TahoeFerrari
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Posts posted by TahoeFerrari
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Sounds more like the be outer CV joint to me but usually they make noises when turning in either direction and little noise when going straight ahead. They will also eventually start "grabbing" and causing the car to pull to one side. Take a look underneath at the outer CV joint boot and see if it's torn. If it is, you've almost certainly got a bad CV joint.
It's my experience that when wheel bearings go, they usually begin to make noises that are barely noticable and progressively get worse over a period of weeks (or even months).
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Just ditched the viscous fan on my '87 d/r 5spd spfi 3-door in favor of a left side electric (from an '82 EA81). Up to now, I've gotten up to 34-36mpg at 70-75mph (w/o A/C) on long trips, so it should be interesting to see what ditching the viscous fan does - if anything.
I've done the same dual fan setup on my '89 d/r 5spd spfi wagon. It gets around 31-32 on long haul highway trips but I've only had it a few months and am working to improve it.
So I now have fan systems similar to my old EA81 hatches. Left fan is controlled by A/C and right fan by radiator thermoswitch. Both also have manual switches. I've also got indicator lights on both fans so I can see how ofter they come on as well as switches to manually turn them on if necessary (dead thermoswitch!)..
Once I get some more data, I'm planning to post something about how often the fans run, specifics on the cooling systems, what they might have done mpg-wise, etc. Maybe in a few months after I've run both of them a few thousand miles. So far it's pretty interesting that without A/C on, the right fan (thermoswitched) almost never runs if I'm steadily moving at over about 30mph - even on 90+F degree days! I'm planning an 800 mile+ 75mph trip next week and I expect the temps to be mid 90s and maybe 100s so A/C will be running - should be interesting to see what happens.
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Routinely get 34-36 at 70-75 on long drives with my '87 d/r 5spd spfi with 286K miles on it. Of course I have the advantage that its a lowered 3-door with a custom front spoiler!
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Yes, there are always slight differences in overall geometry, but they probably only account for some small differences in the static camber.
More likely causes of a significant difference is 1) weight on the front end or 2) weaker/stronger than normal springs on the front struts. Springs can weaken over time and this will result in less positive camber.
So, with uncompressed length the same, a softer spring should lower the front end and reduce the positive camber but would also change the handling and overall ride quality.
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I suppose it's because a 1/2 in breaker bar fits the dif drain/fill plugs and the tranny plugs are so large, but people always way over tighten them. Check the manuals and you will find the torque spec is only around 18-20 ftlbs for the diffs and auto trannies and 33 ftlbs for a manual trans.
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I've switched back and forth between quads and single composite a few times on my 3-door. I just can't decide which I like better. BTW its an easy switch but if you pick up quads at your local JY, don't forget to get the small fairing pieces that fill the gaps when you remove the single composites.
Gravityman: I'm not sure I've ever seen hi/low sealed beams of that size - I think most hi/low sealed beams are larger. Now that you've put the thought in my head though, I would maybe replace the single lows with hi/lows so that when you switch to hi beams you would have 4 lights on!
If your composite single headlights are getting condensation inside, you most likely have a crack in the glass lens somewhere. I've had this problem several times over the years and when I closely inspected the suspect lens I've always found a crack!
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Saw your earlier thread about uneven tire wear and then this thread.
Check this thread out and look at the picture showing the 2WD XT struts compared to a 4WD strut. The XT struts may solve your problem.
http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=31804&highlight=lowering+ea82
I have an '87 3-door ea82 spfi d/r 5spd 4wd and an '89 wagon ea82 spfi d/r 5spd 4wd. As near as I can tell, suspension & drive trains are identical. Both have some positive camber on the front tires in their stock configuration which contributes to the outside of the front tires rounding over faster than you'd expect.
I have not none anything to correct it (the camber) yet, but am considering going with 2wd XT struts on the front - at least on the 3-door. If I do it, it will be more for handling performance than for tire wear.
