4x4_Welder

Bad starter, loose wire, or bad ground would be my first choices. When you try to crank the engine, do the headlights dim at all?

Any brake system needs a proportioning valve. My truck doesn't have one due to it being drum brakes all the way around, but still the rears will lock before the fronts when it's empty. Because the surface area of the caliper piston is so much larger than the surface area of the pistons in a wheel cylinder, it needs less pressure to achieve the same braking force. Plus, it reacts faster than a drum brake system. Combine those two issues, and it is easy to see why a straight rear disk conversion will lock up easily. Chances are you won't notice this tendancy under normal driving conditions, but you will notice a higher, more sensative brake pedal. If you have concern about it locking up, install a proportioning valve (Actually, two, since it's a diagonally split system), but the car won't be undriveable without this. The tendancy to lock up will be more obvious in a Brat than in a Hatch or Wagon, due to less weight on the rear tires.

Not possible to pressurize the car, it's vented through the tailgate. Besides, that means that if you open a window a hair or open the door, it would start blowing again. If the motor sounds like it's spinning faster than usual, check the air inlet, and make sure it's clear. These little squirrel cage blowers won't produce pressure, but will draw a slight vacuum. Also, see if it does the same thing in both fresh air and recirculate settings.

If you were messing around under the dash, make sure the fuel pump controller is still plugged in. It's right above the fuse panel, and the plugs are pretty weak. Also, make sure your distributor is properly connected, and all wires are connected on the coil.

Let's backtrack on this a little bit- Can you put an adjustable wrench on the clutch fork and move it to release the clutch? Or are you just not able to move it by the pedal? Is the pedal very low, with very limited travel? If so, you may have a bad pedal assembly like I had on my 81 Hatch. Basically, the original factory piece is very weak, and if the cable seizes, it will bend the cable mount around to the point you cannot operate it anymore. There is no way to reliably fix the original assembly (I found out after pulling mine three times, welding various braces to it, etc), but you can get an upgraded piece for $70-someodd dollars from SOA. Just order a pedal support assembly without pedals, and a clutch cable for an 84 GL, and you will be good to go.

If spraying down with water makes the ground connection, then there is a serious problem with the engine ground. Color/rust on the engine/ etc doesn't make a difference. If there is green crud on the ground cable, that's the problem.

The real problem is that the aluminum is verysoft, and cannot hold the exhaust up with that short of threads. The PO of my Hatch had gone all the way out to 1/2" bolts, and those were stripped, so I rotated the flanges to the other pair of holes, drilled and helicoiled those, and have had no problems. I'll probably do this as a preventative measure on the new engine, just to prevent any issues. One thing to look out for is any damage to the exhaust system, or a plugged catalytic converter. Either can cause excessive backpressure on the systm, and speed any damage at that end.

It is, but generally that just makes the clutch stay engaged even with the pedal down, and usually doesn't affect pedal travel.

I'll go to Checker/Shucks/Kragen/Advance, Napa, America's, O'Reillys, or any of the Parts Plus local stores before I go to AZ. The only time I go there is when they have something I can't get at any of the other stores, and it's not something critical, or that I can't get used. The spacers were three little black rectangular pieces in the diaphragm spring.

The first clutch was for a 2wd, probably the wrong part number in their computer. It sounds like you might have a bad clutch, but I also noticed on the Beck-Arnley clutch I got, they had some sort of spacer inside the pressure plate, I'm assuming to prevent damage in shipping, but that had to be removed in order for the clutch to operate properly.

I refer you back to my first post. In the AZ computers, the front and rear axles for GCK Axles are the same part number, ie: They show a rear axle, but ship you a front. GCK isn't on the website, only at the stores, and may be a NW thing only, since people on the eastern side of the US seem to have a hard time finding them.

Under normal conditions, the rears are pretty much good for life. Unfortunetely, this car is proving to be abnormal. Both axles give about 1/4" of play (did before one of the fronts broke), weird things are worn, the engine's about done, pulled the seatcovers to find mismatched seats, etc. It's just incredibly annoying that they had a listing for the rears NEW, and I was all excited to get them, and then had the carpet yanked out from under me. Seems to be a trend lately.

