Mom in law has an 87 wagon EA82 engine. I was beating it one day and it cut out. It never started again. Eventually, I pulled and replaced the fuel filter and the plugs, wires, and rebuilt the hitachi carb. I thought this should fix it, but it didn't.

 

Essentially, I can drive the car about 1/4 mile (to the end of the driveway, and then it dies. If I hold it on the floor, it revs about 4-5k for awhile then starts dying. i can feather it and keep it going for awhile but eventually it putters out all the way.

 

what the heck? Fuel pump?

thats a long driveway you got

sounds like a fuel pump to me

Fuel pump possibly.Also I would just replace that hitachi with a weber or go the spfi route.I am pretty sure like Jeff said it is your fuel pump.

While I agree a fuel pump is a likely suspect, when it dies can you do a quick check for spark? Perhaps a weak ignition componenet heating up and failing?

Or how I diagnosed my inetrmittnet fuel pump-drove for days with a can of startig fluid connected to a long1/8in tube going into the air cleaner-when the car finally died i hit the can, the engine roared to life, and confirmed the car was indeed fuel starved (and was able to get out of the intesection it died in)

 

let us know what you find

Sounds electrical to me - like the fuel pump is running in the crank position, but not in the run.

 

GD

My fuel pump does just that, runs when I crank, but doesn't run when engine fires. I put a lighted toggle switch on my steering column to turn it on/off. The red light is really bright driving at night, right in my face.

sounds like a fuel pump to me

 

that was my guess but I thought I'd run it by some other people before I wasted 60 bux

... I put a lighted toggle switch on my steering column to turn it on/off. The red light is really bright driving at night, right in my face.

 

Well... I got the same Light Issue but with my Fog Halogens Lighted Switch...

About the Dyin´ Engine Problem:

 

I think that maybe isn´t just the fuel pump itself, maybe it´s the float level on the Carb.

Have you checked it?

 

Good Luck!