EA82 engine - leaded or unleaded

subalex · Post by **subalex** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:25 pm

I'm considering swapping the engine from my 'new' spare parts car I picked up yesterday to my "project". Both are 5sp manual EA82 L-series 4WD wagons. However my project car is a '91 model and my spare car's an '85 model so there's a lot of various changes between them.

Filling the car up with petrol today I noticed only then that the fuel filler tube is the older, larger style that I would expect on a Leaded fueled car. It also didn't have any markings saying "use only unleaded petrol". When I noticed that I looked for the catalytic converter and found only the y-interesecting exhaust pipes.

I couldn't find any references to whether these L-series switched over to Unleaded in my Gregorys or the manuals so does anyone here know?

Alex

Chris_Rogers · Post by **Chris_Rogers** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:36 pm

86 I think. I know that the 87 sherpa I had used unleaded and had teh filler for it. can't remember what the sedan that I used to have had on it. ( that was a late 85.)

BaronVonChickenPants · Post by **BaronVonChickenPants** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:42 pm

Any suby after the later 60's will merrily run on unleaded.

Jordan.

subalex · Post by **subalex** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:49 pm

Is there the need to use the additives when using unleaded? Bloomin' expensive if so.

BaronVonChickenPants · Post by **BaronVonChickenPants** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:56 pm

Nope no need at all

Jordan.

Chris_Rogers · Post by **Chris_Rogers** » Mon Feb 27, 2006 10:56 pm

mpst of them after 82 were designed for unleaded anyway- so in my opionion not needed.

MUDRAT · Post by **MUDRAT** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 3:34 am

All EA82s are unleaded.

fredsub · Post by **fredsub** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 8:04 am

isn't there a legal problem with putting in an engine older than the year model of the vehicle? dam sorry spoil.......tho i'm not sure how you tell the year the engine is anyways........

smoov · Post by **smoov** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 8:45 am

MUDRAT wrote:All EA82s are unleaded.

subalex · Post by **subalex** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 2:20 pm

It's good to see you confirm what I thought MUDRAT. I thought so too so I didn't even consider that a possibility until I saw the larger filler neck adn so on. I'll change it over then. I'd prefer a full EJ20 or EJ22 but I can't justify the effort.

As for changing over the engine to an older one, I thought about that too. The design is the same, there are plenty of differences in the carbie setup but I might swap the manifold and carbie from the original engine to keep the plumbing, therefore compliance, same as original. Personally, I see some of the emissions control (read: extra stuff) as being a hindrance to performance of the EA. Does this sound fair?

I'm also considering changing over the dizzy for the electronic one in mine. I know there's some benefit in fitting the GT coil when it's the older points style dizzy but the electronic one should do the same job??

I figure you guys can give me a yea/nei to any of these.

MUDRAT · Post by **MUDRAT** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 4:18 pm

I have heard of some of the 85 L-Series (think they're complied as 12/84?) being sold as "leaded" cars. The only difference between the two is the filler neck and the catalytic converter.

BTW: A lot of that so called "Emissions Gear" (other than the EGR system) is keeping your crank case under vacuum - I wouldn't recommend mucking with it unless you know exactly what's going on where, it's not a case of "lets rip it all off and she'll go like a rocketship".

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 4:57 pm

fred-sub wrote:isn't there a legal problem with putting in an engine older than the year model of the vehicle? dam sorry spoil.......tho i'm not sure how you tell the year the engine is anyways........

No as long the engine is same "model" such as EA82 1.8 litre then you won't have any problems.

About 2 years ago, I pulled out an 2.0 Litre 4 Cylinder from 1990 VN Commodore and put it in 1987 Holden Camira, went to VicRoads (at that time, someone told me you can't do that but it was too late as the engine already fitted in) and at VicRoads, told them to change engine numbers so they inspected it, passed, even I told them it was from 1990 model in '87 model. No problems at all just as long its same size engines.

Cheers
AP

subalex · Post by **subalex** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 8:58 pm

I'll check for the build plate to see if it was an 84 build.

As for the manifold and carbie changeover. I'm not considering taking more of the emissions control piping off in fact I've got the opposite in mind. The engine I'll put in is older - 1985 - but only has 176,000ks compared to the 1991 310,000k in it. Secondly, the older motor has never had power steer or air con that mine has so it's in a much better condition.

There are less emissions controls, starting with the lack of cat converter,(I'll look at which systems are different when I get a moment) on the older motor and a whole lot more on the newer model already in it. When changing the motor over I'm considering the pros and cons of keeping the older style manifold etc versus putting existing, newer designed system on.

If there are no problems with changing just the dizzy over then I'll do just that and swap all the gear to the older setup. For now, I'm loving the lack of larger wheels and a strong engine to run around in for now.

I spun tyre in 2nd on the way home today... never thought that possible.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 12:27 am

Even EA-81s are unleaded......?

MUDRAT · Post by **MUDRAT** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 4:21 am

AndrewT wrote:Even EA-81s are unleaded......?

