moonetienne Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 Anybody know of a good subie mechanic in Los Angeles? Have an 86 GL-10 Turbo 2WD Wagon, EA82, 146k... Need to keep the Subie running... Have got a number of classic problems: 1) White smoke out of the tail pipe (Started a week ago and am having to top up the coolant) - Am hoping it's not the head gaskets! 2) Knocking noise from the left side, intermittent (the axle was replaced a while ago, but still have the knocking, it comes and goes!) 3) Grinding 'Bearing' sounding noise from the right side - goes away when wheel nut is tightened up, but seems to return after a while (had the right axle and wheel bearings replaced a few months ago) 4) No idea when the timing belts were last replaced... 5) Am hoping the turbo stays off this list... Any advice gladly taken... Any thoughts on the cost of replacing the head gaskets? What should I get done when the engine is out for the head gaskets? Is this subie a lost cause?! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s'ko Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 Welcome to the board. Problem w/LA is that people consider old Subaru’s junkyard fodder. I have an 82 BRAT and it’s hard to find someone who is willing to do work on it. There is a guy who advertises that he is a Subaru Mechanic, Raffi Motors in Inglewood. But he recently told a friend of mine that she should replace the engine on her SVX after listening to it for about 5 mins. From what I can tell, there is nothing wrong with the engine. I get the feeling that he doesn’t want to work on it. There maybe some shops in Lakewood/North Long Beach, and possibly East LA that would do the work. Since Older Subaru’s are cheap, a lot of people in low income areas drive them. Re your problems: White smoke out of the tail pipe (Started a week ago and am having to top up the coolant) - Am hoping it's not the head gaskets! Check your oil cap for white milk shaky foam. If it isn’t there then it may not be a HG. Maybe water getting into your exhaust system. Not an EA82 person so I wouldn’t know. Knocking noise from the left side, intermittent (the axle was replaced a while ago, but still have the knocking, it comes and goes!) Does the knocking increase w/speed? Does it occur randomly or are there conditions where is does happen? Can you tell it’s coming from the front or the rear Grinding 'Bearing' sounding noise from the right side - goes away when wheel nut is tightened up, but seems to return after a while (had the right axle and wheel bearings replaced a few months ago) Was the wheel nut torqued to the right spec? I was getting grinding noise in the front wheel when I had a passenger and when I would break. Ended up being a improperly torqued wheel nut. Torqued to tight and pinned up, no more grinding. 4) No idea when the timing belts were last replaced... might as well do it. Not to hard to do and you can replace a bunch on things while you are in there. Ay thoughts on the cost of replacing the head gaskets? Not sure about that. I never had to do this. What should I get done when the engine is out for the head gaskets? You can technically do the HG with the engine still in. There is enough room to get to the bolts and pull off the heads. Get the heads inspected for warping, you can also replace the water pump, the oil pump, main engine seal and timing belts while the heads are off. If you so take the engine out, get the rear engine seal replaced. Is this subie a lost cause?! Nah… but sometimes if you look in Craigslist or the Recycler you can find Subarus for under $1000.00. So it’s up to you. Give me a call if you have any questions or need help. I am in Redondo Beach. Bosco 310-292-5258 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonetienne Posted May 4, 2006 Author Share Posted May 4, 2006 Hey Bosco Thanks for the words... I'll probably try calling the guy in Inglewood - Thanks for the tip off. I don't seem to be getting any water in the oil or vice versa (but maybe I should check again). Do you know what the correct torque is on the wheel nut? The knocking is on the drivers side front wheel (I swear!), it does it randomly, mostly when going straight, frequency increases with speed and fades away beyond 25 or 30mph. Dabbing the brake or accelerator puts a stop to the noise... What do you think?! Want to keep the subie running - need to do some more troubleshooting I guess before throwing in the towel... Thanks Welcome to the board. Problem w/LA is that people consider old Subaru’s junkyard fodder. I have an 82 BRAT and it’s hard to find someone who is willing to do work on it. There is a guy who advertises that he is a Subaru Mechanic' date=' Raffi Motors in Inglewood. But he recently told a friend of mine that she should replace the engine on her SVX after listening to it for about 5 mins. From what I can tell, there is nothing wrong with the engine. I get the feeling that he doesn’t want to work on it. There maybe some shops in Lakewood/North Long Beach, and possibly East LA that would do the work. Since Older Subaru’s are cheap, a lot of people in low income areas drive them. [/font'] Re your problems: White smoke out of the tail pipe (Started a week ago and am having to top up the coolant) - Am hoping it's not the head gaskets! Check your oil cap for white milk shaky foam. If it isn’t there then it may not be a HG. Maybe water getting into your exhaust system. Not an EA82 person so I wouldn’t know. Knocking noise from the left side, intermittent (the axle was replaced a while ago, but still have the knocking, it comes and goes!) Does the knocking increase w/speed? Does it occur randomly or are there conditions where is does happen? Can you tell it’s coming from the front or the rear Grinding 'Bearing' sounding noise from the right side - goes away when wheel nut is tightened up, but seems to return after a while (had the right axle and wheel bearings replaced a few months ago) Was the wheel nut torqued to the right spec? I was getting grinding noise in the front wheel when I had a passenger and when I would break. Ended up being a improperly torqued wheel nut. Torqued to tight and pinned up, no more grinding. 4) No idea when the timing belts were last replaced... might as well do it. Not to hard to do and you can replace a bunch on things while you are in there. Ay thoughts on the cost of replacing the head gaskets? Not sure about that. I never had to do this. What should I get done when the engine is out for the head gaskets? You can technically do the HG with the engine still in. There is enough room to get to the bolts and pull off the heads. Get the heads inspected for warping, you can also replace the water pump, the oil pump, main engine seal and timing belts while the heads are off. If you so take the engine out, get the rear engine seal replaced. Is this subie a lost cause?! Nah… but sometimes if you look in Craigslist or the Recycler you can find Subarus for under $1000.00. So it’s up to you. Give me a call if you have any questions or need help. I am in Redondo Beach. Bosco 310-292-5258 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s'ko Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 I don't seem to be getting any water in the oil or vice versa (but maybe I should check again). You might want to do a search on this problem. If you can’t find anything put up another post with the problem in the title Do you know what the correct torque is on the wheel nut? I think it’s 150 lbs. I usually just get a huge breaker bar and the wheel nut socket and stand on it a bit. I weight about 200 lbs so I figure that does the trick. The knocking is on the drivers side front wheel (I swear!), it does it randomly, mostly when going straight, frequency increases with speed and fades away beyond 25 or 30mph. Dabbing the brake or accelerator puts a stop to the noise... What do you think?! It sounds like it’s related to the axle/hub/rotor assembly. Or maybe even the brake calipers. Might want to jack that side up and shake it a bit and see if any parts are lose. Give me a ring so we can set up a time to take a look at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooziewhatsit Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 about the grinding on the drivers side... First, like s'ko said, make sure the axle nut is good and TIGHT. Then, if it still does it, pull the hub/rotor off, and inspect the splines on it. If the splines are sharp, they're worn down and you'll need a new hub. If they have big flat tops, that's good. <---- had to replace a hub with those same conditions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonetienne Posted May 9, 2006 Author Share Posted May 9, 2006 Guys, thanks for the tips - I'm keeping the subie under observations... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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