Ok everyone... I had a 84 Brat given to me. Had sat in a field for about four years turned into a mouse house... sinful I know. Here is the problem...The car started and ran even after sitting for that long with just a little starting fluid. (Gotta Love the Ea82 Motors) But after driving it for a few weeks I started to do a little work on it and it started blowing steam out the exaust. I had been under the hood for a few hours and when I started it up to check my work...(nowhere near the heads) it was blowing steam. I am getting ready for an engine overhaul but I need some advice. Is it most likely the gasket or the head? and if I dive that deep into the motor i am going to redo the clutch and timing belts but should I do the rings and main bearings too? Any of your experience and expertise in this matter is greatly appriciated...

Shaun

your brat should have a ea81 which has timming gears unless they swapped it out for a ea82 with belts

Thanks... Still new to this. Had an 87 GL wagon a few years ago and am really looking forward to getting back into the Soobs:banana:

yep, should be an EA81 with gears, no belts.

how many miles? was it not leaking when you first started driving or you think you just didn't notice it at first?

 

the EA82's have a coolant passage in the intake manifold that is prone to leak. the EA81's might be the same? if so, check that first, it's much simpler to replace than heads. use a Subaru only gasket on this one.

 

also EA82 head gaskets are super duper simple to replace in the car, yanking the motor is a complete waste of time unless you need clutch work or something else like that.

 

highly unlikely you'll need any block work (mains/bearings). and if it's a non-turbo it's also unlikely you'll need new heads. just have your tested and pressure tested.

 

if you do need head gaskets do both. the EA82/ER27 crowd uses Fel-Pro Permatorque gaskets like a champ. they don't need retorqued = awesome.

Could also be the carb mounting gasket, there's a coolant port there to warm the carb.

Carb gasket, intake gaskets, head gaskets in that order.

Since it's been sitting, your going to have a lot of leaks on the car due to the gaskets and seal drying up and getting brittle.

Good luck, and take your time.

Yeah, check the intake manifold and carb gaskets first -- I think that it's quite possible, looking back on it, that that's what my EA82 had wrong with it all along --- I redid the head gaskets on both sides and it was all better, but it always ran fine, no mixing of coolant and oil and no pressurized coolant system.

 

Probably not necessary to do the bores and main bearings even if you do the head gaskets -- subaru's don't tend to wear the bores much. Mine, with 220k, I could still see the original hatch marks on the bore....

 

Z