GeneralDisorder

Replace with cheap oil and run till it reaches operating temp then drain while still hot. Refill with proper oil, and drive on. Can use some MMO in the first run too as it's a detergent and will clean out any crap and milkshake from the water. GD

Thanks! GD

Been meaning to get to this myself. How did swapping the drive gear on the disty go for you? Take it to a shop or so it yourself? Also - What's your plan on the SPFI fuel pump? Mount it under the hood and supply it with the carb pump? I was thinking maybe just remove the carb pump completely and let it suck from under the hood. Have to try both ways and see which works. If the carb pump can be eliminated that seems like the way to go. Less parts to worry about. When you get to it, think you could post a list of needed parts? I know the engine wiring harness, ecu, fuel pump, and manifold with sensors.... there is some relays too I think. A complete list for us EA81 guys would be nice. GD

From what I remember, a couple were imported but the intrest just wasn't there, so they were never sold. The few that came over were samples (IIRC), and there might be some around that people have brought in from Asia... I know a friend that brought over a boat and motor from thailand because he liked it. Robin engines for small power equipment are common here now (sold at Harbor Frieght on equipment, and stand alone). Those are made by Fuji, and that division has capitalized on the popularity of the Subaru name, and started to advertise as "Robin by Subaru". I have no experience with them, but having worked on tons of other small engines (hobby when I was a kid), most are so underpowered and slow they almost never wear out. Robin advertises OHV, and cast iron sleeves, so they probably will never die. GD

Yeah - there was a lot of tech sharing between the two. Jet technology was another. The Japaneses did eventually build some jets right before the end - never in enough numbers tho. To sum it up - VW made the Rod shifted transaxle, and opposed cylinder engine combination the standard by which all small cars were measured around the world with their Beetle. Subaru relied heavily on this example. Honda did not, and neither did toyota. They could have, but clearly chose not to. And it's not really a matter of "stealing" anything I guess - we gave them a lot of leeway after the war - heck we just looked the other way when they walked all over RCA's patent on the B&W TV.... in the intrest of rebuilding their country. Made so much money, they just bought the patent for color! GD

I am perfectly aware of when Subaru introduced 4WD, but Audi (VW) as I said did this in the 30's. The AWD system of the 80's for them was simply a use of tech they already had around. Audi merely used the VW tech they already had around, as did Subaru. Audi advanced the system to AWD where subaru simply went with 4WD. The advance to AWD didn't happen until around 84 for Subaru. The PTO idea as I said came from the Kubelwagon of the late 30's. Believe me - the Japanese aren't stupid, and the VW transaxle design is very good. GD

Actually - Subaru was very active in the rally scene in places like africa - the "Safari" rally's..... wherever did they get this idea? Well they stole it much as they stole the "Boxer" design from VW. See - Audi (VW subsidiary) was HUGE into rally back in the 80's. '81 was the first year to see the Audi chain drive "quattro" system. Basically Subaru didn't amount to much until Group B rally was eliminated and Audi left the rally scene never to return. That left no one but Subaru using the symetric AWD layout. And yes - to this day the Audi setup is near identical to the Subaru stuff. Take a look at any new Audi quattro. Mean - very mean. The 4WD transaxle design was used on some models of the Kubelwagon back in WWII by the germans. Basically a VW beetle with a PTO on the end of the transaxle driving the front wheels. Dr. Porsche had it right all along.... The soob layout is a decendant of this design, with the diffs reversed and the engine in the front... water cooling and a more conventional look to the vehicle probably prompted this change. Take a look sometime at the EA81, and the VW 1.6 used in the old air cooled beetles. The design of the engine is so similar that the distributors will swap between the two - drive gears are the same. Other than being water cooled the differences are slight. GD

No Brat outside the US had rear seats. They were actually installed as a final assembly stage once they came off the ship. You could put a Weber 32/36 DGV carb on the EA71. Weber makes a kit with the appropriate adaptor. Won't get much if anything from a different air filter.... especially with the stock exhaust. Replace the exhaust and put a larger carb on for starters. Anything beyond that requires engine tear-down to get in a more agressive cam or change the comp. ratio. But if you are going for that, then get a 1.8L instead and start with that. GD

If you just want it level pull the torsion bars and put them back in one or two splines lower. To level it from the front you may need more than 1" - I think about 2" would do it. Of course 1" and then adjust the front struts up, but that will throw off your camber. GD

You need an adaptor plate for the trans.... OR you could use an EJ AWD trans but you will need to change the DOJ's on your front axles to match the EJ trans. Need to change the rear diff, and the driveshaft as well if you go that route. GD

