GeneralDisorder

I thought the same thing - but would it still chime with the ignition on? I didn't think they would do that..... can't remember tho. GD

Sadly, this is all too common. The problem is the ignition switch itself - it doesn't pass enough current to the starter solenoid. It's made worse in the automatic because of the inhibitor switch in the shifter mechanism. I'm not 100% sure I've got it completely licked in the one I've been messing with, but after installing a relay in the starter solenoid power circuit it helped quite a bit. She says it still does it now and then, but I can never get it to perform for me - I have a feeling she just hasn't got it in park all the way or something. Lately I haven't heard her complain about it in about a month and it's getting colder here so I'm hoping it's fixed GD

Actually it's impossible to tell. Since the serial was stamped at the factory in japan, it's not specific to US only numbers. You need to know how many EA82 engines were made total for ALL markets. GD

Verify that the TPS idle switch is working. The top two pins (A and should show continuity with the throttle closed. Also check the intermediate connector between the manifold harness and the body harness - the two big round connectors. Maybe just something corroded. GD

Alternators can die in different ways, and effectively 9/10 volts pretty much is 0 from the alt. The battery is picking up the slack and so your guage is reading battery voltage only. It sounds like possibly the alternator is putting out some AC current. This would indicate a bad rectifier. But definately have it tested. AC will cause some random indicators to glow (door ajar in your case), and will may explain the seat belt chime too. Rebuilt units don't seem to be all that reliable. Much like axles. I seem to have better luck handpicking alternators from the junk yard . Get one with a lifetime warantee if you can - at least that way you won't be out any money when it goes next time. If your battery is ageing, you might consider replacing that at the same time. Old batteries can actually *cause* alternator failure, and replacing both at the same time isn't a bad idea especially in cold weather conditions. GD

OTOH, I had an EA81 in my garage for a couple years, and it was in another board member's shed for a few years before that. I replaced the oil pump and seals, changed the oil and filter, squirted a bit of oil in the cylinders and fired it up. 200 - 220 psi in every cylinder . Maybe I'm just lucky, but it runs awesome, and no special steps were taken - it still had really old, black oil in it from an 83 coupe. If it were me, being the EA82 is easier to work on with it out of a car, I would pull the heads, mill them and do a simple valve grind, replace the head gaskets (Fel-Pro's are $15 each), cam tower seals and o-rings, intake manifold gaskets, oil pan gasket, oil pump seals, and the mains. THEN store it completely dry. Get one of those rolls of plastic "shrink wrap" used for moving furniture and encase the thing in it to keep bugs and moisture out. Should be fine for a long time. GD

Yes - it's 9.5:1 stock GD

Yeah - that engine is worth a LOT. I wouldn't be giving it away. Definately a collectors item in the US. GD

Those look like PS lines below the head. GD

Sounds like corrosion in the bowl maybe. Time to tear that carb apart. GD

I've seen that style on an EA81 before. Contact Yakima nad find out if it's the same part number. GD

What year is that engine or do you not know? EA81 or EA71? Two possibilities - either they are the older small valve heads use in pre-83 EA81's. Or they are dual-carb heads with reversed valve oreintation. Basically the intake and exhaust valves are reversed like the EA82's all were. That would make it a JDM engine as we didn't get those here except as import engines. The heads and the cam are different being the valves are reversed. The JDM dual carb engine was 108 HP in stock form - did you notice if it had a butt-load of power? All the EA81 heads have that wall, it's just up in there further on all the post-82 large valve's I happen to have here to look at right now. I don't have any small-valve heads to look at. Was the power steering a retro-fit to the Brat? GD

Maybe, but that's often associated with corrosion on the wire(s) comming off the sender from the tank. Depends on the sender, but some also have a ground wire that is supposed to ground through one of the bolts that holds the sender to the tank. I would check everything back there. GD

Probably bad grounds in general. The Headlight ground is behind the left front speaker. Check the ground behind the battery on the left fender wall. Also check the ground on the left side of the intake manifold, and the one from the tranny to the spare tire shelf, and the one on the drivers side strut tower..... The alternator grounds through the engine block. Check voltage off the back of the alt and compare that to the voltage at the junction point (fuseable link box). It's normal for the back of the alt to be about .5 - 1.5 volts higher depending on accesories turned on. GD

Is the choke working? Do you have power to the idle-cut solenoid? If this is a Hitachi, on the side there is a bowl viewing window - do you see fuel? Can you get it to fire if you hold the gas pedal down? Don't bother with seafoam - if it's clogged remove the top of the carb and clean it out. GD

Thank you captain obvious. With a Weber they are 10x better. With the SPFI they are 100x better. With SPFI and MegaSquirt..... we'll see soon GD

