July 13, 200718 yr About to get a 88 GL and was wondering if the 1.8l engine is an interference type engine where if the timing belt breaks it trashes the engine? How difficult a job is it to change the belts? Thanks
July 13, 200718 yr If its what we call a hatchback, ea81 engine you won't have timing belts at all. If its the 3 door, ea82 engine it has timing belts but non-interferance design
July 13, 200718 yr Author Could you tell from the VIN number? What's the difference between hatchback and 3 door?
July 13, 200718 yr EA81 Hatchback looks like: EA82 Coupe looks like: Its confusing cuz they were both made concurrently until 1989.
July 13, 200718 yr Heres a link to the belt changing procedure. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=50768
July 13, 200718 yr replacing your timing belts is a great first job on the subaru. big big talking point, everyone has an opinion one way on whether to leave the covers off of the timing belts or to re install them. I won't get into the issues and arguments for either side, but if you know what you are doing, you wouldn't be the first to run with no covers. Sometimes they can be difficult to get off in one piece, and not having them on makes inspection or any future work in that area a much less labor-intense job. It is your choice, though; a simple search should yield plenty of debate to read that would bring up all points, and maybe even a horror story or two. Some cars run in environments where it is less of a risk, some cares might wind up in areas where you want them protected.
July 13, 200718 yr EA82s are not interference....but, if the driver's side belt breaks, the car will not run (disty is run off that side)
July 16, 200718 yr Author Thanks for the help and advice. I did buy the car, believe it or not it only has 69k miles on it and is in very good shape. Couple of rust spots that should be easy to fix, one power window switch needs replacing and some stains on passenger seat need cleaning, everything else seems to work fine, including the a/c. About 3k miles ago previous owner had CV joints replaced , new tires and alternator, a/c and alternator belts. 1.8l engine is not very fast but should get good gas mileage which is what I need in a commuter. Would like to find an owner's manual if possible. Here's a couple of pics of the new ride. Picked it up over the weekend and have driven about 200 mi., so far so good.
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