daeron

well, its easy to check to see if the fuel pump comes on. have someone sit outside, by the fuel tank, and listen when you turn the key to on..... they should hear it come on and buzz. if it will start, i doubt its your fuel pump gone comp[letely bad, or else it wouldnt have fuel to start the next time... but something could be causing it to cut out. pay attention to how the fuel pump behaves throughout your six second cycle. troubleshooting technical problems is easy, as long as you have the technical knowledge database necesseary, which is why you came to a forum like this :- ) its why we all come here. anyhow, if you have verified that your fuel pump is functioning properly, then you need to do a component check on your fuel injection system (of course, given that you DO have good spark... spark can be weak, too..) i am not really a soobie "guru" per se, but ive spent the last 25 years of my life slowly learning to be a mechanic, and ive gotten pretty darned good at it.. i cant tell you what the smoke might have been, i dont think you would have blown up your motor with an extra 1/2 qt of oil (where was it on the dipstick? mine can take almost a full quart if its right at the lower dot... if it was halfway between the dots or higher, then a full quart might be a good bit too much... but if you were at the lower pinhole on the dipstick then 1 qt shouldnt bee too much at all....) anyhow my point is, be patient.. its 4 AM EST and nerds like you and me are still awake and crawling the web.. by this time tomorrow people will have responded who know more particularly about these cars than i. you should get it back on the road, or at worst come to the conclusion you need to scrapit, FAIRLY soon. and like i said, fixin stuff is fixin stuff, its all a matter of know how. and tools. but tools are easy. just $$.. shawn

yah, no, i mean im leaving all the stock stuff there, but replacing it with new wire and using the new stuff... so i can just go back to the old way if i ever have to to get rid of the vehicle... thats all i meant i guess i wasnt too clear on that, my bad.

ever since ralph nader killed the corvair, auto makers have been adding more and more safety features to their cars.. gradually lowering fatality rates (ostensibly at least, i dont want to say yay or nay on that subject) from auto accidents, they have increased safety features for marketing reasons. Seatbelts are going to save you about 95% of the time your in an accident, and might have been hurt. Airbags will save you 95% of the time that the seatbelts arent sufficient.. or something like that. probably alot less. My very first car was a 92 geo storm, and it had an airbag. thats the only car ive ever had that had one, and i wasnt worried. i am serious about saying i am Religious about my seatbelt though. if you think you might also be religious about your seatbelt, wait until you roll a car over and your seatbelt is all that saves you... seatbelts kick rump roast, and anyone who doesnt wear theirs deserves to die and heal the human race of their presence. darwin awards all around!!

so its really just a matter of removing the power steering pump/assembly, and replacing the power rack with a manual rack???? thats friggin awesome.... is this really how simple it is to go non power steering on a ea82? i have a 87 gl10..

he probably meant versus a K&N cone filter, which would mean removing the airbox entirely. His point is, in reality, the ENTIRE REST of the air intake is too small to take advantage of much more (naturally aspirated) airflow. He has tested the entire intake on the bench, with both stock airbox/filter bolted on, and a K&N (which as i said, i imagine was a cone filter) and found no appreciable difference. to get power by increasing airflow into your intake, you need forced induction... IE super/turbocharging. it really is something of a myth... that "ram air" and high-flow air filtration REALLY amkes that much of a difference. it sounds different, and it might alter the hp/torque curves a bit, but increasing, not much. Of course, each vehicle is different, and you never know where they engineered economy into things, so the worst it can be is a waste of time. All this being said, im opening up my airbox and getting a K&N filter for it.. i just found out the soob and my 75 datsun 280Z (bosch l-jetronic fuel injected) use the same size filter so take it as you will. if you want to go the next step, port match your intake to your cylinder heads, and widen them out a little. Keep in mind that Turbulence is the enemy, and make every air channel as smooth and unobstructive as possible.. the straighter the air is flowing into the combustion chamber, the better.

