Hello everybody, I'm fairly new here but this seems like a very knowledgable board. A couple weeks ago I bought a 1987 GL wagon with a carb'd EA82. It's been running fine except for a problem with the choke that was easily solved with a piece of coat hanger. Yesterday I was leaving work and the car stalled because it has a hard time holding idle while the engine is cold. When I went to start it back up, it wouldn't start. It turns over but the starter sounds different, higher pitched and a little whinier. Pust starting didn't work either. Any suggestions on where to start looking? I don't have a ton of experience working on carb'd engines or subaru's in general. The car is currently stranded in my work parking lot, so any help would be much appreciated

check timing belts

WOW.... that is some seriously fast responses. Sounds like timing belts is the best place to start. I have never really worked with timing belts before, any tips or guides online?

Search and you will find.

Alright, I know it's been a while but I finally got everything out of the way and the timing belt covers off. Both belts are intact and look to be fairly new. Is it possible that one of the belts slipped and screwed up the timing? Any other idea's on what could be causing it to not start?

Alright, I know it's been a while but I finally got everything out of the way and the timing belt covers off. Both belts are intact and look to be fairly new. Is it possible that one of the belts slipped and screwed up the timing? Any other idea's on what could be causing it to not start?

 

Have you checked to make sure the distributor rotor is spinning when you crank it over -- sometimes the belts can still look okay from the side covers, but be stripped where they pass around the crankshaft drive gear. I've never seen an actual snapped timing belt... just ones missing teeth. Also... I once had the idler gear sieze, which shredded a timing belt that was otherwise pretty new.

 

Z

If you check all that and the belts still look good check to see if its got spark. If it has spark, check for fuel buy squirtin alittle gas or starting fluid in the carb.

compression test will tell you

if it slipped

 

pull the distributor cap

check the rotor

it is held on by a screw, they fall out sometimes

 

spark, fuel, and comp. to make fire in the hole

Gotta start somewhere

 

pull the distributor cap

check the rotor

it is held on by a screw, they fall out sometimes

 

Forgot about that... if the timing belts are good, the rotor itself could just be loose...