Zefy

ya the oem driveshaft is def to short. I've tried... I had my lengthened. Any DECENT driveline shop should be able to do it. They should replace the ENTIRE center section of the shaft. You can't just cut out a chunk and slap it back together... it won't balance properly. Find a place that does shafts for big lifted trucks and stuff. they should have no problem doing it.

mine were also blowing at an exhausting rate. It is an issue with the wiring. I think there was even a recall on some brats back in like 1979 or something about it... I recall somebody mentioning it a while back. either way... the wiring gets to hot, thereby increasing resistance which then causes a slow burn of the fuse... Feel the headlight wiring after a long drive... it gets pretty spicy! This is also why it's a very bad call just upping the fuse. I believe the 'factory' fix was to use a jumper wire somewhere to better manage the draw. I never actually found what it was or where it went though... In reality, the original design is quite poor. From what i've seen, no relays or anything were used. Here is what I did. I used the original headlight wiring as 'signal' for a set of relays then hooked the relays up through a proper fuse to the battery. I used these relays to actually turn on the headlights. I didn't explain this that well but it's not complicated... This reduces the current running through the dash, prevents fuses from popping at crappy moments and if you do it right, will be completely removable for 'historicness'. I've done this to 3 cars now including the brat. The actual goal was to run 100W bulbs.

No i have not solved the issues yet. I did some tests a while back before i got extremely busy with school. I found two things. First, I determined that I am getting full spark all the way until it dies. 2nd. The motor is not being choked out by the throttle or the IAC. The ECU is cutting fuel. I determined this by reading the injector duty cycle through the priming, starting, and running. it distinctly drops to zero then a moment later (fractions of a second...) the motor stops. So somewhere the ecu is being told to cut fuel. The only sensor that i could find that was 'off' was the MAF. The sensor itself is fine however the wiring is incorrect. This is all from memory so forgive me if the details are incorrect but one of the 5 wires going from the maf to the ecu is not getting a proper signal. One of them is supposed to be receiving something like 0.3-0.5v while the car is in the 'on' position but not yet started. it was receiving 12.1v though. odd? yes... I need to retrace my wiring... Possibly remove it from the car and clean everything up. I don't want to further clean the wiring if it doesn't run though as i could be making the problem worse or untraceable. Either way, I'm not sure when i will be able to work on it. it's starting to get cold outside with rain pretty much every day. School is getting crazy to but hopefully i'll be able to figure it out and possibly driving it sometime this decade...

while i do think is unsafe to work on a car without some sort of proper jackstand i would like to point out that these cars have amazing balance which i have unfortunately proven... (drove like that for ~30 miles... only touched the ground a fraction of the time... (many many many times) if he took the highlift out he could probably lift the car up off of his squished testis with minimal effort from him or his nagging woman. also changing an axle doesn't really actually involve going under the car except for the roll pin which can be awkwardly removed from the top if need be.

i just picked up a full set of FSM's for the 1990 legacy. Very detailed diagnostics in those books. I am going to start checking all my sensors tomorrow and see what i can see...

i actually had somebody else ask the same thing and seriously, i don't know! I matched it to my impreza which is: top: high pressure feed line (pump) middle: return line (tank) bottom: vent (nowhere...) did they change it ever? anyways.. tried a few other things like bypass the fuel pump relay and main relay giving them both their own battery. so i know everything is getting power. tried unplugging the maf and tps while in these states and nothing happened. i also found a pin that is a 'california identifier' pin on the ecu. this is not supposed to be grounded but it was. This, now that i'm thinking about it, doesn't make sense because it is routed right to a ground from the get go meaning it was grounded in the old legacy it was in for the first ~18 years of its life... Anyways... didn't make a difference... Also sounded like the fuel pump was struggling a bit while it was pumping (because i bypassed the relay i didn't prime anymore, just on all the time) so i put another 5 liters in it and it smoothed right out. wouldn't it be nice if it turned out i just didn't have enough gas? well it wasn't that easy i guess because it stayed the same. My fuel pressures are a little more smooth now but i still see the same results. what the hell is going on...? i've got it running SUPER smooth then it's like somebody is jacking my keys 5 seconds later.

