This might be a stupid question but im going to ask it, my engine is carborated its an ea81 and I was wondering if I could make it fuel injected and then put back the original turbo?

 

SJ

i am about to do the same project with an ea82. once the carborator and throttle body are removed then the fuel injection should bolt right on.

 

is your car stock with a turbo?

Lack of information - we need background on the car - how it came stock, how and why it was modified to a carb engine, and what (if any) of the original FI wireing and fuel system remain.

 

FI is computer controlled - carbs are not. There's a big leap from one to the other and a lot of people have a hard time with this type of swap - even experienced mechanics.

 

We need info and pictures, etc. We can't tell you anything useful from a one sentance question that potentially has very complex answers.

 

GD

Trust me it's not worth it! I found a ea81t with the whole harness and decided to put it in my brat, after a year of chancing down wiring "issues" and rebuilding the motor, I gave up. I would suggest doing a weber swap, or if you want bigger power gains (way more than the stock turbo) for less money do an EJ swap. They are also way more reliable than the ea81t and get better fuel economy! just my .02. Even if your's came with a turbo originally, and it is carbed now it probably has the normal aspirated ea81 heads and block, which are entirely different from the ea81t. And you can't put the factory turbo fuel injection on that engine.

Trust me it's not worth it! I found a ea81t with the whole harness and decided to put it in my brat, after a year of chancing down wiring "issues" and rebuilding the motor, I gave up. I would suggest doing a weber swap, or if you want bigger power gains (way more than the stock turbo) for less money do an EJ swap. They are also way more reliable than the ea81t and get better fuel economy! just my .02. Even if your's came with a turbo originally, and it is carbed now it probably has the normal aspirated ea81 heads and block, which are entirely different from the ea81t. And you can't put the factory turbo fuel injection on that engine.

 

+1 if the block and heads are non-turbo the compression ration will be too high and the parts are WAY too flimsy. Even the EA8X-T bottom ends are flimsy.

 

When my EA82 blows, I'm going EJ. I'm Tired of cooling system and reliability issues with the EA series.

You could install an SPFI setup from an 87+ EA82. GD has done an excelent write up about it.

 

If you really wanted to at that point, you could turbo it w/ a manual boost controller and keep the boost low (3-5psi)

 

I saw an EA82 SPFI w/ a bolted on turbo setup at this years WCSS and it seemed to do pretty well. No reason and EA81 wouldn't work.

 

But in truth, as stated you will get more power with an EJ

You could install an SPFI setup from an 87+ EA82. GD has done an excelent write up about it.

 

If you really wanted to at that point, you could turbo it w/ a manual boost controller and keep the boost low (3-5psi)

 

I saw an EA82 SPFI w/ a bolted on turbo setup at this years WCSS and it seemed to do pretty well. No reason and EA81 wouldn't work.

 

But in truth, as stated you will get more power with an EJ

 

I have a ea81...I know I have found 2 ej22 at the local pull-a-part. but Im worried about the time it will take to do the swap...

 

SJ

Why don't you give us more than a single sentance of information so we can help you?!?!

 

We don't know what you are working with (equipment, time-frame, current state of your vehicle, etc, etc) so it's impossible for us to give you any kind of decent help. Either cough up with the info or just figure this out on your own kid.

 

GD

I finally found this post again haha:banana:

 

anyways, here is the history on my brat. The original owner bought the brat and ordered the turbo decals with it so we dont exactly know if it was turbo or not... when I got it from my grandpa he had already swapped out the engines because the first ea81 1.6L had blown and he swapped in a 1.8L ea81, the 1.8L is carbed but I dont know if the original engine that he originally had in the brat was fuel injected or carbed. so as it sits right now its a EA81 1.8L Carbed engine.

The cam broke about 6 months ago because my oil pump went out on the highway and i didnt know and ran out of oil and BOOM! there goes the cam(Funny thing is,I had everything at home to upgrade my engine to new parts...oil pump was going to be one of the upgrades..) so now it sits, I posted that I wanted a new cam and hopefully someone has one I can buy.

 

So this is what I want to do with my brat( and I dont need to hear that I need to do the EJ swap) I want to restore my 84 Brat Turbo, I want it to be fuel injected and turbo'd.

 

 

This is where I need your help, How do I go about this? I came across a guy who had the whole turbo set up with exhaust and I'll probably be getting that.

 

thank you

SJ

The EA81 is a 1.8L engine. They did not make EA81's that were 1.6L - that would be an EA71.

 

If your's is an '84 Brat with turbo decals.... that *wasn't* really a turbo.... then you can't "put back" anything because it never had any of that stuff.

 

Please take a picture of your engine bay and post it here. I can tell you with absolute certainty if it was a geniune turbo or not.

 

GD

The EA81 is a 1.8L engine. They did not make EA81's that were 1.6L - that would be an EA71.

 

If your's is an '84 Brat with turbo decals.... that *wasn't* really a turbo.... then you can't "put back" anything because it never had any of that stuff.

 

Please take a picture of your engine bay and post it here. I can tell you with absolute certainty if it was a geniune turbo or not.

 

GD

 

ok,

Your Brat was never a Turbo. Turbo decals perhaps.... but definitely not fuel injected or turbo-charged.

 

Also - if the cam broke because of a seized oil pump - you can just toss the whole engine short-block in the dumpster because it will not be pretty inside. It will be easier to just find a used EA81 and drop that in.

 

Your best bet for more power, if you still want FI and more power, is an EJ22 swap. It will be about half as much work as converting your's to an EA81T and you'll get more reliability, and 40 more HP without the need for a turbo.

 

GD

Your Brat was never a Turbo. Turbo decals perhaps.... but definitely not fuel injected or turbo-charged.

 

Also - if the cam broke because of a seized oil pump - you can just toss the whole engine short-block in the dumpster because it will not be pretty inside. It will be easier to just find a used EA81 and drop that in.

 

Your best bet for more power, if you still want FI and more power, is an EJ22 swap. It will be about half as much work as converting your's to an EA81T and you'll get more reliability, and 40 more HP without the need for a turbo.

 

GD

 

My only problem is I live in oklahoma and it cost way too much to get a ea81 here...

 

SJ

My only problem is I live in oklahoma and it cost way too much to get a ea81 here...

 

SJ

 

i know you dont need to hear it, but if its cheaper or at least easier to find why not go ej? you know you can carb those right? my 86 wagon is heading in that direction. SJR's wheeler still has all the ea wiring and a ej w/ no computer= easy (or easier anyway). sorry to you on this, just a suggestion. good luck, hope it works out

 

 

RV

i know you dont need to hear it, but if its cheaper or at least easier to find why not go ej? you know you can carb those right? my 86 wagon is heading in that direction. SJR's wheeler still has all the ea wiring and a ej w/ no computer= easy (or easier anyway). sorry to you on this, just a suggestion. good luck, hope it works out

 

 

RV

 

i think i might actually go EJ, but i will go fuel injected, can i do that with my brat?

 

SJ

i think i might actually go EJ, but i will go fuel injected, can i do that with my brat?

 

SJ

 

Certainly. It's been done many times. Check the retrofitting forum.

 

GD

ok,

 

Looks like you've got a perfectly good Weber on that bad boy!

If you can, please post more pics of the BRAT! I'd love to see it. It sounds cool!

Hog Creek salvage in Sallisaw 918 775-4292 has a whole Brat minus the 3 groove crank pully. Engine looks all there.