I replaced the fuel filters, I cleaned the petcock, and I checked the float valve for the carburetor. The fuel is flowing as fast as I think it can flow for that kind of system.

The car still has trouble getting over 50 miles an hour and it doesn't have any more power when it gets to that speed (when I press the pedal it doesn't go any faster).

The car has been smoking even after it's warmed up, and the smoke does not smell like normal two-spoke smoke. It smells "burnt". I think maybe this is because the piston rings may have carbon'd up.

I emptied out the gas tank and flushed it with gasoline. There was a lot of crap in it, but I have cleaned it.

When I get a chance to check the ignition system I will.

I took the cylinder heads off and they were fine. The spark plugs are little dark but they're not fouled. The san side piston head has more carbon build up than the other one.

So I know the engine is not running lean, and that it's not the fuel system. It's probably the ignition system. Do you guys have any suggestions?

That's why I asked about the age of the fuel and the sparkplug wires and/or distributor

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I'm home now. I drove over 2000 miles.

I don't think I will ever be attempting a journey that long in a 25hp car again.

I had a couple of scary moments, like when the 360 stalled in East St. Louis at 4am and refused to start, or when I nearly got killed because a pickup driver in Atlanta wouldn't let me into traffic and I almost ran into the side of a bridge (those tiny drum brakes work a lot better than I had imagined - thank God).

Over all though it was pretty fun - though very, very, very tiring (my legs are cramping, and I can almost still hear the engine droning and the gears whining) - got lots of looks and questions, lots of people taking pictures.

Anyway, how about some pictures?



In Denver



East Colorado



Filling station in Kansas



Engine apart in Kentucky...


PS: thanks for the suggestions, the last several posts by me were made by my girlfriend to whom I was relaying news of my journey.

The performance problem turned out to be due to the distributor, after the last photo above I took it apart and saw that the advance mechanism was extremely dirty and probably hanging up. I cleaned it, and the performance went back to normal with no backfiring and good acceleration.

that is good to hear! hope you have good plans for the subie

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Holy crap, you made it. I had my doubts, but congrats!! Got any more pics?

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very nice photos

I love the 360s they are so cute

More pics? I took a few more. They're mostly just more of the same though:


Eastern Colorado



Draining fuel in Kentucky... this was the first time, there was a lot of dirt and water in the bottom of the tank. After the sun came up I found a Napa auto parts store and got a new filter, etc. Fuel flowed fine after that.



This storm blew up in Kansas. I was going to try and wait for it to die down, but it wouldn't go away. I ended up driving through it for over an hour, against cross winds and head winds and got the worst mileage of the trip, I estimated something around only 30mpg.

It needs some bodywork and a repaint. I'm not going to iron it out perfectly, some of the smaller dents lend a little character - I was thinking about painting is seafoam green, or grey blue or some other similiarly old fashioned but mellow color.

Eventually I'll get around to redoing the upholstery but it's not very high on my list. Somebody redid the front seat in green schoolbus vinyl - it's not the best color but it's pretty rugged and they did a pretty good job, so I can live with it for now.

And here is my Alternator conversion.


It's a 1980s Volkwagen Bosch Alternator with extended pulley. There are TWO different extended pulleys for 1980s VWs, this is the longest version which is too long (I did not know when ordering it that there were two different extensions) - the shorter extended pulley will have an almost exact belt alignment right out of the box!

If you do convert to an alternator, try getting the slightly older version of this alternator, which uses screw terminals, which are much easier to adapt to Subaru 360 use - I believe that that version is for the MKI VW Rabbit.

This version uses push on terminals the two larger ones are larger than standard spade connectors, so I had to stretch out standard connectors to get them to fit, a better option that this would be two go to a junkyard and cut the original connector out of an old VW.

The two thick red wires go straight to the positive terminal on the starter motor, where the positive cable from the battery is attached. Originally positive current would have entered the Subaru's system through the black/white wire from the generator - it's too thin for use with an alternator and you'd probably burn up the wire and alternator if you tried to use it.

