el_freddo

Just wait until you get into torsion bar specs. Brumby/brat are heavier than the wagon. And a mob over your way makes new ones that are 30% stiffer from what I’ve heard. Cheers Bennie

Replace them with the MLS units. I can’t remember the part numbers but others will. They’re from the EJ25 STi WRX model. You’ll thank yourself for going to that effort later. If you don’t, they’ll end up doing the external coolant leak thing. If money is tight, drop it in and run it. Over time you’ll see the leak develop. It won’t damage anything, especially if you regularly check the coolant levels. Cheers Bennie

don’t forget to swap in the “K frame” that all mounts from, it’s got the front upper mount for the rear diff Cheers Bennie

I’d check the fuel pump relay. Maybe the contacts in that are dirty and don’t always make a good contact, making it look like the fuel pump is the issue. The fuel pump relay will be located on a bracket beside the main ignition/power relay. The ignition relay is a brown six pin relay. I don’t know exactly where it’s located in your model though. I hope it’s a simple fix like this. Cheers Bennie

An injector pump? As in an EFI high pressure fuel pump? I know it’s not a diesel so it can’t be the governor pump… If after an EFI fuel pump, use any generic external pump. Can’t recall hose size etc sorry. Cheers Bennie

I’m not sure that captive nuts are hex shaped, usually round tube that has a thread tapped in it. You can drill a hole in the side of the chassis rail above the bolt, only a small hole to put a penetrant can’s spray tube through to bomb the area. This will allow gravity to help it work its way down the thread. If you have time to leave this for several days then hit again another two to three times it’ll put you in the best position to get these bolts out fuss free, or with as little fuss as possible. Once they’re out and the job is done, seal the hole with some silicone. Could be worth painting the general area to avoid creating a new rust spot before the silicone closes the hole. All the best with it! Cheers Bennie

Depending on what model you have will depend on the difficulty of removing the sender unit to inspect and clean. It could be a broken wire if you have rodents too. Carry a small jerry can with you and learn how far you can drive before you run out of fuel could be a good back up in the interim. Cheers Bennie

With the windscreen trim, clean behind that trim piece and check for rust. Deal with anything you find to properly treat and seal it. Then fill all voids with silicone, push the trim into the silicone and clean any silicone that oozes out. Leaving a void will allow moisture to accumulate and sit on the metal, leading to rust and by the time you can see it beyond the trim piece you’ll have to cut out the rust to replace it = windscreen out and a LOT of work! The rust in the rear fender will be from a leak under the rear window trim piece where the other bit of rust is too. Look closely on the tailgate as you most likely have a small rust patch in one lower corner of the rear window. This is another common place where they rust. Auto doesn’t sound like much fun to me but I realise that manuals aren’t everyone’s cup of tea either. I hope you get the old girl sorted for the ski season, mine did the two seasons my wife and I did together many years ago now - lifted and EJ’d, the best, it actually climbed hills! I ran stock wheels with winter tread for the snow months, and took my 27s for off-season 4wd’n in the high country. Cheers Bennie

Over pressurisation of the fuel tank could be a blocked carbon canister up front if not using one from the wagon. Surging could be a little diaphragm device missing from the fuel system between the fuel pump and the engine. But if fuel pressures are solid and they don’t move this one doesn’t make much sense to me. To check the tank you can drain it via the bolt in the bottom of it, then remove the fuel sender unit at the rear of the tank to inspect the internals - use your phone camera to look through the hole and snap some pics with the flash. You’ll get a good idea of what’s going on in there with those pics, and you’ll have a reference point to start with if you need to do anything about it. I didn’t know about the fuel tank port differences. That T piece could be the issue that’s upsetting something. I wonder if you’re getting air in the fuel system that’s then making its way to the injectors at load, but at idle and low load revs the air manages to pass by without issue. I am clasping at straws here and thinking outside the box and hopefully helping out in the process. Cheers Bennie

We got the L series in Oz from late ‘84 through to ‘94. Other names used state side I believe are Leone, DL, GL etc. the wagon isn’t known as a Leone, only the sedan. The GL is the up-spec model so no window winders there due to power windows. The Legacy’s and Imprezas that don’t have power windows will also work I believe. Cheers Bennie

Window cranks/winders: can use L series units when you find good ones. There were some models that came with some sweet metal winders that never perish in the heat. There will be some (I think) ABS printed window winders on the market sometime soon. They’re in the testing phase now and really look the part! Hope this helps. Cheers Bennie

Since no one said it yet, yes we still love pics on here!! You’re doing well there. @bushytails - good pick up on the 2wd setup! What gave it away? As for wheel bearings on the rear, they’re like trailer bearings, get a new set and swap them on - change the bearing races on the hub too. No shortcuts! Cheers Bennie

Did you use the Brat’s fuel tank or bring the one over from the wagon? If using the Brat’s fuel tank I reckon it’s getting clogged up as you drive, fuel starvation then occurs as the pump struggles to get fuel to supply the engine under load. This doesn’t match what you said about your fuel pressure readings though. Is the ignitions switch on the Brat good? These can sometimes cause intermittent issues but seem more likely to die outright rather than a slow, twitchy death. Maybe list the things that are similar/same between the two vehicles that were swapped and not swapped. Something might show up there. Eg: - fuel lines - fuel tank - body harness - EJ power “pick up” points - where? Changed/same? Cheers Bennie

I’d argue that new boots on an old OEM cv shaft assembly is well worth the effort if it’s not left to grind along with loads of road grime, water and dirt in there. A mate of mine swears by stretchy boots. I saw one (now a meme somewhere) that wrapped the boot around the shaft a number of times when the gizzards of the CV joint let go for whatever reason. The CV joint was rebuilt on the side of the road and the boot reused! I’ve used various aftermarket boots with good success. I next time I’ll be trying these stretchy boots. Cheers Bennie

I know that feeling. I have an EJ turbo conversion on the go for the last four years. I’ve barely touched it in the last year. It’ll get there. Cheers Bennie