thealleyboy

Yeah, 4 bad Hitatchi's isn't a likely scenerio. You might want to look at the EGR system, as that can give you choke-like symptoms. As GD said, the choke on the Hitatch IS servicible, if it's really the actual cause of your problems. I've never tried drilling out wheels from other makes, but I don't see any problems in doing so. I am running Pug alloys on my 93 Loy, and would reccomend them, if you can find a set. I might be interested in some of your extra parts. Where abouts are you in KY? I'm in the Columbus OH area. John

Jay: There are 2 carb diagrams in the FSM for 85. 2wd and 4wd. I'll mail you photocopies of both. Once you can establish that the wiring is correct, we can deal with the drivability issues. It's going to be tricky because it looks like (judging by the pic) that much of the OEM system is gone. Needless to say, the wrong emissions setup in a car like a mid 80's carberated Sube, will make the car run like sh*t. Fortunately, the basics still apply, and you should be able to make this thing run smooth again. Hopefully, you don't live in a state where registration officials pay close attention to this sort of thing. good luck, John

Garn: I think you'd like my library...er garage!! One of our Board members scanned the HTKYSA vol 2 book a couple years back. If anyone knows him, you might want to try to hook him up with the poster. I think that all of these books have their plusses and minuses. My all-time favorite car book is a general repair manual published by Readers Digest of all people. I agree that the old Clymers were awesome. I also owned the Datsun manual mentioned above. Excellent coverage of the Hitatchi carbs. DAMN, I wish I could have that one back... John

Gary is correct about applying juice at the motors to verify that they are still operable. If you dont have a 12v power supply yet, this is would be a good investment. You can easily fabricate a 2 lead test connector. They are common on the Subes, and you'll probably need to use it again some day. Just go to your junkyard and clip one off another car. I don't know that I agree with your mechanic about the alt failure being related to the windows, but he may know something I don't. I would focus on tracing the circuit (thru the wiring harness) back from the window motor. Very likely that you'll land at the relay, which was discussed earlier. good luck, John

Dan: If it were mine, I would give the enire cooling system an "overhaul". I'm assuming its been 3 years or longer since this has been done. Sounds like your heater still works. That's a good thing. I would do a back flush flush thru the core with a super flush to clean it out before doing anything else on the cooling system. Take it easy on the water pressure - else you might burst the core. At the very least, you should do the ALL hoses and clamps, t-stat, and rad cap. Flush tees's are a good idea too if you dont already have them. You should also consider removing the rad and have a radiator shop check it's condition. If it is suspect, replace it if at all possible. The H20 pump may also warrant replacement if it's 10 years or older. Refill with new 50-50 antifreeze, of course. If you get this far and still have issues, I would start looking at cooling electrical. But you want to get the basics out of the way first. Remember, your cooling system is only as good as it's weakest link... good luck, John

Oftentimes, a non-working flasher turns out to be a burned out bulb, or corroded socket. I would go thru all the bulbs on each side, and rule out that possibility first. If you have spares, you can use the substitution method. A scotch brite pad should be adequete for cleaning up your sockets. If it does turn out to be the flasher, you'll have to remove the lower dash trim. I believe it is located near (but not on) the fuse box on the Loys. good luck, John

Jay: I've got the FSM's for your car. Email me off the board, and I'll try to get you the info you need. thealleyboy@yahoo.com John

L-91: Studying the corrosion tendencies on the 86 is an excellent idea. The unibodies on these cars are virtually unchanged between 85-94, and except for slightly better rustproofing on the Loyales, none of the design flaws (leading to rust) were addressed. You can take some precautionary mesures on the Loy to keep the rust under control. I have used some of those "alley" tricks to patch together old exhaust systems, with some success. Roofing cement is good for leaky flanges that cannot be tightened further, or are damaged. Broken pipes can sometimes mended by gluing a sheetmetal bandage around the break (using roofing cement, of course). Then you can clamp the whole mess together. I like using the brass clamps used for grounding in electrical work. They are very stong, surround the whole pipe, and can be tightened on opposite ends. That'll give you enough time to start saving for the new exhasut system that you'll eventually need... good luck, John

