59ctd

I posted the before pics so here are some after pics. The exhaust leaking at the flanges must have some corrosive qualities - or the moisture that comes out of there too. The rusty mess cleaned up far better than I anticipated. I used new gaskets and permatex ultra copper which says good for exhaust and up to 700*. I've never used silicone anything on exhaust before. I guess we will see how it holds up. I used M10 x 1.25 bolts/nuts to hold it together. Car is nice and quiet again and daughter is happy.

Yep and that is where they came from - the local hardware store. Tomorrow I'll clean them up and see how much steel flange is left - if any. I did order 4x of the split flange repair things with 1.75" ID in case there is not enough material left when I get it apart.

This is my daughter's 2008 Legacy 2.5i. This exhaust is stock taken off a 2008/9 LGT. When I put this together ~6 years ago I figured I would use stainless steel bolts, washers, and nuts for the muffler flange connections so as to avoid corrosion. Car has been loud for a bit now. Got under there today and the flanges are REALLY rusty and I am not surprised about that but I am surprised to find one 3/8" SS bolt on each side has corroded completely in half right in the middle. Any idea what forces caused stainless steel bolts to corrode like this? The only thing I can think of is the exhaust gases and leaky gasket result in acidic corrosion on the bolts.

My daughter's 2008 Legacy 2.5i limited is REALLY loud now - leaking at the y split and at the muffler flanges. This used to be my car and I had replaced the OEM exhaust with a (used) OEM LGT exhaust 6 years or so ago. It is now rusted thru due to MN winters and salt. My son can get new OEM from his Subaru dealer work but we are hoping to not have to spend $850+ on the cat back pipe and mufflers. What are other options I might consider? She will likely drive this car for several years more

Are there any special steps/rules for non Subaru non hub-centric wheel mounting? I recently bought a decent set of Michelin X-Ice on CE Sport Edition alloys that will go on my 06 Outback. I've only used hub-centric subaru wheels prior so I am unsure what might be different with these. He did give me the proper plastic centering rings for these wheels and my year subie. He had these on his 2014 Forester and 05 Impreza so they are 5x100. I am thinking the nut torque might be something to pay more attention to on these vs the stock wheels my son and I generally just use a 24" breaker bar and get them good and tight once the vehicle is back on the ground. What might be different on the non hub-centric wheels?

I'm always unsure whether to post stuff here or over on outback forums but I posted here in October about taking the class III hitch off of my 09 LGT... My son and I got the hitch mounted up on my 06 Outback sedan yesterday. Hitch will work better on the OB since it always smacked the pavement going out of driveway when it was on the LGT. I had finished grafting in the trailer light pigtail earlier this week since none of the sedans come with that like the wagons do. It seems the Outbacks have this extra bit of brace at the rear underside of the frame rails right where that meets the rear bulkhead of the unibody and where the bumper is attached. This OB sedan had these but there was no way the Reese hitch was gonna bolt on since the hitch uses the 2nd to last frame rail 10mm bolt for one mounting point. These brackets are different on the 06 OB sedan than my son's 09 OB wagon. The only thing I can think of for their purpose is a bit more bracing on the lower side of the rearmost frame rail where the bumper is attached. OB sits higher so maybe this is to lessen collision damage on the OBs where the bumper height is ~2.5" higher than a normal Legacy. My 09 LGT and 08 Legacy limited do not have this bracket thingy. Anyways, this OB does not have these brackets anymore since they interfere with the hitch mounting

2009 Legacy is in storage now on jack stands in my MIL's garage. We pulled the battery to keep in the shop warm/charged. But, this morning after it siting outside (cold) it cranked slowly. 5 yrs old I think new battery is due this spring.

Took my class 3 hitch off my 09 LGT just now. That will work better on my 2006 Outback 3.0R. Ended up with the exhaust hanger by the rear diff busting off the pipe - rusty due to MN road salt. Not sure if I can get a clamp on hanger or just go without it. The exhaust is still nice and quiet but yeah it shows it's age on the outside and it is original to the car.

Alright, my LGT is back together again FINALLY. Left lower ball joint would not come out so new knuckle, bearing, and brake dust plate there and both new three-five ball joints. Also replaced all four front CV boots. Outer CV joints did not want to dislodge from the shaft but the new boots slide down easy enough once the inner CV joint is removed. My son will get an alignment when goes to work at the local subie dealer tomorrow. I just took off the class 3 hitch since that will work better on my new-to-me 06 OB 3.0R. After alignment the car is going to sleep for the winter about an hour south of home in MIL's spare garage.

