GeneralDisorder

Plug in the green connectors and read the flashing codes from the LED on the front panel of the ECU. You have to remove the panel from under the dash on the drivers side to see it. It will flash in the standard long/short code sequence indicating first and last number's of the two digit code. Then you just reference them to a code table such as the one in the PDF copy of the fuel section out of the FSM at the bottom of my SPFI conversion write up: http://home.comcast.net/~trilinear/EA81_SPFI.html GD

Actually they made the same power as an EA71 and SOA built a destroked (1.0 liter using a JDM crank) version of that little guy with 120 HP. Still holds the bonneville reccord in the 1.0 liter class..... three 40mm mikuni's and a really hot cam. GD

So rewire the bulb to come on with the oil pressure idiot lamp. They will both come on with the bulb check and assuming you have oil pressure they will both go out when the engine starts I agree with you - if it isn't broke, don't fix it. Make a mental note of it and make the wiring connections easily accessible so you can change it back from under the dash but don't needlessly spend time and money fixing a problem that's essentially a technicality - especially if it's not bothering you. GD

I mean that the problem was solved because I installed a new belt and it never came back. When I got the car it had 114k on it. Belt snapped at 118k. I had tried everything I could think of - even checked the timing at idle. Flushed the tranny, etc. It was the belt on it's way out that was causing it and I had no way to know that till it snapped being I didn't know the vehicle history. GD

It's 4WD not AWD - you should not engage it on hard surfaces. There is no place to get the parts you need other that the dealer or the junk yard. As far as the head gasket you should do that along with the timing belt, water pump, and all the hoses, seals and gaskets on the front of the engine. Look to spend about $250 in parts if you do it yourself or around $750 to $1000 for a shop. GD

They won't fit. But you could install turbo pistons, lowering the comp. ratio to 7.7.... that would likely get it down to 60 hp. GD

Perhaps you haven't used "Yeild" yet. I am contemplating a group buy at some point - it's availible through my shop to me at our cost but it's $160 a case (12 cans). Amazing stuff though - can't buy it on the consumer market because of the MSDS ratings. GD

We can't help you till you pull the ECU codes. The system has self-diagnostic abilities. Use them. Hessitation on take off with the 3AT automatic could be almost anything - last one I had that did this was a stretched timing belt. The problem was solved when it snapped. GD

It only goes on one way - match the new seal up to the groove in the oil pump.... GD

If you bought one for a '79 EA71 then it's not going to have an internal regulator. 1982 was the first year for internally regulated alternators. GD

Loyale's did not come with MPFI except for the 1990 turbo model. GD

I replaced every single coolant line on the thing right after I got it installed. The coolant use is likely a slight head gasket leak. I have never overheated it of course - I know better. And even in this 90 degree weather it's rock solid on it's temp. You know me - I won't take the chance. I have only lost one engine and that was many years ago now. Due to bad oil pressure from a worn out pump of all things! Oh I know - you have more experience than anyone has a right to have with the blighted things. You have more patience for them than anyone I know. Knowing the beutifully designed engines that came before them and after them ruins the experience for me I'm afraid. With 183k, it's very probable that it needs a whole new pump. The EA series Georotor pumps are prone to wear if maintenenace isn't kept up on religiously. Also, looking at his mickey-mouse o-ring it doesn't look to be hard, nor is it sucked in. It's flat but they do that after only a few thousand miles - the heat and pressure makes them stay that way after being removed. I don't see any clear evidence that this is his problem. He claims that the cam-case o-rings *must* surely have been replaced when the head gaskets were done. I would agree if the dealer did them - but I wouldn't trust any other shop to do them, nor would I trust that if they did they didn't just grab a properly sized o-ring from their shop supply. It wouldn't be the first time. The fact that there is a clear oil pressure problem with his engine seems to indicate that something was not done properly at the head gasket replacement. I don't beleive for a second that the oil pump mickey is original to the engine in the condition it's in - not at 183k on a turbo. The oil temps are too high - it would be hard as a rock by now. GD

Right on - always good to hear that another person has been succesful. When I wrote it there was almost no one that would try it out - been about 4 years now and there's a lot more people converting. I'm glad it's been helpful to so many. GD

I'm 6' 2", and headroom is at a premium for me in the EA81's. If you could give me an idea if the headroom increased or decreased at the lowest setting of the height adjusters that would be super. There are a lot of us with this problem and it's always good to know what works and what doesn't. I snagged a set of the Isuzu Impulse seats years ago as they are super thin and yeild around 2" of extra headroom. It's quite noticeable. GD

