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  #1  
Old 05-29-2004, 10:36 AM
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pylon500 pylon500 is offline
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Back on the Road

SVX-092 Is going again.
We need to get together more often, just so we can look and listen to other SVX's and compare....
OK, sit back and I'll tell you a story,
Mine has always been a bit noisy up front, which I was hoping was a belt pulley or some other bearing, but it turned out to be the Power Steering Pump.
The other day it was becoming harder to corner at low speeds (yeah I know, corner faster!!), so I'm thinking 'check the P/S level' at which point I notice the oil is a nice metallic bronze color.
I spent half a day draining and flushing the system, hoping that would keep it alive long enough to research what work would be needed but, no deal, still hard to turn.
So off I go to my local Subi wrecker and have the choice of a WRX pump, or one off a 2.2 Liberty, and as the latter looks the most like the pump on the SVX (from what I can see), I part with $125.00 and head off home.
No more than 2 klm's from the wreckers a loud squeal emminates from under the bonnet, then all the dash lights come on, The engine had stopped!! and I was coasting to a stop. (get this; I stopped in the breakdown lane on the crest of the Stacy Street crossing Milperra Road!)
The pump was rock solid, and I'm thinking; I've got plenty of space, an hour of sunlight (4:00pm), a replacement pump, and a tool kit in the boot; i'm gunna change that sucker right here!'
Unfortunately my (work) tool kit is all imperial, and the only thing I could undo was the pulley nut!
I was due to go out that night and the logistics of having the wife bring all my metric stuff from home (in peak hour) just wasn't going to work, so with the alternator (and P/S) belt off, but a fairly good battery, I drove home with manual steering and the dash lit up like a Christmas tree.
Sorry if this is starting to sound like a letter from your mother, it's just the way I write, I always feel like I need to explain how...what?, oh right,
That weekend I worked on getting the original pump off and totally draining the system again. (my metallic oil now had lumps in it)
Unfortunately I could not undo the nut going into the union on the pressure side and had to unwind the pump off the plumbing.
Out of interest I openned the pump and had a confetti of steel vane bits fall out.
Now the fun starts.
Friday lunchtime; Doing some comparison, I find I can't swap the pressure regulating valves from the SVX pump to the Liberty pump, so I can't just screw the Liberty pump onto the SVX union, but the thread on the Liberty pressure connector is differnt to the SVX one.
I must take off the nut and union, but it won't shift!, time for more tools!
(every time this thing breaks down I have to buy more tools.)
1:30, I go to REPCO for a 17mm 'C' spanner, and finally get the union off.
I then realise that without the union the plumbing is too short to reach the pump and I will have to make a coupling.
I also notice that the boss on the Liberty pump is just a bit bigger than the cutout in the mount casting, as well as the bolt pitch being a bit wider! (Bugger!)
While I'm then checking for differences, I also find that the pully shaft is about 10mm longer!
3:30, I head off to work in my trusty 4x4 'L' wagon and proceed to machine three 10mm spacer pucks, grind out the mount casting to suit the pump boss, redrill the mounting bolt holes and have a bit of a win in finding an actual matching set of metric tap and dies to help machine up the union extension.
6:30, Stopping at Hungry Jacks for some takeaway dinner, (the wife is visiting friends up the coast for the weekend) I take a half hour break to feed the pets and myself.
All this time I've had a 1 litre bottle (x2) hanging from the bonnet (like an I.V.) slowly draining though the system, while working the wheels, and the steering wheel through full travel to flush it out.
UH OH! It's 7:30 and I just realise that with the 10mm packers in place, the bolts won't be long enough to mount the pump!, I also notice I can't find said packers, and I can't seem to empty all the crud out of the reservoir.
8:00, I head off to try to find a garage that might have one of those nut, bolt and washer 'blister' stands to get longer bolts.
Ever noticed how garages will sell a whole lot of crap, except automotive stuff!!!
Unbelievably I run into a NRMA road van fixing a ford, and ask him if he has any assorted bolts, to which he lets me dig through a tray of junk until Bingo! three matching longer bolts.
Continuing on to work, I find the packers still on my workbench, then proceed to flushout the oil tank in a cleaning bath.
9:30, and I've got the pump in, the pulley on, the adaptor in place and with a bit of gentle persuasion I get the plumbing to line up and go together.
10:30 I now try to fit the oil tank, only to find that with packing the pump back 10mm, the can now hits the inlet manifold, and the return tube gets tangled in the injector system!
More persuasion, and with the aid of a vice, I shorten the can enough to fit in!
OK, on the downhill stretch now...
All this time I've been thinking I'd like to put some form of extra filter in the system to catch any remaining debris from going into the new pump.
11:30pm After a bit of a dig, I found an all metal pressure fuel filter I bought for an earlier perceived problem (low fuel pressure), which I connected to the return line before the oil can, I then spent nearly an hour tyring to find a bit of hose to finish off the filter connection.
The best I could find was a bit of clear plastic tube, good to see the oil flow, but not too good around heat?
12:30 Finally, with everything connnected, I began to fill the system and move the wheels to 'burp' out the air, and also spin the pulley by use of a battery drill with a small rubber wheel, until I can see the oil starting to return to the reservoir.
1:30, At last I actually start the engine and move the wheel, no bad noises, no apparent leaks,so far so good!
Lower the car off the work stands and pack up all the tools, lead lights and empty oil bottles, and I'm ready for a bit of a test run.
Three or four times around the local block with the engine at low rpm's followed by a little burst up the nearby highway and all looks good.
Put the cars away, have a shower and I'm finaly in bed by about 3:00am!!!
PostScript; Saturday, drove the SVX to the flying field and back (about 120klm round trip) and everything worked and it's quieter!. Unfortunatly as I pulled into my driveway I was enveloped by a cloud of smoke which turns out to be a fibre gasket I fitted to my inline adaptor splitting and putting a slow drop or fluid down onto the exhaust, but not too much fluid lost.
Arthur.

