PhxVigo

I too have an '87 GL 4wd 5 speed that I would like to do an SPFI conversion on. The parts car is an '88 2wd 3at. Surely this is some cosmic coincidence... My reading thus far suggests the ECU will work, though there may be some silliness involved with the input that tells the ECU the transmission is in park. I've yet to do anything on my own project, so this isn't first hand. It seems to me the Weber would be the easier option, and the SPFI would be the better option. If it were me, I'd go with whichever was the cheaper option. Anyway, if you go with the SPFI swap, I'd definitely be interested in hearing more about it. I'm sure you've already seen them, but I'll put the links here for the SPFI swap manuals I know about: Snowman's SPFI Conversion Manual (ea82 -> ea82) GD's SPFI Conversion Manual (ea82 -> ea81) Cheers, -Bill

I finally had a chance to take a closer look at it yesterday. I jacked the car off the ground. The rear tires rotate freely in both directions. The front tires rotate freely in opposite directions as they should. Then, when I had a friend hold one tire, I could only rotate the other tire forward (this was with the transmission in neutral) it would not rotate backwards. I was hoping it might be a simple fix however it looks like its an issue with the transmission or differential which I know nothing about. It's not a big problem as I'm using the car for parts, but it would be easier to move around if I could push it in both directions... -Bill

'87 GL Wagon. Automatic. Front Wheel Drive. The car won't go backwards. When I put the selector in R and give it gas, nothing. When I put it in N and push it backwards, it doesn't move. I can put it in D and it will drive forward. I can put it in N and push it forward. Any ideas? Thanks! -Bill

Hello! I have an '83 Brat I bought back in May and I'm in north Phoenix. So, you're not quite "I am Legend" status yet. There's still some around. I see them pop up local on craigslist from time to time also. I do understand your point of view though. Other than mine, I don't think I've seen a Brat on the road in years... There are a couple pics of my Brat in this thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=88989 Cheers!

I wanted to close this thread out with a report of success! I replaced the temperature sender that was in there with this one: http://www.thepartsbin.com/catalog/?N=&uts=true&Ntt=W0133-1638173 The dash gauge is acting normal now. Drove her around some tonight with no overheating. We'll see how she does when it's a bit hotter outside... Now back to trying to get the wagon to pass emissions. Thank you all for your help and input! -Bill

It has two electric fans and one of them had frozen up. I took it apart and sprayed it with WD-40 to get it spinning again. They both come on now. I'm hoping I didn't do too much damage to the engine when it overheated. It used to idle smoothly at about 1100 RPM, now it idles a bit rough at 300 RPM. So something certainly changed... I did a compression test and came up with 150-155 in all the cylinders. I drained the coolant and didn't see oil, drained the oil and didn't see coolant. I think those are good signs, but don't know if there is anything more I can check... For now, I've ordered a new coolant temp sender. I want to be able to monitor the temp before I do much else with it.

Found it! Mine had some wraping around the wire that was white/yellowish, but the wire underneath was indeed yellow-green. It meets up with some other wires (Oil pressure sensor? and a couple blue wires that go to the carb) just behind the carb. From there it goes accross to the passenger side and into a round plug between the battery and passenger strut. New problem... I plugged it in, and the temp gauge pegged at HOT. The engine has been sitting for awhile, so there may be some heat in there but it shouldn't be off the chart. Does this mean it's the wrong sensor? It's all shiny like it was recently replaced... Thanks! -Bill

Yeah, I found the sensor itsself. The problem is there is no wire hooked up to it. I couldn't find anything in the area that might be it. I would like to know what color the wire going to the sensor is, and where in the engine bay it comes out of the wire harness...

