MOT & Odds & Ends
(For non-UK
readers the MOT is the annual safety test required for all
There were a few failure points
at the MOT a couple of weeks ago that I’ve now rectified and the tatty but
super Subaru is now back on the road.
As you know, I’m working from a
low ceilinged standard single domestic garage (I’m clawing my way back from
bankruptcy due to illness about 5 years ago – hence the low budget modus
operandi) and so it’s easy to miss things underneath the car when there’s no
room to get it high off the ground. After all the welding, the almost total
remaking of both rear wheel arches and the numerous other jobs outlined in the
Nagara Car Pages, it did not occur to me that I might have missed more rust.
But I had. The MOT man with his trusty pointed hammer gave it all a good
bashing (annoyingly chipping some brand new red paint on the rear of the sills)
and, under some old under-seal, found some more rust patches near each rear
suspension sub-frame mounting and a leaky rear exhaust silencer.
Well, after getting the car home,
I rooted around the problem areas and found they were really not at all
worrisome. But because one patch of rust
was close to the fuel pump I decided to remove the rusty fuel pump
carrier/assembly and sort out a dodgy-looking petrol hose – it wasn’t leaking
but I was terrified of accidentally
putting a red-hot welding wire through it or setting something alight with the
angle grinder and blowing myself up.
Having clamped off the better of the rubber fuel hoses (the dodgy one
split as soon as I tried to clamp it and spilled loads of petrol into the drip
tray via my shirt sleeve and elbow) I removed the offending mounting bracketry.
It was covered in rust and mud. After removing all the loose delaminating flaky
bits, this is what it looked like:
(Above) As I was not sure of the
fuel pump would still work once all the rust was removed I ordered a new one
from an e-bay seller but, as it happens, the old pump worked so I refitted it –
though, on the way back from the MOT station (The Subaru agents in Woodford)
the car coughed to a halt on the Stratford flyover and then didn’t re-start for
a few minutes so I think I’ll fit the new pump and filter.
(Above) The mounting plate was
very thin and rust holed in many places so I welded a reinforcing piece
underneath. After wire-brushing, some rust inhibitor, some paint and new mounts
(stainless steel fixings and rubber grommets) the car ran again as it should.
(Above) the old pump mounting
studs sheared off when being undone and the mounting bushes were crumbly so I
removed them and replaced them with some stainless steel bolts, some ‘penny
washers’ and some rubber tap washers.
(Above) with grommets fitted to
both brackets and to the suspension cover plate, the pump is effectively rubber
mounted. A new fuel pump has now
replaced the one above.
Before re-fitting it, there was
the welding to do. I made up some small repair pieces for the rusty patches.
(Above) this one for the thin
sheet covering the right hand rear sub frame mounting..
(Above) tacked and then seam
welded and painted with black Hammerite (red paint is from overspray, I was
tarting up the sill that had its paint chipped). The same area on the left hand
side was somewhat more corroded:
(Above) this area is one where
several factory panels meet and there are some edges of former repairs too…so a
rather odd shaped piece had to be made to fit over them all. As I’ve said before in these pages, I don’t
normally use cover plates because I like to remove all rusty or damaged metal
and replace it with new. But sometimes the extra work becomes way too complicated so, on this occasion, I decided
to break my own rules.
(Above) I made sure the seam
welding was substantial and added two thick coats of paint. Hopefully, not
enough moisture will get in there to do much damage for a few years. As the
mounting cover plate was also painted and the bolts were torqued up, the bolt
holes should not be exposed to the elements at all.
(Below) I also had to make a
repair piece for the rusted out floor drain..
(Above) in these situations, the
MIG really is far superior to the oxy-acetylene – the carpet and underlay would
have had to have been removed and the rubberised floor paint would have caught
fire with the oxy. But with the MIG the heat is much more instant, intense and
localised. Nevertheless, I always have a garden spray bottle full of water to
hand to damp down combustible material and keep a full buck of water within
easy reach. That reminds me, I need to
get myself a new fire extinguisher too.
(Above) – Here the fuel pump
assembly is re-fitted after another little triangular patch has been welded in
and a coat of black Hammerite added.
