Ever Victorious

D'oh! Would love to, but that's right in the middle of Cruisin to Colby! Gotta get the Hornet out and get peoples' eyes on it so it will sell...

A description of the specific problem might help. I've been told by several people here that the connectors on the unit get corroded and that cleaning them up might fix the problem. Other than that, the sending unit should be the same on any EA-81 car. There are a couple currently at the Lynnwood pull-a-part.

I'll venture to guess that the reason it was flooded was because last year, that particular area saw massive flooding due to the combination of severe weather and a levee break.

Wow... I should be seeing a number of these on a regular basis, yet i don't...

This is probably well known to some, but I did not know it, nor did Sooboutaw. He brought over a column from an '83 GL, and the wiring connectors didn't look like they'd match up. After further investigation (and sourcing an '82 column... from Skankin's ex-BRAT), the difference between the two columns is the wiring harness for the turn signal switch. Looks like '80-'82 used a single 10-pin connector, and '83-'84 used a 7-pin and 4-pin connector pair. So if you ever need to swap out a column in an EA81, you can do it using the "wrong" style column as long as you swap your turn signal switch over.

OK... got a few things done on the BRAT tody (thanks, SOOBOUTLAW!). One of the original problems with this thing when I got it, which caused a "fun" ride back from California in the rain, was the following wiper system malfuction: When I turn the wiper switch to "INT", the blades move from rest to 2/3 of the way through the upward stroke, then stop. 5 second later, it moves the remaining 1/3 and then back to the 2/3 mark. Another 5 seconds later it returns to stop. In other words, it takes what SHOULD be 3 cycles to complete 1 cycle. Also, when the switch is moved to "LO" or "HI", the wipers move as normal, but the blades do NOT return to rest when you turn them back "OFF"... they just stop wherever the blades happen to be. SO I had to time turning off the blades to when the were near rest. I replaced the wiper switch today (partially because the headlight switch was TOAST, and I thought it was probably a switch causing this) but found that unfortunately had no effect. So the next most likely cause would be...? I'm guessing a wiper relay, but didn't have one handy.

Man I love EA81 coupes, my grandpa used to have a GLF back in the day. More pics! J-yard would probably be the best place for a fender. They're more common in some places than others, for instance it's not TOO had to find one out in my neck of the woods. Places where cars rust out faster it will be harder to find.

It may have already done so. When I go and attack the surface rust that I know of on the car, I will find out if the bottom edge of the door is hosed. If so, I'm going to be hunting for new doors... I presume that hatchback doors are the same? Or are they wagon doors? The seal itself looks to be in good shape, there's just a gap between the door and the seal because it appears, somehow, that the outer skin of the door and the inner guts of the door are separating a little bit. Of course, it's raining buckets today, and until I sell the Hornet the BRAT has to reside outside...

Good job! I love those coupes, good to see another EJ powered one.

So at first I thought I was hearing things, that it was a bit odd that whenever I accelerated or went around a corner, I could hear water sloshing around inside the driver's door. Unfortunately, I'm not imagining things. It seems that, towards the back of the door, the window does not make contact with the outer window seal thingy. And when it rains, it slowly fills up with water. I can push the outside of the door and the upper part of the inside door panel and the gap goes away, but as soon as I relieve pressure it goes back. I presume this is also why the windows rattle when the door is closed when they're partially down. Any fix for this short of replacing the whole door?

A quick check of Schucks/Checker/O'Reilly shows 3 different brands of new radiators available for my '82 BRAT. However... http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=PLI%2D433698&N=700+4294925045+4294907499+4294899824+4294924500+115&autoview=sku is the same radiator, and indicates an integrated trans cooler. Just a thought... it doesn't actually have to be hooked up, does it?

glad to know I'm not the only one making an idiotically long road trip for a BRAT.

Okey dokey, stupid question has been answered.

5-speed pushbutton S/R (EA82) trans would probably be about the same amount of work to refit as the 5-speed D/R EA82 on an EA81, right?

EA81 3AT's are super-gutless, at least I remember my wife's 84 was. If you're set on using a newer motor for more power, go EJ from a Legacy. That's a very good looking wagon. My second car ever was an '82 GL FWD that exact same color.

Looks like it's all irrelevant anyway. Thanks to a painfully slow medical billing process, I just found out that the ambulance ride I took earlier this year ISN'T covered, because I never met my deductible. Soooo... the $$ for the car isn't there. Yay. Moral of this story: If you need to go to the ER and you're not bleeding profusely, take a cab. It's cheaper.

Disregard, I'm an idiot. The battery that I purchased apparently had been sitting so long that it, itself was dead. Charged it up, let it sit for 4 days off the charer, had absolutely no problem firing up. :-\

And that also doesn't account for FWD EJ 5-speeds being somewhat of a rarity in the junkyards around here. By far, most of the 5-speeds are AWD. As long as the gearbox itself doesn't bust into bits, I can handle the cobbling together of a clutch.

Putting an EJ trans in will require hunting down crossmembers that are somewhat less than common. (and if you're referring to just buying and driving the Legacy/Impreza itself, that's kinda not the point of this exercise)

OK... 225mm ea81 clutch with Nissan throwout bearing? And an EA82 pressure plate? Sounds doable. You're right, no offroading for this. One of my brothers-in-law used to design suspensions... I'm going to see if I can enlist him to help with improving the setup to make it more Solo-2 friendly. Because there is something wrong with me.

Shawn - not a good idea given the distance involved, the fact that a freeway MUST be involved in this particular case. But thanks. Though I have done that before with an S10 towing an XT. loyale - I appreciate that, but by the time I pay for a dolly AND float you some $$ for gas, it'd be about the same as a pro tow. I'm going to need this to happen on Friday evening. If noone here has a dolly who can help out, I'll just call the tow company... it's fine.

Hey guys... I was wondering if any of you guys in Seattle have a tow rig and a little time on your hands. I need to get a non-running 2WD Subaru from Seattle to South Everett. I'd prefer not to have to pay for a full-priced professional tow if possible. I'd make it worth your while and kick a little $$ your way... Needs to be this week, on a weeknight. If not, no worries, I can always call a tow truck.

Just thought I'd float this by you guys and see if anyone had an opinion. I've got a '73 AMC Hornet V8 that recently developed a problem with a power drain. If I can get the car started, I can drive it around fine, alternator charges the battery, and it runs like a beautiful machine. HOWEVER... recently, it's started slowly draining the battery while it sits. I'm not sure exactly how long it takes to drain, but it takes more than a day and less than a week. The battery that WAS in the car when this started was pretty ancient, and the battery wires were cracking and the connectors were fused to the battery itself, so I bought a new battery and cables. Hooked everything up, started fine, didn't think anything of it... until the weekend when I tried to start it and it was so dead the door-open buzzer didn't even go off. Trickle charged it for a couple hours and was able to start it. Now, this car has recently been painted, and I did have problems with a flaky electrical system after another car was painted (gauges/lights shorting in and out), but other than the power drain, there are no other symptoms in this car. Alternator and battery test good, lights are off, there's no radio hooked up in the car, and the power junction block seems fine. Any ideas?

Though I've only been back myself a few days, I'd like to say Welcome Back Corky!

but the EA82 clutch will fit the EA81 trans fine still, right?