What did you do to your 5th gen today?? -V4

[kattz]

Well... um, this.

[creep_nu]

uh oh, this is either gonna be very good or very bad

[kattz]

I will post the build when it happens. I still need to do some more healing from my neurosurgeon screwing up. And so it might be late next year before this happens. Also have a engine coming so that I can 3D print the headers for it and test fit them and then send it to the header shop. And I need the heads for the new motor when we do that in 3 years. There is an awful lot of work to do and there's just me.

[motorbreath]

Well, I recently made the very poor decision to replace both the inner and outer tie rods, since my outer ones were starting to have some play in them and so why not replace both... This was a really stupid decision because in my desperation to get to the inner part of the steering rack boots, both for removal and installation, I ended up over extended the rack on the drivers side and damaging the internal seals.

Now for many of you this seems like a completely idiotic thing to do, but I did it. Not sure how bad the drivers side is leaking into the newly installed boot, but I am likely looking at some serious $$$ to get this fixed since I am pretty sure you need to drop the subframe to repair the steering rack.

[Scubaboo]

Yeah I had my rack bushings replaced some time ago and they had to drop the subframe for it.  Sorry to hear that.

If you are planning to do front sways now is the time to get ready for that.

Oh and do those rack bushings too.  Maybe Whiteline has firmer ones if you want as the stockers are pretty compliant.

Motor mounts will be easier to do then too.

[creep_nu]

15 hours ago, kattz said:

I will post the build when it happens. I still need to do some more healing from my neurosurgeon screwing up. And so it might be late next year before this happens. Also have a engine coming so that I can 3D print the headers for it and test fit them and then send it to the header shop. And I need the heads for the new motor when we do that in 3 years. There is an awful lot of work to do and there's just me.

damn you've got a *lot* in the works.  gonna be a fun one to watch.  hope everything heals up soon for ya

[creep_nu]

5 hours ago, motorbreath said:

Well, I recently made the very poor decision to replace both the inner and outer tie rods, since my outer ones were starting to have some play in them and so why not replace both... This was a really stupid decision because in my desperation to get to the inner part of the steering rack boots, both for removal and installation, I ended up over extended the rack on the drivers side and damaging the internal seals.

Now for many of you this seems like a completely idiotic thing to do, but I did it. Not sure how bad the drivers side is leaking into the newly installed boot, but I am likely looking at some serious $$$ to get this fixed since I am pretty sure you need to drop the subframe to repair the steering rack.

 

 

always seems that the easiest jobs make for the worst and costliest mistakes...good luck buddy don't beat yourself up too bad, i ended up having to replace the full hard brake line after breaking it trying to do a dang brake job on an old car...ish happens.

[motorbreath]

On 11/3/2023 at 3:19 AM, Scubaboo said:

Oh and do those rack bushings too.  Maybe Whiteline has firmer ones if you want as the stockers are pretty compliant.

Thanks for the heads-up, I have a new rack on order along with engine mounts, but I'll call first thing for the bushings. I'll stick with OEM, my wife already hates how rough the ride is and I want to get this work done ASAP.

This is going to be costly, but I'll get over it!

[motorbreath]

So I just picked-up the parts today, just sticking with the stock bushings, 2 of which come with the rack and the other was pretty cheap (relatively). I also got new engine mounts to add the the pitch stop that I ordered last year but never got around to installing. Finally, I ordered new hard lines for the new steering rack and, thankfully, my local dealership parts department took pity on my and gave me a very substantial discount.

Everything should get installed next week and I am looking forward to getting it back on the road...driving my wife's Ascent is uninspiring.

[DrD123]

is the pitch stop mount the front motor mount?  We don't have a pitch stop like say the WRX does (above the transmission, rearward of the engine)

[kattz]

Yes.

[motorbreath]

1 hour ago, DrD123 said:

is the pitch stop mount the front motor mount?  We don't have a pitch stop like say the WRX does (above the transmission, rearward of the engine)

Yeah, I have heard it referred to as an engine mount and a pitch stop, even though it is not the same design as for the WRX. In the parts website it is called a "torque strut mount", so I think it is not normally loaded when the car is stationary and level. In my case the two main engine mounts are starting to fail, so the front mount seems to always have some of the weight of the engine on it at all times.

[motorbreath]

On 11/3/2023 at 2:29 AM, motorbreath said:

Well, I recently made the very poor decision to replace both the inner and outer tie rods, since my outer ones were starting to have some play in them and so why not replace both... This was a really stupid decision because in my desperation to get to the inner part of the steering rack boots, both for removal and installation, I ended up over extended the rack on the drivers side and damaging the internal seals.

