brat69 Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 (edited) EDIT: 7/30/15 Brat starts and runs, sorta! Still need help making sure where the wires go on the ignition switch. Currently we have it plugged in as IG(nition)->Black A(ccessories)->Blue R(egulator/rectifier)->White(this goes to battery) S(tarter)->Black/Yellow(this goes to starter) With this set up we can get the car to run but not idle. It will run as long as we keep the key turned. What we are unsure of, is there supposed to be a line that comes from the regulator/rectifier? There is another spade on the switch "B". How is the ICU supposed to be hooked up in the engine bay? There are two spades on it but we only have one wire plugged to it. We have a weak orange spark from the coil to the disty but when i try it from the plugs to the frame i get purple. On 1 and 4 we are getting intermittent spark to no spark at all. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hello there! I just picked up a brat that needs a little work. Supposedly it ran last year so I'm hoping it won't take much to get it going.Its a 1981 1.8 AWD. He said it needed a new coil so I got one and put it in. When I put the battery in the blinkers were going off and when I went to turn the flashers off the horn went off and there were some sparks coming from the steering wheel. There are also a lot of things missing and wiring ghouls unknown to be.Here are some pictures of the my wiring woes. I have a Haynes manual but I can't really decipher it. I have yet to find a colored wire diagram, which I think would be more helpful.This large blue wire is grounded to the frame and has a male connector. I have no idea where it goes. The mostly black wire is spliced into another black wire that goes into the blue connector. Any ideas of where it goes and what it does?I'm not sure if both of these are female connections, I know one of them is for sure but the other may just be packed with dirt. They lead back into the firewall. I also have no idea what they connect to. The only idea I have about the blue female connection is that it may plug into this unit that is mounted on the strut tower because there is a male lead but that entire unit is grounded to the frame. Also, what are these boxes?[/url]Here is the beautiful fuse orifice. Is the circled one a fusible link? (PO said that the car wasn't getting spark and guessed it was either the coil, fusible link, or regulator). The green fuse is melted but not blown. Does anyone have a list of what the fuses are for? Edited June 30, 2015 by brat69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brat69 Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 (edited) I decided to post a picture of the coil too to make sure I have it connected correctly. The wires on the left lead to the distributor and the ones on the right go to the positive battery terminal. I also think the next to wires may have to connect to the coil but I figured I would get help before I fry myself.The green wire has the loop connector which makes me think that it connects to the coil but it is spliced into the blue/white line that goes into the blue/clear connector which goes to the left relay. I also think this black wire that is grounded to the frame might connect to the coil. It has this weird bulky thing inline. I'm also worried that if i connect it to the coil with it being grounded that it would fry the coil. The insulation on this yellow wire is grounded on the engine, I forget where it goes but can get a picture tomorrow but the insulation is warped/burned, I believe this is caused by arcing.I have no idea what this little wire is that is coming off of the positive battery terminal. Does anyone know what wires are supposed to go to where? I'm not sure if they are connected correctlyThis is what the ignition wire splices look like from the bottom.Any information, help, and suggestion is greatly appreciated. I'll be getting my multimeter and circuit tester soon so I conduct a few tests. Is there a way I could make a new wiring harness to just start the starter circuit? Edited June 30, 2015 by brat69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdweninger Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 What? Nobody else wants to field this question? First of all, what you have here is a complete mess. If it were mine, I would unhook everything from it's power source... ie., battery. Then start from scratch. Hook up one circuit at a time. Be prepared to install new fuseable links, new ignition switch, maybe a fuse block, several relays and such. By the time you get this Brat fixed... you will be an expert on Subaru Brat wiring. Or maybe your dash will look like the cockpit of a fighter jet... with independent switchs/fuses for all new circuits. Or... drop it off at Shawn's shop in Denver... he'll fix it. Ha! Sorry Shawn. Best of luck to you... buy a multimeter and 12v test light today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 (edited) I don't wanna sound harsh , but - little wonder no help offered. If you have non factory wiring and don't know where it goes or what it does you have fat chance of anyone else being able to tell from a photo collection. You neeed to follow those non factory wires with dodgy looking connectors to see where they go. Agree with above ++! Wires go nowhere, mark, catalogue and remove. That metal box with blue factory round multi connector has to be mounted in some way to the car until skyhooks become in wider use, doesn;t mean the workings of the electrics inside are earthed to the body by those mounting bolts. Not seen one of those on 84 model, nor have i seen a fuse box with glass fuses xcept on older Japanese models. 