rdweninger

Who knew you could learn Spanish on a Subaru forum. The information you get here is oro! Thinking about naming the Hatchie, Hank... or maybe Butch. Got his valves adjusted last weekend... ALOT quieter now.

Awfully nice of you to offer parts delivery to the East Coast. And look at all the friends you made. That's HOW ya do IT. good luck with your move.

At a buck 79 per gallon... I too, have pondered this option. So what... just strap the propane tank in the passenger seat?

Just picked up the '83 Hatch in Feb. The clutch pedal is extremely hard to push in. The PO installed a new clutch cable OVER the steering and heater hoses. I took it apart and installed the cable correctly. Set the adjustment to about 1/4" free play. I thought that might fix the hard to push pedal. However, the pedal is still very hard to push in. The clutch dis-engages near the top of the pedal. Clutch is strong... front tires 'bark' if I take off too quickly. So... what... do I need more free play? Or is the clutch fork bent? Throwout Bearing isn't making noise. I'm not ready to pull the motor... there's nothing wrong with it. Great compression and NO leaks. Anyone ever had this experience? Let me know... Thanks.

Do you mean you installed them in your cam towers already? If so... yes... it will run ok. But as stated above... Bad things are happening. You just can't see it.

Yep, the loop strap (made of nylon fabric) is about the middle of the seat. If you pull on the loop, it will release the latch and the seat will flip forward. There, you will find ALOT of money and probably some Skittles. Put the money in your pocket... and the Skittles are still good... go ahead and eat them. Pull all the seatbelts out and hold them against the upper seat with your 3 hands. With the other hand... put the lower seat back down while using 2 fingers to keep the release strap visible and accessible for the next time. Enjoy! I know I do.

Did you check the compression before you pulled the motor? What are those values? Wet and Dry readings? I have only resealed two EA82's. Both because of failed HG's. I have not split the case yet. You only need to split the case if you are doing crank bearings, rod bearings or piston rings. My next EA82 pull on the wagon I've had for 20 years... will be a total engine rebuild. Why? Because I want to. I know I could probably just do a reseal (to address the oil leaks), but I love breaking down and rebuilding motors. Besides that... it has to last me another 20 years.

I wish I had been 'collecting' Subies for the past 20 years. I've owned my original '85 wagon since 1993. Then about a year ago, I bought an '85 wagon to fix up and teach my 16 year old boy. Then another '85 wagon for my 15 year old daughter. Then an '85 parts car wagon. Then couldn't resist when I saw the '83 Hatchie (that's mine). It's gold colored, but I don't know the Spanish word for gold. This weekend, I bought a '92 SVX... Pearl White. It was a garage queen for all it's life. I swear... it IS a sickness. No cure, though.

On the subject of clutch cables, my '83 Hatchie clutch pedal is extremely hard to push in. The PO installed a new clutch cable OVER the steering and heater hoses. I took it apart and installed the cable correctly. Set the adjustment to about 1/4" free play. I thought that might fix the hard to push pedal. However, the pedal is still very hard to push in. The clutch dis-engages near the top of the pedal. Clutch is strong... front tires 'bark' if I take off too quickly. So... what... do I need more free play? Or is the clutch fork bent?

I mounted mine to a Harbor Freight motor stand. I remember the studs were just barely long enough to fit thru the mounting plate. When messing with the flywheel/pressure plate, just set the motor on an old tire. Hopefully on top a sturdy table. Or remove them while it's still hanging from the chain. It is easier to mount the plate to the motor first. I used all 4 mount points. Then, just pick up the motor (2 people) and slide the cylindrical tube (part of the mount plate) back into the motor stand. Good Luck. Although you won't need it. Just read up a bunch and ask specific questions. Use the Felpro 9293PT head gaskets. PT stands for permatorque.

Oh... I forgot to say... You're either crazy or really brave for sticking your fingers in the timing hole with the engine running.

