edrach

Picked this up on the ORG yahoo board. This looks too cool. Wonder if anyone has a $500 Brat or Impreza out there? Greetings Geargrinders and ORGetarians,I bring news of a ground-floor opportunity - a true 1st Opp, if you will.A guy named Can Sheahan is organizing - and I use that term loosely - anew annual event. It is named the Oregon 500/500 and it goes like this:you buy a four-wheeled vehicle for $500 or less, and you rally it for 500kilometers (well, really you rally it for 250 and drive home for 250, but let's not quibble). The date is May 31. Beyond that, details are sketchy.Here, below, is his recent Press Release. Please contact him for details as Iknoweth not more than is explicated herein. I can tell you that Cam is a good guy who owns some GREAT cars and he's active in car shows and selected ralliessuch as the Northwest Classic. His words follow: ---------- For those who have forgotten or never knew, we will proceed down the valley on a specific route with no possibility of getting lost to Corvallis and stay there overnight. The trip down will cover 250 kilometers (155 miles) and the trip back the next day will also cover 250 Kilometers. Hence the first 500 of the title. The second 500 represents the cost of the auto to be procured to make thistrip. It is assumed that this $500 will be the total investment including thecar and any replacement parts.The Date is May 31, 2008 and the motel will be the Salbasgeon althoughyou may stay in your car if you like.We will arrange for a dinner which will be paid for by each person on theoccasion of eating it and the motel will also be your responsibility.Where do you get such a car? Today alone over forty cars with askingprices of less than $501 and that were said to run came onto craigs list and there were a total of 238 such postings. Each posting is on for only one week so over several months there will be many to choose from. Of the forty some that came on today there were two that I would haveused for the event if I had not already procured a $400 one. The bottom line on that is that the acquisition will take some time so start early. We know of five cars that have been acquired for this event so far.When you make the decision to participate, let us know immediately sowe can plan for the dinner, motel, etc. The official entry form willfollow at a later date, but we need a pretty accurate head count beforethat. Also, be sure to budget for the $10 entry fee.---------- So if you have a beater with receipts, or you wish to acquire one, this would be a great opportunityto show off your bargain-car acquisition skills. Perhaps a team effort from CSCC and/or ORG, or any of the existing teams and associations (we would fully expect at least one entry from Team AFRICA, although a name modification to Team AFRI-Can-A might be in order; please don't ask).By the way, I think you can safely leave the Timewises at home on this one. Heck, you can probably leave your speedo, odo and watch at home too.Please don't contact me for details. Cam's email is camsheahan@juno.com. Happy bargain shopping.Reid TrummelEcurie 500

An EJ18 would be cheaper yet and more compatible with slightly less HP. Too many EJ18's on the market since everyone is swapping up to the 2.2 or 2.5. A more reliable engine and less gas consumption.

What do you want to know. I just walk the yard and try to remember how many are there. I couldn't give you years or models or even colors until something struck my fancy.

I think you're correct; that cone filter looks large enough to me.

Hey Skip, when I first saw that pic I thought "I wonder if that's Skip's garage." I'm not surprised. Looks great; I wish I could be that neat and organized.

Typically the stock output for an '86 GL is 60 amps max; the 55 amp earlier version fits also; the 90 amp version for the XT6 works also once you change the alternator pulley. Frankly the 60 amp version should be fine since one normally doesn't run all of those electrical items at the same time. Add up the total current consumption of everything you have in the car; even if it's 80 amps I doubt you'll pull anywhere close to that on a continuous basis. For the short term use at high current, that's what the battery is for.

Walked Lynnwood again today. Three more early legacies and two more EA81 cars. Sorry none of the stuff starkiller is looking for.

And an 8mm to disconnect the postive cable from the alternator.

I can suggest a place in Ballard. The guy is "old school" even though he's much younger than I am. He's the only person I trust to rebuild an alternator. He does great work; now is a good time to get some work done. He specializes in marine electric repairs. As soon as the sailing season is close he's too busy to squeeze auto stuff into his schedule. The wonders of the internet. I know how to get there, but didn't have the address. Google is my friend. Greg's Marine & Auto Electric (206) 706-9048 1149 NW 52nd St Seattle, WA 98107

Well, if it isn't an EA81, I stand corrected. However, it said XT turbo on the rear trunk. Looked to me to be the 4 cylinder wedge. It was also a 2WD automatic gearbox.

If you're looking for an EA81 turbo, check out the Smokey Point Pull a Part. I was there yesterday and they had an XT turbo in the yard (blue 2WD automatic).

