el_freddo

Ah that sucks mate! I didn’t think it was worth swapping out the chain, tensioner and guides I would look at but not the chain. But that’s without looking at it too. Cheers Bennie

I’ve never seen a press fitted one. How do you replace those?? Cheers Bennie

No bubbles, no boiling coolant. I didn’t have my infrared thermo gun with me at the time so no solid temp readings either. The fact that you could literally watch the temp drop back to proper operating temp suggests to me it’s not the HG. Changing gears down didn’t help, but what did help was getting a run up on the flat just before the hill then ease off the throttle a little as we climbed the hill, putting only a little amount of load on the auto and engine. Cheers Bennie

My mother inlaw’s 2002 auto forester with the EJ251 gets hot when climbing hills at speed in warm weather. Towing a light trailer exacerbated the issue at a lower ambient air temp (9°C lower at ~26°C). As you climb a decent long hill, not a mountain by US standards, you can almost watch the engine temp gauge go to the red, backing off and babying it will hold the temp gauge there or have it drop a tiny bit. So I ruled out the engine being the issue for the following reasons: - I did the HGs two years ago, shaved the heads, lapped the valves and used the MLS HG units recommended by GD - top of radiator was hot, lower core was cool, lower tank was hot - RHS fan pulling really hot air, LHS fan pulling less hot air that was substantially cooler - auto fluid lines into the radiator felt quite hot with marginal difference between the two lines - lower rad hose seemed almost as hot as the upper rad hose - temp gauge drops to normal operating temp as soon as you crest the hill, it would generally be back to normal about halfway down the other side I’m thinking there’s an issue with the auto. There’s no AT temp light coming on and no other lights when this happens. I’ve only just thought about pulling code for the TCU but don’t know if that’s a thing or how to do it without a scanner. It’s got 370,000km on the clock from memory, it could be 340,000km... either way it’s “up there” by most Aussie’s standards. It drives as you’d expect, no issues there. I don’t know the age or condition of the ATF as I haven’t looked since doing the HGs, at which point it was still “good”. What thoughts do you guys have and what should I be looking at? Cheers Bennie

That’s epic about the update! If they pull it off those mechanics are ones to keep returning to! That’s the equivalent of our country hospitality I’d say. Cheers Bennie

PVC valves are all the same. Engine designation is just under the alternator a little toward the power steering pump. It’ll be EJ20/EJ22/EJ25. Cheers Bennie

Under tray can hide heaps of stuff! It’s worth dropping that off for a look around if you can. I doubt the dealership would want to look for any problems for a warranty job, but I could be wrong there. Cheers Bennie

^ with that said, low throttle at low rpm giving low engine loads is a-ok and I often drive around town like this while short shifting = justcruisinantakiniteasy Cheers Bennie

I’m always cautious on this - the note could be the last time the belt and kit was changed, it could also be the second or third last time too... you just never know when it comes to vehicles that are new to you unless the PO told you truthfully about the last service of these items. Just saying. Cheers Bennie

If she got that hot your HGs might be toast and the alloy softened too. @GeneralDisorder would have more info on this, I suspect it could be time to look into a new engine or an EJ conversion Bennie

1. Does it do the vibration when stationary and you rev the engine, or only when under engine braking conditions? 2. time for new plugs and leads? Only use NKG or genuine Subaru items for both of these. Cheers Bennie

Throttle cable should be fine since the carbs are basically in the same place. Having replied on your wagon’s thread I failed to note that you’ll need to modify your top radiator hose setup to accommodate the EA81 intake manifold on the EA82 block. I’m sure you could just use the EA81 upper radiator hose to get the job done though. Best to work out what’s needed before the install to avoid disappointment when it doesn’t all just marry up like you thought it would Cheers Bennie

Read up on fitting the EJ to these older Subaru models. I’ve heard it’s not a straight forward exercise like it is for the MY/MV and L series models. This could be for the DOHC, but I’d hate for you to get all excited for an EJ conversion only to find out it won’t fit without chassis rail mods. This info is from reading about a guy that shoved a WRX drivetrain into an L88 ute if I remember correctly. It was an metallic emerald green ute in Oz. Cheers Bennie

Hey mate nice score! We have an ‘84/85 L series sedan with manual choke on it at M&D’s I can remove next time I’m there. Drop us a PM. I think the dash button is a dark blue colour. Cheers Bennie

No worries mate, I love mine too. Only downer (sometimes) is not being able to fit more than one of my kids in it. It’s good and bad in that way... Cheers Bennie

Well spotted Numbchux. I saw the link but didn’t think much of it as it seems relatively “normal”, just in a weird place. It’s the same for all of their posts on the forum, a whole three now. Cheers Bennie

Also remember the brakes are like they’re from the Stone Age! Cheers Bennie

That little cast number at the 11 o’clock position is something I learned about last year and is great for identifying the oil pump size without removing the pump and measuring. I was going to ask what oil you’re running but GD kind of beat me to it with the thicker oil suggestion. Is the history of this engine known or is it a replacement engine or a new to you vehicle? Cheers Bennie

Disconnect the crank angle sensor. No spark, no injector pulse. Done. Cheers Bennie

Correct. Cheers Bennie

Never heard that one @moosens. I’ve always just left the battery disconnected for a half hour or more. The overnight battery dance usually does the trick Cheers Bennie

The problem is 40 year old technology trying to appease the needs of a seasoned WRX driver. The old EA81 isn’t a power house by any means. But it shouldn’t take a calendar year to get up to speed either. I drive mine with the foot in a bit, let it build the revs then go for the next gear. There’s no need to rush it with these! Sit back and enjoy the 80’a charm and the scenery going by between gear changes I’m not sure that really helps you, but going from a WRX to the brat certainly isn’t helping you’re expectations of the little NA carb fed 1.8L donk with the tractor 4 speed gearbox... Cheers Bennie

No starter relay. Your ignition switch could have a dead starter circuit. If you have a spare one available you could diagnose the issue quite easily. Cheers Bennie

Sounds like a missed or dodgy earth somewhere near the transmission, it could be on the intake to as the ECU pulls many of its earth points from this area. The front O2 sensor would be one to look into. Cheers Bennie

I can never remember which plugs they are - black or green. I think it’s green for EA and black for EJ, like I said, I can never remember. Remove the kick panel above the driver’s feet and have a pole around in the wiring. The plug colours are all that matter, from memory the wire colours in the plugs are different for the same plug colour Then ignition ON, engine not running, count the flashes as moosens said. Look up a chart in a gregroies manual or fsm, whatever you have available and go from there. Cheers Bennie