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Introducing my new BRAT!!!!!


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So its your turn to come out west, if Turbone was east, right?! Come to WCSS! Really, its just 3500 miles! No biggie! ;)

 

I'm actually heading back east in a week or so to drive a porsche 944 back to Washington. It's no subaru, but I think it will still be fun! heh heh

 

I couldn't take the snow and the cold any more in Maine. And I wanted my car to live forever. I do miss the salty Mainers though!

 

There's one picture of under the hood. Want more?!

 

Update: Its not the bulbs. And no corrosion at all in the sockets! Those are some good seals! It was a fight to get to the bulbs!

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Lol, yup Portland Maine. Turbone should know, I actually met him the last time he was here!!

 

But believe me, I would love to come to WCSS, I always see the pics, and would love to see all the cars in person

Well, fly out to Portland and rent a Subie at the airport; or rent one from Richierich (www.fixmysuby.com). It's only a one hour drive from the PDX airport to Stevenson, WA where WCSS13 will be this year. I'll even lend you a tent and a sleeping bag if you want to camp out there.
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Update: Its not the bulbs. And no corrosion at all in the sockets! Those are some good seals! It was a fight to get to the bulbs!
If you don't have 12V there with the ignition on, check fuses 11 and 12. Otherwise, all the lights you are missing have a common ground somewhere.

 

I'll have to re-neg on the FSM; I checked my "library" and the FSM is missing. I must have mis-placed it or lent it to someone and forgot it's out there somewhere.

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Ahh, then she'll probably know of Watertown. That's where I'm from! Just a little ways east on the Pike! My grandfather built a house in NJ in Sussex (the town) in the early 50s that my family uses as a summer house now. I'm headed back there in August! I'll be sure to tell northern NJ you and your wife said "hello" :D

 

That sounds like Watertown, MA; although Watertown, NY is just over the border from Sussex, NJ. My wife knows both. We were in MA recently for a family re-union and visited her cousin in Watertown. Apparently, the NY Watertown was the teen-age watering hole since the drinking age back then was 18 in NY and 21 in NJ. I didn't ask her how she knew about the NY location.:lol:
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Oooooookay, So this thread is now officially turning into a HELP ME thread!!!

 

While I'm still very excited about my new Brat (Yay!) it is not without its issues!

 

No brake lights, running lights, reverse lights, dash lights... and today it won't start. It ran like a champ until today.

 

Yesterday I switched the bulbs out and that didn't do anything (thought maybe because the brakes and the running lights share a bulb it was just bad bulbs). Disconnected and reconnected the fusible links and that didn't help. (Although I did notice that when I started it back up again after that it hesitated for a minute before turning over, which it never did before. But it started up fine after that.) Maybe that has something to do with why it won't start today?

 

I guess that's why they say every rose has its thorn! (I couldn't pass up an opportunity to throw in a good Poison quote! :D )

 

HELP please! Thanks

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i thought that was bon jovi......

 

 

a quick thought. electrical is probably my weakest point of

skill in older cars. but having recently been poking around the exhaust

and the bumper/tow package, i

repeatedly noticed this:

 

the fuel pump and its wiring, and a lot of the brake/signal/license plate lighting is very exposed and hangs very low, and loose. mine all works, but it DOES

make me think theres a huge potential for snagging it.

even in pretty mild trail play.

your brat doesnt look like its been beat hard like say qman or worse yet, one eye. <no offense to them, its an offroad vehicle.>

but its still a very rare brat thats NEVER been trailed at all in thirty years.

 

so maybe the wires didnt come loose at the terminals, but often the wire itself, or more specifically the inside, the copper threads, can wear out from a good violent snag, and yet show ZERo evidence of damage on the outside.

 

my classic xbox controllers are a good example. the plastic cover looks fine, but the wire itself is more wore out than ozzy osbourne. lmao....

 

just a thought??

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I like to think that electrics are my strong suit. However, sometimes it's better to take a look and see what might be up than to try things over the phone or via the internet. If you like I could find time to spend a couple hours on the weekend to see if I can resolve enough things to get it back on the road. Drop me a PM if you think that might work.

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When I first ressurrected it after it sat for the last 5 years - the fuel pump was not wanting to kick on every day. It's an SPFI pump (obviously :rolleyes:) that's mounted in the stock pump location and has a local ground using one of the bolts that mounts the pump shelf or bracket to the body. Might be an issue with that grounding point for the pump.

 

The pump itself is a standard SPFI pump and as such it is a rotary-vane pump. They are not quiet. They are easily audible durring initial key-on as they run for about 2.5 seconds to prime the fuel system. They should also run repeatedly when the green test connectors are connected - those are located behind the driver's side strut tower. If you can't hear the pump running then that's your problem. Find out what it needs - either 12v from the fuel pump relay, or a missing ground connection.... one of the two will get the pump running and that should be all it needs to run again.

 

As for the tail-lights..... that I suspect could be a problem with the lighting switch. The reverse lights were never hooked up after the 5 speed swap so that's a known issue that was pre-existing. The tail-lights and brake lights I *think* were working but I know that Jacob at one point had stolen the headlight switch or something thinking it was bad on his Brat..... turned out not to be the case but perhaps something was not connected firmly enough durring that process..... Edrach should be able to track that one down.

 

Rick

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well no offense meant. i was more of a guns and roses fan in that era. then i eventually transitioned into alice in chains, sooo yea. lol....

 

totally off-subject. congrats on fixing the problem. good feeling.

people with new cars never have to deal with these probelms. but they never enjoy the satisfaction and pride of SOLVING it, either? its worth it.

and if you DO have any probelms with a 2000 or newer ride, and it DOES happen, even in my 2009, GOOD LUCK WRAPPING YOUR MIND AROUND THAT SPACE SHUTTLE ENGINE COMPARTMENT!!! lmao....

stephen hawkings crap.

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I went back today to finish up the work started yesterday. I had re-charged the battery overnight and installed it. Added some battery hold down hardware and everything is running well. She's a happy camper now. Nice sunny day to take the brat for a drive.

 

picture.php?albumid=243&pictureid=3165

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brat back bumpers are SO much fun to remove!! the bolts are so easy to get to.

it doesnt just make you want to use a sawzall and a torch on each one....

<cough cough>

 

royal pain in the butt.

but anyhow, whats wrong, you dont like that tube bumper? i thought it was cool.

 

cant really say when id have a barbecue at my house. not exactly the most predictable june ive ever seen.....

 

i have a MASSIVE brush pile waiting to be lit. kinda thought brat owners could appreciate the oh so classic pleasure of a cold beer and a bonfire, and random car talk. mid-july is my best guess. my backyard has some decent offroading spots. just big enough to play with 2nd gear for a minute.

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Thankfully I had some help from a friend getting the bumper off. We managed to get it off relatively easily, but I was definitely glad there were two of us working at it!

 

Its not going on my Brat. I love the tube bumper. Sorry Rick! ;)

 

And really, that brush isn't going to burn itself (I hope...) let us know when!!!

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