mikeamondo Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 So, I've got the same issue in three of our family's Subies, all wagons. At the rear wheel well, reach up under the fender and into the strut tower on the outside of the coil, under the window and you can stick your fingers thru a nice, long rust hole... guessing along a seam in the metal from the way it feels. You can push and feel weakness in the metal around the hole. Reaching around to the areas in front, behind and to the inside of the strut / coil feels solid. A mechanic has said maybe he could get us a year on the worst one, a 97 Wagon GT. Others speak similar doom and gloom. But then I discovered the same issue on our 1995 L Wagon, which is in excellent condition otherwise. Our 1999 L Ann. Edition is a rust bucket anyway, and it's similar in the towers. Both the 99 and 95 have been good, regular daily drivers, and the 95 in particular should have a lot of life left in it otherwise. So.... from the experts here, I seek prognosis..... Doctors? Tell it to me straight..... 1) How long have we got? 1 year, 3 years? 2) How can we tell how bad it actually is? Is the fact that it seems only outboard and not all the way around the tower a good sign? 3) Is this something that can be fixed, or is it normally too expensive to be worth while Thanks for your input.... as always! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertsubaru Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Look on the inside of the car. You may have to take the carpet up to see the strut towers. Look to see how much rust is in there. Take pics if you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Its common in the rust belt. I would bet there's not a single subaru of that era in your area that doesn't have rust there. Fortunately that outer plate section isn't a structural part, but it does allow water salt and dirt inside the body which will cause the wheel arches and the lower corners of the dog leg behind the doors to rust out. The best repair is to cut out the bad section and weld in a sheet of metal in its place. Then prime with etching primer, paint, and apply rust proofing or undercoat. If you have to pay someone, that may cost more than you want to spend, especially since its in a tight area and requires the rear strut to be removed. Another option is to cut out the bad peice and fiberglass over the hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 The concern with that area rusting out is that the wall of sheetmetal that is gone goes through the seam where the box of the strut tower attaches to the inner fender. So if the rust progresses through the sandwich of spot welded metal layers there, the strut tower can tear off and fold inwards. I've only heard of a few that actually collapsed, but every single subaru wagon of that age I've checked around here is rusted through in the same spot. If you're worried about it, you could put in a strut tower brace that went across behind the rear seat. It reduces the usefulness of the wagon space, but it would make it harder for it to collapse. It's a PITA area to fix. I've temp-repaired it with grace ice and water shield. Slap it on, use a heat gun to help it glue in, and spray undercoating over it to seal it up. That at least keeps more salt water from pouring into the whole inner fender area as you drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeamondo Posted July 12, 2015 Author Share Posted July 12, 2015 Thanks for the responses! I'm gathering that this is quite typical, but there seemed to be a contradiction in the replies... one suggested it's not structural, and another suggested it is..... What we really would like to know is whether the car with the more minimal rust in the area (still a hole, at least the width of my four fingers) will last 2 or 3 more years... if we can get that out of it, we're good. I'll try and see if I can get a the strut towers on the interior or not.... m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I'm parting out a 96 wagon rust free Wa car can cut out the strut areas if you want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeamondo Posted July 13, 2015 Author Share Posted July 13, 2015 Strut towers are rock solid on the inside :...! Shiny like new! So can I assume the old boy's got at least a couple years left in him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeamondo Posted July 13, 2015 Author Share Posted July 13, 2015 hmmm.. tried attaching a pic to that last one from my phone, but no go... I'll try to post some pics of the towers later this eve.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeamondo Posted July 13, 2015 Author Share Posted July 13, 2015 Here we go.... 4 pics attached of the interior side of the strut towers... thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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