GeneralDisorder

Frankly that's a mess - you need a whole transfer section and that's much worse than the one's I've seen in the past where only the actual center diff was bad. Unless a deal comes along on a core transmission with a bad primary or reverse gear - no way you will fix that for less than a good used one. The parts costs alone will be up in the $800+ range I would guess. I know the center diff is $450 by itself. Then you need the transfer gears, bearings, etc.... gonna have to write that one off I'm afraid GD

Yes - if you tune it right and you pay attention to all the other factors that affect fuel economy. The feedback Hitachi can best the Weber by a couple MPG. A non-feedback is almost identical to a properly setup Weber. I have one on my EA81 4WD hatch and I've had a lot of Hitachi's and a lot of Weber's over the years. My fuel economy didn't change a bit going from the non-feedback Hitachi to the Weber. I get about 27 give or take .5 in town and I get 31 on freeway trips - give or take .5. And this is on an EA81 with 140 psi on three cylinders and 110 on the #2. I know a board member that has a FULLY functional (new from Subaru) EA81 feedback Hitachi on an excellent condition engine. He gets 32 to 34 MPG most of the time. But it takes a special kind of insanity to maintain the feedback system and making it run right past 300k miles (last I heard it was around 325k on it) involved buying a new carb at nearly $600 a few years ago. GD

It's not the same in the '95+ Maxima - the dimensions are slightly different and it's a 95 Amp instead of the 90 of the older Maxima's. You can (I have) make them fit with some modifications to the brackets and the pulley swap I do still works on them. Not worth it for the extra 5A IMO. GD

I don't reply with the intention of Quidam reading or liking what I have to say. As in any good debate - it will be up to the crowd to pick a winner. Thus he doesn't need to read anything that I post. In fact that just means he can't refute anything I say. But I suspect he still reads them anyway. In a debate - the goal is not to try and convince the other side - it's to convice the audience. The only reason he doesn't like my posts is because I'm one of the most outspoken about the pitfalls of the EA82 Turbo. Which virtually no one around here likes but him. Sure - I'm loud about it - but nearly everyone on this board feels the same way. GD

Yeah that's typical of the '99 5MT's. Specifically I've seen a number of '99s where the center diff spider gears had gone bad. The last one I sold to a board member who had another '99 with a bad reverse gear. He cleaned it up, installed his center diff and it's working fine. Sadly it's hard to find the center diff's used (core transmissions have bad one's and no one will part out a good tranny) and they aren't cheap from the dealer - about $450 for the differential assembly. Best bet is a 96 to 98 Outback or 98 Forester tranny. Will bolt right up for the most part but doesn't have the center diff problems of the phase-II 5MT. A 90 to 94 Legacy (also 4.11) transmission could work also though it will not have the exhaust bracket mount and some other stuff is slightly different. GD

Used VF7's are not that hard to find. And it's not that hard to upgrade to the TD04 from a WRX. Do an intercooler at the same time. Your power and your reliability will go up if you don't change the stock boost pressure settings. GD

Why don't you get back to this thread when you have actually ran that thing? In the meantime your *speculation* really is of no use to this thread. And I'm pretty sure the original poster doesn't want to do that much uneccesary work - a Weber will do everything that Hitachi will do and won't require any "mods" to do it. A bread tie wrapped around the linkage to make it function as a mechanical linkage is silly - besides that it's been tried by me and others (years ago). Without a lot of modifications it's just not viable. They don't like rapid throttle openeing when you run them like that. GD

A prettied-up EA82 Hitachi (That's a DCZ-328 variant) with no choke that's had a bunch of untried modifications done to it? That's your offering? What a joke. P.O.S. GD

306 means it's a 30mm secondary with a 26mm primary barrel. That is the factory size for an EA81. The fact that you want a progressive mechanical linkage for the secondary sugests that you are concerned with performance. Otherwise - why bother? The factory Hitachi's have vacuum operated secondaries and thus are not designed with proper enrichment for rapid WOT opening of the primary and secondary at the same time. If you mechanically link them and slam the pedal to the floor you will get a massive lean condition and the engine may just die. I'm sure that Hitachi has copied a number of good carb designs and that they have made race versions of stuff. Doesn't mean they are easy to find. or will easily bolt up. What IS easy to find and bolt up is the Weber DGV. Performance is more than adequate for a stock EA series engine and you can have a brand new one up and running for less than $300. A new-from-Subaru factory EA Hitachi carb is in the $500+ range. The Weber is a bargain and completely adequate and 100% tuneable. There is no reason to try and mess with the factory carb. They are old, needlessly complex, and full of gotcha's when it comes to trying to tune them. GD

