ferox

There are 4WD Justy's in Canada for sure. The Justy engine will not bolt up to a ea series DR trans. They are totally different animals. There is a guy in the UK currently building tube frame Justy Buggy: http://subarujusty.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=2684

Well now, that involves more questions and answers. I don't work on ea82s, so I probably won't ask all the pertinent questions but I'll get you started. Is it a Hitachi or Weber carb? I'll assume Hitachi. What did you do to your engine, and did you rebuild the carb? Is it a feeback carb? Probably easiest to post a picture of it. Basic carb tuning is pretty straightforward and readily available on the internet [check into it for lean best idle procedure], but a Hitachi...especially a Hitachi in need of a rebuild is a a different story. To get you started, make sure the timing is correct. IIRC on the ea81 I usually start with the idle mixture screw between 2-2.5 turns out, the ea82 is probably similar. Adjust/check timing, idle mixture, then air/fuel mixture, then repeat that procedure in that order until all those things line up with spec. Then go drive it and check it all over again, then do it again a few times, and if you have done extensive work on your engine you will probably have to do go through the procedure several more times. There are good write-ups if you search for them. And other members (GD if he has time) can give you more specific instructions, but that should get you going. If you carb hasn't been rebuilt within the last 2-4 years, you really should just do it. It's not that hard if you are methodical about it, and carb kits are like $30. Just take your time with the float adjustment. It's totally worth it, and your carb may never even get close to tuned without it. My '81 hatch just turned 270k, smooth as silk, great power, 29-31 mpg, rebuilt Hitachi carb. It's patient work though. It's all about the iterations. Good Luck

If no one local has anything for you, you can check the Foster LKQ. They had a decent looking engine in an '85 hatch there a couple of weeks ago. Of course you are taking your chances with a JY engine, but it looked fine and it is an ea81 afterall.

You might also try re-soldering the one of the connections on the front of the motor itself. The door on my '81 stopped opening and I re-soldered the green wire IIRC, and it works great now. If I am not mistaken this is a common problem on these units. Just disconnect the battery because at least one of the wires is hot.

This thread read my mind. I know I don't know you JesZek, but just the other day it popped into my mind that you hadn't posted for a while, then I thought...oh no! the last thing he posted about was brake troubles! And Honduras just had a coup! So I am glad to hear that it was just a universal affliction...computer trouble. Good luck with the car (sube) search.

Oh yeah, duh. Didn't really think about it past the gold stickers on the valve covers. For some reason they did not do their traditional 50% off this weekend. Instead it's free admission...whoopee...and 25% off glass.

I seem to remember reading on here that a Legacy master cylinder will bolt on to an ea81 booster. I couldn't find much in my searches, so does anyone know? And if so, are there issues to consider? I am going to be doing a front vented rotor caliper swap and rear disk conversion soon. I am interested in the master cylinder swap mostly as a source of newer, plentiful junkyard parts, but a little extra braking power would be nice too...although it seems like that would be more of a booster thing.

Just thought I would let Portland people know there is an silver '85 ea81 hatch 4WD (213K) in good condition at the Foster LKQ with hydro lifter heads. Not that big-a-deal but it would be a shame for them to get crushed. If I wasn't going to EJ my hatch I would have picked them up myself. It also still has the 4MT that shifted through the gears fine, doesn't look beat up at all.

http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/1359341135.html

You could also check with the dealer. A lot of times their prices on seals are not that bad, and they are open on Saturdays.

They are cool little cars. I am doing a ridiculously comprehensive rebuild on a Gen 1 right now. The deal with the oil/water pump is that they are integrated into an elaborate cast aluminum crankcase plate that is dealer-only and costs $360 for the time being. Not trying to scare you, but the problem is in fact the oil pump. The drive linkage is not very sophisticated and eventually causes eccentric lateral forces on the the steel rotor which then correspondingly wears down the aluminum shaft bore. I bushed the shaft bore on my crankcase plate, but it is still just a band-aid. Like I said though, don't let this scare you away, this is just the one problem that affects all Justy's. I say buy it, and if you don't, pm me because I will buy it immediately. The Justy suffers more acutely from the same fate that is now creeping up on the ea81s. Parts are already somewhat difficult to come by, and there is almost no aftermarket support. I think they have enough time to do a good rebuild and drive it for another 200,000, but after that I think you will be looking at a bleak parts scenario or...major mods, which could be fun. Get it, join proboards, have fun.

I am not seeing your pic.

Curb weights from the two FSMs I have: 87-88 (Gen 1) Justy: 2WD DL = 1,655 lb 2WD GL = 1,675 lb 4WD GL = 1,785 lb (5MT)(Gen 1 4WD only produced in '88, all '87s are 2WD) '81 Hatch: 2WD DL = 2,025 lb 2WD GL = 2,130 lb 4WD GL = 2,215 lb [EDIT] The Gen 1 Justy also came with 12" wheels stock, many have been switched to 13", but there are still plenty of the 12's out there. It is definitely much easier to find 155 and 145 sized tires for the 12" wheel size.

You probably need new cone and spring washers at this point as well as the aforementioned advice.