91L: The Loys are good all around cars for basic transportation. Depending on what part of the country are in, the Loy might be the best you can do if you want on older Sube, and you dont have a lot of $$. If you want to put all your eggs in one basket, I would consider scrapping out the 86, and upgrading the Loyale with parts from the 86. Rust is a losing battle and it sounds like the 86 is close to the end of the line. But that's ok. It's earth day. Think recycling. My advice: strip that 86 down and focus on getting your Loyale up to speed. A car like the Loyale (with spare parts) can run for many years, with very few hassles - if you stay on top of it. The great thing about the Subes is that the design is versatile, and you can piece together many different combinations of components to get the performance and features you want out of a car. If you have a solid unibody to start with (the Loyale?), you can build the kind of car that meets your particular specs. There are no rules... good luck, John

Before jumping to conclusions, I would try to figure out if the particles were a result of a one time event - or an ongoing internal wear issue. I usually preach against doing engine flushes, but this is one case where it can probably be justified. A single oil change will never get out all the particles and crud floating around in your oil. Rather, particles are removed gradually thru a series of oil changes. It is possible that the particles came from running the car rough under some harsh conditions, or with worn out or insufficient oil. It may just take a while to get them out of the crankcase. However, if you do the flush and continue to see the particles, you can safely assume that you are getting some internal wear - probably a lot. I like the idea of "going down in flames", so have some fun in it before she craps out. You will probably want a better core for your rebuild, so no need to feel guilty about abusing your old motor. good luck, John

I believe the door shell cutouts can physically accept up to 6.5" for both front and back. However, most of the models I've seen come with adapter brackets that drop the size down to 4.00" (usually on the fronts only). Obviously, 6.5's would be the best choice for 2 or 3 way speaks. The problem is that to mount 6.5's on the fronts, they must be mounted against the door shell. On your model, the standard speaker cutout on the trim panel is 4", and raised. In other words, there is a considerable gap between where you can mount a 6.5, and the actual sound hole in the trim panel. Also, the hole is too small, so the sound quality suffers. The best compromise (if you dont want to chop up your door trim panel) is to install 4"'s up front, using the stock brackets, and 6.5" in the back. These are probably your existing sizes, but if you buy quality replacements, they'll sound MUCH better than the OEM Clarions you have now. If you are upgrading your stereo too, you'll also have to address the speaker wiring. As you may know, the OEM rear wiring is not compatible with modern stereo units. good luck, John

I would check the fuel pressure at the throttle body with a guage. If you dont have a guage, you could eyeball it by shooting the hose into a bottle. My guess is that pressure is either low, or non-existant. It could easily be a clogged fuel filter. I would replace that anyway, regardless of what the problem ends up being. The car has sat a while, and attempting to start it could have stirred up some crud, which now resides in the filter. Since the fuel pump cycles on, you can eliminate electrical as a potential problem. It could operational but weak. This also makes sense if the car sat for a long time. It's probably the fuel pump, but do your toubleshooting first. good luck, John

Yeah, I always thought Austrelia was where all the good stuff was!! A stock EA82 turbo engine is fairly adequete as is, IMO. Personally, I don't know that I would do any internal mods that would make it run hotter than it already does. I would probably focus on exhaust, ignition and possibly fuel, if your goal is to squeeze more HP. Otherwise, you might get some opinions from machine shops. I don't think availability of universal-type aftermarket engine parts will be problem. The most critical thing is to match the internal components appropriately (in the context of the system as whole). You may discover that MANY more parts will need replaced than originally anticipated. It can certainly be done, but you will need to decide if the costs of doing this are justifiable in terms of increased performance. good luck, John

