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GeneralDisorder

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Everything posted by GeneralDisorder

  1. Well - the FSM shows the FPCU (fuel pump control unit) as running directly off the ignition switch with no fuse at all. It's hooked into the supply line from the ign. switch that supplies fuses 12 through 16. Fuse #7 may actually be totally unrelated.... here's a question - did your wiper washer ever work? Sounds like either there is some strange previous owner wireing going on here, or the fuel pump control unit is actually dead. It can happen. Take a look at the wires coming off the unit and see if you can get voltage from the connector, and check the fuel pump power lead and see where that goes..... there may be a relay in the system supplied by the FPCU, so you might check those too. Turn on the headlights and find the relay that controls those - use that plug to test the other relays.... GD
  2. What fuse is it? I've got my FSM open now..... they are labeled top left to bottom right 1 - 16..... like this: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 GD
  3. The speedo on the digi-dash is still cable driven. The cable may be starting to go. Pull the cable off the transmission, and pull the inner drive shaft out - you can replace it by just slideing a new drive shaft into the cable. If that doesn't fix it, then the problem is electronic inside the dash unit itself. Would probably be easiest just to locate another cluster and install it if that's the case. GD
  4. No - the 5 speed is a nice addition to the Turbo Brat.... no one likes the automatics they came with. EA81T's only came with the 3AT, so a well done install of a 5 speed is usually welcome. Being it's a nice vehicle - you may want to get a 5 speed install kit from Jerry (bratsrus1 on the board here). He lives around yakima and makes a complete install kit that will make the interior look completely factory (for a manual trans EA81). You will still need to aquire the consoles and such, but they aren't rare. A well preserved low-mileage Turbo Brat would easily command $5,000+ on ebay and they are only going up it seems.... so whatever you do be kind to it. The XT6 is not a good off-road choice - it has no low range, the engine is powerfull, but has timing belts, and is pretty expensive to work on. You would have to design your own lift for it, and it would have to be fairly large as they sit very low in stock form. The EA81 hatch is pretty much the ultimate subaru off-road vehicle to start with - it has the shortest wheelbase, and the best departure angle. Easy to lift, simple to work on - no timing belts to worry about. With a 5 speed or even the stock 4 speed D/R they do quite well off-road. GD
  5. If you off-road a turbo brat, you will make a lot of folks very angry They are exceedingly rare (only made for two years), and if you value it at all, keep it on the street if it's in good shape as you say. The EA81T is a good engine - but not good for off-road. Turbo's are low compression, and haven't got the needed low end torque for crawling about - forcing you to keep the RPM's up in the 2500 - 3000 range for any decent power. This wears out clutches, and makes you take running starts at obsticles - furthering the chances of causeing body damage, and suspension damage. If you really want to off-road sell the Brat and with the proceeds you can easily buy a wagon (or even better, a hatchback), a lift, and tires. You'll have the same wheelbase (or less in the hatch), same drivetrain (except non-turbo) and same capabilities, while also having a dry place to put passengers, camping stuff, tools, equipments, etc. GD
  6. Already been covered 1000x. I sugest doing a search for "Weber" GD
  7. Start with #1. The 3AT is notorious for eating power. If that's not enough - carefully donate the EA81T to someone that will love it, and drop in an EJ22. The EJ20T is nice, but you'll end up with so much power you will have to upgrade suspension, brakes and a whole host of other stuff. You'll likely break the 5 spd D/R with over 200 HP, and so you would want the EJ AWD tranny - axle issues (custom), etc, etc. Plus the EJ22 is more common, cheaper, simpler to wire and route exhaust for. 135 HP is more than enough to feel very quick in a Brat. GD
  8. Yeah - you need a new sensor. I've had the EA81 feedback carb temp sensors fail as well. The good news is the price is only about $15 for one. It's a double blade connector on it - one side is for the dash guage, and the other is for the ECU so you would NOT see anything on your meter the way you tested it. You need to test each side of the sender to ground. But if the ECU has detected it being fualty, it's most likely the thermistor inside is going out of range or has burnt out completely. It happens - might want to change the 02 sensor while you are doing sensor related stuff. Cheap, and they get old and slow. GD