After verifying leaks from damaged seals on both sides of the rack, I ordered a new one along with engine mounts, already had the pitch stop but had not installed it yet. I just got the car back from the mechanic, they dropped the front subframe to install everything.

This was an extremely expensive mistake, I am not even going to mention the cost, it is really painful and emotional topic for me, especially considering the cost to my pride. However, HOLY SH*T my original engine mounts must have been completely failed because the car drives sooooooo much better now with almost zero slop with a hard take-off or in reverse.

[DrD123]

Glad to hear it's back on the road!  How many miles on the old motor mounts? 

[Scubaboo]

6 hours ago, motorbreath said:

After verifying leaks from damaged seals on both sides of the rack, I ordered a new one along with engine mounts, already had the pitch stop but had not installed it yet. I just got the car back from the mechanic, they dropped the front subframe to install everything.

This was an extremely expensive mistake, I am not even going to mention the cost, it is really painful and emotional topic for me, especially considering the cost to my pride. However, HOLY SH*T my original engine mounts must have been completely failed because the car drives sooooooo much better now with almost zero slop with a hard take-off or in reverse.

Have you checked your trans mounts?

I mention it because in my experience they were usually in need of replacing too when motor mounts are toast.

There is a hole in the trans crossmember a rubber portion of the trans mount goes through.  Worn mounts will have a rubber indicator sticking out noticeably from the hole.

 

[motorbreath]

5 hours ago, DrD123 said:

Glad to hear it's back on the road!  How many miles on the old motor mounts? 

125k miles, but I did replace the transmission mount and pads for the cross member last year. The transmission mount I used was an aftermarket one that is solid.

[Falcor]

Resprayed the wing (Superwrap). The original spray lasted 2 years, so better than expected.

I also took a bit of time and cleaned up the engine cover and air box duct with Simple Green in the bathtub. Also cleaned up the buildup on the battery. When I bought all the clutch parts I got a new hold down since it was going to need repainting anyway. Everything looks way better.

 

 

[Scooby Fan]

Nice job....cars always feel nicer when they are clean and shiny!

[Scooby Fan]

That time of year again...today was wash and prep for winter....Summer Michelin's off and Nokians on ......just bought a new snow blower too.....Colour me READY!!

 

[motorbreath]

Are there any recommendations for handling rust above the rear wheels where the bumper plastic meets the body? I hesitate to post pictures, don't want to traumatize anyone...but I want to get this area addressed now before it gets worse.

[Falcor]

1 hour ago, motorbreath said:

Are there any recommendations for handling rust above the rear wheels where the bumper plastic meets the body? I hesitate to post pictures, don't want to traumatize anyone...but I want to get this area addressed now before it gets worse.

Not the cheapest option, but I would take it to a body shop so it is done properly. It would probably get the whole rear resprayed to blend. As far as prevention, that is basically a shelf for salt to sit in. So cleaning it out after the winter season would help. 

On my old CJ-7 it had a flat spot above the rear body mount that was the same way. Rusted right through the body.

[motorbreath]

On 11/22/2023 at 7:13 PM, motorbreath said:

After verifying leaks from damaged seals on both sides of the rack, I ordered a new one along with engine mounts, already had the pitch stop but had not installed it yet. I just got the car back from the mechanic, they dropped the front subframe to install everything.

I forgot to mention, I kept the old rack with new (Mevotech) inner and outer tie rods. If anyone thinks they want to take a shot at replacing the steering rack seals (I think there are two on each side), the whole assembly is yours if you want it.

[lagwagon]

Drove it, broke it (LR spring), took it to the shop to get checked out before getting new tires tomorrow. What is with Subarus and breaking springs? I broke the LF spring in my 4th gen wagon a couple of years ago as well, that car was at 225,000-km while the 5th gen is only at 116,000-km.

[motorbreath]

I replaced my springs at 105k and then years old, they were not in fantastic shape due to Canadian winters. I'm spraying the whole underbody with Fluid Film in the next week or so, once every couple of years, but I do the suspension components every season because of the salt where I live

[dgoodhue]

I had no luck in selling the 2010 Legacy GT (that I rebuilt the motor among other things), so I made it my daily driver for this winter and put away my 2012 GT.  So far so good, I haven't had not had any problems, besides minor issue from sitting for most of 3.5 years.  I had to work out the flat spots.  A couple my switches were not work but have since started working.  The shifting initially wasn't self center itself (made it difficult to find 3rd or 4th) but that now works.  I have put 1000 miles on it since I registered it right after Thanksgiving.

Edited December 22, 2023 by dgoodhue