October 16, 20169 yr Help request: I'm trying to keep my one and only car, 1984 Subaru GL wagon (manual, dual 4wd, 1.8L) going. Disclaimer: I am not a mechanic, albeit reasonably handy with mechanical things. It has problems going uphill, sometimes even in 1st gear, especially when it's cold and snowy. I suspected the vacuum advance. Took it to local repair place to have vacuum advance checked and replaced if needed. They charged me lots of money, replaced spark plugs and wires, and did nothing about vacuum advance. Upon requesting info about why they had not done the requested repair, I was told that the vacuum advance was bad. They could not find a replacement. My query: Where can I find a replacement, what vacuum advances are compatible with this machine, and is this likely to fix its traumatic uphill behavior? Can I do this, or do I need auto mechanic help? Also: oil pump is leaking significant amounts of oil (a quart every few weeks). Is it repairable? Do replacement units exist? Is this something I can do myself? Many thanks!
October 16, 20169 yr Vacuum advances are hard to come by these days. Pretty sure I sold my last spare. Your options are to find a rebuilder, a used one from a wrecker,or buy a complete rebuilt disty.. A member has reported success by modifying an 82 civic one as per this thread http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/134642-vacuum-advance-cross-ref-question/ They are easy to swap.You do not need a mechanic. Probably won`t fix your traumatic uphill behavior.Hope I`m wrong. Plug the vacuum line until the leaky one is replaced. Traumatic uphill behavior in the cold is usually choke related. Check the choke adjustments and the pull off diaphragm. If the traumatic uphill behavior is allweather,then check the fuel level in the carb sight glass immediately after it misbehaves. There is a chance that your traumatic uphill behavior is due to carb icing. I`ve seen it on a sube w/the carb. heat stove disabled. Check for this by removing the aircleaner promptly after trouble starts and looking for ice in the carb throat. Carb icing is most likely when outside temperatures are ABOVE freezing and the humidity is high Leaky oil pumps are common. Pumps are available,but,the leaks are fixed by replacing the 5 or 6 now hardened o rings that seal the pump. I resealed the pump on my 84 turbo a while ago.Not too bad of a job. The leak is paticularly annoying on a turbo as the oil drips directly on the exhaust w/waiting at stoplights. No my car is not on fire!
October 16, 20169 yr I found a reseal kit online which had a paper gasket and three o-rings (the o-rings are the leak source, not the paper) but I never encountered the distributor issue. There is a kinda detailed posting in our forums about how to do the oil pump. I did the one in my 1984 Subaru GL wagon. It is much easier than it looks. The hardest part is removing it from the engine as the largest o-ring offers resistance when you are trying to pull the pump off. Check out youtube for a video there. I am sorry I don't have these links. I wish you the best of luck though. Edited October 16, 20169 yr by lrgvanman
October 19, 20169 yr Author Thanks! Will try all the above, including looking for someone who can rebuild the vacuum advance.
October 20, 20169 yr For the oil pump service; http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/134867-1984-gl-18-oil-pump-rebuild-service/ I saw listings for distributors on rockauto.com but I do not know how extensive parts are. Best of Luck to you. Edited October 20, 20169 yr by lrgvanman
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