ferox

I am not seeing your pic.

Curb weights from the two FSMs I have: 87-88 (Gen 1) Justy: 2WD DL = 1,655 lb 2WD GL = 1,675 lb 4WD GL = 1,785 lb (5MT)(Gen 1 4WD only produced in '88, all '87s are 2WD) '81 Hatch: 2WD DL = 2,025 lb 2WD GL = 2,130 lb 4WD GL = 2,215 lb [EDIT] The Gen 1 Justy also came with 12" wheels stock, many have been switched to 13", but there are still plenty of the 12's out there. It is definitely much easier to find 155 and 145 sized tires for the 12" wheel size.

You probably need new cone and spring washers at this point as well as the aforementioned advice.

I have had this same problem. '81 hatch, no lift, 185 70r13's. When I got a new set of tires (rated for 100,000 miles) about 18,000 miles ago I had an alignment done at the same time(this is all Les Schwab). The outside edges in front started to wear, so they comped me a new tire. Another tire went, so they comped me another and I had another alignment. Then both fronts started wearing on the outside even worse. They were finished in about 2,000 miles. So I just got back from having them recheck their alignment. Somehow they had towed-in my wheels about 30% more than the highest point of the spec. range!? So they realigned them to the lowest point of the tow-in spec range and replaced to two remaining original tires. Long story to say that excessive tow-in on my rig created the exact same wear problem.

In the last axle thread we all talked about the importance of transmission mounts and motor mounts in axle longevity. How are yours? New tranny mounts are ~$10 from Rockauto BTW. They are nothing special, but they're new and $10, probably $25 total for both with shipping, unless you get a ridiculous Rockauto shipping quote:confused:

On my '81 ea81 the Ext.VR was on the fender next to the coil. It's a metal box with rounded corners. It should have 6 wires. I switched to internally regulated and gave away my Ext. VR's, so I can't post a pic. I think it is entirely possible that the PO did what GD suggested and replaced the alt. with an internally regulated one, but it's impossible to tell without testing. If you want to switch to internally regulated, RenaissanceMan did a quick and easy write-up on it: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=47847&highlight=alternator I found this other write-up that suggests making a connection to the coil. I assume this is so the fuel pump only turns on when the vehicle is running. If so, I might have to try it, although I have had no troubles so far with Renaissanceman's method. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=64059&highlight=externally+regulated

Interesting, I like the subtle 3-D effect on the ship. I am planning on camo-ing my Jeep this summer. I was going to try to give it some depth of field, but that is more involved than just going at it with some flat finish paints. I think I like the last pic best. If you live in Oregon City I am sure I will see that driving around. In an urban environment that will definitely stick out more, which I think is a good thing. You are going to make some snowboarders jealous with that graphic and color scheme. I assume the bumper, roll bar, and wheels will also get some paint.

I think they are the same, but I am not sure. Most of the ones you get at the junkyards are fairly shot. I have tried to find replacements from other vehicles to no avail. If you have welding skills and access to a welder you could weld up some brackets for the lower mount to accept a more universal design. That is what I plan to do. If you haven't checked out the Justy forum yet, you could ask there, someone probably knows. http://subarujusty.proboards.com/index.cgi?

Hmmm, the ones I have installed had the two male spades, but perhaps they are a smaller size than the stock alt. So, when you advised me on installing my GM you instructed me to use heavier gauge wire, was that so I could add greater load later on without danger of burning a wire? I think I misunderstood you at the time, so I take it if you are just running stock electrical you can just use the factory wiring. Yes I must say the alt upgrade is very satisfying after the stock unit. It doesn't even break a sweat. Nice work, definitely the quickest and least effort alt. upgrade so far. I do have to say this for the GM though, it took me about 1.5 hours to do the bracket mod, and required more effort and tools, but it was still really easy and the GM now bolts on straight out of the box with the correct pulley. Also, with the bracket mod. a bunch of other alts. will now fit with only a few washers to fill-in any back spacing if needed, and the 7157 and 7137 (63 amp version) are widely available in stock. I think the relative availablity would be especially evident in rural areas, though I have no data. So I think the best alt. mod depends on the needs and tools available to the end user. I have a welder, I like to drive to places aptly descibed as "the middle of nowhere"(yes I know I should carry a spare alt., but it doesn't always happen), and value the ability to bolt a new alt. in without any work other than the two bolts holding it in, so the GM is still the best choice for me. So as far as the USRM is concerned it would be nice to have a thread that compares and contrasts the two options, so people can make an informed choice about what works best for them...blah, blah, blah. Anyway, great write-up and thanks for all your help.

What they said...if you know carbs, then you can probably rebuild the Hitachi and get it dialed in alright, along with new vac hoses. If not, it's hardly worth the time. I spent a lot of time getting mine figured out and it runs great now, but most people don't have the time or patience for it (for good reasons). Also, many of them are just worn out, or are feed back models, and a rebuild will only give you marginal improvements. To me it was like a Japanese puzzle box that I couldn't let go without figuring it out. Kinda depends on your skills, free time, and dollar amount you are willing to spend.

What is different between the GM and Nissan alt's that requires wiring changes versus no wiring changes, respectively? Is it just the 10% difference in output?

http://shoptoolsshoptools.com/shopexd.asp?id=1156

Thanks, I will definitely be replacing the transistors and checking to seeing if they get hot...as Subydooder described in his concurrent thread. And if so, I will switch out the fuel pump as well. This has been a pain and an inconvenience, but it is good to learn more about the circuit and know how to by-pass the FPCU in the event that it doesn't die in front of my shop next time. Not that there will be a next time...who am I kidding. Thanks to all for the help!