HL: I haven't had much luck salvaging old fuel pumps-or the mounting brackets on the Subes. In this part of the country, at least, that area of the undercarriage takes an absolute beating. You can easily modify the fuel pump system without too much difficulty, and make it run as good or better than spec. The universal type fuel pumps are just fine for these cars. The biggest challenge is fabbing a connector that'll plug right in without splicing the cars wiring harness. Luckily, with a parts car available, you can create any custom connector you would ever want. As far as mounting the aftermarket unit, there are all kinds of standard brackets available that were designed for other puposes (electrical, plumbing, HVAC etc). You just need to alter one of these to mount on the undercarriage securely. This is a good system to upgrade anytime you get into some serious work on a Sube. You can almost consider it a maintenance item on Subes in the 150k range. good luck, John

Gareth: I have never used their frame caps, but I have dealt with Mill's for other items. I usually talk to a guy named Bill. He can look up the applications for you. The caps should work for all 85-94 era EA82's. I like the panels I have gotten from them in the past. They use the correct guage of metal, and they leave plenty of extra metal so that you can easily trim to fit. My only complaint is that they require a little more prep work to finish than most patch panels out there. Some of their stuff is a little rough. Not sure if the problem is manufacture or handling. Still 100x better than trying to fab these from scratch... good luck, John

85 and Snowie: The "fill, no-fill" decision is a tough one. The argument to keep a full tank definitely has some merit. Stabil does seem to be a good product from my experiences. But bad gas is something to avoid at all costs (IMO), and if you have a full tank in a car that rarely runs, you are asking for trouble. Stabil wont keep the gas "fresh" forever. Maybe a year or two, but eventually the additives will start breaking down. Then, when you run that crappy gas thru your fuel system, every component will be affected. If your car is carbed, you could be looking at a rebuild when you are ready to drive the car regularly again. I know I'm in the minority here, but my advice is to use fresh fuel, use it sparingly, and change the filter frequently to catch any rust particles that may form inside the tank. good luck, John

ES makes some excellent points. No substitute for taking the car out for a good roadie once in a while. I don't know that there is anything that can be done to a sitting car to slow down the deterioration process. Maintenance is no help to a vehicle that is static. I would probably focus most on fuel. If you don't drive enough to burn off a full tank of fuel, whats the point in keeping the tank full? I would buy fuel as needed, and give your car a serious workout as often as possible. Change the fuel filter once a year. Oil is another thing you should change regrdless of miles. Water condenses inside your moter continuously, and you need to flush it out 4 times a year. Finally, you want to keep the battery functional, so that means either running the car regularly, OR throwing the battery charger on every couple of months. I know people that have cars from the 1940's sitting in their garage that can be started up and taken anywhere, anytime. It's easy to pull off, but you have to be dedicated. good luck, John

HL: It just depends on what your after. If you want something a little more rugged, go with OEM. If you are just using this thing for transportation, the aftermarket will work just fine. I'm more of a body guy, so I think in terms of "structural integrety". Probably worth considering anytime you are driving a 20-year old car.... Alot of people overlook the engineering that went into putting these things together. You start cutting corners, and the Sube becomes a piece of sh*t just like the rest of them. The thing that makes the Subes so great is that they DID NOT cut corners at Fugi H.I. in in Tokyo. These cars were built solid. Anything less than OEM is a step backwards, IMO. Keep that in mind anytime you put any half-*ss crap on your Sube. Always use the best parts you can afford, and you wont go wrong. good luck, John

The tanks are all the same on those latter EA82's, regardless of whether the car is 2 or 4wd. Personally, I think the OEM tanks are much higher quality than the aftermarket types in terms of durability. Something to think about if you drive through a lot of rough terrain, or trash-strewn alleys. Thats why I usually have the old one repaired if it springs a leak. If it's too far gone, consdider having your spare cleaned up and re-used. As mentioned above, many radiator shops do fuel tanks too. The tank is boiled out and the leak is patched, or seam welded, etc. I've never had a repaired tank fail me. On the other hand, I did once gash up a cheap aftermarket tank without even trying. Not a very good feeling when you look out your rear-view mirror and see a stream of gasoline pouring out the back... good luck, John