Well - the end result if you use that combo is that the PP fingers don't contact the T/O bearing in the correct place. The EA81 T/O is a lot smaller than the EA82/EJ T/O and so I suspect you get a much harder pedal feel than was intended by the design - it also will change the location of the clutch fork on the EA82 transmission and may cause adjustment issues with the cable because you are effectively moving the entire flywheel and clutch combo toward the transmission by the aforementioned .1" - thus requireing the starter spacer, etc. That's a big cludged-up system for what is a pretty simple-to-solve problem. Resurface the EA81 flywheel to the EA82 step height and use 100% EA82 clutch parts, or use the EA82 flywheel and use 100% EA82 clutch parts. Then the starter works normally, the clutch fork and cable all work as intended, and the T/O contacts the PP as designed. I realize that the 85/86 round-spring-pack EA82 disc's will fit the EA81 pressure plate and slide into the EA82 transmission. But it's still a cludged-up setup that doesn't work as well as the two methods I list above. I just did one last week with the EA82 flywheel - all you have to do is grind about 1/4" of material away from the bottom of the bell-housing "window" and transfer the "0" mark for the timing. With the zero mark known you can work out where any other mark you could want is located for ignition timing. This whole process takes about 20 minutes (grinding and zero mark transfer). I doubt there is a T/O bearing that has a smaller diameter and will work with the EA81 PP. This is due to the EA82 transmission having a larger diameter input shaft and quill. And that still doesn't solve the location of the fork in relation to the cable. If you move the whole clutch pack backwards toward the transmission then you move the cable adjustment way out to the end of the cable or beyond it. GD

96+ engines are single-port exhaust so you would have to source a single port exhaust header (harder than it sounds because of no aftermarket for them). The EGR port is only on 95+ automatics but is easy to block off as you noted. Other than that you can use any 90 to 98 long-block. 99 to 01 EJ22's are phase-II engines and are not compatible. 205k is not that high. If it ran fine otherwise and oil consumption wasn't bad - I would just do the HG's and drive it another 150k. Too big of a gamble with a used engine if you have a known good one that just needs HG's. It's only about $100 to replace them. You are near me it looks like - if you need/want assistance or to just drop it off and have it done right - I have a warm garage with a car lift and engine hoist. I can easily do HG's and have it up and running again in one day. GD

Manual transmission stubs are held in with snap-rings and can't be removed without dissasembling the transmission. Automatic's are held in with spring clips and can be removed with a slide hammer. GD

I've done a number of these swaps. 1. I've never changed the clutch cable. The EA81 cable works great. 2. I've never spaced out the starter. They always have worked fine. 3. You can't use the EA81 flywheel in it's stock dimensions. You have to have it resurfaced to a .815" step. That means machining down the outside edge by about .1" or so. The EA81 flywheel is too deep for the EA82 pressure plate and the EA81 pressure plate has the wrong dimensions on the springs for the EA82 T/O bearing. You need to use the EA82 pressure plate and remachine the flywheel to match or use the EA82 flywheel and grind the bottom of the bell-housing and transfer your timing marks to it. GD

SPFI harnesses come in about 4 flavors over the years. Suffice to say you want an 88 or 89 harness and you shouldn't have much problem swapping it over. A 90 to 94 harness would probably work as well but might have a few more differences. All the SPFI ECU's are interchangeable. But the 86 and 87 ECU's have two wires swapped for the distributor signals. You have to swap the wires at the distributor plug - but they will work. Also 90 and newer ECU's are looking for an additional switch on the clutch pedal assembly. But other than the distributor wiring - I don't know of any differences between ECU's that will result in a no-start condition. They will all start the engine and run it - sometimes spewing codes as they look for sensors or switches that aren't present. Sounds like Mick is on the job now. I'm sure he'll come up with something. If a harness is needed - I could most likely source the exact year and match it up from my yards around here. EA82's are still fairly plentiful around here. GD

