hops

'80 brat, Santa Fe to LA ~1000miles, pulling a 4' x 8' flat bed trailer. Trailer was loaded with ~600 lbs worth of furniture measuring 4' x 9' x 32" (looked like a pooltable on the trailer. Made the trip out in about 16hours, came back empty in around 12 hours. Top speed in this Brat has been around 94mph, best gas mileage ever was 27 mpg, average is 22-24 mpg. Now that has been the best gas mileage in this '80 and also in my '78 Brat. I don't understand how some people are getting in the high 30's for gas mileage. Klaus

'80 brat - had it for 3 years. '78 brat - had it since '98, no longer running and parting out. Klaus

Qman, I've been around, but somewhat out of the loop. Rick, I had the cylinders bored out by a real good machine shop. Over the years the same guy bored out at least 10 cylinders for me. He charged me $50 per side, total of $100. Erik is right, in order to get the job done right you need a boring bar and match the pistons to the jugs. Klaus

Hey guys, I've finally got my act together and I'm back on the loyale project. I got new .5 over pistons - installed delta cams - getting ready to be installed I got the heads slightly modified - 3 angle valve job and ported I'm hoping to be able to put the rebuilt engine into the car by next weekend. I'm also planning on getting a new clutch, new front cv's and new brakes. Klaus

Thanks for the info. Klaus

It seems like it really wouldn't make much sense to go with 14's. I could just get some 185/70 13 or 185/80/13 instead. What do you guys think? Klaus

Hey Guys, I know the pug question has come up a lot. But after a search I haven't been able to come up with an answer. I'm thinking about getting 14" pugs for my '80 brat. But I don't want to modify anything to get them mounted without rubbing. Is that possible? and what size rubber do I have to get? Thanks, Klaus

Don't jump to conclusions about whether people buy cheap oil filters. My '78 also had the "oil light is on" at idle syndrome, but only after getting off the freeway and coming to a stop at a light. It had nothing to do with the idle speed, naturally if you set the idle at 2000 rpm's the problem would not happen. So I am possitive that it was an oilpump problem. Klaus

Hey Todd, I used to have a similar problem with my '78. It always went away after I changed out the oil filter and oil. I also think that my oilpump was weak in that engine. Klaus

Todd, What about your mileage, did it go up as well. The most I've ever been able to get out of my '78 was 25mpg and 27mpg out of my '80. Both are electronic. Klaus

[quote I was replying to Miles's post - both lamps dim (please see the subject I put onto the reply) I think Miles just said that he has a problem on low and high beam, not both lights. Klaus

Hey Skip, We're getting closer. My experience comes from a '90 Loyale. It seems that in my car everything is hooked up through the left headlight relay, but that is not important. I could also be wrong, I haven't looked at my wiring diagram in a while. However, If you follow the lead from the parking light switch, it goes directly through a 15 amp fuse and a fusible link to the positive terminal of the battery. Also, the parking light switch is a separate unit from the headlight switch. At least in my wagon it's a little rocker switch on top of the steering column. Now an interesting question is: What makes the relays go out? Is it a bad ground? If so, where is the ground for the relays located in the car? Frank B. mentioned that he bought a 30A (?) relay at an autoparts store that fit. Is that a smart thing to do or would you put a lot of strain on your harness if you do that? Interesting thread. Thanks, Klaus

Check your relays. Klaus

Skip, You may have misunderstood my reply. The dim headlight, no taillight and no dashlight problem is related because they all are on the same circuit. Naturally, when you turn on the lights (as in driving lights) you're not turning on the parking lights. The parking lights are turned on by a separate switch. When you have the "dim light syndrome" flicking the parking light switch on is not a "fix", it's merely a way to get you home safely. Therefore, the parking light circuit must be different from the driving light circuit. Possibly because the parking light circuit bypasses the headlight relays. Now, you may turn on the same light bulbs in the taillights when turning on the parking lights, but you're still supplying them with electricity thru a different circuit. I have had the "dim left headlight syndrome" twice and both times the problem was in the relays. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Klaus

Skip, is it the parking lights or the taillights? When the problem arises on my loyale and I flick the parking light switch my rear parking lights come on. Klaus