In any case, to even out tire wear you should be rotating your tires. Something extra I have been doing is to reverse all my tires on the rims at about 40-50% through their estimated life. For example, if I buy a set of tires that I expect to last 50K miles, I will rotate them every 5K miles and reverse and re-balance them on the rims after 20-25K miles so that all the faster wearing outside tire edges are now on the inside. It costs a bit extra to reverse the tires, but you should be rebalancing periodicaly already anyhow. I've been doing this for over 800K miles on two '82 EA81 4wd hatchbacks and now on the two EA82s and it makes a considerable difference in how much use you can get out of a set of tires. In fact I usually wind up retiring a set of tires because 1) they are just getting too old or 2) I hit something in the road and trash one tire of the set rather than because I've worn the set of tires out. Note that I also typically run about 34-36 psi in my tires which also makes a difference in wear (as well as mpg).
Hope this helps.
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Car is '87 3-door EA82 spfi.
Mechanical speedometer reads high (pegs) as soon as I get to about 10mph! Odometer and trip counter update correctly.
I've not done anything with it yet. I'd like to know what I'm dealing with before tearing the instrument panel out.
Does anyone know what causes this and how to fix? Or do I need another instrument cluster??
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Adjustibility is fun
Ditto. What are we looking at here Calebz??
I've got a wagon that I'd love to lower a few inches except for the need to jack it back up during the winter (when I'd actually like to add an inch or 2 the other way!).
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Check with a few glass shops, prices can vary a lot. I just got my '87 3-door ws replaced for $165 (re-using old molding which is just the plastic trim around the outside) at Low Priced Glass in Sparks, NV. I also had a quote from another place for $290.
I don't know if you have any "Low Priced Glass" shops in GA, but around here they are lower than anyone else.
Also be sure that the shop has the correct ws in stock before they start the job. Glass shops here (including Low Price Glass) tried to tell me that 3-door ws was the same as gl/loyale wagons and sedans. Its not. 3 door / RX ws is different. If I remember right, ws was #530 which I think may be some kind of industry "standard" number for a 3-door ws.
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It might be the water pump. They often make a loud knocking sound when broken/failing. Try this: Remove the clutch fan and put the nuts back on (might need some washers) to hold the pulley on. Then run the car without the clutch fan for a bit. If it still makes noises, it's something else and not the clutch fan. Most likely the water pump.
As far as running the car without it (and without a substitute electric fan) - I'm assuming you're talking about an EA82 here - , the other side (right) fan should turn on full time if the a/c is running OR if the water temp in the radiator at the thermo switch gets to around 200F.
Whether thats enough cooling is something else. The EA81s without a/c only had 1 electric fan (on the left) similar in size to the right side EA82 fan and they were cooled OK, so I'd say as long as you don't run a/c you should be OK.
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Definitely the ugliest Subaru yet!
But then I think most of the new cars are pretty ugly - must be a generation thing.
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Wow - way to go. I've got an beat up (body wize) '82 hatch with only 120k miles on it that I was about to scrap because of all the carb problems I'd been having. I've also got an '87 3-door and an '89 wagon - both EA82 spfi - that are my daily drivers that I've had absolutely no problems with (278K and 150K miles) unless you count a few unexpected timing belt failures.
Lately I'd been thinking about maybe giving new life to the '82 by maybe puting an EA82 in it, but after seeing this, I just might have a go at following in your footsteps and spfi-izing the EA81 that I already have at what sounds like a fairly reasonable cost (man-hours don't count) and not have to worry about timing belts. Gotta love Carson City & Sparks PnPs.
I can't wait to hear (maybe literally - since Dayton is right next door) how it runs.
Just looked at the pictures you posted - really nice work (the car and the pictures and the descriptions of the pictures)!
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I didn't see cam shaft seals (behind sprockets) mentioned by anyone. It's a good idea to replace them when timing belts are done.
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With that many miles, probably the bushings in the shifter linkage.
I think there are 3 - one near the aft end that can be accessed from the inside of the car when console and boot are removed and 2 more at a sort of U-joint towards the front of the linkage.
Usually one of these forward ones wears out. Look along the left side of the transmission from underneath the car. As I can recall, you can see the "U joint" and can see if the bushings are wobbling when you move them (they should not). I also recall it's a bit of a struggle to replace them.
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I always thought they were all the same as well.
