4x4_Welder

I have a good fix for that. I replaced my stock strap-mount pedal assembly with the better spring-clip mount. I bought the bare pedal mount for an 84 Hatch from the dealership, it was in the $70 range, the original pedals and shaft went right on it. The cable is for an 84 Brat, Napa p/n 615-1745, $35. Now if only the previous owner would have done this, I wouldn't have to replace the tranny-

Ah, I see you found my driveway........ Well, ok, I keep the trees trimmed back from my drive. Speed is a delicate balance, you go as fast as possible, but as slow as necessary. If that means 5mph, then that's it. I have done hours at walking speeds, and I have done water crossings at 25+. Trying to avoid carnage is a good reason to slow it down. About eight years ago, I did the power lines in Flagstaff, AZ, about 14miles, in a 2wd Toyota pickup. Lots of riding the clutch, some obstacles took a couple attempts, but I did it without putting any visible dents in the truck, aside from the front air dam. It took me the better part of six hours, but I did get out and walk the trail in a few spots.

Well, I found out that a fairly stock 81 Hatch d/r will go anywhere an excavator can- had to do a service call on one a couple months back, about half a mile out in the woods. Suprised the guy waiting there, he expected a truck from the amount of noise.

Ok, here's a starting point for ya- With the engine cold, take the air cleaner assembly off. There is a black cap on the side of the carb, held on with three screws, this is the bi-metal coil. It's heated by an electric current running through it, and operates both the choke and high idle. Give the throttle a little kick to set the choke, then loosen the screws holding the cap on. Rotate the cap until the choke plate is just barely touching the bore of the carb, and then tighten the screws down. Make sure the wires are hooked up as well, since if those aren't working the choke won't open. If this is anything like a standard US carb, the choke should only get power when the engine is running, so you might have to plug the vacuum lines to the air cleaner and check your voltage that way. Again, if it's like an american car, it'll only be 6-9volts. I don't have my car up and running right now, so I can't give you any more in depth info. If you are still having problems tomorrow, I'll be able to help more then.

It's a possibility. Is the idle high? Check the choke position with the air cleaner off, and the car warm. If the choke is anything other than vertical, it's got a problem. Of course, it could also have a sunk float, some debris in the needle and seat, etc.

Sounds like a good carry-on item for the trip home.........

How's the power? Almost sounds like a plugged exhaust. Also, make sure the electric fan is turning the right way.

It's because these cars have just enough cooling to keep from burning up. The system wants cool air to come in through the front, the electric and mechanical fans draw it in that way. But, when you're backing up, you're building a pocket of heated air in front of the radiator that keeps getting sucked back through it, heating up more, until the car overheats. You have air coming underneath the car that is being heated by the exhaust, and then mixed with the air the fan is drawing through under the engine, going under the front bumper, and getting sucked back through the radiator by the fan. I've run into similar issues with construction equipment, if it's facing into a stiff headwind (about 20-25mph), then the machine will tend to overheat since the fan pushes out. Took a while to explain that to a guy who called my out twice in two days to "fix" a bulldozer. He kept saying, it only overheats when I'm pushing down the hill...........

I dunno about the salt there- Ya know the two or three days they have here where you actually can't go out because the weak little rubber-tipped plows they use can't get 1/8" of ice off the road? And if you did go out, you'd need chains on your Subaru to move in the direction you want, and stop? Now, imagine that from late November until April, sometimes early May depending on where you're at. That would be Maine without salt. I do have to admidt, though, that for the wild swing in temps between winter and summer, and all the frost heaves in the winter, the roads are actually pretty decent. At least they were in 97, when I was last there.

The one on the left- Was ordered for an 84 Hatch 4x4 from the Subaru dealer, I must have looked at half a dozen 83-85 Subarus today, and didn't find a single one with the same style mount, not even an RX or Brat. I need to get a cable for this, and I need it to be the right one the first time. As you might be able to see, the support on the right is totally trashed, stuck back together, and trashed again. There aren't any binds in the clutch system, it's just a really weak piece. I put the pedals on the new piece thinking I would get a cable today, and get it installed tonight. Just a major strike-out instead.

Yup, that's a stringent test. No holes, brakes must be ok, headlights aimed, full exhaust, etc. I used to be a certified inspection mechanic when I was in HS there. Kinda funny, junior in high school, I wasn't old enough to work in a shop, but I aced the test to get certified. Really got the instructor wound up, cause he offered before hand to buy lunch for anybody that got a better grade than he did when he took the test, and he got a 98%. I remember the rust up there, a ten year old car is a fairly rare thing, even if they do get washed often. I had a Nissan Sentra loose both rear shocks when the perches rusted through. It was 12 years old, had only been in salt for three years.

