ferox

The distributors and ignition coils are matched, so if you have a NipponDenso distributor, it needs the coil that goes with it. The Hitachi disty also has a coil that goes with it. The ND coil will not work correctly with the Hitachi disty and versa-vice. Unless you want to change your ign. coil, replace the disty with the same kind you already have. Coils are not expensive, however, so if you want to change disty types it's not a huge expense. Thinking about what you have mentioned, is there a specific reason that you think you need to replace your disty, such as play in the shaft? If your car was converted to 4WD, was the disty switched...possibly without switching the coil?

I think the 504 steelies are generally to be avoided because they need to be balanced with a special hard-to-locate machine after the tires are installed. If they are the steelies with the small hole in the center, then I think you want to stay away from them and go with the alloys. Options are available for the alloy wheel lugnuts.

What kind of car? It's best to provide links instead of part numbers alone.

Yeah I was thinking something like that must be the case. The rubber material was really brittle and who knows how long ago it was replaced. I could probably go through the three-inch thick file I have on the car and find the date/odo of replacement but I'd rather get other things done. The engine is back in the car... we'll see how it goes.

It was installed with the correct side in. The engine has 286k on it and the rear main just started leaking. I have personally put the last 66k on it and changed the clutch once in that time. I don't remember what the rear main looked like during the clutch replacement, but I do remember that the bellhousing was remarkably clean behind the flywheel. When I removed it I found that the seal was barely even on the crank. It popped inside as soon as I touched it with my picks. I don't have an explanation as to why it is was like this, but at this point I don't think it was installed that way or it would have failed a long time ago. Somehow, maybe through wear and heating and cooling it worked it's way in. I did recently drive to Bellingham and back (9 hours) at full speed (other than Seattle) in hot weather. I can't get my crank to move forward or backward at all so I don't think the crank is walking back and forth. New seal is installed, so if it does it again then obviously there is a bigger problem that likely involves engine replacement. For now I call it a fluke.

As he said. I would also add that you can't put your wheels back on and rest the car on the ground until the spindles are reinstalled in the knuckle and hub assemblies.

Set your timing closer to 8 degrees and the dieseling will probably stop. If you want to run more advance, starting at 8 degrees, try advancing it a half degree at a time and drive it around in between each adjustment. Once it starts dieseling after shut off again, back the timing down a quarter degree or so at a time until it stops and you should have the approximate point of max advance without dieseling. If you want to run 10 degrees you might need to install an anti-dieseling solenoid. Good to hear it's running better. Now you stand a chance of tracking down the various issues. If you end up dropping your gas tank take the opportunity to replace all your rubber hoses in that area but before you install new rubber get some new, relatively supple, steel cable to run through your metal fuel lines to clear out any rust or deposits while the tank's out. Just make sure you use a longer cable than the fuel line. Gently push it in one end and pull it out the other. When I did this to my '81 Hatch I think I pushed from the engine compartment and pulled from the tank end. You will probably have to twist the cable as you push it in order to get it around the bends of the fuel line, make sure you twist in the direction that tightens the braid. A little Seafoam or other cleaner will help the effort. And if you have an air compressor, definitely push some air through after the cable. Add more cleaner to the line when you air blast it.

Since you are doing a transmission swap and not just an axle replacement, you could disconnect the axles from the DOJ cups. You will have to disconnect the inner control arm pivot bolts at the very least to get enough play to pull the bearing assemblies out of the DOJ cups and you might need to even disconnect the struts to get enough free play. Once you get the axles out of the DOJ cups you can pull the transmission and have a much better access to the pins.

That's a relief. Yeah I have considered bringing it by your place. I try to exhaust all of my diagnostic abilities before I ask for help, but if I can't figure it out once I get the car put back together I'll give you a call. Thanks for the quick response.

Thanks for the response. It's hard to see, but I did actually use loctite.