There is an art to dealing with corroded bolts. Look at all of the penetrants, special tools, heat etc. as a "bag of tricks". If one doesn't work, move on to another method. Depending on what (if any) portions of the exhaust you want to save, you may consider dropping the exhaust from the Y back. With the exhaust off the car, it is much easier to work on the connections at the flanges, clamps, etc. Oftentimes, you'll be forced into the "y-back" scenerio anyway. Ever wonder why muffler shops guarantee the mufflers forever? Cause they can make up for their loss by selling you the rest of the exhaust system. If the system as a whole is badly deteriorated, don't get your hopes up too high. You'll waste a lot of time trying to take it all apart and end up replacing it anyway. If you plan to replace the pipes and muffler (and possibly salvaging the cat) the fastest and easiest way is to take a sawzall to the main pipe on either side of the cat inlet and outlet flanges. Then, unbolt the first pipe off the y(resonator pipe). All the sections can now be removed from the undercarriage with no further unbolting. With the cat on the bench, you have lots of options on how to remove the bolts cleanly and salvage the unit. A machine shop is also an option, and sure beats the cost of a new cat. good luck, John

I did my rears recently on my 93 Loy. I'm certain that these were sealed OEMs because I bought the car with very lo miles. I always have the rear bearings done by my trusted machine shop. After talking to him about it, he said it was a b*tch of a job. That's good enough for me. Its best to leave that kind of stuff to the pros, IMO. I think he charged me $30 for both sides. Small price to pay to get things done, and done right, with no hassles. The biggest part of the job is the dis-assembly work to get to the bearings. I had to take quite a bit off to remove the bearing hub. I have not checked the book on this, but by the looks of things, I doubt there are any quick and dirty fixes. good luck, John

Scoob: You sound like a Brat guy to me. I've never really been into the Brat, but I can appreciate what they are all about. Especially 4wd models. Wagons are a dime a dozen, but Brats are dryin up. Get the Brat, and if you if you ever feel the need for a wag, there's plenty of them around to choose from. good luck, John

Milt: I have the 86 set (less the electrical section). If you don't land the set, I'll be happy to send you photocopies or scans out of mine. I'm hoping that members of this Board who have these materials, will be willing to make them available to others. Not sure of the best way to do it. I have discussed it with several people, and there is definitely a need to begin building a database of FSM data, while the information is still in the hands of enthusiasts (er... derelicts). good luck, John

Bish: You may be better off putting together your own rebuild "kit". In fact, you may not have a choice. I don't know that anyone sells ALL the parts you'll need for a complete rebuild in one package. I may have some EA81 gaskets I can sell you if you want to save $$. I'll have to check and make sure of what I have. Email me if interested. thealleyboy@yahoo.com John

RM: Very nicely done!! SD: We did an EA82T recently (for Alleywagon '04) and the circumstances were similar to what you describe when we began. The original motor in the car was beat to hell. All kinds of problems - blown HG, cracks in the heads, even a broken connecting rod. Fortunately, I had a spare that was pretty solid. We decided to build up the spare, without splitting the crankcase, since we were fairly confident that the bottom end was sound. Of course, this is a judgement call, and if you have any doubts, do a complete overhaul, or find a block that is known to be good. I also took all four cylinder heads to a machine shop, and had him recondition the best pair. Turns out he used one from each of the two motors. So, this essentially came down to an upper end rebuild. I replaced just about all the bolt-ons, including new oil and h20 pumps. New gaskets, belts, hoses etc. Not as thorough as a complete rebuild, but pretty damn close, with most of the critical systems having been addressed. My advice to you: Take both motors out, and assess whether or not you have enough servicable parts between the two - particularly a good block. If so, then rebuild that one using the best parts you have, and upgrading whatever components you can afford. If both of your motors are junk, find another used one. The best one you can afford... good luck, John