allanbegg

Never mind. I figured it out. After sticking my head further into the wheel well, I realized that there are access holes in the part behind the bolts. That allows me to get into them with a socket and a short extension. Doh! Allan

Ref: 2003 Baja Anyone have any suggestions on how to get to the two bolts holding the rear brake caliper bracket in place? I managed to get the calipers off the brackets, but the bolts that hold the bracket in place are sandwiched between two other pieces. I can't get in from the side with a wrench, because there is a lip that holds the wrench off at too much of an angle. I can't get in with a socket, because there isn't enough clearance behind the bolts. There is some sort of shield behind the bolts. I need to get the brackets off in order to replace the rear rotors. Suggestions? Thanks, Allan

Does anyone know if the Block Tester (available through AutoZone's loaner program) is reliable? What other method can I use to validate the head gasket as being the cause? Thanks for the quick replies. Allan

Have a 2003 Baja (wife's daily driver) with 177K miles on it. I recently took it on a 300 miles road trip and ever since, it's been having problems. I had checked coolant level before going on the trip and had to add some coolant. Two days after my trip, the wife called in a panic because the car had overheated. I took a look and thought that the coolant was coming out of the overflow bottle cap. Or, I hadn't seated the radiator cap properly, when I filled it a few days before. We checked for leaks (burst hose, radiator, etc.)and couldn't find anything wrong. I added coolant and sent her on her way. She checked a few times on the way home (about 10 miles) and it looked ok. She drove it about 40 miles the next day and there were no problems. The next day, she drove it about 20 miles from home and then called to tell me it had overheated again. I had it towed home and looked for a leak again. Couldn't find anything, but the coolant flow again indicated that it had come out of the overflow cap. I decided that perhaps the thermostat was sticking periodically and that's why it had worked properly a few times, but then overheated a couple of times. I replaced the thermostat (with a Stant brand) and filled the radiator with 50/50 anti-freeze and water. The next day, I decided that I was going to drive it and watch the gauge. (Up to this point, I have no idea what the temperature gauge was doing, as my wife never looked at it) Drove for about 6-8 miles, and everything appeared normal. The temp gauge slowly came up to normal position and sat there. Watching very closely, I could see it going up above normal, ever so slightly and then drop down to normal. Suddenly, the gauge jumped up into the red (within a couple of seconds) but then came back down to normal (in about 5 seconds). It then went back up towards the red over the course of 10 seconds, at which point, I pulled over and popped the hood. Nothing leaking and the engine didn't seem to be real hot. Drove another mile to our destination and then let it cool down for a couple of hours. Drove home and the gauge started to creep up, after 8-10 miles. Got it home and let it cool down. A little reading on the internet and I have convinced myself that it needs "burped". Drove up onto a set of ramps, pulled the radiator cap and let it run. Was getting air bubbles out of it immediately. Let it run until warm. Air bubbles are continuously coming out of the radiator. Doesn't matter if the coolant is cold or warm. It just keeps bubbling. I get a bubble every second or two. Coolant level seems to heave a little and then drop down a little. Put the cap back on and shut it off. Made sure that the overflow bottle had plenty of coolant in it. Let it cool down for an hour and repeated the process. I noticed that the radiator hadn't sucked any coolant in from the overflow bottle. Pulled the radiator cap and let it run. Was getting air bubbles out of it as soon as the engine was running. Let it run until warm, bubbling the whole time. Put the cap back on and shut it off. Made sure that the overflow bottle had plenty of coolant in it. Decided to try to drive it to work this morning. Got about 6 miles, when the temp gauge starts rising. Shut it down and let it cool down for about five minutes. Drove another mile and it starts heating up again. At the moment, I do not know if I am not burping it properly, or if I have a blown head gasket. Any advise or pearls of wisdom would be appreciated. Sorry for the long post. Allan

Managed to get new bushings from the local Subaru Dealer. The parts counter guy (younger than the Brat) was surprised that they had the parts in their computer system. They only cost $1.00 each. I had to order them, but they arrived the next day. Will be putting the whole thing back together this weekend. Thanks for the help and suggestions, everyone. Allan

Turns out that I do not have that sleeve. Pulled the other caliper off, and there is no sleeve in it, either Now, I have to figure out where to buy them... Any suggestions? Allan

In inspecting the front brake pads, I found that one pad was severly worn compared to the other pad on the same caliper. Obviously, the caliper was not self-centering itself on the Caliper Bracket. I removed the single bolt (pin) that holds the Caliper onto the Bracket and found burnt rubber all over the bolt. I pulled the Caliper the rest of the way off the other guide post (which is attached to the Bracket) and found that it was clean. I presumed that the burnt rubber was gumming up the Caliper and not allowing it to slide on the Bracket. I removed the Bracket as well and tried to clean everything up. In doing so, I have found that the bolt (pin) has a smaller diameter than the hole in the bracket. I have a picture attached, showing the diameter difference. Is this normal, or should there be something else in there to keep the pin from moving vertically in the hole? As a side note, the guide pin at the top had a rubber boot over it. The guide bolt (pin) had the remains of a rubber boot over it. Part of it was apparently melted to the Bolt (Pin) and in the hole. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks, Allan

My '82 has it. Allan

Thanks to all for the suggestions and advice. I pulled the entire spring/strut assembly out of the car today. I found out that the strut was shot. The rod will stay in whatever position that I put it. It does not stay fully extended. It appears that it was also the original strut, as it has the Subaru markings on it. Now I have to wait a couple more days for the new ones (Gabriel Ultra's) to arrive at the auto store and then install everything. Thanks again. Allan

I only removed the center bolt holding the strut rod into the upper assembly. Also, I only have two bolts holding the assembly onto the body, but that shouldn't matter, as I did not remove them. Allan

NorthWet, Thanks for the quick reply. I'll have to look into that tomorrow. Too cold, dark, and now snowing, this evening. I did not realize that the strut rod could drop down into the body. I thought all strut rods were under some amount of pressure and would automatically be fully extended. I hope that's it, as that will be an easy solution. Allan

I have the exact same trailer. I pull it behind my motorcycle. The grounding issue is a known problem within the bike community that uses these trailers. The paint is so good/thick, that when you mount the lights, you are not actually getting a good ground connection to the frame. You can either scrape/grind off some of the paint to ensure a good ground (not recommended due to potential for rust), or run a separate ground wire down each side and tie the ground point of the marker light to the new ground wire. It is a much more reliable method that trying to get to the frame through the paint. There are also a number of other things that the bike groups do to these trailer to make them better for bikes, but most don't apply, when towing behind a car. One does though. Repack the bearings, if you haven't already done so. They are shipped with a vaseline type stuff in them to prevent rust. It is not a wheel bearing grease. Allan

Have an '82 Brat. Installed a new front CV Axle today. Inadvertently unbolted the top of the strut, thinking that it was needed, to get the old axle out. The strut/spring combo dropped enough to get the old axle out and the new one in. Now I can't get the strut back in to the top mount. I rented a strut spring compressor, but can't compress it enough to get the strut stud to go back up into the hole. It has about 2" to go and the spring is fully compressed. Any suggestions? I'm obviously missing something. Thanks, Allan

The thing that I don't understand is that they were pulling equally, before I changed the pads. Also, if the button on the back of the pad is in the slot of the plunger, how does the plunger self adjust, as the pads wear down? Allan

Installed new brake pads last night, and the Brat pulls hard to one side, when hitting the brake pedal. I had screwed both plungers all the way in, to get the new pads on and made sure I got the new pad button in line with the slot on the plunger. Do I need to do some sort of adjustment, to get both sides to have even pressure? Thanks, Allan