rdweninger

My last 2 hatchies I bought were an '83 for $500 and an '85 for $800. Both were in great shape and are 4wd.

If your transmission fluid is low, I could understand why it is not pink. ATF gets dirty, gets hot, and then gets 'not pink'. I would change the ATF and Diff fluid. There's a good chance they have never been changed. People have been saying for years "Subarus run forever". That's why they run 'em till they die.

These cars hold up pretty well in the PNW. Other states use salt on their winter roads .... that's no beuno! Also, that's why we have a good stock of them. Back east, some would pay good money for your Soob.

So, not 4wd. That will affect the value. Also depends on that part of the US you are in. Where you located?

Let us know the setup you have. What carb? Definitely check for vacuum leaks.

I checked at Cenex Farm Coop yesterday (here in Tillamook). To my surprise, they had 10 x 1.25 x 42 metric exhaust studs. Actually, had alot of metric .... including those metric body screws, like for the corner lights that always seem to be missing.

I think seeing some air bubbles when using the 'sucker' is normal. I believe the air is coming from the sucker hose around the bleeder valve. Just keep suckin. I do RR, LF then LR and RF. Prior to bleeding, I suck 90% of the old brake fluid out of the master. Then fill with new fluid. For some reason, brake fluid attracts moisture. That's why they say to always use new fluid from a new unopened sealed container.

Love the era-correct Reagan Bush sticker. No way .... $250 ?

Exhaust studs can be found / ordered thru local parts store. Remember, the head threads may be stripped out. If so, a few options remain .... 1 is heli coils - tim serts - or other thread inserts to keep the stock metric threads. Or second option would be to drill out and tap for SAE 7/16" threads. Don't quote me on 7/16" , I have not done that, but others here have with success. Like DaveT said ... don't use bolts. Do use OEM gaskets.

Probably a heat shield vibrating on decel. Buy it. Drive it. Fix it. Then drive it some more.

First off .... Sorry about your beautiful Hatchie. Hail storms suck. For others reading this - If you want to insure your classic Subaru Hatch for say ... $5000, then you should buy a policy with a payout clause of Agreed Value of $5000. Your premium will be more expense. If you have a Stated Value policy, the payout clause will say something like .... 'In the event of theft or total loss, Insurance Co will pay the Stated Value or the Actual Cash Value, whichever is less. But remember, the insurance co decides what the actual cash value is (and it will always be low). You can try to prove a higher cash value, but good luck... they have better attorneys than you do. So, Stated Value is mostly used if you want to pay the lowest premium possible... but will accept a lower payout if car is stolen or 'helled' on. But always carry comp. It's cheap and covers fire, theft, hail, deer strikes and other 'Acts of God'. If you have $5000 into your self titled 'classic' Soob, then buy an Agreed Value policy. I have heard about 'shrinking' the hail damage with dry ice or liquid nitrogen ... hoping the dents will 'pop' out. If that doesn't work, just modify the paint job to make the hail dents look like bullet holes.... then put some stickers in the window that say "They lived"

You are correct. One cam sprocket hole should be up, the other down. You need to reset your timing belt on the passenger side. Are you familiar with the entire timing procedure for EA82's?

I think the '85 Brat already has a 5-speed. Nice ride... either way. I need to start checking out some barns... ha!

hey Joe, I have found Lithia Subaru in Oregon City to be fairly knowledgeable on older soobs. Additionally, they seem to be more 'helpful' than other dealers I have worked with. Also, SSI in Milwaulkie has alot of experience with rebuilding EA motors.

sometimes that ticking sound could be an exhaust leak. Especially when it goes away after a few minutes of warm up. It can sound like ticking lifters. What year model and miles? have you checked for vacuum leaks?

The 5-spd D/R more than likely came from an '85 + ea82. The only 5 speeds in ea81 were front wheel drive. Others here can give specific details on the years that 5 speed DR were available. All my ea82's are 1985 ... and they all have the DR.

Is anyone else concerned that he is driving from Argentina to LA ??? That is alot of border crossings. I hope your cash doesn't run out.... 'cause they'll take your Brat.

I run all my ea82's with no timing belt covers. No inner ... no outer. And I drive logging roads all day long. Never had a problem. And if I do break a timing belt... it's a 15 minute fix. My advice is ditch the covers.

OP... correct. When boots tear, all the grease is flung out with centrifugal force. As joint drys out, the clicking begins. I have cleaned, regreased and rebooted several axles with 100% success. Alot of the older replacement axles were built well and are 'almost' as good as OEM. I would try fixing the axle ... if you have some tools, some skills and a keen desire to get dirty.

if they are original OEM axles (green cups, probably) ... I would clean, regrease and reboot both cvj and doj. You will find volumes of info about inferior replacement axles. Don't buy them. Not sure on the clack clack .... usually it is described as a click click. Find empty parking lot ... drive in tightest turning circle left ... then right. You should hear more distinct clicking that way... maybe some grinding in this mode.

sounds like you may have hooked up your temp gauge to your radiator thermo switch. Like, when the fan kicks on (due to completing the ground thru thermoswitch at 190), then your guage is then grounded as well .... leading to full red on guage. I would ask an auto shop to get a temp reading with their infrared ... or maybe borrow one from a parts store.

I use the Mighty Vac. Attaches to the bleeder valve at the wheel. It works great. One-man brake job.

Your '87 Hatch is an EA81... 1.8 liter Pretty sure the EA71 was pre-1980. It is 1.6 liter.

Tons of info about axles on this site. Basically, most remans are junk. Or maybe 80% of them. Best to regrease,reboot your OEM's. What's the deal???? Are they clicking? Missing? Grinding? Torn boots?

OP, dude ... I would take up turbosubarubrat's offer for the stock hitachie disty. He's straight up. I have purchased several parts from him. Get rid of the franken distributor.