GeneralDisorder

What part of the harness are you talking about? In general, no - but if you are wanting to put an EA82 in your Brat, then yes it's close enough to work out alright without a lot of changes. If you are wanting to use all the accesory stuff, and want to replace your entire harness with one from an EA82, then no. They are quite a bit different, and I wouldn't advise something like this. GD

Yes - the later 2.2's have single exhaust port heads - not as desireable. GD

Rear discs are no problem - they will bolt straight on - either 4 lug or 5 lug. I have EA82 turbo 4 lug rear discs on mine in fact. The front is quite a bit different - people have done the 5 lug conversion, but it requires fabrication skills beyond what most people have, and also requires custom axles be made. EA81 series vehicles, including the Brat, are narrower than later models, and as such many related problems have to be dealt with in order to mount anything different to the front. GD

The rectifier diodes in the alternator's internal regulator are dying or dead. This is causing the alternator to put out large amounts of alternating current. The diodes in the dash that prevent the indictor lamps from receiving power through the incorrect path in their complex array of circuits and power feeds are no longer having the desired effect as alternating current flows in reverse of the normal current flow - this causes them to glow faintly. It's NOT by design, and if not corrected, the AC current can damage sensitive components. GD

Fan switch has nothing to do with it - it's just creating a draw on the electrical system, and the distributor is no longer able to cope with the lower amps. Your problem is the distributor bushings. I will lay down money on it. Take the cap off and try to move the distributor shaft from side to side. It *should* have no movement. Your's will be very sloppy. The worn bushings are causing the reluctor air gap to vary enough that the distributor is fireing several times for each plug - that's the high RPM reading on the tach. These guys can replace the bushings for about $35 if you dissasemble it for them or about $50 if you have them do it, or snag a JY disty for $20 or so: http://www.philbingroup.com/ GD

Temp sounds about normal - depending on the guage, some will read higher than others. Best to test with an aftermarket guage. As long as the radiator fan kicks on, and then back off when idleing stopped, it should be fine. Mine hangs about 3/4 on the guage and that's with a new radiator, all new cooling system parts, and new head gaskets... that's just how the guage is. Basically if the guage climbs and stops at a specific point and NEVER climbs higher, you're ok. The speedo and odometer are the same guage, and the cable is likely broken. The oil pressure could be the sending unit, or the wire going to the sending unit - check them both. They are on the oil pump on the front of the engine. GD

Nope - that's why we modify. GD

Hey Jerry - you ever get this fixed? I just spent about 4 hours troubleshooting my swap having the same symptoms you had - figured out that the coil bracket itself has to be grounded. I hooked everything up, but didn't mount the coil - wouldn't start. I ran a wire from the bracket to ground and it started first try. No where in the conversion manual does it mention this little bit, but the harness isn't long enough to mount the coil in an EA81 unless you legthen the wires. I just sat the coil in the spare tire area - intending to move it to it's final home after I proved it would run, and was in the "cleanup" stage. It didn't ground through the paint, so no spark till I decided on a whim to ground the bracket. Maybe not your problem, as you said it ran with some fuel down it.... but thought I would mention it - and you never told us if yours worked.... GD

If it still runs good, and only has milkshake in the PCV system, and the oil cap, but the oil is clear, and the engine has good compression it's most likely just blown intake manifold gaskets. If thats the case it's perfectly fine to drive - just make sure it's full of coolant. If the oil comes up looking lumpy and whitish colored, then it's a blown HG, and you'll ruin the engine if you drive it. But it's been my expereince that they won't run this way anyhow - the milkshake is so bad and thick once the HG goes, that it gets sucked into the intake, and down the carb - engine will not run at that point. Start it up cold with the radiator cap off - if coolant boils out the radiator then you have compression going into the cooling system. If it doesn't, then drive it. Just watch that you don't overheat it - you'll warp the heads if they aren't already. GD

