Greetings! Just bought a 1987 XT GL-10 Turbo wagon.

It is in pretty good shape with 126k on the clock and seems to have been well maintained. Located in Western NC. Any suggestions on what I should focus on PM wise will be treasured.

David

Welcome aboard!

 

do you have any kind of maintenance history on the car??

 

If not - first and foremost - timeing belt and related items. there is lots of good info here - you will want to look in the older gen section for the model you have.

 

next up would be hoses - radiator, heater and vacuum...repcae any that feel hard, or mushy

basic tuneup stuff - plugs, wires, cap & rotor...and filters - fuel and air.

 

Just be forewarned - you may take a bit of flack over the turbo part (there are some here that dont like those motors just dont take it personally)

These do require regular headgasket replacements or so I have read. If they have already been done great.

 

I would plan on doing the following unless already been done before:

 

a complete engine reseal, including headgaskets, new thermostat, ALL new hoses that hold coolant, and a new radiator. Make sure you know the cooling fans are working and come on when they are suppose to.

If you take care of these things pre-emptive to when needed, you will have a much longer engine life, and have a good runner for years to come.

 

Many many horror stories out there due to neglected maintenance, and not spending a little now, having to spend a lot later, or having to junk it due to overheat.

Edited November 20, 201114 yr by bheinen74

Thanks for the advice (both of ya'll). I ordered a new radiator because the seller told me he had repaired a pinhole leak in it. The records show a new timing chain and tensioner along with what appeared to be a complete gasket job, water pump, and a few other items. It starts and runs well so far. If temp gauge can be trusted it is not running hot. Most of the work was done around 110-116k. It does have a mild funky oil smell in the engine compartment after driving for 30 minutes but no signs of a leak.

These do require regular headgasket replacements or so I have read. If they have already been done great.

 

 

 

This is true for newer subarus, but these cars tend to fail headgaskets due to failure of cooling system/poor maintenance rather than all by themselves.

 

Address the cooling system, water pump, radiator, hoses, and....engine temp sensor for maximum reliability.

 

 

You could undertake some maintenance yourself if you can do work on cars, as these engines are quite simple, but also different than all other makes.

 

The oil smell could the PCV valve as it can consume oil that way. It is located off the back of the intake. It's a good idea to replace it with a SUBARU brand, or at least clean the original one if only cheapos are available at your local retailer.

 

While here, do some searching about axles and wheel bearings, and how to do brake pads, as the caliper has the parking mechanism in the front brakes.

 

The axles will be 25 splines with manual trans, 4eat full time AT, and 23 splines with a 3at