So i was romping around in the mud the other day, and messed up the car a bit.

On the drive back, the entire car shook, and there was a grinding noise every time i turned right, so the next day, jacked it up, and fished out this rock: was jammed up between the body and the steering stuff.

So i yanked it out of there, and the car seems to drive ok for that day... but since then my steering was become very hard.. almost like i've lost power steering, but only at certian points in a turn... in the middle (straight) it's pretty loose, then about 20 degrees to either side it's wicked hard to turn, then it gets over that.. and it easyish to steer.. and then another 20 degrees or so it's hard to turn again... Any ideas? I was thinking it might have just damaged my power steering, or bent a controling arm... i've never really messed w/ my subaru's steering before.. help would be awesome!

 

Other pictures from that same trip:

My gas tank got in a fight with a rock:

and this next one's a bit hard to see, but i flattened out a good portion of the pin seam on the passenger side.

Overall it was a good trip, besides the structural damage.

 

But yeah if anyone has suggestions for that steering problem, that'd be awesome.

looks like you need to get yourself a lift so you wont hit any more rocks.

sorry to hear about your woes... I've got some nasty pics of where I got my dad's jeep stuck in 1.5' soupy mud on the side of a dirt road the other day.. will have to upload soon

 

the damages from that fun were:

 

broke two tow straps trying to pull it out with a 4WD 4runner, had to leave jeep until the next morning and call a towtruck, which had trouble winching it out!

 

major rocks stuck everywhere... between brake pads and rotor, inside dried mud in the wheels, seeming bent steering as well. also it shudders horribly bad and seems like it's going to self destruct at 55mph

needless to say, my girlfriend was very mad that I decided to take this detour on our way home from a shopping trip

yeah.. my girlfriend wasn't to happy about the 55lbs of nails flything through the car.

I'm really sort of worried about it.. because i have to make the 280 mile drive home in a week... hopeing i can fix it, and not have to shell out some coin to the local dealer.

Any idea of what i could have bent in there?

looks like you need to get yourself a lift so you wont hit any more rocks.

yeah but doesn't matter how much you lift it, you'll always find the bigger rock! trust me, maybe it's just me...

 

dude that sucks! so now that you got the body damage started... you gonna make it a lifted 4x4?? the first dent always hurts the most...

What kinda car is that?

 

 

and you could have a leak in your power stearing lines which caused an air pocket ( I dont know just a guess)

it's getting a lift this summer (when i have a better job), it's a 97 OBS wagon type deal. And those arn't the first dents, just.. the larger of them. A while back i turned the front passenger side fender inside out via a garage door, sort of a long story there.

I guess i'll see what i can do to check out that power steering, thanks!

another photo after that night:

can't see it very well, but the top of the box had more mud on it than the body of the car.... got in deep, so i threw it into reverse and poped out.

 

Oh! something i forgot to add, the steering was better after i pulled the rock out... but then got worse over a period of 2 days after i got the rock out...

I like the duct tape holding the siginal light on.

 

wish I could offer some help on the steering problem but that is a problem I have never seen. Maybe you have a bent something or other.

 

How do you like the OBS, Thats a car I have been considering. Its either that or a Forester.

 

Good luck and try not to turn to much

-Dave

From what it sounds like you may have bent something.

That would explain why it's only hard to turn at certain parts.

 

Jack up the car and put it on jackstands. Then get underneath and have a friend turn the steering wheel left and right. Look at the steering mechanism to see if there is anything messed up.

 

Good luck with that.

 

BW

It sort of fixed itself! (wierd...)

so i drove the car over to where they have a bunch of cinderblocks (jackstand...) , so it's pretty bumpy getting over there, back the car up, load in some cinder blocks, and on the way back i hit a pretty gnarly pothole, and eurika! my steering is easy again, there's still a little bump in the steering, but nowhere near the severity of before.

But anyhow, jacked it up, looked around, and i didn't see anything out of place, bent, you name it. i guess it was just some mud, or rocks, or something jammed in.. somewhere.

On the speed test, there's still a little vibration around 55mph and up, but i think there might just be some dried mud making the wheels out of balance.

On the subject of a lift... what would you all suggest? I was thinking bigger springs? or blocks above the struts? any ideas?