el_freddo

Got pics to show the wear? Something must me misaligned - an idler pulley that’s worn, the water pump shaft worn out but this usually results in a leaking water pump.

I’d be working out what fried the ECU first! No use spending good coin on a replacement ECU only to have the same thing happen again!

I wonder if this is the turbo variant of the EA81 that you got over there but we never saw over here - except in private imports from Japan. Hopefully someone can shed some light on this!

^ they’re talking about the EA82. The 1990 and 1991 Leone ran the EA82, they started in 1984 which was the crossover year from the EA81 models to the EA&2 models (and maybe some left overs in 1985). The EA81 continued in the Brumby/BRAT until production of those models ceased.

That looks about right and should do the job. Another way to do it is with a piece of pipe with a slot in it, weld a bar at a right angle to to the top edge (when pipe is vertical on a bench). This bar will be used to hold the pipe on the outer CV’s inner race component that holds the shaft. Use a BFH of choice and go hard on the bar section to knock the CV off the shaft. Have the other end of the shaft held in a good vice like you depict in your diagram.

I thought all EA81 water pumps were the same and that the height difference was in the EA82 water pumps.

I hammer my stub axles in from the back of them. They seem to take a pounding ok. I don’t rely on the torque of the hub nut to pull the stub axle through the bearing.

I doubt you’ll find replacements other than the odd second hand unit that rarely comes up for sale. It would be cool to keep the air struts, to do that you’d probably need to find a suspension shop that specialises in this sort of thing. Take the struts in and leave your platinum credit card with them too. I’ve heard the air suspension rides very well. Any 4wd L series struts will bolt straight in. That will be the easiest way to get your tex on the road while you decide on/sort out/bin the air struts.

Personally I’d run it as it’s a small area - and you’re aware of it. That said, I’m no brake expert and others may disagree.

Fair enough if the maintenance work is becoming a challenge for you, can’t stay young and nimble forever! Thanks for verifying what was done.

When you say the master cylinder was done - what was done? Replaced or flushed and bled? If replacing I hope they replaced the slave cylinder too. It’s a lot of work for not much more effort. And typically if the master cylinder needs attention the slave will most likely go shortly after…

What year is the donor vehicle and engine management system from?

@itb482 - what’s your dizzy doing or not doing that requires it to be replaced? My first thought was to have the cam belts checked to make sure they’re not broken. If the LHS belt is broken your dizzy and cam won’t spin when cranking. I doubt you’ll find a turbo any better than the one you have now. You might be able to adapt a new one from a turbo ATV, they’re probably about the right size. Cheers Bennie

I Tee’d my mechanical coolant temp gauge into the heater hose on the outlet from engine hose. Works a treat. Personally I wouldn’t like to Tee into the factory location, moving both sensors away from the direct flow of the coolant wouldn’t be an accurate reading. I’ve not seen a coolant pressure sensor as a standalone aftermarket gauge, but I’m not looking for one either. Many ppl feel comfortable with electric sensors and gauges over the older mechanical equivalents. I’d buy from a reputable brand that you can get some after sale service with if it’s ever needed. Cheers Bennie

Makes sense. Thanks for the explanation of cylinder washing. I wouldn’t think you’d lose that much compression though unless rings are super shot already. But I could be wrong on that too. I too said it was unlikely all four cylinders would have a stuck valve. This one seems almost the same as removing the spark plugs and cranking. Cheers Bennie

Master cylinder is becoming gummy. It could be worth flushing the clutch hydraulic system. At worst you might need to replace the master cylinder. Or have the whole system overhauled. Also, the clutch pedal when it goes to the floor will not naturally return, at least in my Gen 1 RS Liberty it doesn’t.

A complete loss of compression suggests it’s mechanical. It would be odd for all cylinders to lose compression, yes, but stranger things happen though. Someone even suggested that the cylinder walls were washed and will come good. I don’t know what that means exactly though - but it is something mechanical that’s the issue. I’d be flushing out the old fuel rather than having the engine eat it. I’d put the highest octane fuel you can get and run that for several tanks, then return to your regular fuel octane rating you use. Cheers

Worst case scenario your valves are stuck open from some gummy crap. You should be able to pull them closed again with the rocker covers removed. If it happens again afterwards, I’d be looking at spraying some sort of solvent or fresh fuel down the intake while cranking to hopefully clean up the gum that’s holding them open. Cheers Bennie

If you wanted to test the pump you could re-route the fuel lines so the pump is sucking from a Jerrycan and the return line is sent back to another container to push out any other crap that’s still in the fuel system. Just remember that the jerrycan will empty pretty quickly! Cheers Bennie

Try looking for a flexible hose with the correct sized banjo bolt fittings on each end. Mamba on eBay sells good products, you just need to find what works - an early RS Liberty/RS Legacy or wrx one could work if the banjo bolts are the same size. Cheers Bennie

Love your work fellas! Cheers Bennie

The throw out bearing looks to be correct. Those little retainer clips are easy to deal with, just bend them until the desired shape/tension is achieved. When you say the clutch became loose, what do you mean - the feel of the clutch pedal was loose? It could be a snapped/breaking clutch cable or an issue with the pedal box cracking. The cracking issues is apparently common. This can be plated to put strength back into the pedal box so it doesn’t happen again. Cheers Bennie

I’ve never seen those devices before. Californian unit? We certainly didn’t get them in Australia! They almost sound like air pumps. Cheers Bennie

The ECU will be under the rear parcel shelf in the Vortex from memory. Glad it was an easy fix. You’ll probably find your fuel pump will need to be replaced, I’d be doing it anyway. The relay is probably fine, it’ll be the pump that’s seized. You can easily test this at the plug for the pump, stick a test light on it and turn the key to the on position. It should illuminate for three or four seconds when the ECU triggers the fuel pump relay to prime the fuel system before starting. All the best with it. Sounds like you’re well on your way with this one! Cheers Bennie

I don’t think the EA82 era ECUs were integrated into the dash anymore than having a check engine light and referencing a reed switch on the speedo cable for the VSS. Do some research into issues with the digi dash, the EA81 MY’s digi dash was known for issues with some of the components dying, taking out the dash with it. You could have a similar issue in the EA82 digi dash. Cheers Bennie