Yes - like the Datsun style, but prefereably beefier. Like a 6 bolt would be nice. That's what the H1's have, and it makes the axles a piece of cake to change. Jack it up - 12 bolts out - axle in - 12 bolts again - done. It doesn't have the problems that the spline fit does with rust, and it doesn't need partial dissasembly of the suspension to get them out. And of course no need to remove the wheel and all the braking system from the front like a subaru. Very superior design from an off-road standpoint. A flange style on both ends that would mate to an axle running Porsch 930 CV joints, and a slip yoke like a Z car axle would be the ultimate subaru axle setup - the 930 CV's can approach 45 degrees, and are good for over 30" of travel. I've done the research, it's just the investment of time and money that I lack. It would really not be all that hard to implement given the right tools and the ability to do some aluminium casting and milling. I would really like to move the brakes inboard (and go to a larger GM setup), and build some chain driven portal hubs for another 1.5:1 reduction at each wheel. That would give a stock crawl of around 40:1 with no transfer case, and would remove almost all of the associates stress from the axles and transmission. All your stress would be on the chain drive portals, and chain is both very strong, and extremely efficient. You could have a dual stick setup so 2WD Low range would be availible for street driving.... A setup such as this would easily have 24" under the front and rear running on say a 33" tire. GD

You can make them stronger, but you'll have to make the diff stubs solid, and then you'll start breaking u-joints in the driveline, and work your way up to blowing gears out of the transmission. The axles are "fuses" - they break when the stresses in the system are too great. It would be MUCH more usefull if you machined bolt flange style axles and joints so they can be changed easily when they break. I've broken axles in H1 hummers - they are the same way. You will not be able to make them unbreakable. Speed breaks axles, and without lower gearing people will continue to demolish them. If you really want to be usefull, and you have the computer CNC machines to make axles, cut us lower gear sets instead. Lower first gear to a crawler gear, lower the low range gear, and turn the remaining 4 gears into a 4 speed ratio set for street travel. GD

Actually - that's exactly what I was planning - but I'll probably use small cut sections of solid steel rod (or small diamter tubing if I can find some I like), and mount them to the side of the shifter - then drill and tap those. Nut's would work too, but I can better control the design with rod. Rather than set screws I may just use bolts, and counter sink some holes into the shift rod to run the bolts into. At any rate, I'll be able to dissasemble if however I do it. Here in the US, Brat's are not a common thing - you have the luxury of 5 extra years of production, and all the parts availibility that comes with it. Of course I may never get around to doing anything about it - 5 speeds are common as dirt here now, so I'll most likely just drop one in. The linkage is far superior. GD

The bearing is a press-fit into the trailing arm. You have to unscrew the big ring nut on the back of the trailing arm, and pound the old bearing and race out. It can be a difficult job - especially if the bearing has overheated, and maybe had some contaminates in it - rust, etc. Getting the new one in can be just as much of a challenge as you have to drift them in carefully with a brass punch to avoid causing any damage. It's a tight fit, and easiest to do it with a press, and the proper adaptors. That's not to say that it can't be done without - I've done it many times. I just don't like doing them. Set aside at least a good two hours for the job - maybe longer. You should replace at a minimum the bearing, and it's inner and outer seal. And make sure to grease them very well. You don't want to have to do the job again anytime soon. Alternatively, you could find a whole trailing arm at the junk yard, and be done in just an hour perhaps - probably cost less too. The bearing is about $50 even from the cheapest supplier, and I know I can get trailing arms (control arms) for about $11 here. Still want to give it a good grease job, and install new seals. Try to find a low mileage one. Anything around 100k is good - I've seen these bearings last well past 200k easily. GD

