scrap487 Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 ok so, here is my problem. I have an ea81.. and the drivers side of the engine isnt working... theres spark and I'm pretty sure theres fuel but neither of the 2 cylinders are firing or whatever... both cylinders on the passanger side are working fine. I put new plugs, new wires, new dizzy cap on, and it worked great afterwards. today I had the carb off and didnt take it apart but I did my best to clean all the gunk out of it because it was dieseling a little bit and it hesitating really bad, put it back on after cleaning and everything worked awesome, this was 3-4 hours ago. now I went out to start it up, let it warm just a lil and then drive it out of my driveway, and then it starts idling really bad as I get to the end of my driveway, it revs just fine(I havent had the car long enough to know what it should sound like when nothing is wrong with it tho..). I was thinking maybe um... timing belt or something? and then I searched and I found out ea81s dont have timing belts... does anyone have any suggestions as to what might be wrong and/or how to check/diagnose this? would anyone be willing to come out and take a look at it tomorrow who knows ea81 engines to help me get it running the way it should? it has after all been sitting for at least 5 years, probably more like 9... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 I would guess there may be a clog in the fuel system. Have you checked the filter? What makes you think that only half the engine is working? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 I would guess there may be a clog in the fuel system. Have you checked the filter? What makes you think that only half the engine working? I removed the plug wires from the drivers side one at a time, no change, put them back on, no change, I even swapped em at the cap just incase they were backwards, no change... the second I moved 1 plug wire away from the cap for the passanger side, the engine would start idling worse, and would die after a lil bit... and it wouldnt even try to start if I tried starting the engine with the passanger side plugs disconnected... ugh i'm frustrated... btw this engine is one TOUGH engine, running as long as it does on one cylinder... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 any other suggestions of where/how to start looking? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffast Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 when did you last replace your spark plug wires spark plugs and has it ever run on 4cyl while you have owned it also carbbed spfi of mpfi? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 its carbed, and yes it has, I accidently reversed the plug wires on the drivers side when I replaced the plugs wires and disty cap yesterday, it ran like ************, and then when I found out what I did and switched it back it seemed to run fine. edit: also the answer to everything you asked is in my first post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffast Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 eh been a long day drove 2hrs to pick-up a friends car trailer then back well glad it's fixed sry bout that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 OK... update on my problem, drivers side does actually run, and it runs FINE when cold, but when it warms up it loses power and becomes very weak... could this possibly be a compression problem? what should I test for? ... have also had a bad knocking/clicking... ? ugh I'm frustrated and tired and need to get this thing running so I can stop driving my heep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 eh been a long day drove 2hrs to pick-up a friends car trailer then back well glad it's fixed sry bout that sorry its not fixed, the reversal of the plug wires was a previous problem I had yesterday and tracked down and fixed very quickly... I still have a problem... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank B Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 The loud clicking is no doubt your lifters, pour a can of Sea Foam, Berryman's Chemtool, Valve Medic or any other sludge cleaning junk in the oil. Also check that you oil pressure is good. If not replace the oil pump. I would check the intake manifold gaskets for leaks if only one side of the engine is effected. With the engine warm and running, spray some carb cleaner around the gasket area, and under your carb. If the engine speed changes, you have a leak to fix. Replace the gaskets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 The loud clicking is no doubt your lifters, pour a can of Sea Foam, Berryman's Chemtool, Valve Medic or any other sludge cleaning junk in the oil. Also check that you oil pressure is good. If not replace the oil pump. I would check the intake manifold gaskets for leaks if only one side of the engine is effected. With the engine warm and running, spray some carb cleaner around the gasket area, and under your carb. If the engine speed changes, you have a leak to fix. Replace the gaskets. thanks... I dunno what I'd do without this board I also just talked to a friend, and he said it could possibly be a stuck lifter, or the breaker points are set right... so far my theory is now stuck/gummed up lifters, and probably a gasket leak, since I did have the carb off, and I did reuse the original gasket and spacer, and I realize after I was done I didnt run it enough for it to actually warm up... edit: my oil pressure is kinda low but I was told it was about normal for subes, 30 or so when cold and while driving, and 10-20 at idle when warm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratsrus1 Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Hey Scrap This is Jerry, you say it runs fine when it is cold then as it warms up then starts to run like crap. You have a vacum leak, the reason it runs fine cold is because the choke is on. The car runs richer as it warms up it runs leaner runs like crap. Check the vacum hoses for one that you left off or has a crack in it or you got 2 or more hoses mix up. It also could be your carb at the throtle shalf, when you clean all the gunk off of it you open the hole up a vacum leak. Check the shalf see if it has a lot of play in it. Thanks Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 thanks jerry, I will check all of this tomorrow... I'm not quite used to the whole working on my car in near-freezing/subfreezing + windy conditions yet like I should be. also i was thinking the whole vacuum leak/choke problem might be it, but that would affect the whole motor more than likely rather than just the drivers side... so I'm not so sure. ok, so my list of things to do tomorrow on this car so far includes: Check for vacuum leaks(spray bottle with atf on one fitting at a time w/ vacuum tester?) Check for intake manifold leaks(spray carb cleaner around gaskets and if idle improves replace gasket?) Seafoam/oil sludge cleaner(not sure what to use, schucks by my house only carries 1 brand and I've never seen seafoam there before) Check breaker points Check oil pump/gaskets? anything else I should add to my list to check for and/or do so when I go out tomorrow I can pretty much just go out and do a majority of everything I need to do at once? in the last week I have already changed the oil + filters twice, ran mmo through it when I got it, and right after I first changed the oil, new plugs wires distributor cap, cleaned carb(might need more though and/or rebuild...), right now it has 20-50 in it, I will be change to 10-30 next time I change oil(probably a couple days from the looks of things...