Did you get the pin about a 1/4" out before it jammed or most of the way out? You are going to need a proper 3/16" punch. Most likely you have flared out the end of the tension pin and jammed it in one of the spaces between the DOJ cup and the axle stub. If you can get a small diameter punch into the hollow center part of the tension pin, you might be able to knock the screwdriver out from the other side of the pin. Then if you are lucky and haven't deformed the pin too much you can use the 3/16" punch to get the pin out. The title of your post says your punch is stuck. Had you used a 3/16" punch it wouldn't be stuck. It is well worth a couple dollars to get the right tool. I don't mean to lecture, but this easily avoidable situation can turn a routine maintenance activity into a very difficult problem to solve. If you think about drilling it out, try other options first. It's really easy to break a bit in there and then you are really in for some work.

I pulled my engine to replace the rear main seal that was leaking and found that the existing seal was pushed/pulled in way too far. It is my understanding that the seal should be flush with the bellhousing and that having it in so far may restrict oil flow. The pics are somewhat bad. The only digicam that I currently have that will actually take a picture has to be coaxed to do so. First I would like to verify that this is not the way it is supposed to be.(?) Second, is there some condition that would cause this like vacuum pulling it in, or somehow getting pushed in (though it don't see how that could happen)? Thirdly, is there a particular part or area of the engine that would be oil starved due to this condition? I have been trying to diagnose a front end noise similar to a bad CV that occurs under load (CVs have been replaced with no change in noise). I checked for thrust bearing wear and crank walk with a good amount of leverage, so I don't think that is an issue, but does rod knock in an H4 sound anything like a bad CV?

I put gas-a-justs on both my 4x4 wagon and hatch and they were both significantly stiffer. They are nice, but not what you [OP] are looking for. I wish my dirt-to-pavement ratio was more like yours...in Bend no less.

Cool, that's what I was wondering. I didn't know if there was a fatal flaw in the plan that I was missing. Thanks for the offer. I think this mod is within my abilities, but I am certainly not opposed to help. The issues you list are the same that I have identified with my current limited knowledge of New Gen anatomy, so that makes me think I am not being completely unrealistic. I was thinking that I might have to buy or build one of those spanner bars that brace the top of the strut mounts if the leverage on the front lift strut extensions was too great. See now you are giving me excuses to both: come up to Bellingham and check out your operation. I would like to see how your Justy project is coming along. I have two other car projects ahead of this one, but I like to plan. I think this one is about a year out.

If I don't go with the crossmember conversion, I will definitely do something like that.

I see, perhaps I was getting old threads in my searches on the subject. I was also looking at EJ trans to EJ hub & brake assembly. Yeah, I realize what I am proposing is a lot more work and welding, but I guess I like the idea of a more modern front end. It seems like it would drive better and be/feel more solid, especially at highway speeds. I also like the idea of having the axle and hub/brake assembly matched to the engine output. I plan to keep the hatch for a long time, and one of my considerations is also availability of replacement parts in the future. I hear what you're saying. I want a nice set of 15"+ alloy street wheels and a set of steelies for backcountry. I have piles of 14" pugs, but I want options. The 6 lug is definitely a good conversion and something I'll consider. I'm kind of fixated on the full EJ thing right now. Thanks for the input.

Ok, I have decided that I would really like to put an AWD transmission and EJ gear into the front of my '81 hatch when I convert it to an EJ22. It appears that axles are the main issue still. I would like to be able to use EJ axles without modification, so my main question is can I modify the EJ crossmember to fit the ea81 and then swap everything from the EJ over to the ea81 (steering rack, control arms, etc.)? There would be other mods required I am sure (I don't think the New Gen use leading rods like the Old Gen). Some Background: I plan to give the hatch a 4" lift which should allow for some leeway in modifying EJ stuff to EA. From what I can tell, early '90s Imprezas and Legos are approximately 3.5" wider than my hatch (please correct me if I am wrong). My build is not for wheeling. I want it to have great snow traction and clearance (via larger wheels & tires) for backcountry access, but in all honesty it will be driven on paved roads most of the time. I grabbed the rear 5-lug stuff from an xt6 today, but it looks like if the EJ stuff can be used in the front, then I can do the rear EJ brakes like Pooparu's hatch and return the xt6 calipers and rotors and just keep the trailing arms. If the EJ stuff can't be used then I will track down the front xt6 5 lug gear and just put a dual range in it. The D/R swap would be easier just because it has been done so many times before, but I would really like the full EJ set up. It seems more robust, and seems like the full set-up would give a nice solid ride. Without more research to tell me otherwise, it seems like with a 4" inch lift you could adapt the EJ crossmember to an EA81. The top strut mounts could be pushed out a little with the lift and other mounts could be fabbed, or are there complications I am not seeing? I don't know New Gen very well yet.

