[Lifter "Clicking" eliminated]

FWIW-

 

I only drive my Subaru in the Winter but I had to get it out early due to some unfortunate circumstances. I ran Mobil 1 0W-40 with a K&N oil filter for about 5K miles and I started to get "the click". Even a co-worker of mine said something like "whats that terrible clicking sound coming out of there ?".

 

I guess M1 0W-XX tends to shear down thinner. And from this board I know that the older Soobs like a thick oil.

 

I just changed to a cocktail of M1 1qt. 0W=40, 2qt. M1 SUV 5W-40, and 1qt. of M1 15W50. Click is all gone.

 

0w40 = great pumpability. Wisconsin Winters

5W40 = great additive package, won't shear.

15W50 = thicken it up a little, still pumps at -45F

Filter is a Supertech from Wal-Mart which gets great reviews and is cheap.

 

Thanks,

Chad L

87 GL-10 Turbo

Oshkosh, WI

claehn@new.rr.com

[Cold Weather Oil]

Extreme Winter oil help needed. I only drive my Soob in

the winter and I just got it out because my Ferrari broke a

drive shaft.

I realize there is bobistheoilguy.com so don't refer me there.

There is not really any talk of oil for older Soobs on that site.

 

I run Mobil1 0W40 and it worked very well last winter even

though my Interstate MP24 at 900 CCA needed a 300 CCA

boost many nights. I need to be at work at 2am, get my drift ?

I had some lift noise recently and I realize that M1 0w40 can

shear to a lighter 40 weight. I was thinking of going with

the Mobil 1 Truck & SUV 5W40 for the additive package and

if I get some lifter noise I will dum,p in some M1 15W50.

 

Any opinions ?

 

Thx,

Chad

87 Gl10 Turbo

[True Flow VS. K&N]

AEIOU:

 

First off, I have heard that K&N is not the greatest at filtering those single digit micron particles of dirt. Which is why I believe K&N is probably best suited for high HP (WRX, STi, V8's, etc.). My 240hp modded 92 SHO has been Dyno'd with/without a K&N and it added 2 hp/2 lbs torque. Therefore, what will it do for a classic Subaru airbox ? 1hp ? At the cost of slightly less filtration ? I'll get a "regular" air filter.

 

I have recently tried a few things to the air intake and I will describe here. All can draw their own conclusions. I took off the stock airbox and bought a ricer adapter plate to get ready for a cold air induction. Friend comes over, I'm on vacation, we get hammered (Wisconsin), and I forget about NOT having ANY filtration on the MAF. Drive the car the next day and I remark about the "awsome throttle response" and "wow, the turbo really winds up nice !". However, I did notice it ran really rough/low on idle, about 200 rpm less. I checked it out later and saw my little mistake. Put the stock airbox back on and it runs just like original. I'll have to see what happens when I get the custom K&N hooked up.

 

Sorry for Novel,

Chad

87 GL10 Turbo AWD 5 speed 130K

[87 Subaru GL Battery Not charging]

I will post one of my battery/charging adventures.

This was on a early-90's Chevy Cavalier a friend of my drove only in the winter opposite an NSX. He couldn't figure it out and when I looked at it, jumped it, charged it, checked alternator, it was a bad ground wire to the battery. Like NorthWet said, check the wiring. I have seen some cheap sets at automotive supply stores and will eliminate one possibility without paying some guy to look at it for hourly shop charges. Also, is the battery good ? I had a new battery for about 3 months and it "died". It was an Exide. Just wouldn't hold a charge. Replaced 100% under warranty. Still starts great.

 

Chad L

87 GL10 Turbo

[How to open the hood ?]

I went to check the oil, I pulled the hood un-latch, and it brought with it a foot of cable. Finally, I pulled the whole thing out in one fatal drag. So, how do I open my hood now ? I could probably do it by demolishing the grill, but I would like to save it. The latch mechanism seems rather sealed up from the front side to prevent thiefs from opening it up. Can I get at it manually ?

 

87 GL-10 Turbo 5-speed.

 

Thanks,

Chad L

Oshkosh, WI

[How to keep your subaru alive by John Muir]

If this helps:

 

Written by Larry Owens

 

Part of the "John Muir Idiot Book Auto Series"

 

John Muir Publications

PO Box 613

Santa Fe, NM 87504

ISBN 0-945465-11-4

 

I did a search on John Muir Publications and it appears there are some other books out there by them, so I assume they are still around.

