myfinalcoffinx

First off, what is this part, and what does it do? It is making an ungodly buzzing noise that I'm sick and tired of, when the key is turned to run, and my other subie doesn't make that noise, so I'd like to fix it. I've traced it down to a wiring problem. I have photos at the bottom, but I'd also like to ask another question. The wires for said part lead eventually lead into a black box underneath my dash about 7" x 4" x .5" or so, and is made of metal of some sort. There are two bundles of wires going into it, one going in, and one going out, I presume. I don't really care where the wires going out of it go to, but where does the bundle going into it come from? Or more specifically, where would I find the control for the part I mentioned earlier? We are looking at the top of the engine from the back of the engine compartment, just to give you some perspective. The greenish blue thing is the back of the air filter and the carb right underneath.

Alright! Thanks for all your help guys! For future reference to this thread, it turned out to be the pickup coil inside of the distributor. It wasn't hard to replace, and thankfully, I didn't have to re-time the engine. Thanks a million. It's great to have the subie running like a champ again.

Hey there! Thanks for your help, but I probably should have edited it to say fixed or something. Turns out the plug wire was just a coincidence and after troubleshooting for about a week and 6 strandings (ouch) it turned out to be the pickup loop in the distributor. Pain in the rump roast to diagnose on the side of the freeway, but I'm glad it is over. Again, thanks for your help! -Kevin

So far, so good. One more question though, the new coil that I just picked up reads "Use with external resistor." The previous one didn't say that, and I'm curious if this will be a problem or if they are all like that, or what's up with that? Thanks for all your help guys!

Woo. I replaced that pickup loop tonight (after towing it home AGAIN), and it went right away. This is good news, but time will tell... Additionally, my coil is now leaking some clear oily stuff. Is this a problem? Should I replace it with a new one, or not bother? What does it mean?

I tried that, but the pin actually moves around due to rust eating away at the hole it slides into so it makes a creak, and then a pop when it slides over into the "new hole."

Are the rear door hinges on early 80s wagons interchangable with the front door hinges on the same side? They look the same, but are they the same? My driver's side hinge makes an awful pop when I open it, and I have found a couple really nice ones that I'd like to rob from my parts car. Thanks.

I thought so too, until just a few minutes ago at the movie theater. No start. I jumped it from the negative side of the battery to the negative side of the coil and when my girlfriend turned the key, it arched and fired up. I'm not sure what that means, but it comes and goes. I've also noticed that it tends to happen when it is cold outside. Does that have anything to do with it? Perhaps something is contracting and not making contact like it should?

as it turns out, i wasn't getting a pulsating light when i tried this... however i did notice that the wire connections were corroded and breaking, so i replaced them-- fired right up. is this likely to be the problem, or is it just going intermittantly again?

I'll try that this afternoon! Thanks!

Alright, I need some clarification. The distributor performs two functions one: spins the rotor which transfers spark to the plugs, and two: grounds out the ignition coil which sends spark to the rotor and then the plugs. Correct me if I'm wrong about that-- I'm kinda new at this. Also, I looked and looked, but I couldn't find any transistor between the coil and the distributor, is it possible that there isn't one?

Who owns the yellowish beigeish brownish ea81 that i keep seeing around the lake and in the valley? Like I said, it's sorta beige and has a couple stripes down the side (not sure what color), and is one of the ea81 models. Any leads?

Will someone please take a photo of this alleged pickup/ignitor and post it up here. I don't think it's there, but I'd like to know for sure whether that is the problem or not. At very least, a description would be great! Thanks

I followed the wires from the distributor, and they lead directly into the starter, one on the +, the other on the -. I don't think mine has the ignitor, and like I said, sometimes it goes, and sometimes it doesn't...

now here's another twist... i just tried today after not working on it overnight. nothing has changed since last time, but it just fired right up with no work whatsoever. i don't want to get stranded again, so i'm curious, what could that be?

Minus side of the coil and what? What would the transistor look like and where should it be?

I know this is a lot of questions, but what is a timing light, and how does it work? Would it work if i simply matched the location of the rotor from the new car/old dist. with the rotor location on the new distributor and matched the degree of the distributor exactly as it came out of the last car? Anyway, mostly what is the light and how does it work? Thanks!

Now that I think about it, I have a parts subie in the yard that has one on it that I know is good. How would I go about getting it out of the old and into the new? I read the chilton's manual, but I'm still really confused about it. Any tips would be great!

This is the case, even though it works sometimes and doesn't work other times? That aside, this is excellent- how do I go about changing the distributor? What is the price range? What do I specifically ask for at the auto parts store? Thanks!

This is three times now this week. The first time, I thought I fixed it by replacing the coil, but as it turns out, it wasn't the coil because this the third one I've tried. Here's the story: It's an 82 GL and I'm certain that the fuel carb. are alright. I turn the key and the engine turns over into infinity with no spark coming from the coil. I've tried three different coils, and sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't. Like I said, first time: replaced the coil, and it worked for two days. Today, I didn't have a new coil, so I pulled out the coil wire and fiddled with it, put it back in, and I got a spark, and then it fired right up. Third time (second time today), it died on the side of SR 167 and I spent four hours fiddling around with it. I called my girlfriend to get me new wires and ANOTHER new coil, and that didn't do it, so I put the very original coil back in and it finally went. It got me about a mile down the road where it died again and I towed it home. I'm certain now that It isn't the coil, but I'm curious as to what else I should look at. Where are the wires that go to the coil come from, and which ones would be most suspect for damage. Any ideas?

My car sputtered to a grinding halt tonight at around midnight on the hill up to my house--about 10 miles away. It left me stranded for about an hour, waiting for my dad to come with his truck to tow me home. damn. But fear not, there is good news also; it wasn't that bad to fix. All it took was a quick ransack of the parts car for main spark wire thingy and we were good to go. Now here is where the problem is: what could have caused the main spark wire (i'm not even sure if that is what it's called) to go out in the middle of the road? I would like to prevent it if at all possible from happening again. Is this something that just happens sometimes or could it be a problem somewhere? I'm just glad that the ea81 is so easy to work on. It an excellent first car. I've had her for three years and every time she dies, I get her going again. This is why the ea81 makes a perfect first car. I've learned so much from working on it that it makes it worth all the hassles of it breaking. woo hoo

Absolutely! Thats the original size tire that the early 80's came with. Also, Tirerack has a rebate going right now with for dunop tires, so you might want to look into that.

so you suggest putting laying it on the out side of the hatch with the gasket on and then pulling it "into" the car? also, how much time should i allow for the work?

alright, it's come down to it. i'm replacing the window tomorrow with one from another hatch. the rubber gasket is about two years old, so i don't have to worry about cracks, however, i don't quite know how to replace the window. any step by step would be appreciated, as i don't really want to be stuck in the rain with no back window trying to get it down the the glass shop. thanks

Mine's pretty bad... maybe 50 different gaps and cracks ranging from small cracks to gaps about an inch across. Do you by any chance remember what the name of the product is?