Oh and just so you know what engine you have - it's a 1.8 litre, EA82, and it sounds like you have a Carbureted model. 1987 was the last year for the carbs..... Now that I see what you have, the fuel pump may NOT cycle with the test connectors connected. I was thinking you had a fuel injected variety. Still a good idea to check it's power. The pump should have power any time the engine is being cranked. So maybe have a friend crank it while you check the pump for power... GD

Thanks! Ok - you say it starts on ether - does it sound like it wants to run and then stops or does it sound like maybe it's only running on two cylinders? There's a couple options here - it sounds like either it's fuel related, or you may have broken the passenger side timing belt and it's trying to run on two cylinders. Please try this: Connect the two green "test" connectors behind the drivers side strut tower, and turn the key to the "ON" posistion. Listen for the fuel pump. It will cycle every 2 seconds when it's in test mode. If you don't hear it you may need to take a look under the car and test for power at the fuel pump connector with either a multi-meter or a test light. The pump is on a shelf near the gas tank. There's only two wires in the connector - just put the tester on each one and see if you get 12v with the ignition ON, and the green guys connected. Also check all the fuses. If the pump doesn't run then it could be either the fuse, the pump relay under the dash, or the pump itself. If the pump runs normally, there is a black oval shaped plug in the front of the passenger side timing belt cover that you can remove to check the belt tension with your finger. Reach a finger in there and see if the belt is intact or not. If you can't feel the belt or you feel shredded belt with no tension you have found the problem. It is also possible for some of the teeth to strip off the belts and the engine to jump out of time. I wish I were closer - I would come take a look at it for you GD

Dangit - almost got it... Have you checked for vac leaks? Looks like your idle is the problem, and in my experience that is almost always related to missing at idle.... IE: vacuum leaks, or ignition related issues. When it drops back to idle can you hear any slight puffing out the tail-pipe? It's got to idle almost perfectly smooth in order to pass - just a few misfires and the whole cylinder's worth of fuel shoots right into the test nozzle.... GD

Can you get me a deal? GD

They don't. The EA82 windsheild IS part of the support structure of the roof, and does help to keep the thing rigid and together in an accident. The EA81 windsheild does not hold the roof up - it is not glued in place at all, and will simply pop out in an accident. The A pillar of the EA81 has a solid steel rod in the center for support. Cracks to the windsheild of an EA82 (like all newer cars) can be a safety hazzard as it weakens the overall uni-body structure. The EA81 could run with no windsheild if you really wanted as it's not part of the struture of the vehicle. GD

Yeah - as mentioned above the "feedback" systems tend to run rich when they aren't functioning properly. One cheap way to start diagnosing things would be to get an Air/Fuel ratio meter (or build one!) and monitor that while you are driving. You will learn SOOOO much about how the engine uses fuel and where you need to make corrections. It helps tremendously with getting your mileage figures up as it comes in handy not only for tuning, but also to adjust your driving patterns to get a nice lean cruise mixture. It's a cool project, and a great learning experience. AFR's can run as low as 12.5:1 at full peak HP, and as lean as 17:1 at cruise on the freeway. I would also consider just tossing the Hitachi. Sadly it has a lot of problems that are not easily corrected. A rebuild may help some, but probably won't get you into the 28-30 mpg range that a simple Weber swap would. That said, I have had non-feedback Hitachi's that would run around 28 mpg as well. I had a feedback that would get around 28 mpg in my 2WD wagon which I *thought* was good. I swapped to the weber and that car got very close to 33 mpg on the freeway. I would say that you should be getting around 26 with that roof rack. Those things really are a drag. GD

Not really - the pump on the EA81 is different. It does not ride in the block like the EA82, but in it's own housing. And if anything, the EA82 pumps last longer mechanically so the block bolts have nothing to do with it. Sadly, the EA82 oil-pump to block gasket (the micky-mouse one) fails about as often as the EA81 pumps do. So it's a toss up. It takes 2 hours to change the pump seal on an EA82, and only 15 minutes to change the whole pump on an EA81. You're the only one. It didn't help the oil flow any either. The EA81's generally have higher oil pressure, and almost never exhibit the lifter ticking of the EA82. I would take a Hi-Po EA81 over an EA82 anyday of the week, and I've owned a LOT of both of them. The highest mileage figures of all the vehicles I've owned have been EA81's. GD

Ouchies . Next time you need a set, tell me and I'll grab some and mail them in a letter envelope with cardboard on each side. GD

It depends. I blew an EA81 rod because of poor oil pressure, and drowning the engine in swamp water too many times. The car had a digital cluster originally, and so no oil pressure guage. Only an idiot light, which came on far to late to correct the problem. Consequently, I'm now the USMB oil pressure nazi. The engine had 165,000 on it - may she rest in peace. GD