DaveAP

Gotta love the gear oil smell. I never would have thought it came from that. We should have a thread on suby only smells.

Well I finally did my due diligence. Went to the parts store and priced an ignitor, very pricey. But Napa had a machine to test one. Mine is still good. So back to the drawing board. Hopefully next time it dies I'll have someone aboard who can help me do some of the testing to see if the coil is sparking and I am getting gas down the throat. Just another note on identifying the ignitor. The manuel calls it a pickup coil. Also tells how to remove the reluctor so to acess the ignitor (pickup coil). Just pry the reluctor off the shaft with two flat head screwdrivers. The last time the brat was failing it took me five stalls and starts to get it back home. (across town, geeze!). I did notice my dist. cap and rotor were long in the tooth, so will replace them. I am reposting this to continue the effort of completing and following up on threads. Thanks, dp

Definitly like the yellow two tone gen one brat. Nice pic.

One xt, one '83 hatch, assortment of gl's. But no disty on the ea81 (I wanted the ignition moduel)

You gotta love the internet.

Thanks McBrat. I looked at an old gen one disty, I think I know what it is now. About 1/2" high, oval shaped, two wires running into it?

Ignitor (gen 2) What the hell does it look like, and where did they put it? We just got a new junk yard in Prescott Valley, I am ready for a prowl. dp

ignition module, ignitor. Is it found in the distributor? I found a thread that described how to test if it is workinig, with a test light. I checked my manuel but don't see one in the blowup picture of the distributor.

Is the ignitor a subaru only item, or can one be found at autozone or checker? Thanks for the replys, I don't mind the replacement trouble shooting method if it isn't too expensive. I've had the '87 long enough that I can justify replacing parts (even if they aren't the culprit).

22-24 around town. I wonder if elevation has anything to do with it. We are a mile high in town. '87 brat, ea-81 4 speed.

I've driven far more miles on noisly cv's than on quiet ones. Had subys since '88.

You get the picture. Filters are recent (this has been going for a while). Runnin down the road fine and quits. If it sits for a while,like 5-10 min., it will fire right up and run normal. Not sure if it is elecrical, or gas. But I am leaning toward the fuel side. Do fuel pumps go out like that? Thanks, dp./

Good idea, thanks. I am going to look at generic ones at autozone, also may be able to find one that works for some other brand.

I'm having somewhat similar problems with my '87 brat. Runs fine most the time, then just quits. Usually will start up after sitting a while. I checked the voltage and it all reads 14 plus everywhere I look. But my amp meter on the dash shows around 11 and after a while reads 12 after warmed up. I also sometimes have a problem starting it, It acts like a low battery(won't engage the selinoid), or the starter will crank slow. Usually in the morning. I have checked my connections but I may replace all the battery cables to rule that out.

I am trying to order the plastic linkage parts for the tailgate latch. There are two that fit the rod that opens the latches. I was able to get one of them ( #661331030 the smaller of the two), but not the one that I really need. It is about 3/4" long, bends to a 90 degree, and has a knob that pushes into a hole and holds the rod in place. The guys at the suby dealer are really going out of their way to help, but say they can't find a part #. Happy thanksgiving day, Dave.

Does anyone know if the linkage for the door handle is the same for the tailgate. I'm gonna try to get the local suby dealer to order them for me. Might make it easier if I know they are the same. thanks, dave.

I've got 185/14's on it, I bought the brat lifted, it is a 3-4 " lift. Someone put alot of nice work into this brat. The wheels are 14" 4 hole, wagon wheels, can't find any ID on them. Pusher front bumper,weber, custom steering wheel, low roll bar. I put a import hydro lifter engine in it 1600 and probably have 30 40 thousand miles on it. It's been sitting for years now and I am going to get it moving again. I'll be back for some more ideas when I try to figure out the binding in the steering.

Hi, what were the symptoms of the steering binding you mentioned, relating to strut clearance issues? I have had a problem with my steering binding up on my '78 lifted gen one brat. Instead of figuring it out I started driveing the '87. But I am soon to start on the brat, thanks. DP

Thanks for the replys, especially the trouble shooting ideas. Couger what is a safety switch? Is it the same as a neutral switch as in a auto tranny?

Hello, I have an '87 brat. I suspect the ignition switch. I will turn the key, the radio lights up, but I get no starter engaging. I keep on turning the key and eventually it will fire up. It doesn't do it all the time though. No grinding or drag sound from the starter. Thanks for any thoughts. dp

My local mechanic converted a 60's vw bug to electic. Says it is around 40 lbs. heavier because of the batterys. Pretty cool though.

Tom,thannks for the reply. My post was confusing because I WAS confused. I thought the caliper assembly rotated off the top caliper mounting bolt.Duh. I came back to it this morning, reread the manuel, and realized my mistaken thinking. It rotates off the top guide pin. Back yard,semi literate,kuckle buster, will try anything, Dave.

I am putting the '87 brat front end together. It's been around 3 wks since it came apart, so I'm not real fresh memory wise. I installed the caliper and when I tested it to see that it would swing up to clear the rotor it hangs up on the disc plate. There are extrusions with oval holes, that's where it hangs. I put it up for the day, check it tomorrow. That happen to anyone else?

How about some info on your tailgate metal trim? dp

'87 brat What would go easier, install the knuckle (axle,ball joint,tie rod end) before the strut. Or.. install the strut into the knuckle then push the whole assembly into place, then thread the axle through? How do you roll?