Replacing Axle?

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:24 pm

Ok, so.. we get our first "summer rain" here in the NW, and what do i do?? decide it'd be great to go out sliding. Well, i forgot that i have massive understeer, and well.. slid into a curb, wheel first. Now, if i have to hold the wheel 90 degrees to the left just to make it turn straight and the wheel (passenger front) still rubs on the back of the fender well, does this mean i just hit it out of alignment or do i need to replace my front axle? The cv on this side was going anyway, so i want to know if perhaps replacing the cv would be the fix, or just drop in a whole new FWD axle? My other option, in my opinion, is if the repairs are in excess of $150 (yeah, i'm that cheap) is to buy my friend's legacy, which is a 92 AWD auto, and just do an engine swap. I hear those can be done in a weekend with a couple pairs of hands. I have the tools and a willing helper for it, so now i guess i just need a subaru opinion. I trust you guys, so what's your verdict?

Thanks,

-=Tristan

greg donovan · Post by **greg donovan** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 6:39 pm

buy your friends car. dont want to scare you but you probably have bent more than the axle it sounds like. probably front control arm. and maybe the cross member it all mounts to. you could swap the engine into your friends car or you could saw the suspension onto your car. either way even if you do it yourself you are looking at more than 150 probably.

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:11 pm

That's what i thought. Driving it home that night it had terrible shudder. even sitting and idling the shudder was bad. It shook. when i shift there's some kind of knock/slop thing, and it really pulls to the right. So yeah, i think i'm gonna have to buy that car and do an engine swap... shit. I'm gonna go home tonight and take a look underneath, as it's dry outside now, it was wet last night...
If anyone else wants to ring in on this, PLEASE do..

thanks,
-=tris

greg donovan · Post by **greg donovan** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:20 pm

this is a very common type of damage on rally cars. except the source is usually a ver large hidden rock.

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:33 pm

yeah, i did think of that when we hit it. just told the finanicier about the damage --needless to say they weren't too happy about having another car around.. but it looks as though i'm gonna have to swap engines. i have no choice. either way, i guess i win.. i mean, the next legacy, the one i'm dropping my engine into is awd, and auto, which i think i'm ready for. I'm tired of shifting, and i don't go offroad, so i think i'm cool on the auto, plus the paint is nicer (baby blue) and it's a 92, which means facelift, baby! eh.. ok, i'm getting sick of looking at the bright side. i hate when my car don't work. makes my whole life bad. And i just put GR2s on it... fuck. it's basically your FWD sedan, just probably more beat up.. fun, aren't they? oh well.. here we go for AWD...

-=tris (goes to search for "engine swap" on the boards.)

LaureltheQueen · Post by **LaureltheQueen** » Mon Aug 23, 2004 9:36 pm

swap's the best plan. You'll love the awd, and i prefer the auto tranny, as i've gotten quite lazy over the last few years.

If you're going to junk the car, pull the rear struts off and sell them for $50 or so...

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 12:37 am

Yeah, i'll let you know what i'm gonna do with the spare parts. Elkaboom has dibs on the majority of the suspension parts, and i think azn2nr wants the dash whatnots..
Now i actually have to take the GR2s off and put them on another car. Will the GR2s in the rear on my FWD work on the AWD, or will i have to take them back and get the AWD ones?
I'm sorry, Laurel.
Although, i went out and got me a jackstand/jack combo kit thing, so i'm a little more confident after looking at the parts that i could do it. I'm really sorry i thought it was so complicated. But, alas, now i have an easier way to change the timing belt: engine swap. i have (i think) about a week until i actually get the car, and then maybe another week while i gather parts and shit so that this thing runs and will get me thru college. I feel like such a loser. Either way, i'm making a list of things i know i'll need, and perhaps you folks could help me out with this a little bit.. is there a writeup somewhere? This'll be my first engine swap, so.. i'm a little more than nervous. I've heard it really only takes a weekend with two pairs of hands, is that right? I've got all the tools and an engine lifter, so we're good to go on that, but i need to know if the engine needs extra wiring and shit for the auto tranny. (engine going from 5mt to 4eat.)
Now, my list includes Sti Group N mounts for engine and tranny, as well as Timing belt, and water pump.. but after that... i'm lost.
and I don't even know the condition of the AWD car fully, but i know the tranny's on the fritz, and the engine was ran out of oil, so it's bad. But when my buddy ran it down it had a full tank of gas! Score!

greg donovan · Post by **greg donovan** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 12:44 am

the FWD rear struts will not work on the AWD car the lower mounts for the strut are where the axle needs to go on a AWD rear hub. and i believe the FWD rears are longer because of this.

you should pull the oil pump and put a new o-ring in there as well as the crank seal. do the cam seals on the heads too. how is the water pump? if you have a few extra dollars get a perrin (or similar brand) lightened crank pulley. i would reccomend a optima red top battery. that will make sure your ride always starts so you never miss class.ha ha.

