carfreak85

The EJ 5MT is more narrow than the EA 4EAT. @SuberDave has a 6MT in his EA82 wagon, it's not exactly "bolt in," but it's as close as you can get considering the chassis and transmission were designed about three decades apart.

I don't think there is that much difference on the ignition modules for the later EA81(or EA81T) distributors. Last time I had my EA81T distributor apart I recall thinking that the two-pin module would probably bolt right in, were it not for the two missing pins. RockAuto doesn't even show the four-pin module when you pull up an EA81T, only the two-pin is available.

Sounds pretty clear to me, OEM ONLY for the cogged pulley, no aftermarket allowed. End of story.

Do you have a factory service manual? This will help you immeasurably, even if you swap the engine in the future. Start by looking for the vacuum leaks, then look at your air filter. Then go for spark plugs (check that gap!), plug wires/cap/rotor. This is a new-to-you car, so before you start throwing money at it do some quick inspections to see how the consumable components look at this age. EA turbos never ran modern fuel pressures, I think the max they hit is 36 psi (modern port injected systems run the 43 psi, while direct injection can be in the hundreds and diesel in the thousands). You could try replacing the fuel filter and rubber fuel hoses. You don't see boost in neutral because the engine isn't under load, so not enough airflow to produce boost. A permanently mounted boost gauge is a must for any turbo car.

Ahhh, I don't think 85/86 even had a boost cut, so that's probably not your issue. Do you have an FSM yet and have you looked up the troubleshooting tree for your condition? I have no idea what you've disconnected, but our cars never had a blowoff valve. The EA81Ts had a "pop off" valve that protected the engine from overboosting, but I'm not sure if EA82Ts had that as well. I wouldn't worry about a vent-to-atmosphere bov, it's not going to help anything and may hurt drivability somewhat. Get the engine in a good state of tune, then add an intercooler.

Sounds like you're overboosting and hitting the fuel cut, which on the '87+ chassis with the hot wire MAF is only like 8 psi. Verify you don't have any vacuum leaks (rubber intake boot where it clamps onto the turbo is a common one, look for cracks), inspect all the rubber hoses, etc. Replace the knock sensor, then see if you're still having the problem. Do you have an FSM yet?

And this is a good idea on an old, tired, turbocharged car at altitude because?....

Do you have a preferred tester that you use? Might as well invest in the tool...

I love having this type of DIY option available! I'll still probably take my driveline to a shop for piece of mind, but thanks a ton Numbchux for the procedure! Might have to try this on a spare driveline!

Update: I've been monitoring fluids since the repair. Still losing coolant from the surge tank, maybe half the tank in a week or two? The wife also reported a strong oil smell yesterday after a ski trip. Haven't crawled under the car yet to inspect/confirm, but I hope its something simple and obvious because I'm starting to worry that I spent all this time and effort only to have botched the repair to the tune of a couple grand...

Probably becoming a recall six years later because the volume of infant failures indicates that there will be more failures as these valve springs age.

Oh, good luck. I've been looking for the four-pin EA81T version for the last 4 years. All I ever see is the two-pin carby versions...

If you didn't touch the throttle cable while changing the crossover pipe I'd say the more likely scenario is that your throttle cable is fraying.

Yup, that's me. I've also got an '87 RX. The Old School Reunion is getting pretty flexible, they want to be more like Radwood I think, so they're starting to let early 90's jellybean cars into the show. Their basic rule is that if some version of the body style was in production in '88 or earlier, you're good. The EA82 chassis started production in 1985, so we're good, and they SHOULD even let in a 1994 Loyale based on the rule.

I thought it might be that car. It was for sale for a long time before Scott bought it, but the original seller wanted an arm and a leg for a non-op EA82T...