Do you run hard lines inside or soft? I'll go to Napa tomorrow a.m. and see what they have. Mike

thanks calebz, I won't bother trying Anyone know of a substitute pump, 35-50 psi with any kind of inlet and 5/16 outlet? The funny thing is the low pressure inlet of my stock pump looks like aluminum and is clean as the day it was installed, the outlet is as rusty as can be but still holds pressure. I'm developing a sincere appreciation for undercoat. I need a pair of rust colored goggles for working underneath. Or like my friend Andy says, "Can't see it from my house." 89Ru

Finally getting to this...my 89 pump is still working but probably won't last the winter...sooooo...I ordered a new pump but they don't carry the python injection pump that I ordered so instead they sent an oem Kyosan 84 brat pump (a more expensive and better quality pump but......) my guess is its not high pressure for EFI so it won't work. Has anyone tried this? I just installed the thing but haven't wired the electrical...I have to cut the connector to spice in my oem plug...too bad if it won't work, I'll baby the rusty pump back in and try again...this is my daily driver, learned lots about fuel lines in the process but I wish i didn't have to repeat it with a new pump... Does anyone know the hose ID on the inlet to the 89 fuel pump? It looks like 1/2 or 7/16, local autoshop doesn't carry anything bigger than 3/8. Outlet is 5/16. Mike

Francis, On my 89 EA82, I follow the radiator hose to the t-stat, then at a 45 towards the SPFI throttle body is the EGR solenoid valve. Its not the solenoid valve that is towards the firewall directly behind the t-stat although the two look suspiciously alike (rubber hoses, electric, and little black knobby thing). EGR is exhaust gas recirculation which I think ports exhaust back to the intake to be re-burned, so check the hoses to make sure. Mike

hey roxtar, I have a love hate thing going with my Ru, I love it when it runs. My '89 mostly runs except when I try to fix something and end up making it worse- my preventative maintenance often ends up being more practice at repair work. This is ok since I punch a keyboard most of the day I don't consider myself qualified to repair the thing but it runs despite my gorilla methods. Sounds like a lot of stuff broke at once. Makes for an easier decision...seems like about once a month my '89 (250k+) needs a 'shiny new part' like I tell my wife. What's up with your spark plugs? Can you clean the threads with a thread chaser tool or is it beyond that? There are repair kits with helicoils that can be used (can't say I know how exactly) but I'm sure folks on this site have done it. Whatever you do I hope it works out.

Morgan's pump works on his 'roo, can't argue with success and the price and stock mount is great, but...for another try autopartsgiant.com, they have several pumps for the '86 EA82T starting at $96 I have one on order (Python Injection) 'cause the 'thing' (strainer, whatever) looks like it could blow any day now, but can't testify that it works yet or will even fit in the stock location 89Ru

whoops, doh! just re-read your post. What I was describing was the 'thing' several inches in the line after the fuel pump, but duh you were asking about a gizmo on the fuel pump itself. Sorry, don't know! I wondered that myself!

Ha Ha I have just had lots of fun with this 'thing' it has many names but according to the FSM its a 'damper' Mine just recently started leaking (a few recent posts to this effect). I dissected it and found a spring inside with an equatorial diaphragm, its some kind of pressure damping device, perhaps to compensate for the fuel pump? 89Ru

I also recently noticed the 'compost pile' accumulation in the door-side wheelwells of my '89 3-door, probably from parking under a tree for years. Mine was so thick that after I stopped whining I had to remove the plastic guard and hose it out. Sorry to say but for me, anything less than a rustectomy will eventually come back. For the bubbly type of surface body cancer, I have done anything from grinding down to bare metal with metal bits, wire brushes, nylon brushes, sanding discs, etc. The rust pits are the hardest to grind. To eat away what the grinding doesn't, I use 'Metal Treat' which is a greenish phosphoric acid solution, diluted 7:1, that does a fine job of chemically converting the rust to a paintable surface and prevents flash rust from forming. Its kind of nasty stuff but it works. Use gloves. Then prime and paint. I usually spend 10x grinding and 1x treating. If you can't get to bare metal this time don't worry, you'll get to repeat it all again next year For the kind of cancer that is so advanced that it has left just rusty metal and holes, the above will not work by itself. Use fiberglass epoxy and move to Arizona. hope this helps, 89Ru

