el_freddo

Ok, no gauge makes it tricky but there’s a list of things you can do, many already mentioned by DaveT and idosubaru, I’ll list them all here, but coolant blasting out of the overflow bottle is usually a “good” indication that you’ve got a HG issue. - have the coolant system tested for the presence of exhaust gasses. - radiator - check for air blockage through the fins. You should be able to see through the radiator fins when you’re 100% perpendicular to the radiator. - radiator -check water flow through the core. If it’s the original unit it could be worth having one end tank removed and the channels “rodded” to remove any crud that’s deposited itself in there. The all brass/copper radiator is good until corrosion kills them. - radiator cap. If it’s old, or history is unknown, get a quality new one - thermostat. Test/replace with a new genuine unit - back flow the heater core and ensure the “H” tap isn’t blocked when redirecting coolant back to the engine instead of through the heater core. - check the system for leaks. Any hoses or clamps that need replacing, replace them! On your radiator there’s a plug on the RHS (vehicle’s rhs), it’ll be a single wire plug with a yellow wire to the plug. This is the thermo fan switch. There should also be a small wire on the top of the radiator that’s also screwed to the body work. ^ this system is the factory EA81 thermo fan trigger system. Someone has bypassed this and either hard wired the trigger wire (yellow wire), or they’ve just hard wired the fan to the ignition “on” system. With some investigation you should be able to work out this setup and get it running right. Cheers Bennie

HGs aren’t “rare” on the EA81. They’re not super common but they do happen from time to time. My immediate thought on the issue is that your head gaskets are toast. But, checking those areas as identified by skishop - blocked radiator will have hot and cold patches at full operating temp. Thermostat could be stuck. Use genuine. Also try tightening your fan belt, this will increase contact on the water pump pulley and reduce slip if there is any. Cheers Bennie

Ummm... I think you’ve got this backwards! Ok, now I’m confused. You’ve got a right hand drive beat/brumby that you want to convert to left hand drive - and you’re in the states? Is this a language translation error? Cheers Bennie

Yeah?! Well, we get snow if the weather is right and you happen to be in the small alpine area we have - and you’d be lucky if you drive through a drift over here, unless the conditions were freakishly bad! Cheers Bennie

And it doesn’t have to be from a BRAT, any MY series will have all the bits you need. You just need to find someone willing to part with the bits you need and ship them to you. Cheers Bennie

Did you check to see how the wiring plugged into the main harness? I still reckon your wiring has the plugs to run the seats wiring system. My old brumby from the 80’s has the plug under the dashboard for the electric windows from the touring wagon of the same model shape. They’ve been doing it for THAT long! Cheers Bennie

Black and gummy = dirty. I hope you cleaned it before replacing it. I doubt the coolant over engine has anything to do with it. How badly over heated was it? Engine gauge get a little hot or engine stop because it got too hot? Check the timing belt hasn’t skipped several teeth on one of the cams or the crank (both cams line up but crank doesn’t). Cheers Bennie

I too was thinking IACV issue. One that is stuck open will make it hard to start too. I wouldn’t junk it just yet. But that’s me... Cheers Bennie

Hello Mark. I visited google translate and dropped this in the quote above for others to read in English. What you want to do is very achieveable. And it seems you have all the parts listed except maybe for pedal box and cables (if infact different to the RHD units). All the best in finding someone to help you out. Cheers Bennie

Dunno about dealer. Just good quality Japanese bearings. And remove the “seals”, then pack/replace with quality high temp grease. Replace one “seal” on the bearing and install with the open side facing into the middle of the hub. Throw a bit of grease in the centre area of the hub, then the spacer followed by the other bearing. Then your actual hub seals then the drive shaft. Don’t forget to prime the seals with some rubber grease so they don’t burn out. I do hope the bearings are the issue. As they’re relatively easy to fix. As for the four water crossings a day, that’s interesting. If they’re shallow (under the hub), you should be right, if they’re deeper than hub height and you’ve been on the brakes or straight off a main rd, you might want to consider cooling the hubs off before you cross through the water. Cheers Bennie

