DaveT

That looks like the one. 2 wires is the key. There was a time where they used a different connector, so there is a chance you may have to adapt / change the connector.

It's worth testing the CTS.

Go to McMastercarr.com and mscdirect.com Search thread repair. Once you have a few names, you can also try ebay and amazon.

It just pulls out from the front. Thin screwdriver blade at the sides between the dash and the back of the bezel.

Very common failure. There are threads on here about fixing them. One includes mods I did to make them better.

When you replace the timing belts, replace the 3 idlers. The 5 parts are all near end of life at the same time, 50k miles, sometimes a little less. The idlers can make it past 50k, but they won't make it to 100k.

Oh, look for Loyale. 90 through 93 I know are the same. In GLs, in 86 carb, the final drive ratio was different. I also had an 88 SPFI and that was the same as the loyales. These are older cars with parts becoming harder to find, and more are no longer available. I run 2 of them so I have backup when one goes down, have loads of spares, and do all my own repairs. Makes them very affordable to run. Anything this old is going to have a bunch of things that need attention over a period of time, until all those bits are renewed.

Never had one do that. Not that it can't. Check the CTS , those can mess with idle, and not cause a code while doing it.

3D printing is what I was thinking. Just got one at work. Have to learn a bit more about getting things to come out right. But wow, parts I could make....

Nothing specific. I've been watching on here for anyone close by with extra unwanted 3ATs, because they are rare to find around here, and I intend to be running them for much longer, so I need parts. car-part.com has lots of used ones to look through.

IF you have no spark, first thing to do is find that problem. There is no system that will stop spark due to no gas, bad carb, bad oil, etc. It's power to the coil, ground, distributor + whatever the electronic drive is [i'm guessing it's not just old style points as I'm not specifically familiar with EA81 ignition systems, just before and after], or the coil.

ATF is automatic transmission fluid. The red oil in the transmission The gear lube that was on the differential while it was being destroyed by seriously low level was being overheated, due to increased friction from lack of lubrication. It got cooked, turning it black. The entire inside of the case is coated with that black stuff, so it would take several changes with running in between to wash out all the black. The clanking will not be fixed by adding oil. The pinion bearings are shot. One used car I got had low oil in the diff, it had gotten blackened, buy had not been so low as to ruin the bearings and make clunking noises. That one recovered and continued to run for another 100k miles or more. Back to my wife's car, I drove it into my garage, not a repair shop. I swapped in a spare transmission. I later dissasembled that ruined one to use it to get familiar with working on them. A fair amount of damage in there.

Look at the DOJ boot closely. That's the one near the transmission case. If that gets a crack or one of the bands is missing, grease will sling out and get on the exhaust. Clean, re grease and re boot it. The clanking you describe and the conditions you describe match very well with what happened to my wife's 3AT wagon years ago, when the diff ran dry of oil. And sh drove it unto the symptoms got so bad she couldn't ignore them anymore. The pinion bearings failed, and allowed the pinion to move forward and hit the differential carrier housing whenever the car is moving faster than the engine rpm would have it move. In otherwords, engine brakimg. It had gotten so bad the car shuddered when letting off the gas. I limped it home, always keeping the engine from slowing the car. The oil seals between the atf and the gear lube failed on the way home, and I just had enough atf left in it to get it into the garage.

Also, note, these were mostly 4WD, not AWD. There were only a few later versions with AWD back then. For clarity, and any new person who may read this later, and not be aware, 4WD is not for use on dry pavement. Only dirt, wet ,snow, ice.

Gas leaks further back, find and repair, just because fire hazard. Gas mixed in the crankcase? If you crank long enough, enough times without firing, you could eventually get enough by the rings to be noticeable. Not a good idea to be trying to run an engine that low on oil, even if it was good oil.

Also not a great platform to go all big modding. Parts are getting scarce. I'd think I'd want something where spare parts are common as dirt and cheap

Put the proper amount of fluid in it, see how bad the leak is, do a short drive if it's not a gusher.. Drain was left before filling. Use cheap atf, if it seems to work, drain and add good stuff. Take a look at what comes out, in both cases.

Yeah, water and electricity don't mix.

Typical high tension cables have resistance, varies with the length, brand, etc. If you measure ohms with everything connected, you don't nesisariy test what you think you are testing. Any other paths will change the reading. When you get the no reaction on the 20k range, it could be open, OR just over 20k. Meaning depends on the circuitry, so you have to know what's normal for the type of circuit. Some know this stuff, I'm putting extra info for newbies.

Those numbers don't surprise me. I don't have an EA81 coil to check on. Most common ohm meters aren't very accurate below 10 ohm. Check what you get probes together, subtract that from any reading in single digits or fractions. Some things can read very low and be ok also, so you do want to know what a good one should be.

+1 naru

That's odd.... I'd expect 10 to 12 in run, while not running. Something lower than 10 while cranking. Over 12 is very odd.

oh, that idea won't work so well with electronic. For some reason, I was thinking mechanical breaker points. Bulb across the coil should still blink though, while cranking.

Ok, power is getting to the coil. A small 12 v light bulb. Coon ect it across the points, it should light when they are open, go dark when closed. Blink while cranking. Across the coil, it should be opposite, glow when the points are closed.

Voltmeter or test lamp. One lead to the coil + terminal, other to engine block.