skinnyhb Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 alright, i am new to the Subaru owner's club with my recent purchase of an '88 GL wagon with 57,000 miles. i picked it up for just over $2,000. interior was perfect, no rust, body in perfect shape. needed a new cv boot, so i replaced that (joint was fine). so i took it to the mechanic today for an overview. he said everything looks fine, but because of the year and that it hadn't been driven that much, a lot was needed to be replaced. he said it needed (and im probably forgetting some stuff here): a good tune up, timing belts, drive belts, radiator is leaking, clutch is slipping, water pumps need replace, brakes need adjust, oil pan is leaking, and some other stuff for a grand total of roughly $2300. am i putting in more money than this car is worth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75subie Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 not to be rude or anything, but yes, it would be alot more than the car is worth. in exellent shape, it might bring $1600-$2200 on ebay, actually, is it 4wd? i say get the basics fixed and drive it, but it will be tough to pull that much back out of it. just my 2 cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gl-boost Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 The thought is up to you, I have an 87 Gl-10 turbo and have rust and need to fix the rust by the frame and well think that the car is worth it to me. it is not unusual for a car that old with that low miles to meed gaskets and belts replaced. they do dry out from not being driven such as the oil pan gasket, and the drive and timeing belts if not replaced just get old and need to be done anyway. im not sure about the water pump or radiator though. Dosent sound to bad, just remember you will have a really nice soob once you are done. If you do this your self it will be even cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75subie Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 is it going to be $2300 on top of the $2000 for the car, making a $4300 grand total? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinnyhb Posted March 22, 2006 Author Share Posted March 22, 2006 is it going to be $2300 on top of the $2000 for the car, making a $4300 grand total? yup. painful i know. but part of me is thinking that once i do all this i will have a really nice, almost new subaru that should last me forever. im going to talk to my mechanic about it tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
82Brat Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 If you coud do the work yourself, just about everything you listed could be fixed for about $200 including buying a half-way decent set of tools. You could get all the advice you needed on this forum and you would get a much better understanding of your car. Just an option to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinnyhb Posted March 22, 2006 Author Share Posted March 22, 2006 If you coud do the work yourself, just about everything you listed could be fixed for about $200 including buying a half-way decent set of tools. You could get all the advice you needed on this forum and you would get a much better understanding of your car. Just an option to consider. seriously? i understand that labor is around $75-$80 an hour at most shops. so i guess that makes sense that doing it myself would be that much cheaper, and i would love to do so, but i think i might be getting myself into trouble. plus i dont have a lift which is probably something that would be necessary. anyways, if anyone is in the southern california area and can take a day or two to do all of this with me i would be willing to pay them whatever is reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rllywgn Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 i personally have never taken a subaru to a mechanic. This message board is all I've ever needed. theres employed subaru technicains on here and just about every insight to automotive knowledge under the sun. As stated above everything you listed is very do-able for most novice mechanics. instead of dropping 2300 in to what sounds like a solid car, do it in a weekend for a few hundred bucks.. i do hope you choose the latter and save a stack of cash rllywgn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 No lift required - in fact the Subaru engine layout (non-transverse) is ideal to learn this type of repair on as you'll be able to see everything and even be able to touch the stuff without resorting to hireing a midget and trying to fish him through a radiator fan using a mirror. You'll need a basic socket set 1/4", and 3/8" drive - deep sockets help a bunch but are not absolutely needed. 22mm socket for the crank pulley bolt, a set of metric open end wrenches, Basic screwdrivers - couple sizes each of flat and philips. Rags of course - and a pan to catch the coolant in. You can score all of this at Harbor Frieght for cheap, and give yourself a whole weekend just for the belts and water pump. Radiator will go in when you put it back together. Brakes need adjusting? Maybe the rear, but the front are disc. Sounds fishy as the later EA82's had self-adjusting rear drums too. Clutch is slipping? Does it drive alright? Head up a steep hill at 25 MPH and drop it in 4th gear - if it bogs way down then the clutch is fine. Adjust the cable - takes 5 minues. Seriously - make a new post calling out to the CA members in your area. Someone will give you a hand for couple bucks and some beer. