Disty interchngability and installation

[Gyoas759]

I'm driving an 83 GL 4x4 wagon with the EA81 dual range trans and a carbed EA82 engine installed. I think my distributor is going bad. I pulled a distributor from a low miles EA82 wagon in the J/Y but it doesn't look like the one in my car. It does look like the couple EA81 distys I have lying around. Will an EA81 disty fit my EA82? And is there a difference in the distributors between the carbed and EFI Ea82s?

[94Loyale]

Well, as far as I know, there is a difference in distributors between the carbed and fuel injected ea82's. The fuel injected have no vacuum advance, and use a Crank Angle sensor as the ignition pick up. The carbed units used some kind of Ignition pickup module right under the cap. If I'm wrong, someone else please chime in Don't want to give false info.

[archemitis]

there are two different kinds of ea82 distributors, hitachi and nippon denso, if im not mistaken.

if it has a vac advance and its from an ea82, it will fit, you will just need the cap and rotor from the disty, thats about the only differences when you look at them, the cap.

[GeneralDisorder]

EA81 and EA82 distributors do not interchange without swapping the drive gears. One is run off the overhead cam, and the other off the single pushrod cam. The placement of the gears is different as well.

 

The FI models (except 83-86 MPFI and Turbo) use a crank angle optical sensor distributor, and will not work with the hall effect ignition used in the carbs. The others (83-86 MPFI and Turbo) *may* work although I don't have first hand experience trying to wire one up.

 

GD

[hooziewhatsit]

  GeneralDisorder said:

The FI models (except 83-86 MPFI and Turbo) use a crank angle optical sensor distributor, and will not work with the hall effect ignition used in the carbs. The others (83-86 MPFI and Turbo) *may* work although I don't have first hand experience trying to wire one up.

 

GD

 

Recently I had a disty from an 85 carbed EA82 go bad. I found an identical disty in an 86? NA MPFI at the junkyard. Was quite surprised that they looked identical.

 

Installed it and it works. That is, until some other issue came up that causes the intermittent no-spark

 

-Dave

[xbalancex7]

  hooziewhatsit said:

Recently I had a disty from an 85 carbed EA82 go bad. I found an identical disty in an 86? NA MPFI at the junkyard. Was quite surprised that they looked identical.

 

Installed it and it works. That is, until some other issue came up that causes the intermittent no-spark

 

-Dave

 

 

intermittent no-spark from my experience has usually been trouble shot down to the pick-up. I just had this problem not too long ago. It was the pick-up for me, also called the ignition module, it is usualy under the disty cap and it picks up a pulse from the reluctor. You may want to check into that

 

good luck boys!!

[xbalancex7]

  GeneralDisorder said:

EA81 and EA82 distributors do not interchange without swapping the drive gears. One is run off the overhead cam, and the other off the single pushrod cam. The placement of the gears is different as well.

 

The FI models (except 83-86 MPFI and Turbo) use a crank angle optical sensor distributor, and will not work with the hall effect ignition used in the carbs. The others (83-86 MPFI and Turbo) *may* work although I don't have first hand experience trying to wire one up.

 

GD

 

 

also from what I understand if you put a drive gear from a ea82 on a ea81 some drilling is required as there is no shearpin hole for the gear on a ea82 disty. correct?

[GeneralDisorder]

  xbalancex7 said:

correct?

 

Probably.... since I've done it, and wrote about it in my SPFI coversion.

 

GD