My '80 subaru gl with 160k on it is being very bad. First thing is im getting horrible mileage 9 gallons of gas gets me 100-120 miles. Its got newer plugs, wires, air filter, distributor cap and rotor, the fuel filter has to be custom ordered and takes a week to get here(still need to get it), and i use MMO in the tank. Another thing is if i start it at any time it will die within 45 seconds, even on warm days and takes about 5 minutes to warm up. The last thing is randomly when i drive the cars starts to jerk and shake i have no idea why it does that only that it does. Side note; its a 1.6l 4 speed and i was wondering what would be the best rpms to shift for better mileage, now im shifting at 2-3k. Thanks for the help in advance

Sounds like choke not working right to me. 2-3K is where I would shift it, more towards 3k.

where is the choke located, how do i fix it and do you by chance have a real picture of it?

top of carb

canister on left side with a wire is for the coil spring system to control the position

you may want to wire it open and see what happens, may be stuck shut

 

ea71 are cold blooded

 

you are missing about 20 mpg!!, which is possible with a stuck shut choke

i believe i found it and did what you said so now we just play the wait and see game. Would that be affecting my mileage that much.

if it truly is stuck shut, it will hurt mileage

 

with no choke, may have to pump it to start

 

ea81 with ea82 intake and carb starts fine at -20f with no choke!!

Yeah a lot of the time i have to pump the pedal a few time to get it going then hold it down to make sure it stays going. Is there anything else i can do to the ea71 to get better mileage?

An ea71 with 160k on it should get great mileage. If you are only getting 13 mpg at best, then you probably have a compound problem. Meaning...we won't be able to tell you one thing to replace or adjust that will change everything. One caveat would be timing. Have you checked the timing? The other thing that I can think of is if you have two spark plug wires switched. Your car will run on two cylinders. Or you need a carb rebuild in a bad way.

 

If you don't have a service manual for the the vehicle get one(Haynes is better than Chilton's), and or a manual called "How to Keep Your Subaru Alive". I got one on ebay for $6. Go through the maintenance procedures systematically.

 

I think I would stop putting MMO in the gas as well. With all the detergents in modern gasoline an occassional treatment with Seafoam is really all you need.

Want me to come take a look at it (assuming TF, ID)?

If you get a chance 4x4 that would be great, im basically on the corner of falls and locust, first brick house with wooden fence, cant miss the car.

I got it going again i had a major vacuum leak and got it fixed now i just need to make sure the timing is right.

The part i love the most about cars making them work. Now that the vacuum leak has been fixed the car wont stay running. Everyone around me says timing is off or the mixture is off. What could it be? If it is the timing is it easy to fix? I have the Haynes manual and its oh so descriptive.

Just did a check on the timing and all is well. Could it be my carb has kicked the bucket, my choke works fine.

Could it be my carb has kicked the bucket, my choke works fine.

 

The simple answer is yes, but really that means your carb needs to be rebuilt. I rebuilt my first Hitachi using the Haynes manual. Carb kits are between $16-$20. It's actually way easier than it sounds. As you disassemble the carb, scotch tape each part to a piece of cardboard and write the step # and part name next to it. If you follow the directions step-by-step it's a simple process.

 

I (carefully) use Gas-ga-cinch on all my gaskets. Other people use Indian Head Shellac. I now also use a small amount of Permatex Ultimate grey around the coolant port at the base.

 

Also, buy a couple long lengths of the vacuum hoses your car has on it and replace all of them one at a time. They are cheap and important.

The symptoms you describe sound to me like a leaking float valve in your carb. If you have junk in your fuel line (between the upper filter and the carb) it may keep jamming the valve with particles, giving your car TOO much fuel to the point where it runs like poo

 

-mike