GeneralDisorder

Dealer only on the exhaust gaskets: +1 They are about $3 each. GD

You have to cut the old one out with a utility knife. You will need a new gasket, and they are getting hard to find - may be a dealer only item at this point as most glass shops will just "float" it in with hot liquid urethane. You need straight chrome peices and lots of lube (FSM calls for kerosene) to get them in. The chrome trim bits apply the pressure that creates the seal for the gasket. Basically you put the gasket on the windsheild, and thread a cord through the pinch-weld groove of the gasket - set the whole thing in place and pull the cord through into the cabin and it pulls the gasket over the weld. Lots of kerosene for lube, lots of swearing, etc. Then you insert the chrome expanders, and finally there is a special sealant you use around the outside of the gasket where it overlaps the body sheetmetal. It's a heck of a lot easier to just have a shop float one in. Bring them the glass and it should be $50 or $75 or so to have them install it. GD

I hear ya - us Portlanders should band together and start buying parts cars instead. I see them on CL all the time for $100 or less. GD

That's a different beast entirely. What's your fuel system? Being it's an EA81, then your problem is either the head gaskets you just did, or it's fuel related. My first check would be compression. Harbor Frieght has guages for $10. Should probably test out around 150 - 200 on each cylinder depending on valve seat condition. If the comp. checks out, then it's fuel related... but I need to know your chosen poision before I comment on what exactly it might be. GD

Yeah - sounds like you cam timings are off. Check those belts. GD

I'll give it a whirl. Thanks! GD

It likely has compression - it's just turning fast because it's an auto and has a faster starter. I say start checking ignition parts - probably something simple. GD

Oh yeah - if it's going to cause rust - by all means ignore me completely. I don't have to deal with that, so do as you must. GD

I'm the KING of pocketing at the u-pull's - I crammed an ECU down my pants last time.... . I threw two shift knobs and an EJ crank sensor on the counter and the guy said "wednesday afternoon special" and waved me out the door. No charge. If only he knew Seriously - our yards changed ownership, and they want a fortune for everything. They are digging their own hole - the more they charge (for admission, AND parts) the less we are willing to buy, so they have to charge more.... ad-infinitum. GD

Probably the other two wires in the 4 prong plug are the inhibitor wires that prevent starting in anything but park and neutral. GD

If *I* were doing it, in the intrest of making it easy, I would drill another hole (say 1/2") next to the big shifter hole, and run the wires through there with a common rubber "grommet" and some quality zip ties to keep the wire in check around all that moving metal. That way you don't have to cut into the big grommet behind the strut, and you use less wire, and don't have to route all behind the dash and stuff. Just my common-sense approach I guess. GD

I also put in a (supposedly) working solenoid and it tested out to 45 ohms. That's why I tried the 47 ohm unit first - thinking it should be close enough to fool the ECU. All the other solenoids I have around test out to a similar resistance. But again - I'm nearing the end of my rope on this Hitachi SPFI system. GD

Ether (starting fluid) is mostly useful for cold (very cold) starting of large deisel engines. Most of the military equipment we have has a provision for an ether injection system for extremely cold environments. It is VERY potent stuff, and can easily break the relatively thin components in gas engines. GD

Try the search feature. And good luck wasting money and blowing heads. GD

Fuel pump is near the fuel tank, and no, you cannot adjust the valve clearance. Lifter tick is usually obvious, and generally doesn't go away just be reving it. GD

Pretty much, yes. As you add RPM's, the injector is open at higher frequency, and eventually all the time. It's kindof interesting to note that the computer injector timing becomes almost irrelevant under high demand as the injector is open nearly constantly. Very much like the old VW CIS systems. You can get a cheap noid light and watch the injector pulses to see if they are in time to the ticking. GD

SPFI injectors usually tick a little when they open. TPS could cause some hessitation, but I would test it first as it requires a multi-meter and a feeler guage to install another. GD

Run a D-check on the SPFI and clean the MAF/air filter for starters. Contemplate changing the 02 sensor just for best possible mileage, and it can help with the hessitation. They only run about $30, and you'll save that much in gas mileage in a month or two. The FI fuel filters don't get clogged much - they are quite large by most comparisons. It's probably a late 87 or 88 being it's SPFI. Definately not an 86 - no 4WD's (most especially a DL) would have had the SPFI in 86. 85/86 2WD's were FI. GD

Your reverse harness is one of the plugs where the auto shifter was inside the car. It appears from my 83 FSM that you are looking for the Blue/white wire and the Green/yellow wire on the 4 prong inhibitor switch connector of the auto shifter for your reverse lights. Hook those to the reverse switch from the manual transmission and you should be in buisiness. GD

Incredibly messy, yet strangely effective. You earn the "USMB Tractor Mechanic Of The Day" award (it was a close race - you almost lost due to points deducted for the "repair" title - this is clearly a "modification", and worth at least 5 HP). Personally, I like it, but some might say it needs more bailing wire and duct tape.... GD

I tried both a 47 ohm, and a 68 ohm 10 watt resistor, and neither would correct my purge code. But who knows..... GD

You don't have to replace the whole throttle body - the injector pops right out with a pair of channel locks - twist and pull after you remove the top four screws holding the cover in place. Easy enough to try anyway but I doubt that's your problem I think your problem is either ignition related (Possibly a weak coil or intermittant distributor) or you have a bad coolant temp sensor that isn't telling the ECU the engine is cold. Could be a fuel pump that's refusing to kick over when cold. It happens. If the injector was a problem, then the engine wouldn't run right after it did start. GD

The EA81 electric AC fan fits some EA82 radiators, and not others. Depends of a lot of factors after 20 years - some models came with 2 row units (turbo's), some with metal tanks, and some with plastic. And then a not insignificant number have been replaced by previous owners. But it's not all that hard to *make* it fit virtually any radiator. And I would prefer it any day over something running through the fins. Remember that the clutch fan is only there to cool the AC compressor when the car isn't moving. In hot weather the compressor can get dangerously hot being in close proximity to the engine, and having nowhere to dump all the heat build up. Non-AC models of the EA82 had no clutch fan just as the EA81 had no second electric fan for this. GD

Really, unless you are a serious poser with lots of money to burn on a rig that will probabaly never see a trail (or you have a sponsor for your competition rig).... The Harbor Freight $20 set of 2 (or *insert any other reasonably priced, probably produced in china or tiawan set here*) do the job. Plenty bright - just use enough of them. And hey - you can afford to break them on a limb once in a while. You're not trying to light a whole staduim here, just throw some light further down the road in front of the car (or behind it as the case may be :-p). My veiwpoint FWIW. Spend money on stuff that will get you home BEFORE it gets dark. Or.... get a salad bowl, line it with foil and set the passenger seat on fire. Postscript - the hand-held battery operated "pistol" style halogens are great. I have one in my "kit". Get that and have the passenger hold it out the window. GD

I just had another thought.... what if the added ground of the test connector and the added CPU workload of the diagnostic functions were enough to overpower my ground connections causeing there to not be enough current flow to the purge solenoid?! Wow - that would be the strangest combination ever. Or have I jumped into the deep end trying to save BDG? GD