subiefan

I kind of figured the timing was off. I just don't know why. I used the dashes etched into the metal of the cam sprokets. Not the orange painted arrows. On the passenger side, the arrow and the dash line up exactly. On the driver's side they do not. :/ Chiltons says that both camshaft marks and the crankshaft mark should be pointing at 12 o'clock. All are pointing at 12 o'clock. So what's the hitch here?

Ok. I've been fighting this battle for a while now on my '93 Impreza, ej18. I did the whole timing belt shindig a little over a month ago and all seemed fine. Well, except the car had no power. I tried ruling everything out by doing a tune up. Still no dice, so I reluctantly pulled it back apart this week. Waaaay off. Well, I had everything lined up spot on, put it all back together and tried to start. What do I get? No start and a backfire of protest. Sooo....tore it down again and everything is still spot on. What's going on here? Is it possible for it to be wrong and have all the timing marks still line up right? Sorry for the trouble. I tried searching, but there are so many timing belt posts it's impossible to find what you're looking for.

I would also vote for starter contacts. As for the fuel pump, mine is pretty hard to hear. It's probably fine.

Another thread brought back from the dead.... But thanks anyway. I was wondering why I couldn't get the bloody thing out. I've been living with it ever since it broke. It's really not that big of a deal, but it would be nice to have with the temperature changing. Reaching down to the heater box every morning to switch to heat for defrost isn't fun.

That's what I thought. This guys seems a little too much like a typical used car salesman. He may come down, but quit frankly, I don't want to ever deal with him again. Ever. He lives in the absolute middle of nowhere, dirt road, got lost getting there, and he acted like I was going to take off with the car and not come back or something. A/C is very important to me. Face it. I'm spoiled. Haven't had a car without it in years. That alone would probably cost upwards of $300 to have a shop fix, convert, and recharge with R134. The car runs like a top, and the exhaust leak doesn't really bother me....but we have yearly inspections here and it would likely grab a ticket. He'll even throw in a gallon of grey car paint to match everything up again. He has several EA82 parts cars, so I don't see why he wouldn't part with a headlight and whatever's squealing. I couldn't track it down....either PS pump or alternator. There was a sweet looking wagon, completely rust-free, beautiful interior and exterior. But the engine was torn down, and the driver's rear tire was pointing in at a very sickly angle. A few XT's too, most I would guess are for parts. A couple more EA82 parts cars too. But like I said, I don't want to deal with the seller any more. I don't have the time or the desire to work on a car if I don't have to right now. She just needs some TLC, but I can't give it. To be honest, I was really looking for a FWD mileage queen anyway, preferably a wagon. Passed the gas station today. $2.99. Ouch. Want to get ahold of a gas-sipper while still staying in the Subaru family, and SPFI FWD 5spds seem to be the best, besides the multiport XT's.

Weeeellll......saw the car today. The good: Only 121k miles. Runs smooth. No TOD. 5spd, 4WD. Relatively rust-free. Decent tires. Clutch ok. Good WV Inspection. The bad: Exhaust. Could be the manifold, or maybe just the gasket. The car has obviously been sitting for some time. Paint mismatched. Was originally grey. Now has two white doors, a white hood, and blue front fender. Driver's side headlight has moisture inside. Power steering squeals when turned lock-to-lock. Power windows barely move. Heater blower dying. Interior isn't great but would probably clean up OK. Has probably had wildlife living in it at some point. It has no plates, so I couldn't take it beyond the driveway. With a little TLC, this could be a very nice daily driver. I'm not sure how willing he is to negotiate price, but I really don't have the time or resources to fix this car up anyway. If anyone local is interested in saving a Subie from further abuse, let me know.

Thought I'd give you guys an update. Well, I still haven't seen the car, much to my dismay. The Tuesday appointment flopped....I got lost on the way, and by the time I figured out the directions it was getting dark. Guess I forgot to mention that I can't find my way out of a phone booth when I got them. This guy is ridiculously hard to get ahold of, but with any luck, I should be going tomorrow morning. I guess the good part is no one else is getting through either. At last contact, he had no other offers. I wasn't expecting 40 mpg. If I was, I'd get a Toyota. But I wanted a 4WD anyway, plus the reliability and easy-to-work-on factor of a Subaru. I've wanted an 80's era Sube for quite a while now. The new gens are nice, but EA82's just have a special quirky charm about them. And there's the 4WD bit again. My road is usually the last in the county to be plowed when the snow flies.

Appointment made! I go to drive tomorrow evening. I'm not concerned about mileage...the odo reading that is... but I will post when I find out, along with a complete report. With any luck I'll be buying it. Good to here about the mpg. I know there used to be a thread floating around here where everyone posted theirs, but it's long dead. That and I've been dying to get ahold of a 5spd. Slush-o-matics are not for me. But I won't argue that, and I know they sometimes have their advantages. Like stop-and-go traffic.

I've noticed that it really depends on how often a Subie has seen a carwash up here. The salt only comes from the road, so if you keep it washed off the rust really can't grab hold. You have salt air to deal with. Then again, most people don't wash under their cars. Surface rust I can live with, but rot-through in critical areas will send me running. Same story with overheating or evidence thereof.

Thanks. It's na, SPFI. I already thought of the rust issue and planned to look for it. We do unfortunately use salt on the roads here. I hope to use it as a work car that doesn't cost me a fortune in gas and isn't afraid of snow. Hopefully it doesn't have terminal cancer just yet.

I may be joining you old gen owners. I'm going to look at an '89 GL tomorrow. It's a sedan, 5 spd and 4WD. I talked to the owner but forgot to ask the mileage. Asking price - $800. I hate to ask, but besides the basics, what should I look out for? Thanks a lot guys.

I thought of that too, but it looks like I was right. Checked the antifreeze about a half hour ago. Bingo! It was low. Not terribly, but enough, and it has to be going somewhere. I made sure it was full when I tested my antifreeze before the cold weather hit. Along with the noise, I'd say it looks like the pump's days are numbered. I've yet to pull the cover off to confirm, but I'm pretty sure. I guess I'll go ahead and do everything while I've got it torn down. Water pump, oil pump, T belt, tensioner, idlers, and oil seals. *Shakes wallet* Why does everything have to break when my tax return comes in.

I thought of tensioners too. *sigh* I guess I'm tearing into it, one way or another. I've only had the car a couple years, and don't have the history on it. I'd assume they're original. I'm afraid to let it go any longer, as I don't really want anything self-destructing on the road 50 miles from home. Crap. I don't feel like dumping money into it but...T belt is due anyway. So is oil pump and all front seals. Tensioners and idlers too. Bleh. I'll check for leakage and pull the T belt covers off. See if there's any play in the pump. I'd guess it's original, so I'm leaning towards it. Either that or tensioners/idlers. Well, thanks.

'93 Impreza, roughly 200k miles. Just started a couple days ago. I've got a chirping/squeaking/squealing noise from the front of the engine. It comes and goes...not constant. With any other car, I'd say the water pump was starting to go. Do Subaru pumps usually fail like this? Chirping, then leaking? As far as I know, nothing is leaking. The radiator is full, although it could be a slow leak. I have a feeling it's going to get worse. Bleh.

So I take it you're trying to pick up a non-running car for cheap and fix. My best guess would be that the timing is waaaaay off. Maybe someone messed up the t-belts. I don't know much about ea82's though. Like I said, post this on the "Older Generation of Subarus" forum (link below). The experts on your car are over there. They should be able to help. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=2