Anthony said:
I have a chance to buy an 87 GL wagon (AT, 2WD) that has only 104k miles on
it but it sounds like the hydraulic lifters aren't pumping up. How hard is
this to fix and would I be better off passing on it.
My daughter needs a wagon for her and the twins and I'm tying to help her
out. She doesn't have much money and I can get this car cheap.
Tony
It is a very common problem in the EA82 engine.
The good news is that it almost always is very easy to fix. IOW - you
may be getting a bargain by taking a small risk and fixing the problem
fairly easily and cheaply. Also good news is that the lifter clatter is
not doing any significant damage to the engine, so once you get it
fixed, it's like it never happened, except you got a good price (like
they say, knowledge is power).
The bad news is that there are several common causes for the problem in
this engine, and it can be trial and error determining which one you
need to focus on and solve.
Caution: Don't be fooled by well meaning people who will tell you it has
to be "this" or has to be "that" (IOW - only one cause and only one
solution). I've been hanging out on Subaru forums for a few years, and
have seen just as many success stories for one solution as the other,
and just as many disappointments when a particular solution didn't work
as for the other solution.
I recommend reading this very good web page:
http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~camncath/ea82_hydraulic_lifter_fix.htm
- it will give you some very good insight.
Cameron covers these possibilities:
1) Oil pump worn.
2) Oil pump gaskets leaking air.
3) Bad o-ring between the cam case and head (one per head).
4) Dirty/clogged lifter(s).
One place that Cameron didn't mention is the oil pressure relief valves
- one in each head. Some people have actually fixed the problem by
removing the cam cover (just the cover - not the whole case) and the oil
tube called a "banjo tube" for reasons that will be obvious when you see
it - it has the approximate shape of a banjo), and taking the pressure
relief valve apart and cleaning it and replacing the spring (available
at your Subaru dealer for a coupla bucks). A piece of trash can get in
the seat of the relief valve and/or the spring may be weak from
fatique/heat.
A good approach would be to toss a coin (or go with your gut feel), and
either replace the oil pump and its two seals (a large o-ring and a
"mickey mouse" gasket - called that because it looks like MM's head)
**OR** attack the valve train area (i.e., remove the cam case and clean
the lifters and pressure relief valve, and replace the relief valve
spring and the cam case-to-head o-ring). You have a 50-50 chance of
fixing the problem doing one or the other. If no joy, then do the other
and problem will be resolved - I almost guarantee it. 8^)
Some miscellaneous comments:
1) The problem can be brought on by switching suddenly to synthetic oil
at high mileage (due to its very high inherent detergent properties and
quick release of crankcase residue into the lube system). This happened
to me in my '86 with the same engine. You might ask the owner if he
chanegd to synthetic oil or did a crankcase flush, which can also cause
it for the same reasons. If his answer is "yes", then - it's a
no-brainer - attack the pressure relief valves and the lifters (dirt in
one or both). If the answer is "no" or ambiguous, then you haven't lost
anything by asking - it will still be a roll of the dice to choose your
direction.
2) Some people have successfully resolved the problem by what I call the
"non-invasive" method of cleaning the lifters and pressure relief
valves. It involves changing back to dino oil if synthetic is in there
now, and putting 1/4 to 1/2 qt. of Marvel Mystery oil (I understand Sea
Foam works as well) in the crankcase and leaving it in. Change oil and
filter at 1000 miles, and refill agian with oil and 1/4 to 1/2 qt. of
MMO. Then change oil and filter without fail every 3000 miles. This
method takes longer (maybe months), and is not guaranteed to work if
that's not the problem - but there's no damage beign done while the
clatter continues. The advantage of this method is that it involves an
absolute minimum of effort and time (again - if it works - it did for me
and occasionally for others depending on the cause of the problem in
that particular engine). The advantage of Cameron's "invasive" method
is that it gives instant gratification (if that was the problem).
3) If you go the oil pump area route, you have a good chance of success
simply by replacing the oil pump seals and staying with the existing
pump to save costs. There are many that claim the the pump itself is
rarely the problem - that it is much more likely just the pump seals
(o-ring, MM gasket, and shaft seal, which is replacable). My philosophy
is this: Since you probably do not know if the pump was ever replaced,
you should go ahead and replace it this time. It's a bit of work to get
in there for the seals. It would be a shame to expend the labor for
just the seals, and then determine that the pump itself is bad and have
to go in again to replace it. IIRC, you should be able to get an
aftermarket pump for $60-100U.S.
I'm curious why a car with that age has only 104k on it. Perhaps it
hasn't been run enough (long enough and hot enough) to keep the lube
system clean. Perhaps with such low useage, the owner has neglected oil
changes. This may be a clue that a controlled cleanout with MMO will do
the trick. On the other hand, with that age (even though low mileage),
it's easy to imagine that the oil pump seals have shrunk and are the
problem. You have to make that decision. (Of course there's always the
possibility that the owner disconnected the speedo during a good part of
the car's life.)
If you would enjoy getting the bargain price that you seem to feel you
are getting, and you feel like investing the time in fixing it (which I
do believe you can, using the above info.), you might ought to go for
it. However, if you can't afford the time to give the car the required
one-time TLC it needs to resolve this problem, then you probably ought
to pass on it. Again - your decision. Keep in mind also that you could
get it and do nothing, and she would just be driving a car with noisy
lifters but no added damage (or put MMO in it and possibly fix the
problem for next to nothing - if that doesn't work, you're only out the
cost of the MMO and otherwise no worse off).
HTH
Bill Putney
(to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with "x")
