edrach

Try Emily at ccrinc. She could advise you of sources and prices.

The reason for being exposed to the air is that the resistors are very high wattage and the air flow is there to cool the wires so they don't burn out quite so often. As much as these guys fail, remember that most of them last more than 10 years before they fail. Great picture, Skip, it's about time someone made it easier to find the resistor block. I can't think of how many people come back with "I can't find it" after being told where it is. Your reply should definitely go into our online service manual and be preserved forever.

Most important item: your hatch is most likely a 3.9 rear end ratio. Most of the Subaru LSDs are 3.700. You'll need to convert a good 3.900 rear to LSD using parts from the 3.700 rear.

Not to be a pain, but be carefull with the wiring. On high beams you are now running two filaments for each side effectively doubling the current on the old harness. Be smart and install a new harness running the power directly off a FUSED line from the battery and supplying power to the lamps from a pair of relays (one for low beam and the other for the high beams). If you use 12 (or 10) guage wire for the power to the headlamps you can even go with higher wattage bulbs than stock. 18 guage wire for the relay control is more than adequate. Ground the headlamps to a good grounding point and use the old headlamp socket to operate the relays. As old as our cars are, I wouldn't go through all this trouble without rewiring. Old wiring, old connectors, and more current draw are a recipe for a fire under the hood; besides the fact that you'll probably loose about 2 volts in the old harness and the new lighting will be relatively dim.

I was planning on doing this swap on my '86 wagon since the quad headlamps are a lot cheaper than the composite ones. Parts from an '88 DL fit interchangeably with my '86 GL wagon. I'm not sure since I've never tried it, but the quad lamp assembly from an '83 wagon might fit in your earlier vehicle. You'd probably have to get all the trim and grill pieces too (as well as the wiring connectors to the headlamps) to see if it would fit. Our local PAP yard will accept the parts back within 30 days if they don't work (if it doesn't fit, I guess it could be called "not working). The other half of this is the wiring and I'd suggest you re-wire the new lights via a relay directly off a fused line from your battery. Activate the relay from the old headlamp socket. If I can get my old computer running again, I'll get you a link to a site that can show you the wiring. PS: Bratsarus1 might have the link to the headlamp wiring site since I sent it to him at one time and he's more organized than I am.

Richie, It is called a Certificate in Lieu of Title. The lady in question can go to any D.O.L. office, tell them she lost the title and give them the tag # of the car as well as identification. They will check the computer and verify that the title is in her name and issue the Certificate to her which she can sign and turn over to you. You can then take that certificate to an Oregon motor vehicle agency and transfer the WA title to yourself or anyone else that you sell the car to. No need to wait for the actual title to be mailed from Olympia. Last time I did this, it cost $8.50 and is done on the spot at the D.O.L. office. Re-reading your post it sounds like you already transferred the title and I'm not sure the above will work now that it's in your name. Although you might go to Vancouver and get a Certificate in Lieu of Title if the title is now in your name. That should be an immediately transferable title so you can sell the car without waiting for the 8 weeks.

I can't improve on the_bard's description for the red, yellow and black wires. If there's a blue wire it goes to an electric extendable antenna motor if you have one. DO use a test light to make your measurements; using a digital multimeter can mis-lead you on the voltages due to it's high internal resistance. Frye's carries the adapter harness for '86 and newer wagons. Also, here are the colors for the speakers: Gray/Gray-Black is right front White/White-Black is left front Violet/Violet-Black is right rear Green/Green-Black is left rear These are the standard wire colors from the new deck. Your best approach is to run new speaker wires to eliminate the common ground problem (might as well change the speakers on a 17 year old car too). The black stripe on all the speaker wires goes to the negative side of the speaker.

Next time this happens, verify that you have spark. Just because it was a fuel related problem before doesn't mean it is again. Eliminate spark as a potential before you go ripping apart the fuel system.

