rdweninger

The CL ad said it had an EA82 motor. I would verify this. It came stock with the EA81 (push rod). The EA82 has the timing belts. Check out ALL fluids. Dirty fluids means no maintenance. Do a compression check. Voltmeter the Battery and Alt. Crawl under it. Drive it. Test the 4wd. How much tread on tires? Alignment? Good glass? Seat Covers... look underneath. Grill? All lense covers? New parts? The Brat I bought had 4 tractor tires (ya, like Kubota fronts) on 14" rims. The tires alone were worth $170 each. So, $400 for the rig was a no brainer. I always say I'm firm on price also.... then I usually take less. Most people price it a few hundred over what they will take.

My solder connections were ok. But the 2 little bulbs were burnt out. Took a while to find those. I ordered 10 of them from Norvac Electronics... but for the life of me... I can not find them. ie., they're really small.

I get mine from webercarbsdirect.com You'll need an adapter plate and an air cleaner. Do some google searches... they will point you back to this forum. Like EA81 Weber swap.

ut - ohh! Time for a Weber.

There is a left tie rod and a right tie rod. Different part numbers. The left and right are different... should be a mirror image. Remember that mirror images are actually different. Check your new part... it should have an "L" or a "R" stamped on the part... if you are lucky. Otherwise, the bend should face towards the rear of the car. ie., convex shape towards rear.... concave towards front. I ordered a left and right from RockAuto. They sent me two lefts. The part #'s were different (on package)... but the parts were the exact same. Both had the "L". Tried to explain this to RockAuto... but eventually gave up and went to NAPA. I use the extra tie rod as a fishing weight.

Very likely a bad alternator. Or more specifically, bad voltage regulator. That's right around the time when they started using internal VR in the alternator. Although, the '85 EA81 might still have external VR. So you put in a 'good' battery. It starts... but the alt is not charging the battery... so it goes dead while driving or when you cut the engine... car dies. You need to get a multimeter and check wiring and voltage. Several threads around here to help you. Sounds just like the symptoms when my alt dies... new alt fixes it every time.

Ok... don't kill me for presenting this option... but I just can't help myself. Keep the stick shift and find a new girlfriend. Problem solved.

Front wheel drive only... alot of people want 4WD. This might not be the place to find the true value... I bought an 85 EA82 FWD wagon last year with 80k on it. Had the red pimp interior. Beautiful car. Paid $200 for it because they thought it had a blown head gasket. Turned out that the intake gasket was leaking into the cyl. Easy fix. The most I ever paid for a pre-90 Subie was $800. I have 7 of them. For your area, I would say the most you could get would be $1000. Depends on how quickly you want to sell it. Why not keep it... it's a classic !

Same symptoms I had on my '85 EA82 and my '83 EA81. I rebuilt my distributor in both cases and that fixed the problem. I did NOT rebuild the disty myself. I had Philbin Electric do it. Cost about $140. They do excellent work. If you have a spare disty... try it. Not sure what they cost new or if they are available or the quality. Hope this helps.

In addition, if you find you have power at the horn and still no sound when it is grounded.... there is what I call a 'tuning mechanism' on the back side of the horn. If you loosen the nut, you can adjusted the mechanism so that it will vibrate when power is ran thru it. Sometimes, this 'tuning mechanism' rusts or oxidizes making the contacts not so inviting to ground. Clean them up, and adjust until you get the vibration - thus making the horn sound. I usually 'exercise' my horns regularly to keep the contacts clean. My kids think I'm just a rude driver, but there is a method to my madness... ha! Besides, I know everyone in town and I bee-beep them.

Retro Roo, What is the difference in the kits for EA81 and EA82. I have an 81 Brat that needs the Weber. Do I need an EA82 intake manifold for this. Also, I am also looking at an 85 EA82 to Weberize. What's the difference in the kit?

I have installed 3 of the ebay kits. No problems with any of them. Better get the timing belts replaced before it gets 'cold' up there. Sounds like a good project for the weekend.

I would be interested in the meet. I'm south of Tillamook. But Salem is only 50 miles over Bible Creek. This summer, I would like to host a meet. I have a nice 5 acre pasture with a few Subies grazing already... what's a few more.

Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. Ron w.

Hello all, my 5% discount code expired in August. I know that in the past, RA has given this forum a discount code. Does anyone have that code or a known valid code for the discount? Many thanks. Ron w.

Thanks for the tip. I hope my 'little latch' is the problem. Can't wait to get home and fix it.

Nice pics. Thank you TomRhere. I will check to see if all my plastic is still there. So... there is no keeper on there? Looks like it might be threaded... is that right?

There are 2 belt tensioners and a cogged idler on the ea82. Make sure you replace all 3 when you replace your timing belts. Imagine if the bearings 'freeze' up on any of those tensioners or idler.... Your timing belt won't last very long. Not too tight on the belt tension. Lose the plastic covers... so you can see what's going on... and quickly replace the 'next' set of timing belts. Hope this helps.

Update... I crawled under the driver side and found (with my fingers) a secondary 'cable' that when I pull it - I hear a flapper moving within the duct work. So, that 'cable' came loose from the white plastic gears. So, can anyone tell me how/where to re-attach that cable? It seems to want to attach behind the white plastic gears. Anyone with a diagram? Or photo? Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it. Just wish I had a lift... cause I feel like a pretzel trying to get my head (eyes) and hands on the subject while holding a flashlight... ha! Let me know... Ron w.

Very well. Thank you, GLoyale. I'll check the gears down there. The cable still moves the mechanism near the firewall. So, it must be the gears directing the flapper door. I wish I was closer to Corvallis. But, I still make it down there a few times/year. Take care.

Hello everyone, been away for a few months. Mom passed away on June 30. So just getting back into my Subies. The 85 wagon heat stopped working. Problem started when I noticed that the temperature selection slide mechanism on the dash did not go all the way up to 'hot'. It seemed to be blocked by something. So I found the cable connection down by the driver gas pedal. The cable activates a thing-a-ma-jig. I moved the thing-a- ma-jig by hand, more towards the firewall (ie., more hot)... and then heard a popping sound like plastic breaking. Does anyone know what that cable is actually moving? Is it something in the duct work or something on/in the heater core? The dash slide switch lever now moves all the way to 'hot'. But I still have no heat. Just blows cold air. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks. Ron w.

Well, I'm back after a few months off. My Mom passed away June 30. Just picked up an '81 Brat. The fuel tank is gone. Carb is probably shot, due to the motor not running since 2008. Anyway, this seems like a good candidate for LP conversion. So, what do I need? And where do I get it? It's good to be back... Let's see who's out there Ron w.

There is drift pin thru the axle at the transaxle stub. 3/16" punch works well. You may have to 'modify' the punch to make sure you can get a hammer on it. Then make sure the punch is long enough to get the pin thru the stub shaft. I leave the pin sticking out the other side of the axle... ie., don't drive it all the way thru. If you follow the manual, you should be ok. Although, when I reboot my axle, usually within a few weeks of buying the Subie, I replace the tie rod end, ball joint, wheel bearings, turn rotors and new brake pads. Depends on whether you have the service records and how many miles. But I plan on keeping the cars (6 so far) forever.

Good eye Akghandi. Looks like some cherry pits or pine cones also in the pic. SET SOME RAT TRAPS. The varmits will eat your wires.

So, was it the engine to body ground? Or coil to body ground?