Subaru surgery, back under the knife - Shock absorber fun....

[Marina door handles]

Finally I can post a conclusion to this saga and its ever so slightly embarrassing!!!

After fitting the new pump, things really hadn't improved. No amount of bleeding helped so I decided to get the old rack refurbed. I ended up sending the rack to SSL who did a lovely job and turned it around really quickly. I also had ordered a new high pressure pipe which arrived a day before my rack returned. 

I duly got the car back over the pit and pulled out the old rack, a little voice in my head kept questioning whether I had missed anything else? It occurred to me I hadn't checked the steering column...  To be honest to try and keep the wheel in the correct position I had never attempted to move the column independently of the rack because that is definitely a recipe for wonky steering. Having said that a wonky wheel is a price worth paying if the steering is actually fixed and not seizing up though! 

So this time once the rack was disconnected I wiggled the steering wheel and everything seemed okay, then I looked at the UJs, the Forester has 2 universal joints on the end the the column. Checked the top one, moved in both directions as expected, checked the bottom one moves okay in one direction but in the other, utterly seized....... 

This could explain everything.. I removed the UJs and left it soaking in oil overnight. The following day I attacked it with plus gas then lithium grease and after working at it with a bar, got it from seized, to moving with prejudice and a noticeable crunch, to smooth easy movement.

I then  fitted the re con rack and new pipe. Re fitted the UJs, re filled the reservoir with Dextron and then decided to see how free the steering felt by turning it from the Ujs, hmmmm nice and smooth! Oh you are kidding me!

I then bled up the system and test drove. The steering is finally sorted, feels really good, just need to ignore the steering wheel being on the piss! (I will sort that).

So to sum up I have thrown cheap second hand parts at this (rack and pump), I think I got a bit of a false positive when I changed the rack the first time. I suspect the UJ was seizing up causing the issue but the act of freeing it from the original rack may have temporarily free'ed up the action, so the positive effect of the new 2nd hand rack seemed short lived as the UJ re seized causing all manner of issues and a breakdown.

So although I have avoided for the most part  new Subaru parts, I have spent  wasted nearly a grand sorting this issue. Oh well I think I have future proofed the steering gear! 

So that really is it, the Forester is back in action until the next bit of it fails.......

Thanks for reading! 

[Marina door handles]

Earlier this month it was MOT time again for the jacked up estate from Fuji Heavy industries....... It managed to fail on a rust hole in the floor pan by the driver's sill. I felt a tad daft that I hadn't spotted it but to be fair I think it was a recent happening and I hadn't been able to get the car over my pit for a quick pre Mot Inspection (mostly because the pit is more of a water feature at the mo and had a Rover stuck on top of it!).

Anyway I welded it up in a rush and managed to get a free re test and a pass but not after a brief wind up....

Tester "err your repair has under seal on it - so that's a fail!"

Me ...Okay I will scrape it off then...

Tester "What kind of weld is it?"

Me....  Err MIG  and its a continuous run all around the repair panel....

Tester... "Ok you shouldn't have sealed it but I was only kidding, its a pass!"

Queue much laughter from the workshop..... Bastards! That will teach me to get it MOT'ed at work! 

Sadly (or possibly not if you don't like weldy body worky pics)  no pictures were taken because of the rush.

To celebrate scrapping a pass, I thought I would tackle some issues and give myself another chance to seize defeat from the jaws of victory...... 

  Firstly the front shocks are really knackered (but not an MOT issue apparently) and on one side I new one of the bolts holding the steering knuckle to the shock was a bit seized stopping you do any camber adjustment.  So I figured I would start on that side. Bloody hell it is now properly seized and has take some utter brutality to remove! 

 

I ended up having to remove the knuckle after chopping and grinding both ends of the bolt away to free the old shocker..

Then I used my ball joint remover to force the remains out... Useful bit of of kit that, especially as I don't have a press.

Tada!

I think part of the reason this car suffers so much with corroded suspension parts is one Subaru suspension parts quality, pretty sure they come pre rusted and the fact I do use it as a swimming machine! Well it has a 50 cm wading depth and in my neck of the woods that is really useful! Thanks to lack of drainage maintenance by the brassic local council and the current climate we keep getting flooded sections of roads and I do take advantage of its abilities.....

Whilst I was on a roll I replaced the ball joint, I had ruined the rubber gaitor removing it and I cannot remember when it was last changed so a new one was duly fitted.  I did have to clean up the threads as the bolt really did not want to go back in...

Then onto the shocks, I know this is technically the dangerous bit but I laugh in the face of danger! Although that might just be nerves.....

Nearly there just got to re fit and torque up all the relevant bits and bleed the brakes (you have to undo the brake lines to free the shocks because Subaru?).  I would do this tomorrow but we are off to Oulton park for some Rallying so it will have to wait....