  9. Yeah - that's how I use it as well. I have always used it to describe engines that have a single belt driving all accesories with usually a single tensioner. I think you could say the XT6 is a serp system, and the XT just uses ribbed belts - which I must say I don't know why they would do this either. GD
  10. The Holley-Weber 5200 was used on a lot of early Ford stuff - Pinto's and the like. It's a DVF weber licensed by Holley, but if you are just concered with the base pattern it's identical to the DGV weber as far as fitment. A lot of folks use them on the EA82 since the linkage is reversed - same adaptor plate works for both. Or you can hit up any VW shop and they can sell you a gasket for either one. GD
  11. EA81 Turbo heads are MPFI. Still single port heads, but they have injector bosses on them. Theoretically you could run MPFI using the XT's computer and such (MPFI non-turbo) with the EA81 carb block, and EA81T heads and some funky mismatch of EA81T manifold/EA82 TB parts...... would be a real weird setup and to my knowledge it's never been tried. GD
  12. hhhmmm - weight, yes. But more like 35 pounds if I had to guess. Compressor has a large chunky butt, and the bracket is no small potatoes either. More like lopping off your passengers arms, and one leg..... then lighting the passenger seat on fire for extra warmth (which, BTW, is the recommended procedure if you have a heater core failure.).... GD
  13. No - I think it's just a single belt..... otherwise you couldn't really call it a serpentine belt.... GD
  14. you have the right idea - serpentine means it's a single belt - the "ribbed" style you refer to is basically synonomous. GD
  15. You need the inboard side of the alt bracket (don't forget the little 3/4" spacer under the rightmost bolt). It has the hinge for the alt on it. WAY different than the cast iron thing that holds the AC compressor. GD
  16. They aren't all that bad, but it's not the belts I hate so much as those tensioner and idler bearings. Those scare me in muddy water.... GD
  17. I think the 85/86 MPFI (non turbo) was v-belt. At least I know the 85 GL-10 MPFI wagon I saw a while back was V.... Good to know the serp's are that cheap.... I still like the twin belts for redundancy, but hey - can't have it all I guess. GD
  18. Frankly, with 27's your best bet is to either swap on the SPFI from a later 80's, or early 90's loyale, or to get a Weber. You will have plenty of power with either one - enough to break things and want more lift and bigger tires. Decent exhaust and the weber or the SPFI will probably get you up close to 90 HP, which is plenty. Above 20 MPG is about right too - you'll probably get around 20-22 depending on inflation etc. The EA81 you have is particularly well suited to off-road as it has no weak timing belts, and is extremely easy to fix on the trail should the need arise. EJ swap is a bigger headache and more expensive - and again I don't like the timing belts. GD
  19. I've wrestled with this problem as well - my GF couldn't get the cap off if I bent the tabs enough to get it tight on there. Finally I found the reason was the seal - they get old and hard. I got a new seal, and the supple rubber makes it an easy on-off for her now. GD
  20. Do not use a light flywheel - you will have no torque = bad for off-road low end response. Lighter means faster throttle response - but what use is that off the pavement? Quality OEM clutch works just fine. I can peel out with 28" MT's, and chirp them into second easily. Clutch slippage has never been a problem for my lifted wagon, and I would NOT go with anything that has more grab as it just makes it more difficult to slip the clutch for slow crawling. Most performance clutches are geared to a very fast lock up, and little to no buffering. That's not what you want off-road where speed of shifting, and acceleration are not the goal. GD
  21. Basically there is a seal on the transmission end that prevents the cable from acting like an archimedes screw and sucking oil up into the head unit. Once the seal fails and the oil has contaminated the speedo head, it's pretty much fatal. The guage cluster has to be removed, and either replaced or the speedo completely dissasembled and cleaned... and some who have done the cleaning report that it doesn't help. Something inside the speedo doesn't like gear oil..... Sorry - not what you wanted to hear I'm sure, but with you finding oil on the speedo end, that's pretty conclusive. And the really high reading is always the result of oil contamination. GD
  22. Let me revise that - later 80's MPFI XT's with the spider style intake have the serp belts. XT6 also has them, but so does the XT4 later on in the series. GD
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