c0r3f1ght3r

84 subaru brat My headlights only work with the hi beam switch on. If I turn on my headlights all lights work besides the headlights. 2 Fuses in the box are good, is there a relay somewhere that may have gone bad? The only thing I can think of is maybe the rain did something because it was raining hardcore here when it happened, but the car was off. Any ideas?

How much would one think a shop would charge to do this job, if I had the parts? Because at this point I would like to get it professionally done since I've failed twice now trying to get this fixed...

Someone was trying to tell me I may need a whole new steering knuckle is this true? I mean from my understanding the whee bearings are just like any other bearings except on these subarus the bearings are pressed into the knuckle. So next time I do this job I guess I'll order the axle, bearings, take off the knuckle, press the bearings out, and the press new ones in, followed by pressing the axle through the knuckle.

Forgot to mention, but on the previous axle swaps from original to reman was done by putting the axle in a vice and pounding the steering knuckle on to it via wooden mallet. Which took a lot of force and effort, and ultimately may of damaged the axle and bearings but I'm not expert. After the first reman axle failed I repeated the above steps, but this last time when swapping for a 'better' steering knuckle I tried the mallet procedure and messed the first two rows of threads on the axle up so I had to grind them down to get the castle nut back on. Also when going through turns I notice the thump seems to decrease for the duration of the turn. The thump is worst between 20-50mph, on the highway I guess its thumping so fast that its not that intense.

I just did some work on my brat over the weekend because of suspected wheel bearings being bad. A bit of history. I got this brat a few months back and replaced the axle with a reman axle from oreilly(probably first mistake). The reman axle lasted about 150 miles until the boot tore up and it started clicking, replaced the axle again, and its been riding decently for about 2k miles. I started to notice a grinding sound coming from the steering knuckle every time I take off from a stop, and if I let off the clutch quickly I could hear the grind very badly on the steering knuckle. So this weekend I got a steering knuckle from another subaru brat, and the wheel bearings seemed to be in good condition as I spun them by hand to feel for any roughness. I greased the bearings and proceeded to put the axle through the knuckle using a mallet which did not work very well using a mallet and vice grip, it was impossible to get the axle to go through the knuckles bearings so I used a press and it finally went through. Drove the car out of the shop and it was fine. Very smooth ride and handled great. ~100 miles later a loud thumping noise is now occurring at speeds 15+, and increases in its thumping cycles as you go faster. Friends say its the wheel bearing, but I have huge doubts about this because I believe the axle oreilly sold me is not a perfect fit for the brat because of how hard it is to get it into the steering knuckle compared to what I have read about others being able to get the axles out with just a couple pounds with a mallet. I think the axle is bad, and I'm buying a EMPI axle soon here, but I have some questions regarding the noise, what do u guys think it is? Its pretty loud and the thump can be felt throughout the whole car almost. When accelerating the thump is not as noticeable but that could be because the engine/trans are creating so much vibration. In the event that I need new bearings can I just get the old ones pressed out and press in new ones? I have a haynes manual but its not that helpful...

Its actually working just as described. It doesn't really slow down too much going straight, but turning it slows down a bit, and I was a idiot driving it on the road by my house, only doing 10-20mph but I read some stuff and now I know. This thing is fun as hell off road though

Ah ok. Yeah I'm not used to 4wd, but good to know!

I noticed something today when trying out my 4wd which I haven't done in a long time. If I'm driving in 4wd and let off the gas it slows down the vehicle considerable fast! I've never dealt with 4wd before so its beyond me as to what could be going on, any ideas?

I got 12v from the wires, how would u go about adjusting the choke? I thought its automatic lol, im noob to cars btw. I just pick up manuals and grasp it for what I need to do somehow.

I can't quite figure out if my auto choke is actually working or not. I recently installed a weber dgv carb and got rid of all the emissions bs by plugging holes etc. It idles great, but when started it slowly builds up from around 500rpm to 750, and if I give it gas when I first start it, it will die and then I have to start it again. I notice that the brat had a fuel return line on the stock carb but this weber does not, but seems like it could have a return line installed. I hooked the auto choke power cable to where the stock one was hooked up, but of course its only one wire. Heres some posted pics of what the current situation looks like.

