subnz

Haven't done it yet but still thinking about engine / driveline upgrade for Brat /Brumby Phase 1 SOHC N/A EJ22 for simplicity reliabilty non interference and mid range. matched to an 86/88 RX driveline ie 5MT AWD D/R centre locking diff with rear LSD (unfortunately rare as hens teeth) but probably won't happen as cost + components difficult too source. etc. So probably end up just rebuilding its EA81 and leaving it original. as motor tired using a quart every 600 miles (still runs ok :-) but hungry Dreams are free

The most important things to replace are the idlers / tensioners as used ones can seize / fail destroying new belt/s Its usually these that fail destroying the belt/s in neglect situations. rather than the belt/s failing Made the mistake of reusing the toothed idler once with a new bearing pressed in by local subaru agents , only for it to fail / seize a year later after belts replacement (destroying that new belt) So wouldn't recommend trying to rebuild idlers either from that experience - whether they pressed in the wrong (lowspeed?) one or damaged it Did replace tensioners though.

Don't let then get to the stage that they split / spray grease other wise joint failure particularly if used off highway (dust dirt grit etc + residual grease = grinding paste) check regularly and as soon as they start cracking - replace boot

Nice 1 totally agree had 2 of these in earlier versions 86 and 88 GL wagons The best one was 86 GL EA82 MT D/R because of its simplicity and a better car ie non power steer, manual choke carb. single coil breakerless electronic distributor ignition. Probably one of the best cars ever owned for simplicity reliability robustness ease and cost to fix etc no issues. Wishing I still had it but rust put it off the road @ (24 years old) The only things had to replace was clutch and carb (which I stuffed) in 15 years of ownership and adding 125K miles from 1995 (95K miles) to 2009 (220K miles) still had plenty of life left in it - gave it to neighbour as needed new tyres / battery and thats all it was worth :-( Apart from the usual maintenance like cam belts etc tyres brakes spark plugs filters servicing batteries bulbs etc Not a fan of modern cars etc ecu tcu sensors managed fuel ignition systems etc more complex, components expensive, to diagnose / cost to fix. though have an 06 3.0R Outback and an 87 Brat :-) see pix on signiture links

Agree can relate to and annoying having bits left over after a fixit. particularly in the ealrier stages of my DIY career or forgetting the sequence of putting back together / missing bits etc Its a cliche but certainly learn from making mistakes

Use it like a second gear lever depressing clutch each time shifting. Can shift on the move also while driving as is syncromesh Lever up for low range lever down for high range. Be careful to shift lever positively up or down otherwise can hit a false neutral. in between Correct there is an orange lo light that glows on dash when low (lever up) is selected but should go out when high is selected (lever down - no green light) the lo light switch works off the lever linkages somewhere under the central console I think haven't had mine apart. Is there a noticable speed reduction when driving selecting low - is this working? or otherwise lever linkages are disconnected somehow. Low range is usually about a 20% reduction on Outbacks There is very little info in owners manual (just looked in mine) and in Haynes service manual either. http://www.subaru-car.ru/for3/for3_trans_4-1.pdf

No matter how careful / slowly cooling systems are refilled with water, air will be inevitably trapped in the system somewhere. The object of the exercise is is to remove these air locks and the best way to do this is to RUN the motor for a significant amount of time with the radiator cap off to release air topping up when necessary Up to 30 minutes so that the engine comes up to temperature with thermostat opening and water pump pushing / circulating water around to help push air out. Parking on slopes / squeezing hoses etc not necessary. Subaru heaters usually have water running through heater core continuously unless modified ( part of the primary cooling circuit { motor / water pump / heater core} until thermostat opens) Heat + cooling happens by heater control air flaps directing air to / away from heater core so setting heater controls to hot makes no difference in this process.

In thinking further when you mention the noise coming from the drive train the noise could be from the the transfer clutch ( centre diff ) and problems with its associated electronic solenoid which controls how much drive is sent to the rear wheels which in l know nothing about. Have only had manual Subarus. These early autos were a 90/10 set up were they are predominately a front wheel drive until the front wheels loss of grip sending more drive to the rear wheels. Agree also with a car of this age that the burning smell its probably a minor oil leak onto the exhaust but still worth investigating.

It could be the spigot bearing in centre of flywheel that supports the gear box imput shaft. Is the new throw out bearing the right one and installed correctly? Did you dismantle / replace clutch? could be pressure plate / disc DId you readjust pedals free play?

