Fuji Fellow

Subiegal: I was looking for my old FF-1 owner's manual, which specified about that special brake fluid. HOWEVER, in retrospect I think this isn't going to be an issue for you and Fujiko. From reading the many year's worth of threads about this resto project, I know you and / or Steve rebuilt the brake cylinders. Unless the seals that were installed came from some very old and dusty box from the dark back corner of some dealer's parts room, the new seals are probably the more modern synthetic rubber parts, which will work fine with DOT-3 fluid. The natural rubber OEM seals would dissolve pretty quickly in DOT-3 fluid. So if you've been driving Fujiko around and the brakes aren't leaking yet, chances are they're not going to. But do keep an eye out for leaks of course, just in case. The inboard front brakes on the FF-1 made the system prone to overheating. Yes, you are blessed with a mild climate up there in Seattle, but down in S. Texas, and again in Tucson AZ, there were a couple of times when the brake system gave me grief due to the heat. Maybe it was something to do with that special brake fluid, or maybe it had some moisture in it, which tried to expand. I was driving along, and the car started slowing down, and slowing down more... struggling like it was going uphill. It ground to a stop off the roadway, and I noticed that the brake pedal was locked up hard as a rock, no downward travel at all. About an hour later, it cooled off and all was good. In Tucson, I got into the habit of carrying a little 8mm box wrench. Whenever the lockup happened, I'd just crawl under the front and crack open the brake bleeder valve a bit. Some fluid would spurt out, the brakes would relax, and all was good again. I'm guessing it might have helped to replace all the brake fluid. There must be something about the FF-1 brakes, because all the FF-1 resto projects seem to start out with a car that has some kind of front-end damage <g>. That and the rust along the rocker panels. I know Steve spent a pile of money on a professional body restoration for Fujiko. Me being the poor college kid at the time, my process was much lower budget. I cut up an old galvanized slide from a swing set, and used it as patch material for the rocker panels, and for the trunk floor which had a stunning resemblence to Swiss cheese . You've restored Fujiko to a show car condition. I only restored my Pokuntsu-San to be a daily driver. I put steel belted radials (still a fairly new thing at the time) on it, and a Heathkit Capacitive Discharge ignition. Dual pipes with glass packs, and that little car would roar along getting me an honest 40mpg. Wasn't fast, wasn't pretty, but I loved that car. It was the first of 3 Subies for me. Ah, these memories. There's many of us out here reading your thread, thanking you for these FF-1 memories. James

Hello to Steve, Subie-Gal, and all the others following and contributing to this wonderful thread! I'm late to this party, but I got here soon as I could. The very first car I owned, was a Subaru FF-1 2-door sedan, just like this one. I bought him for a hundred bucks, wrecked and junked, from a neighbor down the street. I pushed him home, and spent the summer of '78 restoring to a functional roadworthy condition (fixing the rust same as Fujiko had, fix the brakes, and replace the exhaust). I drove him 400 miles a week to college in S. Texas, then in Tucson for 3 more years after that. Mine was never restored to the absolute perfection level of Fujiko, but to me he was my Sedan DeVille. I loved that car, named him Pokuntsu-San. He was the first of a long series of Subies for me. To Steve: The Subaru world will never forget your dedication and commitment that you had for this car. Your engineering and innovations defy words to describe them -- the results speak for themselves. I have trouble trying to decide which is more impressive -- your work on this car, or how beautifully you have documented it for all the rest of us to share. Yes, this Feast Of Life sometimes serves us a turd sandwich, and we just have to roll with it. I'm delighted you are still with us on this thread, to see the fruits of your labor. To Subie Gal: There may very well be no one else in this country who could have taken over on this car as you have done (and are doing). Financially, this undertaking would be completely illogical. But as we all know, this goes beyond logic -- it's truly a labor of love. Fujiko (a wonderfully Shogun-ish name there!), shines now in your obvious love for Subarus. Thank you, for continuing this project. And for continuing to document all that you're doing here, for the rest of us to share. Fujiko's heart beats on with all of us. I wish that the Internet had been available back when I had my FF-1. The parts situation would have been so much more workable in that case. As it was, back in that day you'd get to be on a first-name basis with all the local junkyards. And the local dealerships would refuse to take my money any more, because they couldn't in good conscience say if or when they would ever be able to get the parts I needed (such as brake cylinders, brake drums, shocks, etc). The power of the Internet has really changed all that. I'm having to restrain myself here, because I could write on and on and bore all of you with my own Subaru experiences. But for now let me leave you with some quick questions about Fujiko: 1) Did you have any trouble with the brake fluid? The FF-1 as I recall, used natural rubber seals in the brake system, and required a special brake fluid from Subaru. If you put standard DOT-3 fluid in there, it would disolve those seals, and the brakes would leak out fluid and be ruined (I experienced that a lot). 2) People are 'amazed' by those inboard front brakes. Subaru used that design to reduce the unsprung mass, and simplify the design of the suspension. But in practice (especially in hot areas like S. Texas and Tucson) I found this design places the brakes in the hot air flow from the radiator, and reduces their cooling and makes them susceptible to overheating. Maybe in rural Japanese villages this wouldn't have been a problem. I'm wondering if you've driven Fujiko hard yet in hot temperatures and had that problem? 3) People also are amazed by that dual radiator design on the FF-1's. The sub-radiator was supposed to be the heater core. In theory this worked, but in practice I found that at any speeds over about 30 MPH, it wasn't very effective. South Texas winters are not especially 'brutal', but the high humidity makes even 45 degrees feel quite cold. I was probably the only driver there who wore a snowmobile suit while commuting in the winter <G>. 4) Are you planning to eventually restore the center console 'hump' there over the shifter linkage? Even of not for appearances, that console will help reduce interior noise while driving (assuming that's an issue for you). And yes, do keep us updated on progress with the bumpers. That little bit of chrome, you see, will make a lot of difference in Fujiko's 'smile'. Well, I did mention that I have to restrain myself, so pardon me as this post is already growing long. I have sat here literally all day, reading this thread, mesmerized by this wonderful story. Live Long, Fujiko-San. It's obvious that you are in loving hands.

