ferox

Air/Fuel screw is dependent on the timing and idle mixture. Make sure the timing is correct. On ea81s I think the idle mixture screw is usually turned out between 1.75-2.5 turns. I am sure ea82s are similar. It should get you in the ball park anyway. Then turn the air/fuel mixture screw right or left to bring the rpms into spec. If I am remembering correctly, turning the A/F screw clockwise increases rpms. There is a point where you unscrew it too much and it won't do anything to the idle speed. If that happens and your idle speed is still to high [EDIT-screw it back in until the rpms react to it] it means you have to adjust your idle mixture some more or there is some other problem. But as far as I know there isn't a set distance or number of turns for the A/F screw. Someone will correct me if I am wrong.

The Hitachi carb on my '88 Justy has an integral duty solenoid (versus the external version in the EA series) that I am not fond of. I keep procrastinating rebuilding it because I know that thing is going to be a problem. The Weber 32/36 is designed to work on a 1.2L (Justy) but the only ready made kit Redline-Weber offers that is close is one for a 1.3 L Honda. Jerry DeMoss found one (1.3 L) in the JY, and I was going to pick it up from him, but it turned out to be damaged. So my question is, Is the 1.3L jetting probably close enough to the 1.2L or should I try to put something together custom? I have corresponded with Redline-Weber on this topic and they weren't interested in helping me. The problem I am finding is that no one has any experience jetting a Weber for a 1.2L.

Good advice, I would also add that if you remove the choke plate and choke shaft assembly, when you reassemble make sure the pawl and all the levers in the choke housing look exactly like the diagram in the manual. The Hitachi was my first carb rebuild project as well, and I certainly don't want to discourage anyone. I just try to be as realistic as possible when advising people. It is easy to say pull it apart, clean it, rebuild it, but the first time on a carb of unknown history could lead to some frustration and it may or may not come together in one afternoon if ever. I think I have rebuilt about 10 of them now, and four of them turned out to be runners, the others are parts. I think the tricky part is knowing when the carb itself has issues or if you did something wrong during the rebuild or haven't tuned it right. That ability has to come from practice and experience, which I am sure has confounded many a first-timer. I will say this though, it is very satisfying to rebuild one and get it to run really well.

You don't need a rebuild kit to clean the jets, but if your are going to tear it open you might as well. The Haynes manual has an ok section for carbs for the ea81s I would assume that is true for ea82s as well. If you have never rebuilt a carb before the Hitachi is not a good one to start on. It's doable, but expect to spend a lot of time trying to get it right and get your car running correctly. Most people would tell you to spring for a Weber carb, which is sound advice, but if you have the time and inclination, or zero dollars then tackle the Hitachi. Just expect your patience to be tried. You may never get a steady idle, but you can make it driveable. I swear half of the old carbed Subies in the yards are there ultimately because the carb needed rebuilt or replaced. Do a search or ten. These basic questions get asked literally every other day. You would normally get more responses, but people are probably suffering from answer fatigue on hitachi carb questions. All your questions have already been answered in the archives.

For future reference, disconnecting the tie-rod end is not necessary for replacing axles if that is the reason you did it. And a $6-$10 tie rod/ball joint puller is worth the money. Sometimes the hammer works fine, sometimes it doesn't, and it's better to not bang on that stuff anyway.

It may not be profitable if we just share opinions, but I was asking questions about MWEs for the benefit of people who ask about axles. It comes up all the time and people get opinions, but not a lot of actual information about the axles and real costs, etc. I was just asking you because you post-up about MWEs consistently, and I thought you could share some knowledge about them. This is my point about the new (needle bearing) axles not being well suited for applications that require absorption of vibrations or articulation that causes undue loading or friction on the bearings. It would seem that the ball bearing design and broken in parts of the reman MWE are more forgiving. You seem knowledgable about MWEs. With the anticipation that somebody might ask about axles again, I was thinking it might be nice to just consolidate people's collective knowledge for a real comparison. That way when someone asks again they can get the quick, informative run-down to make their own decision.

