greggbrat

I should add that when I first filled the radiator I parked on a steep hill to get the air out of the system. I did this on the three other occasions this happened. The coolant system is not leaking and I am not losing any coolant. If it happens again today I will just replace the thermostat. Could I have done something really stupid like putting the thermostat in upside down?

The bumper is straight but curves in on the ends for a fluid look. The top of the bumper is diamond plated (except the middle section where the hitch ball is located) I will post a photo in the next few days.

If it looks like a duck, smells like a duck and walks like a duck its probably a duck. :-) Backtrack on what you have done to see if the problem goes away. Also remember that if this fuse runs more than one accessory then it likely branches out somplace between the fuse and the items it is powering. Start tracing wires. Hopefully you have a VOM to check all this out. Given that the problem started when you installed the stereo makes me think you could have knocked another wire loose during this process.

I had an old Jeep CJ7 did the same thing. Turned out to be a bad bulb. Think of it like the old christmas tree lights.......if one burns out the whole string goes bad. Swap the bulbs in the rear and see if the problem follows the bulb. Otherwise take out a Voltage meter and start testing.

I dont have any pictures yet.........but I will try to take one in the next few days.

Thats a good deal for an XT Turbo. I picked up an 88 XT6 for my friend about a year ago for $350......put in a used power steering pump, a radiator and 4 new tires. It only had 112K miles on it. Still running strong. I dont know if the XT Turbo is the same as the XT6 in terms of suspension but I have heard that if the air suspension goes out on an XT6 its a very expensive repair. The only drawback to XT's are that parts are harder to come by. GL/DL models are a dime a dozen......the XT's are fairly rare. BTW.....I am refering to Junkyard availability. I imagine you can still find lots of new/aftermarket parts at many many places.

I got a clutch for my EA81 1982 Brat from a source on Ebay. It works great.....and will work even better once I get my head gasket replaced. :-) I paid $30 for the clutch, pressure plate and throwout bearing. That was a steal from ebay. But give them a call and perhaps they can give you a great deal. This was the ebay listing info. Good luck. Clutch fits 81-92 Subaru - 1600/1800 DL GL ... 81-89 Brat ... 85-94 Leone, Loyale (2 WD non turbo) ... 85-91 XT (2 WD non turbo) ... kit includes disc, pressure plate, bearings, and alignment tool ... only Fort Wayne Clutch can offer this remanufactured clutch at below cost with one year warranty ... any questions call Fort Wayne Clutch toll free at 1-800-258-8243 and mention kit #15-001 or visit their website at fortwayneclutch.com ... we have clutches for all vehicles - auto, truck, industrial, and antique ... also custom made driveshafts and heavy duty clutches ... we can rebuild your antique clutch ... Buyer will pay shipping and payment can be made by pay pal, money order, or check ... Thanks for looking!

Tom, I dont know where you are located but there is a junkyard in Denver where you can get a used 5sp D/R for $67 with a 30 day warranty. I just pulled on yesterday to put in my 82 Brat. Gregg

I have an EA81 with a blown head gasket. A local shop said they would do it for $250. I dont know if thats a good deal or not. I have decided to do the job myself........but if you dont have the time then $250 sounds like a good deal to me.

For 3 days in a row I have had the same overheating issue. I start out in the morning, drive about 3-4 miles and temp guage is nearing the red zone. I pull over, slowly open the radiator cap to vent the coolant into the resevoir tank. Then I refill the radiator, make sure the resevoir is full and off I go for the rest of the day with no overheating issues. Thats the weird part........the rest of the day the temp never fluctuates at all (even after driving 60 miles riding hard on the turbo).....but the next morning my problem is back again. Now the background. This car has had the intake manifold gaskets replaced (they were leaking coolant) and a junkyard 2 row radiator installed. It also has new hoses and a brand new NAPA 180 degree thermostat......basically the thermostat and 2 row radiator were installed and then my problems began. My first guess is that the thermostat is sticking first thing in the morning for some strange reason. But I have my doubts because the thermostat is brand new.....and its from NAPA which usually has quality parts. Any ideas?

I was scouring the junkyards again for a rear bumper replacement for my 82 Brat. My original rear bumper was a mangled mess when I bought the Brat. And I found a steel rear bumper with a hitch ball from a 1979 Chevrolet LUV pickup truck that is almost a direct bolt in. And the chevy bumper is about 59.5 inches which is the perfect width for the Brat. The hitch ball is lowered on the bumper so there is no issue with opening the tailgate with the new bumper installed. Installation: The original "bumper mounts" on the Brat are bolted in the frame tubes on the differential side of the tube (ie. towards the center of the vehicle). To install the new bumper I just need to drill the same holes on the outside of the tubes, cut the mounting arms from the chevy bumper a bit shorter, drill holes in the mounting arms to match my newly drilled "frame tube holes" and bolt it in.......no welding involved!!! Actually the new installation will be stronger than the original bumper because the "ousides" of the frame tubes are already strenghtened by the tow hooks that are welded on that side of the frame tube. I really like the idea of having a hitch. Not that I am going to be towing very much or very far with my whopping 70hp EA81 motor but its nice to have for the occasional task.

