dbeckman Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 Hello Everyone, I'm new to this board, so please pardon me if I ask any questions already covered. I have a 1987 GL 4x4 5-spd Wagon, VIN JF2AN53B7HE408589. How do I find out whether I have an EA81 or EA82? A few months ago, I took the car in for inspections/emmisions testing (for D.C.). They refused to even test it, citing a "safety hazard": excessive smoke. It's not very noticable unless you're looking for it, but you can see black smoke coming from the tailpipe, especially as you increase the throttle. I should note that a year before this, the car went through the test just fine. It has about 183k miles on it. For the past few weeks (after inspections -- been driving it without the inspection sticker), the situation has seemed to get worse. The car idles very roughly: I have to wait for it to warm up, and even after that, I have to keep throttling at stoplights or it will tend to stall (the rpms just get too low). I took it to a shop that specializes in imports, and they were unable to adjust the idle -- nothing had any effect. I had the same problem when trying that myself. They were only able to find a new carb from the local dealer -- at the tune of $600. Some people have suggested that the smoke could be caused by the rings being worn (oil escaping past and getting burned). Which, to me, sounds like a new engine. So I'm not sure if I should take a gamble and try installing a Weber kit. I should note that I have not noticed any reduction in power at normal speeds. It has the same amount of pickup as it used to; it just idles roughly. It has plenty of power on the highway, etc. Also, I'm not sure what kit I would need to get. Carbs Unlimited (Carbs.net) has two kits available; both descriptions seem to apply to my vehicle: 72 - 89 SUBARU ALL , INCLUDING BRAT EA 71 / EA 81 1.6 , 1.8 K730 32-36_DGEV_Electric_Choke 329.35 85 - 87 SUBARU ALL , INCLUDING BRAT EA 82 , 1.6 , 1.8 K731 32-36_DGEV_Electric_Choke 329.12 Any thoughts/advice on this would be much appreciated. Thanks! Daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted September 3, 2003 Share Posted September 3, 2003 Unless I am mistaken, you have an ea82. It should say so right on the engine block near the front on the right side. As to your emissions issues, I kinda doubt that it could be burning oil. Does it smell really nasty? Burning oil smells horrid. You probably need to either get your carb rebuilt or get a new one. Before buying a weber kit, make sure that your I.M. place doesn't do visual inspections. If they do, they will probably send you out the door if they see a weber under the hood. I'm currently dealing with emissions issues with my 86, although due to various issues I'm pretty much screwed with my current setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beauregaardhooligan Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 Black smoke is too much gas. Probably crud in the carb. Try a bottle of your favorite carb cleaner. I like straight Techron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonOfScio Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 yeah, if they look under the hood I'm fairly sure if you grabbed a weber, you're screwed. And I honestly think it's your carb too. Like the other guys said, you'd smell it, if it were oil getting past the rings. You can get a rebuilt carb for (price checks right now) remanufactured hitachi is the price range of $288.99 with a core of $75.00. And a rebuilt kit runs only $23.99. So my best guess is it's your jets dying (similar to Andrew's 4x4 sedan) and you'd probably be best off if you can do it yourself, to get a kit and rebuild it yourself. Dissassemble, clean it out, and rebuild it. If not, then a newly remanufactured one from an automotive store would work. Also, the prices listed are from Shucks. http://www.partsamerica.com '87 GL VIN2, 2bbl hitachi, 1600CC, EA71 I went by the first number of your VIN, and if it's the 5, then you're car is a 1.8L EA82 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 Black smoke means too rich a mixture--either too much gas or too little air. Check the air filter and flapper valve in the air intake to make sure it's not stuck shut. If your local emissions laws don't require looking under the hood, get a weber, mine passed emissions here in Washington state and they don't look under the hood if it passes the sniffer test. Also, it looks like you need to find another shop; they should at least be able to tell you where/what the problem is. It could be as simple as a mixture adjustment on the carb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted September 4, 2003 Share Posted September 4, 2003 Black smoke - rich air fuel mixture Sure sounds like the float wants adjusting/replacing (don't know if you have a foam float but they can absorb gas and begin to sink causing a rich mixture at low flow rates) This is not a hard repair and IMHO is worth a shot before spending big bucks. BTW the mixture adjustment is sealed on your carb and if you remove the lock, it will ONLY adjust the mixture at idle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbeckman Posted September 5, 2003 Author Share Posted September 5, 2003 Thanks everyone for the great advice and input! The emmisions station around here does not perform visual inspections. I decided to take the plunge and order a Redline Weber 32/36 conversion kit. It's supposed to arrive about a week from now. At least it will run a lot better and I'll have some fun with it. I don't drive to work, so I can afford to take my time on this. Will I need anything other than basic tools? Are there any good resources on the web? I noticed the procedure is listed in the Repair Manual (http://www.usmb.net/repair/ -- under Engine and not Fuel?), but the picture links seem to be broken. Thanks, Daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Ursalia Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 Dbeckman, the URL specified for the photos is wrong... if you put in say http://www.usmb.net/repair/weber/weber1.jpg You'll get the photos. They are currently listed as being in the http://www.usmb.net/repair/ directory, not the http://www.usmb.net/repair/weber/ directory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 Daniel, here is a very good site by Cameron on the fitting od the 32/36 Very good reading IMHO http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~camncath/retrofitting_the_weber_dgav_32.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thealleyboy Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 Daniel: Let us know how the Webb conversion goes. I plan to do one on my 86 one of these days... I would document your modifications and keep all the OEM stuff just incase you have to go back. The carb especially, is something you want to hang onto for as long as you own the car. If all else fails, have the original rebuilt professionally. That's your ace in the hole. good luck, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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