KiwiBrumby

OK, got the Brumby back from panelbeaters and paint shop and ignition switch is working as normal. However while at the panelbeaters it was driven in and out of the workshop with the choke full out - hence it wouldn't even start when i went to drive home, ended up getting a tow start and after half a km it burst (roughly!) into life! I gave it a good run and it's now running OK.

Update: The carpainter used the blow gun on his air hose to give a blast into the ignition keyhole and tried the key - and the ignition key now works! Ive put some graphite powder into the keyhole and on the key to see if that helps however I still think when I get the Brumby home I’ll pull the ignition barrel and check out it’s interior.

Thanks el_freddo! I don't believe there has been any home wiring ever done (Previous old guy owner had the ute for 26 years before I bought it from him. It seems nothing that requires the ignition to be on is working regardless of how far round I turn the key. (Steering lock still works if that's worth mentioning). I'll report more tomorrow, hopefully with good news!

My Brumby is at the car painters, he called me as the ignition key wasn't doing its thing so I shot down to see what was going on. Turns out something is wrong with the he key does its job but feels 'dead' ie when you twist the key the oil and ignition lights down't come on and the headlights also don't work then when you twist the key the starting position nothing happens and there's no spring-back when you release the key, it just stays in the 'start' position. The paint shop was shutting for the day so I couldn't do much to find out what was causing the problem. I suspect the switch has come away from the ignition lock - or has broken some lug off the switch so that the lock doesn't twist it? Any help appreciated. (I'll head back to the paint shop in the morning to see what I find)

So, how did it go?

I had that, Steptoes noise description was exactly like the noise I had - the left front axle nut needed tightened - apparently it needs to be REALLY tight. Oh, and the noise went away after tightening.

Have you checked the big nut on the end of the hub is REALLY tight? I had similar symptoms and that was all that was needed to make the noise go away.

The heater control tap on my '84 Brumby is leaking. It's down on the top of the frame just about above the left drive-shaft, it's bolted to the top of frame, it has two hoses going in from the motor and two going out to the heater and has a rubber cover over it. Anybody know a source of one, preferably new.

My bet would be that too.

OK, today I parked back where the oil smoke occurred, i.e. where the Brumby has the left side quite a bit lower than the right. Sure enough after work when I fired it up there was a pall of smoke! In answer to above by Al, the motor was cold, the Brunby had been sitting for 6 hours And to park with the ground sloping the other way would mean finding such another location near my work as parking in my usual parking spot facing the other way on the street is a no-no, ticket material! PS No further plug fouling has occurred

WELL, I experimented by parking on a level surface while at work over the last two days and wouldn;t you know it - no smoke on start up! So my theory is that when I park for 10 hours with the left side of the Brumby lower than the right by a bit that 'somehow' oil drains to the lower side combustion chamber(s) Anybody else have a similar occurence?

A couple of nights ago after work I started my Brumby and looked in the mirror to see a cloud of oil smoke coming out from the exhaust, it stopped after 5 to 10 seconds and then when I drove off I was running on three cylinders. Got home and checked the plugs, the one nearest the firewall on the left side of the car was black and sooty but not what I would normally think of as oil fouled, the other three were good. I cleaned the dirty plug and put it in the front right hole and the one from that cylinder where the 'dirty' plug had been. Fired up and still only had three working cylinders so check that spark was getting to the left rear plug, it was. Next thing for no reason all four were going so took the Brumby for a drive, gave it a bit of a thrashing and not a a suggestion of misfiring etc, all good! Next morning all was still good. I have experienced this oil burning thing about two times previously but never had issues of plug fouling then. I use the Brumby pretty much daily and it has always runs well, uses virtually no oil and am puzzled by this fouling thing. Any ideas????(If it's any clue the left side of the motor is lowere than the right by a bit due to parking angle here - we drive on the left) TIA

I did that, it all seemed smooth. I did notice I could rotate the hub a tiny amount before the axle shaft turrned does this indicate excessive play in the outer cvj? There was no knock but there was that little bit of play.

Thanks guys, will do it when the rain stops!

Hi All, I've noticed that when I brake fairly heavily there is a thumping noise from the left rear of my Brumby, it seems to be about wheel rotation speed. Under light braking I don't notice any noise, it SEEMS the harder I brake the louder the thump and it only happens when I brake, not at any other time. I'ts not a harsh metal to metal type noise, it's almost the noise I'd expect if the tyre had a bulge that was hitting something (If you know what I mean!)

Ta, the friend has a beach-buggy thing made out of a cut-down and shortened Brumby, he said it doesn't have that wire and it won't idle for long before cutting out.

Id be interested in finding out anyminor mods too> All the mods in 'wagons' post would be OK here, generally Traffic authorities wouldn't notice!!

HI all, a friend pointed out a wire going to the carby on my '84 Brumby, what does it do??

Sounds like your booster has a ruptured diaphragm.

In the past on various vehicles I've used a T fitting screwed into where the oil-light switch is and screwed the oil-light switch into one end of the T and the guage line into the other end of the T Having said that, I have not done it on a Subaru so possibly access/clearance might be an issue on them.

No guesses?

I have just lately noticed the electric fuel pump runs in short bursts at times, the rest of the time it is normal - any theories out there? The motor seems to still run just fine -standard 1984 EA81 i.e. Up until a short while ago I heard the pump going steadily, like tick-tick-tick-tick-tick etc but now and then it goes tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-pause-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-pause-tick etc I haven't counted but it seems about 8 or 10 ticks then a pause of half a second then 8 or ten ticks then half second pause

Ha, I never checked that! I just stood on the left side of the buggy and saw the left front wheel was spinning but no movement of the left rear wheel and the buggy wasn't going anywhere! Until I suggested pulling the handbrake on a bit - THEN it moved!

I was in a buggy a friend had made from an old Brumby/Brat that had been shortened by a foot or so and a home-made body fitted, anyway I discovered if you're getting a front wheel spinning (on muddy ground ) you're going nowhere, other wheels just sit there, what do you guys do to prevent this? Otherwise it makes a mockery of four-wheel drive.