EA81 fuel issues (actually seems to be electrical). more updates

[uncoolperson]

there's probably a few dozen threads out there, but my quick search didn't come up with anything.

Figured I'd make a post while waiting for morning to pass before I got make a bunch of noise for my neighbors.

 

yesterday while driving back from duck hunting the brat kept dying on me

 

[weberized ea81]

the first time about 5 minutes into driving, tried getting her going again while moving under momentum and that didn't work, pulled over and she fired right back up. Just wrote that off as a fluke.

 

Then again about 5 minutes later while on the freeway, pulled to the side and fought with it for a few (fighting with = simply trying to start it). It did start, and I drove the shoulder about 1/4 of a mile.

 

after that a few times of pop the hood, look confused, fiddle with stuff try starting for 10 minutes, it starts and drive a few hundred feet to have her die on me again.

 

then she fired back up and got me home. Noticed what I can only describe as a gassy/oily/burning electrical smell in the cab... sorry can't describe it better. Heck that could've just been memories of the lingering smell that was in my hatchback (I'm a recent born again ea81 owner).

 

now she's backfiring a bit on shutdown, and idling at 1200 (the day before it was 7-800). and the gas pedal seems to mechanically stick at 3/4, requires a little extra umphh and functions past that (could've been there previously, just noticing now, could also be that I was wearing waders). The previous few days I've noticed a little extra gassy smell from her.

 

any ideas before I play blind idiot with a screw driver?

 

 

edit: I should add dying was, running good then suddenly the engine stopped, no loss of power or slow death... almost like I pulled an important wire or something.

Edited January 24, 2010 by uncoolperson

[edrach]

there's probably a few dozen threads out there, but my quick search didn't come up with anything.

Figured I'd make a post while waiting for morning to pass before I got make a bunch of noise for my neighbors.

 

yesterday while driving back from duck hunting the brat kept dying on me

 

[weberized ea81]

the first time about 5 minutes into driving, tried getting her going again while moving under momentum and that didn't work, pulled over and she fired right back up. Just wrote that off as a fluke.

 

Then again about 5 minutes later while on the freeway, pulled to the side and fought with it for a few (fighting with = simply trying to start it). It did start, and I drove the shoulder about 1/4 of a mile.

 

after that a few times of pop the hood, look confused, fiddle with stuff try starting for 10 minutes, it starts and drive a few hundred feet to have her die on me again.

 

then she fired back up and got me home. Noticed what I can only describe as a gassy/oily/burning electrical smell in the cab... sorry can't describe it better. Heck that could've just been memories of the lingering smell that was in my hatchback (I'm a recent born again ea81 owner).

 

now she's backfiring a bit on shutdown, and idling at 1200 (the day before it was 7-800). and the gas pedal seems to mechanically stick at 3/4, requires a little extra umphh and functions past that (could've been there previously, just noticing now, could also be that I was wearing waders). The previous few days I've noticed a little extra gassy smell from her.

 

any ideas before I play blind idiot with a screw driver?

 

 

edit: I should add dying was, running good then suddenly the engine stopped, no loss of power or slow death... almost like I pulled an important wire or something.

Classic symptom for the early EA81 cars. Change the fuel filter; not the one in the engine compartment (altho it wouldn't hurt to change that too), but the one by the fuel pump that everyon forgets is there (driver's side just forward of the rear wheel underneath the car). Before you look for more complicated reasons, change that first; fuel starvation will do it every time.

[GeneralDisorder]

I can almost gaurantee - based on your description - you have blown an air suction reed valve, melted the plastic silencer, and sucked it into the carb.

 

Classic symtoms right down the line. Sticking throttle from the melted plastic, strange running conditions, melted plastic smell, etc, etc. I'll bet you $10 if you look down in the carb you will see melted black plastic.

 

You'll want to disable the reed valve and remove the melted silencer as well as block the rubber line going to the air filter box. If you have two reed valves you should probably just disable both of them while you are at it.

 

Obviously you will have to fish out all the peices of plastic from the carb if you can - if not you may have to tear it down to get it all.

 

I don't think they fuel filter is your problem. That's not going to change your idle speed, mess with the throttle linkage, or make any nasty smells.

 

Although - you say you have a Weber so...... depends on how you hooked it up. Generally the ASV's aren't hooked up but they could be.

 

GD

Edited January 3, 2010 by GeneralDisorder

[uncoolperson]

she's running okay now, still a touch high on the idle rpm (I didn't do anything).

 

the resistance in the pedal seems to be when the throttle engages the arm that pushes some rod that appears to mess with the choke plates.

 

shined a flash light down inside the carb, no plastic... not sure where It'd get in there from. To the best of my remembering subarus ability I don't have that valve.

Edited January 4, 2010 by uncoolperson

[uncoolperson]

happened again, seems to be less fuel issue and more electrical issue. Couldn't get sparks outta the sparkplug wires.

[markjw]

The weber on my old ea81 would freeze up on me this time of year. It'd run like crap until I pulled over,let it thaw for a few minutes and it'd run fine again.

 

It seemed like it would do that in valleys where the air was damp. Foggy ares were worse.