Both of those items are very rare. Check ebay is all I could recommend. I've seen like one or two set of those rims.... one of the more rare alloys I would say. I think they were only around for a few years of EA82's. GD

You can put almost any vehicle seat in that you want. Just pick up something you like and modify the brackets to install it. I (and others) have Isuzu impulse seats in a Brat. I have EA82 seats in my EA81 wagon. Generally speaking a welder is neccesary for any seat install. Make sure it's secure, you don't want the seat to rip loose in a collision so use some decent size steel, and strong welds. GD

Check for power at the positive side of the coil while cranking. The ignition switch supplies the power for the coil... both in start and run. Test the coil (both sides) and distributor resistance. It's quite possible that the distributor took a dump. Get back to us with the results. GD

The aftermarket ones just suck - they don't seal as well. You can RTV the crap out of them and make them work if you really want. I prefer the Subaru ones as they are metal with a rubber coating. Very nice. GD

Heh - phone number is some personal number to a guy named Matt - got his voice mail. Dangit. I'll try the trade references at a local glass place - maybe that will help. Thanks for the numbers! GD

It always feels good when you get that stuff solved. I recall my battle with lost coolant..... Manifold gaskets are only bought from the DEALER from now on. I've even blown the Fel-Pro's. GD

On another note, I once did a comparison between the OEM thermostat, and the "aftermarket" equivelent. Lets just say they don't stack up... neither do the gaskets. Start by getting a proper thermostat from the dealer so you know it's right.... don't have to scratch your head that way. Maybe someone who saw the pics I posted about them can chime in here. Gosh - thanks guys! GD

Not terribly difficult. Hardest part is finding good heads for the EA82T. All the bearings and rings you can get from fed-mog. Gasket kits for those are best got from the dealer. You will need a special tool to remove the piston wrist pins so you can split the block - there are two halves to the block. Other than that they are usually pretty simple. Most only need a hone, as the soobs don't wear the cylinder walls - just the rod and main bearings get trashed. GD

They are asking if you have a "Touring Wagon". They have a bump on the roof that adds a couple inches of headroom and storage. You probably don't, they are rare. Do a search here for "EA82 touring wagon" and I'm sure you'll find a picture. If your roof is flat then you don't have one. GD

More likely a bad sending unit than a bad guage. Test both tho. GD

Well - all the parts are availible from the dealer.... I just wondered if anyone had a line on an aftermarket supplier. You can't eliminate the chrome, it's what keeps the gasket tight. Besides, it wouldn't look right without it. You could maybe sand the strips and have them powder coated or something.... it's a thought. Here's what I know about the dealer parts: Quantity / Part Number / List Price / Subaruparts.com price (1) 765061000 Weather Strip F Wind $151.07 $115.11 $115.11 (1) 765062770 Moulding F Upr $22.18 $16.90 $16.90 (2) 765062970 Moulding Side $19.47 $14.83 $29.67 (1) 765062431 Moulding F Lwr $24.08 $18.35 $18.35 (1) 765062800 Moulding Joint F Upr $3.50 $2.67 $2.67 (1) 765062810 Moulding Joint F Upr $3.50 $2.67 $2.67 (1) 765062441 Moulding Joint F Lwr $3.50 $2.67 $2.67 (1) 765062451 Moulding Joint F Lwr $3.50 $2.67 $2.67 GD

180ps is about 175 HP GD

If you suspect the alternator just disconnect it. Engine will run fine without it for a while. Might be putting out high voltage, but I would think your issue is with cranking it for too long. A few seconds? More than 15 or 20? You should wait 1 minute for every 20 seconds of cranking. If both of those wires get hot then it's your starter... well cranking. The ignition switch runs full current through to the starter solenoid, so there is a LOT of draw going on. Those gear reduction starters can pull 600 amps easy. GD

Yes - probably one of your Air Injection System valves has died. They take in raw oxygen for the cat to do it's job. I just block them off, but they can be repaired if you are so inclined. Check the repair manual for a step by step on this. You have exhaust in the engine bay, and the heater fan is sucking it into the cab. Leaks in the exhaust pipe or the metal gaskets for the y-pipe at the heads can do this as well but you say all that is new.... GD

Cranking it a LOT could overheat the cable to the starter... is that what you are refering to... or the smaller line going to the fusible links? I've also seen positive cables get hot when they were damaged - sometimes it's hard to tell. Look close at the cable end for the battery. If there isn't a good connection they will get hot. Wouldn't think this would be the alternator if the engine isn't running. Unless the engine is getting up to 800 RPM or so the alt won't put out much. GD