4x4_Welder

Eh, just put an eight point cage in, tie it to everything from the strut towers to the back bumper, and it'll never fall apart.

I'm building a 1" drop for the enginesubframe, 5" drop for the struts, redesigned control arms, and new lower subframe to support them. But I'm using a t-case and differential up front.

I'd get the tires mounted first, then drill the rims just so they don't give you any crap about modified rims. Once they're dirty and beat looking, any tire changer probably wouldn't notice the extra holes.

I don't think I've seen an 84 Wagon that nice since- Well, 84 I guess.

Check your fuel pressure regulator. Pull the vacuum line off and check for signs of gas, there shouldn't be any at all. Also, go to Auto Zone and rent a fuel pressure tester. I don't have the factory specs in front of me right now, but I'm sure somebody will be able to post them for you. If the pressure is below spec, check the fuel pump, replace the filter, and check the fuel lines for kinks or damage. If the pressure is above spec, replace the regulator, make sure the vacuum line is attached at both ends, and check the return line for kinks or damage.

If anything, it might damage the tire, being exposed to the high temps under the hood. I just have mine in the back of the Hatch (I lost the hold-down for the underhood mount), but that's a real bad place to be in a wreck. Once I get the lift done, it'll get it's own swing mount on the rear.

Use a noid light to check the injector pulse. Plug the light's connector into the injector harness, and crank the car. You should see the light flash. Spray enough carb cleaner down it to make it run, and check the light again while the engine is running. If the light doesn't flash, then the ECU isn't signalling the injector. Please don't use a regular test light, they draw too much power and will damage the computer. Another possibility is that the key switch itself might not be working properly, it might be passing enough current to turn stuff on, but not run the whole system. Check the voltage drop across the whole circuit by connecting one lead of a voltmeter to the battery + terminal, and the other to the key power terminal on the ecu (with ecu plugged in). If you see more than .5v on the meter, there is excessive resistance in the system. You might try running the key switched power through a relay straight from the battery, with the key switch activating it. Be sure to use a fuse in that system, a 30a should be a good starting point. Oh yeah, I'd love to see some pics of the hatchbrat- I'm thinking of doing something like that with my hatch.

Can I just use whole EA82 axles? I seem to remember that they are longer, otherwise they fit. I am using a rear swingarm assembly and disks from an 86-ish RX or turbo Brat.

At work collecting more parts for the 81 hatch, my rear axles are starting to click a bit, both boots are gone on the inners, so it's time for an upgrade. I'm going with re-indexed torsion bars for 2" of lift, and another 3" block, so what are my axle upgrade options? Is it best to just use new OEM axles?

I'd double check the filter sock in the tank, and the power to the pump before I started tearing the interior apart to replace lines. There might be something floating around in the tank that plugs the inlet after it draws fuel for a while, but doesn't pose a problem when doing a quick test. Does there seem to be anything that triggers the fuel to stop, like going over a bump a certain way, taking a hard corner, low engine speed, high engine speed, etc? You might also want to wire a small test light into the fuel pump circuit as close to the pump as possible, and take the truck for a drive. If the light shuts off. you know the power is actually being interrupted shutting the pump off, rather than a mechanical issue.

Do you have a Fastenal store near you? A quick search turned up Rainbow Fasteners on 12th street, might have what you need. There's also Blue Collar Supply, Jensen Fasteners, Lobb Edward and Assoc, and U-neac Fasteners near you.

Sounds like the black helicoptors have found you- Seriously, though, change the oil and filter, maybe twice if you do the first one cold.

For testing purposes, you can wire the wastegate closed, but I wouldn't do it on a gas powered car I was driving, since there isn't any control over the boost that way. If you can move the control arm freely, then it's not seized, but it's also possible that the wastegate "shutter" has come loose or fallen off. If you can get to the bolts to remove the wastegate housing, then pull that and inspect to make sure everything is intact. Edit to ad- Check your air filter, make sure there isn't a mouse nest in it or something, and try revving the engine while watching the intake tube to make sure it's not collapsing.

Check to see if there is power to the coil while cranking. Also, go over the grounds, and main power connections. Make sure the battery is fully charged, too.

The other concern is that coked oil is really hard, practically pure carbon, and since the oil pump gets the oil before the filter, it might damage that as well. You can pull the pickup and clean it, I like to let the soak overnight in the solvent tank, then stick the solvent hose down the tube, and let it run for a couple hours to make sure everything is out. Of course, you have to either have the engine out, or jack it up enough to get the pan off to pull the pickup out.

I just had my oil pump apart for new seals (massive leak), no noticable wear at all, and it's at 195k. I think it really has a lot to do with the frequency of oil changes, since the pump gets unfiltered oil. I change mine every 2-4k, but I was running through two quarts every 100 miles before the fix. Now, with fresh 10w30, the car has 25 at idle hot, and between 50 and 75 on the highway.

It would work, but I'd be mroe worried about plugging the oil pickup while doing it or later on down the road. The pickup screen on these engines is tiny, it wouldn't take much sludge to plug it. My trick is to do oil changes once the oil starts to get dark, and run Castrol, since that stuff cleans the best.

How much room is in there? I forgot to check when I had my door apart to fix the latch last time. Does the window go all the way down with the speaker there? If anybody here is good with fiberglass, you could probably make a copy of the driver's side molded plastic pocket with an enclosed top, and mount those to both sides to hold speakers. I'm fighting this issue on my hatch now, I want to put a cd player in it, but I'm more used to finding room in full sized trucks.

Find me a t-case, and you'll have a "look what I did" post. I'll even take pics.

It never caused engagement issues on mine, but the clutch does seem to engage faster now. If the assembly is bent, then it should be replaced. Yeah, this was from Peninsula. They quoted me $60 for the assembly at first, but it was more when I went to get it.

It was off Harmony Lane or Stoney Mountain (more likely, I remember a hard turn) just past Snow Bowl Road, take the fire road out about five miles, and go up a really steep, rocky, rutted trail to the left. It was almost 10years ago, so I might be thinking of a different trail. I do remember it came out north of the Corral on 89. On edit: Now that I think about it a little more, it might have been the gas line. I kept my eyes on the terrain more than the scenery-

The megasquirt system is set up to use a General Motors type idle air controller- it just sends more or less power to the solenoid to control idle speed. I don't think the idle air controller has a feedback signal to say where it's at. The system can be run without this, but it may cause some issues with stalling both hot and cold. On the stock system, the computer uses the AAV/IAC to keep the engine at the specified idle speed, and to increase speed when the engine is cold. It always lets a certain amount of air past, the computer opens it more when the a/c is running, or if it's in gear (automatic) or when you let the clutch out a little to help keep the engine from stalling.

To get past the head planing issue, you just need to be a little creative. Custom intake, throttle body, an injector over each port, and a seperate water tube with thermostat........

Doesn't that control idle speed, same as an idle air controller? If you have a different idle air controller you're going to use, then take it off, but if not, you'll have to find a way to make it work.

In all honesty, I looked at the cable from the dealer, and the one from Napa is actually a bit stouter, and about a half inch longer. Plus, Napa got it for me the next day, the only one the dealer had was a special order that somebody was coming in for. The dealer said a week, I know from my dealings with them on other parts, I'd be waiting at least another couple days. Here's a crappy pic I took with my junk camera. I straightened, welded, and reinforced the old one, but the angle made the cable bind and bent the thin steel there again. In hunting around in the junkyards looking for a replacement early assembly, I took a look at a couple EA82s- looks like that assembly would be a bolt in on the EA81 as well, you might loose the plastic dash bottom since it didn't look like it had a clip to hold it in place.