bendecker

Absolutely sure.

Dang. The MAF sounds highly likely. In case I can't find a used one (Subarus are not very common in junk yards around here), are aftermarket MAFs any good? Rock Auto has a Dorman for $112.00, a BECK/ARNLEY for $132.00 and a rebuilt A-1 CARDONE Part for 137.00. If they are OK, I can likely source one for less. Thank you to everyone for the input. I really appreciate it.

It felt like a sudden fuel issue. I wonder if there is some event that can cause a sudden fuel stoppage. As for a possible exhaust blockage, ya' gotta love the Internet -- a quick search pulled up this video from Eric The Car Guy checking the exhaust on a 2.2l Subaru: Fixing this mess is going to be a one step at a time thing. I'll be doing the exhaust test in the next day or two.

More info. There is an AT Temp light that comes on right when I start the car. It turns off a couple of seconds later. My wife said it has always done this since day 1 (until it started acting up, she drove it exclusively) I tried to get it to do the deceleration thing, but no luck today. I purposely popped it into 3rd at speed and it kind of felt like the problem, but when I let up on the gas, it was much smoother and didn't decelerate as hard as the intermittent problem. BUT!!! I was going up a fairly steep hill at about 55mph when all of a sudden, the car had a dramatic loss of power. It kept getting worse and very quickly I had to pull off the road and it died. I tried to start it again. Nothing. Again, and it sputtered, then came painfully back to life. I got it turned around and headed back home asap. No CEL, but it threw a P0304 code (misfire cylinder 4) code. Given the severity of the symptoms, I think it threw that code because it didn't know what else to throw. It did this a couple of times, months ago, but has not since a complete tuneup. BTW, it has all new plugs (NGK), wires (NGK), fuel filter (aftermarket from Autozone -- don't say it... I know, I know...) and got a new fuel pump about 15k ago (OEM) This sucks....

I don't think it's deceleration based on the engine. I have a manual transmission '93 Impreza and when I take my foot off the gas in that car, the deceleration is very minimal compared to when this '96 is acting up. The change between normal and hard deceleration is very quick, if that helps. I'll check on the RPMs and the AT light today. I don't ever remember seeing a light blink 16 times when it starts (we've had the car since 45k miles), but will check that today. The deceleration is severe enough that my wife will no longer drive the car. Thanks for your reply. More info coming.

The rear main driveshaft (aka the propeller shaft, I believe) was replaced with a new one not too long ago, so I know that's not the problem. The car did make horrible clunking sounds on takeoff before that fix, so I would say that your recommendation is spot on as a first step if anyone else has those symptoms.

I could use some expert advice here, please. I have searched extensively on symptom #1 and can't find a reason for it. 1. Intermittent problem: When driving at 65 mph, usually after the car has been driven 20+ miles. there is a really hard deceleration when I take my foot completely of the pedal. The closest I can come to describing the feeling is like it shifted to a lower gear, although that is clearly not happening. It happens most often when it requires just a hint of gas to keep the car at 65mph. Like when going down a hill that is not very steep. It can go days without doing it at all, or do it really bad on a single drive. Not too much in between, but it does happen. 2. The other symptom that may or may not be related: When starting from a dead stop, it feels like there is a slight delay in full engagement of the drive train. It starts moving, then there is kind a quick engagement of the rest of the drive train and I'm off and running. I can live with this just fine, but am curious as to what it might be. [[ EDIT: I'm now think this is an engine stumble when accelerating from a stop, although it sure felt like a tranny problem. See later posts. ]] Car otherwise shifts very smoothly and runs great. [[ EDIT: See later posts -- stumble and died on the freeway with no CEL ]] STATS: 1996 Legacy wagon. 260K miles. Recently flushed the tranny and put in some trans-x. (Which helped #2 by about 50%) Many thanks for your help.

Thank you for the quick replies. Emily -- hearing from you carries a ton of weight around here. That and John's thoughts sealed the deal. We are going to look at the '96 this afternoon as a family. It's from a "real" car dealer (as opposed to a corner-lot guy) and they have said that the price is 100% firm. We'll see, but I am not hopeful. John -- I agree completely about repairing our other '96, but that is not in the immediate cards. We are going to set it aside until I have the time to deal with it. I have a daughter that is learning to drive, this will end up being her car, and we need something reliable ASAP. Unfortunately, our '96 acting up so badly that it needs to be put on hold. So... I'll collect Subarus for a while and most likely get a used tranny for it. BTW, the way you analyze cost the cost per mile is exactly the same thing I do. When buying a new car, I figure it will make it to 200k miles. I calculate the cost per mile to get there. Anything after that is gravy. Of course, being newer, having better features, and getting an OK from the family all factor into it. But, it all starts with cost per mile. Thanks, again, -Ben

