edrach

That's usually the first sign of a faulty radiator. If the temp climbs the faster you go on the highway and/or going up hill, that's the typical symptom for the radiator being bad (or too much stuff clogging the airflow through the radiator). I've never found reverse flushing the cooling system to help and just put that money toward a new radiator.

I've had excellent results with Redline 75W-90NS on the older, high mileage cars that I usually drive. Also, I found that the Castrol Synthetic 75W-90 which Subaru suggests is also quite good. My only negative experience I've had was with the Lucas 75W-90 gearoil (non-synthetic) on my old Legacy. Within two weeks of installing it, I was getting synchro crunches shifting into 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Drained the Lucas gearoil and put in the Redline and the gearbox has been quiet ever since (almost a year ago now).

Being a smart rump roast kid is certainly going to get you lots of help here. Good luck with your project.

As much as I hate to disagree with Miles, I don't think the radiator is the issue. A faulty radiator will generally overheat when you're driving down the road; and the faster you go, the hotter the temp display goes. That being said, I'm still with the fan; it either doesn't turn on, spins too slowly to cool the engine, or is blowing in the reverse direction (wires reversed). Go with the fan first since it'll be the least expensive item to fix. If you still want to spend $100 for a radiator after fixing the fan, go for it.

So which Brat is it? A gen1 or gen2 version?Also, do yourself a favor and get it running before you spend big bucks for an engine and find the the body is so rusted it couldn't support the engine.

Sounds like the price is at the high end also; especially since you'll likely be spending another $500 to $1500 for the timiming belt and water pump service. Also, emissions might be an issue since it's going to CA; check the laws regarding that. Earlier poster indicted it's OBDII---as far as I know OBDII did not start until 1997. As a price comparison, I paid $3950 three years ago for a '97 Impreza L wagon with 120K on the odometer (in WA state near Seattle). Check Kelly Blue Book and NADA for a good current price evaluation for the car you're looking to buy.

That link should go into the USRM if it isn't there already.

So have you replaced the alternator yet?

I would go with the fan. If the radiator were not cooling efficiently, you would notice an increase in temperature with increasing speed. The faster you travel the higher the temp would go even though you have sufficient airflow through the radiator. In your case, the engine is generating minimal heat and the fan should kick on when temp gauge is about at 5/8 (just above half way). If the fan does come on, make sure it is blowing air from the front of the car onto the engine. If someone reversed the wires to the fan, it would blow hot engine air into the radiator and cause the engine to appear to overheat. (Sound familiar Miles?).

Check out this link, thanks. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=108674

I would suggest the Robert Bentley version of the 1984 FSM. It's a re-written version of the OEM FSM and covers the Brat, 4WD, and Turbo up to 1984. ISBN # 0-8376-0270-X. In looking through my copy I see it covers the rear seats in the bed of the '84 Brat but couldn't find any other Brat specific information (but I didn't look very hard either). I consider the Bentley version of the FSM an easier read than the original. Certainly much more useful than Haynes or Chilton's. It's a pretty rare book, but you might find it on Amazon or www.books4cars.com. Books4cars might also have the supplements you're looking for. Amazon search by title didn't yield any results, but I found this with the ISBN number: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/083760270X/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&qid=1265559566&sr=1-1&condition=used $14 plus shipping is a steal for a used copy. I hate to tell you what I paid for mine. Books4cars seems to have the supplement you're looking for. They even listed the OEM supplement for the gen1 Brat. http://www.books4cars.com/result1.asp?findmake=Subaru&imageField.x=17&imageField.y=11&offset=50

I went to the ORG/PRG workers' banquet last weekend and ran into Paul Eklund. He gave me a flyer regarding his rally schools. Next three schools are in March (Hillsboro, OR), April (northern California), and then May (Hillsboro, OR). For more information: www.get-primitive.com Click on the Rally School button.

Also make sure they will be using genuine Subaru parts. You have the extended contract through them so there shouldn't be any question about it. Definitely get an itemized list of parts and such. For your own satisfaction, you want to see the old parts to make sure that critical parts did not go into your "new" engine. The old manifold and electrical parts and such should remain with the car, but any internal parts should be replaced. Good luck with this and your daughter was lucky to buy the extended warranty.

Subaru of America Northwest Region 5216 NE 158th Ave. Portland, OR 97230 503-262-1250 Broken bolt on the tensioner should certainly be a warranty issue even at 61,000 miles. Best of luck persuing this.

Actually, you might be better off converting your cable clutch to hydraulic; it just requires adding more parts to your car. The easier conversion is what I had done since it requires fewer parts.

Speaking of clutch type, hydraulic versus cable. You can with a little effort convert from one to the other. My '97 Impreza has a cable clutch and the transmission I installed came from a '95 WRX (JDM) front clip which used a hydraulic clutch. Long story short, remove the hydraulic stuff from the transmission, replace the clutch fork, move the pivot point for the fork (hole was already in the casting...just needed to tap it and screw in the pivot ball), replace the rear diff and the transmission works just fine. I wanted the 4.111 rear and with the JDM gearbox got the closer ratio gears. I'm a happy camper. I know someone will ask, transmission number is TY752VB3FA.

Yea, someone who actually checked the gear chart. Sadly, not all transmissions are listed and for the life of me, I can't understand how some of them get left out. It's surprising to me that your OBW has a 4.111 rear/gearbox since they were going with the 3.900 during the mid '90's to get better gas consumption. I'd give my eye-teeth to figure out how they assign the letters that identify the transmission. I'm sure it has something to do with the final ratio as well as individual gear ratios, but it's beyond me. Anyone know?

I'd try poking down the drains with a straightened coat hanger wire. You might be able to dis-lodge whatever is down there. Don't try too hard; you don't want to poke a hole in the plastic tubing.

I'm with John on that; the rear diff doesn't fail that often. Need more input.

If you have a manual transmission check the transmission charts in the USRM to see which tranny you have and which rear diffs will fit with it. The chart will also tell you which other models have the rear diff you might need.

Wow, 108K miles; that engine is barely broken in. $1000 for the car is a bit high to my thinking, but worst case on the engine might be $1500 or a little more to repair it. Then you have a 2000 Outback with 108K on it; if it's clean, it should be worth $3500 so you're ahead of the game. Best of luck, whatever you decide.

I'm a bit confused; what's the ratio of the front diff? I hope it matches the rear diff ratio on your XT6.

I would avoid any of the DOHC EJ25s; I'm not sure if they were manufactured 2000 and up.

I know the XT6 hubs have handbrake provisions; I'm just not sure whether it's front or rear. I've got the parts in the Brat waiting to be installed so I can look. I'm just waiting to get an answer to the axle question and deciding what's the best approach to the cross member questions for the subsequent entire EJ swap.

That's the question I have. Are there any axles that fit without getting custom ones made?