Noah, I already replaced an axle on my 87 RX......pulled one from a junkyard which was a good learning experience and then got the axle replaced in about 1.5 hours. Not to bad for a first attempt. Its just a shame that swapping out a tranny has so much side work with the axles. On a similar note......I am ordering the PK Davis 4/3 lift for my 82 Brat. I dont know what is involved with the lift install. Since I am removing the motor (for a head gasket replacement) and replacing the tranny should I do the lift install while reinstalling the motor and tranny? Thanks, Gregg

But what about finding a 6:1 granny gear? That would be hardest part.

It would be really cool if I could do the following: 1. put 1st thru 4th gears from a manual RX tranny into the 2nd to 5th gear locations on an EA82 5sp D/R. 2. Find a granny gear at about a 6:1 range to replace the 1st gear. (dont know where to look for a granny gear) Is this just wishful thinking? I have never looked into a manual tranny and dont really know the internal workings.........but this would make for a great rock crawling beast. Hopefully someone will tell me this is possible.

Basically it sounds like there is no easy way to replace the axles when replacing the tranny........tug, pull, wedge, jack, lift........and drink! :-) I am ordering a lift kit also. This is going to be a fun project. In one fell swoop I am replacing head gaskets, 5sp D/R tranny retrofit and installing a lift kit. I will make sure I have a few cases of beer handy. I am guessing this will take more than a weekend.

Its hard to believe a junkyard will sell this tranny for only $67. Now I get the fun task of putting it my brat. I have the tranny, throwout bearing and a clutch disk for an EA82......ready to be mated to my EA81 motor/flywheel and pressure plate. Now for a few questions. 1. How does the D/R linkage hook up for this retrofit. The brat has a different lever for the D/R linkage than the EA82 wagon it came from. 2. How do I get the CV Axles off the old tranny and back on the new tranny? I wedged and jockeyed the junkyard tranny to get the axles off without having to remove the entire axle assembly, but the axles are unlikely to go back on in a similar fashion. Do I have to remove the entire axle assembly or is there an easier way? Thanks, Gregg

Would it be possible to: 1. put the 1st gear from a 1982 2nd generation Brat into a 3rd generation EA82 Wagon D/R Transmission? 2. put the 1st thru 5th gears of a 3rd generation 1987 Turbo RX into a 3rd generation EA82 Wagon D/R Transmission? I am just looking at the possibilities of getting the lowest possible range out of a subaru transmission for the street driveability of larger tires and also off roading capabilities. Thanks, Gregg

I did find an EA82 Turbo Wagon GL in the junkyard that has cruise control. (not sure if its factory or dealer installed) Would this vehicle also have a separate vacuum source for the vacuum pump? Or did it just tap into the vacuum pump above the passenger strut tower? My turbo RX has the same vacuum pump (above the pass strut tower) as the turbo wagon in the junkyard.

I do know all about electrical.......I will make sure I wire it to a source that turns on after the ignition is on. Thanks for the heads up.

I stand corrected. I just learned something new. I didnt know the EA82 was considered 3rd generation. What is the current line of new subarus? 12th generation? :-) A side question on the new subarus.......is the dual range tranny an option on the new Outbacks or Forrester models? Or did that feature go away?

I want to put cruise control on my 87 RX turbo but I have heard that turbo manifold vacuum turns into positive pressure when the turbo kicks in and makes it unusable for most cruise control units. Now the questions is......how can I do it? I am not very knowlegeable about the inner workings vacuum on the RX but I thought there was a small vacuum pump under the hood near the passenger side strut tower......if that is the case can this be used to run an aftermarket cruise control? And does the 87 RX use a vacuum assisted brake booster? Hopefully this makes sense to someone because I claim total ignorance on this subject. Thanks, Gregg

I have looked through the junkyards and only found single row radiators on all the 2nd gen subarus (turbo or otherwise). The one I yanked from a junk yard had a few tags on it indicating it was an aftermarket product.

I only have experience with 3 different subarus. An XT6.......stays cool with a new radiator, a 1987 RX turbo, stays cool with a new(er) radiator, and a Brat with an EA81 motor that just plain runs cool. It appears that having a good, non clogged radiator seems to be the theme.

This is all very confusing......some say the flywheel has to be machined to use all the EA82 clutch parts and other say you just use the EA82 clutch disk and throwout bearing. What is the large 4WD flywheel? Is that different from the standard flywheel I have in my 1982 Brat with an EA81 motor and 4 sp D/R?

I had a similar problem with my 87 RX and it turned out to be two different problems that happened at the same time. First I replaced the MAF (got one from a junkyard for about $15) and the driveability improved from horrible to just poor. It would still run great if I nursed the gas pedal just right in turbo boost. Further investigation showed a dead fuel injector.........I am thinking that in high turbo boost that cylinder was getting bleedover fuel from the other intake injectors. I used the classic screwdriver to my ear stethoscope method to find the fuel injector that was not "clicking". I replaced the injector and its now running perfect.