GeneralDisorder

They can be milled many times. And the increase in compression from a simple milling to true up the surface isn't really even enough to worry about calculating. I had .020" taken off my EA81's heads *specifically* to increase the compression as much as possible. .020" is WAY more than would be needed to just prep the surface for sealing (it's the max allowed before the heads must be replaced according to the FSM), and even then my comp. still only increased from 8.7:1 to *maybe* close to 9:1. Besides that, you probably won't have to have them milled again if it was done before. The increase for a simple surface prep would be less than 0.1:1 - not enough to make any difference. And the engine may be free, but the labor isn't. It's not a simple process. My first conversion harness took about 10 hours of prep work just to get it ready for testing, and I didn't have to shorten anything. You are looking at probably a couple weeks of downtime to get it straightened out and driveable again unless you have done this sort of thing before. GD

If the splines all look ok, then probably not too much damage. You should definately consider replacing cone washer though. If the washer is worn even slightly it will continue to wear and work loose on you every few hundred miles. Generally I try to replace the hub, washer and nut all at once, and sometimes the axle too if the splines look toasted. If the interface of the washer, and the hub aren't perfect it will work loose again - gauranteed. And eventually you WILL have to replace the axle and hub if it keeps doing this. Proper torque is 150 ft/lbs *at least* - I generally take it to 200 or more. GD

They are 100% interchangabe. You just have to change to the corresponding coil, and make sure you hookup the vac can properly. GD

Unlikely that front wheel bearings would have that much slop and *only* make noise in a turn. It's probably a loose axle nut or worn splines on the hub/axle. Could mean it just needs tightening, or it could mean you have to replace the hub, axle, nut and washer. Depending on the damage to the respective parts. Inspect carefully before determining it's the bearings. They do not usually fail in such a way that they cause play. Generally they make an ungodly noise but still have very little play in the bearings. This is because there are two ball bearings (not tapered roller bearings like most applications), and they are entirely seperate entities. They can be replaced fairly easily, although being this will be your first time I sugest removing the hub from the car. It's easier on the bench than it is on the car. Pack the bearings and then freeze them overnight. This will shrink the bearing and make it easier to install. Drift the old bearings out with a brass punch, and then drift the new one's in. You can also grind down the old bearing shell, and then weld a handle to it and use it as a drift. I've replaced quite a few of these and I've never used any kind of press. And now I don't even remove the knuckle. I can do them on the car in about 2 hours. GD

I would run it. Might eventually contribute to gasket failure at that point, but should last a long time before that happens. As long as you can't catch a fingernail in it, I wouldn't worry about it. It's probably from a severe overheat at some time in the past. GD

There's no such thing as an "ND" carb. They were all Hitachi carbs. Feedback models were equipped with both types of distributors. The distributor style usually indicates 2WD or 4WD. Also there's nothing wrong with the ND distributors. In fact I (and the aircraft community) like them better. GD

306's aren't used on EA82's. All EA82's will have the 328's. They are not interchangeable without changing the whole manifold. The 306-21 is a non-feedback EA81 Hitachi.... 83 model year IIRC, but it's been a while since I messed with them. GD

XT's are quite a bit different. The ECU is in the trunk, so the harness will be WAY too long. You'll want the XT fsm to figure out the wiring. It can be done, but it would be easier to just fix your HG's. The MPFI engines only make about 5 HP more than the SPFI, and that much work isn't worth the effort for that kind of return. Sounds like your HG's weren't installed properly. Use Fel-Pro's and have the heads milled flat - should take care of it for a long time. GD

Yeah - they probably are. But they are just as cheap or less if you get wholesale from the dealer. GD

Double nut works fine if you do it correctly. But I generally don't remove the studs except to replace one's that are badly corroded. If there's any significant pitting it can increase the amount the bolt stretches when torqued and result in gasket failure. GD

Definately do both sides at once. With these engines you know the stock gaskets have a limited life span of about 200,000. One will necessarily fail before the other, but they both have about the same overall life. That's like only replaceing the timing belt that broke . You know the other isn't far behind, and you'll save about an hour's worth of time (maybe - intake and exuast are already off), and maybe $20. You don't need to touch the valves when doing the mill work on the gasket surfaces. As for printouts - beyond the torque specs, and sequence I wouldn't really bother. There shouldn't be much you will need - it's just basic mechanical dissasembly. GD