1981 and EA81 - is it same as 83 and 84 EA81 series bodies, not seen that early with factory elec ign dizzy, but yellow wire of coil is at neg post anyway. I love how someone goes to sell a car, claims just needs new coil - wouldn't it sell easier and better if they just got it what it needed ? That yellow wire that you say earths at front of engine block ...got a red tracer colour ? An insulator sheath that was likely clear when new, gone yellow with age ? That looks like it is the oil pressure switch wire for the oil warning light in the dash. If it is earthed and everything else is connec ted correctly should get a red light on dash with ignition or engine on. It should be connected to an oil pressure light sender unit on the oil pump below crank pulley. Fit a new switch for reliability. Edited June 13, 2014 by jono Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 (edited) First of all, what you have here is a complete mess. If it were mine, I would unhook everything from it's power source... ie., battery. Then start from scratch. Hook up one circuit at a time. Best of luck to you... buy a multimeter and 12v test light today. +1 If you were in Oregon I would say bring it by. It really has just been screwed in the engine bay....and a bit in the interior....I'll bet it could be sorte pretty easy but gotta be by an expert....that's been chopped up too much propbably just to use an external regulator....Looks worse than it is.. BW wire at the coil will be hot and yellow is Tach.....theres; a start. Edited June 14, 2014 by Gloyale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brat69 Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share Posted June 14, 2014 rdweninger, i wish the car was in denver then it might be a little easier to get some help, since theres a guy down the street that has one. I'm in South Dakota helping out and got it for a deal so I figured I try it out. I may have bitten off more I can chew. I just got my multimeter back and I'm still learning how to use it. I also picked up a test light for a dollar today. Jono, so I connected the wires from the distributor to the coil wrong? I'll take a look at what might be the oil warning light tomorrow when its light out. I posted a picture of it because it was burned a bit. I had the insulation on my motorcycle do that when the tach cable grouned on the engine and fried/boiled an insulated wire. Does anyone know if is some sort of exploded view/microfiche of the brat(like this http://www.partzilla.com/parts/search/Suzuki/Motorcycle/1998/DR350SE/CARBURETOR/parts.html)? I want to know what that ring around the steering column is and how it is supposed to be mounted. I guess I better just take it apart to see if some screw fell out or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbosubarubrat Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Looking at my fsm the bigger metal box above the coil is the voltage regulator and the smaller one next to it is your ignition control unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brat69 Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share Posted June 14, 2014 Thank you turbo. Can you tell me what is hooked up to your coil? Looking at the Haynes manual I'm seeing ignition control unit, noise suppressor, and fuse box via a 15a. Also anyone know what "NCA" means in the Haynes manual? It shows two wires leading from the ICU to the distributor via two NCA wires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 NCA = They don't know what color the wire(s) are. Got to agree with GLoyale, what a mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironworkerboomer Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 UGG Why do PO hack and slash like they do. Mine was at least done by a determined rodent so no rerouting and such. Stick with it or start searching for a doner harness. I was thinking about a painless wiring kit for another project. I've used then in jeeps in the past. But I wasn't going to use the stock gauges for that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naru Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Thank you turbo. Can you tell me what is hooked up to your coil? Looking at the Haynes manual I'm seeing ignition control unit, noise suppressor, and fuse box via a 15a. Also anyone know what "NCA" means in the Haynes manual? It shows two wires leading from the ICU to the distributor via two NCA wires. I think you might be looking at the wrong diagram. 