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./

kinked or collapsed fuel line can do this.

what year? if 1980 81 check to see if alt/vr are working right, on these if alt is not charging fuel pump power is cut as it goes thru the VR. It will fill the carb in the start position, and then run until runs out. Intermittent brushes in the alt can make the problem even harder to troubble shoot-I posted a thread about this way back when-drove me NUTS on way home late at night. Finnaly figured out, and ran jumper from battery to fuel pump to get home, and later wired up an overide switch to use in case ever happened again-it did when belt broke. let me know if need more details

module in the disty?

module in the disty?

I'm with you on that, Mick. I had a spare ignitor in the glove box of every EA81 we owned in the past. I still have them in the Brats. Classic symptom if it's not the fuel filter on the fuel pump.

Pumps are so easy and not that expensive to replace. Might as well do it. I have had several pumps cause intermittent issues, coils as well

I'm with you on that, Mick. I had a spare ignitor in the glove box of every EA81 we owned in the past. I still have them in the Brats. Classic symptom if it's not the fuel filter on the fuel pump.

 

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).

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.

Does it lose power, then stop? I think carb icing is a possibility here. It is that time of year. Although Arizona isn't the usual location for such problems. Has it been unusually cool and wet down there?

 

Is it getting hot air off the manifold? All the hot air hoses in place, and any thermostatic devices working properly? Looking is lots cheaper than throwing parts at it.

Edited December 4, 200916 yr by robm

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./

 

Does it happen when you turn something on, such as your turn signal

or does it just stop running while you're driving and not doing anything?

 

Twitch

i'm thinking coil. as its running the coil overheats and fails and when it sits it has time to cool down and work again.

 

 

just my opinion.

I second the coil comment. This happens on lots of older cars and coils are fairly inexpensive

 

When the car does die. Remove the coil wire from the distributer and place it close to something metal. Have someone crank the engine over and check for spark. Be careful not to be too close to the exposed end you might receive the spark. Keep the end away from the gas vapors of the carb also.

 

At least this will tell you if it is electrical.

 

The other thought is look down the throat of the carb after it dies. Make sure the choke is open, grab the throttle linkage and push it open a couple of times. You should be able to see gas shooting down the carb.

 

 

This is old school diagnostics. If you have spark and gas the car should run.

 

Paul

^^^^^

 

do that too, lol

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).

I can only vouch for the Hitachi ignitor. It is available from Subaru, Schucks, NAPA, and most other aftermarket houses. Cheapest is to find one at Pull a Part. I used to collect them when I had mostly EA81 cars in my lot. I kept one tested spare in each of my cars then. Be sitting when you hear the price; it can run from $90 to $200 (I bought the $90 version with the shortest warrantee, but it never failed). Pull a Part ignitors are less than $5.

I second the coil comment. This happens on lots of older cars and coils are fairly inexpensive

 

When the car does die. Remove the coil wire from the distributer and place it close to something metal. Have someone crank the engine over and check for spark.

 

At least this will tell you if it is electrical.

 

Paul

I second that all this will tell you is that it's electrical; no spark could be either bad ignitor or bad coil.

I can only vouch for the Hitachi ignitor. It is available from Subaru, Schucks, NAPA, and most other aftermarket houses. Cheapest is to find one at Pull a Part. I used to collect them when I had mostly EA81 cars in my lot. I kept one tested spare in each of my cars then. Be sitting when you hear the price; it can run from $90 to $200 (I bought the $90 version with the shortest warrantee, but it never failed). Pull a Part ignitors are less than $5.

 

Is that an offer for you to aquire igniters for proud members here? I will gladly buy a handful of them, 5$ your cost, plus fees, plus shipping, plus your admittance fee to the PnPull, to get the part. here in my neck the woods, we got no EA's in the yards. I would also pay 300 for a Gen II OEM Subaru BRAT roll bar

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

it's inside the disty.

take the rotor off, and it should be screwed into the bottom of the compartment.

another posibility is the exhaust...if it dies when you accelerate, but will hold an idle just fine, it could be the catalytic converter, or plugged muffler. ran into this on my loyale. took the pipes off in the driveway and drove it around the block exhausting straight off the manifold...the cops came by about 15 min later i guess it was kinda loud.

it's inside the disty.

take the rotor off, and it should be screwed into the bottom of the compartment.

 

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?

Is that an offer for you to aquire igniters for proud members here? I will gladly buy a handful of them, 5$ your cost, plus fees, plus shipping, plus your admittance fee to the PnPull, to get the part. here in my neck the woods, we got no EA's in the yards. I would also pay 300 for a Gen II OEM Subaru BRAT roll bar

Let me think about that. PAP is hard to get into now during the week (early closing at 5PM) and I value my weekends (especially this month). Also, my success at testing them has disappeared since my "contact" at the autoparts store left.

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

It ended up being the fuel pump.

 

Runnin down the road fine now.

 

thanks all, dp

 

'78/'87 brats

It ended up being the fuel pump.

 

Runnin down the road fine now.

 

thanks all, dp

 

'78/'87 brats

 

Glad to hear you got it going.

Too bad we didn't nail it down for you :-\

 

And thanks for posting up what was the solution, maybe this will help somebody

in the future

 

Twitch

My brat has been acting up lately, and i suspect the fuel pump as well. What did you end up replacing your fuel pump with? Everything I am finding looks like it'll run from $70 to $90.