Following an item over at USMB http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/forum/4-old-gen-80s-gldlxtloyales/, I was reminded that there was another
little job I needed to do. I had not been able to buy 6mm water hose from my
local motor shop nor my local Subaru agent and Halfords did not stock it
either. So I ordered some from an internet supplier. Meanwhile, I’ve been using
6mm petrol pipe for those little water-pipe jobs. But I know from past
experience that petrol pipe is only rated up to 65˚C and the heat from the
pressurised water system takes it over 100˚C. The result is that, when
hot, the petrol pipe goes soft and can balloon out and split under pressure
after only a few hundred miles of driving. When cool, the plastic becomes less
soft and after a few heating and cooling cycles it goes rigid. So it can split
when hot and split when cold after heating.
I had also been noticing a tiny, tiny
weep of water from the newly-painted metal transfer pipe from the water pump to
the heater hose; I really did not want to remove it because it can not be
removed without first removing the inlet manifold which – somewhat annoyingly –
also has a water jacket – in other words, I would have to disturb brand new
gaskets and pristine mating surfaces. On the other hand, I hate running a car
knowing there are problems and this car has had so much done to it that it
seems a shame not to do it right.
(Above) the pipe in the vice is
the weeping transfer pipe. I’ve wire-brushed the new paint and found several
pin-holes (very, very small) that have rusted through from the inside. A few
months ago, I had sanded this pipe prior to painting it and either I didn’t
notice the holes or they have broken through in the intervening weeks. There was also a pin-hole leak in the side of
the small bore transfer tube.
Anyway, I decided not to attempt
to weld up the holes because the pipe is pretty thin and weedy at the best of
times. So instead I made a replacement from some standard 15mm copper water
pipe and some pre-soldered fittings. I have not bothered to make a mounting
bracket for it because it really can’t go anywhere when it’s in position.
Also, following a discussion on
USMB, I did not bother to make a small bore junction because the consensus
seems to be that the pipe going to the inlet manifold does very little –
indeed, the Subaru agent’s computer system doesn’t even have a name or part
number for it. So, either Subaru are so clever they have designed something we
just don’t understand or it’s a left-over from something not fitted to my EA82
engine. Either way, the car will run without it unless it causes problems (unlikely).
(Above) here you can see the
copper pipe fitted.
(Above) The other end of the
small bore pipe, where it joins the manifold, has been closed off with a short
length of tube and a bolt. Perhaps, in time, I might get around to removing the
little metal tube altogether.
(Above) I also fitted a new
silicone water pipe to the second small bore transfer that goes from the top of
the block to the thermostat housing. At first, I thought I remembered this pipe
being connected to the manifold but, in
fact it seems to be a relief pipe on top of the block to prevent air-blocks in the
system where the water jacket rises. By the way, having been rubbishing small
diameter worm-drive clips for years, I’ve had to revert to them because my
order of small wire (bale type) clips has not yet arrived.
(Above) Finally, I welded up the
holes in the rear exhaust silencer, cleaned it up and gave it a coat of paint
prior to bolting it back on. The second trip to the MOT went well and the car
is officially legal again. I now have a vehicle that will, with luck, be good
for another 20 years of use and another 160,000 miles - if there’s still
affordable petrol in 2033 (assuming I’m not pushing up daisies by then!).
It’s great to be driving the
Subaru again. The little Honda CRX I’ve been using while the Subaru was in
pieces has been a really fun piece of transportation but it isn’t practical for
my needs. Anyway, the CRX will eventually lose me my license due to its ability
to feel rock steady, and thus not really fast, at illegal speeds. The 0 to 60
in about 7 seconds is also a bit addictive. By comparison, the Subaru is fun to
drive more sedately. I’ll miss the sound
system in the Honda; the Subaru still has its original 1991 radio – not even FM,
just AM and Longwave! I might treat myself to a new radio and a rev counter (tacho) – a reward when I sell the Honda.
The next job on my list is to get
the Honda sorted. Not many jobs to do on it (famous last words!) so I hope to
have it on the market soon-ish.
Best wishes all!