back on the road again and not spreading fuel, thanks morgan there was a pinhole leak in the damper so I replaced it (oem $40 thx to subaruparts.com, too bad the jy isn't closer) instead of using a straight pipe, in retrospect now I won't worry about pressure spikes from the pump punching holes in the hard lines. too bad the damper wasn't stainless like the oem clamps, they are in perfect condition. nitrile gloves were a must since the leaking fuel turned the undercoat into tar mush. the fuel pump itself looks pretty rusty, so its going to be replaced, thanks to whoever posted the source ($98 + 45 core at autopartsgiant.com) it didn't leak as much as I expected, I clamped the fat inlet hose to the fp after cranking it w/o the fp electrical plug, clumsy me broke 2 of the 3 ten mm bolts that secure the fp plate to the underbody. so i'm back to running with a c-clamp for now, anyone recommend a good rust dissolver? I have heard of Kroil...time for a trip to Napa thx again, 89Ru

My UFO (unidentified fuel-line object) is leaking in my 89GL. Searching the depths of knowledge on this site tells me that its probably one of three rusty ravioli-sized fuel pressure dampers, this one being forward of the fuel pump on the rhs. General consensus is to chop it out and connect the gap with new hose. I'm a firsty at repairing fuel leaks . At first glance, all the fittings down there look rusty. What else do I need besides 3/8" I.D. hose? Nylon couplers vs. copper tubing, hose clamps? My fuel filter has smooth metal fittings with flared ends to retain the hose clamp so this is probably best. I tried NAPA but all I found specific to fuel was hose. Where to buy this stuff? Clamps to pinch off the lines? I have SPFI so its higher pressure than carb'd. Some folks say to disconnect the electrical from the fuel pump and crank to drop the pressure in the lines. 89GL

Ashesh, Without knowing exactly what your trouble is, I'll offer some repeat generic advice. Consider replacing your radiator (my 89 is on its third, for ~$140 every 100K although my '95 is twice the $$). My latest radiator came from Indonesia and works great. They don't last forever, the engine can outlast the radiator several times over provided you keep it running cool. 89Ru

Ashesh, Welcome to USC. Quesnel is up in BC? As good as they are, if there is one thing that kills subarus its running hot for long periods. Replace the thermostat (< $10) or run without it, be careful when removing the two bolts to get to the t-stat as they often sieze in the aluminum threads and pop their heads off. Use anti-sieze on the threads when you replace it and use a straight razor blade to scrape off the old gasket. How hot? In the red? How long are you driving before it runs hot? Any strange sounds when you shut down (like hissing?) Any idea where the steam is coming from (leaky hose or seal somewhere?) Does it smell sweet like coolant? What color is your coolant (bright green or something else?) If you have a high water ratio it might boil over at normal operating temps. 89Ru

hi calebz...the idle is around 7-800 (if the EA82's SPFI idle is able to be modified I haven't tried) It burps now and then at idle, if I juice it to 1000 it runs smoother. The 5-speed D/R begins to pitch pretty far away from complete stop, say 100 yards and gets worse from there. Even when on an offramp in 4th I have to keep my speed up or it pitches a little. mike

My 89 coupe (original trans) is pitching forward and back when I'm coasting to a stop in gear (not downshifting). it seems to be the worst in 3rd, downshifting helps, coasting in neutral is no prob, no noises coming from trans other than normal gear whine. My guess is this is normal wear for a trans of this age...it has been fine (smooth) up until just these last few months. The clutch was replaced about two years ago. thx for comments, Mike

Thanks to carfreak85 for the post regarding my bad egr solenoid. I bought a part for $85 from subaruparts.com in Tacoma and its working great, the check engine light went out and the Maryland emissions testing folks are happy with Ru's exhaust for another 2 years. The subaruparts website has a form you can fill out if you don't have the part number and Trish emailed me right back. Mike 89Ru

whoa, I am corrected. I do need the egr solenoid. Last time it failed on my EA82 it was $100 from the dealer. Its just a little thing on top of the engine with a two wire connector and a couple of ports if I remember right. If I could find 4 or 5 at the junkyard that would be good. thx

Ru's check engine light is on and the trouble code light under the dash is flashing the code for egr valve. Where is a good place to buy a replacement valve? - the local shops don't carry it and the dealer wants $200. thx Annapolis gambrillmd at aol