GeneralDisorder

I guess I'm just always a little heavy handed with my axle nut torque or something. I've never had one loosen or strip or anything. Weird. And I go through a LOT of axles. GD

Some folks use vasoline. I personally like to use a NEW rubber gasket for the cap, and then some RTV on the bottom to stick it to the disty casing, and then vasoline on the top edge where the cap sits. GD

Wow - must be a rash of ill-fittin axles out there or somethin..... tell me, is it the hub splines that get tore up or the axle splines? Inquiring minds want to know..... GD

It happens, but yeah - pretty rare. Probably as you surmise, the nut was not properly torqued. Either that, or the cone washer is worn, or the spring washer improperly installed.... The problem might have been made worse by loose fitting splines. There will always be slight variations in close tollerance parts like that, and perhaps the manufacturer of the CV joint had the spline machine set too deep that day..... GD

WD40 works good for drying out distributors - it displaces water quite well, and will not interfere with the electronics. Sray inside the disty liberally - wipe off the excess. Might have some junk in the carb.... this is a Weber right? On the top of the carb there is a hole about 1/8" in diameter that runs into the idle circuit of the carb - it's right above where the idle jet screws into the side of the carb body. Take off the air filter to see it. Spray a jet of carb cleaner down that and see if it cleans it out. If that doesn't do it, spray some down into the emulsion tubes on the top of the carb (brass looking holes - behind the idle air hole...). Might have to take the top of the carb off and blow out the junk in the jets.... not that hard with a Weber. GD

Put it this way, I have rebuilt many a carb in my years as a mechanic, and the ONLY one's I've had to tear down more than once are the Subaru Hitachi's. They are complex, and have a lot of parts. It took 5 tries before I got my first Hitachi to run correctly to my satisfaction. Even still, I've done a couple more since then, and each time I've had to tweak them after installation (remove the top and blow out passages, etc). They are real sensitive to dirt. The rebuild kits are cheap, and it CAN be done, but have a plan for backup transportation, as they are not simple little carbs. GD

The difference isn't in the size, but where the pressure is applied to the rotating mass. Moving the pressure towards the outside of the flywheel will increase the leverage that the engine has on the transmission input shaft. The 4WD PP is also stronger to account for the increased torque that will be applied. Think of it like using a cheater bar on the end of your wrench.... same principle. I just drove a stock 82 Brat the other day, and I can tell you the difference is HUGE even with stock size tires. With large meats, the slippage is profound, and totally unacceptable. Take it from someone who has driven all 4 varieties..... the 200mm clutch has no business even existing. The 225mm works equally well with the 2WD trannys, so there is no reason to ever use the 200. GD

Must be an option - I looked, and the one in my driveway has one too. YAY! Another upgrade for my Brat. GD

Yeah - bring me some of that 10% stuff! I'll bring the flywheel to the show on Saturday.... you'll be there right? GD

Wear on the clutch is probably more dependant on how you drive, not really where you shift at. But I would imagine that shifting higher might wear it out a bit quicker - theoretically speaking, if you match RPM's for the gear you are going into, then there should be almost no wear on the clutch if the car is moving. The majority of clutch wear comes from take-offs from a dead stop, or slipping the clutch like for off-roading, etc. I shift that high to put me closer to the power band for the next gear - if you shift too early, you will be below the curve at the start of the next gear, and it will *feel* like you don't have any power. GD

No advantage.... big disadvantage actually, since the wheels will bind up on hard surfaces. If that is the case, then I would find the PO, and beat him profusely about the head and shoulders. Unless he wanted to run larger tires in the back to compensate! GD

You really should put this 4 speed Auto I have in there! Don't even have to ship it if you come get it..... GD

http://www.ramengines.com/ GD

Just think.... at what point would you be in a position to have spent the same amount of money building a 140 HP EA81 using the RAM performance dual port heads? Of course I know that the performance potential of the ER27 is much greater than 140 if you really want to build it up, but do you *need* more power than you have right now? I'm very curious as to your thoughts on this - honesty - do you beleive the ER27 "experiment" was worth the investment? It's a good engine, to be sure, but rare, and expensive to maintain. Perhaps an EJ22 next time? GD

