KStretch55

Hey, here's something I learned last night. I've been having intermittant starter problems with my '92 Loyale AT wagon. Usually seems to happen when one of my daughters is driving and I don't like the thought of them stranded somewhere. I read on here a while back that the solenoid contacts get dirty and stuff. So, a while back I tore it open and found the contacts very pitted and worn. What I thought was unusual was one of the side contacts was worn about 1/2 way through, while the other was just slightly worn. I cleaned up both side contacts and the ring contact with some emory cloth and put it back together. Worked good, didn't have any problem.... for about 6 weeks. It did it again last Sunday and Monday. So, Tuesday I picked up a rebuild kit at Schucks (13.99). It includes a new solenoid plunger w/ ring contact and new side contacts. Installation was pretty simple, except I still had the problem when I put the starter back in. I pulled it back out and took a look at the contacts. I found that they were only making contact at the very side tip of the side contacts. When you torque the bolt that holds them down, you tweak the contact to the side too. So, I took a drift and small hammer and tapped them on the upper corner enough so they looked more level. Then I put a light coat of talcum powder on the ring contact and pushed the plunger in so the ring contacted the side contacts pulled it back out. The talc left on the side contacts gave me a good indication that I had good contact across much more of the surface now. I wiped all the talc out and reassembled the starter and installed it. So far, it works like new

OEM PCV valve = $10+, FRAM PCV valve at Schucks = $2.99, Don't recall the brand at Autozone = $2.99, all have the same stamps and look identical. I'm not from Missouri, but you're still gonna have to "show me" how the OEM is worth over 3X more. It's just a spring loaded plunger.

Definitely, by the time I got them out they were pretty gunky.

I worked in Oil Analysis for 10 years. Brand names don't mean diddly. Some even use the same base stocks, then add there own additives. Some of the additives are beneficial and some are just marketing. The most important thing is the API rating. API keeps a pretty good eye on the industry and whether they are putting out product within specs. I recall a time during the late 70s/early 80s when API recommended that car manufacturers stop specifying 10W-40 use, because the oil producers were making so much of it so fast that they weren't making sure it was always up to specs. The producers saw a huge loss coming and snapped back in line. Mixing brands or weights doesn't hurt anything, as long as you're aware that now what's in your crankcase is somewhere between the two weights you mixed. Never mix synthetic with regular. They don't always mix well.

As a general rule, if head gaskets are meant to use a sealant it will be supplied with the gasket. Head gaskets are one of the few gaskets that rely on compression and close tolerance surfaces to make the seal. Do not use sealant unless specified. Another place to never use sealant is the pan gasket on an AT. Two reasons: 1) It squishes out on the inside and can cause lots of grief if it gets into the valves and servos. 2) Because it's slippery when you are torqueing the bolts it allows the gasket to slide around and compress more easily. You'll find that you've completely squashed (and in most cases torn) the gasket at the bolt holes, but have gaps in between. All AT pan gaskets I have ever seen specify on the package not to use sealant.

Worked good. I used some brake cleaner and let them sit for a while, then just kept working them. Eventually they all popped free. Thanks.

Thanks Miles. I'll give it a try.

Ok you wizards, what's the trick to removing the lifters from EA82 heads? I found a set of heads at the JY and some of the lifters came out when I was pulling the valves, most didn't. They seem to be really stuck in there. Is it built up gunk and varnish that has them trapped or is there a trick to removing them? I need to take the heads down to have the guides knurled and valves and seats ground, but figured it was best to removed the lifters before hand. Just to make sure they don't get any grit in them during the process. Thanks!!!

Do you have a vacuum guage? That would help.

Greatly depends on what you're willing to spend.

I'd guess your problem is related to another recent thread in that when the nut was loose, but hadn't come off yet, it allowed the hub to wobble around on the splines of the shaft. Check and see if the splines in the hub are damaged. If they are, the knocking could be the wobbling or the axle splines slipping.

That's a good point and one I had considered, too. So, I'm guessing that either continual retorquing causes the spacer between the bearings to wear somehow and then the load is transfered to the rollers and races, or after 100,000 miles or so the bearings just begin to get worn and allow the hub to wobble. The wobbling just works the nut loose. What ya think, most likely the later?

swc7916, sorry if you took my comment to be lecturing. Wasn't the intent, besides if you paid cash then you didn't incur a debt anyway and like you say, what you spend your money on is entirely your business. My comment was more intended toward younger folks, seems to be a good percentage of the folks on here, to encourage them to do like you apparently did and take your time, save up and pay cash. The reason I laughed at the $20K comment was that I don't feel any currently produced car or truck is worth that much. Prices are so over inflated and you lose nearly 1/4 of the value when you drive it off the lot. I'll let someone else eat that depreciation. But, that's just me. Someone else might say the Classic muscle cars that I rebuild and sell aren't worth what they go for either. But, to get back on topic: Since a lot of us on here seem to enjoy tinkering with our Soobs and keeping them running for nickels and dimes on JY parts. I thought it would be fun to see how the Platinum plugs do after cleaning and I'll keep you posted. So far, so good!!

