GeneralDisorder

Just wait - you'll be getting pics from him soon with my new rear bumper - swing out tire rack, reciever, etc.... GD

Ah! - good to know Ken. Seriously tho - the 2WD swaybar is a different shape around the exhaust - might just solve your problem, or at least help a bit..... GD

Looks like your hanging up on the swaybar there - try a 2WD EA81 swaybar - they have a smaller "hoop" for the exhaust. Might just solve your problem. I don't think they are any thinner..... You are correct that the tranny tunnel is smaller. I believe this is the same problem I ran into when attempting my 4WD swap in my wagon, and the same problem that Matt ran into when swapping the 5 spd into his EA81T wagon. The sheet metal is a different part number - specific to the year AND the trans. GD

Try running redline gear oil in it. It may help it a bit. Good stuff. As for rebuilding it - well it's not a small job. There's many special tools needed, and the amount of parts in there is just insane. Many hundreds of parts - all need to be inspected and guaged. Leave that to a pro unless you are certifiable like me. GD

Vacuum routing is very specific to model and year - if you want to get it right, I'm afraid you'll have to find an FSM for that. Mostly you can rip out everything - just make sure you don't have to have an under-hood inspection. Even the AIS can be removed or blocked off. I was just at the emmisions place - without the AIS, cruise HC's were 150 - with it, they were 80. 220 is allowed, and my engine has 130k on it - so I can remove them and still pass. GD

The "passing light", "cyclops eye", "center lamp" whatever you call it is a light that is under the emblem in the center of the grill. GL models had them.. I don't think it was specific to 4WD or anything - just GL's in general. I have a blue 1980 or 81 one in the garage if you want one for your car - you would have to find a grill for it tho. Your car may have a check engine light - or it may not. Depending on weather you have a feedback carburetor or a standard. If you have a feedback style, then you would have a little "ECS" in the gauge cluster somewhere that would illuminate to indicate a fualt. A good way to see if you have a feedback system or not is to look at the exhaust - if you have an 02 sensor where the y pipe joins at the cat, then you probably have a feedback system. However - a cursory inspection of an 80 or 81 guage cluster I happen to have sitting here didn't show me an obvious ECS light.... GD

Yes - but you don't need the "big" breaker bar, or the cheater pipe. You could even use a socket wrench to put the pressure on it, and I always carry a hammer. I carry everything but the kitchen sink when I go into the yard. Most yards I go to have wheel barrows, or they have "yard cars" that can transport my big stuff for me. GD

There is no need to swap the clutch at all - the 4WD clutch will work fine with the 2WD tranny. As I said before - no mods are required AT ALL - no clutch changes - no cable differences. You will be running with the larger 4WD clutch, but that's just fine - better actually. Also - if you were to swap the clutch, you would want to swap the flywheel with it - the 4WD and 2WD flywheel's have different mating surface sizes.... I have done this swap - 2WD into a 4WD..... it's still driving to this day. But you have already said you weren't going to do this..... mute point I should think. GD

Passing lights were on GL models - came on 80 - 82. They were called "passing lights" early on, but by 82, were renamed "center lamp's" go figure. His 81 DL shouldn't have one..... GD

Well - glad to hear your not gonna make it 2WD! The Hitachi is the better of the two carbs, and you also would have to swap the manifold.... and the carter weber is potentially computer controlled, so you might have to swap that too. The carter webers are more difficult to get parts for, and being a single barrel, they aren't a very good choice. You can get a rebuild kit for the Hitachi at Napa for around $35 - if your adventurous you might fo that route. The best thing to do with the hitachi, is send it to the scap heap, and get a Weber 32/36 DGEV carb. If you don't have to pass an under hood inspection, this is really the way to go. A brand new Weber 32/36 goes for about $325 for the complete kit, but if your mechnically minded, you can save two third of this by getting a used or rebuilt carb, and buying the adaptor and air filter seperate. This conversion has been covered many times - do a search on Weber DGEV, or 32/36 I'm sure you will come back with a number of good resources. GD

Could be the ign. module in the disty. Test it. GD

Yeah - I noticed that. Nowing nothing about VW busses, I looked at your sig, and clicked on a link that would take me to the 78 model year stuff - and there I saw the 46mm one. Figured that wouldn't work, and that you must be talking about older or newer - so I looked around, and got the 36mm one by clicking on a link to the older bus parts.... Thanks for the link - I probably could get one local for cheaper, but that would mean I would have to drive somewhere, etc. I'm lazy. GD

