belacane

While driving the other day the temp gauge on my '86 brat started heading towards the red. Pulled over immediately of course, let her cool a little and check the radiator...prett much empty (as was the coolant reservoir that had been added previously). Got her home and spent some time examining her to the best of my beginners knowledge. What I thought is the radiator fan does not come on at all....and there is some evidence of leakage at the top drivers side edge of the radiator, although when I put some new coolant mixture in and let her run I didn't see anything leaking. My understanding of cooling systems is still limited, but is it possible that the fan not functioning could have caused the radiator to have too much pressure and crack? My test light shows no power to the fan. The fuse seems fine (it's the one under the dash yeah? Or is there a different one I'm missing?). My trusty little 'how to keep your Subaru alive book says there are a number of other things to test, but I haven't had the chance yet. Thanks all for your input! I really appreciate your helpful kindness P.s also wondering where to source a good radiator and fan if ends up that they need replacing.

And she's down...sort of. On my wat home the other day, she started getting right up by the red line on my temp gauge, so I pulled over immediately, smelled and looked for leaks, and noticed that the coolant overflow tank that the previous owner had put in was empty. Poured in some water, but it disappeared again. There's evidence of a rad leak and I have yet to get under her and check around the water pump or the bypass hose. The fans work fine, and I'm gonna replace the thermostat anyhow... More updates after I haul her into work on my day off to take a real look. In the mean time, I miss driving her This is my first time dealing with this problem. Any ideas or hints or tips are most welcome of course

I love your car!

If no one responds here, try couchsurfing.org. It's a community in which people open their homes to travelers. If he wants to be successful on it though, he should make sure he fills out a complete and honest profile and has an understanding that CS is about more than just a free place to crash. It's about community and giving and connecting with others. Another great and affordable thing is airbnb.com. Good luck to him!

Hehe love you all down there in NZ

gorgeous!!!

I have an '02 Impreza WRX and it was the same... had to pull the exhaust to get to the driveshaft. But it wasn't that labor intensive. One of the 'cleaner' things I've ever done actually

I just installed this, without the switch of course, and am having the same experience. This is great! I love it!!

Since moving, I finally had some time to spend with my brat. Ground down some of the welds from the wheel wells, and also added an AUX input to my radio. LOVING IT so far!

It's so lonely down here

Welcome! Definitely vouching for a Subaru here. They are fantastic! Are you looking for a retro or newer car? Looking forward to hearing more!

Love the name, love your roo!

I wish my dad gave me a brat when I was that age!

I have it and I'm glad I do. I have broken down in the middle if nowhere and they still managed to send someone out to tow me. I've also just used the tow to bring a non running car from one place to another. I find the other services convenient too (if your battery goes kaput they'll even bring you a new one...a nice feature if you don't have another vehicle or jump or friend to go get one yourself in a timely manner).

Great brat! I think the floor looks good how you did it, as although I know very little about what makes good welding. Looking forward to more!

Well look what parked right next to me today at work! That's my little Brat on the right and her little brother Baja on the left (belongs to my co-worker). I love seeing the two of them next to each other.

Is it just old gen soobs?

I was wondering how many of you old gen lovers are located in the deep south (Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, east Texas...). I'm in new orleans, and would love to arrange some sort of meet if anyone else is down here. I've tried nasioc to look for an area community, but they are mostly new gen Wrx's and cars built for the power that I'm not really into. Cheers! -Alyssa

I have been doing the same thing with my brat; spot painting to abate rust until I can afford to do a really good full out paint job. I used a rattle can. Just make sure that you do at least 2-3 solid coats, and a clear coat (also rattle can) helped too. It's not perfect by any means, but it works temporarily. If I plan on sanding off old paint before doing the new paint job, I don't see how rattle can paint will affect new paint. It hasn't had any effects on the old paint either except for a slight color mismatch, which doesn't bother me right now.

Welcome fellow female

Thanks for this! Any chance of any pictures sometime? I'm still a beginner and knowing more about what I'm looking for definitely helps with the confidence (carbs are scary =P)

definitely makes me smile! thanks for the extra pictures. I hope my brat will be looking that good one day!

She's back! I recently moved to New Orleans, and since I had no one to drive down with me, my little brat stayed in Chicago until just a little bit ago. She's with me again down here and Boy did I miss her! Fixed a few things already. A closer look at the her rear, and the brake squeal turned out to be a wheel bearing in dire need of replacement, so that's done! She seems to have developed a nice exhaust leak while she was away, but as long as it's not dangerous or illegal, I kind of like the sound , so I'm not going to do anything with that for now. Next up: - finish grinding down the welds on the bed - rear disk brake swap - install the cool little prosport oil pressure gauge I just got, since the one in my cluster has gone kaput again - paint job (I'm probably going to have this done by someone else. I don't have the right kind of space, time or proper tools to it myself at the moment. I plan to keep the color) Also waiting on Idasho's aux input mod for the oem radio. Electrical is not my strong point yet. Can't wait to have my own music again! peace all

Beautiful! Digging them all...would love to see more photos.

Thanks guys! This is super helpful. Mechanical_misfit, are you talking about the blue desert fox stripes you have on your wagon? wow those turned out great. I will definitely be contacting pooparu.