GLwagon1984

Thanks, Steptoe's photos! A compression test was the only remaining thing I could think to try. I had not even considered a clogged fuel line. As you said, a compression test might be easier, so I'm thinking I'll start there, then move on to the fuel lines and hoses and report back as soon as I've got results. Hopefully the problem presents itself in one of those two areas, and I'm hoping it's just a fuel line!

My 1984 GL Wagon will not maintain a steady idle once it is warmed up (choke open), but idles fine cold (choke closed), and it sputters when I take my foot off the gas pedal and allow the revs to drop from a higher rpm. Just sitting idling, the needle on the tach bounces around between about 600 and 1,000 rpm, but just applying enough pressure to the gas pedal to bring it above 1,000 rpm stops this. Like the tach, the reading on my vacuum gauge is all over the place when hooked up at idle. Does anyone have any ideas as to the cause? Here's the backstory / what I've done to it so far: The car was driven regularly until being traded in at an independent Subaru shop/used car dealer, then sat for about a year - only driven occasionally I bought it and drove maybe 100 miles over the course of a month, and it ran and idled great until it suddenly started dying every time I let off the gas pedal while out of gear (or clutch in) I replaced both fuel filters, and did not notice any bad smell to the gas or any junk in either filter That didn't fix the problem, so I converted to a Weber carb, and it ran great, but idled high around 1,000 rpm I adjusted the carb per Weber's instructions and to bring the idle down to around 800 rpm, and the rough idle issue started I couldn't fix the issue no matter how much I fiddled with the carb, so I thought it was a vacuum leak I searched for leaks using carb cleaner, then removed all vacuum hoses (including vacuum advance) and plugged all the ports, but the issue continued I replaced the PCV valve and intake manifold gaskets, but still no difference Just today I tried to start it after a month without running it, cranked it for 30ish seconds a few times (with breaks in between) and noticed the fuel filter at the firewall had very little, if any, gas in it (but I'm pretty sure the tank is over half full), so now I think I've got a fuel pump issue and am wondering if this has anything to do with idle issue. Sorry for the long write-up, but I want to share as much relevant information as I can. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Does anyone know of a suitable replacement for the coolant bypass hose that connects to the top of the water pump on an ea81? Mine is leaking and needs to be replaced, but I can't find a moulded hose specifically for that application. Somebody has probably already written about this on here, but I've not been able to find anything. I am hoping there is a hose of the same size with a similar radius from another vehicle that could be cut to fit the ea81, since it seems like the only hoses available from Subaru or the aftermarket at this point are the upper and lower radiator hoses.

Thanks! Lately, it wouldn't stay running long enough to get to operating temperature anyway, but the propane torch did the trick for one of the studs. Hopefully the other will break free after another attempt or two.

I am currently working on converting my '84 EA81 to the Weber 32/36, and the first hiccup I've run into is in removing the old studs from the intake manifold. The back two came out fine using the 2-nut method, but the front two are badly corroded and will not budge even after numerous applications of PB Blaster. I think it's time to take a propane torch to them, but I don't know if I need to heat up the studs themselves, the manifold, or both. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks for suggesting that! I certainly would have given it a try, but I am actually now working on converting to the Weber 32/36. I really wanted to make the factory Hitachi work, but I got tired of messing with it and decided the Weber would probably serve me better long-term anyway.

Thanks! I'll certainly read up and watch any videos I can find before diving into it.

Thanks for all the input! I removed the top of the carburetor, shot it with plenty of carburetor cleaner, and tried to clean everything I could get to about as well as I could with the carb still on the manifold. When I put it back together, there was no change. The inside of the carb still looks filthy, the gasket material is disintegrating, and since it still doesn't run right, I'm thinking it might be time to get a carburetor kit, pull off the carburetor, and clean/rebuild it. Does anyone have suggestions for a brand of carb kit and/or where to buy it?

Now that I've got some free time and decent weather for working on the Subaru again, I'm back to trying to get it to stay running. I did manage to get the choke to open with just a few shots of carburetor cleaner, but I'm still having problems. When I start the car cold, it idles at about 2,000 rpm for maybe 30 seconds or so, then the choke opens most of the way and rpms drop to 1,200-1,500. At this point, if I give it a little gas, as soon as I let off the gas completely, rpms drop like a rock and it dies. So I tried just letting it idle without touching the gas pedal to see what would happen. It stayed around 1,500 rpm for a couple minutes, then began to climb slowly. Once it got up around 3,000 rpm, I put a little pressure on the gas pedal and let off, and again it died. I have no idea what to make of this, so if anyone has ideas, I'd love to hear them. I don't know what to try next. Also, I did check the contact points in the distributor. All looked clean, but I went over them with some fine sandpaper just in case. The air filter appears to be new, and is very clean, so no issues there that I can see.

So, the picture below is what it looks like as soon as it's started cold and once it's warmed up (and won't idle) - nothing changes as far as I can tell. It seems to me that the choke is not opening properly as you suggested earlier. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that looks like the butterfly is not opening like it should. If I understand correctly, if this is the problem, it should not only cause the idle issue, but also make the fuel/air mixture richer, and cause those carbon-fouled plugs.

Thanks! I'll give this a try.

One thing I forgot to add before is a picture of the old spark plugs. I don't know if this provides any insight for the problem I'm experiencing, but the old plugs were black and sooty.

I'm not sure about the choke. Looking down the carburetor with the air cleaner off, I couldn't see any difference between when it was cold and running fine and when it warmed up and wouldn't idle, but I don't really know what to look for either (I'm new to carburetors). As to the gas, the problem started before buying new gas and has continued with new gas. The previous owners had it about a year and didn't really drive it or work on it, and I have no idea what the owner before did and when. Not knowing the maintenance history and with the idle issue, I just replaced the two fuel filters and the spark plugs (I already had a new set on hand), but nothing has changed. The air filter is fine, but I don't know about the distributor contacts and rotor. Could you tell me what/how to check there? I think I unplugged the right wire for the temperature switch (picture attached), but the engine still died once it warmed up as before. Any suggestions/ideas on where to go from here?

My '84 GL wagon starts fine, idles okay (has a bit of a miss - I'm going to replace the spark plugs and see if that helps), then dies as soon as it's warmed up and out of gear. It'll idle at 1,500-2,000 rpm cold, but once I've driven maybe a mile it will not idle at all. I can start it right back up as long as I apply a little pressure to the gas pedal, but as soon as I lift off the gas, it dies again. When I bought it in September, this was not a problem. It seemed to idle too high when warm, but it wouldn't die. I drove it a couple times, probably 30-40 miles each, then the next time I drove it the problem started. Does this sound like an issue with the carburetor (I believe it's a Hitachi)? Does it need to be cleaned or adjusted? Or could it be something else? Also, I would have messed with the idle adjustment screw, but I can't find it. I don't really know what I'm looking for, and I haven't been able to find any photos or videos that identify the idle adjustment and air/fuel mix adjustment screws. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Right now I don't even know where to start. Thanks!

Thanks, naru2! That's exactly what I needed to know.