Greenley

Are you certain the engine is turning over when you turn the key to start? I had a similar issue with my EA81, and it turns out my engine is actually seized, producing a wicked sound from where the bendix gear contacts the flywheel. I shimmed it out as you have, as well as swapped starters entirely, before i realized the engine is locked up. Bum deal, but rule it out before getting too far.

Thank you for the help Cougar, you're always on point when it comes to electrical diagnosis! Tom, you know the bullet connectors were incredibly corroded, they broke upon disconnection. I ended up cutting out the bullet connectors and splicing them together. Still no fuel gauge function. I cant tell which wire is ground due to lack of access to a DVM or even a test light, (will search for that info) So i think i'll try what Cougar suggested, and hard ground the sensor. Even a low fuel light would be sufficient, as tracking mileage is pretty easy, but not always accurate with this brat.

broken ground wire was the issue here. The fuel gauge is still not responding.

Gloyales 6" kit on his white EA81 wagon is a masterpiece. If the production kits are anything like it, I'd go with his craftsmanship hands down.

I'll look into a short, or pinched ground

Thanks Cougar, I have cleaned every ground in the engine bay, in addition to running a 4 gauge ground from engine to chassis. I believe the tail light ground wire to be the black wire behind the passenger side bed access panel. When I cleaned it up and reinstalled, that is when the fuel gauge went dead. When you say run a ground wire to the affected lamp socket, do you mean splicing into the existing one into a known ground? What role does the pedal play in the circuit? I ask, because just a minute ago, with the ignition turned to ACC, depressing the brake pedal was actuating the headlights (*confused*) and then it stopped.

Vehicle: 1986 Brat GL Weber Carb swap, D/R 4spd My dash indicator "brake dummy light" started rearing it's ugly head a while ago, in addition to the turn signal right arrow blinking as if the lamp was out First thing i did was swap the bulbs out in the passenger side assembly, as this was where things were funky. No change. Cleaned the ground that is behind the bed access panel. No dice. The major problem is that the entire tail light assembly goes dark when applying the brake pedal, rather than illuminating brighter. The fuel gauge has always been unreliable, but it stopped working completely after cleaning the ground wire. Which may be a clue to someone as to the circuit in question. Last night I checked the lamp connectors for corrosion, cleaned them, as well as inspected the wiring/pigtails for damage. This got rid of the rapid turn signal indicator, for now... I am kind of stumped as to what is going on here, and i dont feel like being pulled over for something so idiotic. HELP! S.O.S. Thanks in advance

Any updates??

An update on this build, Rally_Blue?

Bahh, i wanted to use an ea81 power steering Xmember i've been hangin' onto. Yea, i believe Bosco did do his brat like that, and so did Briggs up in WA. It looks like i have a whole ton of board searching to do 0_0 How bouts another pic of said project?

Brainstorm: I sourced an RX transaxle locally- I have Jerry's kit on the shelf waiting... Thinking about EA82 front suspension to avoid custom front axles. Throw some ideas at me to aid in my research!

Pics, of course!! I attempted to attach one, but it was a botched effort. the mobile phone is a bit of a pita, however I got it this time 'round 1.One of the last wheeling trips I took her out on 2.The sad day she was stripped of her running gear 3.My current DD- '86 GL Brat (for sale soon ) cheers!

Its high time I started a thread here, to document progress, and the lack thereof. I purchased this wagon from subieman many many moons ago. It was in amazing shape and had most all the fixins, Rust free body, 3" byb lift, rear discs, 3.9 converted LSD etc. etc. Replaced the worn out stock d/r 4 speed and burnt clutch, with a 1982 d/r 4spd box and brand new clutch kit. All was peachy. An amazing rig, until it devoloped a drivabilty issue that I could not figure out. Could not get over 45mph without violent bucking. Tried everything to my knowledge, to no avail.. Long story short, I parted its drivetrain out to myself, and sold off some of the more sought after parts, so that I could build a daily driver brat. So here I am, daily driving a different brat. The fam has grown another member, so I am beginning to focus on building the ultimate family adventure wagon. Essentially this is an extremely tight budgeted build up of a gorgeous shell. EJ22 swap and FT4WD D/R 5 speed are what I have in mind. Stay tuned, say what up, cheer me on, it'll be a codswalloping good time

