alansgoat

If he needs any blue interior parts, let me know...I have tons of blue wagon parts out of a nearly identical '84 GL wagon.

I have two Brats, (an '83 and and '85), both non-rusty (one from desert Southwest and one from Oregon) and both for sale. Drop me a line if interested.

I wish I could find the stainless trim for my tailgates...dang things are always missing on these trucks.

From my experience, the 2nd Gen Leone in the US had 6 different dash/gauge set ups. The 1980-81 GL models had the side needled orange set ups with full gauges. The 1982-83 GL models had the centered needle orange full gauges. The 1984 and later GL models had white lettered center needle full gauges. There was also the awful digital gauged cars from 1983 to ??? The DL and Standard models used similar idiot light set ups with speedometer (no trip odometer on Standard models), temp and fuel gauges and a "dummy plate" on the left side (looks like there was supposed to be an optional clock for this spot). The Standard and DL models share the same dash pad design from 1980 onward and the GL shares the other design from 1980 onward. I've owned a few Subaru cars and Brats over the years and the crossover for the orange to white lettering seems to be 1983/1984. My 1981 GL wagon, 1982 GLF hardtop and 1983 GL wagon all had orange lettered gauges. My 1984 GL sedan, 1984 GL Brat, 1985 GL Brat and 1987 Standard all had white lettered gauges. I've also seen an unique dash for the turbo model which deletes the oil pressure gauge and puts a vacuum/boost gauge in its place (so that means there is probably a white and orange version of these as well).

Hey, if it would help anyone, I do have a set of power windows out of an '84 wagon...complete set up I'd be willing to sell with wiring, switches, motors, etc. I would take me a bit of time to pull the stuff out of the doors and package up (it was easier to buy the doors than take it all apart at the time). Send me a message if interested.

I've picked up two Brats in the last year, both exceptional deals. The first one is an '85 4spd D/R, A/C, with new tires, 101k miles, a few small dents, bad alternator, broken clutch cable, bad CV boots, Gen I front bumper, but no rust for $800. The second one is an '83 4spd D/R, non-A/C, with new tires, 115k miles, decent interior (just dirty), mismatched front clip with dented driver's fender, '80 GL (car) grille and 5mph chrome bumper, partly disassembled, no rust, one bad CV boot, broken motor mount and possible blown head gasket for $400. The second one was being turned into a parts car until the guy I bought it from realized it had less than 1/2 the miles on it his '87 Brat had and really shouldn't be parted out. Once I get the '83 back together, it will be up for sale.

Where can I get replacement radio knobs for my stock Subaru radios? The dealer doesn't even list the radios, much less parts for them. Not sure where to turn.

We still have non-rusted Brats out here in California. I picked up an '85 with 101k miles, no rust, new tires, bad CV boots and bad clutch cable, bad alternator, but ran great for $800 last fall. A couple of weeks ago I picked up an '83 with 115k miles, no rust, new tires, blown radiator and bad coil for $400. I wouldn't buy a rusted one except as a parts car at any price.

By the way, is your car a wagon, hatchback, 4 door sedan or 2 door coupe? Just curious.

A California emission 1984 car would have a feedback carb, probably something that could be found here in California. Personally, I'd try to fix the leak first rather that bring an unknown used carb into the equation, unless what you have has a cracked housing. I currently have 4 Subarus, though I think all are Federal versions and all are 4wd except my '87 Standard with an EA71. Here in California we have to deal with the dreaded smog tests, so a Webber is out of the question.

I'm dealing with the same issue on my '87 Standard hatchback. I've got the bearings and seals, just need to know what the tricks are to do the bearing install. I've read the Subaru manual and they refer to some special tool, but I usually find the special tools aren't necessary (except my nifty Subaru valve adjusting tool, which is awesome). I'm pretty sure my arbor press can handle the removal and installation of the bearings, just not sure if there are any tricks to the job.