So, I have 3 wagons that are options for purchase. I've searched and searched and can't seem to come up with a clear winner. So, I throw this out to the gurus hoping for some advice: 1996 Legacy. 2.2L, 124k miles -- $3,999 (overpriced, older, does not have the clearance of an outback, but has the bombproof 2.2l engine and is in great shape. My current 1996 has gone to 260k, but looks like it has transmission issues...) 2003 Outback H6, 67K miles -- $8775 (From what I've read, this is a bomb-proof engine too with no timing belt to replace. Way low miles for the year, but still a lot of money in my world. Also in great shape.) 2004 Outback 2.5l, 124k miles -- $5400 (I this far enough into the better head gasket years to make it a good bet? Price/miles/year is attractive. Very good shape.) So... if anyone wants to weigh in, I'd really appreciate it. I'm over thinking this and need some good, old fashioned USMB support. Thanks, -Ben

Not in So Cal. I used mine as a daily driver for years, but taking it on the freeway now is a death wish here. I'm jealous of areas where driving a Brat as a DD still makes sense.

I had great success on the wheel trim on my '81 by pulling it off and then doing some good old fashioned sheet metal work to tap out the bumps. I then wet-sanded the imperfections with progressively finer grits and finally polished it. By itself, that probably wouldn't work for the chrome trim, but it might help. Of course, if you don't mind spending the money, you could then get it re-plated.

Few things in life are better than people having no idea what they are selling, and being in the right place to take advantage of it. Score! As always, pics as you fix, please!

It's been a while since I've owned a Gen2, but I don't remember there being 3 inlet/outlet connections -- I remember there being only 2. I believe that the previous owner put in a filter that was not exactly the right one, upside down, and capped off the unneeded connection. I did a quick google search and found this one at O'reilys: http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/MGD0/33089/02515.oap?year=1985&make=Subaru&model=Brat&vi=1267747&ck=Search_02515_1267747_-1&pt=02515&ppt=C0024 The bowl of the filter should be down to separate out water, which is heavier than the gas. I'm pretty sure that the above info is right. Perhaps a current owner of a Gen2 can confirm.

What did you end up doing to get to the rear bolts? The water pump is a really easy fix. The first one I ever did (and I didn't have a clue back then) took all of an hour and saved me a ton of money. When they start going bad, it sounds like your whole engine is about to rattle apart.

+1 to spicy peanut's post. I took my '81 Brat to an independent exhaust shop many years back and the outcome was great. In my experience, avoid chain muffler shops -- you get way too little for your money and they have a hard time thinking outside the box. I had the whole exhaust redone, including a very small stock muffler tucked up under the rear. Good ground clearance, quiet and no more leaks.

If you don't mind, what was the model you put in and how is it at pulling in stations? One of the complaints I hear sometimes about newer car stereos is they are full of features, but lack decent radio reception. Thanks.

On my Gen 1, I used a dremel tool to lengthen the back holes so I could get to the bolts. It worked fine, but took a very long time. I'm sure a better tool would make it easier. But, now that it's done, if I ever need to replace the seal again, it will be pretty easy. I don't know if there are any strength issues with this approach, but I did it years back and have never had any problems. I also vaguely remember seeing posts a long time ago about other people who had done the same thing.

I've only replaced my drum shoes once and it was on an EA81 (183k miles). I'd bet the setup is very similar to yours. If it's any help, mine were much thinner on the leading edge (towards the front of the car) than the following edge (towards the back). I was also surprised at how easy it was.

What year is your Brat (as in Gen 1 or Gen 2)? My Gen 1 has a hole for one. I've always been curious as to if a second speaker could be hacked up into it. Also, could you post a picture? Thanks.

Did some searching for flat panel speakers and found these ultra tiny things. Only 1/2" x 7-1/2" and can handle 10/20 watts (plenty for my purposes in a tiny Brat). Frequency response is said to be 180 to 15,000 Hz. Assuming lack of suckage, they might work great on or in the pillar plastic. Leaving the question of where to put a small sub-woofer... This speaker: http://www.parts-express.com/fps-c0104mn10viii-mono-1-2-x-7-1-2-planar-speaker-8-ohm-20w--292-352 More are here: http://www.parts-express.com/brand/fps-usa/491643

If one flat panel speaker exists, there must be more. The search starts...

I went a different route and had a pro welder put in some angle bracket and bolted them on that way with 4 bolts and backing plates: https://plus.google.com/photos/104996736048797020042/albums/5420708382421326497?banner=pwa

I have 14's on my 1981 (pug steelies) with 185/75/14 (about 3 inches larger than stock). They needed 1/2 spacers in the rear and longer lugs to miss rubbing on the torsion bars, though. Both are readily available on Ebay and elsewhere, but you'll probably need to drill a couple of holes in the spacers to make them work with our odd lug pattern.

Great purchase! Our 1996 Legacy with its legendary 2.2 is just about to hit 275k miles, and our 1993 Impreza (1.8 liter) is going strong at a mere 220k miles (both daily drivers). Take care of your new ride and it will definitely make it.

The boxes look great! Did you build them yourself? If so, where did you get the parts?