GeneralDisorder

Or you can use some bright red grease and do a pattern test on the gear teeth. You are simply looking for the best ring & pinion alignment. Special guages are handy, but trial and error with some grease patterns gets you there too. GD

Shouldn't make any difference I wouldn't think in *performance*. But I would change it as the filter area is probably reduced, possibly leading to premature clogging. GD

The problem is there are lines attached to the *top* of the tank, and you have to hold it up so the lines don't rip, and get your arms in there with pliers to get stuff loose, etc. It's at least a 3 midget job.... same with the filler neck. :dead: Best way I've found is to flip the car on it's side GD

EA81 2WD axle + 25 spline Legacy DOJ = 25 spline EA81 compatible axle. GD

Being a 4WD, his is already using 185's. Pretty new one's IIRC too. Anyway, they are the same tires he had on his other body before the swap and were fine there.... GD

No - his is a wagon. Rust free left coast edition:) It's probably suspension related. Have to take a look at the front bushings and such. The body only has about 150k on it.... GD

I'm 100% sure that he could do that. I sent him a PM to check out this thread GD

If Mick can't, I'm sure that pooparu can - he's very knowledgable with respect to vinyl. He's doing the complete gen 2 brat set and said the final cost will be about $100. Very fair IMO. He's got a plotter and all that stuff for LARGE vinyl. He measured up my Brat with some prints from his plotter - the fit was great. Real nice guy too. I say we send him the stuff and have him digitize it for the benefit of everyone..... GD

Allow me to clarify that for anyone that can't read parts references. That shows exactly 2 part numbers FOR ALL EA82's. There's a seperate part number for the outer sprocket with the locator pin included, but it's still the same sprocket. If you read the diagrams carefully there are all kinds of clues that tell you the sprockets are universal (except with respect to inner/outer) for carb/spfi/turbo. Sorry BDG - you're just WRONG. GD

Worst. Job. Ever. Very dirty - get some good sealed safety goggles as you will be getting a lot of dirt in your face. Pretty straightforward - you need about 17 arms to hold the tank up while you disconnected everything from it - remove the bolts and it drops out. Hardest part is the filler neck tube. Be careful not to break it. GD

And that's not what i said at all. Lovely. :-\ GD

2WD 5 speed swap is FAR easier due to the wireing issues with the 4EAT. Plus the 4EAT probably uses 25 spline "turbo" axles so you would end up swapping those too...... manual is way easier - no wireing, no axle problems, no tranny cooling lines, etc, etc. Should just bolt right in - you'll need the manual cross-member and linkages plus the flywheel/clutch setup. GD

It's probably the AC idle-up not working. It's is carbed? There's an idle-up solenoid that flicks the throttle up a degree or so to increase idle speed. When the defrost is on, the AC runs to dry the air, and to cycle the AC compressor oil through the system. When you hit the AC button, it's probably too cold out right now for the AC to kick on (it's about 25 degrees here). But it WILL run in defrost - that's normal. If it's SPFI, then the AC idle up is a function of the ECU - there's a signal line that turns it on, and increases idle speed. GD

It's perfectly fine for you to like them. I find them lacking in performance personally. And I've run both for many miles and find better econemy with the SPFI across the board as do most members here. 26 to 28 is typical with the carbs (both Hitachi and Weber) on a 4WD. SPFI commonly runs 30 to 32 on the same vehicle. I've seen close to 34 on 2WD's with Weber's, and more is possible with SPFI. I would question your calculations if you are seeing over 40 on an EA82 of any sort. That's very difficult to acheive in normal conditions, and as far as I know there hasn't been anyone claiming figures that high - not even Subaru claimed that, and their EPA data was pretty generous to begin with. It's fine to not want to learn about them, but it disqualifies you as a subjective judge of their respective qualities. You can say that you "LOVE" the carbs, but having no experience with SPFI means you might actually like them better, and just not know it yet. It's like saying "why should I learn about matches when flint and striker work great for me?". You can't be a subjective judge without knowing something about both systems, and on the whole SPFI is best for most folks as it doesn't require knowledge of the choke, pumping the gas before starting, warm up, etc, etc, and has more "expected" driveability. You start it, and you drive it - simple. I currently run a Weber on my daily and I like it as well, but everytime I get in my SPFI vehicle I think "wow - I really should do this to the other car too..". It's a feeling that's hard to describe - it's just "nicer", and it's because of a whole range of behaviours... start up in all weather conditions, doesn't "buck" as hard when you release the gas pedal, smoother acceleration charactaristics, better low end torque.... and the list goes on and on. GD

Fan should cut on about 210 degrees IIRC. The fan switch in the radiator is probably bad. It's common. GD

Yep - 21psi. Any FI fuel pump should work. The SPFI pump is rated at 50 psi. GD

If you find a 2WD turbo - check to see if it has a rear swaybar. If so, you might want to take the control arms and all so you get the swaybar too. GD

Being one of the few on this board that has worked extensively with both carbs, and SPFI - and have run both as daily drivers.... my check mark goes beside the SPFI. It's a superior system both in econemy and power. There just aren't any drawbacks to the SPFI if you spend the few hours it takes to understand how it works. Most of the people that proclaim "carbs are best" don't understand the SPFI, aren't willing to learn about it, and likely haven't driven one. The system was in use from 86 to 94 - parts are everywhere, and the system is self-diagnostic so it's very easy and simple to work on. Besides that it rarely breaks down. The SPFI setup I installed in my Brat had 258,000 on it when I pulled it from a wrecked 91 Loyale and it runs awesome. The stock Hitachi carbs are horrible. I've thrown all the ones I had in a dumpster and went with Weber's. The EA82 version in particular suffers from choke spring failure. Having rebuilt both, and run both, the Weber's are more reliable, more powerful, and easier to maintain. But the SPFI matches it in performance, and handily beats it in econemy. 88/89 GL wagon with the 5 speed D/R is my vote for your needs. The SPFI can also be retro-fit to the older 82-87 wagons if you should find a really nice one that's a good deal. Here's my write-up on the process for the EA81 - it's similar for the EA82: http://home.comcast.net/~trilinear/EA81_SPFI.html GD

There's no substitute for the dealer t-stat's. It's not worth saving the $5 IMO. GD

He's ARMY - national guard, and I *think* he's in afghanistan - that's where my unit went a few months after I got out. Rotations are usually 18 months. GD

Yeah - I used armor all on the faded dash in my sedan about a year ago, and haven't had to do anything since. It works on the hard plastic stuff for a cheap fix. GD

GD

Leave pressure plate loose - tighten through starter hole. That's how I always do them since I had the exact same problem as you. Never had a problem since. GD

None of them. All EA, EJ, and EG engines have belts. So they are full of $hit. EA81's and earlier are gear driven. GD

It should idle high till it warms up.... check the choke, and the throttle cable routing to make sure they are alright. Make sure the choke has 12v to it. GD