tweety

I will never deal with Rockauto. I have the stock one in my ea81 trike. It has to push the coolant through and around the engine then to the front of the trike about 8 feet away, through the ALFA 33 radiator, back to the engine. Also a small separate heater radiator off the heater tubes. Handles it fine. So why go from stock to aftermarket?

err, thankyou Jonno, I don't take times of travel. My butt's force against the seatback is my guide. I've ordered a ramflo air filter. allows air input directly vertically down the throats of the carbie. tick and yes....I'm a fuss pot. for our USA friends (true meaning of the word as we have fought alongside each other for decades now) "pot" comes from the word potty being good at cooking, or inhaling something green. and fuss meaning one has class in eating or dining, a perfectionist in character and handsomeness. A perfect pot of food cooked in a restaurant. Add them all together I'm a dizzy handsome dude that eats well......yeh Jonno..I'm a "fuss pot" Loyale- yes I read you. My Lotus engine I owned had twin weber dcoe40's and was pretty handy at tuning them. I'll make changes one at a time etc. My understanding through reading heaps of stuff has improved on the DGV. eg ideal turn out of the mixture to be 11/2 - 2 turns and mine is 2.5 turns out so have to go up on the idle jet 5 points so that will go up from 55 to 60. Hoping to get it down to under 2 turns out. 140 is the start for primary mains as per some suppliers of the carbie like redline. so will go from 130 to 140 there. I think ideally it means 140 left (adds up to 280 same as Hitachi) but will try 145 and 150 for the secondary mains. Airs will leave them at 160-165 as read they have less effect on issues and are in the ballpark but could go higher say 175. Secondary idle is for the smooth transition from primary throat to including secondary throat opening. .So 50 there will remain unless there is an issue. Think I have it covered. Yeh will print my results. Really cold here -2 to 9 degrees C so wont be for a while. Tony

Read and read and read many thread son this topic of jets for the 32/36. I can see your reasoning for the 162 secondary main jet. My engine is running superbly on its low revs primary jet of a 130 If I change that to a 140 and raise the 140 in the secondary to 155. that would make total 195 As for the idle jets. might leave the primary as is at 55 and raise the secondary to 60...at least play around with the secondary idle jet. I've ordered a jet pack on ebay. should be here in a few days. Also ordered a ramflo air filter.

Loyale 2.7 Turbo. Thankyou for your contribution to my many questions over the months, you have been a great help. Re: Main jets on your ea81 140 primary and 162 secondary. 162 seems really high compared to others I've read about mainly 140 on both mains as many weber kits come with the 32/36. Wondering why so large. The reason I'm wondering is the following I have a spfi manifold that I want to retain. It's 6mm large in diameter than the stock ea81. I have 9.5 CR on a brand new engine.Recently I tuned it all up timing at 13 degrees (set on a dyno with the 38/38 on it. ) I went for a test ride and 120 kph was achieve quickly before starting to run out of puff. Then I took off my cold air intake which comprises of a weber cap on top of the carbie to a 65mm tube about 700mm long to a large cone filter. And it was much more powerful. Hence a Ramflow air filter will be purchased and the snorkel will be taken off. I think this is a good move. However, for the sake of maximum economy and power I was wondering, due to my set up with the spfi manifold....would a larger main jet for the secondary be approapriate? As you have? I have currently 135 primary main and 140 secondary main. My plan could be to put the 140 in the primary main, then buy 145,150,155,160,165 mains and try them al one at a time in the secondary main jet. What do you think of this idea and how did your ea82 run performance and economy wise in the ea82. Just wondering about the potential of my engine with the larger secondary main jet Cheers.

Thanks Loyale 2.7 Keep those jet sizes going guys. I dont have a choke either. Bare in mind I'm running a spfi ,amifold think it is 6mm more in diameter. Might not make any difference though. And 9.5:1 compression ratio. Think might buy a few more jets and see how it performs. Also re: air filters. The ramflo type apparently is better as air gets drawn from directly above the throats as opposed to filters that have a solid top and air needs to be drawn from the sides. Makes sense to me.

