guidance1 Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I have a 96 legacy sedan 220K that appears to have at least a bad steering rack and maybe one one of the drive axels bad -- wet everywhere underneath. timing belt at 200K might be leaking at those seals too though. what 2 do fix or? I like this car Texas no rust nice interior & exterior. How much should I be looking at for repairs? A mechanic that I discussed this with suggested rebuilding the rack rather than replacing it with an aftermarket rack? He said thatsome of the aftremarket ones weren't too good? Opinions thoughts etc. How mush will it cost (ballpark) to bring this suby back 2 life? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
korrupt66 Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Thats a hard call. The seals didn't get replaced when the timing belt was? I don't know what they get for labor down there. Off the top of my head rack would cost between $150 to $200 and a set of axles (I've always been told its best to replace in pairs) thats $150 more a couple of ball joints $40 plus labor. If the car is as clean as you say and theres no other Major problems I would go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crash321 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I would fix it, cheaper than a car payment:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guidance1 Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 For $1000 +- I should be able to get the steering rack, drive axel and some other goodies fixed. It would be nice to get 300K+ out of this legacy. What is your opinion about rebuilding the one that's on it now -- I was told it's better than an after market one? The Rack I was quoted about $600 to rebuild including labor w/warranty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crash321 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I have never dealt with having a rack rebuilt, I have always just had it replaced with a new one. If the guy has experience at it and they will warrenty the work for a reasonable amount of time, then it might be a good option if the cost is much lower than a new rack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Definitely do not rebuild the rack or buy an aftermarket one, or a new one. Get a used one. I don't know much about other makes, but Subaru steering racks are very durable and there's hardly any use in paying the high price for new ones. Used ones are cheap because there's no market for them - no one needs them, because they rarely fail. Yours has had 220,000 miles of great service, probably with never having the fluid changed. that's good! I even have a 96 legacy steering rack i'd sell you that's known good, i drove the car. PM or email me and i'll save you a few hundred dollars. There's a good chance of getting some more service out of this car. I'd only keep it if you plan on installing an ebay timing belt kit. Those exising timing components (pulleys and tensioners) are too old to expect to last to 300,000 miles. The ebay kits are only $80 for your car, great deal and they come with all new pulleys, tensioner and belt. If you like using Subaru belts, just buy a Subaru belt and use everything else from the kit. With the timing belt off - access to reseal the oil pump, cam seal and cam oring, and water pump is right there. Best to do it with all of that off. If you can do all of that and you don't have any trans/clutch issues you likely have a low cost vehicle for another few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 A new steering rack is around $650 from the dealer. I had issues with mine on our '97 Impreza. I wound up finding a used one and having it rebuilt. There are two rebuild kits for the steering rack if I remember correctly; one is seals and the other is boots I think. They both list around $35 each from the dealer. I paid the local mechanic to install the kits and then install the rack in our Imp with whiteline bushings. The whole job ran me less than $250 for everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 What is your opinion about rebuilding the one that's on it now -- I was told it's better than an after market one? The Rack I was quoted about $600 to rebuild including labor w/warranty! Yikes, the cost of a new rack is around $650 if I remember the last time I priced one. Check my other post about rebuilding kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
korrupt66 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 OK so I had my prices off on the rack. I just looked on Advanced and Autozone and they run from $260 to $380 but thats a far cry from $650. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guidance1 Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 I'm seeing mixed opinions her on this rack. I don't want to attempt this job myself so I'll need to use a mechanic. Which way should I do this? Like I said, one shop wants $600 to rebuild the rack and re-install w/warranty:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I'm seeing mixed opinions her on this rack. everyone has different views/opinions. if everyone did the same thing there would either be: 1. no rebuild kits to buy 2. no used racks to buy 3. no new racks to buy. of course there are options. Which way should I do this? no need to get a new rack. get a used rack for $50-$75. if yours wasn't failing you wouldn't even think about it. Subaru racks very rarely fail, most subaru's are motoring around with their original steering racks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guidance1 Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 You said that you have one. I'm in Texas though -- not many subies down here. There's a guy who posts here -- he's a moderator? He's in Houston... Perhaps he can chime in here as well. How many miles on the one you have and how much would it be to buy and get down here? I'll probaby need a CV axel too the driver side is making noise and the boot is in bad shape. I think the pass side was replace once. What is recommended for this replacement? I appreciate everyones help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 for the CV axle, replace it. either with a used one with good boots or get one from MWE. you can search here for reasons why, but in general aftermarket axles suck really bad. they plain are terrible. they make noise, loose grease, click, explode after 30 miles (yes, seen it). a friend didnt listen and i even bought him the car and gave it all new timing belt, water pump..etc. anyway, his "new" axle is making noise after a few months. i'm not a parts dealer or business so i don't really spend much time pricing shipping and stuff. I could ship you an axle and the steering rack for $200. Post in the parts wanted thread if you want cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Sorry for the late chiming in. I've been traveling all week for work. Personally, I'd buy a used rack, put new boots & tie rods on it, and put it in. As for the axles, yeah some of the parts store axles are crap. I have not used MWE, but have read good things. I have used http://www.cvaxles.com with pretty good success. What part of town are you in? I could take a look at it if you want. I'm in the galleria area, and should be in town this week. Drop a PM or email if you're interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 OK so I had my prices off on the rack. I just looked on Advanced and Autozone and they run from $260 to $380 but thats a far cry from $650.$650 was OEM dealer price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abog Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Grossgary is right, these racks hardly ever fail. If one is leaking, usually the boots are torn and the rack has been contaminated with dirt. This scores the rack shaft and it would need to be replaced along with seals and boots. If it were mine I would find a good used one and call it good. Have seen a large number of rebuilt units that failed very quickly, not very high quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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