This thread caught my eye. My Sube is an 88, 1.8L SPFI, D/R 5spd 4wd. 230,000 miles. On HOT days (85F and above), after the motor gets fully warmed up, the idle speed will suddenly become very fast, anywhere from 2200 up to 2800 rpm. It will be ok one moment, then then the engine idle will suddenly JUMP up, like it's being commanded to do so by the ECM. At this point, I'm suspecting either a vacuum leak somewhere that's being brought out by the heat, or maybe a sensor that's breaking down at hot. During this hi-rev idle thing the engine continues to run ok and the car can be driven, just allowing some extra time between shifts. I'm planning to start checking and replacing all vacuum hoses and any sensors related to heat... any other ideas or suggestions? There IS one other piece of info that's involved, and on edit I wanted to add this in. My power steering pump has been seeping out p.s. fluid, which has made the top front of the motor stay kind of damp with a film of oil. I'm just wondering if maybe this power steering fluid which got on hoses and parts up around the top front of the motor, might have degraded them. Maybe I should fix the power steering pump thing and clean up the oil film before I start chasing this other problem? Thanks, James

I had one! It was my first Subaru. Bought it for $100, back in 1978, from a neighbor lady. Spent an hour digging it out from under accumulated debris in her garage, pumped up the tires, and pushed it down the street to my house. Spent the summer of 78 fixing it up into somewhat roadworthy condition, after which I drove it for 5 years to college, and to work later. Most people hated that car, but damn I loved it. I put steel belted radials on it, dual pipes with glasspacks, a Heathkit electronic ignition kit on it, and that car got 40mpg out of that little 1100cc engine. I'd still have it today, but that I just could not find parts for it. Too bad I didn't have the resource of this forum, or else I'd surely still have it on the road now. Such memories... farewell my old Pokuntsu-San, wherever you are. James

1988 Subaru, 1800 with throttle body injection. I read here earlier about a guy who was having idle problems, and traced it down to the big black rubber air-horn part that sits on top of the Throttle body. He was having air leaks in that part, upsetting the vacuum balance and messing up the idle. I think mine's doing the same thing. So what is the official name for this part? Or better yet, the Part Number? Or even better than that, where I might find one? Thanks, James

Sometimes I tell my friends that my Subie has an exclusive automatic built-in anti-theft device. They say Really? I say yeah, you can see it on the side of the fender down there, where it says S-U-B-A-R-U. OK, no flames please, it's just a funny. I'm a Subaru lover... been driving nothing else since 1978, and I'm on my 3'rd one. Cheers and peace.

