el_freddo

I like that you found the issue but I don’t like the potential cost of sorting out the issue unless it’s the oil trick that Bushytails mentioned above.

All good mate! Like I said (somewhere), we didn’t get the SPFI over here in Australia. Any that are here are kits that were sent over from the states. I did think it odd that they didn’t run an O2 sensor but not knowing the system myself I could only go by what I was told by others. Thanks for the correction though. I hope having the O2 hooked up properly will sort out your fuel usage!

Long video! I leave the caliper bolted to the hub knuckle and flip the caliper up by taking out the lower slide bolt. That piston can be really hard to rotate. You need some pressure on it too. Once you get the first rotation done they usually become easier. I have a multi tool socket that fits the grooves in the piston face. This allows me to apply some pressure as I rotate the ratchet in one hand. Works a treat for me. If the dust boot is damaged you might have dust that can grip the side of the piston. Worse you might have the side of the piston corroding. All the best with it. Not the most fun job on the MY and L series.

With Subaru part numbers, if the second last digit is different by one digit value it usually indicates a compatible part number. Some times you can find this occurs up to for our five digit number values as updated but compatible parts become available. I’d put money on those two part numbers you give there as being the same. What do you do for that unique O ring setup between the TBI and the intake manifold? Asking as I have a SPFI setup to go on an ea81 over here (we didn’t get them in Oz) and that gasket is a little worse for wear - not that it’s going into a vehicle anytime soon, it’s in waiting.

Sounds like your alternator isn’t doing its job like it used to. Try coasting down a long incline off throttle, then when back on the juice pedal watch out the rear view mirror for any blue smoke. If you run synthetic oil this trick won’t show up anything. If you have blue smoke it could be a number of things, mine turned out to be a broken ring land on two cylinders from memory (was 20 years ago now). Only showed a plume of blue smoke when off throttle at speed then back on it again until the oil was burnt off. The longer spend off throttle the more blue smoke produced. PCV system faults could be an issue too. The sticky IACV suggestion from bushytails is a good one to start with, as it may be slow to adjust quickly in those situations. If the IACV is dirty/sticky, the question then is why - failing component? Lack of appropriate voltage? PCV allowing oil to be sucked through the IACV at idle, coating it in oil, leading to gumming up over time?

I’m pretty sure they’re all like this from the L series onwards 😎

Awesome write up @bushytails! Also look into https://subarino.com.au - a local guy that loves the MY models and will ship internationally. Just email for a quote on shipping. The years of the brumby will be different to your brat. We got them up to 1992 and I heard of several that were sold new from the dears late as 1994!! We don’t talk in generations - it’s either MY or L series; EA81 or EA82. No estates - station wagons GL and DL are the trim levels of the L series, the MY seems to only get the GL but I could be wrong there. That forwarding service is like one a mate used to use over in the states, they used to call them a virtual mail box and did the exact same thing you did, just the opposite way around. And good old Australia Post… they do their job well but take their sweet arsed time doing it! I usually use DHL for incoming packages and if they don’t do it to my address I either get it sent to work or go with FedX (which I prefer not to). I have king springs on my lifted and EJ’d L series with civic springs in the rear. I like the ride quality of the HD springs, but mine probably need replacing since they’re about 20 years old and probably not holding like they used to! If you drive an empty vehicle these springs will most likely not be nice to ride in. I also wonder what psi you’re running in your tyres as this will have an impact too. Thanks for sharing Bushytails, glad you got your parts and you’re happy with them!

Glad we could help! 🤣 I once purchased some super tuff suspension bushes for our Pajero from your side of the world cheaper delivered to me than I could buy them anywhere locally (including the extra for the exchange rate!). Thing that got me was they were made in Oz, sent to the US then sent back to Oz! How does a car part travel halfway around the world and back end up being cheaper than buying it where it started from??

Whole gearbox swap = easier than repair. I find it easier to pull the gearbox out from under rather than pull the engine from above. The drive shafts can be left to slide off as you take the box out, no need to pull them off first. Once the gearbox is clear of the bellhousing of the engine, push it left, remove shaft then push it right and remove the other shaft. Lining it back up if stub axle is a little tricker but possible. I’ve done it several time now and it works a treat!

^ very nice!

