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Ea81 Spfi


Blue84Hatch
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Everything is in place and hooked up. I ran into a problem though. When I turn the key to on the fuel pump doesn't kick on. I can make it work if I ground the wire that goes to the ecu though. Also I am getting no spark from the coil. I am thinking the ECU is bad. Any ideas that could help?? Would a bad ECU keep the coil from producing spark??

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when I turn the key on the ignition relay clicks on and something else clicks on under the hood it sounds like it is coming from the fuel injector or throttle position sensor. Is this normal operation?? I checked the ignition relay and everything is routed like in the wiring diagram for SPFI. Does the ECU get power from somewhere??? How is the ECU powered? Also I noticed there is a small hole with an LED inside on the ECU? Is this supposed to light up when the key is on???

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You should hear an audible click from the relay when it comes on. The injector unit may also make some similar noises.

 

The computer should have three power wires to it from the ignition relay (one wire from the relay splits and goes to pins 29 and 41, the other goes to pin 49), as well as a constant hot from the battery (pin 27) and an ignition hot (pin 38).

 

The light in the hole blinks codes when the test connectors are plugged together.

 

Is everything grounded properly including the ECM case? Bad grounds cause more problems than anything else, and I've been told that the case ground is critical for this particular computer to work properly.

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yep got all those hooked up double, triple checked, but you know the funny thing is I dont have the ECU mounted. I was trying to get everything to work before I got commited to installing it all in its proper place. So now the question is where can I mount the ECU too get a good ground. It doesn't bolt up under the steering column, the feedback carb computer was smaller. Any suggestions? I hope that is all thats holding me back.

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It's really up to personal taste, but I can think of two options right off. I'm mounting my EJ22 ECM in a waterproof box in the spare tire area. Beefaru has his bolted to the floor up above the passenger's feet.

 

You could also just temporarily ground the case to test it.

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damn I grounded the ECU and still no fuel pump and still no spark. The ECU is blinking a code now though. From the manual I found I can't decipher the code though. 2 long blinks and 4 short blinks. I think that is a 24 code. Not sure what it means if anything. Does this verify the ECU is good or Should I try to get another ECU? Also I tested for continuity on all the power inputs to the ECU and they are all good.

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Hey...

Same thing happened to me, but I got a code of 5.... I made my own harness from scratch and I had forgotten to hook up one of the power feed wires to the ECU... then all was good... Other then that get the volt meter out and the wiring diagram out and check the ignition and fuel pump relays.... old relays can lead to death, but I'm betting it a grounding or power wiring issue.

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Well now I got spark and fuel. I believe I had a wire ran incorrectly from the crank angle sensor. So I am moving right along now. Now I got another delima though. I tried to start it and I was not getting ignition but I did get a few backfires. Seems like I was maybe 180 off. Wasn't sure at first so I went to adjust the distributor. And the cap runs into the air control valve. So there is really no room for adjustment. Is there a low profile disty cap I could maybe get for this??? Or does anyone have any suggestions???

 

Also when I drilled my hole in the gear to fit the EA82 disty it was a little off to the side of the original EA81 roll pin hole. When I line up the disty marks, on being on the disty itself and the other I am not 100% sure. Is the other mark the roll pin holes or the notch stamped in the gear?? I am not sure from the picture in the subaru manual I have.

 

I cranked the engine over by hand and covered the spark plug hole with my thumb to find out when I was at TDC on compression, air would push pass my thumb. Then I slipped a small screw driver in there to find where it was adjusted all the way up until #1 piston was at true TDC. Is there an easier way to do this.

 

Once the engine is at TDC I line up the disty marks and slide it in without it moving right?

 

I did this and I though I was right on. Can anyone tell me how they lined up everything and got theirs running?