I always suspect 3rd party manuals, so I also just downloaded PDF of '89 FSM and it shows similar (but conflicting) info (pp 4-5 of sect 1-1) for 4 door spfi sedan:
2WD is 84 hp @ 5200 and 101 ftlb @ 2800
4WD is 90 hp @ 5200 and 101 ftlb @ 2800
but shows 90/5200 & 101/2800 for 2WD and 4WD spfi wagons on pp 10-11 of same section
and shows 90/5200 & 101/2800 for 2WD and 4WD spfi 3-doors on p 15.
Maybe that's why info in Chilton is wrong - it sounds like maybe '89 FSM is wrong for the 4 door 2WD as well.
Thanks for your reply.
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According to engine specs on pp 3-4 TO 3-9 of "Chilton 1985-96 Repair Manual" (#64302)
for '87 to '89 1.8L SPFI engines,
2WD has 84 hp @ 5200 rpm and 101 ftlb torque @ 3200 while
4WD has 90 hp @ 5200 rpm and 101 ftlb torque @ 2800
Bore, stroke, valve diam., cam lift, etc. all appear to be the same, so what is the
difference in these engines??
1) Is cam profile different?
2) Is control module programmed differently?
3) Something in distributor (I know there's no vacuum advance, how 'bout
centrifugal adv. or something else?)
4) Something else?
(Beginning with '90 when all 1.8L SPFIs were AWD, power and torque are shown as
90 hp @ 5200 and 101 ftlb torque @ 2800 - same as pre '90 4WDs).
Reason I'm asking is that I just installed an engine + disty + complete TBInjection
from a 2WD '87 4 dr 5 spd in my '87 4WD 3 door d/r 5 spd and it seems to be somewhat stronger over 3000 rpm than it ever did with the original engine + disty + TBI - kind of confirming that the peak torque is being developed at higher rpms.
(I know, I know. Someone is probably going to tell me that the only diff is the ECU - which
is still the orig. 4WD unit - and thus my stronger performance is all imaginary!!)
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'87 3-door EA82 spfi : 29-31 all around, 33-36 long hi-way @ 70-75 mph.
'89 wagon EA82 spfi : 27-30 all around, 31-33 long hi-way @ 65-70 mph.
Oviously the wagon is heavier and dragier. Both of these engines have approx. 150k on them.
'82 hatch EA81 carb - don't know or care - local beater mostly in winter, guess about 25-28.
'84 wagon EA81 carb (friends car) 26-28 all around & 30-31 highway.
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I've been using Castrol GTX since mid '80s on 4 cars. 2 - EA81s and 2-EA82's.
I use 20-50 in summer and 10-40 in winter. Winters here regularly have temps in low teens to low twentys and occasional single digits. Usually warm up for 4-5 min when temp is below freezing ( also helps get warm air to defrosters to melt ice & snow off windshield). Summer temps often in 80s and 90s with occasional 100+ days with overnight near freezing..
Had 1 EA81 get to 240k when it got totaled, other one still going at about 180k. 1 EA82 currently at 280k the other at 150k. I've never had any oil related problems. All of these were NA engines.
Change oil and filter at 5k intervals.
Don't seen any reason to spend the extra money on synthetics.
Some friends are using Shell Rotella T 15-40 in their cars with good results.
BTW - I also use a non-synthetic in a plane I own. Aeroshell 100 (staight 50W) in summer and Aeroshell 80 (40W) in winter with good results. Engine is a 360 cu in Lycoming air cooled boxer engine (think king size VW bug engine).
Hope this helps.
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I have both Haynes and Chilton and find the Haynes much more usefull, especially for wiring. (have '82 hatchback, '87 3 door, & '89 wagon)
In fact, I think the Chilton is pretty much useless.
Check out http://www.books4cars.com. I recently found this site while searching for manuals for an old caddy. They list all kinds of Subaru FSMs 1970-2004 - latest I saw for Loyale is 1990, though. I have not bought anything from them yet, so have no idea about the quality.
Maybe a bit pricey, but if they're the real deal, might be worth it. Best deal appears to be 89 loyale sec 1,2,3 and sec 4,5,6 manuals - should contain pretty much everything about your '92 as I believe there were few differences.
If anyone happens to get any manuals from books4cars, I'd like to hear what you think of them.