Alright... let's get this fixed. Some simple stuff first... Make sure the #1 piston is at the top of it's compression stroke (not the exhaust stroke). Remember, the #1 piston is towards at the front of the car on the passenger side (U.S.) Pull the #1 plug... put your thumb over the spark plug hole somewhat tightly... as you rotate the crank by hand (clockwise), the compression stroke will blow your thumb off the hole as you reach TDC. Rotate the crank a few degrees more. If you don't see the timing marks, then just make a chalk mark for now. OK... take a break. Next check the rotor position. It should be pointed towards #1 plug wire. This is normally the position nearest to the firewall (your disty may be 180 degrees off - if so remove and install correctly - There may be a stamp mark close to the lower gear). Double check the firing order of the plug wires. It is 1-3-2-4 - COUNTERCLOCKWISE. As you rotate the crank clockwise, the disty rotor will rotate counterclockwise. It will take 2 complete rotations (720 degrees) of the crankshaft inorder to rotate the rotor 360 degrees. Some people have thought 1 and 2 are both on the passenger side. Not true. 1 and 3 are passenger side. 2 and 4 are driver side. 1 up front. 2 up front. Get back to us with the results. This is interesting.

Good information on the body subject. How do you remember all that, MilesFox? For some reason, whenever I find a good deal on a Subie, it's always an '85 Wagon. I have 4 of them. I had to name them so friends and relatives would know which one I was talking about. It's easy to remember, though... Rojo, Blanco, Negro and Parts Car (it's Red also). If I get another one with a different color, I could probably consider myself bi-lingual... huh?

Tru 'dat. I use 50# dacron fishing line (braided) when I get into tight spots. You can buy it by the foot at the sporting goods store for .08 /foot When I'm done with the job... I go halibut fishing with the line!

yes... read, read, and then read some more. If you are methodical and label things and write down the sequence you removed parts... then it just goes back together in the reverse order. Is the engine pulled yet?

Yes, the video is 'legit'. That's how you do it. Better to have 'friend' so you can turn the engine off quickly... because you will be pouring in ATF at the same time. I change my ATF every 30,000 miles. It's cheap insurance. Change your ATF ASAP, and report back to us on the results. Hopefully, it's not too late.

Just need a 12mm and 14mm wrench. Pliers wouldn't hurt. 10mm all over your vehicle. I like screwdrivers alot. I usually have a pocket knife. Small LED flashlights in every vehicle I own. Keep the cable from spinning when tightening. Stick your head under the steering wheel where the cable hooks up to the pedal assembly. Be sure the route the new cable the same way. Note the route BEFORE removing the old cable.

Nice work. I'm taking notes for my '83 Hatchie lift. Did you hot-dip galv the front knuckle? Or is that paint?

Ummm, don't use the channel locks on the outside of the piston. Screw the piston in using the notches on the front - I like the pipe method with notches cut out. You can make it yourself. Push and turn with one hand. 1.5" diameter pipe.

Yum ! That is a sweet Hatchie. I can't imagine what 'repair' it needs. Only 56,000. I'd offer them $3500 for sure.

Same body, same engine EA82... if not turbo. Alot of members here refer to these cars as lego sets.

Check the resistance of the #2 plug wire. Should be close to zero. Maybe a bad plug. I have seen plugs (not NGK) with broken ceramics. Do you have an extra one? I had a mechanic work on my Subie a few years ago. After he was done replacing the HG's, he said it didn't run TOO bad... for an EA82! Well, I drove it a few miles and quickly figured out it was only running on 3 cylinders. The #2 plug wire was not connected correctly. Albiet, it is tucked in there and somewhat difficult to check. But check it anyway. Other than that, the distributor pickups could be faulty... but never heard of it only affecting one cylinder. How's the compression in #2 cylinder?

Dude, that's alot of rust on your flywheel. I have actually used an electric drill with a wire brush attachment small enough to fit thru the timing hole (halfway at least). Start the motor and wire brush away! Stop the motor. Rotate the crank and you should now see the timing marks as your rotor approaches the #1 plug wire. Then clean up the marks with steel wool or emery cloth. Clean and paint white as stated in prior post. If it's missing on #2, then maybe replace cap, rotor, plug wires, spark plugs. Use NGK ONLY. Go to basement when you see a tornado! Take Toto with you... (I get the severe weather warnings for your area via Nixle)

I got my oil pump gaskets/orings directly from the dealer. They are in Portland, OR about 80 miles away (the nearest dealer). They mail me the parts I order via USPS. Cost a buck to mail the Oil Pump parts. I wish RockAuto would use USPS. I'm tired of paying Fed-X $28 shipping for a few ball joints and tie rods. I checked CL for free stuff... no Subarus.

Can you tell it's a slow day at work for me?