DrKrazy, that was your 666th post.

ive got a spfi FWD a/t ea82 gl-10 (say THAT five times fast) and i drive pizzas with it... in traffic.. with the AC off i get about 25 mpg, highway or traffic.. (ive only ever really gotten a good "highway" check on it once, and that wasnt totally highway, but it wasnt very impressive.) i also have the digidash, and i find that each little bar is pretty much its own unique value of fuel left in the tank... when the tank is full, the guage registers full, but it registers full until i drive 70 miles or so.... meaning, almost three gallons. but it seems to drop TO the half-way mark (meaning i think 5/10 bars, or 4/8) right about 200 each time (16 gallon tank =400 miles per tank) and when it drops to zero on the guage, i have about 1.3 gallons of fuel left. DRIVEABLE fuel, about 1.2. like i said, im a pizzaman... so i eventually track figures like this down. i put 100 miles on her, city traffic driving (god believe me it SUCKS) on an easy day.

yah, auto parts stores should have that (the window crank thingy) too. i also have power windows and am glad i dont have to mess with the cranks... im about to install a new stero in my 87 gl 10.. when i get time. lookin forward to it.. i didnt even think twice about re using a single wire. im gonna leave the entire stock stereo wiring intact, and chop nothing. just run new wire in for my shizzle... :- )

you took off the stock clutch fan, from the water pump, and replaced it with nothing? you just have the other fan running all the time? because no, thats not enough. get another fan, take someone else's advice (i havent put an electric fan on my car, so i know nothing) and put a good one on, and you will be fine. the other fan was running most of the time anyways, helping the fan you removed get your engine down to good temperatures. that fan is there as a supplemental to run while the AC system is on, placing a higher load on the engine and requiring additional cooling... that supplemental does not suffice as a primary. while on the subject, where is the best place to take a wire from to switch an electric fan? im thinking of installing one, and i would use a relay, but need a thermostatic signal for when to turn it on... im just tired of the noise and want to milk the performance out of my pizza deliverin' machine... :- )

cant say ive seen it on a soob, but ive been in datsun 240/260/280Zs my whole life.. and i have seen a number of them who have gotten these cute little rails of channel steel welded up underneath the carriage, along where the frame rail USED to be... it stiffens the car up like a rock. its not hard to weld good steel into the unibody where the old rails used to be, if you are a decent welder. obviously, not everyone is a decent welder, but you should be able to find a decent welder who would LOVE to take on the challenge of making your rustbox a solid vehicle once again! :- ) guys who work with metal are kinda funny like that. I reference the above post, by 4x4 Welder, as proof :- ) BTW, i like his solution too, but it makes it a tad heavier. Safer, for the off-road.. but not as advantageous for the sreet performance.

I cannot recall who it was, but one of the very experienced users of the board posted recently as to how the spark plugs can be arranged in any number of ways, from a point fixed on the car.. meaning, basically, that you should verify your spark timing with a timing light if you can. To do this, you need to connect a pair of green plastic plugs under the hood, just in front of the driver's side of the windshield. The timing should be i think -30*tdc, but there are much more thorough write-ups on checking the timing in the USRM.. click the lick up at the extreme top right corner of the page. that would be the next step. and get rid of old gas. now. it turns into varnish. any fuel left sitting for six months or more without additive to prolong its "Shelf-life" needs to be discarded, or run in an old lawnmower.... it most definitely does lose potency , and becomes doubleplus-ungood.

poor man's alternator test.. ive heard people say this isnt a wise idea, but there is nothing that it hurts on my GL-10 that i know of, and i doubt your loyale would be different.. (had to put in a disclaimer :- ) start car. unhook battery ground cable. or live, if you want. if car continues to run, then the alternator is functioning. of course, if yours is going intermittently (as it sounds) the engine would only die if the alternator was not functioning, then.. IE, your red warning lights are on, etc... but mine did just that, on the road, headlights and wipers on.. and i knew within three seconds.. i turned to my passenger who was kinda panicking (she wasnt used to the idea of a car dying in the midst of rush hour boca raton traffic) "well, my alternator just died..." but of course, as with any electrical/charging issue, check your grounds, check your fusible links, check your battery and cables (battery cables are ALWAYS a worthy $15 investment for a 15 year old car..) and take the alternator off and have it tested. if you gotta cough up 100 bucks for a rebuild, so be it. its worth it. you kinda need it. right? :- ) good luck, electrical gremlins are always fun. let us know if your headlight problem goes away, that sounds strange.

