I got a deal on a GL that ran rough and leaked oil. I didn't know what to expect, but was excited about tearing into my first flat-four! I've got it in the garage finally and removed everything down to the heads.

 

Can the oil pan gasket be replaced without pulling the engine?

 

 

Most progress is on my Soob's blog.

 

 

"Can the oil pan gasket be replaced without pulling the engine?"

 

Yes.

 

But. You got it this far, why not unbolt it from the tranny and do it out of the car?

 

Otherwise, unbolt the motor mounts, lift it a bit, and pull the pan.

 

hth

 

Doug

I don't have a hoist... Thanks for the tip!

I don't have a hoist... Thanks for the tip!

 

When I did a motor job by myself I used some pipe staging and a come along!

When I did a motor job by myself I used some pipe staging and a come along!

 

I'm not sure I understand... I have a come-along, but how did you set up the rigging?

I'm not sure I understand... I have a come-along, but how did you set up the rigging?

 

I set up a section of pipe staging then I used an oak plank, but anything strong will work. Then I attached the come along to the plank using some rope then I ran the cable out hooked it onto the motor and yanked 'er out! and the when I put the new on in I slowly released the come along and lowered it back in!! You could also use a tree, with a come along attached!

Put a strap around each side of the motor under the heads, put a buddy on each side of the car, slide a pipe or wooden pole through the straps, lift while you wiggle and pull motor forward and lift motor out.

 

Hint: assure radiator is out & lift tranny up an inch with jack.

All you really need to remove the engine is a buddy who aint afraid to get greasy. Each grab one side after undoing all bolts and nuts holding it to the car, jack up the tranny like Indrid said, then give 'er hell. Hell, you could toss it out yourself, ive done it, but i wouldnt recommend it...

-Bill

All you really need to remove the engine is a buddy who aint afraid to get greasy. Each grab one side after undoing all bolts and nuts holding it to the car, jack up the tranny like Indrid said, then give 'er hell. Hell, you could toss it out yourself, ive done it, but i wouldnt recommend it...

-Bill

 

yup! I agree they are not that heavy, and now you have the heads off so it's even lighter!

The Soobie does sit much higher in front after some of its bigger bits have fallen out in the garage!

without the axles in, and engine unbolted.. I can lift an ea82 onto the fender and then out of the car and then yank the tranny out the front bare handed. Silly little things.

Maybe with the heads off I'll try muscling the block out and on to my work bench. It'd be easier to get to there anyway...

I'll let ya'll know if I pull my back instead of the engine! :eek:

Maybe with the heads off I'll try muscling the block out and on to my work bench. It'd be easier to get to there anyway...

 

I'll let ya'll know if I pull my back instead of the engine!

 

good luck!! It should be doable with the heads off and everything. I to have pulled one by myself but it can hurt a little!

Full disclosure: I don't lift weights. I'm a tech guy. I don't work out at all.

 

I tried to pull the short block by myself, that hurt a bit. I was able to rotate the block in the engine bay, allowing access to the oil pan. That ended up being the primary source of the oil leak. The old cork gasket had broken down over time. I guess 20 years is not bad. All the bolts felt barely hand-tight.

 

Having managed to re-mount the engine to the tranny and motor mounts (that's fun! ), I lightly mounted the cylinder heads, I need to find a torque wrench to borrow or rent for tightening the heads down.

 

I keep looking at the various hoses and wires strewn about the engine bay, wondering if I'll remember where they all went before I tore it all apart...

It's been a while, but I finally found time between two jobs and family time to put the Soob back together. The engine went back together well, but the carb took a while to rebuild. There are quite a few wire connectors going nowhere, mostly from the original FI and AC systems.

 

I'm really happy with how it turned out so far. This is the most intensive tear-down and rebuild I've done on a car. I'm usually working on motorbikes, two wheels is more fun for me.

 

I'm currently not getting spark, I'll run through the ignition/coil/distributor later. The first issue is that the Hitachi is dumping fuel out the underside. I'll post a photo of that shortly, I can barely see where it's dumping.

I posted some videos and photos to my site. For the fuel issue, it's leaking out of the two holes under the glass port.

 

 

There's also an odd sound coming from maybe the fuel pump?

Ditch the Carb and put the SPFI back on. It's a far better system and whoever pulled it for that damn Hitachi should be shown the bottom of your boot. There is NOTHING on an older Subaru more frustrating than those Hitachi's, and I'm probably one of the most knowledgable around here about them and carbs in general.

 

The ports on the bottom of the carb that are dumping fuel are the access holes for removing the main jets. You forgot the put the plugs back in.

 

GD

Ditch the Carb and put the SPFI back on. It's a far better system and whoever pulled it for that damn Hitachi should be shown the bottom of your boot. There is NOTHING on an older Subaru more frustrating than those Hitachi's, and I'm probably one of the most knowledgable around here about them and carbs in general.

 

The ports on the bottom of the carb that are dumping fuel are the access holes for removing the main jets. You forgot the put the plugs back in.

 

GD

 

Yeah, Why the HELL would you go backwards like that? I agree, put the SPFI back in.

 

And by the looks of it you are even trying to use and EA81 intake and Carb, with the carb on backwards..........

 

No offense man, but you are seriously moving in the wrong direction.

This is how I got the car, none of the original FI parts came with it. I have a buddy with a proper FI '88 and know what it should be like, but don't have the money to fit the FI again right now. It's an extra car, so I'm not relying on it either.

And please please for the love of god get some car ramps and ditch the cynder blocks.

And by the looks of it you are even trying to use and EA81 intake and Carb, with the carb on backwards..........

 

Looks like they used an EA81 airbox but that is definately the EA82 manifold and carb. In one of his pictures you can see where the upper radiator hose is located which gives away the EA82 manifold - the EA81 carb won't bolt to the EA82 manifold so I'm assuming it's got a complete EA82 setup on it.

 

It wouldn't cost that much to go back to SPFI. Check and see if the ECU is still there or not..... you can post in the wanted forum for the parts. I'm sure someone has a setup they would sell.

 

GD

I dont think he has hardly any bucks.

Looks like they used an EA81 airbox but that is definately the EA82 manifold and carb. In one of his pictures you can see where the upper radiator hose is located which gives away the EA82 manifold - the EA81 carb won't bolt to the EA82 manifold so I'm assuming it's got a complete EA82 setup on it.

 

It wouldn't cost that much to go back to SPFI. Check and see if the ECU is still there or not..... you can post in the wanted forum for the parts. I'm sure someone has a setup they would sell.

 

GD

 

Have I just not ever seen an EA82 with a sight glass on the carb?

"Have I just not ever seen an EA82 with a sight glass on the carb?"

 

Me either, but I haven't seen them all.

 

And, he said it ran rough before he tore into it.

 

If he has a plugged power valve and or worn bores in the base, it still won't run right.

 

Doug

Have I just not ever seen an EA82 with a sight glass on the carb?

 

I think pretty much every Hitachi carb made in that era has a sight glass. I know the one's on the Suzuki Samurai's had them as well.

 

Just judging by the backwoods, cobbled together nature of that car I wouldn't think they would have modified the manifold to fit the EA81 carb the the EA82 manifold. The bolt pattern is different. It's definitely an EA81 airbox though - that they cut the air intake bit with the carb heater port off of.

 

Maybe the throttle base for the EA82 carb would fit the EA81 top?!? I doubt that but it's the only way I could think of that it could have an EA81 carb on it.

 

GD