SPFI or Engine swap, California

[Jurrel]

Anyone from the board here deal with taking a Gen II Brat, or something with the EA-81 and pass the Smog Referee with just the SPFI swap, or have to replace the entire engine?

 

I just want the reliability of the SPFI, but would rather not have to deal with the entire engine swap. As I recall isn't the EA-82 prone to issues anyways compared to the EA-81?

 

Again this is in California, so I have to deal with the smog BS. The car in question is a 1987 Brat.

[ihscout54]

If I was going to swap engines the EA82 wouldnt be my 1st choice. The SPFI swap is decent but not without its hassles, Ive had many bugs to work out but I will say it is better than the hitachi was.

These threads might be of interest to you.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=93412

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=89819

Edited July 9, 2011 by ihscout54

[Jurrel]

Thanks I will read the links to see if there is any help there. I would MUCHL prefer to just move the SPFI over to the EA81, but I cant do that I think in California...

 

I want to get the Brat back on the road as soon as I can, but the carb is pretty well ruined with the usual loose throttle shaft, as is every one I find in the junkyards..which isn't many.

 

One day I might want to go the EJ route, but the wiring seems a huge pain in the neck on such a swap. Of course the SPFI swap over might be just as bad, I do not know yet..

[ihscout54]

The wiring is the hardest part of the swap, aside from the disty mod, but its alot less than an EJ swap. The poster in the linked threads made his SPFI swap work in CA, but he had some issues...

I had some other issues not addressed in the SPFI write up. Honestly with the cost of JY parts these days its really not that cheap to do this swap.

[GeneralDisorder]

There has been at least one member here that did have a smog ref pass his car with an SPFI swap to an EA81. He just told them it was an EA82 I think and once he explained it to the smog ref they certified it.

 

With the SPFI properly installed it's hard to tell what is underneath it. Talk to a smog ref and see what they say.

 

GD

[GeneralDisorder]

I had some other issues not addressed in the SPFI write up. Honestly with the cost of JY parts these days its really not that cheap to do this swap.

 

What issues did you have? I have been working on and off on a big update to the SPFI conversion write-up and any input you can give on issues you have had I will try to address. I've done half a dozen of them now and I've streamlined the process in many ways.

 

JY parts are rediculously expensive for the last couple years now - much cheaper to get this stuff from a board member parting out a car or buy a car and part it out yourself. If you like EA81's it's usually pretty useful to buy an 88 or 89 wagon with a D/R 5 speed and the SPFI. They can be had for a couple hundred wrecked, blown engine, high miles, etc.

 

GD

[ihscout54]

What issues did you have? I have been working on and off on a big update to the SPFI conversion write-up and any input you can give on issues you have had I will try to address. I've done half a dozen of them now and I've streamlined the process in many ways.

Sorry poor wording my issues were more "outside" of the write up (which was fantastic). Im not trying to hijack this thread, but since these issues my be of concern to the O.P. Ill post them here.

Its been a few years now so memory is poor, but my first big issue was that for some odd reason the distributor wiring did not match the the harness to the ECM I had to swap a couple wires, took a bit to figure out. Perhapse it was the reason the car I pulled the parts from was at the JY.

Next was the A/C compressor couldnt be hooked up to the A/C signal wire. Dont do it, the results are bad.

Then I had excessive fuel pressure. I tried numerous things including clearing out the return line but in the end I had to replace the line with a larger one. Since no one else reported this issue it must have been something out of order with my car.

I fought a nasty ping/knock issue for a year anything under load over 3500-4k rpms would make it ping, in the end lowering my fuel pump (below the tank) seemed to solve this, I also found better results with my plugs gapped to .039.

The only other thing, which Ive never solved, is a rougher than desired idle which is a little low, its not horrible, just not as nice as Ide hoped for. Ive tried adjusting the idle screw on the TB (not the set screw) and it does basically nothing.