aba4430

Couple of 5" SS clamps from Home Depot to tie the resonator heat shield upper section to the lower section on the Brat. Finally, no rattle....

Oil/filter and both fuel filters on the Brat.

I just replaced the timing belt on my 2008 Impreza OBS (EJ253) with a Gates kit (TCK304) at ~94K miles. The original Subaru belt (made in Thailand) appeared in excellent shape with no visual wear. The replacement US made Gates belt appears good quality. I will keep an eye on it via removal of the little left side TB cover from time to time. FYI - the rollers in the Gates kit were all OEM parts from Japan (NSK, Koyo etc.) and one was also a double bearing roller vs. the single one I removed. We have driven a little over 2K miles since the change in late May, and all appears to be in order. You should be OK with the Gates belt.

Try the brake bedding procedure documented at Zeckhausen.com. May help..... http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

Read the DOT date codes and make sure you are happy with the age of the tires as well.

Advance has a couple of options for the 87 Brat, reasonable prices. Autozone is showing a greasable Duralast for ~$7.

Have you replaced the fuel filter(s) recently? The filter(s) could be clogged....

Thanks.

I finally got the Herculiner brush on bed liner done on the 87 Brat yesterday. Surface scratches and very minor rust was sanded down and the entire bed was treated with Corroseal rust converter, allowed to dry completely (I let it rest for two days, but one at least day is recommended), and then two coats (@4 hours between coats) of Herculiner was applied. I took the SS trim and rear window vertical bars out; all panels in the bed were removed, treated and coated with two coats, then re-installed. I still need to finish the vertical bars, one of them has some surface rust. The decision on whether to cover the rear window surround areas was a challenge, but I decided it would be better to just do the whole surface. Satisfied overall; will see how long it lasts.

Replaced cabin and air filters on our 2008 OBS today.

Do you have any sources or links?

Fantastic find. The heads appear cleaned up; were the gaskets replaced at some point?

Simple oil and filter change on an 08 Impreza OBS. I have started using Fram Ultra XG6607 filters for the past few changes on the OBS, and have had no issues. Also went up to the Pennzoil Ultra 5W-30 from Platinum 5W-30 this time. Additionally, due to a burning rubber smell during long distance drives (e.g. stopping after 300 miles to fill gas etc.), I checked under the hood, found everything OK visually. I was concerned about the TB and popped the LF quarter TB cover to inspect. The belt looked visually clean, absolutely dry, and in excellent shape. Started the engine, stopped it and looked at another area, same. Will try and chase it down. Could be the AC stretch belt; replaced with a Gates at ~50K miles. Car has ~64K miles now. Is it possible to replaced the AC stretch belt system to an adjustable one? I will check to see if a tensioner from another year can be fit on an 08 OBS.

You might speak with Subaru. For a 2007 model with ~50K miles they might cover it under the emissions warranty. Can you see your glove box for the warranty booklet or go to Subaru.com and look it up.

I placed my driving lamp rocker switch in that same location. Do you have aftermarket fogs or driving lamps presently, or the Brat had them in the past?

I am having issues with linking posts etc., but I recently purchased a pair of bearings from Advance Auto. They were National 513056 bearings. The boxes looked beaten up and these are certainly NOS, but genuine NTN bearings from Japan. ADAP has many attractive coupons, and I paid ~$60 for the pair. Search for my post from December. I have not installed these as yet.

Try Advance as well and used promo code WD3 (there are several, but search for the best one) and you can get two of these for @$62 plus taxes. With some more stuff you could also get free shipping. I have the same shocks on my 87 Brat, installed in the 2004 time frame - excellent rear shocks. PS. Advance says this is a discontinued/clearance item and available while supplies last...

87 Brat - Work in progress Replaced both stub shaft seals, and retainer o-rings. Had gear oil leaking from both seals. The right side had pushed out and was sitting almost flush with the seal retainer. Amazed as to how did not lose more oil. However, did one at a time. Both seal retainers had to be turned almost the same number of turns, five. Replacing drive shafts again after only a year, and @4K miles. Both had started knocking, the passenger side more so. Obtained free GSP replacements from ADAP. Hopefully, these will be better. Will replace after steering rack has been installed tomorrow. Steering - In the process of replacing inner (Moog) and outer (B&A, Japanese ones with grease fittings) tie rods, steering boots with spring clips, both steering rack bushings, and the rubber steering coupler. Had to take the rack out to install the OEM steering boots, after having struggled with them for hours under the car. Will replace the assembled rack tomorrow, along with the OEM steering coupler. I have the rear disc brake kit, but want to buy new hoses, as the ones that came with the kit appear severely hardened. The kit I have supposedly came off a 87 RX coupe. I may just take the old ones to a local store and see if they can match it up with ones in stock. More tomorrow.

At least change the fuel filters (as advised above). There is one under the rear left wheel (two line) mounted into a spring loaded bracket, and one (3 line) in the engine compartment. These are most likely clogged, causing you the drivability issues. The EGR lamp is simple, but can wait until after you get home. It is swapping two connectors under the dash. You should also check the air filter visually, and all fluid levels. Prior to the 7 hour drive, I would recommend changing the oil and filter as well. Looks like you have found a gem of a Brat. Good luck.

Here are a couple of pictures. Bearings appear fine. I cannot complain as they cost ~$30 each. I do not need to replace these as yet. However, I noticed my rear CV boots appearing to be fatigued and with cracks on the rubber. Before those give away, I want to redo the CV boots. At that time might also do the bearings.

Try replacing the fuel filters initially.

The left sun visor on my 87 Brat keeps on flopping down. I can pull it out a bit and it will hold. I have tried tightening a screw on the visor and it helps some, but after a few times, the visor becomes loose again and just flops. New ones are not available anymore. What are folks doing for replacements? Any after-market options, or do visors from any newer Subaru's work?

This may or may not be an issue, but I just bought two National (Federal Mogul) rear wheel bearings (Part # 513056) for my Brat from ADAP. The packages appear like they have been sitting around for 20+ years, totally worn, beaten up and dirty packages. The bearings within appear fine and are genuine NTN units from Japan, but certainly NOS. Should I have expected to receive fresh units? Any improvement to these over the years?

Another check for low mileage is whether the brakes are dragging. As a qualitative reference, our 1994 Altima SE with auto went from 190 to 200 mile tank fill-ups to 260 to 270 miles due to a single rear caliper sticking.