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Ea81 Hitachi Rebuild -any Pointers?


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Hey all,

This weekend I will be doin a rebuild on my ea81 Hitachi. (Im SURE that the problem is with the carb, BTW)

 

I am pretty good with mechanical things, and I dont anticipate any trouble....but Ive never rebuilt one of these before.

 

Any pointers? Any problem areas to watch out for? Any parts that frequently are the source of trouble? :confused:

Thanks for any info.....yall are the best!:grin:

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Most people would say "Weberize it" I'm surprised no one has. Maybe I just did, But I don't deal with Carbs anymore (not by choice, I want my 1983 GL Green Wagon back!:rolleyes:). You could fuel inject it with an SPFI swap. Search for it if interested.

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The Hitachi's run very well if rebuild properly. Unfortunately, they are horrifically complex for a carb - as many 80's cars were. I have lots of mechanical experience, all the tools, and I've been working with carbs since I was 10.... took me about 7 or 8 rebuilds to get those Hitachi's down. Of all the 80's carbs, the Subaru and Nissan Hitachi's are some of the worst. Particularly the choke system is complicated, and varies a lot from year to year. The power valves are staked in place - good thing they usually aren't bad, but still.... don't lose the accelerator pump check ball, and keep careful track of all the little cotter pins.

 

I'll say it.... WEBER. There - happy?

 

For me, it's more than worth it - sure the Hitachi is cheap to rebuild, but for the time investment I would rather spend around 150 - 200 on rebuilding and installing a used Weber. They are simpler, and provide a much more pleasureable driving experience.

 

If you have more time and money - the SPFI swap is the way to go, but you need almost a whole donor car to do it, and even if you manage to spend half a day at the junk yard and get all the parts, the wiring and mods needed to swap it over will take a bit to figure out. Figure more expensive than a used weber, and twice to three times as long to install.

 

GD

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Thanks GD

BTW - youre the MAN for always replying to my posts! :headbang:

 

Believe me.....Id love to weberize it, but unless someone wants

 

to almost "give away" a weber setup...... Im gonna hafta rebuild the hitachi (as I have WAY more time than money right now)

 

-BAJA payments, plus NY state insurance.....

 

and the fact that the brat isnt on the road quite yet. :-\

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...The Hitachi's run very well if rebuild properly. Unfortunately, they are horrifically complex for a carb ... Of all the 80's carbs, the Subaru and Nissan Hitachi's are some of the worst...

 

GD

 

Yes, I Agree... I spent Three months of Suffering with the Craptachi of my EA82... I tried to resurect it whith the original rebuilt kit... it won`t work at all... even with a friend mechanic specialized in carburetors that was helpin` me... Then I used a Nissan`s sentra 1,600 Hitachi crap. to run my white wagon, untill I got the Weber... Believe me: if you "Weberize" your subie, you`ll Never want to run a Craptachi Carb. Again... I Strongly suggest to Weberize Yours... but be careful with emisions regulations...

Good Luck! :)

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i`ll get back to you John. it would be coming off an extra ea71 i have, but everything is the same for the ea81. this was a great running motor....

 

do any of your parts gen 1 wagons have axles in them? i need a pair of junk axles to take apart. i`m converting the brat to RWD, but i don`t want to ruin a good set. ea81 axles would work too....

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Both my '78 and '79 wagons are pretty complete. Theyve been SITTING for EVER.....but ARE complete.

The wheels were removed by my dad years ago.....but the axles are still there. I also do have front and rear ea81 axles off of the '84 wagon. (well....there still on it but you know what I mean)

If you want em..... my main problem is the TIME spent to get them off.....(ive been sooooo busy lately) but gimme a few bucks for my time, and if you wanna pick em up or ship em.....what would you say theyre worth?:confused: Lemme know man:grin:

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Had my twin Hitachi carbs rebuilt recently in Melbourne Australia by a carby specialist who knows his stuff.

Ive got an ea81 true twin carb model with the twin exhaust port heads. Fully rebuilt, wasnt running well till I had the carbs done.

If you find someone who knows their job, Hitachi carbs can be made to perform very well !!

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  • 1 year later...
I have an EA82 with a Hitachi. I already have the kit, but just looking to get any pointers before I reassemble. Would a good soaking help loosen up any gunk before reassembly, I already tore it down to check the internals.

 

I just took another crack at a Hitachi (EA81), and the results were pretty good. Some things to remember:

 

Write down all the numbers from the jets and air bleeds and where they came from so you get them back in the right locations.

 

Don't lose the accelerator pump check ball, and put the spring back with the loop that seats the check ball facing down.

 

Pay close attention to the throttle base shaft bushings - if they are worn have them replaced by a machine shop. You will never get a proper idle or transision off the idle circuit if they have much wear.

 

In your case inspect the bimetal choke spring carefully as the hook on the end of the spring is usually broken off on the EA82 models.

 

Replace the vacuum hose for the secondary barrel vacuum pot with a new peice of silicone hose.

 

As for soaking - I don't usually find that neccesary. I will put jets and other small parts with tiny holes in them in a shallow container of carb cleaner while I clean other parts. But really gasoline is a decent solvent already so there is rarely a need for removal of any deposits unless the carb hasn't run for many years and was left with old fuel in it. Regularly run carbs rarely have many deposits in them - mostly the malfunctions have to do with bad gaskets and o-rings, and worn throttle shaft bushings.

 

It took me a good 7 hours to do a proper rebuild and clean everything. It runs good overall, but for the work and time I've put into learning all about the Hitachi's I could have done a Weber several times over.

 

GD

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