snoutmeat

Hey crew- My 2000 Outback Wagon (Limited) has been squeaking/squealing a little from the AC compressor. Just yesterday, when I found a half-full bottle of refrigerant on the garage shelf, I thought I'd check the system's current operation. I noticed that the squealing is a lot worse now. Checked the tension and it's fine, so I think it's either a tensioner that's seizing, a compressor that's seizing, or a compressor clutch that's slipping. 2 of those 3 outcomes mean a new compressor. Not urgent, but there's a road trip to Nevada in June that will definitely need AC (probably not before then). So...I see on Amazon that there are 2 compressors listed for my car -- the DCV14G and the DKV14G. The rebuilt DCV14G is $120. The DKV14G is several hundred more. I checked mine under the hood, and I have a DKV (the expensive one). Does anyone out there know the difference between the DCV and DKV? Googling has not gotten me anywhere, and an Impreza-owning friend said that the NASIOC people would know...but no reply to my question over there. Does anyone know what the difference is between the two models? Will the cheaper one work on my car, especially considering that some Subarus of my era apparently came with the DCV model? I'm wondering if one compressor is higher capacity or something.... In the meantime...easiest way to confirm what's causing problems is, I'm guessing, to pull off the cover and belt and try spinning the components by hand? Oh, just typing this here makes me realize it's not the idler because that one's always engaged, and the squealing only happens when the AC or defrost is on. In addition, when I had the pressure gauge on the AC system yesterday, and the system was just giving me an occasional "chirp", I could see the PSI on the gauge blip upward in sync with the chirp. That tells me it's the compressor itself (not the idler). I think the gauge jumped up when it squeaked. Now I'll have to research more to see if that means the compressor is suddenly working or not working when it squeaks (to make the gauge go up)..... Thanks!

I just received an email from "Winding Road Magazine", a free e-magazine for cars that (I think) I found out about from Ebay. This month's issue features an article on "the Top 10 Most Beautiful Subarus". http://www.nextautos.com/ten-most-beautiful-subarus-in-no-particular-order Discuss! I'm personally unhappy that their example of "GL Wagon" is an EA-82 and not an EA-81, because I've always liked the looks of the EA81 better. And of course the BRAT made the list, but some folks here probably will be upset that it's a Gen2 with no seats and no "BRAT" decals.

Searching for "Subaru knock sensor" on Ebay turns up a couple of sellers offering it for around $44 shipped, and they claim it's OEM. By "now I get to go research", I simply meant that I'd never encountered this problem before. 5 minutes here, on Google, and on Ebay told me all I needed to know. Even found pics showing the location of the sensor. Looks like it's almost as easy to change as a spark plug. One thing I learned from posts at various forums is that the car's computer can trigger this error code if the electrical contact between the sensor and the block is not good. Several people have reported success simply polishing the mating surfaces with emery cloth or a Brillo pad and re-attaching. Others report that the part tends to crack. I'm going to go make a visual inspection. If it looks intact but grungy, I may try the cleanup first, but for the price, it may be worthwhile to just get a new one. Car's at around 140K...... Davebugs, I couldn't find the part when I looked at Rock Auto, either. BTW, the code reader I successfully used last night came from Schucks (aka Checker, Kragen, and Murray's) and was on clearance online for $24. It's not the most advanced device -- it only has 2 buttons on it -- but it checks codes, displays the code ID and text, and lets you clear the codes. For $24, it's a nice addition to the toolbox if you own an OBDII car. Here's the link: http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=CDK&MfrPartNumber=92202 Select "Buy online, pickup today!" and see which stores around you have them. I just typed in a Seattle ZIP code, a Redmond (WA) ZIP code, and a Bay Area (San Mateo) ZIP code, and found readers available at all locations, so I don't think they're hard to find.

...and DrKrazy wins the prize! Read the code just fine when I started the car, then attached the scanner. Thank you! (and Ed, thank you for the advice too....both of these are pretty simple scanners, so I don't have a "parameters section". I was just about to go shell out for a spendy Actron, but now I have my error code (P0325 -- knock sensor) -- now I get to go research.

