ferox

Welcome, did you pick up this chip somewhere locally or did you order it on the internet? I need to replace two myself. Thanks in advance.

Did this start happening when you put the weber on originally and gradually get worse, or did it run great with the weber before and has developed more recently. What kind of vacuum is your vac. advance hooked to? I unfortunately haven't worked with the weber, so I don't know what kind of float adjustments are needed. Ya know, I recently found that the Fuel Pump Control Unit was bad on my wife's '84. It drove ok until about 2500 rpms in 3rd, then it would start surging. It gradually got worse and luckily died in front of my shop while I was trying to diagnose it. I popped the plastic case of the unit and could clearly see a bad transistor. I've have got another thread with pics I will link to tommorrow when I post some more pics. It's a thought, and quick and easy to pull out and check. Good Luck

Thanks Jerry! I am going to be installing those fancy rotors that you got me a discount on, soon. I got the upgraded Gen II brake system and rear anti-sway bar also. I would probably have them done already if my other cars weren't jealous and demanding my attention. I am really looking forward to seeing your build.

Yeah I thought of that, then I thought about what I would have to do to check the individual components, and then I thought $165 for a new one would be better than that option. Yes, I wish it were more reliable to call, but I go even if they say they don't have any. I don't want to sound racist, but sometimes the person that answers the phone doesn't understand my english very well. I am also curious to find out the similarities of the ea81 & ea82 FPCU's. Incidentally, I also need parts for my Jeep, so I will be hitting the Damascus and Foster yards at the very least. Thanks GD, that's awfully nice of you. Don't put yourself out, I am going the post what I find out about the various FPCU's after my yard runs. And yes the black one.

Thank you for your kind words This one will remain stock. I am rebuilding this Justy as a super-commuter DD and I haven't the skills or time to do a turbo build at this point. Also, I probably wouldn't do that type of build on a Justy because all the other control systems...brakes, suspension, steering are still miniature and upgrading them would require enough fab that you might as well start from scratch or a different car that is better suited and supported in the aftermarket. I would love to build a high performance 3 cylinder, but electric will kick its butt everytime, so I'll probably skip straight to that. Proboards has a lot of really top notch turbo builds, and I respect that, but of the two camps 1)turbo 2)stock, I fall into the latter.

Wow, that's pretty cool. If you don't mind my asking, how much does it cost to have a piece that size zinc-coated?

Hey I live in Beavercreek and have a couple external VR's that you can have if you want.

That's what I was thinking. The wiring on the 80-81's is quite a bit different than later models. Seems like an ea82 FPCU would be more similar the one in the '84 ea81. My wife has been taking my car to night classes, so I haven't had a chance to directly compare the unit in my '81. If anything, I might be able to find the same transistor in one of those units to swap into the damaged one. The connections on the back side of the component board were in decent shape, so it's appears to be salvagable. Thanks again

Bump to see if a carbed ea82 FPCU will work. LKQ says they have two '81's at Foster and an '80 at Tigard, which are externally regulated alternator models. Will those work? Dealer says $165

I was posting other pic's, so I thought I would throw these in for your perusal. A little shiny engine entertainment...'88 Justy 1.2 L rebuilt, bored .02 over.

