Dianalee

I actually haven't checked the power steering fluid recently.... will do that first thing in the morning! Dianalee

I just replaced a cv axle in my '92 Loyale because the boot blew and it was making clicking/grating and groaning noises, especially while turning. The clicking/grating noises are gone now, but the groaning is still there. Any ideas of where to start? Thanks! Dianalee

Thank you for asking! Actually, when I was reading the response to my post, a link to cv axle replacement PHOTOS popped up under "similar threads" at the bottom of the page. (http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showphoto.php?photo=1046&sort=7&cat=500&page=1) That was exactly what I needed. I don' t know why it didn't come up in my searches. It would be nice if there were someway to pull up this information than by searching, because it's hard to find the really important information that way. Anyway, I put the new axle on and droave the car around. There is still a groaning sound when I turn corners and I'm not sure where that is coming from. (Probably I should post that as a new thread) Dianalee

I forgot........I also wanted to know what parts are good to replace at the same time Dianalee

Hi, I need to replace the front CV axle on my '92 Loyale wagon. I have been looking through the archives and reading my Haynes manual and I am getting confused. I need a true STEP by STEP rendition. (You guys helped me last year with my timing belts and water pump, now I tell everyone about this website! Thanks a ton!) Okay, I have the car on a jack stand and I have the wheel off. In the Haynes manual, it says something about needing to remove the brake calipers and the brake pads and the caliper support bracket and disconnect the parking brake cable. I don't see anything in the archives about doing this and I am not sure I can identify these parts. Is that my next step? Thanks for your help! Dianalee

That's the side that broke for me also. I had to fashion a tool to turn the cam to the alignment marks. I don't weld, so I found a metal bracket at the hardware store that had three holes... the outside holes being about 82mm apart. (Actually it had six holes originally and I used my grinder to cut the bracket in half. I had to use my dremel tool to widen the holes a little as the measurement wasn't exact.) I put bolts in the outside holes that would fit in the cam sprocket holes. I put a short nut and bolt in the middle hole and fixed it in place with some JB weld. (After letting it sit over night) I could then use the tool to turn the cam sprocket and align it AND I could use my torque wrench to put so that the tensioner could be properly adjusted. My car had 120,000 miles on it. I had someone look at it and they said the water pump didn't need to be replaced, so I didn't replace it. 200 miles down the road I started smelling antifreeze and I had to take the whole thing apart again. The seal on the water pump was bad and so was the "o-ring." I think that the pump itself was probably okay, but I couldn't see going to all that work and putting the pump that had 120,000 miles on it back in. The only thing is that you have to move a lot more stuff to change the water pump than you have to just for the timing belt. Thanks for reminding me.... I have all the pics and half the write-up done. I shelved it while the stomach flu went around through the three kids and me and then I forgot about it. Dianalee

I just had a "timing belt adventure" which I am writing up with pics, hopefully to be submitted in the next couple of days. (A guide for EXTREME beginners!) I wish yours had been done for me to follow! Dianalee

Ok, I did the timing stuff like you guys told me and I got the car started!!! Thanks to a strip of metal and some JB weld (whick I bought to put the timing window back together) on a bolt in the middle I made a tool to put some torque on the cam sprocket. I was scared to fake it, as was suggested by everyone who gave me suggestions on how to torque that. SO, after sitting for a month, she starts! She makes a bothersome tapping noise like she always does before the oil gets circulated, although I think it's a little louder now. I don't know whether that's fixable or a sign that I will need to replace the engine soon. I tried to get it checked out by a mechanic, but he said I should just get a new car. (This car is great...interior and exterior are great...I see no reason to get a new car just so the mechanic doesn't have to do anything more complicated than change belts and oil.) I haven't put her all the way back together yet. I will do that tonight and take her on a test run Thanks for all your help!!! Dianalee

Rambling would be appreciated right now! I can't get the belts torqued! Dianalee

What if I used some kind of oil filter wrench that attaches to the torque wrench? WOuld that affect the torque reading or would it be good enough? Dianalee

I still am not explaining it right. The cam sprockets are on, I'm not having a problem there. I want to put torque on the cam (counterclockwise) so that I can tighten the tensioners and the timing belt will be tight enough. I was using the cam bolts to do that, but I can't now. What else do I do to put torque on the cam so that my timing belt will be tight enough? Dianalee

Maybe I'm not expaining well. Per the instructions in my manual, I'm using a torque wrench on one of the three bolts holding the cam sprocket on. 18 ft lbs counterclockwise unscrews the bolt. I can't get it back on tight enough to where I can get 18 ft lbs without unscrewing it. Dianalee

(cont'd from "Help please" thread) I took the timing belts off so that I could get everything aligned properly and I was trying to put enough 18 ft lbs of torque on the left side cam sprocket before tightening the tensioner down. My manual says 12- 18 ft lbs, so the first time I did it, I put about 12 ft lbs on, but I was worried about getting the belt tight enough. I do not have the fancy "belt tension wrench" they show in the service manual. In my manual it says to put the torque on one of the bolts holding the camshaft sprocket on. Here's the problem..... As I approached 18 ft lbs in the counter clockwise direction, that loosened the bolt. Now all three bolts are loose and I can't even get 12 ft lbs of torque on them. Now what do I do? Thank you guys for being so patient and helpful! Dianalee

I got the torque part right, but somehow I missed where you are supposed to have one up and one down. It would be really cool if that solved the problem! Dianalee

Duh!! Sorry I'm half asleep right now. (I'll use being a single mom with twin 3 yr olds as an excuse. I don't know what excuse I'll use when they get older!) dianaleedeter [at] earthlink.net (edited for anitspam) Thank you Dianalee