My '87 GL Wag is currently facing clutch or tranny problems, so I have been making sure to be running it as often as possible for obvious reasons. The other day I was running her for a good hour or so and when I went to turn off the engine, there was a boiling noise coming from the coolant resivoir. The engine didnt seem too hot but it could have certainly been cooler. My thermostat hasnt been working even after replacing it(the gauge doesnt respond). Does anyone know what could be going on? I got into a fender bender which punched a hole in my radiator which got replaced with a rebuilt one, could it be a clogged line?

Air in the system or a blown head gasket. The fact that it is "boiling" makes me wonder if its not a head gasket.

What do you mean the gauge hasnt been working, and that the thermostate isnt working.

Dont let the car run unmonitered. If you have a cooling issue problem, you can or may have fried your engine.

 

nipper

The engine temp gauge isnt working, and the engine is getting a bit hotter than it should, but not to an extreme point. I wouldnt be suprised if the gaskets are shot. Before I had the subie she was sitting in a driveway for a while and there was a period of neglect since she's been in my possesion. Does anyone know where I can find decently priced gaskets and seals?

Partsamerica.com, that's the site for Schucks. I got a fel-pro set for my EA81 for something like $67.

Print out the price list from the site, and bring it into Schucks, they will match the price there.

buy the fel pro gaskets ONLY from autozone, then get the intake manifold gaskets and the Cam Case O-ring from a dealership.. the last two are also available from http://www.thepartsbin.com. You do NOT want to use aftermarket intake manifold gaskets, as they are very prone to blowing up in short order. the "cam case O-rings" go between the cam case and the cylinder head itself (two separate assemblies) and they are metal reinforced. Non reinforced ones have a tendency to get sucked into the oil passage they are intended to seal.

 

you REALLY need to know if you are overheating though. I would highly recommend either fixing your temp gauge or installing an aftermarket one. Even if you leave an aftermarket one under the hood or something, you NEED to watch your engine's temp.. on these cars, an engine with 100K only needs one overheat to blow a headgasket.

 

I know this ALL by personal experience, I just finished MY headgasket job earlier this week. the Fel-Pro gasket set has alot of superflous stuff you dont need, the two gaskets themselves are under $40 from autozone, and the other bits are about $20 shipped. Add some RTV sealant for the joint between cam case and cylinder head and thats all you should need... but timing belts would be wise to add if they have never been done on the vehicle. You don't want to re use old timing belts with an unknown history.

 

I have gobs of photos from everything except putting my engine back together, I will try to hurry and post them soon.