Subaru L Series - Faulty Carb??

vigro

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Joined
Apr 4, 2009
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4
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Down Under
Hi guys, first post!

Bit of background info: I got myself a 1990 Subaru L Series and after alot of hardwork and tears got it up on a 3" lift. Put a new engine in it, rebuilt the clutch and put a new gearbox in also, so it's all fit to go.

But with this new engine there is a little fault im quite scared about!

Last week I was doing a bit of servicing and found the airfilter to be saturated in oil. I thought nothing much of it at the time and replaced the air filter, but week down the track I checked it out and again its absoutly covered in oil. It's a clean oil, looks like it's straight from the 5L bottle of Penzoil I put in last week also.

Any ideas or theories on how to test the carb?

I'll try to get some pics up soon. Much regards,

Nick
 
First thing that jumps into my mind is a faulty PCV system. You might try adding a fresh PCV valve.
 
:welcome: vigro!!!

Make sure all of your hoses are plugged into the right places, should be a diagram under the hood, you might have an oil return line plugged into the air box.
 
Vigro

Have you done any heavy offroad driving yet?

If so how old is the engine?

My 1990 L-Series carby motor will send oil up to the air cleaner, but only under heavy downhill use. With 450,000 kms, the valve seals are a bit worn, and let oil up through the cylinders and send smoke out the exhaust, as well as dumping some in the air cleaner.

Note, under normal highway driving this does not happen, smoke or oil.

Beigewagon.
 
Hey everyone, thanks for your sincere replies!

Beigewagon, the engine I picked up is quite old and the actual car has 470,000 K's on it. I've heard from another mate that these old engines can get blowback on them, so I'm thinking it could just be a bit of a once off as I have been going up some pretty hilly areas lately!

I'd still like to check out the PCV and seals though, it couldn't hurt - but I'm having a hard time locating it. There is a pipe that leads from the air-filter/carb chamber down to a T joiner - both pipes then lead down to screw-in metal pieces directly into the engine - am i getting warmer? haha

If not, any pointers?

Also he's a sneak preview of it still in the 'workshop' :lol:
https://img5.imageshack.us/img5/2084/11032009001w.jpg

edit: managed to dig up some EA82 service manuals and yep, i had the right spot. Going to do some tests now, thanks again guys I'll let you know how it goes

edit2: I took the hose off the PCV valve and turned the engine on, and it is definately sucking air in. I'm guessing it's just a bit of blowback with the old engine. Regardless, is there anyway I can stop this? Save me replacing/cleaning the air filter every few days
 
Last edited:
Vigro,

A trick I was told about years ago, but have not tried, and dont know if it does work, is to put some stainless steel wool into the inlet manifold runners. (I dont know how much or exactly where) The theory is that the oil from over run should condense on the steel wool, and when you stop, it should drip back down in to the cylinder heads and engine, instead of the air cleaner.

I have NOT tried this, and therefore cannot vouch for its effectivness, nor the potentiol for any other issues that may arise.

Since my car only does it offroad, or on steep roads, I have not been too concerend, and always carry an extra litre of oil for top ups, when going for a play, just in case.

Beigewagon.
 
Heya, bit of an update.

Had the beast running smooth as for a while now - I ended up just leaving the air filter out alltogother, as they are $36 to replace but get ruined every 20 clicks or so.

Just managed to get it into the shop now after I completely ripped out the plate (name escapes me) that holds the stabilizer bar in place to the chassis in the recent flood waters in Lismore (hehe). The local subi guys are gonna check out the filter, I'm placing it on oil rings but we'll see in time.

Will keep posted
 
Thought I'd post back again for some more updates!

It's clear to me now the 'ticking' isn't just a sticky lifter or anything that can be pin-pointed. The ticking is the first sign that your engine needs a tune up!

To get your subi (EA81, EA82 or similar engine) running sweet and to stop it ticking hard again try these:

a) Change oil and oil filter (around $40 to do, if your L series has over 400,000kms on the clock, you should be doing this every 3-4months for optimum performance and endurance)

b) Check the electrics. Make sure your have good ground leads from the engine & gearbox to the chassis. Replacing the spark plugs, leads and distributor cap cost me around $60 all up - all parts from Autobahn.

c) Check the idle on the carb. You may be allowing too little or too much air in to the fuel mix and a small adjustment can get you an extra 5-10% out of your vehicle.

Doing some of these basic touch-ups every few months will save you on petrol and keep your engine running much quieter.

Best of luck!
 
Make sure you also check the routing of all the vacuum hoses. Right after I sold my '83 the guy I sold it to rolls up and it's running all smooth and quiet. When I asked what he did he said the lines were plugged in wrong, apparently a pretty common mistake.
 
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