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Here's the old busted pedal assembly and the replacement I found. The replacement looks beefier.

I wasn’t familiar with any upgrade in 1984 They’re all susceptible to the same cracking. It splits from the pedal pivot pin. You’ll see it when you get it in front of you.

OK thanks. Yes, Fred, you nailed it suggesting the pedal box cracking. The metal tab holding the clutch cable to the pedal assembly definitely sheared. I already sourced another pedal assembly with a stronger design (upgraded from 1983 with this flimsy tab to a 1984 style), I'll get the pedal assembly fixed and the cable rerouted and it sounds like everything should be good. I was real worried that these springs didn't make any sense. Thanks for giving me more confidence the springs are not an issue. I will continue with repair.

Yeah, it's all California emissions junk. I'm pretty sure it's robbing some horsepower. Honestly, it'd be way easier to slap on a Weber carb and call it a day. But I must comply with laws.

I learn something new every time from you guys in this forum—really appreciate the insights. The solenoids are a bit noisy, and I initially assumed the ECU was causing the chatter or there was a bad connection. Interestingly, when I unplug them, the engine runs noticeably smoother. But when they’re connected, it feels like the engine is starving. I’m planning to clean the carb a bit more and take a closer look at the O₂ sensor. According to the manual, the solenoids operate based on readings from the O₂ sensor.

Wrapped up the cooling system project this weekend. I ended up going with this radiator: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK323PVN. The fitment of it was good, not excellent, but good. I had to enlarge some holes at the bottom of the fan just slightly so I could get the bolts to line up with it. While I was in there, I replaced both hoses and installed an OEM thermostat and gasket. The real snafu was after I had pulled a vacuum on the system and got fluid in it to install the cap, only to find out the cap that I had ordered for my 84 was way smaller than this radiator could use. I did some research on here and found a GD post here that stated I needed the 82's radiator cap. Found an 82 cap locally and drove it up the road during a rain storm yesterday. I did notice the windshield seal is leaking so gotta get a plan on that, not that I'm going to be driving it much on rainy days anyway but we get quite a bit of rain here in the fall months. After the drive, I noticed my brand new Continental belt had some fraying on the sides of it. I did notice my alternator was quite loud and had planned on eventually replacing it. I threw on a spare that I had that came with the wagon and it was totally dead with nothing on the volt meter. Ordered one from Rockauto this morning.

That's normal operation. The duty solenoids allow extra air to mix into the fuel in the emulsion tubes, leaning the mixture. Off all the time, mixture is too rich and you get black smoke from the exhaust. On all the time, mixture is too lean, you knock and can't go up hills. The ECU varies the on/off duty cycle (hence the name) to adjust the fuel mixture in the middle of this range, until the oxygen sensor is happy, cycling just above and below stoichiometric.

Those springs do not affect the feel of the clutch in any way, and they're often simply missing... If you felt something change, look elsewhere.

Hello. I have the same problem now. My oil supply line has crack and i need to renew the line. the genuine part is not available anymore at subaru. can anyone say what exactly i can order elsewhere and will fit without problems? thanks alot...

Love your work fellas! Cheers Bennie

The throw out bearing looks to be correct. Those little retainer clips are easy to deal with, just bend them until the desired shape/tension is achieved. When you say the clutch became loose, what do you mean - the feel of the clutch pedal was loose? It could be a snapped/breaking clutch cable or an issue with the pedal box cracking. The cracking issues is apparently common. This can be plated to put strength back into the pedal box so it doesn’t happen again. Cheers Bennie

I’ve never seen those devices before. Californian unit? We certainly didn’t get them in Australia! They almost sound like air pumps. Cheers Bennie

The ECU will be under the rear parcel shelf in the Vortex from memory. Glad it was an easy fix. You’ll probably find your fuel pump will need to be replaced, I’d be doing it anyway. The relay is probably fine, it’ll be the pump that’s seized. You can easily test this at the plug for the pump, stick a test light on it and turn the key to the on position. It should illuminate for three or four seconds when the ECU triggers the fuel pump relay to prime the fuel system before starting. All the best with it. Sounds like you’re well on your way with this one! Cheers Bennie

Got the wagon running after being parked for 13 years. Who knows why the duty solenoids are chattering. Who could explain the reason it's why the solenoids are doing that.

The clutch in my 198e BRAT made a snapping noise and became loose. I've pulled the engine and I'm trying to repair or replace it. My springs feel loose. I don't see this type of spring for sale on rock auto. I'm looking in my copy of "How to Keep your Subaru Alive" and my clutch bearing doesn't look like the diagram in the book. Should I upgrade to the new type of return bearing like this SCHAEFFLER MC0482? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you. Video footage: https://mooncolony.org/1983-Subaru-BRAT-loose-clutch-springs/footage1.mp4 https://mooncolony.org/1983-Subaru-BRAT-loose-clutch-springs/footage2.mp4 Ebay listings: * Genuine Subaru -Clutch Fork Spring KIT For Impreza Forester Outback Legacy 85-25 * x2 NEW GENUINE SUBARU IMPREZA WRX LEGACY FORESTER CLUTCH FORK SPRINGS 30539AA000 * GENUINE OEM SUBARU LEGACY IMPREZA WRX BRZ OUTBACK BAJA CLUTCH FORK SPRINGS KIT

