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Try looking for a flexible hose with the correct sized banjo bolt fittings on each end. Mamba on eBay sells good products, you just need to find what works - an early RS Liberty/RS Legacy or wrx one could work if the banjo bolts are the same size. Cheers Bennie

Cold idle startup is solid. Ambient temperature was 89°F. After revving the engine to transition out of warm-up, the idle RPMs drop very low. I adjusted the carburetor idle screw to raise the RPMs above 700 and set the timing to just over 8 degrees BTDC. It's improving little by little. I'm currently running a cheap Amazon fuel pump until the correct one arrives from RockAuto (shipping from New York). I can still smell remnants of the old fuel coming from the exhaust. Once the new pump arrives, I plan to add fresh gas to the tank and see if there's any improvement.

Alright let us know how it goes. My old eyes don’t see the crack I was expecting at the left side near the pivot pin. But hey you’re on the right path.

And great info, thanks bushy. Kind of glad I’m sticking with my 70s cars. Good luck.

Just a little info at this time. The rest of the country pretty much all has the 49 states Hitachi and the Carter single barrel is much less common to the point that those folks now can’t find diddly for their carbs. Carry on.

I have a 2005 Impreza RS wagon that has the H1 bulbs in it. Anyone have any feedback on the H1 LED Headlight Bulbs? Thanks, Larry

The California Hitachi actually flows pretty well. It gets you several horsepower over the 49-state Carter version. There's also a 49-state Hitachi, but I've never seen one here in California. Unless you pair it with other upgrades, I don't think a carb swap will give noticeable power gains. It is, however, more complicated to work on.

It should run best with the solenoids plugged in. Make sure the green test connector under the dash is not plugged together, then get your 'scope on the o2 sensor line. Keep in mind it's an unheated sensor, and you may need to rev it a little to get it to come to life. It should be switching between around ..2v and .7v every couple seconds. Check at idle, at a constant no-load slight rev, and during gentle driving. It'll always be rich at full throttle, by design. If the o2 sensor is switching at idle, but you have more power with them unplugged, check to make sure the power valve isn't stuck closed. On the topic of power valves, make sure not to damage the gasket around the tiny passage in the middle of the carb when taking the top half off. It's easy to tear, and will smoke and run like total spoob if you do tear it. Also check secondary is opening correctly - it's semi-vacuum-operated and can be sticky. And, of course, clean every single passage and jet in the carb... Also check timing. Rich mixture can hide overly advanced timing. Check timing with vacuum advance unplugged and idle set correctly.

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.