During the 16 years that I had my much-loved and dearly-missed 82 DL Hatch with the 1600 engine, I found that it was sensitive to what kind of oil filter was being used. It really liked the OEM Subaru filters. Aftermarket filters would make the valves clatter on cold starts. I was told by a Subaru tech that Subaru puts an anti-drainback valve in the filter, while other brands have the valve in the oil pump. How true this is, I have not verified... but from observation I can say that my 1600 EA81 did start up quieter with a Subaru filter. My current EA82 1800 (spfi) doesn't seem to care. Long as it's got oil, it goes.

Can you tell us more please about the process of getting the inner door panels off? Is there a special tool required, etc? Thanks, James

In these forums I've heard of a test for Hydrocarbons in the coolant. Is this a test that can be done easily at home, or does it require going to a radiator shop? What equipment is involved... something special? I'm suspecting my 88 EA82 wagon is beginning to have HG troubles. It shows the classic signs of slowly overheating and puking coolant after a time on the freeway, but it will sit and idle indefinatly with no temperature problems. I guess if it tested positive for HC in the coolant, that'd be a sure sign of of the head gaskets leaking. I'm wondering... has anyone ever just retorqued the head bolts and had that be enough to fix small HG problems? I know it's kind of a moot point because by the time you've done all the work to disassemble down to the heads, you might as well take them off and replace the gaskets. BUT, just curious if maybe "aluminum creep" in the heads was allowing the HG to leak a little, that retorquing the head bolts might fix that. Anyone?

Adam, Can you tell me more please about the HC in coolant test? How is it performed, what equipment does it use, etc? I have sort of the same situation going on with my Subaru -- overheating despite new thermostat, pressure cap, etc. Sometimes it'll puke coolant out the overflow tank, then when I refill it sometimes I see bubbles in the radiator. Not sure if that's air pockets being flushed out of the water jackets, or maybe it's combustion gasses getting past the gaskets. Anyway, I gotta get this problem fixed, and the HC in coolant test sounds like the next thing I need to do. Thanks, James

Yes, I've heard that too, that back in the late 60's there were Buick dealerships that would give you a 'free' Subaru 360 if you bought a new Buick. The joke was something along the line of, 'You don't need a spare tire - we give you a whole spare CAR in the trunk.' James

"Underdrive Pulleys" place somewhat larger diameter drive pulleys on components such as the alternator, the power steering pump, and sometimes the water pump. These oversized drive pulleys effectively reduce the drive speed of these auxillary items, and lower the peak Horsepower loads they place on the engine. It makes the engine able to rev up faster in response to the throttle, and so undrive pulleys are favored by rally and street race performance tuners. The downside is, as has been posted here, that the undrive pulley on the alternator sometimes makes it spin too slowly at idle to keep the electrical system charged, so folks who use underdrives have to watch out for that. James

THE DUDE, Your post answered a question I've been wondering about for a while. We had the 2.2 engine, which was very reliable. Then we went to the Phase 1 2.5, which had the internal head gasket failure more. And the Phase 2 2.5 has an external HG failure mode. The question I was trying to figure is, where'd they get the extra 300cc to make the 2.2 into the 2.5? Was it done by increasing the stroke or the bore, and you're saying it looks like it was by increasing the bore - to the detriment of HG reliability. Are there any other big differences between the various 2.5's and the old reliable 2.2? Specifically (and I've got a reason for asking), are the water pumps and thermostats interchangeable between the 2.2 and the 2.5's? James

I have heard that Japan has such severe auto emissions regulations, that when a car there hits 100,000KM, it must get a NEW ENGINE. Not a tuneup, not an overhaul, but a NEW motor. Yikes... 100,000KM is 62,500 miles... which is just barely getting broken in good for a Stateside Subaru. So what do they do with these 100K engines from Japan? They crate them up and send them here and sell them... to folks like us with 97 Imprezas with mega miles who's engines finally passed on. It's a strange business, but hey, it works. James

It's right above the passenger's feet. Push the passenger seat all the way back to give yourself some room to work, then take off the kick panel underneath the glove box. You should seen the outside of the blower motor, and it has a big wire bundle coming out from it (4 wires in a cable). These 4 wires go to the unit you are looking for, the resistor block. As others have described, carefully take it out, and you'll see the resistors which are actually wire coils (very low resistance). These wire coil resistors sit in the windstream created by the blower motor. As a side note... if your blower motor ever gets bad bearings and slows down, the first thing to go then will be one of those little resistors, because it won't get cooled enough. I got a new resistor block from someone one Ebay. They are available... good luck!