I could be done if several components were adapted to work between the two engines. Wiring looms can be laid over each other and whichever one is needed is the one used. Realistically though, once you go for the larger power and more reliable engine you won’t look back. Tuck the original parts under the workbench all sealed up and labelled for a future resto - if it ever happens. That’s the plan for my brumby too - upgrade the drivetrain, everything factory that’s removed is kept for future resto options (that will no doubt never happen).

Check your oil again after filling the fuel tank next time - unless you only do a partial fill, in which case I’d check after the second partial fill. My brumby likes a little oil top up after every second fill up. Leave it too long and it drops off the dip stick 😬

The tick isn’t anything detrimental - just lifter tick. Parts are basically unobtainiam for the XT6 other than those shared with the L series - and even these are starting to dry up. The H6 conversion would be sick. The wiring is the biggest part of the job. After that it’s driving it so you don’t kill the gearbox! That said, a mate of mine ran the 3L H6 in a gen2 Liberty with the same gearbox that’s in your XT6 - just a dual range version. The thing was mint offroad with the locking centre diff. Sadly he killed the diff one trip in the sand as it didn’t lock and he fried it. Enjoy the journey - collect parts when you can find them! The air bag setup you might need to go down the custom aftermarket route. I don’t have any leads on this sorry.

Sounds like the shifter knuckle needs new bushes or to be replaced with a new unit.

That cogged idler would cop the most pressure on it in comparison to the other two smooth idlers I reckon. If offroading it’s the lowest one in the system so it’ll cop any crap that gets in past the cam covers first.

2 cylinders will do that! The H6 mated to a manual is quite the animal - especially back when the H6 only came with auto from the factory early on. L

Only cover half the grille. That’s what I do in winter - but I do it over half the radiator behind the grille on my EA81 brumby to help it get to operating temp quicker and hold it there during our winter weather. It’s only a piece of cardboard so it’s easy to remove when needed if there’s a warm day. Sometimes I run to work with the cardboard in place, then in the arvo I need to remove it otherwise the engine runs on the hot side enough to trigger the thermo fans.

Get new cam cover seals

Next time it happens ask her to try starting it with the throttle flat to the floor. This cuts the injectors when cranking to remove a flooded situation. You might find the engine is full of fuel from stalling and just cranking it puts more fuel into the system so it won’t start.

I never repacked my wheel bearings when doing CVs or at the 60,000 mile interval (100,000km I’m guessing). I run sealed bearings with the inner seal removed as mentioned above. Before installing I always pack each bearing with fresh grease to remove the packing grease - do not just run on the packaged grease as the bearing will fail in a short distance! And I always run the outer seals with a little bit of grease behind them. I figure more seals the better for an offroader. Always use a quality Japanese made bearing too

And can still happen in an automatic too when bypassing the starter switches involved with an auto. Dad used to have a bad habit of leaving our old ‘71 Torana in drive when he got home after work. One weekend he asked me to move it out of the old wooden farm shed. I didn’t know he bypassed the starter switch when it wasn’t in anything but P and N. Being an old carb fed engine it needed some pumping and revs to keep it going which I was accustomed to - and in this case I almost drove it through the back wall of the shed! Gave me the fright of my life. When I told Dad he shrugged it off and made it out to be my issue because I didn’t check to see if it was in Park or Neutral before stating the engine. My comeback was “who does that unless it doesn’t start?!” So yes, an auto can still be bypassed and start in gear unless there is another part of the system in play - so you need your foot on the brake for it to start?

Can’t tell you where the relay is that you’re chasing - I wanted to share with you a common mod on the Gen1s in the early 90’s. Often with an issue like this ppl would add a horn relay to the system. This would hive direct power from the battery to the starter solenoid by using the start wire as the rely trigger reference. Worked a treat and might be something that will work for you. Just ensure there’s no rodent damage to the start wire to the starter solenoid.

Yeah fair enough! You didn’t do the “mandatory” double pump if the throttle before turning the ignition on? Or the other way to do it is ignition on to prime the fuel bowl, ignition off, double pump, ignition on and start. I do this one when I haven’t driven my brumby in a while, especially in summer when it seems the bowl evaporates and needs filling again.

Yeah nice! We have Bambu X1 Carbon and I think a P2H - but that one is in another department as such, I might get some playtime on that this year. We’ll see. That first print is classic. Do you guys have everyone asking you to print this,that and everything in between?

Bearing issue *should* make similar noises if it’s a bearing issue. From memory there’s a bearing set between input shaft/front diff and 1st, 2nd and 3rd; 4th and 5th.