The "Check Engine" light is illuminated on my '00 Outback Wagon. I'd bought an OBD II reader from Harbor Freight (a cheapie). When I tried to read the code, the reader just said, "ERROR". I figured I was being punished for buying from Harbor Freight. I just bought another (nicer) code reader and it's giving me the same problem -- LCD just says "error". Symptoms are the same. When I plug in the code reader, it says "scanning" or "reading" or "getting info" or something like that....and a few seconds later, it simply says "error". Has anyone else seen this? Suggestions? The check engine light has been on for a few months now; tabs expire in a month. The Check Engine light is currently off, but history says it'll be on again soon (it's been cycling on and off every few times it's driven). Advice?

Posted in the "Older Generation" forums as well, but because it features a Gen 1 BRAT and a 360, figured people here would enjoy seeing it too. Instead of having two separate threads, here's the link to the thread at the "Older Generation" forum. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=87861

I didn't notice until watching it again...the BRATs jump seats are sitting on the ground beside it, and it looks like there's a roll bar installed in the back of the BRAT, too....

Okay...someone uploaded it.

It's on my ReplayTV, so I should be able to pull it off and dump it to youtube...there's a Gen1 BRAT, an EA81 wagon, a Subaru 360...the 300K car is a Forester with a mismatched door. Give me an hour or so to upload it...

I like that last one. How dare you imply that Chinese goods may be inferior! To tell you the truth, I turned to the Chinese new axles after having bad luck with units that were remanufactured here in the USA. I've seen all of those maladies before in various cars, and this doesn't sound like a wheel bearing, loose caliper, or pads. It mostly happens (as I recall) under deceleration, it sounds like a CV joint, and the sound didn't change after I swapped the axles, which makes me doubt it's the axles. In my experience, wheel bearings are a constant hum, loose calipers and pads rattle (and the sound changes/goes away/gets worse when applying brakes). This is the growly sound like a CV joint makes, almost a pop-pop-pop-pop, but not quite that sharp in tone...thank you for the suggestions, but I'm pretty sure it's none of those.

My '84 BRAT sounds like it has a bad CV joint in front. I just lived with it for a while -- when I bought it (a few years ago) the seller told me that she'd torn a CV boot and that her mechanic had re-packed it. He said that it was making noise, but it wouldn't get any worse (because it had been cleaned and re-packed). I didn't let it bother me, because I've never had a CV fail -- when they get loud enough to be annoying, I replace them. So...I figured I might as well replace my bad axle. Drove my car around, made some tight circles to figure out which side the noise seemed to be coming from, and replaced that axle with a new Chinese one. Hopped in for a test drive, and...the sound was still there! I'm the guy who once managed to change bearings on all 4 wheels before finding the right one, so I just figured I'd picked the wrong side. Bought a new axle, replaced the other side...2 new axles in front, and the sound is still there! Sounds like a bad CV joint to me, definitely coming from the front of the car, definitely tied to the speed of the wheels. Suggestions? At this point, I'm thinking it's either a bad front U-joint in the driveshaft or something much more ominous in the transmission. Has anyone had that U-joint go bad before? I crawled under and wiggled the shaft, but the joint is tight. I've had RWD cars w/worn-out U-joints before -- they clanged like a bell when letting out the clutch and putting a load on the driveline -- but those were sloppy joints with the needle bearings gone from the U-joint, and I'm guessing this is just a dry U-joint. It's the original, so it doesn't have a grease fitting like I've seen on some aftermarket ones. Has anyone had a dry U-joint in front? What were the symptoms? Any test that doesn't require pulling out the driveline? Will the fault be obvious if I do pull out the driveline and try flexing the U-joint by hand? Thanks in advance, Shane

There WAS a great BBS at fujirabbit.com, but the owner lost interest. I recently started a new BBS at http://www.runboard.com/bfujirabbit, but traffic is still slow. I know more than a dozen Rabbit owners, but I don't think I know anyone with a 102. There is a guy in Australia named Tim Elsom who's knowledgeable and nice, but I don't know if he has any experience with the 102 or not. Send me a PM with your email and I'll forward it to him, or else just go to that BBS... Some parts are available from Kouji Yamada, who runs a parts shop called "Rabbit House" in Japan.

I've had bad luck with remans as well; that's why I'm going with the new ones these days. I'll update later, but I'm guessing that these will last a lot longer than the remanufactured ones....

