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I cant fix my brat


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you're supposed to disconnect the vac line from the disty and plug it before setting base time.

 

All I have been doing is warming it up enough to drop the idle down to 800 (8-10 mins, t-stat opens, fan may or may not kick on), then plug vac advance and shoot time. One thing I have noticed. There is no bouncing up and down and guessing in the middle of the bounce when shooting the timing light. Its solid as a rock. 8 deg, 8 deg, 8 deg, 8 deg, You know what Im trying to say?

 

I would love to see some one else look at this thing. :banana:

 

Well, yesterday it didnt sound so ticky when I started it up. But, who am I kiding, im just getting used to it and this thing is loud. Also, either the oil pressure and water temp guages dont work or I have issues. Both dont even move.

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I always install the disty with the flywheel at 8 BTDC. Pointing it at the #1 tower *by eye* I can install a distributor within a degree of 8. Last one I did (two days ago) was 8.5 when I started it.

 

0 or 8 - doesn't really matter. Using 8 just skips a step and gets you very close to spec if you don't happen to have a light. Valuable skill if you off-road, etc. I don't carry a timing light on me....

 

GD

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I always install the disty with the flywheel at 8 BTDC. Pointing it at the #1 tower *by eye* I can install a distributor within a degree of 8. Last one I did (two days ago) was 8.5 when I started it.

 

0 or 8 - doesn't really matter. Using 8 just skips a step and gets you very close to spec if you don't happen to have a light. Valuable skill if you off-road, etc. I don't carry a timing light on me....

 

GD

 

 

Well after I started thinking about it, it totally makes sence. Setting it at 8 Makes it 8. Just depends how good you are at setting the rotor straight at a tower. I noticed that too when I shot time it on and was just over 8 btdc. It did/does sound stumbly at 8 and thats why I had bumped it to 10, then 12 and it still didnt run right (it starts to back fire at around 15-16, but I dont know what my jetting sizing is either). I was just checking the timing over a range, because it had actually started. I still think it runs alot better shooting it at 10, but if I have no oil pressure. Might as well run it at what ever timing makes it move..... Im just about to blow this damn eng and drop somthing with at least a little pep in its step....Grrrrr

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Well that makes sense to me too. Good to know. Sorry for the misinformation, thought I had something, guess I didn't. I've always done it by the book, but I don't always carry my timing light so I'll keep that in mind. You still might try re-installing the disty in case you're a gear tooth off. Good luck. I'll shut-up now

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Well that makes sense to me too. Good to know. Sorry for the misinformation, thought I had something, guess I didn't. I've always done it by the book, but I don't always carry my timing light so I'll keep that in mind. You still might try re-installing the disty in case you're a gear tooth off. Good luck. I'll shut-up now

 

Thanks anyways, alot of this stuff is new news to me too.

 

I have reset the timing almost once a week for over a month, somtimes a few times a day. I dont think timing is my issue anymore, even though it seems like it. I was always under the assumption that if i were a tooth off i wouldnt be able to get it on perfect time. i thought it would either be just a little high or just a little low and I would have to bump it a tooth in either direction to get it on perfect time?

 

Thanks

Jess

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I found out what was wrong with the brat today......#3 cyl has almost no compression. No wonder I coulndt get over 50, I really should have pulled compression sooner but I felt like :horse: If anyone has a good running ea81 eng I can get off them for reasonable price (local to western wa) I could possibly still make it to walker?? With 2 guys you could have that eng in and out almost topped off with fluids in an hour.

 

 

Well I have another trashed hydro eng I am going to pull apart with this one and try to make a good one just for the hell of it and to learn about these eng's and such. I will want to swap somthing in with more power, just dont konw what yet.

 

My goal is still to make it to walker. But not with this eng.

 

I did get alot of things figured out and would like to thank you guys for the help. I feel bad for wasting time over somthing stupid. Somthing I should have done along time ago.

 

Baccaruda- Thanks for the link!

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Wouldnt I get white smoke or coolant smell from exhaust and or oil mixing with the water? Even if it was blown its still really ticky.

 

I just want another eng to drop in really quick (like tomorrow night) and go wheeling on saturday at walker with theses guys.

 

On a side note. Ill probly not make it saturday but end up buying a decent running ea81 hatch or wagon (preferbly hatch) yarding the eng out of it for a bit, untill I find out what to swap in. Then give the hatch back its eng. Lift and sell it. :grin: (woman says I cant have anymore cars :-\ )

 

Thanks again GD, your soo much help!

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Wouldnt I get white smoke or coolant smell from exhaust and or oil mixing with the water?
Depends on where the gasket failed - it could also be something as simple as a carboned up valve - they get "stuck" so they're always partially open (gives you zero compression) - you should be able to yank the head w/o yanking the engine - I'd take a look at it before I swapped in the whole unit!

 

Sometimes - if it's just carbon on a valve - you can get lucky and de-carbon the head by letting it idle and pulling some ATF through the intake using one of the vacuum hoses going to the intake manifold - you'll have to twiddle the throttle to keep it alive during this process - but I've personally seen it work before (on one of my cars) - you'll make an impressive cloud of smoke during this process so don't do it in a garage - you might try that before yanking a head ....

 

Best of luck -

 

Steve

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Oh cool! im going to have to try this. I squirted a little bit of oil down there to possibly help "seal" up the rings a bit, but it didnt help, not even a little bit. Thants what was making me think rings were not the issue. Is there a name for thisb process, so i can search for it? im just a little unsure about a few things. Thanks for the tip.

 

Jess

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I've never seen an EA valve get stuck open. I've seen valve seats come loose, and whole valves get sucked into cylinders. That will pretty much stop the engine from rotating though.

 

You almost certainly have a blown head gasket. It doesn't have to be burning coolant - could just be a compression leak to the outside, or to the push-rod cavity.

 

If you squirted oil in to seal up the rings and it did nothing, then you don't have a ring issue. Either you have a hole in the piston, or there's a problem with the head / head gasket. Pull the head and see.

 

GD

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Sometimes - if it's just carbon on a valve - you can get lucky and de-carbon the head by letting it idle and pulling some ATF through the intake using one of the vacuum hoses going to the intake manifold - you'll have to twiddle the throttle to keep it alive during this process - but I've personally seen it work before (on one of my cars) - you'll make an impressive cloud of smoke during this process so don't do it in a garage - you might try that before yanking a head ....

 

 

ATF through the intake? Wow, I've never heard of that before either. Does it do a better job of cleaning carbon than carb cleaner????

 

Steve

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Hey jess I got a motor if you need one. I posted it up on the trail thread but I figured I would put it here too. I have a short block and long block, I think that the long block one has one of the threads stipped out in the head but there is the short block just chillin on the floor in my shop.

let me know if you are interested.:)

 

Jeff

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