jesusno2 Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 hey fellas i know ya probablly heard it all ,but here goes. ive owned this 87 gl wagon for almost a year now. well yesterday on my way to work the subaru left me and 2 other co workers stranded. pretty sure it busted 1 or both timing belts. now ive been reserching this sight and i relize this is a non interference motor so it can be fixed. here is my other problem it clatters so bad sometimes it sounds worse than a cummins deisel! but it comes and goes some days it will be whisper quiet other days its lounder than you know what! is their a fix for this? ive tried the seafoam trick etc etc nothing helps my car has 202k now and i have only about maybe 5lbs of oil pressure at idle normal driving it steady 45lbs is it fixable or should i invest in a new subaru? after owning this one im hooked on them id like a wrx but i dont wanna car payment really right now (trying to by a house) so whats my options with this car. anyone in oregon or etc need parts? i was gonna nab the seats out of it for my datsun 510 but the int is blue in the subie:mad: i need black seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Get you a couple timing belts, and tensioners for starts. Also, sounds like you are needing an oil pump and reseal. It wouldn't take much to get this thing back on the road but after all, it is a 22 year old car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Where in OR are you? New belts - address the cam case o-rings, oil pump and seals and maybe a new set of lifters. Probably has another 50k left in it or so - maybe more. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesusno2 Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 just west of salem about 15 miles in dallas oregon i work in brooks which is just a hair south of woodburn which is where my car is BROKEN!! ha ha im searching this oil pump noisy lifter thing now. also is it normal for these cars to be completley gutless? i like the car its drives nice and goes down the road good but man it will not get out of its own way! its a auto so i relize alot of power loss their but man it feels like im pulling a trailer with 5000 lbs in it! im wondering if the cat is plugged up or something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 (edited) just west of salem about 15 miles in dallas oregon i work in brooks which is just a hair south of woodburn which is where my car is BROKEN!! ha ha im searching this oil pump noisy lifter thing now. also is it normal for these cars to be completley gutless? i like the car its drives nice and goes down the road good but man it will not get out of its own way! its a auto so i relize alot of power loss their but man it feels like im pulling a trailer with 5000 lbs in it! im wondering if the cat is plugged up or something These things really are turds, that three speed automatic doesn't help things either. I think that EA82 engine is only rated at 84 horsepower if you have a carb'd model. Edited August 13, 2009 by Durania Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Yep - totally gutless. 84 HP for the carbed engines, 90 for the throttle body injection. If you have the carbed engine you can put on a Weber - that will make it feel like it has a bit more power, and will give it more low end grunt. They accell at doing things other car's do not - the 4WD's with the dual-range transmissions are actually amazingly capable off road even in stock form. Sadly all that capability comes at the cost of not being a comfortable freeway cruiser. 84 HP just doesn't move 2500 lbs of car worth a damn. A lot of folks either upgrade to the EJ22 or relegate their GL to an off-road toy (lifts, tires, etc can be added) and buy something newer for street use - I have several EA series vehicles - a lifted wagon and a hatch that's to be lifted at some point, but I traded up to the newer gen stuff for daily driver status about 5 years ago - nothing like a turbo 2.2 with a sport suspension package to make even the boring commute a bit more fun. I'm in West Linn (south of Portland) if you need a hand or some tips I'm usually not too hard to find. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesusno2 Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 buddy i need all the help i can get lol my scoob is fwd automatic but the ac works! well sometimes lol, it comes and goes along with the lifters ha ha i dunno what im gonna do ive really been eye ballin all these wrx's and the turbo legacys and they really get me droolin. but on the other hand ive been building a datsun 510 wagon with a injected ka24 for about 2 years now and im hoping i can get most of my need for speed outta it. but even then they are not good commuter cars by no means. with 202k on the scoob im not confedent its gonna go much farther without a new motor. plus i really hate that slush box of a automatic in that car. it kinda just slides into gear instead of shifting if ya know what i mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Sadly, unless you do something really horrible or don't maintain it at all the EA82 you have will probably just keep going till it hits 300k or more. They aren't the best engine Subaru ever made but it's not because they aren't mechanically sound - mostly it's little annoying stuff like the poor cooling system or the timing belts. Nothing you can really kill-off the engine over. The ticking lifters only mean that the oil is being aerated - it indicates nothing beyond that and it's common for people to go 100k+ with them ticking away like mad - no damage will result from it. The 3 speed automatic will likely claim the car before the engine does - they are less known for reliability than most Subaru transmissions. The WRX's are nice to be sure - but I don't identify with the crowd that drives them and I prefer to fly a bit more under the radar with my rigs. The insurance can be high if you are young and most of the used one's out there have been beaten like a red-headed step child by their previous ownership. You could look for a Gen 1 Turbo Legacy - that's what I have for a daily at the moment. The EJ22T (2.2 liter) is actually larger than all but the most recent WRX engines and can be built into quite a monster as it is a stronger block being partially sand-cast and closed-deck. They were 165 HP stock but "stock" is without an intercooler and a small turbo. Good for around 275 HP without any mechanical mods and there's just about no limit (800+ HP) if you start changing heads and internals. But as I said - if you need help with that EA82 just send me a PM. I have a number of boxes of parts for them and no longer own any - don't intend to either. All my rigs from now on will be EA81, or EJ series. The EA82 just doesn't fit anywhere in my engine scheme - it's too close in performance to the EA81 but without the ease of maintenance and reliability. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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