81s have the ICU mounted inside the disty. Pre 81 electronic distys mount the ICUs externally,wires to disty are white and pink,AFAIK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brat69 Posted June 15, 2014 Author Share Posted June 15, 2014 Naru, this is the diagram I was looking at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naru Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Naru, this is the diagram I was looking at. That diagram is mislabeled. It shows an externally mounted ICU as used on pre 81s and an externally mounted voltage regulator as used pre 82. 81s are unique in having in having internally mounted ICUs combined w/an external VR. You would do yourself a favour to find a 1981 wiring diagram. Here is one http://www.ebay.com/itm/1981-SUBARU-1600-1800-ORIGINAL-SHOP-SERVICE-REPAIR-MANUAL-W-WIRING-DIAGRAMS-81-/380731619938?pt=Motors_Manuals_Literature&hash=item58a55f7a62&vxp=mtr#ht_1437wt_670 Maybe you can find a cheaper one w/a want ad in the classifieds or photocopy one at the local dealer if you are lucky. Your ICU will be wired like the "full transistor ignitor" in the 82-3 dagram here http://www.autozone.com/autozone/repairguides/Subaru-ff-1-1300-1400-1600-1800-Brat-1970-1984-Repair-Guide/Wiring-Diagrams/Wiring-Diagrams/_/P-0900c15280065bf4 I believe thier 81 diagram is incorrect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jono Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 oh, don't confuse the yellow wire of the oil warning light switch with yellow of the ignition side of things at coil. Coloured traces help separate these ID issues, and would say the black and yellow paired wires at coil in their own sheath below together. The oil pressure switch wire, might be yellow with red trace, in its own sleeve that goes adrk with age, heat (or worse - I set fire to mine - engine running as I sprayed degreaser, then had fast drive to car wash who did not approve other degreasers, bonnet up, fire burnt itself out, dizy cap reshaped self but still worked, wires singed) oil pressure switch and eng temp switch are usually in a shared loom with any wires for carby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brat69 Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 (edited) Okay so I've made some progress. The blue line from the fire wall goes to the voltage regulator and the noise suppressor contexts to the positive of the coil. When I plug the battery in and try to start it I hear a click sound. I don't know if that is the starter relay or what but after it does that the car has no power and it have to unconnected and re connect the battery to get it to work. I'm going to charge the battery to see if that helps, my only other thought is that the ignition circuit is shorting out some where. That or the ignition switch is wired up wrong. Help please! Edit: does any one know how the ignition switch is supposed to be wired? I'm guessing the black/yellow wire go to the "s" on the back of the key switch (this line goes to the starter) and the other three I'm not sure. The rest of the letters on the back of the switch are b, a, ig, and r. I believe b is for battery and am assuming it is the black line. Edited June 20, 2014 by brat69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brat69 Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 BW wire at the coil will be hot and yellow is Tach.....theres; a start. BW wire from the distributor is supposed to be hot, as in connecting to the positive(+) on the coil? Do I have the wires for the distributor switched around? what do you mean by the yellow is the tach(not the yellow wire from the distributor but the one grounded on the engine)? PO finally got back to me after two weeks. Told me that the green wire connects to the hot side of the coil and thinks that the blue wire(thats grounded to the frame/connected to the round connecter) goes to the fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brat69 Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 I got it to crank over! I don't know if I'm not getting fuel or spark so hopefully it'll be running soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natetheskate138 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Hi Brat69. I've got a 1983 Brat. A few months ago my car wouldn't start(just clicking from the relay) so I inspected the connection and noticed there's a black/yellow wire that runs from my ignition switch to a connector and then continues on under the stearing wheel column. This wire had gotten loose so I reconnected it and it started. Just last week the same the same thing happened so I cleaned up the connection but it still won't start. Did you ever get a response from your question about the codes on the back of the ignition switch or were you able to figure that out? