GeneralDisorder

Yep - all of it actually. There aren't really all that many sensor inputs to the ECU - 8 or 9 I think. Most are not actually "sensors" in the sense you mean. Ground, RPM (tach signal), and speed sensor are inputs, but aren't really sensors in the sense you are refering to. I don't beleive there are any ECU related relays other than for the fuel pump power. Just two duty solenoids, a couple sensors, some wireing, and the entire production volume of vacuum line for the country of Japan..... plus assorted T's, nipples, vacuum valves, thermo-vacuum valves and so forth. It will be a brass looking 17mm (maybe 19mm) thing on the back of the passeger side of the manifold. It's got two male blade connectors on it and should have an associated T style 2 prong female blade connector attached to it. It is actually two sensors in one unit - one sensor is for the ECU, the other is for your dash gauge. They read differently on the ohmeter, and if you replace it you MUST have the two blade variety or the ECU output will not be present. GD

It might sound that way at first but really think about it... 1. No special machining required. 2. No key to fail, shear, drop on the garage floor. 3. No keyway in the gear or pulley to be mangled or develop a finger-slicing sharp edge. 4. Cheap and simple to manufacture. All you need is a big-rump roast wrench? Sound awesome to me! Although the EA81's got it beat in the timing department. Timing GEAR's. Chains are good, but gears are better. GD

Fan thermoswitch (what you messed with) has nothing at all to do with the thermosensor for the ECU. Thermosensor is in the manifold - thermoswitch is in the radiator. GD

Have you made sure the crank belt sprockets are on in the correct order? The one with the groove in the back goes on the inside next to the seal. The covers ARE plastic, so the mark being 1/2 tooth off isn't out of the question. I run without covers on the EA82's I've had - always timed then just fine by going with "straigh up" and "straight down" on the marks. I use the seam at the cam case/head as a guide. GD

225mm (8 7/8") is for 4WD. You need the second one with the 1" 24 spline disc hub. 4 speed 4WD, and 5 speed 2WD share the same spline count. 5 speed 4WD's use the larger shaft - thus what you need. GD

Cool - that looks much better now. Glad it didn't actually shear it off - that would be the first failure of that kind I have seen. Our faith in the EA81 is preserved. GD

Apparently you don't understand. If there is oil in the airbox, it IS comming from the PCV system. That's the only place it can come from. I gaurantee you don't have blow-by. EA engines do not exhibit that problem. I listed a bunch of possible causes in my earlier post. It's most likely one of those. Probably metering regulators - either a component of the feedback system or regulating vacuum to the metering ports on the carb. Pictures would be best - there are too many variations over years and models to tell based on a vague verbal description. GD

What does this have to do with SPFI? 8 degree's BTDC. If you used the EA81 flyhweel then you time it normally. If you used the EA82 flywheel and didn't transfer the EA81 marks to it then you are going to have to create new marks on the crank pulley or flywheel..... 360 degrees in a circle - get out your compass. GD

In a box - UPS. I shipped an EJ22T block banded to a pallete to PA recently for $70. That was a lot heavier and there was a surcharge for the pallete. I have corporate UPS through my work. They come twice a day! GD

Good thing about the Brat tanks is they are the same as the wagon/sedan/coupe tanks (4WD). If you need a mint NW version my yards pull them and leave them in the trunk.... at least they used to. I have yet to experience any kind of tank failure out here. Or you could pull it and do a repair. There's several products out there - I've heard the POR-15 people make a kit that will seal them up good. Might want to do that even if you get a replacement. GD

Yeah - if he wants them he'll have to find the reverse switch on the tranny and run wires to the old 3AT connector. Not a huge deal though. Nope. Always best that way, but the 4WD 3AT to 4WD 5 speed is about as simple as they get. Probably only two or three trips to the junk yard GD

1. Those rarely fail. 2. Have you drained it and filled it with the proper respective fluids and made sure it wasn't just a mistake by a previous owner and/or shop? 3. Trans fluid in the front diff won't neccesarily hurt it for quite a while. You may get 10's of thousands of miles out of it before the front diff goes. Many of us run ATF in our manual transmissions (same front diff style) on purpose in order to clean/renew the syncro's. It's not detrimental to their life in a big way. 4. If/when you do the swap, it's simple. Pedal assembly (4 bolts, and some cables/brake rod), clutch/cable/flywheel, front section of the driveline, rear end if you need it (ratio change?), cross-member, shift linkage, jumper two pins on the 3AT harness for the crank circuit, and install interior consoles. GD

Vacuum leaks, timing, idle mixture, clogged idle circuit, etc. Even with worn throttle shafts I can get a Hitachi to idle at 700. EGR is just starting to kick in around 1500 RPM. EGR opens on "late ported vacuum". Starts around 1500 and opens farther as your RPM's increase. GD