Well - all you really need is the adaptor plate and an air filter. That's all the "conversion kit" comes with anyway in addition to the carb. You will want the electric choke version (same price): http://www.webercarbsdirect.com/32_36_DGEV_p/22680.033b.htm Of if you want a manual choke like the one you linked above (has to be a true manual choke carb - not a converted electric/water choke unit like they are showing): http://www.carburetion.net/products/2103-22680005.aspx And then you need the adaptor plate (not listed on that site): http://www.carburetion.net/products/3345-99004731.aspx And an air filter/housing: http://www.webercarbsdirect.com/product_p/f1000.htm GD

Been quite a few years since I bothered rebuilding one.... mostly I see how far I can shot-put them. :cool:. The DGV Weber is the simple and easy answer to the "What should I do with my Hitachi" question. The stock carbs are old and worn out and without rebushing the throttle shafts, etc a rebuild kit will only go so far. Better to just save the $50 you would spend on the rebuild and sink that into a Weber. The kits are only about $325. That's peanuts when you consider the benefits and the frustration you will save yourself. If you do rebuild the Hitachi - don't lose the accelerator pump check ball. And try not to lose the tiny little cotter pins that hold all the linkage together. When you are dissasembling the throttle shafts thread the parts one at a time onto a length of wire so the order doesn't get confused. GD

The design of the Hitachi limits what can be done with it. In the first place it's very small - and you can't mechanically open the secondary without a huge flat spot because it has no means of properly transitioning. Even if you solved all it's issues and tuned it to the moon it would never be a progressive Weber - it's just too small. They also have a metering port system that's just silly and complicated. The feedback versions are best left with their ECU and sensors intact - they get better mileage that way and that's really all they are good for. The non feedback versions don't do any better than a properly tuned Weber so you might as well just pitch them in the trash. GD

Yeah - I've been replacing the gaskets with Permatex Anaerobic - or you can use RTV also but I hate the stuff personally. No issues with leaking or pan gaskets deteriorating. You probably have forgotten to disconnect the pitching stopper on the top of the engine. That will prevent you from jacking it up very far. GD

Yeah the gaskets are designed to seal on aluminium. Some thin aluminium sheet (1/8" or so) would make the gaskets seal well and it should work without much fuss. A little time spent making the spacers but they aren't terribly complicated. GD

Make a spacer from aluminium (thin) and put an OEM gasket on either side of it. GD

First - you will get more responses if you start your own thread. Second - try a junk yard. Third - if you can't find one - put a jumper wire between the hot pin and the fuel pump power lead in the connector that went to this module and the fuel pump will run with the key on. Temporary fix but if you want to make it permanent just get an oil pressure safetly switch instead - such as this: http://www.amazon.com/Carter-A68301-Oil-Pressure-Switch/dp/B000CSWR10 If you rewire - be aware that you will probably also have to rewire the choke power. That runs from the same module. GD

Personally I have stepped away from almost all RTV products. I find that in almost all cases there are better and cleaner options. From many perspectives - application, cleanup, dissasembly, and shelf-life. RTV products lose in every catagory to the anaerobic flange sealants. The only advantage they have is they are cheap. But a caulk gun sized cartridge of the anaerobic will last years (infinite shelf life) and is only about $40: http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-51580-Anaerobic-Sealant-Cartridge/dp/B000HBGLVY GD

Yeah - the unit itself is tiny (like maybe 3" in diameter) and is all welded together with the fluid inside. Very similar to the 5MT center VC's. GD

The fluid is in constant "sheer" by the plates. Every time the vehicle turns the wheels are forced to rotate at different speeds and that degrades and heat cycles the fluid inside. You have to understand the different forces involved between rotating the wheels by hand and them being driven by the car's engine and weight. You would need to rig up a torque wrench on one of the stubs to see what the break-away torque was, and then start spinning it faster to see what, if any, changes the heating of the fluid created in the amount of torque required to keep the discs in sheer. In practice no one ever does this and just assumes that LSD's and VLSD's work and last forever. Like all mechanical devices they do not. The clutch types can be rebuilt and also tuned by the amount of preload you put on the clutch pack. The VLSD's have no such ability. Once they start loosing their ability to lock-up they never get it back. GD

There are no stickers on the diffs past '94. You just have to know what models came with LSD's (Forester and Outback XT's, Most WRX's and all STi's of course, Some Legacy GT's.... etc). The only way to tell is to jack them up and turn the wheels. GD