mickytrus Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Hi This might be it(funeral services) for the car.... 285k It is a 91 subaru Loyale wagon was hoping I would get to 300k I have the spare parts, so it would just be labor... Here are the details. The rear passenger wheel leans in at the top..... I had to drive at 40 miles perhour... for 200 miles. to get home....... I brought it into the garage...... to check out the problem...... If you want to call it the lower rear cross member... maybe that describes it well enough..... basically this is the part which runs from wheel to wheel and the lower control arms connect to. (when I put jack stands under the car to support the car this is where I hold the car up... It is tubular in shape and hollow.... Well, It snapped... seems to have rotted out from the inside out.... So the question... is... Has anyone ever replace one of these.... basically, the whole rear suspension has to be pulled out. (or a good chunk of it) Like I said, I have an extra one.... just wonder if I should do it...... I am a glutton for punishment..... This can be seen by trying to get 300k out of the car Thanks, Mickytrus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 My first suggestion is to thoroughly look over the remaining 99% of the undercarriage, front to back. I would hate to see you go to fix this overlooking other rot too. IF you find other serious rot, then you will have to fix it as well. If you are lucky, this will be the only rot, but i highly suggest digging around other parts on the front too. IF you find more than this, than it will be a judgment call. I have seen people fix rear rust, only to have the front frame collapse and then its a goner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1982gl4 Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 +1 if you go through all the trouble of fixing/ replacing the rear suspension, just to have the rest of the car be just as bad, you will have a solid rear suspension, with nothing holding it in the car. If you have the other suspension still together, it would probably be just as easy to swap the whole thing out. If it's 4wd make sure it has the correct rear diff or put your current one into it if you decide the car is worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricearu Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 check for other rust. they did a sorry job sealing the ends of that tube from the factory. just start hitting subframes underneath with a hammer. if everything is solid, then just replace what's done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickytrus Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Yeah sure there is rot on it.... front frame is still ok.... Two years ago redid the wheel wheels in the back... they were rotted out. I have painted this car twice now... not planning on a third..... like if it is not a big deal I will do the job really looking for some info on anyone who has pulled a rear suspension out.. or even worked on one...... I did the rear drivers side wheel bearing less than a year ago.... not a very fun job needs impact tools.... So Has anyone spun out those rear crossmember bolts? What was it like..... To what degree of a nightmare is it.... If anyone can explain the steps to pull this thing out.. that would be cool. Otherwise, I will stare at it for a while...... to figure it out...... Just hoping you's could save me the trouble Thanks, Mickytrus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I've done a fair share or rear suspension swapouts on the EA82s and if you have the kind of rot issues in the subframe, the mounting points in the body are either going to pull out when you try and unbolt everything, or sheer a bolt off, leaving you between a rock and a hard place. If you're not using air tools, my advice would be to let her go to Subaru heaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I've heard of that piece breaking before. I've also replaced it. Not for the same reason, for a 4WD conversion, but similar project. I'm assuming this is a FWD car? When you mention jacking from the crossmember, I assume there isn't a rear diff there. If that's the case, this won't be too bad of a project. One bolt on either side to disconnect the shock from the trailing arm. Disconnect the brake line. A bolt on the back side of the crossmember on the passenger side that clamps the fuel line down (don't forget this one!). And then 4 bolts per-side actually hold that crossmember to the body. Now, separating the trailing arms from the crossmember can be challenging. The bolts that the trailing arms pivot on tend to be very tight, very difficult to access on the car. The outer bolt has a captive nut, so it's a bit easier on the car. The inner one has a loose nut on the back side, so you'll have to use 2 wrenches, in which case, off the car works pretty well. Rust on these bolts can be a problem. I've disassembled a few of them, and had them fight me, even had 2 break (see the first 4 pictures below). If the bolt is seized into the bushing, you'll have a project on your hands. If the outer bolt gives you trouble, there are 3 bolts between that outer piece of the arm and the rest of the trailing arm, but beware, this is where the alignment is adjusted. You say you have parts to replace it. If you can leave the crossmember and trailing arms as an assembly, I wouldn't hesitate to swap things over. If you need to swap your trailing arms over, I would give it some thought, and give the car a major inspection before doing the work. If it's 4WD. You'll have to drop the rear diff too. At which point, you'll have some extra work to do. The axles are probably the only thing that'll give you trouble there. 4 bolts at the driveshaft, 1 bolt for the front hanger, and 2 to the rear hanger. Then pop a spring pin, and separate the axle from one end or the other (I'd pull them out with the diff). Here's some pictures of EA82 rear suspension assemblies that Ive taken over the years. These are all 4WD, and a few are turbo (sway bar mounts). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickytrus Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Numbchux, Thanks for the pics It is 4wheel drive.... Yeah the piece that is rotted out is the one the trailing arms bolt to Your third pic down clearly show the location of my dilema. It is at the outer swivel point.... I'll go and get some pics to post post some pics for laughs:(:( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 If you have air tools and don't run into problems, easily can drop the whole thing in 45 minutes or less. I think for some reason I may even have that "crossmember" around here somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 if the rust is bad, like we have around WV/MD the bolts get rust welded into bushings, shear off, won't turn at all, or have to be burned out. it's a nightmare. but...since, like john said it's not like a lot of the subframe bolts are hard to get too, he's brings up a great point - just go give it an hour and see how it goes for you since you seem well equipped and talentedwith this stuff. back the rear end into a swimming pool filled with YIELD and maybe they'll come out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickytrus Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) here are some pics of the break. I had mentioned I would post them.... good to see what/how they can break. As for the car... Yeah, that is a good optimistic approach. work on it for an hour and see what happens....... I ended up getting another loyale... Out of RI.... 3 hours away.. this means I have four of them in my yard now....... I'll post a pic of the "ho's". It would be cool to get another 15k on the car.(her name is Trixie).. she would have 300K... that was the ultimate goal... . I seem to be having trouble with the Image attachments..... more pics Edited April 1, 2011 by mickytrus Where are the pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 It's actually less work to pull the whole thing as a unit than as individual pieces. consider this if you find a donor car, and just swap over the whole thing. once you have it out, you can inspect the underbody of the car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 i would suggest pull the interior inner trim panel inside the back that covers wheel wells on inside. plastic should snap out of the clips maybe a few screws. then you can see the conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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