Sorry you're having trouble getting a refund. I won't get into that issue here but I have a couple of comments. You say that the AZ alternator started making excessive noise after 8 months of use. This sounds like bad bearings and it's not likely that anything electrical would cause the bearings to wear out. Secondly , I suspect you need a core replacement for the OEM alternator you bought. Check out Pull a Part; you can get any alternator (maybe even a working one) from them for around $10. This will settle the core issue for you with minimal expense. (By the way I could send you a core alternator for the cost of shipping or you can pick it up here in Bothell for free). Lastly, take the failed AZ alternator back to AZ and exchange it for another as per the warranty. Then try to get AZ to take it back for a refund or sell it to someone else (ebay or the USMB) with the lifetime warranty to recover as much of your original investment as possible. Life is too short to lose sleep over something like this. Put it behind you as best as possible, learn from the experience and move on. Good luck.

Skip is correct about disconnecting the battery first. If you are actually as electrically inept as you say, disconnect the negative terminal first; no need to disconnect the positive terminal at that point.

I don't understand what that test is about; here in WA they test the gas cap to insure it doesn't leak.

Two of my three sons delivered pizza for quite a while. '83 and '84 wagons worked great doing it. Why would you think they couldn't handle it?

If you mean the highway number, no, but I can look it up on the map. 172nd is the street that exit 206 dumps you onto; just head east on it through Smokey Point. Look left after the airport and you'll see the huge blue sign in the distance.

All the previous notes you have point to the alternator. And they are correct. The symptoms are pretty classic. I've have it happen three or four times already and there are countless posts in the USMB describing the same symptoms and cause. How to fix it; replacing the alternator is a pretty easy job if you want to do it yourself. I would not recommend an aftermarket rebuild, the USMB is filled with complaints there also. I would suggest someone local to give you advice. If money is no object, I would suggest Jason in parts at Mike Scarf Subaru (toll free 866-528-5282). If I remember correctly the OEM rebuilds are under $100; maybe a little more than the local autoparts store, but I think you'll find it'll be a trouble-free replacement. If you're adventurous and cheap like me, I'd head down to Pull a Part in Smokey Point and pull one from a wreck. When you have the belt off, spin the pulley by hand; take one that spins freely without noise or growling. Make sure there's no play or wobble in the pulley. Take it to a local shop and have it tested. If it tests okay, install it; if it tests bad go back to Pull a Part with your receipt and get another. This is likely the cheapest way to replace it. Lastly, have your battery checked before you install the new (or used) alternator. Faulty batteries have been known to cause the alternator to fail prematurely. Check the USRM, there may be good informantion there also. Good luck with it.

I got to see the new PAP yard at Smokey Point today. About 1/2 hour north if traffic is moving going through Everett. Nicely laid out place. All the cars are off the ground on macadam; no more crawling around in the mud. Large too, it took me 1/2 hour to walk the entire foreign car side. Found a bunch of Subarus: 8 or 9 Legacies, a half dozen Loyale/GL cars, and 4 EA81 cars; even an XT4 turbo (2WD--ask me how I know). No Imprezas or Forester at all. Aside from the traffic this will be worthwhile to hit now and then. Note to starkiller: Sorry no rear air deflectors or the right headrests for you. Take I-5 to exit 206 and head east on 172nd (forgot the state highway number). About two miles, it's the first left you find after the airport.

Call Jason in Parts at 866-528-5282 (toll free at Mike Scarff Subaru). He might ask you to send the pic to him to help him identify them, but if they can be had from Subaru he'll find them. Don't hold your breath since they were already out of stock for foglights for my '97 Impreza which is quite a bit newer. Good luck finding them.

Great job with filter housing, Skip. I haven't had any issue with my weberized Brat related to air intake, but would love to eliminate the K&N filter. On a related issue to pyro926: There are two K&N filter housings, the stock and the low profile. I have the low profile version on my Brat since the stock version interferes with the hood. I would expect to see reduced airflow with the low profile version.

Third time's the charm, ehh?

Skip is absolutely correct on that wire. Easy to miss and more easily removed when a radiator is replaced. Easy to tell: If there's one pin on the thermoswitch, you need the ground wire. If there are two pins on the thermoswitch, you don't (ground return is in the harness somewhere). Here's the ground wire Skip is talking about. This is on my '84 Brat. In the background you see one of the battery cables (battery has been removed since the car is in storage in my garage). I've replaced the wire with a slightly heavier one and you can't see this, but scrape off the paint to insure a proper ground.

Five thermostats in a row.....any chance they were installed backwards? Just a thought. Anyway, ALWAYS use OEM thermostats. As to the overheating at idle. If the fan is turning and the thermoswitch is turning it on (not sure why it would turn on at 160 degrees), check to make sure the fan blows air in the correct direction...i.e. sucks air through the radiator as if you were moving forward; not pushing hot air from the engine into the radiator. It wouldn't be the first time someone reversed the wires on the fan and it's turning in the wrong direction.

This might be old news, but it was new to me. http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=subaruimpreza25&date=20080125&query=Road-rally+rocket+refined

Tentative NW schedule of events amended.