StallonePanerai Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 I’m about to tackle replacing my oil pump with a new unit as a precaution on my 84 brat. I have been reading horror stories of the pumps breaking off leaving parts in the block. I have been searching for videos and pics of how to do it but I cannot find any anywhere. Can anyone help? Should I use an aftermarket pump or does the dealer still sell them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyeights Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Pull the bolts out of the pump and try rotating it slightly in either direction. If you pry on it it will usually break. If you are gentle with it maybe it will come out in one piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 (edited) There is no such thing as an "aftermarket" oil pump for an EA81. They were made by Atsugi and then later branded Hitachi - either due to a manufacturer change or acquisition..... all "aftermarket" are just grey market factory units..... The dealer is out of stock forever. So at the present time you can't buy a new oil pump for the EA engines unless you find new old stock on ebay, etc. GD Edited October 30, 2018 by GeneralDisorder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEECHBM69 Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 13 hours ago, StallonePanerai said: I’m about to tackle replacing my oil pump with a new unit as a precaution on my 84 brat. I have been reading horror stories of the pumps breaking off leaving parts in the block. I have been searching for videos and pics of how to do it but I cannot find any anywhere. Can anyone help? Should I use an aftermarket pump or does the dealer still sell them? Unless the engine has been abused (run without oil) these pumps don't generally "fail." You can still get the reseal kits, which will address any leak or aeration issues you may be experiencing. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StallonePanerai Posted October 30, 2018 Author Share Posted October 30, 2018 I just bought the car so I don’t really know the history. I have been reading up on these and people are saying they don’t last much past 100k. I was only doing it as a precaution. The pump is not leaking. I just figured replace it. But it seems it could be a real PITA getting out. Maybe I should just leave it????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 (edited) In my experience - it depends on how the engine has been cared for. I have seen them in good shape at 100k and I have seen the pumps scored to rat$hit at 100k. I have never had much difficulty removing them - just leave the filter attached and use it like a handle to twist the pump. Twist and pull evenly and they come right out typically. You will find that these are fast approaching the stage where they are collectibles and not viable daily drivers. Parts are getting really scarce. GD Edited October 30, 2018 by GeneralDisorder 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 1 hour ago, GeneralDisorder said: You will find that these are fast approaching the stage where they are collectibles and not viable daily drivers. Parts are getting really scarce. GD What should we start hording next, before it becomes obsolete? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 33 minutes ago, carfreak85 said: What should we start hording next, before it becomes obsolete? parts cars 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 3 hours ago, carfreak85 said: What should we start hording next, before it becomes obsolete? OEM Subaru clutch and throttle cables. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 (edited) 28 minutes ago, GeneralDisorder said: OEM Subaru clutch and throttle cables. Well the EA81T cable is already obsolete, but good call on the clutch cables... Edited October 30, 2018 by carfreak85 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 2 minutes ago, carfreak85 said: Well the EA81T cable is already obsolete, so.... We know how bad the aftermarket one's are - imagine a day (coming soon) when you can no longer buy a viable clutch cable. What then eh? The end is nigh. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Stallone, do you actually have a new pump? Here in Aus we got the better EA81 oil pump for our harsh conditions so they last longer than the rest of the vehicle. I have had many EA81 with over 300,000 km up to 500,000 km and know of one still going beyond its odometer life at an average of 40,000 km a year. All still the original oil pump. Don't believe everything you read or hear. That bit above about an Aus spec oil pump ...my BS moment on the internet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 So leave oil pump alone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StallonePanerai Posted October 31, 2018 Author Share Posted October 31, 2018 I do not have a replacement pump. I called Napa today and they don’t have a source for them. I didn’t see any on EBay either. Can someone let me know where I can purchase one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 As far as I know, NLA. More parts are going that way. I've been planning for this for quite a while now, for me EA82s. If there are no symptoms, leave it be. At most, it might need a new shaft seal and o rings. Unless, as mentioned previously, it was abused. Start keeping an eye out for parts cars, old stock, some one deciding to move to a different car who has a lot of spare parts. Get a milling machine, and start making one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 I have seen them on eBay as a one off New Old Stock or just a clean up of personal items rather than a run of them. China is now making water pumps so oil pumps may be something to come. Maybe renew oil pressure light switch and go from there if oil light indicates any problem I doubt it will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 if it is like the oil; light switch on my 76, it will light when you have near zero oil pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 10 hours ago, StallonePanerai said: I do not have a replacement pump. I called Napa today and they don’t have a source for them. I didn’t see any on EBay either. Can someone let me know where I can purchase one? You can't. That's what we have been saying. These cars are not viable drivers anymore. You can't get hardly any parts for the engine anymore. Almost everything is NLA (No Longer Available) from Subaru and they were the only supplier. You won't know if you need one till you pull it. It may only need seals.... but these engines run unfiltered oil through the pump - which has an aluminum housing. They get pretty torn up inside after 100k of "average" maintenance with non-synthetic. I've seen it more times than I can count. GD 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 17 hours ago, GeneralDisorder said: We know how bad the aftermarket one's are - imagine a day (coming soon) when you can no longer buy a viable clutch cable. What then eh? The end is nigh. GD Convert to EJ with a hydro clutch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 14 minutes ago, carfreak85 said: Convert to EJ with a hydro clutch! Yes that would be one solution. It can certainly be done by swapping over entirely to newer drivetrain. And this is how my lifted hatch will live on into the future. But it's not really a viable proposition for people buying old "cheap" Subaru's to drive around. You aren't going to get that done (right and reliable) for any less than $5k to $10k in parts and sweat equity or possibly even more if you are paying someone like me to do it. I'm doing an EJ swap into a Brat right now for a customer. Phase I is to part out the entire (running, driving, perfectly viable) 96 5 speed outback, and 89 XT6 to get all the parts we need to do what he wants. You don't even want to know what the projected cost is on this one. It involves custom lift components to fit the entire EJ subframe under the Brat..... GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 12 hours ago, DaveT said: Get a milling machine, and start making one. Just saw this. Right ON! But really you need like 5 axis CNC or specialized tooling to build a trochoid pump..... Actually it probably wouldn't be that difficult to build an adapter plate that could route hoses to a belt-driven pump as used in dry-sump systems. Definitely going to cost more than the OEM pump. GD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subasaurus Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 after 7 months of checking almost everyday on ebay, a New Old Stock EA71 oil pump popped up, bought it immediately at a hefty $140, glad i did because when i was removing mine 2 months ago, it broke where the cylindrical piece connects to the pump, and i had to extract the piece that got stuck in the block, i think EA81's are like this... replaced it because the pump leaked a drop every few minutes, nothing catastrophic but i knew i had to find a replacement one eventually. if i was able to find a EA71 New old stock pump, im sure you can find a EA81 pump remanufactured or New old stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 If it was only leaking, it only needed seals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subasaurus Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 27 minutes ago, DaveT said: If it was only leaking, it only needed seals. was that to me? as old as the car is, which is about to hit 40years, i didn't want to bother with just the seals, plus i was unable to extract the 2 phillips screws behind the pump to access the seal, another reason i was glad i got the whole pump instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Problem is - they get torn up internally, and occasionally break when attempting to remove. So having a replacement on-hand for the job is advisable....... advisable...... but unfortunately not feasible for most people now. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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