Durania Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 I did some research on here and found that if a water pump shaft is loose, then it is usually a sign that it is going bad. I flushed the crap out of cooling two weeks ago and things have been fine. Driving around town yesterday I noticed that my temp gauge was just a tad high and my heat temperature was feeling low coming out of the vents. Today, I took it up the road today and got things up to operating temperatures and came back home. Popped the hood and felt the front of the rounded part of the water pump and I could feel play in it, not much, but could tell. Is it time to replace? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 Any play is bad. For the cost of an EA81 pump, and considering your recent cooling system problems, I would replace it. Be VERY careful if you haven't ever had the pump off. The bolts are small, and easily broken off. Work them back and forth till they come out. Chase the threads in the block and run each bolt through a die. If you buy any pump besides the OEM, toss the cardboard gasket and use RTV (1/16" bead, and let it setup for 1 hour before starting the engine). If you buy the OEM pump it comes with a Three-Bond coated cardboard gasket that works very well dry. Replace the heater core bypass hose, and if it's looking sad, the bypass pipe as well as the smaller coolant hoses that run to the carb base. This is a good time to block those if you don't want it. Use new hose clamps all around, and get the German "embossed" clamps with the rolled edges. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 the turbine on the inside of the water pump has probably gound off to a nub and therefore is not circulating. i have had water pump pulleys fall out(major leakage) or snap clean off. replace it now. if you dont take care of it now the belts will start squalling and you will either overheat due to bad curculation, lose a belt or the pulley, ir the shaft just falls out and there goes all your coolant, plus above problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted April 6, 2008 Author Share Posted April 6, 2008 I am going to call the dealer early Monday morning and hope they have a gasket in stock. The pump on this thing has been replaced before, I can see all the extra sealant material around the edges, I look forward to getting all the stuff off. I will probably snag the water pump off my hatchback and use it, I had no issues from it. I have been looking at the FSM and it looks to be 5 bolts, looks to be 12mm. The hoses are fine and look to have been replaced before. I use this picture a lot and it shows where the threads look to be coated in this blue junk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted April 6, 2008 Author Share Posted April 6, 2008 I checked the one in my hatchback and it feels about the same. Whats the link to a genuine Subaru parts site that would have it and the gasket in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 when they have play in them, the wobble, the bearings and seals are gonna get trashed because of the play. this will cause the seals to leak. Is yours leaking yet? if it is, you will probable not see drips near the pump, but rather back under the valve cover, engine mount area, based on what mine did when i bought it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted April 6, 2008 Author Share Posted April 6, 2008 I am not having any leaking yet. But the motor is getting hot, I am having just a tad less heat. I found a water pump on 1stSubaru parts for $53.24, if Subaru doesn't have a gasket tomorrow, I will be ordering it. This was me going about 45-50 MPH: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaru_dude Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Wow, there's so much room at the front of the engines on the EA81s. Should be a super easy job. Mine's brand new and it's already leaking out both wheep holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I am not having any leaking yet. But the motor is getting hot, I am having just a tad less heat. I found a water pump on 1stSubaru parts for $53.24, if Subaru doesn't have a gasket tomorrow, I will be ordering it. This was me going about 45-50 MPH: That looks about normal to me give or take a bit. Not sure whats out of the ordinary. Both of my EA81s have run at the halfway mark or a bit below. Not saying you dont need a new pump because if there is any play then its time. Im just saying your temperature isnt that far off from what it should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 It has never sat there is why I was posting. It has always been at that little notch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 The one I pulled off is an exact match for the one I put on. GMB made in Japan. I pulled alternator to give myself some room. Subaru could have picked better bolts than those to hold the water pump on. Looked like they would do a better job at holding a table together but, if it works. Used black RTV and waited an hour. Took it to town with highway and city driving, it didn't get above the notch and had great heat, even though it was 66 degrees. Thanks for the helps guys. Next week something else will break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoorManzImpreza Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Be cautious with those GMB Pumps they have sheet metal impelers and I've seen one completely disintegrate. I dunno about ea81 pumps but the ea82 pumps have a caste impeler, they are also far more efficient. On a buds ea82 sedan we put on an genuine Subaru pump and with the engine idling you could see the swirl of the vortex the pump was creating through the radiator cap, my car which has a GMB pump (place holder engine ) no such thing. Just my unscientific observations.. HTH, Kaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 The GMB one was all that was in stock that day at autozone. I added it up and it was cheaper to fix Brat with that water pump than it would have been to fill the Legacy back up with gas. I have drove it about 50 miles since installed and it has yet to get above the notch on the heat hand. If the GMB one had said "Made in Mexico" on it, and not Japan. Things might have been a little bit different about me getting that one from the autozone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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