Yeah I kinda figured jack stands would be best since it is an hour+ away and not easy for me to just check in on it and if the tires are up or flat. Ordered another set of jack stands. I also think I will do an oil change. It has maybe 5k on it since last oil change June 2022 and I have enough Amsoil on hand to get it done before storage.

My 09 LGT will be in storage for the MN winter in my MIL's garage. What is recommended for storage in an enclosed but not heated garage? I am going to disconnect or maybe pull the battery and bring home to be inside for the winter. Would you guys recommend putting it on jack stands or just not worry about the tires for the 5-6 months it is sitting in one spot? I did get a cheaper car cover for the winter. What else should I be thinking about for winter storage prep?

We've had good results just going to the salvage yard and getting a used one. Always <$40 per axleshaft complete. They have a 30 day warranty so if there is an issue they should replace it.

I replaced the boots from the other end. The inner joint comes apart pretty easily and the outer boot is easy to just slide all the way down the shaft to the outer joint.

What type of slide hammer do I need to dislodge the OUTER CV joint from the axleshaft? My son said I should replace the outer CV boots too and well, they are original so 15+ years old now. The outer CV joint is held on by a blind spring clip on the inner shaft. I have the whole thing out and in my vise but not sure what type of slide hammer I need to pull straight on the outer hub shaft with the nut on it.

We got one lower ball joint out - the one on the right that didn't have stripped threads. LOTs of fire from two torches. and the ball joint puller it was tight but it came out in one piece. Left ball joint no go. Ordering new left knuckle, bearing, dust shield today...

Worked on the car a bit more today but ball joints are really stuck in the knuckles. Tried the jack it up and jamb something in the gap there and let the pressure off but it did not break free. Both drive axles are out now so I can apply lots of heat to the bottom of the knuckles and give it another try this weekend.

Yeps anti seize will be used. It has always treated us well when future repairs are needed to take stuff apart. This job is likely to be worked on Thursday when my son has day off and we can have at it together.

Ok, I believe I understand your description. Put ball joint stud back in LCA and the castle nut on with a nail through the cotter hole so it stays together. Jack the whole thing way up and use the LCA angle at the knuckle joint to try and pry the ball joint free from the knuckle. When the whole thing gets pushed down from spring it will change the angle of the LCA and the knuckle orientation. That should be a fairly large amount of force with something solid wedged in between there

I worked on the ball joints over the past weekend. The induction coil heater worked really nicely to get the ball joint pinch bolt out without breaking them. I do have the proper ball joint puller but the left front the puller sheared all the threads off the ball joint shaft so now I kinda have a different issue to get that ball joint out. Since the axle is now out I can apply the torch to the lower knuckle to hopefully get the knuckle to release the ball joint

LGT is still sitting on jack stands waiting for me to pull the lower ball joints and then do the axle boot. I've been trying to figure out how to remove the ball joint pinch bolt without breaking it off. I just bought a 'Hot Rod' induction coil heater. Tried it first time on a bolt in my vise and it was glowing red within seconds. This should be an easy and flameless way to work those pinch bolts out. Does anyone know if this type of induction heater thingy can harm the ABS sensor or tone ring on the outer CV joint? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09262QC6G

I just moved my 09 LGT into my shop yesterday to put the plastic belly pan back on. Have not driven it for a few months now. Checkin things out the left inner CV boot is split. I have new boots on hand so this is the weekend repair job for me. Have not done one of these in a few years. I believe the lower ball joint needs to be separated to give enough clearance to get the joint apart to fit the new boot on. Is that correct? If I have that apart I then wonder should I just replace the outer boot and then the lower ball joint. Ball joints and outer boot seem fine no issues but this is all original and the car is 15 years old now. What ya guys think?

Brought home a large seating bench from the cabin yesterday going to clean it up and give it away. I am planning on moving the class III hitch off of the LGT and to my new-to-me Outback soon...

OK, so replying to my prior thread with newfound detail... I need to transfer the trailer hitch to my new-to-me 2006 Outback sedan which doesn't have the factory light connector just like my 09 LGT (above). I again went to the u-pull-it and grabbed a trailer connector pigtail from a later 2000's Forester knowing they use the same trailer wiring adapter. The plugs are physically the same BUT the wire colors on the Forester pigtail/plug are totally different. I will be able to make this pigtail work and will post later with an updated diagram with the wire colors from the Outback and Forester included

Yeah the total will be ~3.5K to disassemble, fix the rust line above windshield, paint it, and replace the front and rear windows. Nice that the company that mussed up the paint when they replaced the windshield a year+ back is payin for the repairs.

Today brought my 09 LGT to the body shop to fix the nasty scratch (rusting) above windshield when they replaced it a year+ back. They are sandblasting it and then painting satin white pearl from the A pillars all the way to the rear bumper and rear quarterpanels