What's the difference between GSP and GCK? Just (30 minutes ago) finished putting a new GSP shaft in my BRAT. Replaced 1 a few months ago (with a new axle from Autozone), then tried getting another a few weeks ago and they were only able to get me a Cardone remanufactured part. I ripped the end off the box I'd just brought in (they don't have a core charge, but they do recycle dead half-shafts), went home, did a Google search on the part number listed on the end of the box, and found the same part number at Rock Auto (http://www.rockauto.com). I can't figure out how to link directly to the page, but go to http://www.rockauto.com, put in your car (ie 1984 Subaru BRAT), choose "drivetrain", then "CV half shaft assembly". They're $50.79 before shipping, and $57 shipped to my Seattle address! I thought Autozone's $90 price was very fair...and yes, I've ordered and received one, and the box looks identical (from my memory) to the one I got from Autozone. I'm not sure if the first one was GSP or GCK...it was a 3-letter abbreviation starting with G.... Either way, the part number was NCV66005. It's new (not reman), comes with castle nut and roll pin, but no cotter pin. At $51, it's cheaper than any of the remanufactured ones. Unfortunately, that site doesn't sell rears (except for an $80 reman with a $50 core).

Howdy, experts! Just swapped out the half-shafts on my dad's '84 wagon -- one had a bad CV rattle, and the other one had a cracked boot. When ordering new half-shafts, I noticed that most websites had a warning. They said "warranty void if the car's not tuned up properly, if the stock catalytic converter is missing, or if the factory heat shield is missing". They're obviously worried that the passenger-side inner joint will get cooked and brittle by the exhaust system. So...the car still has its stock catalytic converter. The car is reasonably well tuned-up. But it doesn't seem to have any sort of a heat shield. Did the EA81 have a heat shield between the catalytic converter and the axle shaft? Should it? From an inspection of the cracked boot, it appeared that the heat from the catalytic converter really could have made the boot brittle. To be fair, the outer boot was also looking pretty crusty/brittle, but it hadn't yet split. This was an axle I replaced ~6 years ago, and I' a little disappointed that the rubber has degraded. It wouldn't surprise me at all if my dad still has the car six years from now, and if the replacement of a missing heat shield would make the new boot last longer, I'd add it. Or maybe there's a heat shield on the catalytic converter itself? It looks like there are a couple of bolts on the rearward end of the cat...is what I'm thinking of as the catalytic converter really a catalytic converter with a heat shield wrapped around it? BTW, found new (not rebuilt) CV axles in Seattle for $75 each. Seemed like a good price. Parts Plus, 65th and Roosevelt. Thanks!

It's funny -- I think of Subaru in the '70s and '80s as the spiritual successor to Volkswagen. Remember the old Subaru slogan? "Subaru -- Inexpensive and Built to Stay That Way". The '70s and '80s Subarus I've owned have been pretty Spartan affairs, with little in the way of creature comforts. Sure, the seat has a lumbar support, and I have intermittent wipers, but I think of classic Subarus as being some of the most practical vehicles around. The S601 Superflow Rabbit scooter, on the other hand, represents a totally different direction for Subaru. This is a 46 year-old scooter, and it has air suspension, electric start, turn signals, a gas gauge, a "twist-and-go" automatic transmission, etc. In comparison, the 1961 Vespa I owned had only a kickstart (no electric start -- it didn't even have a battery!), had a manual 3-speed, traditional oil-damped shock, no turn signals, no gas gauge. I test-drove a Vespa the other day that didn't even have a keyed ignition switch -- just kick it to start. There was a key, but its only function was to lock the steering! That's some security! I don't know Vespas enough to know if this was common or not. My Rabbit even has 12V electrics, and I think most vehicles of the time used 6V electrics, especially most motorcycles. They get 12V by using TWO 6V batteries in series. Clever solution! So, although Subarus of the '60s, '70s, and '80s were all pretty basic machines, the Superflow was known as the most top-of-the-line, deluxe scooter that money could buy. BTW, Fuji had a whole lineup of scooters. The 601 was the most deluxe model and was a real "cruiser"; I also have an S402, which is a 4-speed 150 and is a little smaller/lighter than the 601. It still has 12V electrics, turn signals, electric start, and a gas gauge, but the gas gauge is next to the gas fill hole, which is under the seat, so there's no way to tell while you're riding how much gas you have left. Because it's a manual, it's a lot quicker off the line than the Superflow. They also had 90cc step-through bikes (like Honda Passports) and several other models. One of these days, I'll get around to posting pics and descriptions in the appropriate forum. You can also go look around at www.fujirabbit.com. BTW, spiffy, one of mine came from Portland, and I know another guy up in Vancouver BC who found his in Portland. The guy I bought mine from has another one, so there are Rabbits in Portland (or at least there were!) I have an annual summertime family obligation that usually keeps me from attending the WCSS meets, but one of these days I'll put a Rabbit in the back of my BRAT and bring it to a meet so more people can see one in the flesh.

