scrap487 Posted December 9, 2005 Share Posted December 9, 2005 ok, so heres the whole story. I bought two weeks ago an 81 subaru GL 4x4(4spd manual w/ d/r). it ran, but not very well, figure it wouldnt take too much to get it running good.... ok now, I get home, swap the bad axles out, change the oil and filters twice after running mmo through it first, havent done ignition work other than timing which is OK, I took some carb cleaner to it but it carb could benefit from rebuild(runs rough at start up but when warm no hesitation). now, it runs quite a bit better, but there is still more to be done, and I'm at a loss of what all I should do and in what order. when it starts up cold, the highest the oil pressure gets is about 40psi according to the guage, and then when it warms up it sits around 10psi at idle and goes to 15-25psi when loaded, is this acceptable? the oil that was in the engine originally for the last 5-9 years, while on the dipstick looked GOOD, tho the viscosity was totally gone, but when I drained it out, it was dark black watery sludge. right now it has 20-50 in it. what kinds of signs should I listen/watch for from the engine if its not getting enough oil or anything? it sounds like a rod bearing is trashed on the drivers side sometimes, really REALLY loud clacking/clicking sound, but i've read that this could be the HLAs when they dont get enough oil, or are worn out. I'm guessing its probably not getting enough oil. I was thinking maybe I should take the oil pan and valve covers off and clean everything up good and replace some of the easier to get to gaskest? but really I'm at a total loss of 'knowing' what should be done regardless, and I'm really handy with a wrench, but I lack a lot of knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted December 9, 2005 Share Posted December 9, 2005 20w50 sounds kind of heavy to me. I'd put in some 10w30 and see what that does for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 9, 2005 Author Share Posted December 9, 2005 20w50 sounds kind of heavy to me. I'd put in some 10w30 and see what that does for you. I'll try that.. 20-50 is just what i got sitting around by the case, cause my nissan 720 4x4 has 320k on it, and my moms 2wd toyota has 230k... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted December 9, 2005 Share Posted December 9, 2005 Oil pressure sounds good. The gauges on these cars are not real accurate, so don't be surprized if it reads "0" pressure when it's warmed up and idling. Lifter tick could just be from sitting, and may go away after driving it for awhile. MMO, Seafoam, or ATF will help clean out the oil system. Oil pan, rocker covers, front crank seal, are the easiest gaskets/seals to do on these engines. Have to raise engine some to do oil pan though. Recommend fresh plugs, wires, cap/rotor, along with both fuel filters. Would also change the coolant hoses, and drive belt(s), just to be sure of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 9, 2005 Author Share Posted December 9, 2005 Oil pressure sounds good. The gauges on these cars are not real accurate, so don't be surprized if it reads "0" pressure when it's warmed up and idling. Lifter tick could just be from sitting, and may go away after driving it for awhile. MMO, Seafoam, or ATF will help clean out the oil system. Oil pan, rocker covers, front crank seal, are the easiest gaskets/seals to do on these engines. Have to raise engine some to do oil pan though. Recommend fresh plugs, wires, cap/rotor, along with both fuel filters. Would also change the coolant hoses, and drive belt(s), just to be sure of things. ok thanks... I'm use to seeing oil pressure on the vehicles I normally drive around 45 idle and 60-70 while driving so 25 kinda made me hesitant to take it around the block.. belt DEFFINATELY needs to be changed, its so brittle and dried out I'm amazed its still on there... I got one other question and I know it could be any number of things, but my fan(for heater/vents) blows really weak, it makes a lot of noise like its actually blowing hard, but hardly any air comes out the defroster and virtually nothing out of floor and dash vents... is there something that typically goes wrong with this in these cars? this is gonna be my daily driver and snow machine and a heater is kinda essential to keep things dry warm and not smelling like wet dog.... thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted December 9, 2005 Share Posted December 9, 2005 Flush your cooling system and check for leaves and other critter homes in intake vents ....also ( I had this happen to my 88 GL I had) and little mouse desided that inside the fan blade (heater)cage would make a great place to live..didnt know and burnt my fan motor out. If the belt was dry rotted you should check ALL your hoses. Also follow the wiring harness around and look for chewed wires.. I would definiately be doing what TomRhere recommends first. Also remember that MMO,Seafoam,ATF dont clear up noisy HLS right away..the car needs to be driven and change the oil regularly since the cleaners will be loosening all sorts of goop out of your system. Enjoy you Subie...my motto..you take care of them and will take care of you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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