I have had this same problem. '81 hatch, no lift, 185 70r13's. When I got a new set of tires (rated for 100,000 miles) about 18,000 miles ago I had an alignment done at the same time(this is all Les Schwab). The outside edges in front started to wear, so they comped me a new tire. Another tire went, so they comped me another and I had another alignment. Then both fronts started wearing on the outside even worse. They were finished in about 2,000 miles. So I just got back from having them recheck their alignment. Somehow they had towed-in my wheels about 30% more than the highest point of the spec. range!? So they realigned them to the lowest point of the tow-in spec range and replaced to two remaining original tires. Long story to say that excessive tow-in on my rig created the exact same wear problem.

In the last axle thread we all talked about the importance of transmission mounts and motor mounts in axle longevity. How are yours? New tranny mounts are ~$10 from Rockauto BTW. They are nothing special, but they're new and $10, probably $25 total for both with shipping, unless you get a ridiculous Rockauto shipping quote:confused:

On my '81 ea81 the Ext.VR was on the fender next to the coil. It's a metal box with rounded corners. It should have 6 wires. I switched to internally regulated and gave away my Ext. VR's, so I can't post a pic. I think it is entirely possible that the PO did what GD suggested and replaced the alt. with an internally regulated one, but it's impossible to tell without testing. If you want to switch to internally regulated, RenaissanceMan did a quick and easy write-up on it: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=47847&highlight=alternator I found this other write-up that suggests making a connection to the coil. I assume this is so the fuel pump only turns on when the vehicle is running. If so, I might have to try it, although I have had no troubles so far with Renaissanceman's method. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=64059&highlight=externally+regulated

Interesting, I like the subtle 3-D effect on the ship. I am planning on camo-ing my Jeep this summer. I was going to try to give it some depth of field, but that is more involved than just going at it with some flat finish paints. I think I like the last pic best. If you live in Oregon City I am sure I will see that driving around. In an urban environment that will definitely stick out more, which I think is a good thing. You are going to make some snowboarders jealous with that graphic and color scheme. I assume the bumper, roll bar, and wheels will also get some paint.

I think they are the same, but I am not sure. Most of the ones you get at the junkyards are fairly shot. I have tried to find replacements from other vehicles to no avail. If you have welding skills and access to a welder you could weld up some brackets for the lower mount to accept a more universal design. That is what I plan to do. If you haven't checked out the Justy forum yet, you could ask there, someone probably knows. http://subarujusty.proboards.com/index.cgi?

Hmmm, the ones I have installed had the two male spades, but perhaps they are a smaller size than the stock alt. So, when you advised me on installing my GM you instructed me to use heavier gauge wire, was that so I could add greater load later on without danger of burning a wire? I think I misunderstood you at the time, so I take it if you are just running stock electrical you can just use the factory wiring. Yes I must say the alt upgrade is very satisfying after the stock unit. It doesn't even break a sweat. Nice work, definitely the quickest and least effort alt. upgrade so far. I do have to say this for the GM though, it took me about 1.5 hours to do the bracket mod, and required more effort and tools, but it was still really easy and the GM now bolts on straight out of the box with the correct pulley. Also, with the bracket mod. a bunch of other alts. will now fit with only a few washers to fill-in any back spacing if needed, and the 7157 and 7137 (63 amp version) are widely available in stock. I think the relative availablity would be especially evident in rural areas, though I have no data. So I think the best alt. mod depends on the needs and tools available to the end user. I have a welder, I like to drive to places aptly descibed as "the middle of nowhere"(yes I know I should carry a spare alt., but it doesn't always happen), and value the ability to bolt a new alt. in without any work other than the two bolts holding it in, so the GM is still the best choice for me. So as far as the USRM is concerned it would be nice to have a thread that compares and contrasts the two options, so people can make an informed choice about what works best for them...blah, blah, blah. Anyway, great write-up and thanks for all your help.

What they said...if you know carbs, then you can probably rebuild the Hitachi and get it dialed in alright, along with new vac hoses. If not, it's hardly worth the time. I spent a lot of time getting mine figured out and it runs great now, but most people don't have the time or patience for it (for good reasons). Also, many of them are just worn out, or are feed back models, and a rebuild will only give you marginal improvements. To me it was like a Japanese puzzle box that I couldn't let go without figuring it out. Kinda depends on your skills, free time, and dollar amount you are willing to spend.

What is different between the GM and Nissan alt's that requires wiring changes versus no wiring changes, respectively? Is it just the 10% difference in output?

http://shoptoolsshoptools.com/shopexd.asp?id=1156

Thanks, I will definitely be replacing the transistors and checking to seeing if they get hot...as Subydooder described in his concurrent thread. And if so, I will switch out the fuel pump as well. This has been a pain and an inconvenience, but it is good to learn more about the circuit and know how to by-pass the FPCU in the event that it doesn't die in front of my shop next time. Not that there will be a next time...who am I kidding. Thanks to all for the help!

Following up...they crushed the two '81's on Friday, and I could not locate a component in the ea82's that looked quite right, so I ended up with a FPCU out of an '82 that was also fried in the same spot. For now, I have direct wired the pump through the FPCU connector with a fused switch. After seeing Subydooder's (sp?) replacement component for the same problem I think I will try to repair the FPCUs and continue looking for one that is in better condition.