So after excessively grinding down the ears of a narrow case GM 7157 alternator to fit it on my stock ea81 alt. bracket I told myself next time I mod the bracket instead--with the idea that the modded bracket is a one time mod and allows for a roadside alt. replacement. This is the narrow case alt. I am referring to, which is stocked at many auto parts stores I basically cut off the rear face of the alt. bracket, removed some of the spacer material, and welded the face piece back on. Stock bracket width between the alt. ears is approximately 3.17"/79mm. The GM width between the ears is approx. 2.5"/63mm. The only thing I would have done differently is to cut the, back face, off down further on the bracket (from position A to , so that the rear alt. ear would have more clearance and provide more adjustment for installing the belt. The way it is pictured, I still had to use a small round file to notch the rear alt. ear a little bit to get it to swing down a fraction more so I could get the belt over the pulley. Not a big deal, but my objective is roadside install, so once my shiny paint job wears off a bit I will grind the bracket down slightly. The other small bracket pushes the alt. position adjuster out one inch so that it lines up with the radius of the alt. pivot. BTW the long pivot bolt and captive nut bracket work perfectly with this set-up. Here you can see that the one inch spacing provides minimal clearance with the alt. bracket. I filed a flat on the outer diameter of the bracket bolt washer so it wouldn't be under the alt. bracket. I have used this spacer set-up on my hatch for approximately a year and a half now with no problems. A couple shots with the alt. installed. Belt size 15365 for both of the alt. swaps I have done. This belt size also makes the alt. fit under the stock air cleaner like it was made for it. Thought I would throw in a shot of a factory crimp. For the '84 this is the alt. sensor wire (smaller white) and I am guessing FPCU? wire (blue) crimped to the alt. power wire (large white). This crimp is located about a foot back from the fusible link box...behind the battery. In my '81, the ignition wire was crimped in here and nothing else. On the '84, the ignition wire is actually factory crimped on the alt. side of the engine compartment, about two feet down the power supply wire from the alt. You have to dig into the harness for both. Unless you are replacing those wires, make sure they get hooked up to whatever alt. power wire you are running.

Thanks for the info., very helpful. I pulled the FPCU, took it apart and found a fairly burnt component. I don't know what it is, but I smells and looks burnt. I have a hunch this is from the overcharging condition that has been going on in the car for a while now. I jumped the pump from the battery through the FPCU connector and the pump immediately started pumping fuel, so I think I have located the problem...with your help, thanks again. I think I know the answer to this one, but would an FPCU from a carbed ea82 work as a replacement? EA81's aren't as plentiful in the yards as they used to be (hopefully that's because more people are hanging on to them and fixing them up). The pic's don't quite show the magnitude of the apparent damage, but you get the idea.

Thanks guys The voltage dropped to 4.06 V with the pump connected. So it sounds like I have either corroded connections at the FPCU, bad connections inside the FPCU, or the most likely candidate...failed wiring. Does that sum it up, or am I missing another possibility? And is the FPCU behind the driver's side trim panel (steering column) on an '84 wagon?

So I have a fuel pump that is not pumping in an '84 wagon 4WD EA81 w/ Hitachi. New fuel filter and vapor separator. I was trying to get a current reading on it while the car was running, when the fuel pump stopped working. It seemed like the pump stopped running when I pulled on the wires lightly (literally very lightly), but I have biased my diagnoses too many times in the past and don't want to misread causation from coincidence. I jumped 12v to the pump and it seems to work great. With the key in RUN, there is 12.3 volts at the pump electrical connector by testing it with both: the meter connected to hot lead of connector and chassis ground, and meter connected to both leads of the connector. With the engine cranking, voltage at pump drops to ~1.7 V. I hooked up my Miti-vac to the line from the tank to the pump and fuel poured freely before any vacuum. Before the car died, I had hooked up the Miti-vac to the fuel supply line in the engine compartment and was able to pull fuel through no problem. I checked all the fuses in the fuse box under the dash. So the pump is getting power, and the lines aren't clogged, so it would seem that the pump is bad even though it seems to run fine when jumped directly to a 12v source. I don't know where the relay is or if there are any other fuses, so I have not checked those. Could the pump be getting full voltage, but minimal current? I just wanted to double check with you all to see if I am missing something before replacing the pump.

My wife's car is doing the exact same thing. Tonight she almost didn't make it home. Tested from the (+) battery post to the back of the alternator and got exactly 0.1mV [edit 0.1V]. Tested the coil switching action and it was extremely poor. Tested the coil itself and it was perfect. Fuses and fusible links are all good. The field sensor wire is not stock, so a PO has done something. This weekend her car will be getting a new GM alt. and charging circuit.

