edrach

Don't tell me you can't beat an old man who only drives his Brat on weekends!

Keep me informed if you don't mind. Eugene is a long ride but if the regular season doesn't soon enough I might ease the withdrawl symptoms with a longer trip.

If you have it apart enough to read the manufacturer and part number on the side of the bearing, you could do a google search for the manufacturer and get a local distributor from them. Also, once you have the number, the yellow pages are full of bearing distributors and they should be able to help you.

Aside from finding the electrical problem, I hope you changed the fuel filter while you were replacing the pump.

So how come no one posted it here. I'm not sure I would have made it down, but I would have thought about it.

I currently have the WRs on my Legacy and Brat. I used to carry two sets of tires on separate wheels and swap off in November and May.....a full blown summer radial and the Hakki Qs for the winter. I just got tired of having the same 8 tires for 4 years or so; so I just switched to the WRs and I will be replacing them next summer at just a little over 50K.

I would certainly suggest a 2nd pair of Nokian winter tires on a separate set of rims. One note is that the Nokian tires seem to work well throughout the life of the tread whereas other brands seem to work well when new but their effectiveness drops off after 30% or so of the tread is gone. As a 2nd alternative I've had good success with Toyo Observe. Another note, all my experience recently has been with the studless snow tires.

Check the correct link here:http://www.philbingroup.com/rebuilt/distributors.htm

A company in Portland will rebuilt your distributor for you. www.philbin.com Ooops, looks like the link is no good; I'll edit this again when I'm home. Also, I have a used distributor and coil from an '87 Turbo wagon which is mechanically in good shape (the wagon was a wreck so I'd assume the distributor was okay). Anyway, it's for sale for $20 plus shipping. The real link is: http://www.philbingroup.com/rebuilt/distributors.htm

Maybe we should start a Gourmet Forum!

Weber works fine on 2 to 3 PSI. My 20 year old Brat pump delivers that and the weber loves it.

My solution was to file a small flat in the side and use a small pair of visegrip pliers. But I like McBrat's solution better. I also agree with the comment about the wrong locksmith. When I had trouble with my lock, I took it to the local locksmith and he removed the tumbler assembly from the key side of the ignition lock.

It sounds like this one was subject to poor routine maintainence. The car has a potential life of 300k miles or more with proper care. $600 is cheap for such a vehicle. If I were looking for a daily driver I'd jump on this one. Book value on this is about $2500 and the difference in price to value would go a long way for any initial repairs you might need to do in the first 6 months of owning it. Also, timing belt replacement is one of the major repair costs you wouldn't need to worry about for another 55K miles. Valve clatter might very well go away with the next few routine oil changes.

That's good information wasn't quite clear in your first post and changes by initial suggestion. Anyway, have your sister remove the kickpanel underneath the steering column and dash (about 6 screws). Look at the wire cable coming off the end of the ignition lock (opposite the key end) and follow it about 6 inches from the ignition switch to a pink plastic connector. Check the connector for a poor connection; this is usually visible in that the poor connection produces heat which turns a portion of the connector brown. That brown area will indicate the faulty wire (which actually feeds all power to the car). A competent technician can bypass the poor connection or replace the ignition switch harness with new or used (but good) harness from a junkyard; replacement time less than 30 minutes. Again this is a common problem on an early '80s car. I've found it in all of the older wagons (and brat) that we've had in our family. If it's not the cable, it can certainly be the ignition switch or a poor connection in the fusible link that feeds the ignition switch. In that case, you need to find a competent technician that you feel you can trust (they are out there). Tips for finding a competent technician. Visit them often for the easy, routine maintanence that your car requires and talk with them about the car (avoid jiffy lube like places; they might be inexpensive for the easy stuff but can't help you with the hard stuff). In talking with them and seeing what you're charged you can decide whether you found a "keeper" or not. Good luck.

I went looking for the article also; it's not in the USRM....and I haven't been able to find it using the Search function. If someone runs across it, maybe it could be posted in the USRM for future use. This topic keeps coming up. Sorry, I should have kept a copy for myself so I could just copy and paste.

As old as her car is, I'd be willing to bet no one ever changed the fuel filter; a clogged filter will exhibit the exact symptoms you describe. The primary fuel filter is underneath the car right next to the fuel pump. There's a fuel filter looking item in the engine compartment which is a fuel separator....change that one also. Any competent mechanic should be able to do that job in 20 to 25 minutes tops. She might still have the symptoms you describe, but she should have this done first before we get into it any deeper.

Sometimes this is an indication that the alternator is failing.

It is www.1stsubaruparts.com ; and I had the pricing backwards. Legacy filters (1991) were $4.88 each and Brat filters were $4.46 each. You wouldn't be paying salestax but you'd have to ask them about shipping. I know they pick up ground shipping on orders over a certain amount ($50 I think) but don't know if that applies to Alaska.

Depends on whether they are for my Brat or Legacy. Oddly enough the Legacy filters are less. I'd have to look at my past bills but Brat filters came to just a little over $5 each in quantities of six; and Legacy filters came to just under $5 each in quantities of six. If I looked around, I could probably get them cheaper, but time is worth more than the money I would save. If you're interested in some, I could get more definite numbers for you, but your best bet would be Auburn Subaru here in Washington state. They sell online at ??? (odd, it's not in my Favorites list...I think it's www.1stsubaruparts.com or something like that). Their online ordering is awkward to navigate around but they have an 800 number and will extend online pricing (30% off list or more) if you call them. I'm not sure how they would ship, but you might get interested AK buyers together for a group buy and shipping might be more advantageous.

Shawn, I have a set of wheels that would really dress up you daily driver. A bit pricey, but decide for yourself: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=2180&sort=1&cat=598&page=1 ---Ed---

I'm for aftermarket on many items for my cars, but some things I just go OEM. The oil filter is one of them. I buy my filters by the case (6) to get the best price from a local dealer and then I stop worrying if they are "right."

When you test the battery voltage at the battery terminals and find the battery voltage is 12V then ground terminals have nothing to do with it other than perhaps the alternator is not getting the charge to the battery. I don't know how a shop can tell you the battery is fine when the voltage is as low as it is; it is either not completely charged or defective.

You may also have lost a cell in the battery. Battery voltage should be around 12.6V or better; and certainly around 13.8V with the engine running a little above idle. If the battery voltage doesn't increase with the engine running, the alternator output may not be high enough to fully charge the battery.

The gaskets and orings certainly are. The low volume of LSDs out there probably prevented aftermarket manufacture of a kit. I think you'll find that the dealer will also not have a "kit" assembled.

No kit that I'm aware of, but the gaskets and orings are available. I would thing the bearings are available also.