Seahag1978 Posted June 11, 2005 Share Posted June 11, 2005 I have the beautiful '78 Brat sitting idle. (no pun intended). She runs perfectly in sub-zero weather and yet dies on warm-up and in warm/hot weather (not during sub-zero she runs great). That old girl won't stay running for love nor money come Spring/Summertime. I have gone to 5 shows... carless! I love the car, but is it time to move on? Gauging interest for the sale of it... it won't be cheap... there are really only 4 things that haven't been replaced... one rear axle, (I have a new one, in case) motor, EGR and carb (it was supposedly a new rebuilt)... pretty much everything else is new/new rebuilt/low mileage (60K tranny). I know someone who knows the old ones could put it right for under $200. The certain point in life... the '86 seems more promising... hey, it's really very ugly now, but it starts and runs great! Better stick to something I know... make it pretty... "get'er done!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richierich Posted June 11, 2005 Share Posted June 11, 2005 Distributor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baccaruda Posted June 11, 2005 Share Posted June 11, 2005 well, the EGR is cheap to replace as it's easy to find a decent one at the junkyard. same with a junkyard carb, depending on the price. you could grab a junkyard distributor, like rich says, as well as a junkyard carb and EGR. Ideally all for less than $50. If you put it all on, then you can re-rebuild the new carb in your spare time and put it back on later. it sounds like the car's almost there. are you able to get those locally? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted June 11, 2005 Share Posted June 11, 2005 Mary Mary Mary!!!! You are soooo close...dont give up! I know how you feel though..I have my beautiful GLF sitting here basically doing nothing.As you even said..We buy the old ones for the body the rest is fixable.Just 2 days ago after replacing the water pump and running it for 10 minutes the coupe started to stall..now it wont idle. Whatever is wrong with the 78 is probably something so simple that its the reason why its frustrating you. Wait for Miles to come and see what he can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted June 11, 2005 Author Share Posted June 11, 2005 well, the EGR is cheap to replace as it's easy to find a decent one at the junkyard. same with a junkyard carb, depending on the price. you could grab a junkyard distributor, like rich says, as well as a junkyard carb and EGR. Ideally all for less than $50. If you put it all on, then you can re-rebuild the new carb in your spare time and put it back on later. it sounds like the car's almost there. are you able to get those locally? Nothing in the local junkyards, which is the biggest problem. Local Subaru dealerships don't carry anything. They say Subaru of New England doesn't support the older cars for parts and won't even order them. So when Miles does come by, I probably can't get the parts in less than a week. So, whatever "could" be wrong, means I have to have all the stuff in hand. It's all a guess at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowSub Posted June 11, 2005 Share Posted June 11, 2005 Definately, don't give up. Like Bucky92 said, it's probably something simple. If it helps any, there is a really good guy in the parts department here. If you find something you need, I can get them to look for it and maybe ship it to you. Might take longer, but just a possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUBARU3 Posted June 11, 2005 Share Posted June 11, 2005 Mary: Remember that MOST, if not all collector cars don't have part donors in salvage yards and the dealers don't have parts either. Current/mainstream cars are in yards and the dealers do have parts. There is a difference. This is part of what raises the value of a collector car. (The collector car is rare and the parts are rare!) Enjoy the quest and the hunt! People appreciate the rareness of collector cars and the work that went into the restorations! The Gen 2 BRAT is not as rare and is closer to it's original "life" than the gen 1s. That's why dealers still support it somewhat. In time, it will be in the same place as your gen 1. You have to decide if you really want a collector car, or a just an older car. Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted June 11, 2005 Share Posted June 11, 2005 First, don't listen to me as to whther or not you should keep your Brat. I believe in my heart that I can get nad keep any piece of machinery running... reality not withstanding. Do you have a clue as to whether the warm weather problems are electrical or fuel delivery? If it is totally dead, it should be easy to check for spark; likely causes are bad coil, bad "ignitor" in electronic distribs (but I assume your has points) or bad condensor in points-ignition. And the greatest likelyhood of fuel issues would be stuck choke (if too rich) or improper normal idle mixture/speed (too lean/slow). A car that runs well when cold *should* be easier to troubleshoot then one that runs well warm but not cold. Take a deep breath, check out the sights of Spring (almost Summer!!!), and relax. Oh... exhale that breath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted June 11, 2005 Author Share Posted June 11, 2005 The problem appears to happen when it's warm outside, spring/summer. During the winter, even in sub-zero temps the car idles forever, no stalling while driving. It runs fine at normal running temperature. Smooth and even idle, no missing. As soon as the weather warms up outside, I get about 15 minutes of driving in before it warms to normal running temperature then it starts stalling unless I feather the gas with my heel while I brake with my toes and clutch with my left foot. (Solution: I need an extra foot!) When it stalls, it starts right up three times and the fourth time is very hard to restart... if I wait a few minutes