The black wire in the photo I connected to the yellow wire that goes to the dash GEN light.

Mechanically these VW alternators are single wire systems, Bosch just had the great idea to make them compatible with systems that have ammeters and charge lights.

If you're running a radio, fog lights, or whatever on your Subaru 360, an alternator might be a worthwhile investment.

Nice work! I love to see people drive their 360's! I've not yet taken mine 2000 miles, but I'm thinking of driving to Chicago via RT 66 next summer from Portland Or. for the World meet.

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All my cars in motion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTr7DQfa ... annel_page

Bring some earplugs. It's not the volume, just the droning that really gets to you I swear when I got out at rest stops I could still hear the engine running for a good ten minutes after I stopped...

Also brings LOTS of 2 stroke oil! By the end of the my trip I had to buy lots of those tiny pint bottles at gas stations out of desperation to keep enough oil in the tank.

I left with a gallon of oil, and was lucky enough to find two more gallon jugs along the way, but out of luck after that. Unfortunately the tank in my car leaked whenever filled more than halfway, and this problem got worse the further I went on my trip (so even when I only filled it to the 1 liter mark, it still leaked oil). I haven't checked all of the receipts yet, but I probably spent as much or more on oil as on gas.

What a journey, I take my hat off for you! Recently I did 200 miles in a day in my Florian which felt like quite a lot (bad weather didn't make for a relaxing drive), and that is a bit bigger than your 360...

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1972 Isuzu Florian

Subaru 360's should use a quart of 2 stroke oil every 200-250 miles, and that's what mine uses nomally around town, your mixture pump may be stuck open, and your tank is cracked. 2000 miles should = 8-9 quarts.

I've driven to the West Coast Subaru meet in Hood River near Mt. Hood, about 120 miles r.t. I don't notice any excessive droning noise. My muffler is good. I do feel beat up fromt the drive afterward. Kinda like I took a ride in a washing machine on extra spin.

Kudos on your adventure ! Jumping in an untested microcar for that type of journey takes guts. ...and a few wrenches

You REALLY should join the 360 drivers club. Most people think they can do it on their own, or never listen when when I say that, but, for 8 bucks, it's the best (and best kept secret) Subaru 360 investment imaginable.

I was given my 1st 360 Sedan in 1992, now I have 6.5 360's! I try to drive them daily, rotating throught the fleet, and repair 360's and other microcars for other people for a living.

www.mphspecialties.com

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All my cars in motion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTr7DQfa ... annel_page

I was a member of the club for several years, and I still talk to Ed every now and then.

I don't think there are any replacement mufflers that can rival the original units for quietness, as you probably know with the original in place the sound of the fan and generator is probably louder than the sound of the exhaust at idle.

My first point of business now that I'm back home is to repair the oil tank, because by the time I got back it was leaking quite badly. Even though I was only filling it half way it was still leaving puddles everywhere I stopped and it made a mess out of the inside of the engine compartment.

Jim B from Ca. repairs them for the club. They are hard to do because oil gets into the plastic welding. He has some secret method. Ask Ed for his address.

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All my cars in motion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTr7DQfa ... annel_page

It takes a mighty pair of stones to drive a Subaru 360 in unknown condition 2000 miles cross country. Congratulations.

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My JNC: 1983 Subaru GL wagon
My JNM: 1979 Yamaha XS Eleven

Thanks.

I made a short video today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7VHsr9ZVYo

I found the engine was flooding while running at idle, so I cleaned the float valve, and it seems like it's running fine now.
I also removed the muffler to get measurements for a friend to make a proper mounting backet, so you get to hear the unbridled popping of an unmuffled 360.

Wow, cross country in a 360. Good for you. My 360 is in good enough running condition to make a trip like that, but I don't know if I could take it. I want to do Pennsylvania to Maine in it next summer and maybe up into Canada also.

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-tom