Istalled a 32/36 used in very good condition today. Following jets- Primary- air 165 mains 130, idle 55 Secondary air 160, mains 140, idle 50 Runs very well. No hesitation, spluttering or rough idle. Very happy with that. Seems a little rich at idle when cold. Not much black smoke but smells rich. when warm its fine. anyone got comments on the jet sizes? My assessment of the 2 carbs is- from stationary to the forst 30 yards or so the 38 would be quicker but not by much. As for the rest of performance they are the same IMO. Having a smaller primary throat for economy makes me feel better, as most times thats all I use. So am expecting an decrease in fuel usage. I'll wait a few weeks then repost here my economy figures. By the way. I have a weber top hat air filter adapter seen here. that has a 90mm tube to cold air intake large cone filter. I took it off today for a short burst to see any difference and boy- there is a good deal more power. In fact substantial. I'm going to replace this system with a 9 inch doameter chrome filter body with paper element. (pic 2). Anyone know of a better idea for an air filter free flowing?

Now, buy a packet of small electrical zippers different colours. Place one colour at the start and end of your spark plug wires. eg red = number one plug wire, yellow number 2 and so on. (thanks Jono for that tip) Mark the side of the disty where it is on the mount. I had my disty out 180 degrees for 4 days on a lotus engine once. Rang a mate and he told me to swap the plug leads around and it roared. Took 1 minute to fix. Glad you got it right, thats what this site is all about and its a great community. Tony

Powdercoated white is the best.

Yes, keep it going. It's always good to document this stuff. And these vehicle are entering an age whereby some owners will consider taking their cars back to original. It's the sort of thread that if it helps one person fix the running of their Hitachi and save a few dollars it's worth it. Well done.

It's subjective. like color, everyone has a different fav color. I get comments "you might as well have a car". Trike has roof, heater, windscreen etc. But its my vehicles. For everyone that says that there are 20 that admire it. So some dont like banners. thats fine. You're doing a good thing- getting opinions, then weigh it all up what you want to do....and do it. Many said I was stupid going ea81 in my trike from VW. Best move I ever made Be unique

High Bratman, I've seen the specs for your Accel coils being - ACCEL Yellow can. 42000 volts effective up to 6500 RPM 1.4 ohms on the primary. The primary ohms being the topic of conversation and importance. The stock coil is about 1.1 ohms and anything less is a concern in terms of possible damage. That being the case your coil is more than the stock coil and likely a good choice IMO. Whereas my Master Blaster 2 coil has a primary of 0.7 ohms. See the issue here? Hence my pursuit of some real good technical answers as to what is the boundaries of the primary spec for a compatible coil for the standard ea81. Say if someone proved that 0.9-1.5 ohms and 42,000 volts would have zero adverse effect on the rest of the ignition system I'd be happy. http://shop.accel-ignition.com/super-stock-coil-points.html I also read on another USMB thread that GD stated that air/fuel has more to do with engine output than spark if the ignition is stock and working well. I think many coils are not ideal. Yours is one that is a good replacement. I wonder if supplied volts can be safely measured at the spark plug ensuring 100% function?

More follow up- Sent an email to MSD asking if the Master blaster 2 coil is suitable for my ea81 engine. This was the response "the master blaster coil is suitable for your engine" end reply. Would have been nice to get reasons or technical supportive comments for such. I'm not convinced. I'd love someone with technical expertise to confirm/deny the benefits/potential damage aftermarket coils do. We know the stock coils has a primary reading of 1.1 ohms. The master blaster 2 coil has 0.7 ohms which I think is too much drop from stock to be reliable for other components like the dizzy module. If someone could recommend a coil that perhaps has 0.9 ohms with evidence that its install would not hurt the module I'll be listening. Cheers.

You hooked up the crankcase ventilation tubes from the valve covers correctly newgen85brat. Essentially you can use a small aftermarket mini filter on the passenger side (US model) or hook it to where you did...in the air filter body. This allows air to be drawn in from this side and exit out the drivers side to the PCV valve. Note the black arrows.