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brat69 Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 (edited) Hi Brat69. I've got a 1983 Brat. A few months ago my car wouldn't start(just clicking from the relay) so I inspected the connection and noticed there's a black/yellow wire that runs from my ignition switch to a connector and then continues on under the stearing wheel column. This wire had gotten loose so I reconnected it and it started. Just last week the same the same thing happened so I cleaned up the connection but it still won't start. Did you ever get a response from your question about the codes on the back of the ignition switch or were you able to figure that out? Thanks.No, I didn't! I still think they are swapped around. Because when we turn the key over to acc or the on position, the motor likes to turn over a bit.Anyone know what wires go to which spades on the ignition? We know that the black/yellow goes to the starter or "s" position. On the back of the tumbler there are "ig","acc","b","s", and "r" but there are only 4 visible wires. We made some progress, sort of. We got the car running by placing the Green splice onto the + side of the coil but the motor would not stop until it ran out of gas. We tested the spark, while the green wire was connected, and were able to get a weak orange spark. Took off the green wire off the coil, no spark, no start. While we were using a test light we touched the + side of the coil while I was cranking it and it started. Took off what I think is the noise suppressor, cleaned and tested the resistance of it and got no reading. Found this thread and still don't know if I need it or not. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/136409-what-is-this-little-capacitor-looking-thing/ Any help on what to test or what goes where will be greatly appreciated! Also this is the California model! Edited June 29, 2015 by brat69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brat69 Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 Brat starts and runs, sorta! Still need help making sure where the wires go on the ignition switch. Currently we have it plugged in as IG(nition)->Black A(ccessories)->Blue R(egulator/rectifier)->White(this goes to battery) S(tarter)->Black/Yellow(this goes to starter) With this set up we can get the car to run but not idle. It will run as long as we keep the key turned. What we are unsure of, is there supposed to be a line that comes from the regulator/rectifier? There is another spade on the switch "B". How is the ICU supposed to be hooked up in the engine bay? There are two spades on it but we only have one wire plugged to it. We have a weak orange spark from the coil to the disty but when i try it from the plugs to the frame i get purple. On 1 and 4 we are getting intermittent spark to no spark at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomRhere Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I don't know the wiring for your year, so can't help much. But do believe that the "White" wire should be on the "B" of the switch Generically speaking, most ignition switches wire the same. B = Battery+ I = Ignition A = Accessory S = Starter R = Resistor - Mostly used on vehicles that had points/condenser type ignition. It was another contact in the start position to feed full battery voltage to the coil. Once engine has started and key released back to run position, coil ran on 1/2 battery voltage thru a resistor of some type. That is why yours only stays running if you hold the key, as you are feeding the switch from the wrong contact, "R" instead of "B". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brat69 Posted July 1, 2015 Author Share Posted July 1, 2015 tried again last night, no start, no spark. we did an coil test from a ground to coil + and got no light. then test light from battery - (with the battery - not connected) and got a weak light from coil +. we have no hot wire to the coil. can we make a line to go from the ignition switch straight to the coil +, or will we fry something in the process? to my understanding, the coil is grounded by the strap but i don't think it is a good ground. if we make a ground, would it connect to the coil - ? from battery + to coil +- the test light goes on. this makes me think that both sides of the coil are grounded. haha, we have no idea what to do now. probably gonna redo the taped fuses with actual holders. can we just make a new harness for the ignition switch itself? if we did it would have to go to the coil, resistor, icu, and voltage regulator, right? the box with the round connector comming from it is the voltage regulator? if so what is the smaller box next to it? in the round connecter there is one hot wire that i tested. is this box not sending a signal to the coil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brat69 Posted July 3, 2015 Author Share Posted July 3, 2015 tested resistance on the coil and got 1.9 on primary and none on the secondary. i think we fried the coil by grounding it somehow. we are still not getting power to the coil. does anybody have pictures of the fuse box? or can tell me what each fuse is for? we dont know why he would cut the lines and replace a few glass fuses for the modern type. anyone know for sure what this is? someone said the icu. there is a wire that goes from this thing to the fan. the other wire is grounded to the frame then connects to itself. maybe wire 1 connects to the mystery box? is 2 half of a fusible link? how many wire should there be going to the ignition switch? we have 4 coming from the harness b, bw, w, blue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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