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[HTi]Johnson Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Timing belts are easy. Check this out:Timing Belt Procedure EA82 A Step by Step on how to change your timing belts. You might as well change the cam seals, water pump, and oil pump (or reseal the oil pump). It sounds like a lot, but it's not. You have to take the timing belts off to replace them, so before you put new ones on you just put the new water pump in it. It's worth it to learn about your car by working on it, AND FUN TOO! I bought this $50 tool set at Wal-Mart, it's a "Allied" Brand Basic set, with box wrenches, 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" sockets with ratchets. With that tool set and a basic screw driver set, you can dismantle the whole engine. (The crank bolt IS a 22mm but a 7/8" socket works too...I recommend the 22mm but my tool set didn't have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rallyruss Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 well you are bit too far south for me to give you a hand. it sounds like your car is suffering from being ...well... old. I have to agree if you are somewhat mechanically inclined jump in there and do some of the repairs your self. A low milage car like that would be sweet to run in. My wagon has a few aches and pains at 243,000 miles. yours should be a bit better off. I have invested at least as much as you into mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Have to agree with the rest of the guys here - do it yourself and save a bundle!! EA82's are Super easy to work on - if you have even a little mechanical apttitude you CAN do it. (Hey, if a Female can do it, so can you! ) Have only taken my Subaru into a shop twice since I bought it - first time was clutch and axles (long haul truck driver - wasnt home enough to do it myself) second time was just recently for an alignment after rebuilding front end. have had the car for over 4 yrs...done lots of work! (also work on the hubby's!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 double post dang it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 i'd do it, but wrong coast. even if you take it to a mechanic you should be able to have it done for $1,000 or less. first - are you sure the clutch is bad? maybe it just needs a clutch cable adjustment. when you drove it, did the clutch slip at all? if it sat awhile and wasn't driven much it might be fine with some adjustment and driving. next - the oil pan may be wet but that doesn't mean it needs replacement, i doubt it's leaking severe enough to warrant replacement. for that matter, on these motors most other small drips accumulate on the oil pan, so replacing it might not do anything. i'd avoid replacing this at the moment. that being said - if the engine has to come out for a new clutch then oil pan gasket replacement is easy with the motor out. a leaking radiator needs to be addressed immediately but they can be had for $100. are you sure it's the radiator and not the hoses or clamps? a leak needs to be addressed immediately no matter what. i'd have the timing belts, water pump, cam seals and crank seal replaced and the oil pump resealed. i just did all of this last week on the same motor you have in this car. parts are cheap, labor is expensive. but $500 or less should be the going rate for the parts and work. add $200 for new radiator, hoses and thermostat and this job should come in well under $1,000. if it needs a clutch then you're pushing the $2,000 mark and his quote is pretty close if he's including new plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor and PCV valve like he should. unfortunately if you did this all yourself it would run much less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
82Brat Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Start by doing the simple stuff. Tightening the bolts on the oil pan might just stop your oil leak. Simple stuff builds confidence and you can work your way up from there. Do not neglet a coolant leak! These engines (heads specifically) do not hold up well if overheated. Find out where the leak is coming from and get it fixed. It could be as simple as replacing a hose ot tightening a hose clamp. If the radiator itself is leaking, some radiator stop leak may work as a temporary fix. Good luck on your quest and remember, it never hurts to ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack in Norfolk Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Go for it! Do it yourself. If you don't, you are missing out on one of the coolest parts about owning a subaru; the ability to wrench on it yourself. $2300 is way too much to spend on a car that old for those repairs. As mentioned by some other members here, you may be able to stagger the repairs. Obviously, don't wait on the radiator. But minor oil leaks can be put off until your next paycheck etc... just make sure to keep pouring oil in. Don't be intimidated. Be patient, read the posts, use the search function, and ask a lot of questions. Also, a great first start for you would be to go and download the How To Keep Your Subaru alive book. It is posted on this board in PDF form for free! Its a well written book that explains how to fix subarus to people that don't know how to work on cars. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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