The AUSubaru.com.au Forums

Hello,

I drive (or drove) a '90 Subaru 5sp 4wd station wagon (very basic EA82 NA model.)

Last week, I was driving to work (110km/h) and suddenly the engine lost a lot of power - would do 80km/h max with the foot flat to the floor.

About 30 km later, the engine stopped - I tried to start it again by roll starting it but it wouldn't fire. Once the car stopped the motor would turn over but not start.

I had a mechanic look at it who told me the following
-no spark caused engine to stop
-distributor ceased which caused LH cam to cease
-engine is an interference engine and all the valves etc would be bent
-car is basically a write off.

I towed it home and had a look, and found the following:
-one of the distributor counterweights had snapped off (causing poor timing hence 80km/hour?) and had then got stuck in amongst the other weights preventing them from rotating (engine stoppage?)
-the other small counterweight is flogged out to an inch of its life (so was going to happen anyway
-when I turn the engine over, the timing belt doesn't turn, but i don't hear any major mechanical noises
-the mating gear for the dizzy 'feels' ok (haven't looked at the cam shaft yet).

My gut feeling is that the timing belt has been flogged out around the drive pulley, that is why its not working.


My questions to the forum:

Is the EA82 an interference motor i.e. are all my valves bent?
Is it worth replacing timing belt, dizzy and perhaps LHS camshaft out of a wreck?

I also have access to a cheap EA81 motor.

what is involved in retrofitting an EA81 to an EA82 gearbox?

Be great for some advice.

Thanks

engine is not interference, it is a free spinner, valves won't be bent.
Proof of this is the many times people have lost the dizzy side belt to get no spark, simply renew belt correctly and off they go again. Ask Bennie Elf_Freddo

have you pulled covers to check the belts?

you realy need to strip and inspect camshaft, beauty of this cam box design is that if cam has come to grief in cam box the head is still fine and no need to pull head and renew gasket. Are you thinking of doing this yourself or pay someone money or beers?

I'd do it if it was mine - over install EA81 with its complications

steptoe wrote:Are you thinking of doing this yourself or pay someone money or beers?

Ill definitely br doing all work myself. That's great about a non interference motor- damn mechanic had me worried!

I won't get to it until Tuesday- until then thanks a lot and
I'll keep you posted.

Yeah I've had the belt go on me before! About 20 metres before I got off a 4wd track while doing a reckie in the Wombat SF, lucky for me it was down hill so gravity did the rest for me

As steptoe has said, non interference engine. I'd say that your distributor gearing on the cam shaft will be alright as the damage from that was done at the point where 80km/h flat footed started - or you had broken the driver's side belt which then caused the passengers (dizzy's belt) to snap. It could be a fluke to have found out about the dizzy's counterweights are shagged.

Check out out though, I'm happy to be proven wrong!

The EA81 would be the bomb proof solution. No mods needed to put it in other than the radiator piping to the '81s water pump. Some engine wiring may need to be sorted but I'm pretty sure it all wires in the same way just that different plugs are used.

Vic roads will sting you when you try to change your registration over to the EA81's engine number if you're not using an EA81 that's the same age or older as your L's build date. You'll need the EA81's original pollution gear - that said you could jerry rig the L's pollution gear in to make it look factory and tell them it came from a 92 model brumby...

You might have to play around with the clutch setup too, other than that its happy motoring

Here's what a dead cam belt can look like:







Another great solution to the EA82 is the EJ22 Vicroads will require engineering of the engine for compliance though - that's pretty much the ONLY downer on this conversion!

Cheers

Bennie

Hello,

Thanks for your help thus far.

I inspected the timing belt last night, and the LH belt has localised tooth destruction. (see picture)

I checked out the cam, and the gear on that is fine, I'm presume that once the dissy ceased, the cam shaft did as well -causing the belt to strip out.

I got a dissy from a wreckers and will get timing belts tonight.

Any hints on their replacement, i.e. radiator out, engine out? or is it prefereable to do it all in situ?

Radiators and their fans out is best - gives more room and reduces risk of damage to them so long as you store safely away.
Have you got a manual that describes the replacement of these belts? On first look I needed to reread a few times as there are mraks on flywheel that are cam belt install marks NOT ignition timing marks. There is three marks together about 3mm apart. Also the marker on back of timing belt back plates and marks on cam wheel.
Commonsense shows dizzy belt first (from memory) when it is on and tension good, a full rotate once of crank to line up same middle mark to then install turbo side belt (non dizzy side for those without hair dryer)

Natty design is that oil pump and dizzy run off same belt

Yeppers, I have the gregory service manual - seems to be very well documented.

I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again.

Best to replace the water pump while you're there if you don't know its history...

Cheers

Bennie

Put a kit through the oil pump while your at it.