The nut doesn't loosen. What is happening is that when the axle was installed, there was dirt, grease or something on the curved part of the axle stub (on the backside of the hub). As you drive down the road, that material works its way out and the nut "loosens." Usually, tightening it once is all that's needed. Sometimes you might have to do it twice. Actually, you can over-tighten that nut without damage to anything else. The real fix is to pull the axle out, clean the mating surface on the axle as well as the hub and then re-install.

Lack of fuel doesn't sound like an alternator problem to me. Altho I'm not familiar with the older cars, but I'd start with the easy and obvious--when is the last time you've replaced fuel filters? Including the one at the fuel pump (if it's like my son's '82 Brat, that's the one that most people forget about). I know the problem just started when you shorted out the terminal, but stranger co-incidences have happened before.

Galen, here's the link: http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7917&highlight=March+RallyCross New search engine is so cool!

The $30/person is not cheap, but I think it's justified. It costs money to rent the water truck, the field, and the insurance. I'd say there are other costs there too.

I don't know; I'm still waiting for them to post results/minutes of the December meeting.

Not sure this can happen on a Subaru but I've had it happen with an older VW Beetle. There is a vent on the gas tank to equalize pressure as the gas is drawn out. If the vent clogs or the vent line is kinked, a vacuum is built up in the tank and the fuel pump can no longer overcome that and the car seems to run out of gas or exhibit fuel starvation symptoms. Next time it happens, stop and pull the gas cap to equalize pressure. If the car is okay again for a while, start looking to clear the vent line.

There are certain items I always buy from a Subaru dealer. Thermostat is certainly one of them.

Is the flapper directing air flow from the the blower closing when you need heat? I went to fix a similar problem and found a mouse had build a nest blocking the heating air duct.

Jay, I was just interpreting what I thought I read. Your wagon is about the same mileage as my '86 when I changed the radiator at 225K so I wouldn't count that out. But, I really think you have a thermostat that is sticking shut until it finally pops open. Good luck with the repair. Sorry I didn't connect the username.

Best Legacy mechanics in the area are Smart Service in Shoreline. Try http://www.smart-service.com/.

It would help to know how old and which model you have. However, two things jump out at me: The sudden drop in temp could be due to a stuck thermostat allowing the car to start to overheat and then suddenly opening. Odd that the car normally goes only up to 1/3 on the temp guage. All of my cars are typically 1/2 or just slightly below. My Brat used to be 1/3 until I replaced the thermostat; turns out the unit that was in there was a "summer" thermostat that opened at a lower temperature and the car always ran cooler. Works fine now that I have the correct thermostat in the car. Secondly, older Subarus has marginal radiators. With age they become less efficient and the car is prone to running hotter than normal. The typical symptom is that the car might run at normal temp at 40 or 50mph, but will run noticeably hotter at 60 (but not overheat); hotter still at 70 (maybe not overheating yet); when you slow down the temp will come back to normal by itself. Nothing helps this second problem other than replacing the radiator (easy job and not too expensive; I bought a radiator for my GL wagon for $120 from http://www.radiator.com and it took less than 30 minutes to install). Don't try a backflush on the radiator--waste of time and money. Take it from someone who spent $75 on various remedies on my wagon and finally fixed it once and for all with a new radiator. If I'd have been smart, I would have taken that $75 and put it to the purchase price of a new rad. So, to summarize, I think you may have a stuck thermostat as well as an older radiator. Try the thermostat first, it'll be less expensive.

I have my own feelings about Scott needing to be impartial. Hopefully, the responsibility of the job will force him to see other viewpoints. We'll have to wait and see on that.

Corky, you're preaching to the choir. And you're right. However, the idea is not to add classes like in autocross when you almost have a separate class for every make of car. Six basic classes is about right ffor rallycross and I can understand ORG's need to not add classes if that can be avoided. The equalizer in all this is the road conditions which allow a Brat to be quite competitive with the Durango. Slippery conditions and the Brats will usually win every time; dry conditions and a wide open course and the Durango has a considerable advantage. But it's really the driver and not the car that makes a difference in this event. You should come out and run; you'd love it! The cars that really lose in Truck/SUV are the full size trucks, especially the 2WD variety. Just an afterthought; I think a Brat, properly modified (not extremely), with the right driver could be quite competitive in almost any class, including Open.