You can run them on unleaded yes, but if it doesn't have the unleaded filler neck and a catalytic converter then technically it is a leaded engine - ya get what I mean? Those very early EA82s however should still say "unleaded fuel only" on the filler cap or something like that anyway.

1985 was the magic year in Australia for the move to unleaded, so in theory all cars made during or after this date should run on unleaded fuel.

smoov · Post by **smoov** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 8:17 am

AlpineRaven wrote:
fred-sub wrote:isn't there a legal problem with putting in an engine older than the year model of the vehicle? dam sorry spoil.......tho i'm not sure how you tell the year the engine is anyways........
No as long the engine is same "model" such as EA82 1.8 litre then you won't have any problems.

About 2 years ago, I pulled out an 2.0 Litre 4 Cylinder from 1990 VN Commodore and put it in 1987 Holden Camira, went to VicRoads (at that time, someone told me you can't do that but it was too late as the engine already fitted in) and at VicRoads, told them to change engine numbers so they inspected it, passed, even I told them it was from 1990 model in '87 model. No problems at all just as long its same size engines.

Cheers
AP

i never knew VN's came out with four cylinder engines....

i thought they were the buick 3.8L v6???
2.0L four cylinder was the camira family II motor, yeah?
how does what you have just said, work???

fredsub · Post by **fredsub** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 9:06 am

AlpineRaven wrote:
fred-sub wrote:isn't there a legal problem with putting in an engine older than the year model of the vehicle? dam sorry spoil.......tho i'm not sure how you tell the year the engine is anyways........
.....
I pulled out an 2.0 Litre 4 Cylinder from 1990 VN Commodore and put it in 1987 Holden Camira, went to VicRoads (at that time, someone told me you can't do that but it was too late as the engine already fitted in) and at VicRoads, told them to change engine numbers so they inspected it, passed, even I told them it was from 1990 model in '87 model. No problems at all just as long its same size engines.

Cheers
AP

hey maybe you should read post, there is never a problem putting in a newer motor into a older vehicle, problem is putting an older motor into a newer model vehicle.
In fact if a converter wants to be a ...., doesn't even need to have all the pollution gear as the newer motor has in the vehicle it was built for!! (i thinks) because the ADRs on the older vehicle are never as strict.

SubAlex, I'd be interested to know what date is on the plate, mine is 11/85, and it got the full unleaded gear, cat,filler,etc, electronic dizy etc.
'85 was when unleaded became law right? not sure which month tho?
However it doesn't/didn't (its efi 82t now) the same vac valves an stuff as the later models, I was once trying to get some replacement valves an stuff at the wreckers but was getting confused with whats what...so many changes and different configurations of the pipings and vac,egr etc gear.....

"emissions control (read: extra stuff) as being a hindrance to performance of the EA. "

I think only because the vac valves,thermo valves etc etc don't perform as they should after years...newer efi engines control stuff more accurately with solenoids/sensors.....
Just about all so called anti-pollution gear is designed to work for idle/cruising, and not WOT, ie the performance your hinting at.....unless there is something wrong with it....
thats probably where the folklore "rip that anti-pollution gear off, and get better performance" comes from

subalex · Post by **subalex** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 10:25 am

I just had a look and it's plate says March 1985. Strange, then, that it doesn't have the smaller filler neck, no cat and no labels on either the fuel cap door or the fuel gauge saying "unleaded fuel only". My 91 model has all that of course.

Questions left are:
a) is it better (performance and maintenance wise) to change the newer electronic dizzy over when doing the swap?
b) is it best to change over all the older carbie and other bits or leave the newer carbie in the car with the older motor underneath? Like Fred-Sub was suggesting, is the older setup going to upset anything for me. I can't see how it would realistically do anything but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Alex

fredsub · Post by **fredsub** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 3:20 pm

a) do the dizy,tis a no brainer, and I thought all ea82s had the electonic dizy anyways. Ah, you won't need the ballast resistor either - points type only need that.
b) as for the rest, see how it goes as is first I reckon. If you don't have any obvious pipes/stuff missing, getting it looked over for the blue slip engine change should be no drama at all

GoodLuck

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 6:04 pm

i never knew VN's came out with four cylinder engines....
i thought they were the buick 3.8L v6???
2.0L four cylinder was the camira family II motor, yeah?
how does what you have just said, work???

Yep thats correct, Holden Family II Engines 2.0 litre OHC (Same what they used in Astra, Camira, Pulsar, Vectra, Calibra etc), they did not sell 2.0 Litre VN Commdore in Australia, only in NZ, Singapore (only for export only) but they were extremely gutless due weight of the VN Commdore, that is why after VN never again to have 4 Cylinders (Only VB/VC & VH & VN had 4 cylinders in commodore range). The engine is really made for FWD only, but the VN had RWD setup and had converted automatic transmission (as far I know It was automatics, not manuals - due luck of information? with VL Commdore's transmission) and these 3.8 litre were only sold in Australia and overseas as well.

How do you mean "how does what you have just said, work???"

Cheers
AP