My new (old) '83 Brat passed emissions! If only the Wagon was that easy... I think it was started to overheat while waiting in line... By the time I got home, it was starting to miss and run poorly. The temp gage on the dash isn't working. I found the temp sensor next to the thermostat, but there's no wire connected to it. I need to locate the wire. Where does it come out of the wiring harness? What color is it? Thanks! -Bill

I found the vacuum host that opened the secondary flapper thingy in the carb. Sucked on it and it popped open no problem. On the distributor, the cap looks fine, the rotor seems like it can move on the shaft more than it should (maybe an 1/8th inch back and forth). There doesn't seem to be any side to side play on the shaft. I sucked on the vacuum advance and it rotated a bit and stayed there until I stopped sucking. I tested the spark plug wire resistance through the cap. The two short wires were about 3k, one long was about 8k and the other was 14k. That's within the limits suggested in the Chiltons manual. Both long wires are pretty close to the same length, but one has quite a bit more resistance. Perhaps this is an issue. I also tested the coil as found here. I came up with 1.6 accross the outer terminals, and 13k from the center to the outer terminals. That is outside the specs listed on that page, but I would think the specs would depend on the particular model of coil, no? In any case, if you guys think there's an issue, it looks like I can get cap, rotor, and plugs for right around $50. The coil would add another $40. The idle kind of wonders around a 400rpm range. I tred the carb spray thing, but couldn't tell if it was sucking it up, or just wondering... I also borrowed a timing light and it is close... It bounced around 1 degree or so either way from 8 btdc. I now know that I failed to disconnect the vacuum advance when I checked timing before. That may have been why it bounced around, or it may be related to the idle speed changing. I haven't had a chance to recheck the timing properly with the advance disconnected. Thanks for the encouragement! I'm not frustrated yet... I bought the car to have something to work on and learn about. I figure this is just one step in that process. -Bill

No. They only save the trace from the latest test. Before that, they just save the g/mile "score". The wires look like they are in good shape, there is no tearing around the boots and no corrosion on the metal contacts. They're 7mm, I didn't notice a brand name. As for the rest, I believe I saw some tests in the Chiltons manual you could do with a multi meter to see if they were in working order. I'll try that and see what I come up with...

I don't believe the engine was swapped since the last time it passed emissions. The previous owner bought it for cheap transportation while he was saving up money for something bigger. He drove it for about a year when it started not idleing right. He bought the new car he wanted and the Subie sat for a year before he decided to get rid of it... Before that, who knows? Pics below. I left them big for max detail... Engine Bay, Front to Back Engine Bay, Driver Side Engine Bay, Pass Side In Front of Pass Strut Pass Manifold Area, Front to Back Pass Manifold Area, Back to Front -Bill

It's a 4wd dual range with 5 speed manual. Don't know how to tell if it was a California car. I have never seen an "ECS" light on the dash (I believe that was one of the things to look for.) From an old parking sticker, I know it spent some time in Minnesota, but don't know if it was sold there or migrated. What would I look for to tell me if it's a transplanted feedback carb?

I worked late last night, so didn't have a chance to fiddle with the car. I did pop off the air cleaner cover after the drive home and confirmed that the choke had opened all the way. If it's running too rich, then I've either got too much fuel, or not enough air. I'm trying to think of things that might cause that... The article Spiffy linked to mentioned leaky power valves... I'm guessing that's some bit in the carb that squirts fuel. Is there any way to check that it's not leaking? What if the little flapper bit in the secondary barrel was not opening? Any way to check it? I also poked around the emission testing website and found that I could download the trace from my last attempt. It's all greek to me, but I'll post it for your viewing pleasure. Emissions Trace -Bill

Well, I took her in this morning to see if my efforts paid off... Results; Failure. HC 1.14 (Max 1.60, Pass) CO 21.46 (Max 15.00, Fail) NOX 1.16 (Max 2.50, Pass) There was a huge improvement in CO, but I'm still about 7 grams/mile from passing. Also, the NOX was a bit higher. Still passing, but like 4 times higher than the original test. I drove her for a little over 30 miles, and then straight to the testing place. She should have been good and warmed up. In addition to what I've already posted, I replaced the plugs with NGK brand last night. It made a huge improvement in driveability. It also seemed to raise the idle a little bit. The idle kind of wonders around a 400 RPM range. It used to be in the 500-900 range, but it's more like 800-1200 now. I did some fiddleing with the choke last night, it seems to be working much better. I can start up and drive off now, no waiting for it to warm up. I do need to verify when I get home that it's properly opening all the way. It was last night, but it's one thing that comes to mind that my be causing me to run too rich... Any other ideas, suggestions? -Bill