That was my thought - I'm tired of carrying such heavy tools. That little guy looks a lot lighter than my huge breaker bar. I'll just use my socket wrench to put pressure on it. Also, it will provide a better angle on the nut - my socket can slip off sometimes. Doesn't seem as likely with one of these. GD

Actually - sounds like both the bearings and the ball joints. The ball joint will cause you to be able to "steer" the car with the go pedal. Gas steers one way, brake steers the other. But a bad ball joint alone would not make a whining noise. That's front wheel bearings when you say "it stops whining when I steer one direction" Napa has front bearings for $12 or so - ask for the "other brand" their premium ones are like $22. You need 2 per side - inner and outer, so 4 total for the front. They are pressed in, and are supposed to be installed with a press. You can do it with a punch if your careful - it's not fun tho. GD

Yeah - I've seen the pics of that one Mick - pretty cool. Wish I could find one. Seems rather useless tho - as the hauling capacity of the Brat is pretty small. Towing capacity isn't great either. I suppose they did it just to say it was a 5 speed. GD

I think the idea is that you put the breaker bar in the slot, and apply pressure while hammering on the side of the axle tool. This way there is less bounce. Basically a ghetto impact wrench in a way..... Went over to busdepot.com as sugested and got one - $13.66 (with shipping). Hopefully it will save me from breaking breaker bars all the time. GD

Yes - the trans will bolt right up - everything is there for it. I don't sugest doing this tho, as the Brat really should stay 4WD or you will devalue it considerably. I am with shawn - do the 5 spd 4WD tranny conversion instead. GD

Isn't that the rolled Brat? I love that thing..... GD

Yeah - I was thinking this weekend as well. Let me have a talk with my friend, since the party will be at his place. He won't be there Saturday, but he may not need to be. Likely his wife will be home anyway. GD

Dude! don't take it to a shop! But if you do - there's a good Subaru shop in Portland operated by a board member - can anyone give him details about Ritchie's shop? GD

Oh! My bad - didn't see the Automatic part... Still - I wouldn't think it was tranny related - try changing the belt. GD

Actually - there was more than 2 gen's of pushrod engines before the EA81. Not sure how many - but there was the 1100, the 1400, and the 1600 at least. I agree with snowman tho - the EA82 was an experiment. But that doesn't make it an unfair comparison any more than 10 years of R&D leading to the EJ makes it unfair for comparison as well. The EA82, while certainly not as well designed as it could have been, is from the same vintage, and so in that respect is more fair a comparison than an EJ. Also - it wasn't the first OHC engine ever made, and I'm sure Subaru had a look at a few OHC engines before building the EA82 - I would also guess that they probably hired some engineers that had built OHC engines before, and knew how to design them. There's no reason for them to eat timing belts except bad design, and lack of intrest on Subaru's part of fixing it. I'm sure that if enough money was thrown at designing it, a kit could be built to upgrade an EA82 with the ablility to go 100k+ on a set of timing belts. 60k was obviously deemed "enough". and they moved on instead of fixing it's problems. They did fix some problems tho - the head's were redesigned twice - and they still crack. GD

If you can find a digi that works (doubtfull), then you still can't use it. All the sending units are different - right down to the fuel level sending unit inside the gas tank. They all have different resistance values, and the wiring is not the same either. Big job, and as was said by craig - the early digi's aren't reliable. In fact they are so unreliable, they are nearly impossible to find. I have one in my wagon - and I'm just waiting for it to blow one day..... GD

The pushbutton 4WD's use a vacuum line to engage the 4WD in the trans. There could be a leak in this system, causing rough idleing from the vacuum loss. This can change engine speed, and might cause the alt belt to squeel - just an idea of where to start. GD

First - the third line out the top of the filter is the "vapor seperator" it's not a return line - it's for returning vapor to the evap canistor or the tank - I can't recall which at the moment. The fuel return line connects beside the supply line at the carb.... Also - there are 2 fuel filters - one under the hood, and the other under the car. On your Brat it's slightly behind the drivers door, on a little shelf next to the fuel pump. Both probably should be replaced. Do you have spark? Is your air filter clean? Is the choke operating properly? Etc. GD