Well - technically no. "transfer case" denotes a seperate entitiy (or at least something that bolts to the end of the "transmission") that is responsible for transfering power from said transmission, to the front and rear wheels. What the GL "transmissions" have is 5 forward speeds, and a high/low range selector. Or your could say they have 10 forward speeds and 2 reverse. They do not have a 2 speed transfer case. They do have an "extension housing" that flows power to the rear wheels that could *loosely* be called a transfer case. But it's a lot more integral to the tranny than most typical transfer cases are. It's better to call it an "integrated transaxle". It better describes the format. GD

For the DR lever, add 1" to the stock 4 speed rod and it should pin right up to the 5 speed. Works great in my Brat. And the completely stock look is nice. Double check that 1" is what you need though as with the EJ, it might be slightly different. Did you use Jerry's cross-member or something of your own design? I might be tempted to try and put the diff lock switch somewhere else if I were you.... maybe on the side of the shifter, or on the dash, or even the steering wheel. Just a thought. GD

I never pull them for HG's. It's just way more work than neccesary. The only bolt that's tough is the rear-most drivers side valve cover. But really it's no problem at all with the ratcheting 10mm. Most of the failures I've seen were passenger side HG. And in almost every case the compression tested fine - within 15% anyway, and not enough to cause the engine to run rough. But there was coolant consumption, and when I removed the head you could see where the passage was partially blown. It often causes damage to the sealing surface requireing the head be milled or sanded flat again. Make sure you have RTV for the cam cases, a good 1/2" torque wrench for the head bolts, and a wire wheel to clean them, and the intake bolts. Other than that, you are definately poised to become a lot more familair with the EA engines . Remember to very carefully keep track of the lifter/rocker locations, and to properly tighten each of the 8 came case bolts. I've seen some crazy carnage from having just one of them loose - completely destroyed the block and head. GD

He had to make some pretty serious notches in the rails. Like a couple inches deep on each side. GD

No need to carefully center it. The CV joint in the middle of the shaft eleiminates the need for exact alignment. I just put it on a jack stand and shimmed it up where I wanted it then bent some scrap metal around till I liked what I saw and put some weld down. No vibration at all. As for durability, personally I like the 2 peice. The u-joints can be replaced by a shop with serviceable units. The carrier bearing's almost never fail. Plus the whole thing is up higher out of the way. GD

Here's half of mine - other side is the same basically. Just make sure you don't set the carpet on fire :-p GD

Yeah - tell me about it! Took me a month of weekends to write it. GD

Try this on for size: http://home.comcast.net/~trilinear/EA81_SPFI.html GD

I try very hard not to. I don't want the next owner (if I don't drive it into the ground first) to shake his head and think I'm a complete doltz..... like I find myself doing so often while fixing other people's mistakes and poor maintenance Cutting and splicing takes longer, costs more, and introduces the possibility of corrosion. Taking the wire loose from the plug just makes sense. All you do is insert a awl and bend the little tab that holds the blade into the plastic housing. Slide it out, and unscrew the solenoid.... what's so difficult about that? GD

The proper way is to punch the blade for the solenoid out of the connector behind the carb then unscrew it. Cutting the wire is messy and uneccesary. GD

Rust. You just have to work on it. GD

Just have a radiator shop solder a new filler neck to the front of the tank. So that it's pointing up when it's laying flat on it's side. Should be pretty trivial for them really - they are used to making solder repairs on tanks, etc. Friend of mine works for a radiator shop and can build pretty much any radiator you could want. GD

EJ's fit just fine in the EA81 body's. Hell I've got an EA82 in my Brat, and that's wider by quite a bit. GD

The resistor pack is easily accesible without removing the dash. There's no reason to rush getting one. Also these are dangerous to ship as they are very, very fragile. I would sugest, since you are in OR, that you visit a few junk yards. You should easily fine a half dozen of them. GD