maybe...? I guess that would make sense... Either way, the original one was not being 'springy' in that i had to force the tumbler open and closed with a screwdriver/finger... I put another one on from a 98 impreza 2.2. It seems to function fine although the wiring appeared messed up. I had to fiddle with it a bit to make it function correctly. So now it starts up fine, with a wee bit of a high idle like a good motor should. it then continues to turn off ~5 freaking seconds later... I'm going bonkers with this piece of S***... I bypassed the main relay to ensure it was indeed giving good current and to confirm i swapped it out for another unit. Did the same for the FP relay... i then proceeded to test voltages all over the place. Seems as though my power issues i was noticing yesterday were due to a dieing battery. Starting a car a dozen times can do that to one... So i charged it up last night and threw on an extra jumper battery just to be safe. ECU was getting a modest ~13.5v during priming, drops to ~12 during cranking, then up to about 14~ while running. This was the same on 4 power wires for the ecu. I also checked the main relay, FP relay, TPS, injector, coil, etc etc all getting about the same thing. At least i know my alternator is working... I also pulled a plug wire and tested to see if the engine stopping was perhaps due to a cutting out of... something... Anyways, the sparks continued right to the bitter end... The engine must be cutting fuel? I know it is getting air because the IAC was stuck open before, and i know it's getting spark so WTF...? Runs really smooth with all these new bits on it and all the electrical grounds and powers cleaned up... but only for 5 bloody seconds... SAAAAAVE me...:-\

yes the diode is in tact and functioning. I'm going to have to confirm my theory tonight. It might have been a simple supply issue as my battery had started the car multiple times before i decided to test. I will also have to throw on the original IAC. It was spitting codes with the 'new' one on. The door on the IAC (green rotating thingy) on the manifold side does not open or close via spring. It only moves when i use a finger or screwdriver. The flapper on the vacuum line side is spring loaded and very springy. Is this the proper function of the IAC? I cleaned it out a bunch with brake cleaner and it still functions the same way. I might just put a jumper on the main relay and bypass it to see if it works. Mr. brat - the maf was the first thing to get changed. Got pulled from a running car, same results with the original or new maf.

so i threw on the wrong IAC. I used the two wire vs. the 3 wire. It could still start, but it wouldn't really run. still stalled like normal. after a couple check it seems that the main relay is dropping during and after cranking leaving my ecu with nothing to run on. I'm thinking this is the problem but i won't know for sure until my battery is completely charged and ready for another try. will see tomorrow after work... maybe tomorrow morning if i'm ultra ambitious...?

I can hear the fuel drain back into the tank so i know i'm getting enough flow and pressure. I just cleaned all my distribution blocks, connectors, and battery to see if it made a change. it ran smoother but still the same problem. I was talking to somebody about the IAC and he was saying it should close or open on its own because it's spring loaded. (he couldn't remember which it was...) When i cleaned mine out i could turn it by hand but it would stay in either position as if it wasn't spring loaded. thoughts on the IAC? i also checked for visible vac leaks (unplugged) and the only thing i could find was the crank case vent (the big one) had a crack going down the side but only at the bottom. This would be such a minor leak (if at all...?) but probably safe to fix it just to rule it out as a cause... I hope i can get it to the show too!

Type of Wrenching: Shadetree How long doing it: 7 years Other skills: diploma in mechanical engineering (manufacturing), welding, machinging (manual and CNC - mills, lathes, water jet, laser, EDM, all that good stuff...), CAD/CAM, plastics (vacuum forming, injection molding, blown film, composites, pretty much everything.), operations management, etc etc... anybody hiring? I also weld and fab recreationally... project brat has been around since the beginning...

it has a walbro pump and SS lines going to the motor. oddly enough, this is the only thing that has changed since i started it last. Just tested the fuel pressure. primes to about 40-45psi then runs at around 35psi. That is pleanty to run this motor is it not? Pressure holes strong right up till the pump stops after it dies. I don't think this is the problem. i disconnected the cam sensor and the engine wouldn't start. not even a puff... just cranking and cranking. I made a video of it starting just to kinda show what is actually happening. Kinda hard to hear, but you get the idea. it DID run before... over a year ago...

and you solved it.....? how....? same boat eh? stupid cars...

i checked continuity between the pins on the ecu and the pins on the plug yesterday. They were fine but the maf has 5 wires and there are only 3 or 4 on the ecu. Not to sure where the other wires go and if it can affect the function of the maf. I will check the cam sensor tonight. Whats the theory behind the cam sensor? The pickup isn't getting any signal from the cam gear? On startup it doesn't use the cam sensor...? I will unplug it but won't this give me the same result...? Either way, i'm giving it a whirl. I also borrowed a buddies legacy last night and tried swapping the ecu. I forgot how much of a pain it is to get the ecu out of a legacy compared to an impreza... Ran smoother, but no change in the problem.

i pulled the iac off and cleaned it out. at the same time i also closed it by hand. now it doesn't rev up after it starts but it still stalls out. i think there is something wrong with my IAC. I have a spare, but it is a hitachi one. The one i have on there right now is JECS i believe. The difference being JECS has 3 wires and the hitachi as 2. Would this still work or do i have to rewire it? other thoughts not IAC related?

