GeneralDisorder

We used to get a TON of questions on here about EA81 clutch cable replacement and a lot of very frustrated members - always getting the wrong cable from the parts guys and having a hell of a time installing them. Thus my install guide. It hasn't been a very popular subject in the last few years though. Probably a lot fewer EA81's left now. Used to be I could go to the yard and see half a dozen. Now it's a good day if I see a couple across several yards. GD

It's not easier if you want it done *right* - the camber issue has to be dealt with no matter if it's a 1" lift or a 10" lift. Thus plain spacer blocks cannot be used there. The steering linkage does have to be welded but a "kit" can be bolt on for a car without power steering - most vendors are going to at least want your old steering shaft as a core though. The power steering has a different linkage to the column and I don't know if anyone makes a bolt-in kit for those. It's really pretty simple to build your own kit. You can buy the steering and strut peices from somone that makes them and build the blocks yourself. 4"x2" sqaure tube with 1/4" wall thickness makes fine blocks - you just have your steel yard cut 2" sections for you - figure about $5 per block and another $5 per cut. Then you need either a drill press or a vise and a hand drill to punch out the bolt holes. You use your existing hardware to mount the blocks to the body and then buy new hardware to mount the drivetrain and suspension to the blocks. It can be really simple if you buy the strut/shock and steering bits. It's nice to be able to do a bit of welding yourself though - things like extending the shift linkage and shortening the throw.... etc. But buying all the tools to build your own is probably a bit much for most folks. You need a metal cutting bandsaw, welder, drill-press, etc.... If you want to do it right anyway. GD

No problem. I suppose my docs should be linked to the board somehow, but they aren't. I wrote that like 4 or 5 years ago. GD

I don't think I've seen this "Idiot's Guide".... is that a published item or an online resource? GD

They are always inserted with the head toward the pedal assembly frame. That's why you don't remove the clevis pin till AFTER you remove the clutch pedal from the assembly. It's a single E clip and the whole pedal slides off the end of the pivot.... You should read my clutch cable replacement guide: http://home.comcast.net/~trilinear/clutch.html And you WANT an OEM cable. They are like $18. To the dealer my friend..... GD

Nothing need be done about it. Eyeball the bolts to the center of the holes and lock them down. Use blue loctite. The crank and flywheel are C flanged for centering. The holes being a bit large will not affect it in the least. GD

Those are about the only two. The only one I've ever seen "fling" oil off the crank is the front main. GD

It's pretty rare to see a clutch fork failure. Generally just a dab of grease and they are fine. I've seen plenty with 250k+ that were just fine. In other parts of the country, especially the rust belt, it's important to ensure the fork boot is in good condition. I get my clutch parts from a local discount house - they are typically OEM parts that are just repackaged. Sometimes I will only replace the disc, and both bearings as the pressure plate's don't fail unless they are down to the rivets on the disc. If things are badly worn I'll replace the pressure plate as well. The flywheel just have machined - $35 at my local shop and 15 minute turn-around. GD

It would be easier to just get a manual boost controller - they are cheap and you can dial in whatever boost you want. They just install between the manifold and the wastegate. GD

Definitely replace your thermostat. Sounds like it's stuck or locked open. GD

Pulling the engine is a lot easier than dropping the transmission on these cars. The hill-holder is a seperate cable and perhaps that cable is sticking. There is a return spring on the HH valve - check to insure that is in place and all is working smoothly. GD

There are lots of applications that lip seals call for a retaining compound on the OD of the seal. I do it to insure that when I set the seal evenly in the bore it's not going to move. It's probably overkill. I haven't had one leak on me yet but I don't touch them if they aren't leaking. My experience has been that they nearly always last the life of the engine so why bother? I always replace them on EA's - those are prone to failure occasionally. I've yet to see a failed OEM seal. I've seen a few failures but one was obviously not the OEM seal and another had an off-brand clutch - couldn't determine for sure that it wasn't the OEM seal but that's what I suspect being it had a bunch of cheap aftermarket parts on it. GD

Yeah - your clutch is dragging. Check the cable as they can snap unexpectedly if you don't catch them before they fail. It does sound like you have a TO bearing on the way out as well. Probably a good time to pull the engine, resurface the flywheel and replace the disc and both bearings. There is no syncro for reverse BTW. That's why it's the only one that grinds on you. You should fix this right away to avoid syncro failure on the 1-5 gears though as the dragging clutch is VERY hard on them. GD