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 I would check the compression of the cylinders after the car is warmed up to see if there is any problem there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 is there a way to test w/out having a guage? i dont have one and cant afford to buy one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 I don't know any other way of doing it. If you don't know anyone that you can borrow one from then you should be able to rent one for a few dollars. A good new one should cost a little more than a tank of gas. Another test you can try is the dollar bill trick. To see if any exhaust valves are leaking, hold a bill by one end and place the other end close to the exhaust pipe while the engine is idling. It should be pushed away from the pipe. If one or more of the valves is leaking, the bill will try to get sucked back into the pipe for that cycle as air is pulled into it by the leaky cylinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 I don't know any other way of doing it. If you don't know anyone that you can barrow one from then you should be able to rent one for a few dollars. A good new one should cost a little more than a tank of gas. Another test you can try is the dollar bill trick. To see if any exhaust valves are leaking, hold a bill by one end and place the other end close to the exhaust pipe while the engine is idling. It should be pushed away from the pipe. If one or more of the valves is leaking, the bill will try to get sucked back into the pipe for that cycle as air is pulled into it by the leaky cylinder. lol all of that requires money... which I'm totally lacking :-).. thanks I will try that... that means I gotta take off my exhaust manifold cause the whole exhaust system is all rusted to crap anyways I just got up and I'm bout to go fool around with things, more and more I'm thinking its caused by sticky valves, cause the loud knock is also coming from that side... gonna run it for a while with a lil bit of mmo or atf and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank B Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Marvels Mystery Oil will work to clean up the lifters, but it takes forever. I wouldn't run ATF for more than a few minutes at idle. I know guys have had it in their engines for longer periods of time, but an engine and a tranny are two different machines.Your parts store must have something other than MMO. If not, you can run a quart(no more) of kerosene but just for 5-8 minutes AT IDLE before you change your oil. I think it will do a better job than ATF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 ok... just borrowed a friends compression tester, readings are as follows(with engine cold) Drivers side: 125psi 115psi Passanger side: 125psi 100psi so compression is kinda low, shouldnt it be up around 150-175? so probably stuck/dirty valves being a major contribution to the problem. will get some chem tool, but will also crank some brake fluid around in each cylinder a couple times w/out plugs, and then add more brake flug and starter fluid and put plugs back in, should loosen up everything and blow all the crap out of there right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 I would check the compression while the engine is at normal temperature since you stated that the problem happpens then. If the valves are sticking you will see a big difference in those readings you took cold. I wouldn't bother with the bill trick now that you have a tester. The pressures you gave are low but at least they are resonable for a old engine. To help out with the possible sticking valves you could try using a product called Tufoil. It has a Teflon base to it and helps with bearing surfaces. Another good cleaning product, I think, is called Auto-RX. Here is a link to the web site. http://www.auto-rx.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 I would check the compression while the engine is at normal temperature since you stated that the problem happpens then. If the valves are sticking you will see a big difference in those readings you took cold. I wouldn't bother with the bill trick now that you have a tester. The pressures you gave are low but at least they are resonable for a old engine. To help out with the possible sticking valves you could try using a product called Tufoil. It has a Teflon base to it and helps with bearing surfaces. Another good cleaning product, I think, is called Auto-RX. Here is a link to the web site. http://www.auto-rx.com/ thanks... my friend didnt have the type of compressor that screwed in just the one you hold in place w/ the rubber fitting, and we didnt have a whole lot of time to warm the engine up. the engine only has 161k miles on it, hardly used at all considering its 25 years old, unless its 1.161 million miles, but has a soob EVER gone that far? anyways I did the brake fluid and carb cleaner in the pistons and let it sit for a while cranking it every so often, and then put starter fluid and the plugs back in and fired it right up... it sure clean it out a TON... the knocking is still there, but it is SIGNIFICANTLY less, once I get money for an oil filter or two I'm gonna run some b12 through it a couple times and I think that should finish it off. anyways I pretty much figure its not just the drivers side with the gummed up valves, cause the car did sit at least 5-9 years without any real use, just that the drivers side is weaker... but anyways the only real way theres gonna be a HUGE differance in pressure is if a valve is torched REALLY bad or a piston ring has gone out causing it to smoke a BUNCH which it doesnt. oh btw I found out I have a really bad exhaust leak after doing the brake cleaner(cause it smoked a whole bunch for about a minute)... I saw a majority of the smoke it was blowing out coming out from the side of the passanger side manifold right at the top of that down pipe, maybe why the passanger side is stronger I love this car hahah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 If a valve isn't closing all the way due to a problem after the engine is warmed up it will make a big difference in pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 11, 2005 Author Share Posted December 11, 2005 If a valve isn't closing all the way due to a problem after the engine is warmed up it will make a big difference in pressure. yeah.. makes sense... I'm too easily brainwashed lol.. anyways I think my problem is solved for now... now I just need to find someone with some exhaust parts they are willing to give a way for free cause i dun have the money and equipment to fix my exhaust problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iteamsubaru Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Hey there fellow subie owner! im not a subie master but have one of my own and have ran it to and had to fix a few things on it! i see your in portland so if ya need a heloing hand some day hit me up! Also if you need parts hit me up no use in payin full price i can get em for ya at cost just about anywhere! Im a mechanic and auto broker so i have accounts all over town! hope all is well with your subaru! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 12, 2005 Author Share Posted December 12, 2005 Hey there fellow subie owner! im not a subie master but have one of my own and have ran it to and had to fix a few things on it! i see your in portland so if ya need a heloing hand some day hit me up! Also if you need parts hit me up no use in payin full price i can get em for ya at cost just about anywhere! Im a mechanic and auto broker so i have accounts all over town! hope all is well with your subaru! cool... check pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.