Austin, great idea. Neon cruise control! Just have a few well placed hooks on your dash and loop the string around the appropriate hook for the speed you want to travel at. Cool. Glad you made if home okay.

Corky, the classes were originally conceived to put like-performing cars into the same class so there would be some semblance of order and to increase competition. My preference to not having wagons in Truck/SUV referred to the Loyale series; my personal feeling is that they are more appropriate in Production class. Actually, my real argument is with SCCA in not defining a class list for ralllycross. If you look at Article 10 of the SCCA regs regarding classes, it is the most amazing, confusing, contradictory set of rules I've ever seen. I think ORG did a pretty decent job of re-defining classes for rallycross. Their only mistake occurred last year when they didn't allow Jason to run in Production with his '76 wagon because he didn't have a stock air cleaner. Production--by the ORG rules--"allows minor modifications" and a non-stock air cleaner on a 1400 cc motor doesn't seem to justify kicking the car into Open or Truck/SUV class. Actually, I think Jason just wanted to run (but not in Open) and pointed out the MPV classification on the door pillar of his wagon. Once he was in, every GL wagon, Hatch, etc. could put aggressive snow tires and any modifications into their car and run Truck/SUV and basically take over the class. ORG was hoisted by their own petard as it were. Frankly, I don't make the rules; I'd just like to run the events and have fun (and be a little competitive when I have a good day). Lots of interesting reading in the discussion link I posted as well as Article 10. ORG was only trying to come to grips with a "perceived" problem of loss of competitors being due to Brats and other low power Subarus. Statistically, the problem of loss of returning competitors in Truck/SUV had less to do with other marques being outclassed but with the fact that for two years in a row, 75% of the entry in that class did not return to compete in the following year. Since the Brats always returned it didn't take long for the "perception" of Brat superiority to be blamed for that fact. As a matter of fact, only Subarus made up the significant majority of the first two events of the series in 2003 and in a three car series for year-end points allowed them to take 5 out of 6 trophies for the 2003 series. It'll be interesting to see what 2004 brings in terms of rules and results. I just wish that the "final" rules would be posted soon so I can get the Brat ready in time for the RallyCross school in March. Oh, forgot to respond to your comment about the Forrester. It was and should be in Truck/SUV. As a matter of fact, one Forrester ran the series in 2002 (might have been 2001) and took 2nd for the year I believe. He didn't return to run in 2003; I don't know why.

Andrew, like it or not, get used to it since it won't change for at least a year. Frankly, I agree with him on that point; I really don't feel that our wagons belonged in Truck/SUV. I'm just waiting for the updates so that I can figure out what class I'll be running in this year. If you want to change it, join ORG and make your voice heard. If he's wrong, it'll become apparent in short order. Who knows, this might even improve things and make it better. Right now, wait and see. For those who want to see the entire discussion that occurred before the Dec. 17th meeting, look for: http://pub35.ezboard.com/foregonregionsccafrm17.showMessage?topicID=7.topic

This was published in the January 2004 issue of the Loud Pedal (ORG's monthly magazine) in Matt Tabor's Rally Column: "The Oregon Rally Group, Rally Division of the Oregon Region SCCA, are proud to welcome our new RallyCross Manager for 2004, Scott Kovalik. Scott has participated in RallyCross for a number of years and we are thrilled and excited that he has decided to help us out on the organizational side of things. One of Scott's first duties was to bring to a resolution the discussions that were taking place regarding some rules tweaking being considered by the ORG. Scott lead a discussion of some of these at our December meeting. Some of the things that came out of that meeting were: A clarification stating that wagons are not to be run in the Truck/SUV class. A mandate to explore splitting the Truck/SUV class into two classes with Upper and Lower horsepower split. An increase in non-member (SCCA) entry fee to $30. And a new system for randomizing the grid rows which run first. For a more detailed explanations of these and all the RallyCross rules, please point your favorite browser to http://www.oregonrally.com or click the rally link from http://www.oregonscca.com." Note: More detailed explanations are not yet posted as of 1/3.