el_freddo

My take on the TOD. Air or lack of oil pressure in the HLA’s allowing the piston/knob (part that the cam follower sits on) to bottom out internally in the HLA. This eventually wears out the base of the HLA where this piston/knob piece sits, allowing oil to pass freely out to the open space of the engine’s internal area, thus not maintaining pressure or keeping the HLAs pumped up and doing their thing. Best solution to this is an EJ. Worked for me. My EJ has a quieter “TOD” when the oil level is at the low mark Cheers Bennie

I’m with DaveT on this - it’s an issue with the auto choke. Cheers Bennie

Sick looking hatch! I’d have one if they were available over here. Same for the L series RXII coupe! Cheers Bennie

Stick with anything EA81 and it’ll fit. As for junkyard item vs chain store vs quality radiator builder, I’d go the builder if possible. You might be surprised with the cost they could build a radiator for. They usually need your old one as a template if the vehicle is not staying with them. Cheers Bennie

They were developed by some members from the board from memory. It was a very interesting process! I don’t know if any are available these days though. Someone will know the dude’s contact details. Cheers Bennie

Put an EJ engine in with the EJ gearbox and you’ll have some of the usual fitment mods to do as required when doing the L series 5 speed. Some required mods will be more involved than others compared to the usual L series 5spd conversion. And I highly doubt you’ll find a dual range EJ box at a parts yard in the states. All the best with whatever you decide. Cheers Bennie

Make sure the valves aren’t bent. If it’s running you should be all good though. Cheers Bennie

International shipping from Oz is the killer bit. Cheers Bennie

@oczuk32 - correct. Chrome strip (plastic) is separate to windscreen rubber. Cheers Bennie

Probably not the tensioner if it goes quiet then. I’ll have to watch the video tomorrow and get back to you, I’m sure someone will have an answer for you. Cheers Bennie

That sounds like a dead cam belt tensioner. Removed LHS cam cover and check if the tensioner is bouncing. There are plenty of YouTube videos about this. If you can’t see it, it doesn’t mean it’s good, use the above link to the stethoscope and use this to properly diagnose the issue. We had one go bad on our EJ251 and it looked fine while running but the stethoscope pinned the noise with the tensioner. Swapped for OEM and no issues since Cheers Bennie

Yeah they’ve been on the market for a while now, probably a bit over a year. I’ve toyed with the idea of getting one for the shelf - waiting for the day my beloved ute gets a respray after all the dents are pulled out. I believe they ship international Cheers Bennie

Which then equates to about $4.11 US. So we’re better off by a bit of a margin. Who would’ve thought?? (That is provided 91 is their highest rated fuel for domestic use) Cheers Bennie

@sirtokesalot I reckon the lack of replies means your on new ground with this one. I hope leaving it means it’s all good long term for you. Cheers Bennie

That’s really balls. Not much you could do there otherthan sell parts. Front bumper from the brat will bolt on your hatch. Even then, some wire or cable ties and you’ll have your bumper reattached and ready for action again! Cheers Bennie

Why claim insurance anyway? Get a new bar, replace, move on, insurance company doesn’t need to know... Cheers Bennie

Your insurance company sucks. That’s not totalled!! That a damaged bumper bar! My brumby was backed into by a tray back ute that sliced open my front right hand guard like a tin can. The insurance company found a new guard and replaced it. Now that panel is the best looking one on the car! I hope it’s not totalled. Too straight to have a salvage title on it. Cheers Bennie

I’m in Australia too and I know that panel (plastic) above the driver’s feet as a kick panel. It’s there to tidy up loose wiring from interfering with the driver’s feet. It probably does a small job of reducing the driver’s feet ending up in the dashboard during a crash - at least it does in newer vehicles! And yes, it’s tight in there but isn’t too bad overall. Cheers Bennie

If you’ve got noises from the CV shaft on that side of your front end, then it could be a dead outer joint. I had this issue on my brumby and it would pull on the steering wheel right off the mark. But it had mega noise when turning corners from that front driveshaft. Cheers Bennie

How many km/miles? I’d say your rear suspension bushes need replacement. Cheers Bennie

Remove kick panel for better access. From memory the last time I did a cable swap I didn’t remove the clutch pedal (I could be wrong though - I removed the pedal for the L cable recently), the driver’s seat certainly did not move out of the vehicle. Use a torch or some sort of light to brighten up that dark space - it’ll make work so much easier! Cheers Bennie

Said no one ever! Looks good mate! *almost* makes me want to do a lifted sedan. But I’m a wagon boy at heart (or ute, either way!). Cheers Bennie

I’d be using new gaskets an sealing washers. 5ftlb is just keep the bolt in, on the EJs, it seems the thread is all taken up and the bolt bottoms out on the cam retainer plate. Any tighter and you risk stripping the bolt or the thread the bolt fits in to. Cheers Bennie

I didn’t realise how badly I typed that post! Apologies! Cheers Bennie

@Steptoe Wiring loom and processes would be similar if not the same. Tried a forester workshop manual? Have you done a JDM workshop manual search? Cheers Bennie