It's Alive! After replacing the ignition switch, there is life! The engine cranks and even sputters with starter fluid! Digi-dash is also working thankfully, and seems to be reporting all the correct stuff. Turns out the ECU wasn't the issue, or at least it doesn't seem like it at the moment. I will be replacing all the relays for sure, since the blinkers are still a little funky (as in not working at all), and I can't hear the fuel pump come on. I'm sure since it's been sitting for a bit that doesn't help things. I did drain and flush the tank, so the next step is a real start! I was able to find a copy of the 88-service manual online, which I wish I had read before because it clearly states that all the dash stuff goes through the ignition module. I will see if I can find a copy on ebay or something.

Made a tube to brace the radiator support longitudinally and to protect the exhaust. Bracket bolts to the body right in front of the subframe where the bumper brace was bolted in stock. Added a tube to brace that and protect the oil filter and cooler. Tubes welded back in to connect the radiator support to the bumper and to mount a piece of sheetmetal. B cut a piece of 1/8" 4130 plate for the front of the skid and I welded that in. Old airbox guard was mostly destroyed so I made a new one. Welded as much as I could on the car, then we unbolted it. B cut a piece of 4130 sheetmetal to protect the condenser and radiator. Radiator and condenser mounts welded on new radiator support. Basically ready for paint. I would like to get this thing back on the road ASAP but I'm going to see if the paint shop can get this all painted up fairly soon. Have new lines/hoses for the oil cooler, new radiator, etc. B took a pair of good engine mounts off my spare EZ30. So we have to swap some of that out.

I'd investigate your relays for your lighting issues. Getting stuff to work after repeatedly flipping the switch sounds to me like a relay issue. Look into service manuals online, or better yet buy a set of hardcopies. Well worth the investment and will tell you all you want to know and more. I believe the wiring should be the same as any 3rd gen/L-Series/Leone with a turbo MPFI engine. An XT is basically an L-Series with a cooler body and interior. I could be wrong though, I've never been fortunate enough to work on one nor see one in the flesh. Check everything that goes into the ECU before you plug it in. Takes time but with the car's age it's better to begin checking stuff now. :]

Thanks for the tip, I'll take out the dash and check it out. Something I should probably do anyways; I don't put a lot of faith in 80s circuitry. And I think that confirms for me that the issue is the ignition switch. I'll replace it and update on my success for failure.

I don’t think the EA82 era ECUs were integrated into the dash anymore than having a check engine light and referencing a reed switch on the speedo cable for the VSS. Do some research into issues with the digi dash, the EA81 MY’s digi dash was known for issues with some of the components dying, taking out the dash with it. You could have a similar issue in the EA82 digi dash. Cheers Bennie

Have you checked the timing belt to make sure it’s not broken?

Update: There didn't seem to be any voltage at the ignition switch, so I switched it out with the one on my 89 XT, and I now have radio! But no still no dash lights :(. But this does seem to lead me down the path that the issue may lie elsewhere, and not at the ECU. If anyone knows to what extent the dash would communicate with the ECU (or the MPFI Controller as the manual calls it), lemme know. But I'll keep digging. I hope that one day I will see that magnificent digi-dash.

I heard a sizzling and the engine slowly stopped? Like wires shorting out? Slowly stopped? RPM dropped but it was still going? Have you checked for Spark? Put an extra plug in, ground it and turn it over. Nice strong blue spark? If so, add a small amount of fuel into the intake throttle body. Does it start and run for a bit? Is it cranking over normally? What prompted the engine change? Did you do the timing belt or any other maintenance on the engine before the installation?

Just a quick update to this: I have gotten hazards to come back to life just by flipping the twitch about a million times, slowly beginning to wonder if the issue lies somewhere other than the ECU. The 1988 manual says that most body electronics go through the fusible links and ignition. I've double checked the links and they are all clean and they don't seem to be damaged in any way. So I'll try to diagnose the ignition switch next.

Howdy! I just got my hands on a new (to me, not to the world) 1986 XT Turbo, that's been sitting in the previous owner's driveway since at least 2009. It has less than 100k miles, no accident history, and very little rust, or at least, not enough rust to make any holes. The reason it was sitting was because the ECU was fried. To what extent I do not know, all I know that he plugged in a wire and then realized it shouldn't be there, and there was no power. It looks like there is a fair bit of custom wiring that I am still in the process of investigating. I was able to get my hands on a replacement ECU, and I'm just waiting for it to arrive. However, there are some things that make me wonder if the issue could be deeper. There are some electrical systems work, but others that don't that I would expect to work. For example, brake lights and highlights work, but not the hazards, or turn signals. And I expected the radio and digi-dash to at least come up with light, but there's nothing. Looking at some wiring diagrams I think (If I'm reading it right) some of these systems should work without the ECU, but I could be wrong? I already plan to replace all the relays I can reach, and check every fuse, I assume that's a good place to start. Does anyone have any suggestions for where I should look out for? Thanks in advance!