'84 Flat-Four

My sister had this exact issue a few years back. We correlated the timing of it to the visit of the USS The Sullivans to Penn's Landing in Philly. It is a guess, couldn't be proved, but it seems plausible. I did a quick search and found this interesting article from '04. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A28217-2004Jul4?language=printer

Cool... thanks for the input. My boot is toast... since I'll be in there that's just another item to be replaced. The smaller end still has the spring but the wide end is history. That's nuts that one turn too many is so noticeable. I will keep an eye on this closely. Thanks again!

I'm curious on how this worked out for you. I am about to attempt the same thing on my 95 lego.

They also extend the life of your rubber boots.

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/cto/1860218242.html I have this in the other forum but wanted to maximize its traffic by having it posted here too... I just think this deal is way too good to be true, or if it is true, and a no-rust car, great score! For $100?!?!?

That ball-chain is for the cruise control iirc.

congrats on the purchase, and welcome! Is this a manual trans? If so, check that your clutch cable is routed properly (under heater hoses). Seems insignificant but it makes an enormous difference. Then adjust it with the two nuts that tighten the cable to the fork. Also, there are two FFs,... engine bay and under the car passenger side in front of the rear tire.

unhook the positive, leave unhooked for 45min or so, then re-connect and you good-to-go.

Damnit! Those fools live in North Jersey! This state really needs to be split up like N & S Carolina or something. All them Northern Jerseyians are NY fans, while down here in South Jersey we're all Philly fans. Down here we don't pop our collars, wear 2x small polo-shirts, wear sprayon-tans, etc. That crap is entirely Northern Jersey foolishness... I just needed to make that distinction.

Welcome to the new gen! I also felt lost after picking up my 95 legacy. I started with an 84 with the ea81. Such a simple and solid engine to work on. You'll get used to EJs in no time. And by the way, is there an EJ 2.2 in there? Have to ask...

update: all put back together, re-sealed, and running like a champ. Thanks everyone! And yes, the 6x1 pitch 50mm long bolt is the exact right one for the bottom ds hole. its funny that i thought the hardened black o-rings were washers or part of the component... wow were the rings toast! USMB rocks!

It is definitely the long bolt, does anyone know the length ? I'll see if I can pick one up tonight at the hardware store.

The pb blasting worked! Thank you for that tip. After soaking it for several hours, it slide out with much pulling. The hardest part was removing the remains of the old gasket. I used a razor and gently pulled the rest off. Now the bad news... I lost one of the four bolts that secure the oil pump. Specifically, the lower driver's side bolt, the long one. I lost in in the dirt driveway and even after sweeping the area with a magnet picker-upper, nothing. Its like it vanished into thin air. I am screwed big time!

twisting and pulling doesn't seem to help at all. I have yet to create a gap between the pump body and the block... wtf?!!?

Thanks for the update! (i didn't get the subscribed-email-alert thingy on this one). So is it up and running now? fixed? btw, I would watch out for the Excel coil, based solely on the statistics posted here and other sites. They seem to be way too much overkill; however, my 84 was purchased with one (an excel coil matched with a ND disty) and it has been running like a champ for a 1 1/2 yrs now like that... so its really up to you what you want to throw money at and try. wires however... i personally have to recommend Subaru OEM without a doubt. Too may issues with other makes...

I thought i would re-seal the oil pump with the kit i had in the bin for months now. It has the o-rings in it as well. I have the radiator completely out (flush being down in tandem) and the four oil-pump screws completely out. The FSM indicates two smaller screws coming in from the back, but it seems odd when i look at the engine straight -on. Am I missing something here? I read only only a few threads posted on here regarding this issue (maybe a poor search, idk). the v-belt off, radiator completely out, trying to get oil pump off but it won't come off. it spins less than a quarter turn and back but it doesn't pop out. Prying it out is ill advised per the threads here and doesn't seem to make sense in front of it either... need advice here...

when and where? (edit: not awake yet... mental note... read first, sorry!)

If it was running ok after you installed the rebuilt disty, I think you can rule out the ole' 180 degrees off issue. Yes, the ignitor may have gone south... But a few questions come to mind... Are the coil and disty the same brand? It is well documented here that a mix of hitachi coil/nippo disty or vice versa combo kills components. If this is the case your ignitor is most likely toasted. Other questions... While cranking what voltage are you reading off the battery? If it drops below 8v (iirc) it won't be hot enough for a spark. Basically this means a weak battery... charge it up or get a new one and try again The plugs maybe fouled by gas... try a new plug when you pull the wire to check for spark. Have you taken a voltmeter to the coil? Is there juice on the + and - side with ignition on? While cranking, are there pulses on the neg side of the coil (test light helps here)? If you do have pulses on the neg side most likely you have an ignition amplifier issue. Is the ign amplifier grounded properly? It wouldn't hurt to clean up all of your grounds anyway... Have you tried a new high volt wire from coil to disty? Sorry for the bundle of questions. I feel your pain. Hang in there...

If you are hearing the starter clicking but not turning then maybe the starter solenoid is on its way out. If so, try tapping on the starter solenoid with a hammer (lightly) before trying to crank it. Just my 2 cents... good luck & keep updating this thread.... I am sure others will have more input to provide.

I don't know about question number two, but I would recommend you try running it with the Weber as is first. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised and realize you won't need it or don't want to go through the hassle of doing it. I love my Weber

Will do. Thanks Twitch!

I'm posting for a co-worker who drives the above. She is having trouble getting into 1st gear. She says its easier if she goes into reverse then into 1st. Would this be a clutch cable adjustment? I do not want to advise her based on my Soob experience, but something tells me I may not be too far off base. I couldn't locate an FSM or Haynes on the web that i could peruse. Any help offered is appreciated very much!

With the spare removed, standing in front of the car, looking into the engine bay, it is behind the intake left of centerline. You'll see a 2-pronged "fork" on the top of the bell-housing with a cable heading away from you - this is the clutch cable. The two nuts on your side of the fork, as you're looking at it, can be adjusted to tighten the cable up, provided that you can. The other cable that is headed towards the front of the car is your hill-holder cable which routes itself under your spare and hooks up to the HH gizmo under your brake cylinder on the driver's side.

Also make sure you route the cable correctly. Run it under your heater hoses. May sound trivial, but it is not. It completely changes the functionality and feel of the clutch engaging.