I'm about to start mine, I'm doing a lot of custom work anyways, so I'm fabbing everything. I'll probably cut out the interferance areas of the tunnel and weld in new pieces. It'll be nice to drive with intact synchros. I know for a hatch the driveshaft has to be 46", but I am doing the t-case mod, so I won't be using that. I'm just trying to figure out how much this thing is going to hang under the car, maybe I'll do a higher center stack with cable-operated 4x4 linkage to tuck it basically up between the seats. Just have to relocate the parking brake control.

Duplicate

I mean the combustion pressures seen by the engine, large amount of air and fuel going in, big bang. On that engine, the ports (gasket matched) were the limiting factor.

The machine shop at Westbay in Port Orchard is decent, don't go to the Navy City shop, their machines are pretty worn out, had some stuff come back worse than it went in. If the parts are available, go for it. Might be a way to get the EA82 to not blow a head gasket. I'm toying with it for a 300-6 turbo project, I have had built Ford 300-6's blow the gasket between two cylinders. Of course, that was with 9.5:1+ compression, large carb, large cam, and dual exhausts. Cylinder pressures on one approached the lower end of the diesel range.

Want some real fun? It was just a hair over 90º in Belfair, i was outside, in the sun, torch cutting and welding. Oh yeah, laying on blacktop to boot. It's a bad thing when a cold shower feels warm. Make sure that if the fan does come on, it's turning the right way, if it's blowing out through the radiator, it will cause overheating while moving. Also, make sure that there is a t-stat in it, I like to run a 180º in mine, if there isn't the water travels through too fast to pick up enough heat, and too fast through the radiator to reject the heat it does pick up. This becomes an issue at speed more than sitting still.

I'd take a look at the engine coolant temp sensor, it's probably bad. I've had japanese cars do some funky electrical stuff when a sensor goes out.

Also, the intake gaskets can leak coolant into the intake runners or to the outside, and the bolts that hold the intake to the head can get stuck and break. I have found lots of times that just because somebody is a mechanic, doesn't mean they know what they are doing with the vehicle in question. Case in point: My 81 Hatch, the girl told me her father was a mechanic, and helped her work on the car. It kept overheating on her, so they pulled the thermostat. It overheated worse. She finally sold it, and I had it fixed inside of ten minutes- When they bypassed the thermal switch and ran power to the fan, they hooked it up backwards so it was blowing out. New thermostat, some fresh coolant, and it hasn't overheated once. Now I just have to sort out the hack exhaust in this thing, so I can make it sound like a real car, less like a lawn mower.

I got to thinking the other day about bobbed Brats, and how well they would wheel vs, say, a Hatch, and I had some strange thoughts running through my head- mostly for combining the two. Has anybody here knocked the rear roof off a Hatch, and made a shortbed Brat out of it? I know it would have basically no cargo area, maybe even have a hard time fitting a cooler back there, but still might be kinda cool. Thoughts?

Never gave me a problem on my truck, and I did have the front axle under thin clay-filled mud a couple times. The vents are tapered out towards the outside, and open in and out, so anything that gets in will get slung out. Aren't the vented rotors heavier than the solid rotors?

What's really fun is to get it spinning on dirt, cut the wheel, and walk the car around. It works better if at some point an axle was installed in contact with the parking brake cable, locking it in place so only one side works............

It looks like the cable seized at one point, and bent the pedal assembly where the cable mounts. I pulled it out, straightened it and re-did the tack welds, and it lasted about four months, the metal was just really weak there. The new one is way tougher, and different cable mount that looks a little more stress-resistant.

I do understand the concepts of seasons and their causes, as well as that you guys have it opposite of us northerners. I'm just jealous, it's supposed to be 90º this weekend.

Did you take the bell housing off? (Which smiley is the smartassed one?) To pull the wrist pins, pull the water pump off, and behind that is a large plug with a 10 or 12mm allen hole in it, take that out, with that piston at BDC you can see the pin. Pop the snap ring out, and use a slide hammer to drag the pin out. You'll see the same style plug on the other side, and with the bell housing off, you'll see two more. Not too bad, but those pins like to stick.

Aren't the bolts only supposed to be somewhere around 12ft/lbs or something really light like that? I know if you torque them down too tight, it'll distort the flanges and cause the gaskets to burn.