Yes, but I'll lay odds the key is missing or sheared away. If the crank pulley were spinning it could easily spin the gear as well - they both use the same small key. If someone didn't tighten the bolt enough then kicked the AC compressor on a few times..... it wouldn't take much judging by the size of the key. It's not designed for that kind of load. I would take the pulley off and investigate. Good time to replace the front crank seal also. Only takes 20 minutes or so to pull it off and put it back. GD

Only way I could see it happening is if the distributor drive gear were spinning on the crank. That would require the key to be sheered away. Unlikely to say the least. Is the crank pulley bolt tight? Now that I look at an EA81 crank I have sitting here there is not much key holding the drive gear from spinning. What you may have is either no key, or a sheered key. When the AC kicks on, the belt pulley is spinning on the crank and the drive gear is spinning with it. GD

You can't weld on the shifter - it's nylon insulated against vibration. You will melt the plastic inside that pretty chrome tube. Better to cut the thing off and replace with solid rod - threaded to your liking. GD

Those bullets for the clock memory are there for shipping purposes. On the cruise over from Japan they didn't want the clock's draining the battery's. Low voltage (at the gauge) is often the gauge mounting studs/nuts on the back of the cluster. They corrode at the PCB connection as no electrical grease was used when they were assembled. It can be other corroded connections in the harness as well. Pretty simple to trace - just check for voltage drop across each circuit from the battery positive. A $3 DMM from harbor frieght will do the job. GD

That makes no sense at all. First - just driving the car is a heavier load than the AC compressor. That alone should be enough to cause this problem if it were a "load induced tooth skip" as you surmise. Second - have you seen the distributor drive "gear" on an EA81 crank? It's a gear in the strictest sense of the term, but the "teeth" would be near impossible to break off as they are close to vertical, very long, and quite deep. Shine a light down in there and look if you can. Something isn't right, but the AC compressor is just a load on the engine. Just like everything else (clutch/transmission, alternator, etc). Turning the AC compressor on while idleing at a stop is a much smaller load than driving the car forward from a stop. If this ONLY happens when the AC is turned on and not when driving the car then it certainly is not a load induced change. GD

Sounds ignition related - plugs, wires, cap, rotor, etc. Test the coil.... could need a new ignitor as well. GD

That's normal - you are introducing a vacuum leak each time you step on the pedal. Some carb tuning and timing adjustments will minimize it but you can't get rid of it entirely. GD

"Short", and "short throw" are different. Which do you want? The EA81 trans isn't really suited to speed shifting - a short throw shifter might not really work out well. You may end up having to conciously shift slower to compensate for the throw being so short if you end up with any grinding, ect. If you want it to be short throw you have to move the pivot point down in relation to the location of the shift rod. That usually means adding a section between the pivot and the shift rod connection. Then you can shorten the shifter as well to keep the height the same, or shorten it more to give it the "short" shifter as well. GD

All true. I just grab the size I need, cut a chunk off in the band-saw, and bevel the ends on the belt sander..... Takes me 2 minutes. But you do need access to the tools to make it happen the right way and make it quick and simple. I could do it with a hacksaw and a dremel but it would probably be quicker to buy them for most folks. GD

Sounds like the HVAC switch panel is hosed. It may be the source of your leak, and it's obviously difficult to operate. I say replace the obviously broken switch cluster first - then look for other potential leaks. Once you remove the surround, the HVAC control cluster comes out easily as I recall from my last heater core swap - just some electrical connectors, some control cable's, and vacuum hoses. Shouldn't take more than 30 minutes or so being you have a replacement on hand. You may indeed have a vacuum reservior leak, but if the HVAC panel is using all the vacuum because of a leak there might not be enough left to operate the CC. GD

Timing need to be at 20. The SPFI computer expects to receive the CAS sensor signals on a 20 degree base. The ECU will fire the coil based on it's internal timing maps - which are very well suited to the EA81 being it's nearly identical to the EA82 except for slightly less compression. You might be able to turn the timing up to 22 degrees or so without pinging, but it won't be much over spec. You would certainly never want to run less than 20. GD

Intake manifold gaskets are often a problem on the EA's - especially if they have been tampered with previously. They seal both the intake, and the coolant cross-over in the manifold. They often leak internally into the intake runners. The milkshake in the valve covers is often because your PCV system isn't flowing freely. Clean out the lines, connectors, valve, and the valve cover ports and replace the small, white PCV filter element in the airbox. R&R the PCV, replace the valve cover gaskets (OEM only, 12 ft/lbs), and see where you stand. That may be all you have to do. As for using coolant - that's just silly. I drive an EA81 every day right now and haven't had to add coolant since I replace the water pump 6 months ago. As mentioned - don't expect it to be full all the time. The coolant will seek it's own level and will be farthest down in the radiator when cold. Without an overflow it's natural for there to be an airspace at the top of the radiator to allow for expansion with heat. GD