Following up...they crushed the two '81's on Friday, and I could not locate a component in the ea82's that looked quite right, so I ended up with a FPCU out of an '82 that was also fried in the same spot. For now, I have direct wired the pump through the FPCU connector with a fused switch. After seeing Subydooder's (sp?) replacement component for the same problem I think I will try to repair the FPCUs and continue looking for one that is in better condition.

Welcome, did you pick up this chip somewhere locally or did you order it on the internet? I need to replace two myself. Thanks in advance.

Did this start happening when you put the weber on originally and gradually get worse, or did it run great with the weber before and has developed more recently. What kind of vacuum is your vac. advance hooked to? I unfortunately haven't worked with the weber, so I don't know what kind of float adjustments are needed. Ya know, I recently found that the Fuel Pump Control Unit was bad on my wife's '84. It drove ok until about 2500 rpms in 3rd, then it would start surging. It gradually got worse and luckily died in front of my shop while I was trying to diagnose it. I popped the plastic case of the unit and could clearly see a bad transistor. I've have got another thread with pics I will link to tommorrow when I post some more pics. It's a thought, and quick and easy to pull out and check. Good Luck

Thanks Jerry! I am going to be installing those fancy rotors that you got me a discount on, soon. I got the upgraded Gen II brake system and rear anti-sway bar also. I would probably have them done already if my other cars weren't jealous and demanding my attention. I am really looking forward to seeing your build.

Yeah I thought of that, then I thought about what I would have to do to check the individual components, and then I thought $165 for a new one would be better than that option. Yes, I wish it were more reliable to call, but I go even if they say they don't have any. I don't want to sound racist, but sometimes the person that answers the phone doesn't understand my english very well. I am also curious to find out the similarities of the ea81 & ea82 FPCU's. Incidentally, I also need parts for my Jeep, so I will be hitting the Damascus and Foster yards at the very least. Thanks GD, that's awfully nice of you. Don't put yourself out, I am going the post what I find out about the various FPCU's after my yard runs. And yes the black one.

Thank you for your kind words This one will remain stock. I am rebuilding this Justy as a super-commuter DD and I haven't the skills or time to do a turbo build at this point. Also, I probably wouldn't do that type of build on a Justy because all the other control systems...brakes, suspension, steering are still miniature and upgrading them would require enough fab that you might as well start from scratch or a different car that is better suited and supported in the aftermarket. I would love to build a high performance 3 cylinder, but electric will kick its butt everytime, so I'll probably skip straight to that. Proboards has a lot of really top notch turbo builds, and I respect that, but of the two camps 1)turbo 2)stock, I fall into the latter.

Wow, that's pretty cool. If you don't mind my asking, how much does it cost to have a piece that size zinc-coated?

Hey I live in Beavercreek and have a couple external VR's that you can have if you want.

That's what I was thinking. The wiring on the 80-81's is quite a bit different than later models. Seems like an ea82 FPCU would be more similar the one in the '84 ea81. My wife has been taking my car to night classes, so I haven't had a chance to directly compare the unit in my '81. If anything, I might be able to find the same transistor in one of those units to swap into the damaged one. The connections on the back side of the component board were in decent shape, so it's appears to be salvagable. Thanks again

Bump to see if a carbed ea82 FPCU will work. LKQ says they have two '81's at Foster and an '80 at Tigard, which are externally regulated alternator models. Will those work? Dealer says $165

I was posting other pic's, so I thought I would throw these in for your perusal. A little shiny engine entertainment...'88 Justy 1.2 L rebuilt, bored .02 over.

So after excessively grinding down the ears of a narrow case GM 7157 alternator to fit it on my stock ea81 alt. bracket I told myself next time I mod the bracket instead--with the idea that the modded bracket is a one time mod and allows for a roadside alt. replacement. This is the narrow case alt. I am referring to, which is stocked at many auto parts stores I basically cut off the rear face of the alt. bracket, removed some of the spacer material, and welded the face piece back on. Stock bracket width between the alt. ears is approximately 3.17"/79mm. The GM width between the ears is approx. 2.5"/63mm. The only thing I would have done differently is to cut the, back face, off down further on the bracket (from position A to , so that the rear alt. ear would have more clearance and provide more adjustment for installing the belt. The way it is pictured, I still had to use a small round file to notch the rear alt. ear a little bit to get it to swing down a fraction more so I could get the belt over the pulley. Not a big deal, but my objective is roadside install, so once my shiny paint job wears off a bit I will grind the bracket down slightly. The other small bracket pushes the alt. position adjuster out one inch so that it lines up with the radius of the alt. pivot. BTW the long pivot bolt and captive nut bracket work perfectly with this set-up. Here you can see that the one inch spacing provides minimal clearance with the alt. bracket. I filed a flat on the outer diameter of the bracket bolt washer so it wouldn't be under the alt. bracket. I have used this spacer set-up on my hatch for approximately a year and a half now with no problems. A couple shots with the alt. installed. Belt size 15365 for both of the alt. swaps I have done. This belt size also makes the alt. fit under the stock air cleaner like it was made for it. Thought I would throw in a shot of a factory crimp. For the '84 this is the alt. sensor wire (smaller white) and I am guessing FPCU? wire (blue) crimped to the alt. power wire (large white). This crimp is located about a foot back from the fusible link box...behind the battery. In my '81, the ignition wire was crimped in here and nothing else. On the '84, the ignition wire is actually factory crimped on the alt. side of the engine compartment, about two feet down the power supply wire from the alt. You have to dig into the harness for both. Unless you are replacing those wires, make sure they get hooked up to whatever alt. power wire you are running.