No offense GD, but they take insurance fraud very seriously, and for the policy-holders sake I wouldn't suggest this approach. If caught, they could be prosecuted, they would definitely be dropped by the current insurer, and would never be able to get another policy. This is a good idea. Check with the BAR Association, sometimes there are special programs that provide a one-time attorney visit pro-bono and it might only take one letter from an attorney. If your parents have had the policy for a while then the insurer should be able to find a way to help you out. A lot of it has to do with the agent you are dealing with. Some of them are understanding and realize that the amount your parents have paid in, is a drop in the bucket compared to the claim. Others you have to show that it will cost more to refuse your claim that to pay it. They have more lee-way in the decision than they let on, and they don't want to show up on the company radar for something like this. Even with all the stuff that was stolen, your claim is peanuts to them and a lot to you. You might even have more pictures of your stuff than you realize in the background of pictures of other things. Even without receipts, pictures are evidence of ownership, especially with used goods. Don't let them not pay you, if they try to shut you down, get counsel.

Do you happen to know which parts of the rebuilts are new/replaced and which are used core parts? What is the core charge? What to you usually pay for shipping? How long does it take to get them? What is the warranty or return policy? This "debate" over MWE or Aftermarket comes up a lot, so I would just like to suss-out a real comparison. There have been plenty of testimonials on each side and I will add a little bit more. I use the EMPIs, and my last set went for 40,000 miles until I took them on a 100 mile drive on wash-board gravel logging roads. They did not like that. They didn't grenade, but they were done. I put another set on, and they have been perfect for 2-3K now. It's my pet theory that the tighter tolerances of the new axles do not tolerate the drivetrain and other slop that most of these older cars have, while the ball-bearing remans have some intrinsic wear and different design that absorbs more of the slop. In my opinion, my car does fine with EMPIs because I have replaced and torqued just about everything in the drivetrain and suspension and it is relatively tight. Vibrations in a drivetrain would have a similar effect that the gravel roads had on my car. There are so many factors that effect the axles (trans. mounts, u-joints, transaxle stubs, wheel bearings, alignment, wheel balance, castle nut torque, etc.) that it is hard to isolate. I think both the EMPIs and MWE are good axles, but if you are going to choose one I think the real question is...what condition is your car in?

I think about this too. My shop opens toward the street. Even though it's quite ways off the street, when I am working at night with the front garage door open I feel like I am in a display case. However, I figure when they look in my shop all they see is Harbor Freight orange and don't bother. So maybe you should paint all your remaining stuff orange. Hopefully the homeowners insurance company and agent are cool. And even better, hopefully they catch them, it happens. I don't know how many times I have been ripped-off in my life, and it is hard not to be really *ing angry and have it consume your thoughts for a while. Thwiekers suck

I am totally into it, let me know when it comes up in the project rotation I currently live fairly close to West Linn, but I am planning on buying a house sometime in the next few months somewhere closer in to Portland (then the housecleaner might happen). Close enough either way. Sounds like a worthy project to me.

I recently had the same problem, and in my case it was the Fuel Pump Control Unit. (Black box located next to the hood release under the dash.) http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=99877&highlight=FPCU I also replaced the fuel pump in case the old one was drawing too much current and burning out the transistor. The old pump pumped well when connected to the battery, but that didn't really tell me how efficiently it was running. The car runs like a champ now.

Glad I am not the only one. I have to enforce strict personal discipline on my project work in order to not twirl perpetually...and I have only got 4 Subarus and a Jeep. I currently live on 10 acres of property. I thought it was really cool at first. The etc, etc keeps getting in my way. Sometimes I fantasize about actually getting to the end of my project list , but I know I would just make another one. My parents and brother do the maid thing, and I have to say it seems like money well spent. I may do that myself in the near future. To stay on topic...if you ever build a TIG welder I would really like to check it out. I want a TIG, but can't afford one at this time. BTW you might check out prices on old wood chippers before you turn one into a TIG, they seem to hold their value like tractors.

Thanks GD. That's what I was looking for. I have had varied experiences with Airgas myself. I couldn't agree more. Some tools are ok to go cheap on, but not these. You realize that your project list just got longer though right. Oh well, who wants to get to the end of the list anyway. You can just build bigger, better, faster now.

Nice, congrats, I'm jealous. Did you get an industry discount or do you have any advice as to the best place to pick up a set-up like that locally?

