GeneralDisorder

I can pretty much guarantee you will never get your hand up in there on an EA81. The way the dash is molded there is no access to the cable from underneath. GD

Ah - yes. Just pull the cluster - it's easier than fooling about under the dash, and gives you a chance to clean stuff in there anyway. GD

That's how I did mine too. But I drilled them with the tires already mounted. Didn't matter. It's never had any balance problems. I like the look, and the offset of those rims, and they are comparitively cheap..... mine were $25 each, but I got deal since I bought my tires at the same place, and the manager was a friend of a friend. Was just shy of $500 for all 4. GD

Only the new ones (not including the defender). The old stuff is amazing. GD

It would seem like 1/4 and 2/3 would be the right choice. When 1 is fireing, 4 is at the bottom of it's power/exhaust stroke. Same with 2/3...... although that means the when 4 is fireing, 1 is at the bottom of it's intake stroke.... so myabe that's not a good combination. Fireing order is 1-3-2-4.... so why exactly does the wasted spark have to occur when the cylinder is at BDC?? My choice would be 1/2 and 3/4 for the wasted spark as that prevents fuel mixture from comming into contact with the wasted spark. 1 is on compression, while 2 is on exhaust, and since the spark fires before TDC, it should never come in contact with cylinder #2's intake charge. Anyway, that makes sense to me - I would go with 1/2, and 3/4. GD

Definately easier to pull the cluster than to try and mess around under the dash..... but unless your cable sheath is shot why not just slide a new cable in? From the tranny side it pulls out, and you grease up the new one, and run it right in through the old sheath. GD

3 4 1 2 | \/ Front GD

81 GL's were the only Gen 1 that came with the EA81 and 4 speed D/R. They have the same drivetrain as the EA81 Gen II body's, and a different (and rare) front cross member to allow the EA81 to fit. GD

Usually just means you need to add some brake fuild - it expands as it warms up, so you are probably right on the border where the switch is cutting in and out. My 86 does that as the pads wear. GD

The outside one is the "retard".... at least I'm pretty sure it is. You can check them by applying full manifold vaccum instead of ported vaccum and with a timing light check what the timing does. At any rate, what it "sounds" like when you remove hoses is no kind of definative test. I'm just going off what I remember from when I did my 86. GD

Yeah - I like using the auto's as they spin faster, and it doesn't sound like my battery is dieing all the time GD

There IS (or was) a switch also on the 4WD lever. Believe me - it's there. The one inside the tranny is supposed to be for "lo", but since you have a single range it is tuning the "lo" light on even with it in high because on single range vehicles that switch DOES operate the "4WD" lamp. But on D/R vehicles it only operates "lo", and the 4WD switch is on the back of the lever. It's underneath the plastic consoles inside the cab. You have an EA82, which is COMPLETELY different. You are just going to confuse the poor fellow. GD

4WD indicator switch is on the 4WD lever - it's a black plastic push type switch. You may need to adjust the lever or something. GD

But it will still run rich (think 15 MPG), and the they are NOT the same "critter". The EA82 ecu controls the fuel pump, and has more sensors than the EA81 ecu (manifold pressure, etc). For example "just removing" the ecu from an EA82 feedback will render the fuel pump inoperative. I have removed both styles and replaced with Weber's both on my 84 and my 86, so I know a thing or two about feedback Hitachi's. GD

Nice! And only about 10% more than the RT01's when I got em 2 years ago. Let us know how you like em. They look burley. "Free shipping" really means it's figured into the price, so they are probably about the same if you find a place that can get em local. Plus those are 2" bigger than mine - those two factors probably account for the price difference. GD

You'll most likely have to find a bracket assembly from an EA82 without AC, and *make* it work - I'm not sure the EA81 non-ac bracket will line up with the PS pulley's.... but it might. Sadly the EA82 ones aren't terribly common. Mostly DL's. Very few GL's didn't came without AC, but Loyale's often did, and of course DL's but they are not real common either. GD

Weird - I never tapped anything when I did mine. It's not designed to require it. Whatever works I guess. GD

All of your highlighted items can be removed. The far left is the evap canister, and isn't needed even on the hitachi. Just pitch it, and it's bracket. The next one over is the vacuum accumulator for the duty solenoids - pitch those too. Just yank it all off. Run the line from the "inside" of the two ports on the disty, to the front of the carb There should be another port to the left and slightly higher on the disty you can use for the EGR if you want it. You can just leave it open, or get a two-way barb from an EA81 carb and screw it into the port on the weber. Pitch it. GD

Not all states run the emissions tests through contractors - most do it seems, but here in OR, all the testing is run by the DEQ (department of environmental quality). They own and operate all the stations, and the employees are state employed. Which makes the testing pretty lax really. Out of the numerous times I've done the two-speed test with subaru's I think only once did they do the underhood inspection like they are supposed to do. And the one time they did, they marked the air injection system as "Not Applicable" when it clearly had valves on BOTH heads. They employ people with little mechanical experience. At any rate, it's pretty bogus since anyone that can't pass just resgisters their vehicle out of area. I've been doing it for 10 years, and been pulled over by the police as many times in as many years, and not ONCE has any cop ever noticed or cared that my car is registered to a different county for it's site of use. It's got to be the biggest, glaring loophole of all time - yet no ones seems to be in any hurry to enforce it, or attempt to make it more difficult to register like that. I just memorized a street adress out in the boonies, and they take my word for it. GD

Should mention - all our testing stations are owned and operated by the state.... I don't go through anymore at all, since there's a neat little clause on the registration called "site of use". You can live and recieve mail inside the city, and if you put your site of use as something outside the testing boudaries, you don't have to test. I just tell them my car(s) are out at the farm, and I have a valid street address in a small town that no DMV clerk has ever heard of. They have never questioned it, and it saves me $35 and waiting in line to test. They stopped the 20 year window here, so that cars NEVER become exempt from testing. I completely disagree with that as there are very few 20 year old vehicle as a percentage of total cars driven in and around the city where testing is required. Thus I exempted them myself GD

83 turbo should already by hydro?? I guess I'm not following you here. Using solid lifters with steel rods..... well as long as nothing gets bent I don't see why you couldn't. It wasn't done initially because it wasn't needed, and the push-rod is the "fuse" in case something goes wrong. The steel ones will not bend, and with a solid lifter you risk breaking something in a serious way. GD

The Defenders are still really stripped down. They are more like a fancy tractor inside. Not much to go wrong. And it seems that the biggest problems with the Rover's is with "initial" quality. A high percentage of Rover's compared to other brands are still on the road. It seems that once they get fixed, they tend to stay that way. The build quality problems are largely ones related to assembly, and not so much bad engineering. The Defender's have been usurped in the "safari" markets by the Land Cruisers, but it's mostly a case of price, and availibility. I just wish they would bring them back to the states. GD

Can't find the Hankooks? Mine were about $400 for my set of 4.... GD

I advise you laugh at that price. Don't pay more than $500 for an 86. It's probably carbed, and the carbs suck. Hold out for an 87+ that's got FI. You could easily get a legacy for that kind of money. GD

They flat-out refuse to dyno ANY subaru's here. Because the older one's have a front e-brake it's not safe to run them on the dyno cause they could jump off, and the AWD stuff obviously can't do it either. If you pull up in a subaru - regardless of year they do the two speed engine test only - no load. GD