it will restart easier but I have to keep my foot on the gas pedal and feather it. The idle gets all wanky... fast then it slows until it dies. It did this last summer too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bratsrus1 Posted June 12, 2005 Share Posted June 12, 2005 Hi Mary This is Jerry, it sounds like it's the carb. You have a vacuum leak inside of the carb. thats why it stays running in the winter. The choke is on , it makes the carb run richer. Install a weber and it should run fine. I have a small weber that came off of a Fiat and the size is a 2c-30DICA1. That would be purfect for your EA71 engine. It has a manual choke and needs a carb kit. I have the adapture for the fiat but i don't think it will fit your brat. Have to have somebody make the adapture. Let me know if your interested in it. Thanks Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted June 12, 2005 Share Posted June 12, 2005 No offense to Jerry (who probably has 10000x as much EA71/81 experience as do I ), but this sounds electrical to me. As long as your heat riser tube from exhaust to intake is working, along with automatic choke functioning, by the time the engine reaches operating temperatures the carb should be off of the choke and running in "normal" state, where any other carb problem would show up. Electricals/electronics can be temperature sensitive, with hair-pulling intermittent problems. The fuel pump (I assume it is electric on the 78?) or its control or connections could be having a problem; fuel pressure guage could help here. As mentioned earlier, the coil could be a problem, as they often develop opens/shorts when they heat up (which happens easier when warm air reduces cooling). Same for ignition condensor, or any of the ignition connections. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudrat79 Posted June 12, 2005 Share Posted June 12, 2005 Mary... I pm'd you with my Home # .... Call me or Pm me your # again, and I'll try to walk you through some things tomorrow....Sunday....When Is a Good Time to call you while the sun is still up......Remember I'm 3 hrs behind you..... Talk Tomorrow, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twowagons Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Mary. I too went through a total frustration period with my 80 Brat but with each passing repair, guess, knock on the hood, kicking of the tires I got better. I am now to the point where I am excited about the resto . I have put exactly 34 miles on my Brat since i bought it and they were from on the way home, but I know someday soon she will be a daily driver and that it is going to be a great winter in New England when I drive by all the Jeeps, big SUV's that are stuck in the snow!!! Keep your chin up and your wallet open, you will not have any regrets, I promise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted June 18, 2005 Author Share Posted June 18, 2005 Mary... I pm'd you with my Home # .... Call me or Pm me your # again, and I'll try to walk you through some things tomorrow....Sunday....When Is a Good Time to call you while the sun is still up......Remember I'm 3 hrs behind you..... Talk Tomorrow, John Dum, dum, dum, dum... dummmmm (in my best Alfred Hitchcock voice). We did all the testing suggested. The carb is toast. There is more "play" in it than in a volley ball game!! Right on the money! Now, I just gotta make some! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted June 18, 2005 Author Share Posted June 18, 2005 Mary. I too went through a total frustration period with my 80 Brat but with each passing repair, guess, knock on the hood, kicking of the tires I got better. I am now to the point where I am excited about the resto . I have put exactly 34 miles on my Brat since i bought it and they were from on the way home, but I know someday soon she will be a daily driver and that it is going to be a great winter in New England when I drive by all the Jeeps, big SUV's that are stuck in the snow!!! Keep your chin up and your wallet open, you will not have any regrets, I promise Oh... I got over my mad on... it'll be fine with a new carb. The wee one will never see salt spewed into its innards... never ever! Salt is how I lost my first one. She does go out before the salt trucks arrive though. Anyway, that's why I have the Bajahahahaha! That sucker's all plastic j/k... there's a liiiittle bit of metal on it that needs to be waxed constantly <shrug> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted June 18, 2005 Author Share Posted June 18, 2005 Mary: Remember that MOST, if not all collector cars don't have part donors in salvage yards and the dealers don't have parts either. Current/mainstream cars are in yards and the dealers do have parts. There is a difference. This is part of what raises the value of a collector car. (The collector car is rare and the parts are rare!) Enjoy the quest and the hunt! People appreciate the rareness of collector cars and the work that went into the restorations! The Gen 2 BRAT is not as rare and is closer to it's original "life" than the gen 1s. That's why dealers still support it somewhat. In time, it will be in the same place as your gen 1. You have to decide if you really want a collector car, or a just an older car. Todd Ahhhh... just the moral support I needed most... it just gets so upsetting to see her sitting under a car cover instead of cruising like she should be... a fun icon of days gone by... a reality check so to speak... ... now kids ride in the back seats strapped into triple padded car seats with window shades touting "Toys R Us" or "Baby on Board"... DVD's playing overhead to soothe them... not the wind, sky and ocassional rain... or better yet... the driver behind, actually, in front of them, waving and making goofy faces?? Priceless. We drove a lot slower back then, and with more courtesy too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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