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JDM EA71, how to tell?


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Well I was wondering if this "new" EA71 I just got from BajaVWSoobnut is possibly a JDM motor. It is very clean and has just a light oil film on it. There is a sticker or there WAS a sticker on the portion on the block where the disty bolts in (well its more on the side of the hole for the disty) and it has japanese lettering on it. I know this isn't the stock motor from Andrew's '77 wagon because his wagon should have had an external water passage underneath the intake like the motor I pulled out of the Brat. I also noticed it had those stupid little "Void If Removed" buttons on the heads. So is there anyway I can physically tell if this might be a JDM motor without pulling the heads off?

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Why do you want to know.Whats the problem with JDM motors.We have Jdm motors imported all the time by Jap car part importers and as far as I know there isn't any problems.My 4WD 84 wagon was an import and apart from a few more hoses and different carb the motor is basicly the same.

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As far as I know EA71 didn't have hydraulic lifters.I have heaps of info and books on earlier models and I don't believe EA63,EA71,EA81 had hydraulic lifters.But I could be wrong.But I think in your case you are safe.

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Yeah there are some EA71s and EA81s with hydraulic lifters out there. Begining in 85? all of the USDM EA71s and EA81 got hydraulic lifters. The first way to tell is to look at the valve cover for a sticker that says something along the lines of don't adjust the valves.

 

After that you can pull the valve covers and look at the pushrods. The solid lifter engines will have aluminum pushrods with steel tips. Hydraulic lifter engines will have steel pushrods. Also the valve lash adjusters on Hydraulic lifter engines will have lock tabs on the jam nuts.

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yeah Craig, you're right on the EA71 fat case and the EA81's getting the hydraulic lifters in 85 I believe. So from looking it more, it is NOT hydraulic lifters. I'm thinking about when I get the motor in, I'm gonna do a compression check on it because there are also the all famous high compression EA71s out there. John (Mudrat79) had one but I didn't get it off of him before he got rid of it:(

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Well I told you I could be wrong.Its obvious that there is alot of difference to the eng's you got and the ones we got.We started the EA81 in 1982.The EA71 was phased out in 1981.And no hydraulic lifters that I know of in the models in the early 80's.But who knows I'm learning alot on this site and I thought I knew heaps about early sub's after all I've been involved with them since 1972.But it is clear there are alot of different types of eng's for the Subaru's.Good luck with what ever you are doing.

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Hydraulic lifters started here in the '83 model EA81's mated to automatic transmissions (yes - that includes turbo's). '85 and up EA81's and EA71's have them as well. That means that the STD model hatchback, which came with the "fat case" EA71 from 85 to 89 has the hydro lifters.

 

I personally own 4 hydro lifter EA81's, so they aren't rare - all of them have had the gold sticker on the valve cover's.

 

The best way to tell if the engine is a hydro block, is to remove the oil pan, and check the casting to see if the lifter can be removed. The hydro blocks are cast such that the lifter will slide out from it's bore without splitting the block (for lifter service). This can easily be seen with the pan removed.

 

If it were hydro, and came from an '85 and up STD hatch, it would also have the EA81 bell-housing, with the side-mount starter. These bell-housings are NOT the same as an EA81 bell-housing. In other words the bell-housing mate's to the transmission the same, but not to the engine. An EA71 bell, and the EA81 bell are not interchangeable between blocks.

 

GD

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