Scary! It's like big brother is watching me. 75subie, you not only picked the correct make/model, you pointed out the exact scooter I just picked up from Fresno. Driving from Seattle to Fresno in 1 day in the BRAT is a challenge; getting stuck in gridlocked traffic for 2 hours near the Oregon/California border because a trucker in a hurry jackknifed his truck in the snow makes it an even bigger challenge. Once traffic did start moving, we crawled along (at idle in first gear) for another hour or so. I finally saw the source of this slowdown -- two police officers inspecting every vehicle to ensure they were all either chained up or 4WD. I watched the officer look at the minivan 2 cars ahead of me. He walked around to the back of it, looking for an "All Wheel Drive" sticker on the back. When he didn't see it, he crawled on the ground in the snow to look for two differentials. He finally let it through. Then, with the sedan in front of me, he got into a 5-minute conversation about why they couldn't go on, how they could get back to town to buy chains, etc. Then he glanced at me, saw it was a BRAT, smiled, and waved me through. I did have a set of chains in the car, but I never even had to put it into 4WD -- drove across the pass in front wheel drive. A couple of hours later, when the battery died on my MP3 player, I pulled in to a Wal-Mart in some small town in Northern California. The lot was nearly empty, so I parked near the door. Just as I was walking in, I saw an EA82 wagon pull in with black Peugeot 15" alloys. Someone on the list? I figured I'd say "hi" when they came in to the store, but I never saw them enter. On the way home, I drove up the coast to avoid the snow...but the gods were apparently angry, as it rained like crazy most of the way back. The scooter is a 1961 S601. Compared to a Vespa or other classic scooters, it has some unusual features: --automatic "twist and go" operation with a torque converter like you'd find on a car (most automatic scooters use a centrifugal clutch and a belt). --air shock for its rear suspension --200cc single-cylinder 2-stroke engine rated at 18 HP, which lets the scooter cruise at 60 or 65 MPH. --as mentioned in earlier posts, it does have a spare light mounted in the middle of its grill, and there's a switch around the ignition key that lets me turn on the light. No particular reason for having this light. --I've also read in the instruction manual (but haven't verified yet) that "the speedoeter is a "chameleon" type which changes color with the speed. During night operations when the speeds 33 km/h, the indicator light will change from green to red for safer night driving". See? The quirky Subaru spirit was alive even in the '60s.

OK, fine -- I guess it's "two questions". Excellent sleuthing work! Yes, it's a Fuji Rabbit. If I'd wanted to be trickier, I suppose I could have said "what has 4 wheels, rear wheel drive, seats 4, and has chain drive?" Two of my Fuji Rabbits! I'll post some pics tonight of the Rabbit in the back of the BRAT on the way back up from California.

As I was driving home tonight with my latest acquisition, it occurred to me that there are many folks on this board with an encyclopedic knowledge of the products of Fuji Heavy Industries, and that it might be fun for people to guess the make and model of a board member's vehicle by playing "20 questions". Of course, I might be wrong, and people might think this is stupid. Only one way to find out. Remember, they need to be yes-or-no questions -- no fair just asking "what is it?" I'll kick things off with questions number 1 and 2: 1. Does it have an extra light in the middle of the grill? Yes. 2. Is it 4 wheel drive? No.

