edrach

I know on some of the later models, the cruise control works off the tone ring of the ABS circuit; if you lose ABS, you lose cruise also.

Jason in Parts at what was formerly Auburn Subaru (1stsubaruparts.com) at 1-866-528-5282 (toll free) works for me. Website is too cumbersome to use, but Jason will give you the internet discount if you call him.

From another website posted by Primitive Racing: Primitive is putting on a "SNOW SCHOOL" January 21-23rd in Enterprise, OR. The 40 acre field is being plowed this weekend to prepare it for the exercises (Sat) and RallyCross competition (Sun). That will allow the racelines to freeze up nicely and hopefully just have fluffy snow "off-line" come January... Early entry fee is $205 (bringing your own vehicle) visit the website under RALLY SCHOOL button or call to register 503-624-2139 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 503-624-2139 end_of_the_skype_highlighting www.get-primitive.com and as always email with any questions: pauleklund "at" msn.com I have pictures from my last winter rally school (in Spokane, WA) that I can send. Studded and studdless tires will be allowed. There will be a RallyCross competition on Sunday open to all for those unable to attend the school (RallyCross is INCLUDED in your school registration fee...) It will be both COLD and FUN! Hope to see you ALL there! Perfect practice for those of you heading to Sno*Drift a few days later... Pe

See what the CEL is for. If it's for the ABS system, that might explain the cruise issue. Some of the more recent models use the ABS pulses to make the cruise control work. I'm not sure if yours is one of those, but it never hurts to pull the CEL code.

Not quite. Yes it grounds through the body of the radiator, but you MUST have a ground strap from the radiator body to the frame of the car. Without that, the single pin switch won't do you any good since the radiator body isn't always properly grounded.

I probably have the some fusible links in my "stash". Drop me a PM with an address and I'll mail you a set. GD is correct on his assessment of the discoloration. Best bet is to replace the entire fusible link box with the wiring. Should be easy enough to find an assembly at the junkyard since that's not an item that fails very often. Find one without any discoloration in the wires leading to the assembly and disconnect everything from the other end.

I can get the info on the Reg'l Manager for central WA in Wenatchee. I'm sure she can get you Judy's information.

High idle can be a choke issue; or simply that the throttle cable is too tight and carb can't shut down entirely. There should be just a little slack in the cable. Bogging can be a timing issue, but I would change the fuel filter (the one on the fuel pump platform under the car) first. Since it's relatively hidden it never gets changed and can severely restrict gas flow. There's also a vapor separator (in the engine compartment) that looks like a fuel filter and that should be changed also. As to the timing issue, the vacuum advance on the distributor is probably shot. Easy fix IF you can find an advance mechanism. If not, Philbin Industries in Portland will rebuild it for you.

Congrats, I think you'll love it. A word of warning, get the muffler extension fixed so the exhaust vents past the rear bumper. Often the extension breaks and the exhaust gases get trapped under the body in that rear corner. The gases mix with the moisture in the air and form acid which just eats away at that corner rapidly. It's an easy fix: a new muffler if it's warranted or just having a new extension welded on the old muffler if it's still good.

Depending on the severity of the overheating, the head gaskets are the last thing I would look at. Could be a simple as low coolant, an air bubble in the coolent, a stuck thermostat, bad water pump or bad radiator. Depending on the price, this wagon certainly looks like it could be a keeper after the overheating is squared away.

Rust: As mentioned before: rocker panels, rear portion of the front fender wells, front and rear shock mounts, underside near the muffler exhaust, driveshaft tunnel near the carrier bearing mounts and under the front spare tire (not structurally important, but an indicator of how rust prone the car might be). I have a pretty rust free '84 with 117K on it and everything is working properly. If the previous owner did his oil changes at a reasonable interval (every 3K miles) and normal maintenance you should be okay. Weakest parts would be the carb (easily replaced with a weber) and distributer (check the shaft for any noticeable play). Also, a car with that many years on the original radiator is likely looking for a new one. Run the car down the interstate and watch the temp gauge as you speed up. The temp shouldn't change from mid-scale as you speed up (try to get it up to 70MPH if you can legally do so) or go up long hills. If the Brat starts to run hotter under load or high speed, the radiator is the most likely culprit. Not an expensive fix; about $100 for the radiator and you can install it yourself; a little messy but easily done. Significant overheating could be head gaskets but that's not normally an issue with the EA81 engine. If the Brat is truly rust free and runs fine, that price is pretty decent for your area. If it were a California or NW Brat that was truly rust-free it would be on the market for well over your asking price. I got my insurance company to agree to a $6000 valuation on mine based on the condition and low mileage a few years ago. Try to get a copy of the book How to Keep your Subaru Alive. A fun read and good pointers for what you might look for. Amazon usually has used copies for under $20 with shipping.