There are 4WD Justy's in Canada for sure. The Justy engine will not bolt up to a ea series DR trans. They are totally different animals. There is a guy in the UK currently building tube frame Justy Buggy: http://subarujusty.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=2684

Well now, that involves more questions and answers. I don't work on ea82s, so I probably won't ask all the pertinent questions but I'll get you started. Is it a Hitachi or Weber carb? I'll assume Hitachi. What did you do to your engine, and did you rebuild the carb? Is it a feeback carb? Probably easiest to post a picture of it. Basic carb tuning is pretty straightforward and readily available on the internet [check into it for lean best idle procedure], but a Hitachi...especially a Hitachi in need of a rebuild is a a different story. To get you started, make sure the timing is correct. IIRC on the ea81 I usually start with the idle mixture screw between 2-2.5 turns out, the ea82 is probably similar. Adjust/check timing, idle mixture, then air/fuel mixture, then repeat that procedure in that order until all those things line up with spec. Then go drive it and check it all over again, then do it again a few times, and if you have done extensive work on your engine you will probably have to do go through the procedure several more times. There are good write-ups if you search for them. And other members (GD if he has time) can give you more specific instructions, but that should get you going. If you carb hasn't been rebuilt within the last 2-4 years, you really should just do it. It's not that hard if you are methodical about it, and carb kits are like $30. Just take your time with the float adjustment. It's totally worth it, and your carb may never even get close to tuned without it. My '81 hatch just turned 270k, smooth as silk, great power, 29-31 mpg, rebuilt Hitachi carb. It's patient work though. It's all about the iterations. Good Luck

If no one local has anything for you, you can check the Foster LKQ. They had a decent looking engine in an '85 hatch there a couple of weeks ago. Of course you are taking your chances with a JY engine, but it looked fine and it is an ea81 afterall.

You might also try re-soldering the one of the connections on the front of the motor itself. The door on my '81 stopped opening and I re-soldered the green wire IIRC, and it works great now. If I am not mistaken this is a common problem on these units. Just disconnect the battery because at least one of the wires is hot.

This thread read my mind. I know I don't know you JesZek, but just the other day it popped into my mind that you hadn't posted for a while, then I thought...oh no! the last thing he posted about was brake troubles! And Honduras just had a coup! So I am glad to hear that it was just a universal affliction...computer trouble. Good luck with the car (sube) search.

Oh yeah, duh. Didn't really think about it past the gold stickers on the valve covers. For some reason they did not do their traditional 50% off this weekend. Instead it's free admission...whoopee...and 25% off glass.

I seem to remember reading on here that a Legacy master cylinder will bolt on to an ea81 booster. I couldn't find much in my searches, so does anyone know? And if so, are there issues to consider? I am going to be doing a front vented rotor caliper swap and rear disk conversion soon. I am interested in the master cylinder swap mostly as a source of newer, plentiful junkyard parts, but a little extra braking power would be nice too...although it seems like that would be more of a booster thing.

Just thought I would let Portland people know there is an silver '85 ea81 hatch 4WD (213K) in good condition at the Foster LKQ with hydro lifter heads. Not that big-a-deal but it would be a shame for them to get crushed. If I wasn't going to EJ my hatch I would have picked them up myself. It also still has the 4MT that shifted through the gears fine, doesn't look beat up at all.

http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/1359341135.html

You could also check with the dealer. A lot of times their prices on seals are not that bad, and they are open on Saturdays.

They are cool little cars. I am doing a ridiculously comprehensive rebuild on a Gen 1 right now. The deal with the oil/water pump is that they are integrated into an elaborate cast aluminum crankcase plate that is dealer-only and costs $360 for the time being. Not trying to scare you, but the problem is in fact the oil pump. The drive linkage is not very sophisticated and eventually causes eccentric lateral forces on the the steel rotor which then correspondingly wears down the aluminum shaft bore. I bushed the shaft bore on my crankcase plate, but it is still just a band-aid. Like I said though, don't let this scare you away, this is just the one problem that affects all Justy's. I say buy it, and if you don't, pm me because I will buy it immediately. The Justy suffers more acutely from the same fate that is now creeping up on the ea81s. Parts are already somewhat difficult to come by, and there is almost no aftermarket support. I think they have enough time to do a good rebuild and drive it for another 200,000, but after that I think you will be looking at a bleak parts scenario or...major mods, which could be fun. Get it, join proboards, have fun.