There isn't any difference, for the purposes of this discussion, between the turbo and non turbo. Both have the same oiling system and lifters. I know you have more experience (and some strange love affair ) with the EA82T, but I've owned my share of EA82's, done more reseals than I can count on one hand, and fixed my share of TOD too. The variety of opinions is what people come here for. It's just been my experience that oil pump seals are rarely a lasting fix - often the problem returns in only a few thousand miles. It's so invasive to do the oil pump seals on an EA82 that I feel it is warranted to purchase remanufactured lifters, a new pump, and do the cam case o-rings as well. It's just good insurance against having to tear into the thing again. I do understand the money aspect of it, but if money is a problem then just keep adding oil and drive it. TOD is not terminal and the same parts will still need replacing in another 50k miles. Well - you have the weight advantage so if you can get up around 175 HP you could probably take me. I have no mods on the thing outside of the 3" exhaust. It used a little less than a qaurt of coolant over the last 3k - so I'm looking at pulling it and doing a reseal and cylinder inspection before I install the TD05. I'm not taking any chances - the engine is supposedly low mileage (110k) and too diifficult to find a replacement for. GD

Yes - that could easily be the case. If the wiring is damaged it may not be able to carry the load of the pump. The fuel pump control unit is designed to run the pump for about 1.5 seconds when the key is placed into the run position. Then it runs it continuously if you are cranking or the engine is running (whenever a tach signal is present from the coil). GD

They look a bit tall on the front edge but not bad. Do they give you any more headroom? I know that Isuzu Impulse seats are nearly a direct fit, but the set I have don't look quite like that - perhaps from a newer one? I know there were several body styles of Impulses and it's likely they used similar seat mountings..... but that's just a WAG. Do tell.... GD

Cleaning the electrical connection is a good idea. Although cleaning the sensor itself is not neccesary (and more trouble than it's worth to remove it), you should check the resistance of the CTS with a DMM and compare to the specs in the PDF that is linked from my write up. They are very often out of range by several thousand OHMS. In fact if the ECU had a function to recalibrate the temp sensors you would likely never need to replace them. Unfortunately it's expecting them to act as they do when they are new - as they age the resistance values change. It's just an artifact of the materials they are made from. The sensor is a potted thermistor or RTD (resistive temperature device). It changes it's resistance based on the temp of the outer brass jacket. The cleanliness of the jacket is only going to affect how quickly it responds to temp changes - but very minimally and being that the engine doesn't change temp rapidly under normal conditions it's really a non-issue. GD

With how plentiful they are, that's not too bad of an idea. Although it does make it a huge pita if you ever want to dissasemble the thing. But then you can just find a good used one in that case as they are everywhere.... for now. I don't personally like it because I'm just anal that way and I prefer to be able to replace the needle bearings and clean the optical pickup if needed. I also don't like welding on electronics - and the possibility of warpage is never good either. Drilling it is made a LOT easier with a drill press and some small v-blocks to hold it. GD

I understand - you want to beleive it's just an easy fix. I get that. However, this is a problem that the "majority" of people out there NEVER solve. Because they don't know how and they won't listed to those of us that do. I do this stuff every day. And I've owned about a dozen EA82's, including a few turbo's. Been on this board for around 7 years - seen a few things in that time. I own 6 Subaru's right now - not a single EA82T. They are crap and I don't have time for crap. Worst engine Subaru has ever made - BY FAR. But that's ok - you won't get anymore help from me. Have fun. GD

That's nice and all, but his car doesn't have an 02 sensor. Unless you are talking about the original poster? In which case he was so close to passing that a little denatured alcohol would bring it right in line easily. GD

If you read my write up on it you'll see that it's not as simple as swapping the gear - you have to drill a new hole for the roll pin. GD

Might have a different plug but it's going to be the same unit. In fact all incarnations of fuel injected EA82's (Turbo, MPFI, and SPFI) use the same distributor. It's just an optical CAS unit. GD

Haveing that ring in there (the washer you ground down and pressed over the copper tube) is not a good idea. The o-ring has to "crush" to do it's job and it looks like that will impede it from doing so. What will happen is the o-ring will not be able to expand (flatten) and the oil pump will not draw up tight to the mating surface on the block. If your entrap an o-ring like that it will not allow you to tighten the thing down - they are rubber, but given nowhere to go they will feel like steel. I've ecountered cases where I installed the wrong o-ring in a very accurately machined groove - the o-ring was too large and would not allow the mating surfaces to properly draw together. As a result i couldn't set the clearances properly till I changed the o-ring to a smaller diameter. The difference in diameter was 0.5mm.... see what I mean? That ring isn't going to work I'm afraid.... Also - the oil pressure gauge on these cars isn't to be trusted. They are notorious for being off. 55 psi at idle is extremely high and I would suspect a fualty sender or gauge. Unless that reading was cold? They shouldn't be read cold as it's a very poor metric to discuss here on the board - it's based on ambient temps and the multi-viscosity index of the oil you are using.... it means little. At least at operating temp you have a better chance as the thermostat should regulate the engine to around 200 degrees F and you will be within the normal ISO rating of the oil. I like to see no less than 20 psi hot idle and ideally around 25 psi. Ar cruise RPM it should be around 50 or 60 psi. GD