Re: sitting in the dining room (my wife hates me) My first wife hated my Ford Zephyr heads in the bedroom. I'd wake during the night and couldnt see the harm in polishing the ports. Suppose the electric drill was a little loud. My second wife told me after 10 years "its the trike or me......I bought the trike. Was such a stupid move to give me a choice. My current wife loves me totally. Doesnt mind car parts on the lounge room floor, pin up pics in the bedroom of valves and lobes and loves the sound of a throbbing ea engine. Nope....I dont believe her

Coxy, Just read your links. one of them stated " Correct coil current The only way to guarantee reliable service is to set the coil primary current to the same level that is used in the standard vehicles the components are used on. Vehicle and component manufacturers do many severe tests to check reliability. If you use aftermarket or cheap replacement coils, then you’re on your own! There are gains to be had by raising the coil current slightly but long-term component endurance will be a gamble. Manufacturers have to be conservative for a reliability margin and to allow for manufacturing tolerances; they really know their limits." That was from : http://www.autospeed.com.au/cms/A_113140/article.html?popularArticle Thanks for those links .Another reason for sticking to the original Subaru coil with the distributor module, both new in my case. BTW, I found after some testing (riding) that the new NGK standard plug gapped at 0.42 were the ideal gap for my engine.

El Presidente was correct. I've done about 6,000kms since the rebuild. My best mileage has been 23mpg (australian gallons) worst 19mph. and thats running gently on the throttle. Once with a 32/36 prior to rebuild it got 28mpg to 34 mpg The power down low is remarkable. Mid range eg kickdown from 3rd to 2nd is great. With much thought, the 32/36 would have been the better choice and am hunting a 32/36 down at the moment. WHENEVER YOU DRIVE THROUGH SMALL TOWNS OR CRUISE ON LIGHT THROTTLE YOU WOULD ONLY BE USING THE SMALLER THROAT. It just has to be more economical. My dyno guy told me that he couldnt tune in the 38 ideally...that some jets just dont go low enough if that makes sense for the 1.8 litre. Never mind, it comes off soon. By the way the timing ended up being 13 degrees BTDC and 29 degrees high revs. So the message is clear. go the 32/36 weber. cheers.

good observation cosmasellama, I assuem it is. The pic was taken at the engine builders factory.

tell me more Jono. I have a plug in the exhaust for an O2 sensor (for when SPFI was in there). Are there gauges for this and is it like the old vacuum gauges (but they were more like an accelerator gauge IMO)

Good advice from the last few posts. My engine builder told me that one should stivk to the anti freeze/coolant amount as stated on the container. Too little coolant and it isnt effective, too much and it can eat away some internal metal. So read the back of the container for guidance. As they said- a proper diagnosis. In the meantime if its really hot and temps are rising stick your demister on and turn up your heater. Your heater will act like an auxillary radiator and stop your engine from boiling. Get your fan checked.

yeh, not much wrong with this engine now. But to respond to taking it back to the dyno guy. I rode 660 kilometres today, alone no passenger, no load. I wasnt happy with the fuel economy. First refill 21mpg (Aussie gallons 4.5 litres to one gallon) Second refill 23 mpg Using 98RON again Australian measures. 98 is what it was tuned for. When I first got the ea81 4 years ago I had a 32/36 weber on it and sold that carb. I then got 29-34mpg. I've decided to buy another one. I can sell the 38/38 easily here. Plug gap. .045 would be ideal for a stock engine (8.7:1 CR) but with CR of 9.5:1 you are suppose to shorten the gap due to turbulence inside the compression chamber. So maybe .042 is more ideal.? I was advised by many that the 38 was "too big" for the ea81. It is. But I like to try things outside the square. Some times I win sometimes not. I'll get one from a junk yard and try it. Think it has the same footprint as the 38

Seems there are many ideas in remedying a problem but not fixing it. The OP needs a proper diagnosis IMO. eg replacing a single core radiator with a twin core radiator wont do zip if there is a leaking head gasket. I'm wondering if your radiator is blocked? I'd visit a radiator builder and ask him to test yours for flow. Eliminate components as you progress.