Holy cow! I didn't even notice I passed 4K! Micro-brew.... hhhhmm - know any low carb ones? GD

I have a couple extra 225mm flywheels if you need one. GD

They generally die right around 180-220k :-\. You can try dressing the governor, but the tranny is probably not going to last much longer anway. Best to start looking for a replacement while you still have wheels..... GD

My mileage on my wagon is around 18 even with 28" tires (215/75R15's), on drilled chevy rims..... Your mileage should be at least a little better than that, but yes it will go down some. In theory you are correct Vega - but in practice it never seems to work that way. The engine is working harder, and more often to drive those big tires. If the engine worked just as hard for any size, then yes - the mileage would go up. Think about it this way - would you rather roll a 13" tire down the street, or a 55" tractor tire? Which one would make you sweat more? See my point? GD

Yota with lockers is probably a little more capable, but also HEAVY, and it really doesn't matter what you are driving in mud like that. While he may have more traction, more lift, and more power, his wieght will serve to get him stuck just that much worse. In the end, we aren't all that different really. Ask yourself.... if you had proper recovery gear could you have got out? Did you have a come-along or a hi-lift to winch with? Shovel(s)? ect Treat it like a learning experience - we've all been there at some time or another. You'll get it back, and on the road - don't worry too much. GD

What we commonly refer to as EA81 is actually properly known as "Gen 2", and it encompasses '80-'84. '85 to '89 are all EA82's or "Gen 3", and also '90-'94 Loyale's. All of these cars (with the exception of some '80 and '81 models) share the same bell-houseing, and with a little clutch swapping, and cutting/pasting of the linkages, and cross-members, all the tranny's will swap around. GD

Should have rear discs too, and possibly a rear sway bar! GD

Yeah - depends on how big the thing you are heating is. If we are talking about a small bolt, then mapp gas or possibly even straight propane could work, but talking axle nuts or DOJ cups..... there is just too much metal for a small torch to work fast enough. Sure it will get hot eventually, but so will whatever it's attached to, and you will negate any benifit. GD

Check to make sure the PS pump isn't the culprit - the EA81T's use a version of the EA82 PS pump, but I have seen the EA81T pump fail. The EA82 pump will bolt right on, and might solve your problem there. Also check the u-joint in the steering linkage - I've had the freeze up from rust and I ended up rebuilding the PS rack becuase I *thought* the rack was bad. The EA81 PS racks are real tough, and I have a hard time beleiving it's bad. Huck the trans, but at least try to repair the PS - it's VERY nice, and doesn't rob any power to speak of. GD

NO, a 2WD, or '82 4WD clutch WILL NOT BE GOOD ENOUGH. Bad juju - I left the 2WD clutch in my wagon after the conversion, and it slipped REALLY bad with the big tires. Just doesn't have enough grip to turn them. Get a 83+ 4WD flywheel, and put the 225mm clutch in. You will hate yourself if you don't. Ask Qman what happened to me..... GD

I aint carrying a freakin compressor or even a propane torch to the JY with me. That's just crazy. The more stuff I carry in, the harder it is to hump it all the way to the Subaru's and hump it all the way back to the counter. Some yards have wheelbarrows, but even then - the more I carry in, the less I can fit in the wheelbarrow Everything I take to the yard fits in a "wide mouth" canvas tool bag (except my BIG breaker bar). I also have a folding canvas chair for the times that I'll be sitting by a wheel for a stretch. Both have sholder straps, cause the arms get tired humping that crap back and forth without a wheelbarrow. I have yet to be defeated by a part I couldn't get removed.... Generally speaking, a propane torch (the small bottle kind, not a full blown shop model) won't get a part hot enough to do anything but burn you. You need oxy/acetelene or oxy/propane to get the torch hot enough to really do any good, and that's just too big to be bringing with you to a yard. If you have a real hot torch, it does work quite well though as a technique to remove stuff. The trick is to heat it up FAST, before whatever it's attached to has a chance to equalize in temp, and then remove it. GD