karinvail

my car is totaled now, but I often wondered if maybe it had a tiny head gasket leak. I would hear the gurgling in the heater core, but also occasionally I would hear (and see if I was quick enough after turning engine off) bubbles in the overflow.... it did ever so slowly use/lose coolant too.

I got rear-ended Monday (the 10th), and then pushed into the car in front of me. I tried to get to the shoulder to avoid the car in front of me as I was being pushed, but it caught the drivers front corner to the SUV's rear passenger bumper and I was pushed under his bumper. A lot of obvious damage to the front, but the back bumper took the majority of the damage to the back. The back hatch doesn't work too well and the body seems to be tweaked a little. Coincidentally, a nurse at my doctors office saw immediately after the accident happened, and she thought the elderly gentleman (who thought he was pressing the break and was gassing it into me instead) was driving what she though might be a Honda, and it was a total mess she said. After I settle with his insurance, I'll probably be parting it out - or I might just let them take it away, haven't decided. The corner is pushed so far in, that it leaked from the radiator and the battery was pushed back. How much do you think they will give me to get another car? I'm afraid I won't get enough to get another car, and I can't afford to use our Suburban to run errands, it gets horrid gas mileage. I have terrible back/neck pains (was in ER for 8 hours with all kinds of tests), so I need to go to town at least 2x's a week for physical therapy. So, I *need* another Soob......

It's been a while since I've been here, but I saw this thread and had to read/respond I tried a tank of gas (I always run super unleaded) with shifting at 3K and a tank of gas shifting at 4K. I got *better* mileage shifting at 4K! Mine started running like doo yesterday - I think it's time to take her out and rev 'er up..............

I'm a moderator on skagitfreecycle yahoogroups and yesterday someone put up an offer for a free soob in Concrete (WA). It's an 86 GL-10 turbo sedan. I emailed him and this was his response back ''It is a four door sedan. The left front fender was damaged in an accident. My son removed it but never got around to replacing it as the car quit running. The rest of the car, except for that front corner, looks great. There is a water leak near the turbo charger that would require engine removal for repair. We are not sure just why it quit running, but think it might involve a computer module. '' email is danny98237@yahoo.com for anybody interested. Anyhow, it's free and has a title....

so, does a starter from an EA82 work for an EA82T? the firing order will definitely be my first check. I had him check the timing belts while I was on the phone with him and he said that he said he was sure they were fine, but that will definitely be on my check list too.....

Which engine does a 90 Turbo Wagon have in it? (and does it have the same body style as an 86? What year did they change body style?) Is anything compatible with an 86 EA82 (carbed). Things like starter and distributor specifically? I haven't seen it yet, but my brother called me about a friend's of his 90 Turbo Wagon that won't start. It was running until he changed plugs and cap, now it won't start. He burned out the starter trying so much. He's willing to let me haul it home and take a stab at fixing it, and then giving him what I think it's worth (if I can fix it). He was almost having it hauled to the junkyard, so I will be able to get it for cheap. I've only worked on the carbed EA81's and EA82's though. I have an extra starter and distributor from an EA82, so I was hoping they'd work for the 90 to see if I can get it going.....

before you go pulling the engine apart, have you tried something like Seafoam or Marvin's Mystery Oil (MMO)? I had an intermittent lifter sticking on start-up and the Seafoam fixed it..........

I did t-belts on my car in around 3 - 3 1/2 hours (and that was with 3 men watching me drinking beer and telling me I was doing it wrong. Ha! Showed them up - it runs better now than it did before (I think the old belts were off a tooth - probably a man did that, hehe). I'd go check the t-belts myself before I handed over $200...... I think it's a 10mm bolt to remove the covers. Don't take what the owner said to be as truth, because people lie. I bought my car with ''only needing radiator hoses, great running little car'' - it ended up it had a cracked block and a bad radiator and I had to swap in a different motor....

I agree that the radiator is an EASY replace - I've had mine out several times and it only takes a few minutes. I have to disagree on the water pump being easy though. Well, it is easy to some, but it's not a quick fix like replacing the radiator or the alternator..... I am sure that he can find a new radiator for WAY cheaper than 200 too - more like 100.

so a bad battery ground could also cause this? I forgot to mention that sometimes in the morning when I first start it, the voltage reads even lower - like around 10. Is the voltage meter reading the battery power or the alternator output? (If that makes any sense?) I have my stereo hooked up to full-time power so I don't have to turn the key on to have the stereo on. It does have a little bit of a draw because of the clock back-light on the stereo. If I leave it not started for a week or more, then it has to be jump started (dead battery). I found this out after coming home from vacation this summer. Normally it's started at least every other day, and occasionally the battery is low if I haven't started it for a couple days. I'm personally leaning toward a battery, but either battery or alternator is not a cheap fix!

This is just something I've been wondering for a while...... sometimes my tranny doesn't want to go into reverse. I can either put the clutch in and out a couple times, or if I put it in 2nd gear, then into reverse it goes in easy. Are 2nd gear and reverse 'related' somehow? It doesn't work with the other gears, just 2nd.....

well, my voltmeter is reading low lately - just around 11 to just under the 12 mark. It's got a new belt and it's proper tension. Is there a way to test whether it's the battery or the alternator? Also, when I put my fan on the highest setting, the voltage drops even more. Like down to 10.

before you go yanking the heater core (a pain in the @$$), check the pipes that go to the core. I had an '83 that leaked coolant all over the left side floor and I pulled out the heater core. I took it to the radiator repair shop to have it tested an it was A-OK fine. That had me stumped - but it ended up the pipes that go TO the core - that was what was leaking. It ended up being a $100 part new too!!!! But, it would have been a WAAAY easier job had I realized it was that part before I tore the whole dash apart.......

I say scrap the body, save the motor - and buy something you can drop your motor into (like the car Turbone linked to - great deal! Offer them $300!) Why waste all that time trying to fix something that might give you headaches down the line when one with a GOOD body can be had so cheaply? Even if you get parts donated, then you have an un-matching car - paint will surely cost more than $300, and it would be real hard to find matching rattle-can paint (which would LOOK like rattle-can paint). If it were ME, I'd pull the good parts, donate the rest to the junkyard, and buy a non-running roo with a good body. Just my 2c......

the '85 turbo 4wd 5-speed sedan I had got 26-28 MPG The '83 2wd dl sedan 4-speed got 28-31 MPG The '84 4wd dl wagon 4-speed got 28-30 MPG my current '86 GL dual-range wagon 5-speed gets 27-30 (28 is pretty regular).