Tried a few different things that i searched for on here but nothing has solved the problem. The car DID run before. after starting up, the engine would rev up fairly quickly to about 2500rpm then it would stall out quickly. Just cuts out. I can rev it up fine during these few seconds and it sounds fine. nothing i do stops it from stalling. i have changed the maf sensor and checked my vacuum lines going to the TB. Read in another thread that the large vacuum line going to the IAC can cause this but it is hooked up and seemingly not leaking. any help would be appreciated.

car starts, revs up then dies after about 5 seconds. I can rev it fine but it will bog out and die. My other car did this and it was maf sensor. i swapped it for a different one and it still has the problem. Thoughts?

ummmm sort of... I kinda stopped updating it a while back. the build is still going on. VERY SLOWLY... it now lacks the simplicity that i first set out with. tee hee... here is a link to my photobucket with pretty much all the pictures of the work i've done up till the middle of last year or so. There is also some throttle body stuff in there as well but that's a little bit if a different project. http://s118.photobucket.com/albums/o95/Zefy_88/brat/?start=260 i am now working full time again making the moneyz. so I just had my rear drive shaft made. Should be ready on tuesday because monday is a holiday!!! WOOO... So many little things to do. Today i spent my time with weather stripping, rebuilding the wiper motor, and installing some body panels. My maf sensor appears to be bad so i can't start the engine. Fuel system needs some work as i think it leaks a bit. Also i'm not supposed to run fuel with ethanol in it with the fuel cell and walbro... so much to do, wcss is around the corner just waiting for my to fail!

you're both probably right. it was most likely on its way out before i went wheelin'. so i will replace both ball joints and i'll have to source an axle locally along with a new tie rod end. i have inners from an RX rack i have sitting around. i have to set a cap for this project. I am about $1300 in to this wagon as it sits right now. I think my cap is going to be $2000 MAX including 'consumables' like axles, diffs, struts, ball joints, etc etc... I also have to buy my friend a new strap because i buggered his right up. I also cracked his new fiberglass bed... I hope to have these issues fixed for LESS than 100 bucks. The name of the game is cheap. I would go buy a toyota if i wanted something capable and expensive. we'll see!

i was done the 'wheelin' part at this point, but i think it's still good... yup... it's broken... drove like that for 45km. first km was harsh river bed... next 35 was logging/service road and the last bit was paved...

did some 4x4ing up at sunrise with a couple buddies in the wagon. i kinda broke it... scoping out the damage... yup... it's broken... limping it out of the trail (mostly under it's own power) then back down the access road then down to lougheed (about 40km...) like this... these shots were only of the paved section of our journey (about 10km.). this was on 4 wheels if you didn't catch on to that... also no brakes as the brake line got ripped off... and the ebrake is on the front wheels in these... so i only had one... horray for having a welded rear diff... would have been substantially more difficult... drove better than expected... the ball joints are weak sauce... one little bump of a rock and it was pooched... are mine jsut worn out or are they seriously this delicate? either way... needs a new corner now... i already have a hub, strut, brakes, control arm but i still need an axle, inner and outer tie rod and probably new ball joints would be a good call... for the short amount of trail i got though, it was great. pleanty of traction and power. i was going WAY faster than my buddy in his toyota though so i could keep the revs up. perhaps i was going to fast?

bump from the dead... is this the only thing needed for these diffs? or is it an additive? found it on subarugenuineparts.com for 18 bucks for 1liter using your part number.

sweet! only 350km!!! closest yet it'll be especially good since I won't have to go through seattle. it's always super slow when i drive down for wcss. Might try to get some of my buddies down in the wagon.

because of the lack of rear drive components, i would say it's probably a trailer. brat vs. hatch debate... really? they're subarus. none of them are optimal for what we do with them... moving onto that other thing sitting in front of the trailer, your plan is to use the outputs for the justy CV's and run them to that pair of diffs in the front and rear? questions: 1. why is it so small? 2. how do you plan on making it so the car doesn't try to drive itself... into itself...? (diff directions...?) 3. you going to make it capable of turning? 4. think that little justy trans can take the beating of larger tires? 5. where do you plan on sitting in this midget mobile? 6. what's with the air tank? i think that's enough for now...

lugs are not THAT hard to find. i may have made it seem like a difficult task to get them. it isn't... those wheels have been used since the early 80's all the way to mid 90's. Hop onto pirate 4x4 or whatever the local wheelin' club is near you and find somebody with a toyota that got built. If they are using 15x8 wheels for their big tires, there is sure to be a set of toyota lug nuts kicking around. everybody that builds toyotas won't be use those wheels and lugs...