 

I could actually see the frost on the carb if I got out fast enough and pop the hood. I never fixed the problem,I just dealt with it. It really only happend if the weather conditions were just right. But,the temp air outside did Not have to be anywhere near freezing.

 

Just a thought.

[uncoolperson]

That was my first thought today, popped the hood and yanked the air filter... nice and warm and gassy smellin. atleast that was how I noticed it icing up in my hatch a few years back. still might just be freezing up, although I let it sit (well, let it sit and tried to start it) for about 2 hours.

[uncoolperson]

So distributor maker is limited by coil right?

 

If my coil choices are no name/pn (as far as I can tell) and msd, I'm not really limited as I should replace both coil and distributor, right?

 

Any cheaper sources than the $300 kits for the pickup coil/Ignition Control Module/other awesome names?

 

Also with all of these names, am I correct in I need to go shopping by picture?

(some of those ignition control modules look significantly different)

 

I'm looking for something like this one, http://www.napaonline.com/Search/Detail.aspx?A=ECHMP1206_0193302670&An=599001+101985+50068+2068002

[GeneralDisorder]

It's cheaper to buy a rebuilt distributor than just the pickup.

 

You should ONLY buy a Hitachi/ND branded coil. They are about $45 for the Hitachi's where I buy them. It needs to match the pickup coil resistance.

 

GD

[edrach]

The weber on my old ea81 would freeze up on me this time of year. It'd run like crap until I pulled over,let it thaw for a few minutes and it'd run fine again.

 

Not uncommon for the weber to freeze up on you in this weather. You'll see the frost on the barrel when it's really bad. But feel the barrel by hand and you'll know how cold it gets.

 

The fix is pretty easy. The early EA81s all had a card board plate mounted in front of the carb to keep the cold air from the radiator from causing the carb to freeze up on cold winter mornings. Find a junkyard and get one of the baffles for your car. If needed, drop me a PM with an email and I'll send you a pic of the one in my Brat.

[uncoolperson]

It's cheaper to buy a rebuilt distributor than just the pickup.

 

You should ONLY buy a Hitachi/ND branded coil. They are about $45 for the Hitachi's where I buy them. It needs to match the pickup coil resistance.

 

GD

 

 

care to share the source?

[GeneralDisorder]

Discount Import Parts - unfortunately they don't sell online:

 

http://www.discountimportparts.com/

 

GD

[Twitch de la Brat]

Have you checked the ignition wires under the dash?

I wanna say they are brown, black w/white, Black and green?

But they should be in a bundle all by themselves.

 

I had a very similar if not identical problem.

The day is started happening I smelled burnt plastic and about an hour later my

BRAT refused to start, then would die while driving.

SO check out the wires below your steering column, and if they have been

crimped some time in the past, the crimps may have failed and shorted out,

melting the surrounding plastic and wiring.

 

Twitch

[uncoolperson]

okay, so got my disty in the mail (thanks bratman18), and finally got around to putting it in, along with new schucks coil.

 

I can't get a spark.

 

Postive power to the coil, no negative. though my understand is that should be the way it works.

 

pulling the disty and manually turning it while the ignition is turned on produced nothing.

 

hooking up a timing light (trigger tied back, after I remembered I needed to) and trying to start got me nowhere.

 

 

How can I go about just testing the distributor (ND)?

Edited January 25, 2010 by uncoolperson

[MilesFox]

try jumping pwer from the battery to the + coil terminal. this backfeeds power to the ign and will turn the car on. if it runs like this, then you have trouble in the ignition circuit

[uncoolperson]

So today I give her another go, set the ignition to on and jump the starter while looking for a spark or some noise that makes me happy.

 

so I tried jumpering the coil, no joy.

 

making absolutly certian all my conections were good, nadda.

 

jumpering again, nothing.

 

making sure the disty was lined up right. nothing.

 

Light a cigarette, spill a little beer on the truck accidentally, swear a little then kick the tire.

 

Then I crawl in the cab, defeated, to pull the key out of the ignition and say to myself "self, you might as well, chances are you're an idiot and it'll work this time" so I decide to turn the key and see what happens before I give up.

 

brup brupbruuump (insert violently shaking, and me being worried I did something horribly wrong. EA81's on a single cylinder start with nicer noises:eek:). I figure, I'll give it one more time it was making noises that were more than just turning over afterall... and if I did something wrong, it's probably already done.

then... brum umumumum...

I think the awesome noise was the disty being off a bunch the last time I tried it.

 

Thanks for all the input.

I'm going to look around one more time and make certain yet again nothing is lose before I trust her.

[MilesFox]

sounds like your efforts made the spark/distributor work, but the fuel had to catch up once the pump was seeing a signal.

 

If she does it again, see if the leads going to the distribitor are not cracked or loose at the distributor housing. could be an intermittent connection

[Twitch de la Brat]

And again, I highly recommend checking your ignition wires.

They're under the steering column, behind the trim panel.

I believe its 3(?) screws and the panel's off and it should be a brown bundle

of wires, but it may be a different color being a different year.

It takes maybe 10 min, and if they are cooked, then you saved yourself a

bunch of hassle, if they aren't you just found a bunch of wires

 

Twitch

[uncoolperson]

I'll give it a look twitch, I was negating that before because there was power (though no neg) to the coil and the starter was turning.