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Nowhere near the record, but the totals and lack of problems are pretty impressive, I think:
'82 d/r 4spd hatchback had 242K when it got rear ended and totaled about 5 years ago - original engine with just regular maintenance. I still have it and will use it for parts (if necessary) for ....
another '82 d/r 4 spd hatchback running OK at 176k - my local winter beater.
'87 d/r 5 spd spfi 3 door has 280K - just put junkyard engine (120k) in about 10k ago & runs as well as ever. Original engine was still running OK, but getting tired - probably just needs rings. Only problem I ever had with original engine was low oil pressure at about 180k, new oil pump took care of that. Still had original clutch in it when I switched engines at 270k (it's used mostly for long distance highway driving)!
'89 d/r 5 spd spfi wagon has 150k no problems except panasonic a/c compressor - thinking about replacing with hitachi unit.
That's 848k Subaru miles on 4 cars.
And - with the current high gas prices, did I mention that the 3 door routinely gets 33mpg (doing 70-75 mph) and the wagon about 30 mpg for all around driving?
Oh, yeah. Just for kicks I also have an '87 5sp 4.0 jeep cherokee with 210k - with nothing done other than routine maint and a couple of injectors replaced. Used to tow a 15' travel trailer. Runs really strong.
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Check out http://www.books4cars.com. I just found this place while searching for manuals for an old caddy. They list all kinds of Subaru FSMs 1970-2004 - latest I saw for Loyale is 1990, though. I have not bought anything from them yet, so have no idea about the quality.
Maybe a bit pricey, but if they're the real deal, might be worth it. Best deal appears to be 89 loyale sec 1,2,3 and sec 4,5,6 manuals - should contain pretty much everything about your '92 as I believe there were few differences.
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Is it the 1980-1989? that one is very bad when it comes to covering ANYTHING about the EA82, the 1980-1994 is much better, but still not as good as a FSM -
Manual I have is the 80-89 from when I owned a couple of hatchbacks. I didn't know there was a later one. I'll check around and see if one of my friends has the later one or maybe I can pick one up somewhere.
Sorry about your wheels! No rush to do anything for me - I've got lots of other projects to deal with for awhile.
Why do people rely so heavily on compression braking?
in Old Gen.: 80's GL/DL/XT/Loyales...
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Well, at 286K and 186K I think my engines (both EA82 spfi) are broken in by now, so I don't compression brake much except on long and steep downhills in the mountains and in heavy city traffic. I think that doing this does add a mile or two to mpg.
I usually shift to neutral and coast a while in anticipation of a stop (stop sign / traffic signal / brake lights ahead) and even on long, long downhills (only hitting the brakes hard occassionally to slow to the limit). I don't tailgate so this works even on freeways.
My Subies are all retrofitted with 4w discs so they do stop in a hurry if need be! The rear discs are really not noticably different (than drums) for routine driving. It's only when you want to stop in a hurry and get on them hard that you can appreciate the difference.
That said, the cars will stop even faster when in gear.
Brake pads are cheap (if you remember to check them and change them before trashing your rotors or drums), mechanical repairs are expensive (even if done myself - it takes a lot of time), and gas is expensive (and getting more so every day).
BTW - I've been driving like this for over 850K with various subies and maybe another 1M miles on earlier vehicles and have never had any problems because of it.
Well, maybe one. I used to put my autotranny Jeep cherokee in neutral for a down hill coasts and then match rpms and shift back into drive when i was done coasting. The physical direction to shift to go from neutral to drive is towards the back of the Jeep. In my Subies and my 5 spd Jeep, from neutral to 5th is towards the FRONT of the vehicle. Anyone care to guess what I did to the Jeep??
Right, I put the Jeep into REVERSE at about 60 mph! It killed the engine and I almost lost control of the Jeep. Lucky for me I was on a wide freeway and no one was in the next lane. Oh, the Jeep? Still driving it - it didn't seem to hurt it!!!!! But I don't coast with it in neutral any more. Maybe if it was my only vehicle and I wasn't so conditioned to the neutral to 5th shift I would do it, but it's really scary to put a car in reverse at that speed!
You've just got to pay attention out there!!