Wear in suspension struts / bushes / worn steering rack (anti roll / stabiliser bar bushes/links) perhaps - .re bumps. Turning / bumps etc could enhance / suppress worn component/s making a noise. Check brakes also. Any noise associated with turning / accelerating / decelerating usually suggests CV joints. The 2 inner one/s make noises when accelerating or decelerating when worn / dry and the outer one/s click/knock etc when worn/dry also when turning You say CV joints have been checked but recheck / make sure the rubber boots on the 4 joints are in good condition and not cracked and if so that / those joint/s could be dry (need re greasing) / or worn.

Had 2 of these( 86 and 88). Both 5MT D/R The best one was the 86, no A/C no power steering (manual choke Carb. / Breakerless electronic distributor ignition. Its probably the best car I've ever owned for its simplicity, reliability cost to run / ease to repair. Never liked the 88 as much never felt as good to drive as the 86. 1 power steering felt disconnected, too much assistance. no feel. 2 auto choke on carb not as good on cold (winter starts) as fast idle on warm up not as good /not variably adjustable with a manual choke cable sliding control / knob. 3 also found that carburettors start up to twice as fast, ie less cranking required, from cold especially in winter ( if kick down accelerator 2x before cranking - to spray extra fuel into throttle body) and set manual choke correctly 1st, Compared to the fuel injected car that I have now which takes twice as long to fire up from cold/warm. (NOT a fan of electronics deciding / waiting what to do) Eg My old 87 caburettored manual choke Brumby (Brat) can sit up to 6 months out side (carport) without running sometimes. and will still start in 3 to 4 seconds (stale fuel included) admittedly I've pumped the accelerator 3 to 4 times 1st.before cranking Feel so ashamed sometimes of that neglect but usually gets a good run then.

Wish I still had it / kept it instead of giving it away in 2009 (needed new tyres and a battery more than what it was worth to sell) Still had plenty of life left in it Had Outback and Brumby (Brat) as well Had for 15 years added 200K km (125K miles) in that time ( 350K km - 220K miles total) The bitter irony is that is probably the best car I've ever owned for reliability simplicity cost to run etc. 86 GL 5MT D/R Alloys Aftermarket fitted to some of these of this vintage in NZ

My old 86 / 88 Ea82 5MT D/R GL wagons: about 3000rpm @ 60mph ( 3.9 diffs on 13 x 195 x 70 tyres )

Agree with the comments about keeping Brats original ie (Ea81 carburettor / coil - breakerless distributor ignition): 1 for simplicity / cheap / easy to fix compared to Ejs. ie NO CAM BELTS, more complex ignition / fuel systems 2 For keeping it original. (Maintaining Value) {compliance / certification issues here / NZ for repowering with a different engine} 3 Modifications unless done really well and comprehensively can cause problems and put things out of balance from the original setup / design. (decreasing value) 4 Cost / benefit. particularly for a low value vehicle. Had considered repowering my Brumby (Brat) with EA 82 + 5MT D/R from my old 86 Leone GL (failed WOF road compliance due to rust) as EA81 in Brat tired ie using a quart oil / 600 miles and EA82 in better condition. But decided not to because it would have meant changing the diffs over too; as Brat 3.7 diffs for 4MT too tall gearing for 5MT (so need GL 3.9 diffs in) Particularly for our mountainous roads here in NZ And the added complications of matching every up, for a small gain. So decided to keep it simple/easy with keeping Brat original and going to rebuild its EA81 motor and sold GL as a whole car. As original :

Agree very risky especially on interference motors when Subaru Japan recommend changing T belts at 60K miles (100K km) (48 months) {owners manual}

Unfortunately all the marks don't always line up exactly in my experience . Particularly on the cam pulleys. Its probably too late but but what helps is to mark your old belt against the the marks you'd made on the cams / crank pulley / case timing marks Then take a note of cam pulleys / case marks on how they line up (position) [ BEFORE taking old belt off] Then compare timing marks on the belts (side by side / old vs new) to see if they match before fitting new belt (ie same corresponding number of teeth between marks) If the white marks you made? on the cam pulleys are correct? - then agree perhaps its a tooth out on each of the cam pulleys (2 teeth out) Agree with doing this also: Then do a quick start up / run for 10 seconds or so to see if ok to make sure, before putting back together. Make sure all cam belt pulleys etc are in place / tightened / pin pulled to set tensioner etc before doing this. I do this with no radiator / cooling system nor other drive belts in place.