 

Chad

87 GL-10 Turbo

[air suspension question and help]

I don't think there are any aftermarket air suspensions available that are a direct replacement. When I got my soob 3 years ago the two rears were shot and I think I was looking at $1000 for it to be fixed by the Subaru dealer. I bought the non-air (4 pre-loaded struts) from Hal's Parts for about $250 and had some shop put them in for less than $200 = $450 total. I did not have the time nor did I know the Soob well enough yet to do the work myself, so if you are good with a wrench, maybe you need no labor. FWIW - the Soob runs fine after you disconnect the air-ride controller under the drivers seat so it does not keep trying to inflate what is not there (if you remove air ride).

 

Chad

87 GL10 Turbo

[Recommended battery ?]

My Soob is a cold climate vehicle and when it hit -10F the other day, my battery struggled. It is a store brand, Exide manufactured, 1 yr old item and I do not know the CCA. I checked out Interstate and they have a model MTP-24 rated at 800 CCA and there's a Duralast Gold rated at 900 CCA. I had an Interstate in an old Nissan 4 cyl and it never flinched in the coldest temps.

My oil is Mobil1 5W30, soon to be 0W40, so I doubt that is too thick.

 

Any input is appreciated !!

 

Thanks to all,

Chad L

87 GL-10 Turbo 5-speed AWD

Oshkosh, WI

[oil filter]

I have used K&N oil filters (hp2008) and Mobil1 0W30 or 5W30 since I have owned the vehicle. Minus the last winter I ran Amsoil2000 0W30. 80 MPH almost every day, and I work at 1am so I get the COLDEST temps. in Wisconsin.

 

BUT: 1 quart of oil per 3K miles traveled and only a few drops on the ground. No noticable smoke ... whatever.

 

Chad

87 gl-10 turbo

[Gear oil suggestions]

I just used the Valvoline Durablend 80W90 for Wisconsin Winter. It goes in both the manual tranny and the rear diff. It is OK to use on Limited slip diffs. I thought the Mobil1 was a little pricey at the time.

 

I did do a sort of a flush. When I had either of the items completely drained, I kept the pan under them and just squirted some cheap regular gear oil in the and let it run out so a little more gunk would come out. Do it right after driving when the oil is warmer and flows out better. For the rear diff .... jack the front way up so more comes out.

 

Thanks,

Chad 87 GL-10 Turbo

[Manual Trans change.. what gear oil wieght to use??]

I just did this in my 5-speed 87 gl-10, and I used the Valvoline 80W90 Synthetic Blend (Wisconsin winter).

 

Can you turn a wrench ? I know you have a different make of Subaru but it was really easy on mine and I am no expert. The toughest part was minimizing spill when filling it back up.

If you can find the drain plug and jack it up a little you should be able to do attempt this yourself. The plug on mine was 22 or 24mm though and I had to buy a new socket I didn't have.

 

I did spill some on the turbo and stuff really smelled when burned!

 

Good Luck,

Chad L

87 gl-10 Turbo

[Recommended Plug Wires]

And after you enter the site, there's a Subaru right there !

 

Is that a WRX ?

 

Anyway ... thanks for the help everyone.

 

Chad

87 Turbo

[Recommended Plug Wires]

What is a good aftermarket wire ? Specifically anyone have a model number they have currently running on their Soob? I know I have seen Accel, and MSD run by some people, but a search of the board has not rendered exact info. Some of the manufaturers websites don't always do so well to find a fit for my engine when I try to use the vehicle selection utility.

 

It looks like to me any standard plug wire will fit but I know sometimes the wires can get too long for my H4 engine.

 

Thanks all,

Chad L

1987 GL-10 Turbo AWD 5-speed

[What's so special about LSD? not the drug]

"So what doesn't (or does) my manual 4wd '92 Loyale have?"

 

If you look at the rear of the rear diff on your car there should be a sticker or some kind of marking that says, in english letters, LSD and then some numbers determining the ratio, like 3.7 or 3.9. On my 87 GL-10 I have a green sticker that says LSD, 3.7, Fuji Heavy Industries and then some Japanese writing.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Chad L

87 GL-10 Turbo w/ LSD.

[Anyone have Winterforce tires ?]

These tires are one of a few available in a 175-70-13 size and nicely priced at $33/ea. at tirerack.com. I only drive the Soob in winter and I would like to hear any feedback on these if anyone has run them. I did a search and I did not get any hits and I haven't found any other reviews.

 

Thanks all,

Chad L

87 GL-10 Turbo 5-speed LSD

Oshkosh, WI

[Amp meter hook up]

I bought an amp meter but the directions are very vague, only mentioning a few American automakers and how the meter may hook up with them. I know some people have them, so where should I route my + and - wires for a reading ??

 

1987 GL-10 Turbo 5 speed.

 

Thanks,

Chad L