Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

'81 wagon HELP!!!!


Recommended Posts

Ok so here's from my other thread on the board a couple weeks ago on this topic...

Ok so this morning at 2:00 am, Josh and I (he owns the wagon) were coming home for lunch and had a little bit of fun in the snow before we left... anyways, so we get about 1/4 mile from work heading home and it starts to die like the rpms started to drop and so I downshifted and let the clutch out. It did it again but then it kicked back up like it was going to run but then continued to drop rpms. I got it in a parking lot and it seemed like it was getting fuel since I could smell it but would just crank over. It almost started once but that was a lost cause... The car is an '81 2wd wagon, '86 EA81 with the '81 carb and whatnot (feedback carb), and is all stock BUT I did throw my Accel Superstock coil from my Brat into it. I think the coil finally died so it lost spark. I'm gonna try and put the stock coil back in it but is there anything else I should do? Oh and there about 4" of snow on the ground too and below freezing temps so no "side-of-the-road" repairs:rolleyes:

 

So to this day, here's what I've replaced...

replaced the Accel Superstock Coil back to the original

replaced the disty with an '83-newer 2wd disty since I thought the old one might have a bad ignition module in it

found a couple more connections that were unplugged and plugged them back in

 

So now if you let it sit for 20 minutes, it'll kick back over and come to life for a couple minutes and then it'll die again. Smells like its running rich but I tuned it up when it was running. Anyone got any ideas? Couid it be the feedback carb computer being fried? HELP!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If it is an Hitachi carb, the only thing the "feedback" loop does is allow air into some of the metering passages (Idle and main?) to give it "variable" air bleeds in those emulsion tubes.

 

What all that means is that if you unplug the connectors from the duty solenoids (just in front of the starter and behind carb, driver's-side of centerline) the car will run at normal-rich setting and will run just fine.

 

The fact that it runs for a while and dies makes me think 2 possibilities: Fuel starvation or ignition failure when it heats up. Fuel would be easy to check: Takeoff the air cleaner top and pump the throttle; if gas squirts out of the acclerator pump discharge then that is OK.

 

I like the ignition as the cause here. Rotor/cap/plugs/wires been changed recently? Is the original coil "known good", as in if you put it in another car does it work OK?

 

Oh, another thought... plugged fuel return line? Might cause it to be too rich. Checking the plugs would likely tell this and maybe even fuel starvation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ok the plugs are new and so when I pulled one to get it timed, it was black from running rich and also looked to be a bit hot (not too bad but just a little). Since I've replaced the major components I think it might be the fuel system now. I have my '78 Brat fuel pump on it since its basically the same pump, and the carb was rebuilt about 100 miles ago. I think something might have gotten sucked up into the carb and so it'll fire and run for about a second and die. It'll keep doing it like its not getting enough fuel but I can smell the gas and I also moved the throttle cable and I heard fuel being squirted into the carb...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...