if you have decent parts stores around, they should have a selection of adapter pipes and stuff... i went and found the size that fit on the stubby end of pipe that was left where it fell off the muffler (right in front of the muffler here..) and got the piece that went on that on one end, and slipped onto my muffler on the other end, and the two appropriately sized clamps. i dont recall the exact sizes, and there is no guarantee theyd be the same anyhow, but if you have a caliper to measure the diameter of the pipe, that would be handy.... although thats not standard equipment, i know... if you can cut off a sample piece of the pipe to take in and fit fittings for, and get the hardware to fit it, then its easy... just make sure you visualize all the changes youre making, and make sure everything fits right, measuring these things accurately can be a tedious process, but its worth it. simple bolt-on clamps work adequately, if the system is well assembled and you clamp them right, but you have to get the right size clamps for each fitting.. the smallest ones that fit on the outside pipe. make sure to snug each nut on the clamp finger-tight, then use a wrench or ratchet (no air tools) to turn each half a turn at a time, to evenly tighten it down. keep them even, and you will get a good seal. if you lined everything up well enough, it will set well, and depending on your choice of equipment, sound however you want it. to make my long point short, yes, you can use simple bolt-in replacements without any prior extensive exhaust or welding experience.. no welding is strictly necessary, if your exhaust pipe is in good shape. just measure everything, and make sure you get EVERY dimension and change.. if it was originally a straight through, then its easy, but dont forget there are three dimensions to follow things through.

question: didn't any of these cars come with a dust shield that bolted onto the chassis, below the engine? and, wouldn't having one of these help prevent any road debris possibly injuring the timing belts? I mean, my car has no covers, but i have removed them from other cars i have had in the past (a geo, a honda, and a few others i cant recall) and my car was old when i got it (87, 135K+) so i wasnt shocked NOT to see them.. but i have to agree that the idea of replacing the annoying bolts that strip themselves out with a few zip ties is a good compromise if youre concerned about it. the bolts are a royal PITA... but i am planning on putting my covers back on with zip ties tomorrow, or soon.

r-12 is illegal to manufacture, so we only have whatever was made thats left out there.. which is precious little, now, but there is still some. it is very hard to find, but perfectly legal to sell, purchase, own, and use... just not manufacture. and that is long since discontinued... so when we run out, its gone forever. sorta like alot of other things, come to think of it..... but anyhow, its alot cheaper and simpler to find the parts to convert, and its not hard to do.. but i dont know the process well enough to give you a how-to. sorry. you DO need tools though, so its probably simpler to pay someone to fix it. you can get an estimate for free sometimes..

what someone told you about it hurting the motor has to do with oil. No overhead cam engine should really be run over 2,000 RPM until the oil pump has had enough time to get oil all over the top of the cylinder heads.. because right when you start a cold motor, there is very little motor oil up top. it all drains down into your oilpan (which is why you check the oil when the motor has not been running in the last five minutes at least. anyhow, its only the first minute or so after a cold start that you need to worry at all.. and thats probably overkill. thats an old gearhead's rule of thumb from the days when OHC and OHV engines were equally commonplace.. you just dont wanna be running up to 6 grand two seconds after you start the motor, and holding it there for five minutes... I try to be conscious of this every time i start my car, but once the temp gage goes up one tick, i never pay any attention whatsoever. pumping the gas pedal once or twice before starting engages an automatic choke, or something like that, on your carburettor that helps it start easier.. or something. as (someone?) has already said, it wont help a great deal just pumping the pedal a couple times before hitting the key like it would an old ford, but hitting the gas pedal while starting can definitely make it easier to start, just by giving it more air. If in doing this, you inadvertently rev it a little high, its no big deal.. just keep in mind that it takes a few moments to oil your top end. on a side note, i must say it really feels wrong to refer to the cylinder heads on a boxer motor as the "top end." its more of a "wing," wouldnt you say?

what exact engine/trans/driveline do you have in your car?

electrical problems like that can be made much easier to troubleshoot and fix if you have a multimeter.. and harbor freight has digital multimeters for five bucks. alot of auto parts stores and home depot stores have them el cheapo as well. they are certainly not the best units, but they are a bit more information than a test light at least, and it makes a WORLD of difference. my 5 dollar disposable harbor freight multimeter is one of the best five bucks i ever spent. I have access to a better one when i NEED it, and actually got my old craftsman working again.. but its a worthy investment.