But Autozone can ruin ANYTHING! Ordered up new axles last week, they came in tonight and- WRONG ONES! Both front and rear axles for EA81s are same part number in their computers. So, of course the guy pulls a front axle out of the box. Both part numbers were SB 8002 on the computer, same as what was on the box. Does anybody have the correct part number for the rear axles, or are rears just not available?

I know, but I couldn't find the smartass smiley.

I've done about 3,000 miles at speeds up to 70, going back and forth between 4hi and 4low. Of course, that is with the front axles out-

Actually, from 94-96, all of Maine had emissions testing. The problem was that people didn't let their cars idle in line, so most cars failed emissions. When the state cancelled the program, the contractor operating the stations sued them for breach of contract. As far as hick truckers, I'll let you take that up with them. Personally, I love the sound of a 3406 with a massive straight pipe bellowing down the highway. Jacobs compression brakes serve a great purpose, namely keeping the service brakes from overheating, and keeping you from being run over by a truck that can't stop. I'm not even going to try the rest of that sentence, do you want to restate that so it makes a little sense?

Found them on car-part.com for $25-$100, depending on what yard they are from.

I'd hate to think of that dinky little roll pin playing any kind of role in holding the rear wheels on-

It's been done on an EA81 as far as I have been told, there is plenty of underhood room for a small block. I thought about doing that with my old DL Wagon, but then I got a little more creative- 3.0l Ford v6, turbocharged to produce about 375hp, 400ft/lbs tq, adapted to a Porsche 5speed transaxle. 8point roll cage, and a clear cover over the engine so it was clearly visible through the side windows. Should have been good to play around in, but unfortunetely, that car went away before I was able to get really going on mods aside from measuring and planning.

The hardest part of getting the bearings out is getting the hub out. I use a mushroom bit (big blunt hammer head) in my air chisel, and gently tap it out with a few raps, generally they come out without damage. Thoroughly clean the old grease out of the bearing with a good solvent, and let it air dry completely. Then, pack with a good high-temp grease, I prefer Moly-Graph from Sta-Lube, it works great and resists the heat produced by the brakes (I used to use it on the booms of excavators used around slash fires, since it doesn't dry out, and even if it did, there's still graphite in it). Make sure to pack the grease fully into the bearing, and put some more in between the bearings, around the spacer. The extra grease flows into the bearings as they warm up, and helps replace what may get past the seals. If the grease that's in there is old and black, it may be full of dirt and metal dust from the bearings, so I would highly recommend getting it out of there.

For a first-timer, it's better to use rope in the cylinder instead of shop air, there's less chance of bumping the valve open and having it drop into the cyl than with air. Valve stem seals are the easiest and cheapest of your possible repairs. ATF burns whitish-grey and STINKS, so probably not that. The turbo seals are another possibility, especially if you don't let the car idle down for at least 30seconds before shutting down, if it gets lugged at low rpms for extended periods, or has been overheated at all. This is especially an issue on the earlier non-water cooled turbos, since their cooling came from the oil. The most likely cause, though, is rings. These engines, with their horizontal configuration, don't always follow the conventional causes of oil consumption. Pull the spark plugs, and look into the cylinders. If you can see oil in there, then it's a ring problem. Also, if you are now parking on a sideways slope, try parking so the car sits level side-to-side, since there won't be as much gravity assisting the oil to get past the rings.

Nope, that's a carb issue. Sounds like it's flooding out, either from fuel boiling out of the bowl and down the carb throat, or a slow drip due to plugged air bleeds.

Make sure it's in FWD, neutral on the stick (seen a guy blow up a VW bug this way) and the key is in it to release the steering lock.

seattle.craigslist.org for western WA, portland.craigslist.org for OR. I got my hatch for $150 from Seattle. If you find one in the Bremerton/Port Orchard area you are serious about, I'll take a look at it for you. But I won't be running all over for ya-

Keeping the wheel bearings tight together and full of grease will make them live longer. Also, make sure that the dust seal is on the backside of the bearings, if not, you will be needing them again in a few months.