That would be great - thanks for the help. I'll look into these samples GD

Your's has been modified then. The wastegate should not be run directly from the manifold like that. It is possible to increase the wastegate spring pressure, yes. I had a friend that put a VF7 on his Samuri and he opened the vacuum pot and replaced the spring inside with a lower rate spring. The wastegate at that point was set to open around 1 psi. Then he added an external spring to the arm and an adjustment bolt to adjust the tension. With a little experimentation he was able to adjust it to 4 psi where he wanted it with a high-comp. motor. You could do the same - just add a spring and adjustment bolt to the wastegate arm to keep it closed till the pressure rises enough to overcome the additional spring force. It's not a difficult thing to fab up. Also - wastegate's aren't "assisted" by the pot. That is their sole source of power to overcome their closing spring's. Without the wastegate pot it will easily boost to 20 psi or higher before you start to see turbine surge. The EA82T won't make it that far though. Without that pot..... there is NO wastegate. The ECU will also cut off your fuel somewhere around 10 or 12 psi. GD

Yes - you can get new boots. But you will have to dissasemble the axle to install them. If you are SURE there is no contamination of the grease/wear to the joint or you wish to run the axle till it actually fails then rebooting can be cost effective if you do it yourself. The boot kits I buy run $12 per boot and come with grease. You do need the special clamp pliers to install the clamps and they need to be TIGHT of they can slip off. All-in-all, unless I'm really sure the axle is good and I'm really cheaping out on the job then I'll just install a new axle. They are $69 for the EMPI axles where I buy them and it's $24 for both boots plus a LOT more labor. You can do the math on that one. I've rebooted maybe half a dozen - I've replaced probably hundreds. GD

All you are doing is spacing the entire drivetrain and suspension down from the body. There's 10 mounting points in the front plus the struts, and then like 6 more in the back plus the shocks. All the blocks are pretty simple - it's the struts and steering that give people the most trouble. The steering requires some welding typically, and the struts are a little more involved as you can't simply use blocks - the camber will be messed up if you don't offset the struts as you drop them. GD

The wastegate is set for something *below* the max boost setting. This allows the computer to open the wastegate when it determines boost has reached a preset max. The VF turbo's generally have wastegate's set to open at right around 5 psi. Then the computer holds back the manifold pressure till it's preset is reached and allows the wastegate to open via a PWM solenoid. If, for any reason, the computer determines that full boost is unsafe, then it just opens the PWM solenoid at 100% and you get boost only to mechanical waste-gate pressure. GD

When you say "engine temp goes up" what do you mean? Above the normal operating range? Typically with EA82's I like to see 1/3 to 1/2 on the guage if it's working properly (by no means certain). The first thing you need to do is take some temp readings - inlet and outlet of the radiator, and make sure the surface is uniform. It should show a smooth transistion from 195 to 210 degrees at the thermostat housing to less at the water pump inlet. You might have a sticking thermostat, or you might have a clogged radiator core, etc. You have verified that the coolant is full? If you are low on coolant the heater core won't have any flow through it. GD

It's generally ball-joints but clunking sounds can be from all over the place. I've even had loose leading rod's clunk back and forth at the control arm end. You have to inspect EVERY point where the wheel is attached to the body. GD

Check that the plate is actually leaking before you replace it. The one's with the most problem's are the '95/'96 seperators that were plastic and were prone to cracking. The one's made prior to these years and after these years are not nearly as problematic. I think very often there is a tendancy to blame the seperator plate for a large oil leak that's actually from somewhere else. If you do replace it, use the RTV *sparingly*. There's no need for more than a 1/16" bead. I generally just squeeze the RTV out on my finger and then make a nice even, flat layer on all the surfaces. Just thick enough that you can't see through it. You don't need a lot - it will just get squeezed out and then you have potential for peices of RTV breaking off and clogging oil passages, etc. GD

What did you use for glue to keep the coils from touching each other? I have contemplated doing this but have never had a dire need. I do have two vehicles with no #1 fan speed at the moment though. I read that you need a special flux for nichrome wire - what was your experience? I was thinking about getting a roll of wire and making a few for myself and a few extra and then sell them to cover the cost of the materials. I'm laid off currently so I do have free time between garage work. GD

5 psi is wastegate pressure. Sounds like your boost control isn't working. It's important to find out why as the computer may have a good reason for reigning in the boost - malfunctioning knock sensor, etc. GD

Don't bother. They almost never fail unless someone has screwed with them. I just pulled an engine from a '90 Legacy with 255k - orginal clutch. The rear main looked new without evidence of any leakage. The seperator plate looked fine too. I left them be. If you do replace it, just coat the outer edge with 248 loctite (blue glue stick). Coat the lip with grease if it's not already. GD

Thanks for all the support. I'll be looking for another this weekend. The new owner of the '96 will be picking it up saturday. Hopefully the next one won't be similar. GD