GeneralDisorder

Rear of engine where? Top, bottom, left, right? How far rearward? What does the "valve" look like. A picture might help.... can you positively identify it as engine oil? Could it be transmission gear oil, or cv joint grease? AT fluid? Best guess from your description - possibly the PCV valve?? Rear main seal? Better question - what model/year of car you working on? GD

Redline. GD

Tom - we need to chat and figure this problem out. I'm not sure what the deal is, but I've had the same problem with my 85 Brat ever since I bought it. It's not the alt, and not the battery. Not the cables either. When I start it in the morning, it will hover right at 11 or 12. After driving a bit, it will come up to around 14 where it should be. I've spent cumulative probably 40 hours on this problem - I've fixed a number of things I thought it *might* be, but thus far to no avail. I suspect a ground wire somewhere under the dash. A little background, and what I've found so far: The alternator is a "remote sensing" internal regulated type (I'm using a GM, but it matters not, as the wiring is the same for the Hitachi). One wire from the two prong plug leads to directly to the "power distrubution point" - in our cars the fusible link box by the battery. The alternator will regulate voltage at that point, and NOT at the back of the alternator. Thus if something is drawing say 1.5 volts, the voltage at the links will remain at 14.5, and the voltage at the back of the alt will be higher to compensate. The tests I've performed show my voltage to be fine to the links - so the remote sensor and the alt are working as they should. To explain it another way, the voltage at the links is 14.5 even though the guage in the dash reads 11. This would seem to indicate a problem within the circuit that feeds the guage. The guage indicates "accesory" voltage, which means it's tied into the same circuit that feeds things like the headlights, blower motor, and wipers. Thus when you turn on some accesories, you can watch the guage indicate the change. The problem is when the engine is started in the morning, even with all accesories off, I read about 12 volts, maybe 12.5 at the guage, when I should see a full 14.5. Later after warm up, it will read correctly - perhaps 15 to 30 minutes later. The difficulty in finding the offending ground or circuit is that the wiring under the dash is difficult to navigate, and the diagrams in the FSM show you nothing as to grounding locations, etc. GD

Look for a rebuild kit for an 84 model.... you probably have two listed because you are looking for the 87 model year, when EA81's and EA82's were produced side-by-side. You have a DCP series carb, and the EA82's use a DCZ series. Any DCP series will take the same rebuild kit, so regardless of which one out of the 15 or so models you have, it will work the same. Be very careful rebuilding them - make sure you don't lose the accelerator pump check ball (small, and plastic), and make sure you replace the float seat and needle as a set. They tend to get sticky. As a general rule, these carbs are real bastards to work on - at least that's the reputation they have. It is deserved as they are complex for being "just a carb". Took me about 7 tries before I really got it down to where I can make one run decent. The choke system is just aweful tho, and they rarely work right. I'm not so sure they worked when they were new The issue is made worse because the rebuild kits for these are cheap junk (IMHO). I have yet to find one that I liked. The parts just scream "CHINA". That's one benefit of the Weber - at least you can get quality kits for them direct from Weber! GD

Sorry - guess i didn't really "answer" huh? I know what you are refering to - the woodgrain dash bits like the Gen 1's.... Sorry - but your choices of interrior color for Gen 2's would be: 80-81: Gray, Light Blue, Brown 82-84: Gray, Dark Blue, Tan None had woodgrain... some of the "bits" were oddly colored for some years tho. Found an 81 GLF coupe with a black dome light once. Gave it to McBrat. GD

Post a picture and we'll tell you. Short answer - if you have a Tachometer - you have a GL. Seriously tho - just drive and check the RPMS with it in 2WD, and 4WD (all the way up). You'll know in 5 seconds what you have. GD

Funny thing is it takes about 15 minutes to remove the cam covers (both)and the whole story is right there... $300 for this is scam. Diagnostic huh? That's just balony. Most likely a broken/stripped belt. You can leave the covers off when you do the belt (lots of folks do), and this will allow you to see and change them very easily in the future. It IS possible to break a cam - someone on here did it in fact. Pretty unlikely tho. Was probably a defect in the steel. GD

I'm afraid your's is already as "lumberjack" as it gets Nick - the 82 tan with those plaid seats..... wow. Hehe. GD

Knocking under accleration could be a rod - my wagon did the same for a couple thousand miles before it tossed the offending bit out the top of the block. With the engine off, rock the crank pulley back and forth a bit and see if you can feel the rod bearing "tapping" as you do it. If you feel nothing, your knock could be a main bearing. Incidentally I have a slight knock on my Brat (same engine as yours) that I am nearly certain is a main bearing. Been that way since I got it 40,000 miles ago. Main bearings - even sloppy ones - if properly lubricated (I changed the oil pump) can last quite some time. Mine however, does NOT knock under acceleration, only around idle, and then it's gone once your start to drive. You can definately feel the knock tho - both on the engine, and even in the shifter. GD

