DaveT

3D printing is what I was thinking. Just got one at work. Have to learn a bit more about getting things to come out right. But wow, parts I could make....

Nothing specific. I've been watching on here for anyone close by with extra unwanted 3ATs, because they are rare to find around here, and I intend to be running them for much longer, so I need parts. car-part.com has lots of used ones to look through.

IF you have no spark, first thing to do is find that problem. There is no system that will stop spark due to no gas, bad carb, bad oil, etc. It's power to the coil, ground, distributor + whatever the electronic drive is [i'm guessing it's not just old style points as I'm not specifically familiar with EA81 ignition systems, just before and after], or the coil.

ATF is automatic transmission fluid. The red oil in the transmission The gear lube that was on the differential while it was being destroyed by seriously low level was being overheated, due to increased friction from lack of lubrication. It got cooked, turning it black. The entire inside of the case is coated with that black stuff, so it would take several changes with running in between to wash out all the black. The clanking will not be fixed by adding oil. The pinion bearings are shot. One used car I got had low oil in the diff, it had gotten blackened, buy had not been so low as to ruin the bearings and make clunking noises. That one recovered and continued to run for another 100k miles or more. Back to my wife's car, I drove it into my garage, not a repair shop. I swapped in a spare transmission. I later dissasembled that ruined one to use it to get familiar with working on them. A fair amount of damage in there.

Look at the DOJ boot closely. That's the one near the transmission case. If that gets a crack or one of the bands is missing, grease will sling out and get on the exhaust. Clean, re grease and re boot it. The clanking you describe and the conditions you describe match very well with what happened to my wife's 3AT wagon years ago, when the diff ran dry of oil. And sh drove it unto the symptoms got so bad she couldn't ignore them anymore. The pinion bearings failed, and allowed the pinion to move forward and hit the differential carrier housing whenever the car is moving faster than the engine rpm would have it move. In otherwords, engine brakimg. It had gotten so bad the car shuddered when letting off the gas. I limped it home, always keeping the engine from slowing the car. The oil seals between the atf and the gear lube failed on the way home, and I just had enough atf left in it to get it into the garage.

Also, note, these were mostly 4WD, not AWD. There were only a few later versions with AWD back then. For clarity, and any new person who may read this later, and not be aware, 4WD is not for use on dry pavement. Only dirt, wet ,snow, ice.

Gas leaks further back, find and repair, just because fire hazard. Gas mixed in the crankcase? If you crank long enough, enough times without firing, you could eventually get enough by the rings to be noticeable. Not a good idea to be trying to run an engine that low on oil, even if it was good oil.

Also not a great platform to go all big modding. Parts are getting scarce. I'd think I'd want something where spare parts are common as dirt and cheap

Put the proper amount of fluid in it, see how bad the leak is, do a short drive if it's not a gusher.. Drain was left before filling. Use cheap atf, if it seems to work, drain and add good stuff. Take a look at what comes out, in both cases.

Yeah, water and electricity don't mix.

Typical high tension cables have resistance, varies with the length, brand, etc. If you measure ohms with everything connected, you don't nesisariy test what you think you are testing. Any other paths will change the reading. When you get the no reaction on the 20k range, it could be open, OR just over 20k. Meaning depends on the circuitry, so you have to know what's normal for the type of circuit. Some know this stuff, I'm putting extra info for newbies.

Those numbers don't surprise me. I don't have an EA81 coil to check on. Most common ohm meters aren't very accurate below 10 ohm. Check what you get probes together, subtract that from any reading in single digits or fractions. Some things can read very low and be ok also, so you do want to know what a good one should be.

+1 naru

That's odd.... I'd expect 10 to 12 in run, while not running. Something lower than 10 while cranking. Over 12 is very odd.

oh, that idea won't work so well with electronic. For some reason, I was thinking mechanical breaker points. Bulb across the coil should still blink though, while cranking.

Ok, power is getting to the coil. A small 12 v light bulb. Coon ect it across the points, it should light when they are open, go dark when closed. Blink while cranking. Across the coil, it should be opposite, glow when the points are closed.

Voltmeter or test lamp. One lead to the coil + terminal, other to engine block.

Check for + voltage [to GND] on the + terminal of the coil, key in run position, and in cranking position.

It's typical for the resistor to be bypassed while the key is in cranking position. The available voltage is lower, due to the draw from the starter. During normal running, the resistor is desired. Check that you get + Voltage on the + side of the coil to GND, [not coil negative] while in run position and cranking. If you don't, there's your problem. The points ground the - side of the coil and then break the circuit when the spark is required - that's what adjusting the timing is setting.

It's been done. How far away from ct ate you? If the 3AT 4WD automatic is good, I might be interested. I have a dual range 4wd transmission available that I don't need.

Those are part of an indication of failing head gaskets. You need to be checking coolant level in the radiator and the overflow before every drive to be more certain. Don't open the radiator cap unless it is low on coolant. The system needs to be 100% full of coolant, little to no air.

I use a pair as daily drivers, technically, every other day. I do all my own repairs and maintenance. I have worked on these since 1988, so I know them well, what to watch, etc. When one needs work, I have the other. I have *lots* of spare parts from previous identical cars I've owned that were retired due to rust. Not practical to have as an only vehicle AND you rely on paying people to repair it. If that is your situation, you really want a newer generation, but even with those, read a lot to learn the key items to watch out for before buying. The 2 I have currently, are both very good condition rust wise for being around 30 years old. Partly due to where they were and how they were used, and some work by me. Any new to me one of this vintage, I would assume needs an engine reseal, bearings, radiator, ball joints, timing belts and idlers and numerous other smaller things that don't last forever. The original alternator will wear out a brush at 150K miles, for example. Occasionally, I have to do some repairs, but mostly they are reliable for me.

Polishing it won't do anything noticable. Too many other design factors limit the air flow. Lots and I mean lots of old threads on this forum about such things. Weber carb or convert to spfi are safe mods. But realize thus is a 30+ year old machine, and parts may be scarce.

Make sure you can get lots of parts. But not a good idea. Not sure how available parts are for these old engines.

Back when I wrote that page, the years between the car brands were about the same. The year isn't critical. Size of the solenoid and the ports you want similar. Pretty much anything from 80s through 90s likely had one or more. The junkyard I got them at let me go wander with a wrench and I gathered around 10 various units. Still using the same ones today. I have never experienced any noticeable to the driver symptoms associated with the 34 code. Code 34 says the solenoid coil is open or shorted, or the wiring to it. It will fail emissions testing.