GeneralDisorder

Sounds like it was just a bunch of un-lifted types that turned into an unfortunate "goat rope" (technical term), and the lifted rigs were too few, and too busted to save the day this time. GD

The 81 GL Brat had no different a bell housing than any other EA81. If you get a cross-member from an 81 GL Brat, then you can bolt any EA81 into any of the late 70's Gen 1's, or 80 Brats, or 81 DL Brats. Still hard to find, and no reason to need it if you just do a little modification to make it fit. I know a guy that has an EA81T in his Gen 1 Brat, and is about to do it again with his other Gen 1 Brat. He's got rear discs on it too.... and no, he's not on the board - doesn't even have a computer I don't think. GD

A 3/16" pin punch would be more advisable for the roll pin on the DOJ. GD

I generally use a big screwdriver, prybar, or a claw hammer and the ground to hold the flywheel via the PP alignment pins.... GD

Sure sounds like a vacuum leak - try spraying around with carb cleaner to see if you can find the leak. The engine will speed up and smooth out when the carb cleaner gets sucked into the leak. The intake manifold gaskets are known for leaking sometimes..... GD

The throttle will not fully close until the choke has pulled off completely. You should also not do ANY adjustments to the carb until the choke is fully heated, and no longer engaged. You will need to rig your own return spring for the throttle as well if you haven't already done so. I just attach mine to the air filter housing, in front of the clip on that side. The 1-7/8" air filter's are made by EMPI, and you should be able to grab one for about $10 at any VW performance shop. Backfireing is likely due to improper timing, and incorrect idle mixture. Dieseling is generally caused by this as well. The timing and the idle mixture are insturmental in a properly tuned Weber setup. You'll just have to play around with it. GD

Yeah - I have chinese 28" Mud Terrains on my wagon right now - they have held up well, and the price was quite good. GD

Very true basher - they did bring a lot of these things to the mainstream.... that doesn't mean they invented them tho. Take VVT for example - The first VTEC engine in production by Honda was in the 91 NSX. Other cars of that vintage were also premeiring VVT - such as the Mclaren F1. And Ferrari has a unique system that is quite a bit better than VTEC, using a continous sliding 3 dimensional cam profile instead of just two. Most car companies are now working toward electro, or electro-hydrualic valves. The leader in that technology is in California, and Lotus already used something similar a couple years back - alas it was too expensive, at nearly $1000 per valve. So they are STILL copying - but the real point that should be made is: *so is everyone else!* GD

There's some pics up here from when I first installed mine: http://www.ultimatevirgin.com/cropperr/ Are you sure you have the idle adjustment correct? Try starting it with the pedal fully depressed. Weber's are pretty simple - just keep telling yourself that. GD

Just to clarify a couple things.... I never said VW invented any of these things, just that Subaru based their designs on VW drivetrains of the period (60's). They did attempt to improve upon them (water cooling, front wheel drive, etc), but the similarities are so encompasing that even the distributors will swap between the OHV EAXX engines, and the 1600 VW engine. And I wasn't talking about who invented 4WD, I was talking about specifically the rod-shifted transaxle design being used in conjunction with 4WD and AWD. And Porsce, VW and Audi for those who don't know, are divisions of the same company, and their parts are many times interchangeble - even on new cars. The new Porche and VW SUV's are the same rig - with different body panels and the porche having a 450 HP engine. GD

Sorry Zap - your right, it could have been shared. That I don't know for sure. Seems like I heard a rumor about the EA81 being pulled from certain markets because VW was angry that is was too similar to their engines. But that is just a rumor. I think it's more likely that it was shared tech as you sugest, but the only thing that's holding me back on that account is that I'm pretty sure the flat 4 (at least on Subaru's side) post-date's the war by quite a bit. The 360 wasn't using that design anyway, and that's into the 60's.... GD

The origin's of the AWD and 4WD, and the Subaru flat 4 engine still used today are actually rip-off's of what VW did many years ago. The rod-shifted, transaxle and flat 4 is essencially a VW beetle setup with the differential reversed, and water cooling added. Bugaru tells me that the 4WD thing started with people machining into the end of the VW transaxle, and making 4WD Bug's! Audi capitolized on this in the very early 80's (80, 81) with the quattro AWD system used in their rally car's of the day. But yes - Subaru is Japanese in origin. But like many Japanese companies (Sony), they simply reverse engineered, and improved upon the technologies that more tech savy companies had invented. Austrailia has nothing to do with Subaru at all really - as far as the origins of the brand or it's tech. It's all Fuji Heavy, which as previously stated is a direct decendant of the aircraft company from WW2. GD

