American MotorsEagle1987Overview/american-motors/eagle/1987/base/

1987 American Motors Eagle

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1987 Eagle.

The 1987 American Motors Eagle, a pioneering crossover that combined a car-like unibody with full-time all-wheel drive, presents a remarkably clean reliability record for researchers. With only a single owner complaint on file—focused on the seat belts—and a solitary recall, this model year stands out as one of the most trouble-free in the Eagle's history, suggesting that AMC had largely resolved earlier teething issues by this point.

Model year198819871986198519841983198219811980

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

Lubricants & capacities

Engine CoolantETHYLENE GLYCOL
Power Steering FluidAMC PART NO. 8993342 OR EQUIVALENT

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter every 7,500 mi; coolant every 22,500 mi. The big-interval services (every 22,500 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

At 5,000 miExhaust System (Complete) (inspect)
Every 5,000 miCarburetor Mounting Fasteners (inspect) · Universal Vehicle Operation (inspect idle speed)
Every 7,500 miBrake Hydraulic System (inspect fluid level) · CV Joint Boot (inspect) · Differential (inspect fluid level) · Driveshaft U-Joint (lubricate) · Engine Oil (drain & refill) · Engine Oil Filter (replace)
Every 22,500 miEngine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)
Every 30,000 miBody Latches, Locks & Hinges (inspect) · Brake System (inspect) · Choke System (inspect) · Clutch Assembly (inspect) · Distributor Vacuum Advance (inspect) · Engine Air Filter Element (replace)
Every 52,500 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Air Injection System Air Bypass Valve (inspect) · Distributor Cap (inspect) · Distributor Rotor (inspect) · Emission Control System (inspect) · Fuel Evaporative Canister Filter (replace)
Every 60,000 miBattery (replace)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

Owner complaints about the 1987 American Motors Eagle dominate in one area — the seat belts, 1 of 1 reports (100%), well ahead of the next concern. None of this vehicle's 1 recall campaigns target the seat belts, so those reports read as owner-reported wear-and-tear rather than an acknowledged defect. 0 of the reports describe a crash and 0 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the seat belts pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.

1
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
0
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
0
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
1
Owner complaints
0 involved a crash · 0 a fire

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 1 complaints on record, top 1 components.

Seat Belts1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 1 of 1 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

09E021000Fuel System, Other:Delivery:Fuel PumpReported 30/04/2009

FEDERAL-MOGUL CORPORATION IS RECALLING 2,790 MECHANICAL FUEL PUMPS, P/NO. M6737 SOLD UNDER CARTER AND NAPA BRANDS AND P/NO. 2M6737 SOLD UNDER ACCU-FLOW AND TRU-FLOW BRANDS SHIPPED BETWEEN AUGUST 2008 AND MARCH 2009 FOR… Remedy: FEDERAL-MOGUL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 12, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FEDERAL-MOGUL AT 1-877-489-6659.

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Eagle. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

Does the 1987 Eagle have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.