The AUSubaru.com.au Forums

Hi there! I could really do with some advice if anyone has any. I have a 1992 Subaru Leone Wagon.Check noise, found 1 lifter soft on LH bank of EA82. Fitted new lifters to LH bank. New ones were pumped up when purchased.
Engine started quiet, but in a few minutes became noisy ie.. bleddown.
Viewed overhead gears running with covers off. Massive oil flow from spray bars. Found relief valve in spray bar union bolt only just, if at all has any spring pressure on valve.
My thoughts: Is the relief valve dumping oil too easily and not holding any pressure in the gallery feeding the lifters.
Compared spring length to other bank and viewed oil flow looked identical. Right bank lifters quiet and always have been. We fitted spacer to increase relief pressure before spray bar and lifter noise on left bank reduced considerabally - oil flow from spray bar jets appeared unchanged.
This engine is standard, owned by an old man. Ran Penrite 20/50 in all it's life.

may be coincidental your fiddle quietened things. Can buy new spring and valve fr the preure thing behind the nut on spray bar. Pretty cheap from subaru. I find need a good drive to settle in.

Hi and Welcome to AUSubaru

Renew all the seals in the oil pump.. most times the oil pump front seal gets hard and allows air to be sucked in causing pockets of air to make their way to the lifters and then lifters collapse.

Yes we had already done the oil pump seals. Sorry I should have mentioned it in my request for help.
Please keep the ideas coming, I really appreciate any help.

Thanks so much Wowan!!!!!!!!

Make sure you have oil pressure

If you do.. go for a run on the highway for about 5 mins

Hi! Yes there is plenty of oil pressure. Been on a 45 minute drive on the M1, reduced noise slightly. Thanks for your ideas....still trying to find a solution

What pressure reading you getting from the pump? and the new lifters were brand new?

Hi! Oil pressure reading was 55lb and yes they are brand new after market lifters. THANKS

Sorry to jump in on your thread. I am one step behind you my EA82 motor.
Both L and R set of lifters went really noisy overnight. I suspect the oil pump first. How do you check the oil pressure with the engine running.

Help would be appreciated

Mike

Sorry to hijack this thread and there has been much written about EA82(T) noisy lifters. I have bitten the bullet and pulled the front off my EA82T brumby in my signature photo. To keep an eye on the oil pressure I fitted an electronic oil pressure gauge, they are not expensive and helps to keep an eye on things, especially as I am using thicker viscosity oils.

Anyway, the Aussie dollar is going alright so I bought this:-$50 plus $49 freight

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/85-94-SU ... ccessories

So I got the two timing belts, idlers and engine seal, also I had an oil pump O ring kit here so I am doing all this to see how that goes for it. So the oil pumps done including the oil seal on the pump shaft. I thought the old belts were probably a bit loose for my liking and I found that there was an O ring missing on the dip stick tube. Had only been done up with a bit of thread tape.

So question, ?? How tight can I have the timing belts. I have been trying to follow the workshop manual but don't have the special tool??. I know some are happy to let the tensioners take it up, but I feel it needs more than that. I will be running Caterpillar Diesel engine oil again and probably with one small container of STP oil treatment. Also a genuine Subaru oil filter. After this, I don't see what else I can do if it decides to keep ticking...

Thicker oil definitely helps but I have taken on board advice that the pump may suck in air if it can,...

New belts are to feel tighter than fittng used belts - it is hard to describe the tension, tight as a drum but not so that you can't get a bit of flex with mid range finger presure

Hi redrover!!
You need to buy an oil pressure testing gauge from a tool shop. You unscrew the oil pressure sender unit which is right beside the filter on the pump housing. Then screw in the oil pressure tester gauge. Most engines in that era would be about 20 psi upwards at idle idle when hot and 55-65 psi when revving.
Cheers!!!

Hello subybrumby
A new belt will stretch with use but they are not designed to run tensioned like a fan belt. From new they only need the slightest tension so once they are settled in they are neutral no slack and no stretch. Assist the tensioner with only finger pressure nip it up rotate the engine twice then retest the deflection at the longest section of the belt. This should not feel loose but should not feel like guitar string. If still loose repeat steps or if tight loosen tensioner and reset without moving anything. This really is a job done by feel rather than special tools.

Thanks for that wowan, I haven't done anymore today but hope to get it finished by the weekend, just doing a bit each afternoon. Yes, I was a bit worried about over stressing the belts..I'll go for firm with minor deflection..and thank you also to steptoe

make sure you time the left bank first then turn the motor one full turn before doing the right bank. be careful not to use the ignition timing marks there are three other marks on the flywheel that you use. Use the center one of these 3.

Wowan - My sister's L series took a 3000km trip to Port Douglas until the lifters settled in! It seriously sounded like a diesel when it left home down here... Dunno what did it - I know dad had just replaced both head gaskets hence no time to fully check out the problem.
It still runs awesome and is one of the quietest L's I've heard for a long time!

Lifters can also bleed out after a period of time as they spin while in operation, thus some lifters will have their oil hole faced downwards where gravity does its bit.

Cheers

Bennie

Yes. got those timing marks right..thanks, following ea82 manual I have on my hard drive. It feels also that the EA82(T) is not an interference motor either.....sound right?

It is not interference tis a free spinner - you are correct

Well, got this EA82T back together. Made one small mistake. When I put the oil pump back in, I had the pump cog on back to front and couldn't at first sight determine why the belts all seemed out of kilter until I referred back to my workshop manual. Turned the cog around and away I went. Tightened tensioners and put the whole caboodle back together,belt covers, radiator, belts, fans and then realised I hadn't got back to the pump cog nut and done the final nip up on it, it was only finger tight. ?@x*%#..etc etc.

So I cheated and cut a small hole through the cover about 1" round, got the nut OK and tensioned it. Just as I thought, it was only finger tight but still on there and intact. Phew..put a rubber plug in there and it looks like its always been a part of the setup.

So car now has, new oil pump seals and O rings, new timings belts and idlers and tensioners, put in fresh oil (Cat Diesel oil), one small bottle of STP oil treatment and genuine subaru filter and the car started straight away, phew,,. got the timing right too. Went for a run into Toowoomba yesterday (10KLm) car ran (elmer fudd here) vewy vewy quiet. Fingers crossed and hope lifter issues stay away. Thanks everyone for advice and input..