DaveT

Try to find a schematic from the factory service manual for the car the engine came from. If I were doing a swap, I would have both FSM - for the car you're modding, and the engine doner. There may be a link to a pdf on the forum, etc.

Ct has had the property tax on cars for as long as I know. At least 40 years. I do enjoy that the bill for my old cars is very low. Buy anything new, and watch out!

Bad wires usually make rough rumning. Get a set of NGK wires. Last forever.

Steady stream of bubbles is the typical sign of failing head gasket. I have gotten away with driving for a while, but sooner or later it will get worse.

The regulator in an alternator sets the output voltage to a normal charge voltage, could be around 13.8 to 14 V some maybe a few tenths more. A battery with a shorted or discharged cell will try to pull that voltage down, if it's internal resistance is low enough. The alternator will try to deliver all the current it can, but the voltage won't go over the setpoint because of that. A battery with an open cell could cause trouble for the alternator, as it may not have enough load on it to regulate properly. But in the case of the op, a battery with an open cell can't start an engine.

Does sound like lack of fuel. Maybe injector not working correctly. Big hint is the running on carb cleaner. Get a t and a fuel pressure gauge. I got one years ago. Combo vacuum test and fuel pressure. Very handy thing to have.

Dead alternator won't stop a car from running, or starting. As long as the battery is good, and has charge, the engine will run off the battery. Those lights glowing dimly can be an indication of low alternator output, so you may have an alternator problem also.

the spring is a small flat metal colored piece.

EJs are not my specialty... Check the wiring, for sure. Make sure you have a good clean ground between the engine and battery. And the brackets, etc on the alternator. Might be good to take it to one of the stores that will test it for free. The regulator is either being tricked by a bad / wrong connection, or blown out and failed in "full on" mode. I am assuming the battery and its connections are good, because it cranks, but check those too, if they are unknown.

"when the alternator is plugged in and the car is running the voltage gauge is well above 18 volts" This is bad. Fix this first.

The spring is a separate piece, and sometimes they rust and break. Yes, if someone applies mild pull on the door, and someone else trips the release handle, it should open easily. The release lever pulls a cable that slides a pin out of the way of a tab on the door. The spring [which sounds like what broke off] pops the door open.

The thing that fell off was a spring that made the door pop open a little when you lift the release lever by the driver's door. If you find some way to put a slight pull on the door, it should pop open when the lever is lifted. A second person is the simplest, If one is available. Then rig something to replace the spring. I don't know if the Oem part is available.

I have always pulled the cluster.

The part that the axel goes through at the wheel is a trailing arm.

And to avoid possible future confusion, I'll add that if you do have a SPFI, the ECU error for those solenoids is only checking that the coil is there. It has no way to know if the EGR valve itself is even connected.

Kind of what I am thinking, just need to confirm.

Looking for a rough idea of a value for this car. It has a little over 200,000 miles. New timing belt and idlers. Rust around driver side rear wheel, and rocker panel area where the jack point is. Can't jack it by it anymore bad. Front bumper has some scuff marks from a minor bump.

Are you saying the suspension travels it's full range just by jumping off the bumper? Or is it making a noise when you move it some?

I have had bad luck replacing coolant hoses with fuel hoses. The material's chemical resistance is different for the different uses. I now use general purpose coolant hoses for the small ones from NAPA. Once you have the engine out and begin work, replace every coolant hose you find. Check the radiator closely, make sure all of the thin fins are still connected to the tubes that the coolant flows through. The cooling system is just big enough for these cars when in perfect condition. The head gaskets do not survive running the engine with low coolant, so checking the level often can save you bigger troubles.

I don't know about the cars from 85. But EA82 TBI / SPFI engines had a factory upgrade mod to fix a problem like this. A long high G turn would shift the oil to one side of the engine, and it would get sucked into the intake. The mod involved a bigger hose and a T to make the vents and routing the same for both rocker covers. Totally fixed the problem on my cars.

Watch the coolant level very closely.

Clutch springs are very strong. I would be surprised if you could release a clutch by hand using only the lever.

Coat the outside with Waxoyl.

It takes a good few hours to cool down to air temp.

It will rise while the engine is hot. It should return to the original level after cooling back down.