That distributor looks like it should fit - it's got the right gear (looks ok anyway), and mounting tab (maybe the slot is off, but it's got a single tab like all EA81 disty's).... but I've never seen one with a screw on cap - that's completely weird. EA71/EA81 distys are all the same, and EA82's have two mounting tabs and a different drive gear...... I have a strange suspicion what you have there is actually an EA81 Turbo distributor, which may have the screw on cap I beleive, and also would not work with the carb engine (as the shop informed you) due to the Turbo being a crank angle sensor type distributor for fuel injection. The EA81 engine series cars (including the Brat) came with two distributor types - Nippon-Denso, and Hitachi. 2WD came with ND, and 4WD with Hitachi. However, since ALL Brats were 4WD, it would have been equipped with the Hitachi from the factory. It could have been changed - they are direct bolt it swaps. As to the cap color - it means nothing - I've seen every color under the sun, and a few more. There are about 40 million makers of caps/rotors, and I think they just use whatever color plastic they can get cheap. As a general rule, the ND's seem to be brown/red, and the Hitachi's seem to be black, but I have a Hitachi one that's brown right now :-\. If you want the right part, go to the dealer - they are cheap anyway. GD

That's already been discussed, and as stated we DO NOT want to weld it. I would rather improve on the design, learn something in the process, and have it easily reversible than ghetto weld the thing together. It's the principle of the thing - weld it if you like, but I'll not be having ghetto tractor mechanic garbage on my ride GD

It's more complex than that. (none of what follow applies to NZ or AUS - they got stuff at different times, and were discontinued at different times). 86 Brat will have the hole for the antenna on the passenger side. This did not occur till the 83 model year. Also the front of the fenders on 80/81 models is different where the corner markers mount - such that they will not fit the quad headlight front end of the 86. So your list of donor vehicles for fenders (in the US) are: 83-84 Anything 85-89 Hatchback 85-87 Brat That's for direct fit - if you want to do body work, 82 fenders will work, but the radio hole is on the wrong side. As has been stated, doors are Coupe/Hatchback/Brat doors, with different glass. GD

Vacuum hose hooked to the intake manifold has come loose somewhere - trace the hose and find the leak. GD

Small amount of milkshake out the valve covers can indicate bad intake manifold gaskets. It is VERY common for them to leak. Have you flushed the oil, and filled it a couple times to get all the water out? And have you cleaned out the entire PCV system? The EA81's are extremely rugged - I've done quite a few HG's on them and had nothing but good results. GD

I'm going to say that shop is wrong or looking to make money. Subaru's have VERY tough valves, and you have low mileage. There is almost no way you could have bad valves. Your problem is most likely something to do with the fuel injection - idle air control, mass air sensor, or throttle position sensor come to mind, or some other sensor causing a rough idle. GD

They are very reputable in the Portland area. GD

www.rockauto.com - $19.37 I swear by the Fel-Pro's - no retorque required for one thing, and I would rather have new head gasket technology than 20 year old dealer stock. Even if you get wholesale price from the dealer like I do, the Fel-Pro's are still cheaper. And if you saw what I did to the ones in my Brat just a week after replacing them, you would never go back either. GD

Check the tie rods and rod ends yourself - jack up each wheel, and try to move the tie rod or end in and out. If you can move it (with the steering locked) then they need replaced. Both are easy, but careful attention must be made to get them back where they were before, or you will fubar your alignment and ruin your tires. Easily done with a bottle of white nail polish. Personally, I think they are wrong as I've never seen tie rods or tie rod ends cause brake shudder on a subaru - but check them and if they are worn they should be replaced anyway. Just know that it might not fix your problem. Check your ball joints and all the bushings down there while you are at it. Give it a good inspection, and stop relying on shops to tell you what's wrong. Use your eye, and your noggin. Resurfaced..... well still could be the rotors. Frankly they are cheap, and I never bother resurfacing them. GD

Yeah - I have EA82's too tho (my daily is an 86 sedan, and my woman has an 87 coupe). So it will claim a spot on my shelf of goodies for now. I have a 5 speed swap in store for the coupe in the next few weeks - it may come in handy. GD

I think it was $6 for the whole EA82 cross-member. I wasn't sure exactly what I would do - but I knew I needed to do something. I got the whole cross-member in case I decided to use it somehow. As it happens, it's WAY not the right shape or size for the job. GD

Really? Interesting - all the ones I've taken apart had them.... I'll have to look under the valve covers on the one I put in the wagon - it's an 83 block I think. You know when they started? GD