Mine came with bigger tires, but I swapped them for 205/65 bfg goodrich tires that i got for 100$ for the set. The small wider tires helps with mpg. Here in GA I average 30mpg with the weber carb. Amazing little machine!

yea the junkyards are completely worthless around here. So I ordered the washers through the dealer, friggin 12$ a piece but I have no other choice...

I don't have a torque wrench, but I tightened the castle nut as hard as I possibly could, using all my body weight with the hub locked in place by a crowbar. Guess I'll need to do this job over again, but I gotta find some junk yards... not much down here in columbus GA though...

Just one more thing, about the two pieces that come off after the castle nut, where can I get these. I'm sure subaru would have them, but any idea where else?

Thanks for the help, and yeah u guys are right, it is the universal joint that is clicking... How long until it gets really bad you think? I'm a bit strapped for cash, but it won't be that big of a deal to replace.

I've had this beast for a few months now, but just found this forum due to some issues I'm having with it. Other than repeating axle issues this awesome machine has been so reliable and fun I don't think I'll ever part with it. This is my friends 83 Brat(bad paint) and my 84 Brat, we bought em off someones family, owner passed away. So far I have switched to a weber carb(tits), new clutch, new stereo system, and did a crappy roll on flat black paint job until I get her up in the garage and get a chance to paint it good. Bought it for 1400$ with 172K in running condition, but it does have some rust, nothing serious though. After the new carb, custom exhaust, and a good tune up this beast has been running flawlessly! I'm surprised by how fast it is with its little 1.8, and the 4wd is awesome.

I have the haynes manual, do u mean the washer and centering piece that comes off after the castle nut is removed? I just put them back in when I put the new axle on. I will go ahead and replace them then when I go to replace the axle again. About the rear though. Earlier today after driving the brat for about 2 hours I came back home and as I was rolling in N I heard a metallic clicking sound from the rear right, increased as rolling speed increasing, but later I drove it again and it was gone...

I found the EMPI Front Axle Assembly on a few sites, but what about the rear axles? Why would I need to replace, conical and spring washers?

Empi axles? Any idea where? Conical and spring washers of/from? Sorry I know how to read a manual and replace parts but I'm a novice at car repair. Splines in the hub? I thought that the axle just connects to the trans splines, locked in place with a pin, and the hub has a outer/inner bearing. I'm now debating just finding another gl, or wagon seeing how many miles and taking its hub and axle assembly until I have money to start restoring it...

I have a 84 Brat, love the thing so much! But I'm having an issue with my axles. The front right axle started clicking so I decided to go ahead and replace it because I eventually want to restore this vehicle as much as I possibly can. I got a reman axle from Checker, this was the first attempt and after about 50 miles the boot tore up and axle started clicking... so I got another one, now on the second axle 2000 miles driven from UT to GA to move down here. The beast made it just fine, but now the axle is clicking and I notice when in first or second gear u can feel a power loss because the axle does either catch properly or something else. For example when I'm driving and I let off the gas in 1st or 2nd gear I can hear it grind very hard and then continue to roll. I'm not really sure if I want to replace the axle with checkers reman axle again because of this... I also noticed upon installation of these reman axles that the new axle is very very hard to get into the hub compared to the axle it had before(assuming stock). I did the job myself by taking the strut/hub/axle out together and then using a 3 pronged puller to remove the axle from hub and then a rubber mallet with the axle in a vice grip to pound it back into the hub. Getting the old axle out was easy and easy to put back in but the reman axle seems as if its possible 1-2mm larger in diameter or something because its very hard to get into the hub. Another question I have is about the rear axles because I have noticed a clicking sound coming from the back passenger side axle,but I can't quite figure out if its the axle or something else. Sounds like a metallic click. What do you use to replace these axles because they look different from the front axles? This is my first Subaru so I'm a noob, but I love the thing so much I can't get rid of it.