An update from the dead : I dropped the fuel tank today, removed the sending unit and had a gander inside. What I saw was beautiful virgin metal, not a speck of rust inside. I filled it with water, and it flowed like a jet through every opening but the main fuel supply port- It merely dribbled out. Now I've reamed it before, and it increased flow. Not the case this time. Seems about 20% of what it should be. I'm thinking it was sabotaged somehow by the same 'woman' who thrashed the interior with bbq sauce... I dont know how, but with zero visible rust or varnish within, i am having a hard time understanding what the deal is Would an acid boil be worthwhile? Coating the tank seems pointless. Somebody shed some light on this situation so I can get this thing underway

Saw your pic on instagram, how do they look installed ?

Clutch-pack LSD came standard ONLY on the RX with FT4WD D/R trans. It was a roughly $1,000 option for any EA82 with a 3.7:1 geared trans. 99% of clutch type LSD are 3.7:1 , due to the fact that they come out of turbo cars. A very few FT4WD XT-6's did get the 3.9:1 LSD, but i've yet to see one with my own eyes.

Let me shed some light on this with an old-school technique i learned from a wise man. It worked *amazingly* on my old '89 GL Clean it up first, then lube it well by placing graphite or white lithium grease in your hand and running the cable through it. Feed it in by hand as far as it will go. Then, using an electric drill, insert the cable end into the chuck and slowly spin it in clockwise. Stop if it begins to kink or get stuck. work it slow and it'll be seated into the speedo-head in short-order. I really hope you haven't started tearing your cluster out

These are some awesome alloys i stumbled upon... I didn't find a match on Mick's page: http://www.indysworld.com/80s/general/wheels/wheels.html Anyone familiar with these? Are they 14's ?

Welcome aboard. What part of NV are you in?

I haven't had a lapse in Subaru ownership, but I haven't logged in, in ages. (Thanks Ken) Diggin' on the new forum look and ease of smartphone friendly features! I'm currently daily driving an '86 GL BRAT Anyways, I'll be sniffin' around here with the rest of ya. Cheers, Pete

I acquired a new project BRAT, with the understanding that it wasn't getting fuel to the carb, or spark. The engine cranks with ease, with the key turned all the way clockwise- or turned all the way backwards to lock- which tells me someone fudged with the ignition lock cylinder at some point FL 2 and it's thick gauge white wire, is where i see a possible issue. There is a small bit of melting of the plastic box, near the spade terminal. From what i gather, this wire goes to the pink ignition switch connector. Which is in fine shape itself. I've swapped in a new FPCU or Revolution Sensor- and i now have fuel in the lines while cranking. Also, i've inspected the fusible links themselves, and they're fine. Unbolted it, checked for corrosion on the underside and there's none. Fuse #5 is good. It's not the coil, or noise condensor. I'm getting pulses from the disty. I have a multimeter at my disposal. Is it possible to create a new circuit here and create spark? Or how should i go about tracing the issue? Thanks, USMB

Hey y'all------- I recently got my license reinstated. had a bit too much fun and one night ... After a couple years of bicycle commuting in Orange County, Ca - I'm back on the road, more appreciative than ever and ready to fully respect the privileges of being a motorist. I've still got the lifted 84, and I just acquired a MY'82 Brat from an old-time prospector out here in rural Northern Nevada. It's an electrical nightmare, but searching the forums has yielded fruitful diagnosis thus far. Between the two, i'll eventually have a solid daily driver :-p The optimism of solving the issues in these old beans, is why I love 'em.

Canister is good. Replacing the fuel rails is something I should do, along with sourcing a new tank ?

holy crap! The trash can deflector seemed to do it's job Solid bodywork and resurrection, glad to see it live on. Dave, what're you going to throw those ski racks on?

anticipating the photo************et redux