My question is what brand of front wheel bearings did you use? And has the inner seal been compromised/have you done any 4wdn involving deep mud or water crossings? All of these situations can kill the front bearings if a seal is toast or the hubs are hot when they hit cold water or in exteme cases, mud slurry is sucked into the bearings. Cheers Bennie

The curved spokes are the issue as FerGloyal has stated. They rub on the caliper. What you want is the set with spokes that have a much sharper bend in them with a flatter “face” of the spokes to hub surface. These clear the L series calipers. And don’t be fooled if they fit and you have worn brake pads. They can fit and work until you put fresh pads on, then the rim sits on the caliper or vice versa depending on your view of the matter Cheers Bennie

I thought you were going to say an EJ under the bonnet! Every L series owner definitely needs one! Cheers Bennie

It doesn’t look right. And it’s missing a plate in there so you’ve got a weak point at the bottom side of that lift block. Mine is a bit different, but the same principal applies - mine uses the standard plate in its original position, where as yours has it on a tower, giving it more leverage on the bolts. Add a second stock bracing plate where the K frame meets the lift block and I reckon you’ll strengthen this section up good and proper. Cheers Bennie

Don’t forget no filler neck on the BRZ radiator Cheers Bennie

Jono, you’ve pretty much nailed all the ways to do this from what I’ve tried/done myself. I’m currently running with a set of home made adaptors and use a cut down of the two EJ radiator hoses and one EA hose to make the setup work. It will be very similar to the EA81 setup - but I’m also running a lift so I have a bit more length to play with. I like your idea of turning that adaptor down. That’d be a neat solution. A custom pipe would be awesome but I don’t know of anyone who does this. Cheers Bennie

Awesome that you got her running again. There’s a few things you can do here: - find the timing marks and mark them with chalk or a bright coloured texta. - check that the cam belt timing is correct and not several teeth out - make sure you’re checking the timing using spark plug #1 - dizzy could be a tooth out if someon has messed around with it/over advanced - also a good idea to replace the coil. Dead coils kill ignition modules. From my experience the coil is cheaper than the ignition module. Cheers Bennie

G’day Hoppy, Welcome to the forum. To have your query answered, it’s best to post in the EJ to present subforum. This will get your post the most exposure to the crew who might know what you’re looking for. Cheers Bennie

Yes! Another Aussie lifted L I’m looking forward to your build thread/story. Cheers Bennie

Really? A whole day an not one reply in the EJ forum?? Poor form ppls! Free bump! Cheers Bennie

You don’t have to split the brake line. Carefully cut the little retainer bracket, then bend the two sections back to allow the brake line to come free once the clip is removed (remove clip before cutting). Do the same on the new struts The brake line will still be retained by the clip in the bracket. Cheers Bennie

http://www.snowvalley.20m.com/bikes/dnthone.htm If you want more information I reckon General Disorder sums it up here quite well: Cheers Bennie

If it’s not knocking don’t “inspect” the bearings. Piston heads come out by pulling the gudgeon pins out through the side access hole. This leaves the conrod on the crank and the bottom end intact. I had this same thing on an EA82 ages ago, but no smoke when usually driving or coasting. But throttling on after coasting down a decent hill created a serious smoke screen. The engine was pulled down years after it was swapped out - we found failed ring landings and cracked rings on at least one cylinder. Cheers Bennie

And 3) swap your heads onto the EJ22. Cheers Bennie

Yeah fair call. I just did the conversion to km to put that distance into perspective - 488,000km! At that distance travelled, unless the gearbox was resealed and had its oil changed when it should’ve been, it’s bound to have leaking seals and worn bearings, not just the input shaft bearing. Still, sounds like a good one to pull apart to learn from if you can afford it. Cheers Bennie