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Ea81 timing marks


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I have ran EA82 flywheels on EA81 engines many times. Timing marks are not that far off once flywheel is bolted on.

 

Running EA82 flywheel on the EA81 engine moves the marks 6* further BTDC.

What is actually 0*TDC on the EA81 engine, now reads as 6*BTDC on the EA82 flywheel.

 

With a carbed engine, timing would be set to 14*

SPFI engine, timing would be set to 26*.

 

Currently running an EA81 engine in my '88 Wagon. SPFI swap done, XT6 flywheel (same timing marks as EA82), timing set at 26* and it's happy.

Ran a Webered EA81 in another '88 Wagon with Auto trans, timing was set at 14* to 16* depending on summer/winter.

hey thanks. I probably wont get to it till the weekend. Im gonna try for mid week, but with a wife that works 45-50 hours a week and a 2 year old with a 7 year old things might be difficult:)
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Alright... let's get this fixed.

Some simple stuff first...

Make sure the #1 piston is at the top of it's compression stroke (not the exhaust stroke). Remember, the #1 piston is towards at the front of the car on the passenger side (U.S.) Pull the #1 plug... put your thumb over the spark plug hole somewhat tightly... as you rotate the crank by hand (clockwise), the compression stroke will blow your thumb off the hole as you reach TDC. Rotate the crank a few degrees more. If you don't see the timing marks, then just make a chalk mark for now. OK... take a break.

Next check the rotor position. It should be pointed towards #1 plug wire. This is normally the position nearest to the firewall (your disty may be 180 degrees off - if so remove and install correctly - There may be a stamp mark close to the lower gear). Double check the firing order of the plug wires. It is 1-3-2-4 - COUNTERCLOCKWISE.

As you rotate the crank clockwise, the disty rotor will rotate counterclockwise. It will take 2 complete rotations (720 degrees) of the crankshaft inorder to rotate the rotor 360 degrees.

Some people have thought 1 and 2 are both on the passenger side. Not true. 1 and 3 are passenger side. 2 and 4 are driver side. 1 up front. 2 up front.

Get back to us with the results. This is interesting.

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Oh... I forgot to say...    You're either crazy or really brave for sticking your fingers in the timing hole with the engine running.

lol i stuck the scotchbrite in the hole and held it with a flat tip. The wife should be home anytime now and im gonna put it back together and have a look at things. Ill let you know something.

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Alright so i put the car all back together. I put the driver side head on. I had no compression in either #2 or #4 cylinders. I adjusted the valve lash and now have compression(tested with finger over plug hole)on both cyliders. #4 cylinder i can completely stop the air from coming out of plug hole. #2 cylinder will push my finger out, as will cylinders 1and 3. If i barely put my finger over #4 plug hole i can fill air come out. I have no idea what the deal is there. As for the timing marks. #1 top dead center the flywheel is about a quarter inch before 20*btdc if that makes sense, the distributor rotor does point at #1 on the cap. Anyway im gonna test the compression with a gauge tomorrow. In the mean time im giving the car the name "christine"

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You might have a build up of crusty solidified oil on your valves and or valve seats.  It could also be damage, but when I changed out the headgaskets on my ea81 I discovered that the back-side of the valves were absolutely caked in the stuff.  I was surprised that they were seating at all.  If you pull the driver's side head again you should pull the valves and check their condition.  I also recommend replacing the valve stem seals at that time as well.

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Compression test results... #1 holds at 168. Cylinder #3 holds at 167. Cylinder #2 holds at 155. Cylinder #4 holds at 125. When the engine is turning over everytime cylinder number four rolls around it make kind of a hiss sound. Like a bike tire would when you have a little hole in it. I did this test with the distributer cap off and the radiator out. I turned the motor by key for about five seconds per cylinder. Tomorrow im goin to put everything back in the car and test plug wires for spark.

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thats the first time I have heard in the post that the head gasket blew, did it overheat?  maybe it warped the head if it did.  I still say valve train more likely, but if the head gasket actually blew you should check to make sure its not warped.

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So i read that you can do two types of compression test. A wet and dry. Im sure most have heard about it. Anyway my first test was at 125 psi on my # 4 cylinder so i put a cap full of oil in the cylinder and did a re test. Bumped up to 155. I dont know if the rings are stuck or bad. The cylider wall looks good. The car sat for a couple years before i bought it. I decided to let it sit with marvel mystery oil in the cylinder. Then ill turn it over by hand a few times and see it compression changes.

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Well good news. The car runs perfect. No idea what happened. After the adjustment of valve lash and a guess at the timing marks i couldnt ask for the car to run any better. All i can guess is the valves just needed adjusted and i got super lucky at guessing the timing. The backfire is gone, as well as the miss. All i need to do now is get the y pipe to fit more snug onto the heads. Both sides have a little leak happening but nothing severe. Needless to say im super excited about it. Lol

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