After a day at the Pull-a-part, I've discovered another source for the dead module inside my Hitachi distributor -- mid-80s Honda Civics (the really boxy ones) with 12 valve engines also use a Hitachi distributor, and the part number on the igniter (is that what it's called?)is the same. Ed, thanks for your tip on removing the "star". 2 slot screwdrivers to pop the star off, then a Phillips to take off the electronic doodad itself. Best part: when I went to the checkout counter and showed the woman the 3 igniters I'd collected, she looked at the parts and said "bye!" To be clear: the distributor is quite different -- shorter, no gear at the base, etc -- but the module itself is identical. The wires that come off the module should also be compatible because it ends in two brass eyelets that hook up to the coil, but there's a 3rd wire (ground?) as well. The wire disconnects from the module, so you don't need it anyway. On one older Honda (early '80s?), even the cap and rotor looked identical, but on the mid '80s models, the caps were held down with screws. I just swapped one of the Honda parts into my BRAT and it works perfectly -- they're exactly the same part from Hitachi. Part number is the same and everything. --Shane

Thanks for all the replies/comments: GD: Coil is stock. Everything is stock. How would SPFI help my problem? (or is that just your .sig?) Naru: cap, rotor, wires, and plugs are all ~3000 miles old. All looked good when I popped the hood (nothing loose, cap and rotor pretty free of build-up from sparks, etc). I suppose I can do a resistance check on the spark plug wires, but the engine was running well. Alternator is fine (per the gauge on the dash). When my dad's unit failed, the fuel pump had gone a week or two before, but I can't imagine that those two events would be related. In fact, it's possible that the fuel pump was fine and that the ignition was intermittent -- I wasn't involved with the troubleshooting or repair of the fuel pump. Now you've got me scared that the new one will blow too. edrach: now that I know there's a way to pull the module that's not too difficult, I'll give it a try with the dead one. Sounds like a fun challenge. Do I need to punch out the roll pin that's holding the gear on at the bottom? This afternoon, I tried running a resistance check on the unit that I assume is good, and it shows open whether it's spinning or still. Maybe it's bad. I'll try the diode check option, and can even feed it 12 volts from a power supply...I wonder what the tester at B&B is actually checking... Thanks, Shane

To make a long story short, my 1984 BRAT's engine died suddenly on me on the freeway on Saturday night. Fortunately, I was able to coast off the exit ramp and into a grocery store parking lot. Some troubleshooting told me it was probably the electronic ignition module in the distributor. I had a spare engine in the garage, so got a ride home, swapped in the distributor, and the BRAT fired right up. This is the second time in six months I've replaced one of these units -- last fall, the one on my dad's 84 wagon died. Are these the Achilles' Heel of the EA81 engine? Or is it just a coincidence? I notice that the distributor is always one of the first things to go at the Pull-a-Part. A few years ago, when I owned the wagon that my dad is now driving, the wagon died on the freeway as well. After some chatting on the list, many suggested that it might be the dizzy, and I picked one up from edrach (that he'd grabbed from Pull-a-Part). That time, the problem turned out to be the fuel pump, so I still have another spare...of course, I don't know if that one's actually any good. The EA81 Soobies are all getting pretty old, and sudden engine stalling on the freeway might be the last straw. The car dies, the owner gets a ride home, the car gets towed, and the impound fees plus repair fees equal the value of the car, so the owner gives it up, it goes to auction, and ends up in Pull-a-Part. So... 1) Can these be tested outside of the car? If it were an old distributor with points, one could spin the distributor shaft by hand and use a voltmeter to check for continuity across the two wires. I'll have to go check the one that came from Pull-a-Part to see. I figured that the "How to Keep Your Subaru Alive" book would help, but it says to take it to the dealer for testing. 2) Anyone else having problems with these, or is it just me? 3) Replacing the dead component inside the distributor looks like a royal pain in the @$$, requiring disassembly of the distributor with tools that aren't typically in my toolbox. It's not something I'd want to try at the side of the road. Anyone tried it? It appears that the new part costs $82 to $180 for the Hitachi distributor. That seems a little crazy. I wonder if there are cheaper options for the new part. When I head out on long road trips, I bring my tools, plus: --alternator --fuel pump --fan belt Now I'm thinking that I need to add "distributor" to that list. Thank goodness it died when I was 2 miles from my house, and not when I was 750 miles away last fall. --Shane

I thought I'd seen it all: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E4S18A/ (Wingdoor for Subaru BRAT.)

I remember someone in marketplace selling one of those gauges that shows your incline and tilt angle -- it was swiped from some '80s Japanese 4wd vehicle -- Toyota? Mitsubishi? Someone please refresh my memory so I know which cars to peek into at the junkyard. Thanks!