I decided to look around the back of my 1995 Legacy LS wagon, checking stuff out more closely before my upcoming brake job, and noticed this:

 

 

This is a ... trailing control arm? I'm obviously new and not totally sure. Either way, I was on the drive side checking stuff out and looked over and saw this. Went over to investigate and it sure seems bent; the question is, should I bother about it?

Edited June 19, 201510 yr by trivalence

Here's another pic. Trying for more perspective on it.

 

I may be wrong, but I'm 99% sure that isn't a trailing arm but that's your rear sway bar.  (I'll double check after some more coffee).  If that's the case then it has specific bends in it to move around the entire rear end and should connect on both sides, not just one.  

I may be wrong, but I'm 99% sure that isn't a trailing arm but that's your rear sway bar.  (I'll double check after some more coffee).  If that's the case then it has specific bends in it to move around the entire rear end and should connect on both sides, not just one.  

 

I thought the sway bar was the closer, bigger bar (in the second pic) that makes several bends?

 

Here's the second pic but this time with an arrow, which I realize I probably should've included initially:

 

Lateral control arm. Yes, that can cause an alignment problem. That will cause the that wheel to be toe'd out. (Pointed to the right)

If the toe is too far out, it will cause the inner tread of the tire to wear.

If you notice the tread wearing unevenly, replace that arm. If the tread isn't wearing and you don't notice any kind of pull or drifting to the left, don't worry about it.

 

 

The trailing arms run front-back. They're the ones with the bolt at the lowest point of the knuckle, with the parking brake cables are attached via those bolt on brackets.

Yeah, the swaybar is the closer, thinner diameter one that connects to the control arm.

 

Cause an alignment issue? yes, but small is my guess. If the tire is not wearing and you aren't feeling a difference in driving, I'd put it on the list for eventually. Eventually when you find a good one in a junk yard or someone is parting one out on here, I'd do the job. But would not feel rushed to do it.

 

In the meantime, i'd start hitting the necessary bolts with some PB blaster so they aren't a bear to deal with when you finally replace the arm.

The seized driver side rear brake caliber is making so much noise that it's hard for me to get a bead on anything else at this point.

 

I do however notice the car pulling to the right under acceleration, and it does generally feel like it needs an alignment (based on the way it feels like it's tracking, etc), which I plan on doing soon. For some reason I feel like the front end alignment is what needs the most attention, but that's just a random gut feeling. I'm hoping this trailing arm isn't the culprit, because it looks like a somewhat complicated task to replace it.

 

I'll ask the wheel alignment place when I take it in to tell me what they think before they get started.

Edited June 21, 201510 yr by trivalence

It was the second picture that threw me. lol  Not enough coffee that morning.  I was looking at the far back one because the first picture didn't show it.  

 

That actually isn't that hard to replace (other than it looks like you will need a lot of PB to get those bolts lose).

From the picture, it appears that the toe (in and out) is not right, when looking at the angle where the tire meets the road. Suggest you take the car to a good alignment shop, and show them what you see as bent. Ask their opinion on best course of action. If you know the shop well, they prolly won't charge you anything for a quick "look see" with the car up on their lift.

From the picture, it appears that the toe (in and out) is not right, when looking at the angle where the tire meets the road. Suggest you take the car to a good alignment shop, and show them what you see as bent. Ask their opinion on best course of action. If you know the shop well, they prolly won't charge you anything for a quick "look see" with the car up on their lift.

 

I thought the toe angle looked wrong, too. Bummer.

 

I don't suppose there's any chance of giving it a slight bend back in the right direction, huh? Admittedly, I'm just being lazy.

Edited June 21, 201510 yr by trivalence

Interesting, I never even looked at that (at least not with alignment issues in mind).  I was cheap and never paid for an alignment as I wasn't sure how long I would have this wagon and I picked up cheap and was trying to minimize costs.  Nice catch (and great use of the arrow in the photo).

I thought the toe angle looked wrong, too. Bummer.

 

I don't suppose there's any chance of giving it a slight bend back in the right direction, huh? Admittedly, I'm just being lazy.

Too hard to say if the toe is wrong by looking at a picture. Most digital cameras create some amount of distortion in the image, especially cell-phone cameras.

 

Kneel down about 6-10 feet behind the wheel and eyeball the outer edge of the tire. If you line up the front and rear, and can still see just a sliver of the front tire, the toe is probably fine. If you see a lot of the front tire, the wheel is toed in. If you see none of the front tire, its toed out. How far depends on how much you have to move your head in order to see the edge of the front tire.

The more I look at the wheel, the more convinced I am that the trailing arm causing an alignment issue.

 

Is this the right part?

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271910792346?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

I hope so, because as much as going to the junkyard sounds like a good option, I don't have a lot of time these days for such endeavors, and buying a new part off of eBay for a decent price that will come to my door sounds just about perfect. I'm going to email the seller to ask if he knows if it'll fit, but wanted to ask here, too.

Looks like a good deal to me. Especially since it comes with the bolt. That bolt is a royal pain. It rusts inside the bushings and makes replacing those arms a pain in the you know what.