White like mine but the grey wheels that are on it look good to and would be a more practical colour for daily use ie not showing dirt grime etc

Wouldn't recommend it. Not worth the effort / risk / inconvennience for the small cost in replacing with new ones especially for interference motors. Made the mistake of doing this once ie subaru agents gave me/pressed in the wrong bearing for toothed idler pulley it lasted a year then it seized destroying / taking the teeth out a of section of the belt (a year later and belt 7500 miles old) thinking that l was saving a few dollars at the time but it cost more in the finish. luckily motor was non interferance so a major inconvennience

Maybe not. before disassembling old belt etc , line up all timing marks exactely (cam pulleys marks at top with corresponding case marks and cam sprocket mark at top with its corresponding mark as you have in photos. if still visible the white line marks on top of old belt should/may line up on these 3 marks as well) Now with everything lined up, mark all corresponding timing marks on cam pulleys/case and cam sprocket / case with white liquid marker (white out stationery corrector best) also mark the top of the old belt at these 3 corresponding points also, then disassemble. The reason for this is that: 1 it makes it easier see the alignment of marks on pulleys / sprocket etc when fitting new belt and 2 to check the marks you made on old belt against new belt before fitting to see if the 3 white timing marks correspond-are similar Usually new belts are marked, so these should match up with sprocket / pulleys marks when fitted. Probably this is too pedantic but this is what I do and it leaves no doubt it getting it right.

Totally agree about the Brats simplicity being a huge plus compared to the complication / electronic management / sensors etc with modern vehicles ie my 01 Outback. Less is more from the aspect of longevity, simplicity, low cost to repair / maintain. In the 9 years Ive had mine (1987) all Ive had to do to it is replace breaker points (distributor) spark plugs, oil, filters, tyres, battery, clean carb, couple of cv boots and replace / rebuild the two universal joints in drive shaft.

Totally agree a unique small compact ute (pickup) that drives like a car, with selectable 4WD ,D/R(EA81), 4MT with off road capability. Most, 2nd gen. (EA81 1800) had 4MT selectable 4WD dual ratio ( which can be shifted on the move from 2WD to 4WD to 4WD Lo and back without having to stop apart from using clutch) The 1st gen had EA71 1600 with single range selectable 4WD 4MT Understand that the turbocharged models had AT's? Had mine 1987 for 9 years - was my late fathers. Its completely original (no mods) https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/556996_2348882778184_23166076_n.jpg?oh=e4e1c8405c2cd249164826b617e82a69&oe=54B82035&__gda__=1421637060_56edb01cf1140544074c09ab98b78ece

A lot is to do with the cheap aftermarket/ quality of CV boots fitted. so joints don't last long after one cracks / splits. Its a good idea to inspect CV boots regularly, particularly if driving off road, off main highways. Its a lot easier / cheaper to replace boots in time than rebuild / replace CV joints.

Agree with getting a stock breakerless electronic Subaru distributor (it still has a rotor though) although not sure / never done a conversion myself. It make sense as a Subaru one off an EA 81/82? should bolt straight in? Not sure if ignition module is in the distributor or an external separate box. someone else will know. Have forgotten what EA82 one was like on Leone. Never had any issues with these. and are far superior to old breaker style distributors with better continuous smoother running / timing without breaker/condenser deterioration and corresponding performance / starting ability. I still have the old breaker type one in my Brumby - it runs harshly not as smoothly as my Leone ever did with breakerless one - should upgrade mine . Had an 86 Leone ( GL / Loyale) wagon with one of these breakerless electronic types in it, owned it for 14 years (23 years old - til 09 when I sold it) never had to touch the ignition system with it in that time, apart from replacing spark plugs. and checking the ignition timing out of curiosity twice - never had to adjust it Never replaced the leads either - probably should have but no starting / running issues.

Sounds like the quickest way to destroy T belts particularly off road. Only take/s a stick or a stone and belt/s will be history and you'll be stranded if no spare / tools. Better to have covers/protection plus drain holes if off road with water plus mud. If belts tensioned correctly when fitted / covered / protected they shouldn't need retensioning unless need to be replaced (they're relatively cheap anyway in the greater scheme of things - inconvenience etc)

usally give mine (PCV valves) a good swim in petrol and that does the trick.