Legacy Needs a lot of work

[rottenhead]

Hey guys-

 

1992 Legacy SW 230K, AT.

 

Took it to get a Maine inspection yesterday and received a laundry list of bad news after having very few problems this year.

 

1. Left outer boot torn, probably need new axle

2. Steering rack leaking

3. Oil pan rotted and leaking

4. Left lower ball joint has torn boot

 

In addition, the car shakes when turning at low speeds-one gentleman I spoke to says that this is the result of a problem in the transfer case.

 

A few questions...

a)if the steering rack is leaking, why is the power steering fluid reservoir full?

b)I replaced the oil pan about 60K ago...could it really be done again??

c) Supposedly this transfer case problem is common...anyone else had it, and/or know the financial damage of having it fixed?

 

I really can't afford to get a new car and I don't see the sense in buying another used one with another set of problems since I only have about 1K to spare. However, my current subie has never had any transmission or major engine work. SO, I'm living on borrowed time no matter what i fix...you see my dilemma.

 

I may be just venting. Thanks for listening.

 

--rotten

[cookie]

the painful inspections. When my friends and I were in college in Augusta it was always tough to get throught the inspections with $150 cars and little money.

here's my take but a lot of the other folks here have a lot more experience than I do with the early cars, and I was a truck and bus mechanic, not a Subaru mechanic.

The front axle boot should be easy and cheap to fix, even a whole rebuilt axle is fairly cheap if you do it yourself.

The rack is a bit more trouble to fix. You might be able to get a good used one in a junkyard.

With the salt in Maine it is very possible that the oil pan has rusted if it was not kept painted. Cheap but messy.

Lower ball joint boot should be cheap and little problem.

The tranny will probably chatter as long as the car lasts. This may only be mismatched tires.

It will certainly be several hundred dollars if you pay someone to do all the work, but it is all stuff you could do with friends.

I am sure others will give you good advice.

[cookie]

I was wondering how good the mechanic's diagnosis of your car was. No quibble about the ripped boots etc. It is pretty hard to make an error there, but Subarus are known for throwing oil from several common seals.

I would be tempted to steam clean the engine and find out where that oil is really coming from. The pan and even the rack could be fine and the leaks from one of the common places, like oil pump, crank, or cam seals. It could even be just the gasket on the pan. It is also possible that once you had it clean you might be able to repair the pan with Epoxy if there is a rust through.

[rottenhead]

I'm wary of the diagnosis too. All of the fluids are full and have been for the past 3K. There is definitely oil on the bottom of the pan, but I really don't know where it's coming from. I'm having a second mechanic look at it on Thursday and will go from there probably.