Seahag1978

Arrggghhh matey! Pirate Water? My 3-year-old grandson wanted some when he saw the label, it's Tim's favorite when he does drink... which is rarer than the blue moon! Capn' 'n' coke, or Dr. Pepper, I can't even type those words without gagging... NEVER, EVER feed that to a beer drinker! Trust me! Looks like I be the DD... and DKW "Designated Kid Watcher" The menu will be quite varied... some cuppa, cuppa, cuppa... meatballs in sauce, thumbs... other little tidbits... it's the least I can do... you all helped me so much

The Baja... the Brat just ate another bearing... need to get a new hub, this one's cooked.

The decals on my original Brat, "back in the day" were like that... see Todd's post for the pic or my gallery (below).

Things have changed, we will probably come. Fixing stuff? nah... I am BAD! Now food... keeping the troops nourished... like the Amish at a barn raising. Requests? Or should I leave it to my discretion?

What gives with this? Ok, the previous owner replaced the bearings... no dice, improper installation... my guess... around the block. I had a "pro" install an Autozone set... he tried to "press" them out... heated it with a torch and pressed it again. Finally, Tim looked and saw the shoulder separating them and removed them from the inside out... replacements lasted less than 100 miles. They had wierd seals that didn't look like they would hold the grease in. Anyway... no dice. Tim and I installed a Timken set... I know they were installed by the book... no dice?! The "hub" (steering knuckle, where the bearings go) was overheated at least TWO times that I know of. Could the knuckle be so distorted now that it's eating bearings? One more question... I took it in to be aligned... new shocks, axles, ball joints etc.... the man (who I trust) said, "Your steering rack is junk. I can't align it." He also told me it wasn't dangerous... yet. He showed me how he could shake the wheels at the top... could this wheel movement be a reason the bearings are getting trashed?? I need some help here! Thanks! Mary

You can use a ball joint tool. Funny you should post this. My '78 just ate yet another set of front bearings... I think I need a new hub. Like NOW!

Arrgggh! I was just saying that today... since driving the Brat every day, I miss stopping to grab a cup on my way home. There's no place to put it other than the obvious... which is ok in an automatic, but too much leg use with clutching and all... soooo, I ride right on by... I don't want to end up like Stella. Yee-ouch!

Could a critter have gotten cozy in your fan housing? Check both the main and auxilliary housings for remnants of nests or the critter itself. Yuck! My old boss' cat was in his engine bay when he started it one morning... poor thing's nickname was "Razorback" after that incident. Also look for chewed wires around the cruise control, they love to chew plastic. I never use cruise... scares the heck out of me... makes me feel like "Hal" is under the hood calling the shots.

Whew! That's good news! Keep us posted... Mary

Yup, it'll bind on dry pavement, I saw one lock completely. Just put it into reverse and back up a few feet to unbind it before disengaging it. Good luck with it!

Oh, I see you were looking for coolant in the oil... look for gas in it... smell it and feel it. Did you do the compression test?

I'm not sure if the ea81 is the same as the ea71 but you can't press them out. They have to removed by pounding them from the inside out, there's a shoulder that separates the two sets. A socket extension works well to remove them. You can also use the old bearing to get the new one started in evenly. Cover it with some plastic wrap so you don't contaminate the new one with the old gunk. Be sure to get good bearings, like Timken. A set I got from Autozone lasted under 100 miles, even with professional installation. Oh, use hi-temp grease made for bearings too, the previous owner of my car used regular grease and they also failed in under 100 miles. Good luck! Mary

Here in Mass. we have no deductible on glass which has spurred many, many hacks to get on the bandwagon. I have had bad luck with windshields (9 in less than 2 years). I know the ins and outs of bad installs... one in particular was not using the primer on the scratches and seeing rust within 3 weeks. Sydfloyd44 is a conscientious installer and his advice is golden.

Very clever idea.... I never knew that. Thanks for the info! Mary

K-man, How does the exhaust smell? Get right down on it... if it smells like a toasted marshmallow... coolant is just leaking by, if it smells like strong, normal exhaust then my guess is engine. Can you get a little oil out? Smell that too. If the odor is heavily laced with gas then the "feel" will be more like WD40 rather than motor oil. Then that means gas is getting into the oil. I have always been pretty good with finding a problem using my nose, ear and fingers. I don't have a clue how to fix it, but know where the problem is.

The key here was once it gets everything it needs the engine problem reared its ugly head. Mine never smoked until it was running on its own, up to operating temp. Took the oil out... watery and smelled like gas. Big time. An engine is cheap. Not impossibly hard to change out either. Do the compression test. It'll rule that out.

We were in... honest! The weather this weekend will be perfect for painting the '86... body is prepped... gotta do it. Sorry! Have a great time! Get pics!

Sorry if I swayed a bit off topic, Paul, but yes you were right... it's dropping to close to 1/2 tank faster than to the quarter. Now, if I remember right the capacity 11 gals.? Seems an odd number.

Chain of events. Ok, the carb is running right? Idle is there and timing right? All seems well. Smoke. Much smoke. Enough to gag a maggot? Do a compression test. Sounds like what mine did. Seems once I GOT proper fuel, spark, we found a cylinder was borked. Got a "new" engine in... all is well. Walla... daily driver! I HOPE I'm wrong! Best of luck! Mary

HA! This one did it too... it was full all week, the needle never moved. Tonight when I shut it off, it was still full. Then, when I started it again needle was at 3/4. This is the first time I have ever driven it this many consecutive miles (before a breakdown) to see this gas gauge work. Does anyone else's do this?

My '78 is getting great mileage even in town. I filled it for $26.50, just before the big rise. The needle hasn't moved and I have been using it as a daily driver. I vaguely remember that my first one's needle would look full for quite a while then suddenly drop to 3/4 when it used a quarter tank. I think it needed to burp or something. The Brat draws a lot of attention at the shows. They are especially interested because of the fuel economy. Many of them remembered the 70's gas crunch and fuel economy was a key selling point for automakers. They looked at it with a whole new set of eyes

At shows, I park the Brat with the rear facing the walking aisle, with the hood up. I have had so many kids in their late teens to mid 20's that have never seen or even heard of a Brat. They always check out the engine bay and ask a zillion questions. They're totally awestruck when I tell them that's really where the spare tire is stored. Just for fun, I tell them it was a primitive airbag system. <wink>

I have to post a reply in John's defense. I have been contacting him for about a year now. He always either answers or returns my calls within a few minutes. He's always been available. He has diagnosed, or confirmed every single problem with my Brat. He send us out to the car (usually by flashlight because of the time difference). He gives us tests to do on the ailing part and is always 100% dead on. I have total confidence in John's expertise. I toss a few bucks in his Paypal account because he does this for a living and has saved me hundreds, probably thousands of dollars instead of having someone else do it! There are many, many other board members that have contributed to the success of getting my Brat to a daily driver. But this thread is about Mudrat and I am very happy with being his friend!

Yes... check the frame thoroughly. The body on my original Brat (in the 80's) was perfect, but the frame rusted out. Other common rust areas are the shock towers and floor pan. If it'sbeen sitting, also check the heater ducts... they seem to make a nice home for mice. My newest acquisition had a very cozy 3 story condo in it. It took a bit of time and effort but, I think I have it all out. I see you're in PA. They aren't too common around here, so a good one would be $1800+ considerably more if the interior and paint are good. Good luck!

Are you afraid that someone will steal your gas? Have you ever tried to siphon a newer model gas tank? It ain't real easy... Now, the older tanks were a straight shot. Simple deal.