I don't see why the IAC would do that without throwing a check engine light. I sometimes have trouble with a fast idle on my Impreza and I throw in a can of seafoam with a full tank of gas and the fast idle goes away after a couple of days and doesn't come back for 3 months or more. I would consider cleaning the MAF with a true MAF cleaner (I bought mine at NAPA) since that seemed to work this time. It's also possible the connector to the MAF was loose or had a bad contact, but that should have thrown a code and didn't. I have some LPS (brand) greaseless lubricant that displaces moisture. I've used it in the past to spray on the wiring and distributor cap of my Brat since they were subject to issues when wet. It might prove useful to your Impreza also. Lastly, if the ignition wires or ignitor on your Impreza are more than 100K miles old, it might be time to replace them (wires first, ignitor next time you can score a lower mileage one at the junkyard).

If you have the same problems with two identical radios, I would start looking for a bad connector, bad ground, or some wiring issue. If all else fails, a really quality after-market radio might be the way to go. I like my Kenwood (except the software sucks...but that's because I'm computer challenged, my two kids don't have any problems with the identical radio). Really odd, all three of us bought the same model of Kenwood without any cross consultation. We all did our own research and selected the same radio within a few months of each other.

Rocker panels from a 2 door Hatch will fit the Brat and are more available at wrecking yards. Dim interior lighting could be a bad socket, bad bulb or a bad ground somewhere.

I'm with John in KY, a car that doesn't overheat when driving it a lower speeds and on a level stretch and then heats up (i.e. the faster you go the hotter it runs) has always been a radiator when I've had that symptom. However, follow GD's advice to confirm the radiator might be the problem. A new radiator runs about $100; no need to get an over-sized one. Don't waste your money on a radiator flush; put it toward the radiator. I see you already replaced the thermostat; I hope it was OEM. After market 'stats seem to be a problem for some reason.

My middle son has lived in Santa Cruz, Bolivia for the last six years. He's married to a sweet local girl and they just had their first child (I'm finally a grandpa!) and he runs a number of Pizza places in town. Now he's also become a sponsor to a local rallyist. Unfortunately not a Subaru (they are quite rare in Bolivia since Subaru doesn't import them). Cool picture.

Look around the junkyards in your area. Here in the Seattle area, if you pull your own, they run $75. Plus you have the practice of finding out how hard it is to pull. I generally look for a transmission that matches mine ('97 cable clutch--Legacy and Impreza models over a range of a few years are good) and has less mileage on it than my car (198K). Only thing to be careful of is to be sure it's the same ratio (3.900 or 4.111*) as your present one. One can usually tell if the car was junked for the transmission or not (massive body damage is usually a good sign that the transmission was working when it was hit. Also, draining the transmission oil is a good indicator of condition (little fuzzies on the magnetic plug are okay; small chunks of metal are not good; transmission oil is usually still clear even with high mileage). Non upullit yards generally offer a 6 month warranty on their transmissions; local (to me) yards have a 30 warranty (money back guarantee regardless of the reason). From the basic condition of your car and the newer engine, I think an inexpensive used transmission would be the right thing to do. By the way, where is Keizer? *Check the transmission charts in the USMB Repair Manual forum to see what years/models of transmission are correct for your car.

Also, Harbor Freight has the same "no questions asked" return policy on broken hand tools (wrenches, sockets, etc.) as Craftsman.

Best of luck with whatever you do. You might ask the dealership to give you the old transmission and you can learn what's involved with replacing the transfer clutch and duty solenoid. I've learned most of my skills by pulling the parts I needed at the local pull a part junkyard. Gave me practice on removal and taught me what not to do during the re-installation the part.

Don't sell yourself short. Trust me, you belong in Pro.

If you're set on keeping the car, I'd suggest Firestone for a wheel alignment. They have a "lifetime" alignment for about $150 for the first one (usually around $100 for a non-lifetime alignment); after that every alignment is for free. I typically run 5 to 10K between alignments and get about 150K out of my cars (I buy mine around 100K), so the lifetime alignment is a good deal for me. You might shop around and see if any other tire place offers that. Also, find out if Firestone's lifetime alignment is currently "on sale." They often reduce the price to draw in more customers. Lastly, Firestone will inspect your car (often for free) and be a second opinion to confirm/deny what the dealer is telling you. This doesn't mean you should have the repairs done by Firestone (or the dealer). For the amount you're liable to spend you should shop around and see if you can find a qualified Subaru independent shop.

Who cares about classes; it's their home court! Besides, it's all about fun. I'm going to try and make the January weekend if it's on.

Fun things to do with a can opener when you're feeling bored!

I've only had one time in the 10 years on this board that someone didn't pay me. To be fair, he had medical issues after I shipped the wheels and for all I know he might have passed away before sending off the check. Those who have dealt with me know that I like to communicate (almost daily if not more) with the seller/buyer I'm dealing with. I feel that the more we talk and "update" the status of the deal, the more comfortable I am that everything will work out. To me, silence or no response is a potential deal breaker.

Center diff cost is around $600 just for the parts. Add to that the cost of replacement. Been there, done that.