belyle Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 First off, I'd like to introduce myself. I"m a first time Subaru owner, bought my 1980 Brat this morning, and live in Renton, WA. So, I bought my Brat in Port Angeles, which is a shade over 100 miles away, if you take the ferry (which I did). I took it for a test drive, but it is a small town, so couldn't really get it up to speed. I did notice that the clutch has a very short engagement region, and I tend to make it chatter a lot. Or maybe the clutch plate is warped, not sure. I noticed that at above 50MPH in 4th gear (even in 3rd), I get a whine/hum that sounds like it may be coming from the transmission. I ignored it until I got home, checked the fluid and it is full and clean. I wasn't in 4wd, that was the first thing I checked. Is this normal? Second issue is that I was stuck in Seattle traffic on I5 after disembarking the ferry, and she started to overheat. I got a couple puffs of steam coming from the hood vents, but not a lot. I turned the heater on inside and everything was fine after a couple minutes, but I had to leave the heat running. Got home, checked the fluid, and put 2 quarts of water in. So, is 2 quarts low enough to cause overheating? Finally, do I need to buy special antifreeze/coolant for this car? I actually read through the owner's manual (it was with the car! holy crap!), and it said to use special coolant, but the "formula" that they gave seemed to be the same as standard antifreeze to me. Great to be a Subaru Owner, and I'm glad I finally got my Brat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonv23 Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Let me be the first to congratulate you on your purchase and dive into Subaru's. I am a Subaru enthusiast, however, I am not one of the more frequent posters on this board. I bought my first Subaru BRAT when I was 16, went 15 years without one, now I have a mint, original 79 brat and 2 1969 360's. On to the issues with your new found treasure. The hum is probably not the transmission, I haven't heard that. It would be more likely to be a wheel bearing. Secondly, being that low on coolant may cause overheating. I don't think it's necessary to use any "special" antifreeze. You should check the basics, the radiator, the fan, the thermostat, etc. How long had the BRAT been sitting? You will find an answer to any question you may have here! Again, congrats! Now post some pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belyle Posted December 13, 2009 Author Share Posted December 13, 2009 As requested, here are some pictures. I haven't gotten into the engine bay to clean it up, so no pictures of that yet. There is some damage to the front bumper right behind the bull bar. The chrome is all intact, but I doubt that I can pop the dent out without damaging the chrome. Body is straight. There is a little rust on the front fenders that's been covered by the non-stock color paint. I haven't found much rust other than that. Eventually, I'll pull off the paint, fix the rust spots, and get it painted original colors. Absolutely pristine tailgate. The bed is in great shape, too. No rust spots or holes. It's got a texture inside, I think it was coated then painted over. I have the jumpseats but no brackets to put them in. Some more info about the whine above 50MPH: It only whines when I am applying power to the wheels. If I'm coasting, the whine goes away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 These engines tend to overheat when idling too long,stuck in traffic,etc. Go over everything related to the cooling system and you'll be fine. That means improve grounding to the radiator,maybe replace the temp. sensor,check wiring to the fan,etc....it'll take you a few hours at most but it'll be worth it. Flush the system too,and consider a T fitting near the firewall on the output heater hose for reverse flushing. Dodge Omni lower rad. hose is exact (enough) and can easily be found in modern rubber form. the orig. is the fabric wrapped hose. I have a bunch of those for serious restoration people. Otherwise go for function. Upper hose shows up once in awhile,should still be in stock on the west coast,etc. Same for T'stats,easy to find. Check valve timing too. And ignition timing afterwards. Enjoy! Looks very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belyle Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 Ok, so I found another problem, I think. While my wife was following me home yesterday, she said that the car looks like it leans one way. I say, "Nah, you're imagining things, it's just the road." Well, it wasn't, and she wasnt. As I was working on the Brat today, I noticed that three quarters of my car go up and down when I press on it. One does not. That one is the right front. I crawled under with my flashlight and tried rocking the car, but there is definitely no movement in that strut. So, I tried jacking the corner of my car up, and the tire raised up with the car (no, I wasn't jacking under the knuckle or a suspension part). I stood on the tire, and nothing. No movement. So, It seems that my FR strut is seized up. I've been searching the board long enough to know that the inserts are nigh impossible to find. However, I also know that some folks have found them and provided links here and there. I am not sure which struts I have, though. It seems that there are two kinds of struts for the 1980 Brat. Was there an overlap between Gen1 and Gen2? Or, did they have two different engines in 1980 that would call for different struts? What I need is some help figuring out which strut I have. My car is a 1980. VIN is A69L-043195. I believe that it has the 1600 engine (EA-71?). I'm looking at getting strut inserts from http://www.classicgarage.com/subaru.html, but they have two listed for an 80 Brat. Which is the correct one for my '80 Brat? Also, is the car OK to drive on the road with a seized strut? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvette6698512 Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I have two fans on my '83 gl radiator. One works with a thermostat, but the other works on a switch on the dash. I find this to work very good. Its fun to see the gauge get higher then normal, then flip the switch and you can almost see the needle drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast I Drive Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Get struts for a '79 brat to avoid confusion at parts houses, the EA81 bodystyle was introduced in 1980 and used different components, but was built side-by-side with the older style Brats. I wouldnt drive it with a siezed strut, but thats just me. the tire does provide some amount of suspension, just not much and with no dampening. -Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belyle Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 I drove it to work on Monday. No issues whatsoever. Even with the seized strut insert. Well, except for that it overheated as soon as I got home. 20 miles on the highway, then 2 miles stop&go traffic up the hill to my condo. I'm 99% sure that the fan is not working. I talked with the guy who sold me the Brat about the struts. He has a friend who has some from an 80 that he's going to send to me. I hope they're the right ones. Is there a way that I can identify which struts are in mine vs what he may send me, so I don't spend a lot of time taking my front end apart? Also, can someone point me towards some info about swapping an EA81 front end into my Brat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast I Drive Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Are you getting just the struts or the springs as well? the struts for your Brat will not have adjuster bolts under the spring perch, and the tab for the bolt that atached it to the knuckle will be facing the center of the car, not the front like on the Gen 2's. What do you mean by swapping an EA81 frontend into your Brat? Like, the suspension? Or the whole drivetrain? -Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belyle Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 He said that he's sending the struts and springs; the full assembly. Is the spring perch at the bottom of the strut, near the knuckle? I was thinking about replacing the suspension and steering in mine with the suspension out of the EA81 model. The reason being that it seems that parts for the EA81 era are still available. I seem to remember reading about it somewhere, maybe here, that it was possible and relatively easy. Would only the Brat suspension work, or could I use front suspension out of a 4WD wagon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast I Drive Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 You could use the front suspension out of any EA81 car, FWD or 4WD, the only thing different is the FWD didnt have the adjustable front springs. IIRC, it will all bolt-in, you need the EA81 control arms, knuckles, balljoints, struts, and radius rods. I believe the stock axles would still work, I think I measured all these parts because I plan on doing the same on a couple of my Brats as well. -Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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