1981 BRAT Heater Control Valve Question

[Pooparu]

Here are some photos of the heater control valve out of my 1981 BRAT. It doesn't match up to the 1st generation subaru heater control valve. The one I got only has 2 hose fittings, not 4 like this one. Can anyone tell me what style this is or if it's only made for this one year?

 

thanks, earl

 

 

[naru]

Unfortunately heater valves for 81 brats are unique according to the parts book.

6740 02120

[Pooparu]

Unfortunately heater valves for 81 brats are unique according to the parts book.

6740 02120

 

boooooo!

[bendecker]

Many years years back, my heater control valve went bad in my 1981. The dealer wanted 85 bucks for one and this was back in the days when I had far more time than money. I searched high and low in junkyards and in parts stores for any semblance of a substitute. No luck. I finally got around to going back to the dealer to get it. They raised the price to $115!

 

On the bright side, it's still holding up. Wish I could say the same for the air conditioning compressor I had put in at the same time :-)

[lonnie]

i am getting little heat out of my 81 brat. could this be caused by a problem with the valve or is it more likely just the heater? also how did you ultimately deal with the valve issue? thanks

[SUBARU3]

You can easily use the heater valve from any Gen 1/Stage 2 car. I'm not sure why Subaru added such a complicated valve to the BRATs. It's not needed. The standard valve with 2 hoses fits, screws on and operates perfectly.

 

I see your plastic slider tab is broken and has been repaired. That is very important if you plan to operate it from the dash.

 

Also, you can hook hoses directly to the core and add a universal valve in the engine compartment. You can then have full heat all the time and turn it off in the summer! Turn it half way on for warm vs hot. You can get a valve that will work at most parts stores. I think old Ford trucks work nicely.

 

Easy fix

 

Todd