Have you checked your wheel bearings lately? I had nearly the same happen to the right rear on my '91 wagon, except I heard it rumbling and caught it before the splines were completely gone. The rumbling always stopped when I applied brakes, and I was constantly re-torqueing that particular axle nut. Here's my theory: If you have one that won't stay tight and you know that you installed everything correctly and torqued it to specs, and you still keep finding it loose. It's time for new bearings. I think the bearings get worn excessively, either due to lack of grease or just a lot of miles. You torque the nut down and everything is tight, until the bearings wear more and then everything gets sloppy. The slop allows the drum or rotor to wobble on the splines, which wears them off rather quickly. That's my guess, anyone else?

$20,000!!! LMAO!!!! I paid $1100 for my '91 three years ago and about the same for my '92 less than a year ago (I did a bit of horse trading for it, so there wasn't a real $ value to it.). I've owned 5 EA82s and I stick with the design cuz' it's reliable, also it's easy and fun to tinker with and work on. Also, I don't owe a bank or anyone else a dime on them. When I was younger I fell into the Credit scam like most Americans and now that I'm almost out of it I'll never go there again, the only exception being my mortgage and one of these days I hope I have it paid off early, too. "Credit debt" is one the worst thing we as Americans have ever done to ourselves. I highly encourage everyone, especially younger people, to check out www.daveramsey.com Ok, off my soapbox. ;-P

1/2 qt is nothing. Gotta remember that as your oil gets hot some of it is vaporized and vented and/or burned through the PCV system, as well as normal combustion in the cylinders. The oil ring leaves a very small amount on the cylinder walls for lubrication, not all of that is removed by the compression rings, so some of it is burned during normal combustion cycles. Not to mention that every engine has at least a small leak or drip somewhere. All of that adds up to normal oil consumption/loss. I've been a mechanic for most of my life and my Dad was one of those legendary guys who could troubleshoot and fix anything that burned gas. He always told me, as have many other very reputable mechanics, 1 qt or less in a 1000 miles is just normal oil consumption. Remember too, that if you just did a rebuild that included rings it will take some time for them to seat and you will have a bit higher oil consumption until they seat. There's no such thing as an engine that doesn't use some oil.

Holy Cripes!!! I just looked them up on the Schucks website and they're $254!!! Damn! I'd be checking some JYs before I'd pay that much. I bought one for an 86 Ford Ranger a couple years ago and it was around $25. What a difference!!

I just put Bosch Platinum 2 plugs in my 91 Loyale and regular Bosch Platinum in my '92 Loyale. Bought 2 sets of the regular ones so my son can put a set in his '86, too. Paid about $6 for all 3 sets!! Ok, I scrounged around the local JY the other day and found them. Bought a pneumatic spark plug cleaner that Harbor Frieght had on sale for $9.95 and cleaned them all up. Kind of did it just as an experiment to see how well they'd work and how well they'd clean. The Platinum 2 plugs clean better, because the dual electrode design doesn't seem to block the abrasive blast like the single overhead electrode does. But, they all seem to work great. Might be just my imagination but the '92 seems to have more power climbing the hill on the way to work.

A qt. in 1500 miles? Nothing wrong with that. Normal oil consumption is generally considered to be around a qt. or less per 1000 miles.

Are you referring to the Throttle Position Sensor? It's mounted on the side of the carbuerator or throttle body and tells the computer what the position of the throttle butterfly valve is. Basically, it's a rheostat.

The line that takes fuel from the tank to the pump isn't pressurized. It is a suction line. Any good fuel line that will fit the nipple on the pump should do fine.

I only go to a $tealership if I can't get the part anywhere else. I know most are just running an honest business, but I can't afford to pay for their overhead. BK2, how's your overheating problem been? I had much the same problem in my '91 recently. Finally pulled the radiator and carefully pulled the passenger side tank off then ran the garden hose through the other tank and found that it was mostly plugged. I used a wire to unplug the tubes and carefully reassembled it with just a thin coat of RTV on the gasket. Been working like a charm since then. Some one else recently posted that a strip of metal 33"L x 1/4"W x .032" thick works good too. I found some scrap aluminum and cut two of them, just for future use.

Can anyone tell me if the Digi-dash from 88 Loyale wagon will swap into either my 91 wagon or my 92 wagon? Both of them have original analog dash. The Digi-dash is at a local JY, but I don't want to go to the grief of pulling it and paying for it and then find out it won't work.

My 92 Loyale wagon seems to have an intermittant temp guage. Works fine most of the time, but now and then it just goes dead for a while. I know the coolant is topped off and everything is running fine. I think it might be the sensor. Is the sensor that runs the guage the one in the thermostat housing, that normally has a green connector on the wire pigtail? Thanks

Very well put, Northwet. I have to agree.