alaskaloyale

Also, weirdly enough, the car now sometimes diesels when I turn it off. So it won't idle, but it also doesn't want to turn off? Totally weird, especially because the anti-diesel valve clicks when I apply power to it.

Sorry, I should have posted a more detailed update. The running worse when warm issue turned out to be a loose distributor rotor, when I replaced that the car started behaving the same cold as warm, runs much smoother, and no longer dies completely when it warms up. Unfortunately it still won't idle most of the time. When the car isn't idling, it typically will not idle cold or warm. I'll check the valve on the charcoal canister, but I am suspecting that a carb rebuild is probably the only solution at this point. I sprayed starter fluid around the intake and all the hoses and it didn't seem to affect the idle. It's just odd because sometimes it will idle just fine for days or weeks at a time, then go back to this for another month. I'm getting great at driving with two feet, but it's pretty frustrating.

Hmm, totally lost on the idle issue. I replaced my rotor and got the car running again recently, and it idled fine for about a week before abruptly stopping again. The Anti-diesel solenoid clicks when power is applied. I'm skeptical that it would be a plugged passage in the carb because the problem comes and goes intermittently.

In the process of removing my engine I lost one of my exhaust studs. Are they 10x1.25 thread? None of the other ones want to come out of the block, and I don't want to risk stripping one just so I can find out the size. Thanks!

I'll see about getting some pictures on here. It won't be easy to get a picture of the cam wheel without removing the radiator, but I'll definitely snap some pictures of the distributor and timing marks and post them up here with a little write up when I get some time this weekend. Thanks again for the help guys.

Update! The car is fixed. I had the distributor dropped 180 off, I think because my timing belt were the opposite from where they should be. I put my finger over the spark plug hole and turned the engine till I felt pressure, put it at TDC on that stroke and dropped the disty and it fired right up. I set the timing to 8 degrees btdc at idle, which I think wasn't the right engine speed to set it at, but it's running pretty good. I'll replace the spark plugs and check the timing at 2k rpm over the weekend.

It is the first kind, no plastic covers, can see the reluctor. It's a Hitachi distributor.

It does have a vacuum advance. I tested it by sucking on the hose and it seems to be functional. I'll check the distributor to coil wires, they haven't been messed with since the car was running, but it's possible that I broke or damaged a wire while messing with the distributor. It very well could be the coil wire, because it doesn't even try to start, the best I've been able to get is a slight backfire when the distributor is set pretty far off from where I think it should be. We might just not be getting spark.

Not offended at all, I moved the wires one at a time to the same position on the new cap, however, I suppose that doesn't guarantee they were in the right order in the first place. I'll check when I get home. #1 cylinder is the front passenger side cylinder, 2 is front drivers, 3 is back passengers, 4 back drivers?

Either I am somehow misunderstanding, or there is something else wrong with the car. I lined up the 0 degree mark, with the dot on the drivers side cam gear pointed 45 degrees down to the right. The I inserted the distributor, with the rotor pointed towards the the #1 plug wire (basically straight back towards the firewall. The engine cranks but does not even attempt to start. I'll post pictures tomorrow. The car started and ran, albeit poorly, when I pulled the distributor, I have replaced the cap and rotor with new ones (the old rotor had over an inch of slop, which I figured was probably the cause of my rough running), but the plug wires are in the same places as before.

Sorry guys, it's an EA82 with a Hitachi distributor.

In an attempt to fix a timing issue on my car, I removed my distributor without marking how it was aligned when it came out. The Hanes manual said to point the rotor towards the #1 spark plug wire with the engine at about 0 degrees, but I can't seem to get the car started now. I would appreciate some advice (sorry for the total amateur mistake, really wasn't thinking) Thanks!

I think I may have figured out my issue. I opened my distributor, and my rotor has over an inch of slop. Super super loose. I'm going to replace that and reset my timing and see where that lands me.

I've got an 86 carbed (Hitachi) EA82 Wagon that's got a few issues. It intermittently (more often than not) will die if you let off the gas pedal, and acts like it is not getting enough gas at lower rpms. In addition is doesn't seem to have a high idle when started cold, and runs on low idle all the time when it can idle at all. This has been going on for quite some time, but was merely annoying and didn't impact the drivability. Now it seems to drive fine (although perhaps not as smoothly as it should and still no idle), until the engine fully warms up, at which point it suddenly develops a misfire/stumble so bad as to be almost undriveable, and if it dies becomes very difficult to start. When the engine has cooled, it once again fires up effortlessly and drives fine until warmed all the way up. I figure that the idle issue is most likely the carburetor, and it probably needs either a new anti-diesel valve or a carb rebuild. It also maybe could be a weak fuel pump or plugged filter. However, the fuel system wouldn't explain my more serious running issue when the engine is hot. I also think it needs a timing adjustment, as the running got noticeably worse after I replaced the clutch, which could mean that I accidentally moved the distributor off by a tooth when putting the flywheel back on. If you guys have any other troubleshooting ideas they would be greatly appreciated, my other car is an 88 GL so I'm not accustomed to carburetors. This was a pretty reliable car before all of this started and is in otherwise great shape with only 135K on it (the dash clock even works!), which is pretty much brand new for these things (my beat-to-hell 88 is still driving at 389K). Unfortunately the money isn't there right now to do a weber or TBI swap, so I'm stuck with this fuel system till summer.

I replaced the CV axle and a busted brake line on my 88 GL wagon, bled the brakes and now it is driving and stopping like normal again. I also purchased a 1985 GL Wagon with only 133k miles and a great running engine, but some serious rust issues. I've so far replaced the tires and patched the biggest exhaust leak. New CV axle soon to follow.