4x4 welder has an excellent point, too. get a multimeter and check that you have proper power to the coil. make sure the hot wire is in good shape too, if you have poor 12V supply to the coil it will try to barely work.. and also, dont forget to plug the green connectors on the drivers side, under the hood right at the far back of the engine bay for checking the timing with a timing light. but if you say spark is bad, then spark is bad and i wouldnt bark up other trees until you get that straight.

yah, i always thought it would be cool to set up a hand throttle like they have on a boat in a car... i suppose its not too save to have it unsprung though. anyone here have any experience putting hand operated throttle controls on an automobile or automobile-esque construction of any sort?

i wasnt seriously looking at either one of the cars, nor even suggesting that anyone else do so.. i just thought it was likely a high high price for the wagon, and just thought the XT was Cool..... as i have said elsewhere, my dad bought an 89 xt6 brand new, to replace his 72 240 that got totaled when a 10 point buck jumped outta the woods, off of his hood (he was doing 65 mph on NC State 115) and back into the woods on the other side... and he wound up in the ditch. He had the 6-cyl, but that EA82T in the car is really a fascinating idea to me.. since thats the same motor thats in my GL-10, except i got no turbo :- ( anyhow, i just thought the wagon was worth mentioning, and i must have missed the previous conversation... if i had known i would have posted in that one. My apologies. i only brought the XT up because i was mildly curious to see what unsolicited remarks would be made about the price.

So i was looking at my sad little 87 GL-10, with 140,000 on it, and rust eating the rear windshield out of its frame... (slowly, but surely..) its a two wheel drive, NA auto.. and part of me is ready to say eff it, and find a five speed to throw in it... but then part of me thinks, maybe i could find one to buy fairly cheap... cuz i hear subaru, i think, four wheel drive, five speed, maybe turbo... (my dad bought an 89 XT-6 brand new, and that was the coolest car ive ever ridden in.. faster, nicer, maybe, but not "Cooler".. ive always thought the thing looked like a spaceship.) okay, maybe MAYBE the mileage and condition warrant a premium price, but COME ON!!!!!! clicky ridiculous..... i mean, beautiful car, but still.. heres a cut-n-paste from the ad.. Features: Power Steering, Power Brakes, Power Door Locks, Power Windows, AM/FM Radio, Trip Odometer, Tachometer, Air Conditioning, Tilt Steering Wheel, Power Mirrors, Alloy Wheels, Clock, Interval Wipers, Rear Defroster, Rear Window Wiper, Cloth Upholstery, Luggage Rack its an 86 GL auto 4wd wagon, with alloy wheels.. for $5995!!!!!!!! SIX GRAND for a 65,000 mile car?! I may be a Soob-Noob, but somehow i dont think its worth THAT..... while im posting, here is a really nice XT..... XT Turbo clicky like i said, a spaceship.... THAT one is tempting because i DO have my car for spare parts, and at least SOME of the motor stuff has to be interchangeable between those cars.. and like, fuel pumps and stuff... but i just picutre myself in that thing with a nice IC on it, and some turbo work... having FUN...........

i drive an 87 ea-82 with an auto (its a gl-10) and rev that thing as high as my throttle lets me... i recently had the muffler off (and discovered i have an empty shell of a catalytic converter) and i thought the motor sounded great at all RPMs... just, that the automatic gearbox wouldnt let the bloody thing move. i am sooo convinced that i want a five speed in this car...i drive about 100 miles a day, delivering pizzas, in a section of my county that i hate with a passion because of the way the traffic has been engineered.... and without being able to determine throttle and gearing independently, im going insane. ESPECIALLY in the rain (2wd:mad: ) because i cant use my gearing without doing so at high throttle, so i spin my tires all the time.. and in south florida, summertime == rain.. at least, if we are lucky.

you should at least try to file a flat surface on two side of the broken bolt and see if you can use a vise-grips or crescent wrench to take it out before you get too exotic.. just protect the block from getting any metal filings in it anywhere... it would probably help to heat the bolt up and let it cool before trying to remove it, too...

look at the bottom of the hood... there should be a sticker that tells you that the green plugs are what you connect to disable the distributor advance in order to check the timing of the motor. it runs with them on, but it throws a check engine light.... it seemed to run a bit odd, but no too bad... the others, i cant say, but i know that the green one is distributor advance.. the sticker under the hood should say something about it.