Yo'J

Nice run!

With three wheels on the ground even......

The funny foldover ones. I got two kinds of foldovers in two box's though, one with lock tabs and one thats a straight foldover type. (I just did this.)

I go to Bow Wow in lynnwood for the empi stuff in the seattle area. They have always done me right and are usually just a day out on orders. They do mostly VW but dabble in subaru too.

At least you don't have to pull the motor. Its way easier to pull it. I've never done an ea81 but I've done an ea82 and an ej HG. Are you planning to get your heads flattened? You might find some fun stuff in an ea82. Hows your lifters?

I've had no luck with aftermarket senders. Dealer ones are the way to go. I'm wondering how many types they used on the gen two and threes. I'm guessing they might be more year specific than we realize.

I just have to say......You are on the right track. If you can make molds of older and current models you will end up in the black (green)! Even the 2002 models need new headlamp covers soon as people will be buffing through them in a short few years or so. Its a great business model you should take advantage of now.

^^AS LONG AS THE MOTOR IN YOUR DONOR IS GOOD! After I pulled mine, I found the all wrong injectors, two wrong kinds, faulty iac and tps, messed with throttle body w/ screwdriver marks??, blown head gaskets, and it just goes to show, test the donors then get the good donor, fix it, THEN, strip it. I've been pulling my hair out!!!!! I'm still trying to buget this. Free at this point is too expensive! Don't give yourself the crash course in engine electronics like I did.....and others have done.( I hope I'm not the only fool like that:grin: I feel like I am)......... If I had only known then what I know today...... Well, I thought the sellers were dumb enough to not mess with things, but boy was I wrong. The trans was toast so it wasn't driveable and I'm still (toast)!. I'm about to start from scratch as it might be cheaper! We'll see.

And here I thought it might be something more complicated..... "I'm at my wits end......"

As long as your donor engine is in top shape in the original car() it should be very straight forward. If its not, thats where your problems can compound.

Check your grounds as well. Are you sure your not off a tooth on your timing?

Your way better at this than I could be and I know you have a lot more experience than I do. Could you have an advance or vacuum problem in one of your restricted lines? The ones with the little plugs. I know they get clogged. I just remember them being there and I'm not remembering where they go right now. I'm assuming no leaks and its not oil related and your o2 sensor is good. All sensors and thermo switches are normalish. Anti-freeze smells normal. Cat?

Funny thread, about this time in my life, my moms trans dies, I got to fix it of course, week after that I blow a HG and have to swap engines in my daily driver. So, how it turns so fast into another whole can of worms? I dont know. Axles, wiring probs, carbie settings, brakes (4wd ea82 sedan rear struts maybe). I'm tuning now, happily.

How bout this..... can you feel the wires in the harness that rub on the battery shelf? Its where the crimp is for the power I believe. That is a very messed with wire in that bundle. You always move it for an overhaul of almost any kind. Im about to strip the whole thing a foot in either direction and repair every wire I got probs with. I got a rainy day short and no side markers and a fan you wiggle that same wire to turn on. I've gotta do it this week. Your in an xt? It shouldnt be so different from my wagon.

heck, I got a brand new dizzy with a bad module a month old... does the tach move while cranking?

Everybody forgets a valve adjustment. Just do it every year or just check. Its the cost of the valve covers but its really so important for mileage and the life of the motor. I needed to do it to my old motor at every 20000 or less(every year) just to keep it in tune. It really makes a difference if its not a hydro lifted motor. Its really good to get the valve wrench too as a regular wrench doesn't do as nice a job and wants to slip and goober the square head. I always watched the mileage and drivability (sp?) suffer if I wasn't prompt on it. I'd just (almost) bury the needle with my 5spd and 26.5r14s (on the flats of course), thats about 95 or a (very little) more.

One thing I have noticed is the some shafts have a ring holding the (?) inner race on, and, some have a ridge on the shaft to keep the race in place. Dunno if that is a factory vs. aftermarket factor but as far as longevity is concerned, the one with the ridge doesn't blow out as fast.

Its been a number of years since I had that 2wd 85 wagon with its craptachi, but it died with the shift up light coming on at just over 1500 rpms IIRC. I always laughed at it knowing it was wrong....obviously. I was my first car and might have been a Cali car, I just dont remember. It never did run right, but, it would run like a bat out of hell( for what it was) once it was moving. Came close but the carb just always came into play on startup and really low rpm driving. That was way before I found this place. Had I only known back then..... Might be an '85 only thing?

Welcome to life....I'm here with ya! ....Replace moms trans, work party out of town, blow hg on the way home, finish extra motor, install new motor, wedding way out of town, fix hangover, wait... thats just the last 2.5 weeks and rents due! Ahh life...I swear after 8hrs of wedding dishes my hands still arent clean and I got a thumb nail thats about to NOT grow back from slamming the nail bed on that damn honda knuckle of my moms. I heard there are flowers somwhere.....

Thats way better than just adding to the support runners that come stock on some subies. I'm liking that!

I'd bet with a wide band a/f sensor and meter and a pro tune you'll keep that thing running tops. Do you know any roo nuts near you that could give you a hand? Vapor lock is kind of strange.

I got some hi-po clutch in my wagon and its a little jerky and unforgiving. I'm blowing axles, just wearing them out on the inner joint. I put a stock xt6 clutch in my ejed brat and it does much better so far. Of course I have to disclaim my brat still needs tuning, injectors and some trouble shooting, so I'm not running at full potential, but, its not like its just 'on or off' like my wagon.

If you try to un-screw the egr port on the weber carb you'll see its really a tiny screw in the tip of the nipple for your egr. Simple.

Something I noticed, besides the cables breaking easily, is the factory A/C box has a different air passage configuration. It moves air at the top as well. My brat came with A/C and I pulled the it and the box out due to mice and found afterward that the defrost is highly superior to my other wagon that just uses the left to right air tube. You do lose alot of room behind the dash but unless you need it for your extra power converter or ej harness it would go unused anyway. As for your control box goes, its worth a good visual inspection to make sure all the linkages open and close things all the way. If the foam flap cover wears off it could be in some part of the system somewhere blocking something and the flapper would need readjustment for the missing foam piece. Mine was wrapped around the A/C unit with mice bedding. Wooopie!

Whats the difference between a body lift and a suspension lift? With a suspension lift, wouldn't you be able to utilize 'less' of your range of travel, and with a body lift, you 'potentially' could gain 'more' travel? Just looking at the axle in motion and thinking out loud.