I should also mention the first time the temp gauge went to "H", I stopped along the side of the road thinking the car was overheating, only to find everything working perfect and the engine barely warmed up. Therefore, I know the gauge is lying.

I can assure you the electrical gremlins are related. All three happen at the same time under the same conditions. That isn't to say the turn signals don't also have issues that compond the problem. This morning (a cool mid-50's morning), I started up the car to find a dim glow of one of the dash turn indicator lights and by the time I hit the freeway (less than 2 miles from my house) the gas gauge was reading slightly above what it did last night and continuing to climb. The interior signal lights did not flash when I used the turn indicators (though the external ones worked fine) and the temp gauge started moving upward. About 10 miles down the road, the temp gauge is nearly pegged "H" and the fuel gauge is reading near "F" (with only about a 1/4 tank of gas). I turned on the heater and defrost, turned off the vent, windows closed and within 4-5 minutes the temp gauge and fuel gauge were returning to normal and the dash turn indicators were working again. So, I turned off the heat, set the temp to "cold" and opened the vent again, as the passenger's compartment cooled down again, the gauges and turn indicators went back to their "crazy" ways for a while until the outside temperature warmed up a bit and the gauges went back to normal. I should mention this car was the proverbial "little old lady's car", which is the reason for the extremely low mileage for a 26 year old car. It wasn't babied and garaged, but it also spent its life in dry and "salt-free" California and Arizona, so there aren't any corrosion issues. I have checked the main engine and body ground connections and found everything clean and tight. I also have one other electrical gremlin that does not appear to be related to the above. The dash lights seem to work when they feel like it. When I got the car, the seller warned about the dash lights not working sometimes. For the first few weeks, I never saw the problem (other than the bulb that lights up "headlight" was apparently burned out). Then the dash lights sporatically went out occasionally and now they rarely turn on. The dash light rheostat appears to work properly brightening/dimming the light that lights up "wiper". I'm starting to think there is an instrument cluster plug issue that may explain this and the other electrical gremlins.

The driver's side axle may be factory, but the passenger's side was fairly new so I doubt it is a factory one (I didn't do the work). I've only replaced one axle before, so I don't recall what the cone washer looks like, but I'll check things out this weekend to see how it looks. I didn't know there was an issue with aftermarket axles. The one axle I did do was on my '81 GL wagon (around 189k miles) and I really didn't have a choice to rebuild as the factory axle had been run for over a year with the boot torn and clunked like nothing I've ever heard (one of the reasons I got the car for free, that and the chewed up rotor on the same side plus the crunched front fender and hood). Any thoughts on the electrical gremlins?

I'm having a weird problem with the gauges (gas gauge and temp gauge). When the car is cold (outside temp under 60-70 degrees), the gas gauge pegs the "F" (full mark) and slowly over the next few minutes the temp gauge goes from normal to "hot". If I run the heater and warm the passenger compartment, the gauges sometimes return to normal. If I drive the car later in the day or on a warmer day, everything works fine. I should also note the turn signal lights in the dash do weird things as well under the same conditions. Sometimes they refuse to blink when the turn indicators are used, while other times (when headlights are on) they stay on then both blink. The outside blinkers and lights operate normally. While all these weird things happen, I've checked electrical voltage (thinking the alternator might be doing weird things), but all readings are normal. I need to figure out this weird problem. Another odd issue I'm dealing with is a front end shimmy. I thought the old tires on the car might be the issue, but the new tires only slightly lessened the problem. I had also checked the wheels for run out (no issue). I've also checked the movement of the wheels to see if there is worn wheel bearings and/or steering linkage...everything appears to be nice and tight. I should also note the car had 75k original miles on it and has no indication of any body damage beyond the normal "parking dings". Since that time, I've run the car up to nearly 82k miles. Occasionally, the shimmy disappears, sometimes it is mild, sometimes severe. Engine load and transmission engaged/disengaged has no effect. Turning the steering wheel sometimes changes the vibration.