It's also where the coolant temp sensor is located - which is important on FI and feedback carb models. They will run like crap if that sensor thinks the engine is cold.... It's not easy to bypass - you will have to make a custom manifold, or heavily modify the existing manifold. Wouldn't be terribly hard to just block it off completely. Not sure if that's a good idea tho. GD

Yeah - and make sure your fuel pump is working.... and properly connected. GD

Always good to hear the board has helped someone. Sometimes we are wrong tho - it's happened before. Usually not on the common stuff thankfully. GD

Coolant runs through all the stock intake's - carb's too. I have heard that when the engine is warm, it can reduce the HP by quite a bit. The guy I talked to said the EA81's are tested cold, and produce about 75-80 HP. When warm this drops to around 65 HP (for a stock engine). There is no need for the coolant passage really - other than emmissions. Even Subaru did away with it on their race engines of the time I think. I suppose there could be a seperate cross-over on this bad boy, but I doubt it... GD

Just start disconnecting vac lines, and plugging them till you find it. Manifold gaskets are a common leak, as are evap canistors.... might want to rebuild that carb - sounds like it has choke issues. Spray around the manifold and vac lines with carb cleaner - that *might* find the leak, but sometimes doesn't if the leak is in a weird place. EGR valve only opens above 2500 RPM's or so.... should be using ported vacuum going through a solenoid, or a thermo-valve. GD

Ok - so I've broken 3 rear axles with the welded diff now. All have been off-road breaks. And each time except the first, the breaks have been with the smooth style axle cups. The ridged ones haven't broken on me except the first time, but my mustache bar was tweaked, and the outer joint "walked" out of the cup (but didn't actually break it - just ripped the hell out of the boot). So I'm wondering where the ridged / non-ridged ones are comming from. The ridged style seems a lot stronger, as it has more metal at the thin points of the cup. My 85 brat has two of the weak smooth style ones, but the 84 DL that my wagon's rear end came from has two of the ridged style ones. And I looked at an 83 GL at the JY and it had the ridged ones as well. Does anyone know if either of these is aftermarket, or did Subaru just switch suppliers or something? Could everyone look and tell me what is on their rig? I would like to form some hypothesis on when Subaru switched over, or what models came with what. GD

All EA81's I've ever seen were the same down there.... at least Subaru only lists one part # for the cable..... There's a cir-clip down there that holds the pedal and bushings onto the box... remove that and you can take everything apart. There's a metal pin with a push-on style retainer that holds the pedal to the cable itself. I've seen those pin's worn pretty badly before... maybe that fell out or broke. GD

Flat-towing is legal. Your just not supposed to do it for long distances... but then how does the cop know? So basically there's nothing they can do about it. GD

While that mud does indeed look pretty nasty, I'm with Zap in thinking if either Mick or Tim had a welded diff to go with those MT's instead of an LSD, everyone would have made it out. Wouldn't have been pretty, but being flat like it is..... well, I haven't come across any mud that I can't plow through *unless* I get deep enough to suction the unibody down. Then your just SOL. The welded diff makes ALL the difference in the world for stuff like that. I did a hill climb the other day that Bugaru had to take three runs at WITH a welded rear end, and barely made it up. Slick as snot, and a good 1/8th-1/4 mile to the top. Had it been any wetter, I'm not sure either of us could have made it, and there's not a chance that any soob without a locker would have got to the top. One of you should start carrying a boat anchor - no good winching from a moving platform..... GD

Man - you need some new MRE's - that's some old stuff. The chocolate was dust wasn't it? hehehe GD

Sounds like your fuel pump isn't operating while running. Check for power at the pump.... GD

I guarantee that it has an OP idiot light. It's hard to see if it's not lit. It's probably at the bottom of your tach. The switch for the light is screwed into the side of the pump. As for testing the pump - there's procedures in the FSM for it, but a loss of pressure like you describe would indicate a pretty massive failure, or a blown seal. The exact procedure involves checking some clearances with a feeler guage, and checking for flatness on the sealing surfaces, and the length of some internal springs and such. I don't have it in front of me right now, but look in any EA81 manual and it should cover it. GD

Check for computer codes. Could be a sensor malfunction - hopefully the ECU has already caught it. I wouldn't worry about the temp - sounds like it's got a good cooling system. If you need it warmer, then possibly a higher temp thermostat... or some cardboard over part of the radiator. GD