Might be kinda cool actually.... I bet some employee of the company that makes the kits owns a Brat, and couldn't stand the camaro size doors. They can be a pain for parking in tight areas. Definately getting a set of those when I win the lottery. Yes, definately. GD

Not sure who originated the idea of using quarters - I think Qman passed it to me. Great little trick to stop that backfireing on the cheap. I cut the ends off the ASV pipes, and then use a flat washer as filler and weld it into the pipe end. Thread that into the spacer with about 1/4" of the cut pipe inside the cap so it will seal and you'll never see that whole mess again. Two 12mm bolts on either head will remove the whole darn system. EA82's - the flange works the same - use a washer and fill it with a welder, then bolt it back in place. Instant block off plate, and near free if you can weld a little, and have an angle grinder. GD

Actually, Miles - DL's were single range in 84 (at least some were anyway). I owned one in fact - was a parts car but it was single range 4WD 4spd. The DL dash doesn't even have the "Lo" indicator light I don't think. They are physically similar outside, and hookup the same tho, so with a car this old you just have to test it to see. Could have been replaced with anything at this point - might be single, might be dual - depending on what it was pulled from if it's not original. GD

Yikes! My second try would be a sledgehammer and a vise. Actually a small tie-rod end puller from the free rental at Autozone works too - will push it out from the bottom. I've done them that way as well when I wanted to save them for re-use (junk yard). GD

Simple. Drive down the street in 2WD 1st gear, push in the clutch and pull up on the 4WD lever (As far as it will go). If when you release the clutch the RPMS are higher then they were before, you are now in 4WD Lo. As for markings - if it's an 84 "GL" wagon then it should be dual range, if it's a "DL" then it's single range. But the tranny's are EXACTLY the same (hookup, and appearance wise), so it could have been swapped at some point as 3rd gear has a tendancy to blow it's syncro on the 4 speed. GD

A cheap ball joint "fork" will pop it out. Will destroy the boot, but you are replaceing it anyway. They are a couple bucks from harbor frieght. GD

Yeah - sometimes they do actually just fall out. Just depends. I've had old axles fall out, and new ones be a bugger to get into the same knuckle. Doesn't seem to matter once they are torqued tho. Just be glad that wasn't stuck too. GD

Are the vavle stem seals new? GD

The difference is 4WD or 2WD. The 2WD got the Nippon, and the 4WD got the Hitachi. As for EA81's... they never had points except perhaps in 80/81 - not sure on those years. BUT - the points style distrubutor from an EA71 will work just fine.... and the breakerless will work in an EA71 too. Cap/Rotor purchase - just specify 2WD or 4WD. That should do it. GD

Bent a rod?!? I want a picture to prove that. Subaru rods are insanely thick for the size engine they are in. You may have nuked a bearing tho - perhaps it was on the way out and the fluid was the last straw. The old engine out of my wagon threw a rod after too much swamp water - right out the top of the block. Took a month for it to blow tho. GD

A whole bottle of the stuff down your intake in one gulp wouldn't hydro lock the engine - not enough fluid. I've drowned plenty of EA81's with swamp water till they completely died. Still turned over and fired up. Shot a ton of water out the tail pipe and lots of steam from being really wet. No damage tho. GD

I've considered doing that too - just never got around to it. Could even weld a bit of a handle to it and make a proper tool! GD

Well - I know I've seen HID conversion kits for the DL style sealed beams - for VW Scirocco's and the like. Could do that ($$$), but I have to say that for the most part the sealed beams on the DL (same as on my Brat, and EA81 GL wagon) are not any better than the EA82 GL lamps. GD

That book is useless for the front bearing job as it will tell you exactly what the FSM does - press them out with a bearing press. Don't have to do that, but it *is* the reccomended procedure. Just use a drift and work your way around the bearing outer race to drive them into the knuckle and you'll be fine. I've replaced them without even pulling the knuckle off the car. Don't forget the spacer between the bearings - got a little ahead of ourselves once and had to pull the bearing back out to put the spacer in. GD

If you pulled the DOJ (inner CV joint, called a Double Offset Joint) apart, then you at least borked the retainer ring around the cup, and most likely split the cup itself in several places. You'll need to replace the ring, the boot and probably the cup.... maybe the whole inner joint too if the cage or bearings were knarled up when it came apart. They aren't meant to get that stretchy.... Since the bolt broke too, you might just consider getting a whole junk yard hub with the axle and everything already in it. Depends on how good you are with front axle replacements, or rebuilds. You can rebuild the inner DOJ if you have a pair of split ring pliers, but you'll have to source the parts or get them from another axle (junk yard!). GD