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ok, I donno EA81s that well, so I can tell you how to do the timing on the 82 as I had issues with this as well. BTW This is how I do it and it works, but this is not how I see to do it in the crappy chiltons or haynes I have. Firstly Whip out the timing light and get an assistant. Connect the green connector if you have one. Check the timing. No matter where you got the gear on the dizzy, you just have to adjust it right. Make sure you get the motor to TDC and then move it to 20 degrees BTDC... thats where the engine will fire #1. You might take the cap off and see where the thingy points when you line up the mark at the bottom.... should line up @ #1... I usually mark the top end where the rotor points with a sharpie so I know where its supposed to be. Then the wind up as the dizzy will turn as you install it, so counter wind it and hold the rotor in place as you install so that the rotor points to #1 when the engine is 20 degrees BTDC. Good luck

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I got the beast running. Now all I have to do is find a way to mount down the disty. Somehow I cut the wrong tab off the disty. oops. Any ideas how I could secure it down tight with out the tab.

 

Also if I mash on the gas pedal it falls flat on its face and then wants to die. If I accelerate slowly it works fine though. I have it set to 20 degrees BTDC which is where it is supposed to be adjusted. Anyone have some suggestions of what might be happening. Bad TPS maybe??

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I found the green plug. There was only one. I looked at the wiring diagram and it said It needed to connect it to another wire. When I did this nothing happened while the car was idling. Shouldn't it idle down a bit when the connector is plugged in? Also is the green connector just supposed to be grounded or does it need to be connected to a special wire. I cut a bunch of wires off the harness and removed the check connectors so I am not sure what to do about that. I left the green connector on the harness though. Maybe I didn't connect the green plug right. :-\

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On your disty hold-down issue.

 

I was told that the bracket for the hold-down on an EA-81 disty can be flipped over, puts the bolt hole on the otherside of the disty. Maybe that'll work on this EA-82 disty, but using the EA-81 bracket. Worth a look atleast.

 

No clue on clearance here.. But maybe pull disty out and drop it back in to put the hold-down tab where it needs to be. Would have to re-do the plug wires, if you can spin disty. Not sure if you could clock the plug wires enough, ( hard to picture everything while sitting here at the 'puter), and still stay within the slot of the hold-down..

 

Just some thoughts is all........

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  • 3 weeks later...

Alright its all done. I finally had time to go work on it yesterday. Found a way to mount disty down. One weird thing i have going on is if I have the green connectors un plugged I get no advance. When I stomp the gas nothing happens. But with the green connectors plugged in I get advance and when I stomp the gas it works normal and advance happens. Also when I have the key on but engine not running the fuel pump cycles on and off on and off continously. Thats weird. But when the connectors are not plugged in that does not happen. So I am not sure if I have an advance issue or a fuel issue with the connectors unplugged.

 

Anyway the engine does seem to have a little more low end and just a tad on the top end. The engine runs really well with the SPFI and I can still get fuel when the vehicle is on any angle. Before with the carb it would idle down and want to die when I stopped on steep angles. Now the idle just keep steady no matter what angle I am at. I can tell the engine is getting plenty of fuel now and I don't seem to be running rich at all. Another great thing about EFI. Still isn't enough though so I am going to an EJ22.

 

I recommend this swap for anyone who is keeping there EA81.

 

If anyone has any questions about this swap let me know and I will try to answer them the best I can from my expirience with this swap.

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the fuel pump is normal to cycle on and off when the green plugs are pluged in , its a check conector , you dont have it pluged in when you are running the car , it sounds like you got it all working properly , and the power sounds right, just a little bit more then the carb , but i found it was a lot more reliable off road then the carb if you dont fry the comp. i did that once and was stuck 2h up in the bush and had to get a ride home to get my spare :) ECU , the O2 scencer wire got cooked on the exhost and some how shorted it out :banghead:

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i gess i missread that , you just have a fuel pump signal wire not corect , but all you have to do is just add power to the pump i never ran it through the ECU. just a realay and key on power started it . beacuse i think when you have it pluged in it sets it at base timing for ajusting the dist. timing , cant remember for sure ?

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