I guess it missed whether this is a Hitachi or a Weber. If a Hitachi, did EA82 carbs not have a sight glass? Anyway, I did not explain myself clearly before, I didn't mean to divert your attention from the needle, float, and seat by mentioning the return line. I only brought it up because it sounded like you had a lot of gas coming out of the air vent...if your return line was plugged and the float valve wasn't sealing it seems like you would have more gas coming out than if the return line wasn't plugged. I would definitely try to get it unplugged (try a Mityvac), but that is not the problem with the float chamber. The only thing I can think of that would not allow the float to move freely is the thin strip of gasket around the top of the float chamber unless the needle is actually binding in the seat or something. Good luck

Click on User CP, then Pictures and Albums, and go from there. If it doesn't make sense then click on FAQ and search "pictures". On the secondary diaphram, have you pulled the diaphram off the carb since you rebuilt it to check for blockage of the vacuum passage or a bad gasket seal?

I just picked up some new strut mounts from the dealer today for $57 (part # 721033010). I was going to see what my thrust washers and bushing looked like and reuse or replace depending on condition. The mounts are kind of expensive (my new front GR2's only cost $50ea. w/shipping), but considering their importance and the amount of load bearing they do I, personally, would look for the best price you can find on the highest quality, but I realize that is not always an option. For me it was between the KYB unit or the Fuji. The KYB is $56 at rock auto before shipping. The dealer will usually quote you a higher price, but if you mention the competitions price they can make adjustments...depending on the temperament of the person behind the counter and their opinion of Older Gen subies.

I think the tube you are referring to is the Air Vent Pipe. It should not have any gas flowing out of it. Is the fuel line attached to the solenoid? If not, then I think either your float is not installed/adjusted properly or the needle and seat are just completely shot. Is your fuel return line blocked? These are my guesses, but I am sure GD or someone can give a more experienced diagnosis. Pictures would be helpful if possible.

A dent free Justy is a rare thing, and that Justy is pretty sweet, so the dents are lamentable, BUT, at least you have a great story behind them (grocery carts aren't very exciting) and now it looks kind of bad rump roast. It has a "don't mess with me" "moosehammer" look to it.

My wife's '84 wagon does this too. I also checked the distributor and it was fine. I also took the disty out of my hatch that I knew worked perfectly, put it in her car, and it still did the tach thing over 3k. Just put in a new (used) transmission and clutch and it still does the crazy tach thing over 3k. I think her charging system is a little messed up, so I am eagerly awaiting anything you find out.

+1...35,000 on the EMPI's, 265k on the car

People have had a range of experiences with aftermarket axles. The Empi's I have used have been flawless. I think when people ask about front axles (as they frequently do) the need for good transmission mounts and engine mounts (but especially trans. mounts) should to be emphasized. If the old axles have worn out and failed that means they probably had a lot of slop and could tolerate/absorb extra motion from the transmission. If you then put new axles on, they will have tight tolerances and will be severely impacted if the powertrain isn't stable, especially if you have a lift. I would not be surprised if much of new axle failure was due to the condition of the vehicle it is being installed on rather than the quality of the part itself. [Edit] I just got new trans. mounts from Rockauto for $10 each. At that price, I will change them out with every axle replacement.

Yeah the fusible links on the '81's are the two red ones that tangle off the battery. Not a good set-up. I switched mine to the protected plastic box from later model years when I removed my voltage regulator. If you haven't switched those out already it would be a good thing to do just on the idea that they are old and flex with car vibrations by dangling there. Sometimes the f. links can be partially melted and function somewhat. I have extra f. links if you want. I don't work by your parents house anymore, but I could probably swing by there on my way to or from my new job and drop some off.

I did the top half of my hatch with amazing results and durability. I prepped with rattle can self-etching primer, then plasti-kote brand rattle can bed-liner, and then I topped that with plasti-kote epoxy wheel paint. The bed liner soaks up a lot of the epoxy paint, but it is like armor now. It's been like that for a couple years and I can't find a chip or flake anywhere. In the snowy months I use my ice scraper right on it without a scratch or mar. I was really just using the epoxy paint to match the color of all the other trim and wheel painting I did, but it turned out to be a fortunate accident.