Picked up an '83 BRAT on Saturday. I've always wanted one, but you don't see to many around Phoenix. Had to drive about 50 miles to pick her up. She runs good. The A/C is nice and cold (A must in these parts). She doesn't seem to be missing anything major... I have the trim peices for the bed in the garage. Someone spray bombed them black along with the rest of the car. Some immediate issues I've noticed... Lots of vibration starting about 45mph (tire not balanced?). Some pretty bad shuddering when breaking at higher speed (warped rotor?). The coolant temp gauge doesn't seem to work. She has some "interesting" electrical work. No reverse lights, and the drivers side reverse light is cracked. My girlfriend loves it, but she also banned me from craigslist. :-\ -Bill

I pulled the plugs... They have a gray-ish color with some black around the edges: Plugs 1 Plugs 2 Also, I found a couple hoses that don't seem to go anywhere... The first connects to the air cleaner box on the drivers side. It has a short section of hose that runs down near the sparkplug area. I couldn't find anything down there that it might connect to: Hose from aircleaner The other is down by the bottom of the engine on the passenger side. It's a short green hose maybe 4 inches long with hose clamps on each side. There is a hardline that comes out right next to it: Unknown Hose I checked the choke per TomRhere. With the engine cold, I pushed the pedal, nothing moved. Tried pumping the pedal, still nothing. I moved it by hand... It was a bit stiff when I first moved it, but it moves freely now. It doesn't close all the way, fully closed seems to leave about 3/16th of an inch from the plate to the side of the housing. Also, there is no "springyness" to it. Perhaps the spring is disconnected/broke. As long as it's open though, that should not effect emissions, correct? Thanks again for all your help! -Bill

Thanks for the replies. I had about 20-30 miles on her since she had been sitting. It was still the old gas in the tank, so that probably didn't help much. I took Spiffy and zstalkers advice and put some miles on her today. The gas was near empty, so I put in 13 galons of gas and some fuel system cleaner stuff. I drove all over the place and then some... Total of about 380 miles. I have no idea if it will help, but it was sure fun... I didn't get anywhere very fast, but she ran like a champ and never missed a beat. It looks like I got about 29mpg, mostly highway miles. The article Spiffy linked to mentioned a misadjusted choke... I don't think mine works. It seems to be stuck open. I have to give the car some gas to keep the RPMs up around 1000 for the first couple minutes. After that she idles on her own. I popped off the air cleaner cover this morning, and what I believe is the choke is fully open. It should be mostly closed when the car is cold, correct? Tomorrow I'll pull the plugs and see how they look. Althought I don't really know what I'm looking for... Maybe I'll post a picture or something... Thanks! -Bill

I took my new (old) Subie in to be emissions tested today, but she failed... They did a dyno test and she got: Hydrocarbons HC, 1.08 G/Mile (Max 1.60, Pass) Carbon Monoxide CO, 49.55 G/Mile (Max 15.00, Fail) Oxides of Nitrogen NOX, 0.28 G/Mile (Max 2.50, Pass) "Gas Cap", "Pressure", and "Evap Components" tests also passed... She's an '87 GL wagon, with a carb, 167k miles. Before I bought her, she sat for about a year, but before that she did pass emissions. I have the emissions results from Feb, 2006, back then she scored HC 0.49, CO 5.36, NOX 1.55. I haven't done anything to her other than changing/toping off fluids. Ideas, suggestions? I guess I have a project for the three day weekend now! Thanks! -Bill

Hello all! I’ve just recently purchased my second Subie and have been surfing around the internet looking for information. I stumbled on this treasure trove of a forum that seems to be full of friendly knowledgeable people. My daily driver is an '02 OBS. I don’t do any work on her since I’ve no idea what I’m doing when it comes wrenching on cars. I’d like to learn more and when I saw an '87 GL Wagon on Craigslist, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity. Just last night I was able to get her running well enough to take a spin around the block. My favorite part: dropping the clutch, the front wheels give a little chirp. The engine chugs its way up 5500 RPM. I throw it in to 2nd and glance down at the speedo... 15mph. It's just like a lawn tractor! I think it has the same engine too... Sounds the same anyway. I've still got a lot of work to do on the old girl, but I think it will be fun. For now, I'm just hoping she'll pass emissions... Cheers! -Bill