GeneralDisorder

EA81T is 95 HP. Your Loyale is 90. Waste of time for 5 HP, and a huge mess to put it in. The Brat is probably an 81 GL. That's the only year of the Gen 1's that came as a D/R. The EA81T will take a lot of work to fit in there - steering linkage is in the way, and the crossmember won't fit the exhaust, etc. Plus it would be a shame to modify an 81 GL as they are really rare. I say put a 5 speed in the 84 turbo and drive it. Pass on the Brat unless it's in decent shape and cheap. Gen 1's aren't very popular. Or get both and keep all three. At any rate the EA81T is not a very good candidate for transplant into anything. It would suck in the Loyale as you would lose low-end torque (low comp. turbo engine), and gain only 5 HP at near 5000 RPM. You wouldn't notice it at all. GD

Propane would be a better alternative, and might actually save you money instead of costing more. E85 hasn't come into it's own yet. There may come a time when it's cheaper, but so far it's not. GD

No special changes need to be made to use E85 as far as the engine is concerned (other than compression). The problems will be with the fuel system. GD

Runs fine - just increase the base timing setting a bit for the lower comp. Maybe 22 degrees or so. GD

Yeah - I have chrome rings for my EA81 - commonly availble. GD

The MAF's are completely different (as in different theory of operation - one uses a hot wire, and the other a flapper door), as are the distributors, so the ECU, and the parts of the wireing harness used for those components are too. Most other parts probably would interchange fine. GD

Totally. I can cut with at a torch, but for some stuff - like EJ to EA adaptor plates, etc accuracy is key. I have some interesting ideas for suspension bits too. Might be a couple parts I could use. I just cut up a whole loyale with my sawzall so I've got a frickin driveway full of them too Hey - you don't by any chance have a good way to remove a windshield from it's frame on a Loyale?? No worries as the frame isn't part of the car anymore , but this thing was put in like last year by a glass shop, and MAN is it in there. The goop they used is hard as a coffin nail. GD

They are junk - only slightly better than saran wrap, or duct tape. GD

Nothing in particular - just curious what the plan was for it. Parts is parts Right on - I've got the skills, but sometimes lack the more specialized tools. I've got a couple welders, and access to torches and such, but a plasma cutter for certain specific stuff can really be nice. If you like, I'll help you setup a CNC plasma table. I'm also a software engineer.... GD

Yeah - the CA emissions model had "feedback" carbs. It's got an ECU, and a couple sensors. It uses rapidly switched "duty solenoids" to adjust the high speed and low speed mixture settings of the carb. Look at the "crotch" of your y-pipe. If you have an 02 sensor like the later fuel injected models, then you have a feedback carb. If the "ESC" light is comming on after driving for a bit it means the ECU has detected a fualt somewhere. It's usually either the 02 sensor, or the Coolant Temp Sensor. Both of which are cheap ($20 or so) and could easily be causing you to lose 5 mpg. The ECU is under the dash (black box attached to the steering column), and if you remove the kick panel and drive it till the lamp comes on it will flash the codes in long and short flashes from the front of the ECU. Count the flashes and tell me what you find - I can tell you what the code means. GD

Yeah - I think that maybe the problem with them is the cheap aftermarket rebuild kits. The float needle and seat assembly seem to be cheap, and I think that is the source of the sticking. It's a really tough problem since you can't really see into the chamber to tell what the cause is, and once you take the top off it's not stuck anymore. I had one that ran so perfect it could have been brand new - and then one day the float would stick. Would run fine for months then stick at the worst possible time. I finally just threw it in the dumpster, and I run Weber's and SPFI on all mine now. Check out my SPFI write up: http://home.comcast.net/~trilinear/EA81_SPFI.html GD

Oh - and probably should note that you need one from a turbo. Non-turbo will not clear the exhaust. That narrows down the donor cars considerably. GD

At this point it's not important as the information really applies to both. Pobably just want to ask other questions over in new gen. GD

Directly from Fel-Pro: http://www.enjoythedrive.com/content/?id=25826 "The surface finish should be fairly uniform across the entire face of the head and block. In other words, the RA finish should not vary more than 20 percent from one area to another." "Too rough a surface finish can also be hard on the gasket itself. A rough finish has more 'bite' and digs into the gasket more aggressively. This can increase the scuffing and shearing the gasket undergoes as the engine heats up and cools down." "If the surface finish is too smooth [less than 54 RA], it may not provide enough bite to hold and seal a head gasket securely. There can also be movement between the gasket and metal, causing the gasket to abrade and leak." "As a rule, the smoother the surface finish, the better. When the surface is rougher than about 113 RA (125 RMS), there are too many peaks and valleys on the metal's surface to seal properly. The gasket may not cold seal and could leak coolant and/or compression." ..... Basically, you need a finish of about 60 to 80 RA for the conventional graphite gaskets. The MLS gaskets in the newer EJ's need a finish as smooth as 20 RA. Herein lies the problem. A decent mill with a two blade cutter can produce RA as low as 10 or 12. Far TOO smooth in fact for a normal graphite gasket to "grip". Great if you are building up the new Ford engines that require RA of 15 or so, but bad for us older EA owners. A good shop needs to know that you need a ROUGHER surface than normal - belt sanding with an #80 grit silica carbide belt will land you in about the right RA range for an EA head. You CANNOT see these differences. You need a meter for it - it's a tool that drags a diamond tipped stylus across the metal. Touch, feel, looking at it cross-eyed in the light of a full moon, etc are not viable options for testing this. GD

It could work - wouldn't have near the power of the EJ22T in stock form though. Best bet is to go MegaSquirt and forget about the disty. Then you can run any engine you want. GD

Parts inside the engine are not going to need it. The oil in the crank case and the carbon from igntion are more than sufficient to protect the aluminium surfaces. Besides that, there isn't any alumnium wear points on an EA82. Cylinder walls and rings are steel or sintered iron, main and rod bearings are steel as is the crank. Piston top, and combustion chamber rapidy form a carbon layer.... which surface are you trying to protect?? GD

Dealer won't be able to help you. Most parts stores sell generic kits, and AC rated o-rings. GD

You are not supposed to shift into first unless you are stopped. It's very hard on the 1st gear syncro. You can fill the tranny with ATF, and run it for a few hundred miles to clean the syncros, and then fill it with Redline or your favorite synthetic. Takes about $40 worth of Redline to fill a 5 speed. GD

Not really. Just follow the lines and replace the seal at each connection. GD

A few bucks for o-rings. Coverting is simply a matter of charging it with 134. There's nothing else that needs to be done. Charge kits are about $35. These systems work find with 134. GD

I wrote this for EA81's but the EA82 is similar - just easier on the pedal side: http://home.comcast.net/~trilinear/clutch.html GD

The real question is what's the point? Probably about $10 - $20 depending on the yard, but I really don't see the need since you don't have a 4WD shifter. GD

Usually that's the nylon bushings on the pedal pivot wanting grease. But as long as you are down there might as well replace the cable too. GD

You'll want to get new o-rings for all the connections, and then charge it with R-134. One can of R-12 isn't going to be enough. GD

85 to 89 EA82's. GD