MMMM...amazing what you learn. Most members know of my rebuilt ea81 in my trike. SPFI manifold, 38/38 weber, 16/56 cam 9.5:1 CR etc. Then why did it only reach 53hp at the dyno with the right jets? I had platinum plugs that were black. Economy was not so good at 23 mpg (Oz). Recently due to this thread I started wondering about my ignition module....if it wasnt performing normally. Two years ago I had a master blaster 2 coil when my ea81 was supercharged. But after the rebuild I purchased a new stock one. I never thought the module would be damaged. I installed a new module this week. Safely can say about 20% more power. Then swapped the platimum plugs for stock new ones and opened the gap from my usual 34 thou to 45 thou". Safely say another 20% more kick. Refuelled and went for a long run today. Much much better uphills, much less throttle needed in general riding. Better throttle response. Economy - have to wait and see but is looking good on the gauge. Am using 95PULP (Australian measures). Spark plugs are perfect- light tan colour- not black. So dont use a high output coil, it could damage your module. Replace your module and use the old one as a spare in the glovebox. Use 8mm plug leads. Open up your plug gap if the rest of the ignition is A1- to .045". And tune it with 95PULP. ps my timing is 11 degrees BTDC. This was the timing set by the dyno operator that got the max hp at that point and wasnt changed during my latest experimenting with plugs. This all means that the 53hp at the rear wheels (through a VW type 3 auto trans axle) was not near its potential. I'm not going to take it back and get an updated reading. $60,000 spent on this machine over 6 years is enough. But I'm guessing that with the increase in power and torque I might have 70-75hp ATW now. More than enough for some thrills on a 660 kgm trike. Cheers

The "science" site above at the end of my last post tests these multi ground electrodes and find that the more the grounded arms there are the less effiecient they are. The Powerstar are new design with 8 arms and the spark is on the outside of the plug. watch the video on that site. I was chasing a "miss" since last Saturday but put it down to raining conditions and cold. Led me to think it was condensation under the dizzy cap. So never thought it relevant here. Yes the two cylindrical spacers/collars were not even seen when the module was taken off and the spare put on. This meant the spacers were clamped down horizontally squeezed down by the bolts and the module. lol (one cant see directly over my dizzy unless the roof and body are lifted). All clamped down good now with spacers in place and a new module and I just smeared the gunk on the bottom of the module..no harm there but like you say the modules and therefore the gunk is used on other vehicles. So in summary Jono I made a mistake. I'm like a lot of guys. Except I excel where it comes to sex appeal....and general all round handsomeness

While we are on to the topic of ignition improvements. I found this on the internet- http://www.powerstarsparkplugs.com/performance Click on the video. has eight sparks. Is much different than the more common multispark plugs and has those 8 sparks on the outside of the plug no the inside. The following web site is a test of 4 different types of plugs.- one ground strap, 2,4 and not ground strap. As Coxy indicated, ground straps tke away the ability for spark to directly be exposed to fuel/air mixture. Of the 4 types the no ground strap plug was the most favoured. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2090447912000883

Well guys I'm stoked with the great responses. Today I received my new OEM module in the mail. Before I installed it though I replaced the platinum plugs with stock plugs and regapped them to .045", made sure all 8mm plug leads had good tight end connections and tested the leads for resistance. .065-1.3 ohms depending on length...good. Went for a ride. Still misfired and it was not a consistance misfire. Out came the old module...mmmm...whats this collar here, and another- both lying down sideways. Seems a good reason NOT to work in the dark as I did the other night. For the sake of those less knowledgable the module has two bolts securing it to the distributor inner plate. Between the module and the base are two collars about 5/16" long. see pic of module and collars are number 19 in pic 2. In my inexperience I didnt know the existence of these collars and just screwed the module down over them but they werent on the bolts. So, new module comes with small bag of silicone. Told by seller to put silicone under module. tighten all down. Much better power/acceleration. No miss. Revs up to high range easily. Problem fixed. Am still interested in toying with plugs. Coxy raised many ideas. I remember in Oz in the 1970's there were plugs with 4 earth probes and one centre rod. But wont fiddle now, just interested.