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 12:51 am

I have a red top, thanks... that was my best mod ever. i think i might even take my sweet time on this one and get a grounding kit (or make one) and yes, i'll look into the pulley situation, i've wanted to. i'm also gonna mod the intake while i'm there, and ... cam seals? see, when you get into talking about actual engine parts is where i get lost. I kinda was just planning on disconnecting everything, then putting the other one in and re-connecting everything, minus the stuff i was gonna replace anyhow.. but yeah, while we're there, seals wouldn't be a bad idea. So, cam and crank seal, got it. I'll also look into whether some of the other parts from the 92 need to be replaced with my stuff... we'll see. I'm saying my prayers now.

-=tristan

LaureltheQueen · Post by **LaureltheQueen** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 1:23 am

by mod the intake, i hope you only mean remove the snorkus.

turbonator · Post by **turbonator** » Tue Aug 24, 2004 2:24 am

91legacy_sleeper wrote:That's what i thought. Driving it home that night it had terrible shudder. even sitting and idling the shudder was bad. It shook. when i shift there's some kind of knock/slop thing, and it really pulls to the right. So yeah, i think i'm gonna have to buy that car and do an engine swap... shit. I'm gonna go home tonight and take a look underneath, as it's dry outside now, it was wet last night...
If anyone else wants to ring in on this, PLEASE do..

thanks,
-=tris

Could you describe the problem more.?? It sounds like my car but mine only does it in the winter.. Everything looks straight on my car suspension wise.. How bad was this knock thing and when it shook was it the really bad.?

How much is your buddy going to sell you the legacy for??

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 4:25 pm

well, i took the wheel off and looked at it, and it would appear that i have a broken lower control arm, which is suck to the max. Anyway, yeah, so my 91 N/A with 140,8xx miles is now up for grabs... or can i replace the control arm without too much trouble? It's bent to the point where it's touching the first cat, which is causing the shudder/rumble. also, it pulls hard to the right. It's not as bad now that i have the donut on, but i'm not driving it anywhere, so...
I guess i've got some thinking to do. Gotta decide to either let the Legacy go, and move on, (like people are saying) or.. find a way to fix it and/or finance another one.

So.. new car time? I want to try to buy Mr. Soul's car.. that Keith guy or whoever from Frantic Four. It's an auto, like i need, and it's a turbo, which i don't need, but is fun. looks like i'm headed to that thread now.

-=tris

THAWA · Post by **THAWA** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 9:59 pm

how is it bent? Is the frame bent aswell? Is anything else damaged?

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 10:02 pm

I'm not sure if the frame's bent. But i know the control arm has a nice indentation in it that shouldn't be there. what is the control arm connected to as it goes back in the car? i can see what it holds up front, obviously, but, where does it go and what does it connect to as it goes back into the car? does it connect to the frame?

THAWA · Post by **THAWA** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 10:06 pm

yep, right to the frame on the rear of it. If you have a 5mt it will connect to the frame right infront of the tranns crossmember. This is also where the ALK is installed. Up front it connects to the engine crossmember on one side, and steering knuckle on the other side.

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 10:15 pm

oh. ok. umm... well, i know that it looks popped down from the side of it, like, (and this is hard to describe cause i don't know what i'm talking about) it goes up to something, where it's kinda circular in connection, and it's obviously broke. It's straight hanging in there. the car's gonna have to get junked, so i think i'll try to hawk the engine for ~$500 if i get lucky.. the engine is very solid, only 140k. just needs a new timing belt. i love it to death. well, i love(d) it to death. hehe.
i think i'm gonna give up on fixing it, cause i wont be able to fix it. flat out, i'll tell you that now. sorry. i appreciate all your guy's help though.
thanks,
-=tristan

tris91ricer · Post by **tris91ricer** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 10:28 pm

I'm sorry if that last post was short(*mean?).. i suppose you all can relate --your life just isn't the same when your beloved car doesn't work right. I'm hoping and praying right now that i get approved to buy the 91 turbo mr. soul has for sale... i want it bad. but alas, the 91sleeper has to go. i'm searching junkers now, or, at least considering my options for parting it out. i think i'll try to part it out to you all for more $$ to put into the new turbo. But, whatever happens is gods will...
i just hope i get another subaru. i don't want any other car. I'm driving a 92 cavalierRS now and i'm sick everytime i'm behind the wheel...
oi vey,
-=tris

91legacyman · Post by **91legacyman** » Sun Oct 10, 2004 2:05 pm

i was just curiose if u were getting rid of your 5mt ?

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Replacing Axle?

Replacing Axle?