Follow up: After installing the extra rubber I had a vibration (during acceleration) show up that I convinced myself was a front CV joint. I already had some vibration from a DOJ getting worn. After replacing both front CV half shafts, removing the rear axles, greasing the u-joints, and changing the rear diff fluid I still had the vibration and noise. I pulled the rubber bushings today, and it seems like the vibration has gone away. The only thing I can think of is that having the diff locked down so much pushed the drive shaft up into the trans. so much that it lifted the back end of the trans. up into the tunnel a bit causing the trans. to vibrate against something during acceleration. Trans. and engine mounts are new. The mustache bar wasn't designed to be immobilized so much anyway. Really the bushings inside the muctache bar ends and top and bottom washers are what need to be replaced.

There is definitely no need to swap all that crap. I run a simplified stock Hitachi set-up in my Hatch, but both of my digital cameras are not working right now. I might pick up another one today. If so, I'll post a photo of the set-up you need. If you haven't torn it apart yet, I would suggest buying all new vac and fuel lines and replacing what you need one hose at a time, and figure out its function at the same time. Leave the system intact in the '84 and copy it with new hose in the '83...unless it's too late already. From memory, my intake manifold has vac to heater fan controls vac to choke pull-off (the hose has a brass orifice restrictor pebble in it so make sure you keep that if you replace the hose) emissions canister is fully hooked up (purge line w/ check valve back of intake) PCV system vac to brake booster ported vac from carb to timing advance I think that's it. Everything else goes away. Check the function of your EGR valve. They are getting expensive and somewhat difficult to find now, so it's your call if the ones you have aren't working properly. You can pull it and make a plate to cover the holes if you want, but if it works I would leave it on.

Cleaning it out would be good. You could also check and clean the fuel uptake tube. the best thing would be to replace the tank or coat the interior. I planned on treating one of my tanks at one point but never got around to it. There should be several threads on that procedure and others on the internet.

Yep go for the Weber. If you are at elevation I recommend the manual choke. Part of the problem with all the emissions stuff is that it can throw things off and be extremely difficult to diagnose. You can't go wrong with the Weber, so I would suggest changing the fuel filter and grabbing the Weber asap. Once you have the engine cleaned up and simplified it will be much easier to move on from there. You might check your distributor shaft for play, but your description so far sounds more like fuel to me. By the way, do you have rust in your gas tank?

It could be a lot of things, but it sounds like it is most likely clogged fuel circuits in your carb. It sounds like you have a Hitachi since you are able to see the fuel level in the bowl. Does your car have all the original vacuum and emission stuff? You can do a rudimentary cleaning of the carb, by removing the choke body and carefully removing and cleaning the small bits one at a time, but I strongly suggest getting a manual before you do that and familiarize yourself with the carb. The best thing would be to rebuild your carb or get a Weber...if it is the carb that is your problem. If you haven't changed your fuel filter, you should do so, even if it looks like it is still good. They're like $3 and can cause similar problems to the one you are experiencing.

I once had a locksmith chastise me for this (even though I hadn't done it). She said you should never do that, but instead spray silicon lube on the key itself and work the key in the ignition (several times if needed). Apparently excessive doses of petroleum based products eventually gum-up and can cause other problems as well. I have always done it the way she described and have had zero problems.

Let's see Rear view mirrors are '83 or younger. As Flowmastered pointed out the passenger side markers are '82 and the drivers are '80-'81 hatch or wagon. Did Brats ever come with those superfluous hood vent thingys...I say definitely limited edition custom deluxe. I don't think the earliest '80s ea81s had the extra trim piece running under the door lock and fuel tank door, so I bet it's an '83+ with a cobbled grill area.

Cleaning carb bits usually yields better performance, but also make sure you change your fuel filter if you haven't done so in a while.