pps, trust me, there were more little weird details involved then I printed here!
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'80 DL 4x4 Wagon-White (gone)
'91 DL 4x4 Wagon-White (gone)
'92 SVX LSi Burgundy/Black with wing. (gone)
'04 Liberty B Spec 3.0R wagon-Silver
'02 Outback 2.5 wagon-White For Sale

I Don't Drive Fast, I Just Fly Low!!
I've moved to Taree , check out my progress at Picasaweb.

That's a 'V' in SVX dammit!
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  #2  
Old 05-29-2004, 02:15 PM
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UberRoo UberRoo is offline
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Nice. In hindsight, would you have done anything different?
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  #3  
Old 05-29-2004, 04:50 PM
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svxistentialist svxistentialist is offline
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Yeah, after that description, a bolt-on SVX OE pump looks attractive at any price.

Joe
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  #4  
Old 05-29-2004, 09:32 PM
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JDW-SVX JDW-SVX is offline
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Re: Back on the Road

Quote:
Originally posted by pylon500
Ever noticed how garages will sell a whole lot of crap, except automotive stuff!!!
How true!!

Anyway - well done!



Jason.
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1992 Ruby Red SVX - 165,000km

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1993 Mercedes W140 S500 Coupe - 153,000km

1990 Mercedes W124 300D - 313,000km

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  #5  
Old 05-30-2004, 03:33 AM
moshols vx moshols vx is offline
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well glad u are back on the road Arthur! that was an essay and a half
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  #6  
Old 05-30-2004, 07:56 AM
pylon500's Avatar
pylon500 pylon500 is offline
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Quote:
that was an essay and a half
*Bows*
Thank you, I think deep down I've always wanted to be a teacher or a writer, I've written a few articles for ultralight magazines and get my teaching kicks as an ultralight instructor. (although I think some of my students try to improve quickly, just so they can go solo and not have to listen to me! )
Quote:
In hindsight, would you have done anything different?
Being where I am, (trust me, with an exotic car, even Sydney can be remote!) my options are usually quite limited.
Sure, with enough money you can get anything you want, but I'm just an average Joe trying to put what money I've got into an ultralight project for my retirement, I can't afford to keep throwing money at the car. (but I just couldn't bare the thought of going back to a 'common' car! )
I guess I'm a little lucky in having a workshop available to me, so I felt I did the best I could with what I could find at the time.
I just worry now that I not sure I'm game to go any great distance with it, or drive anywhere without a toolbox in the back.
I would also like to sell my old ('91) 4x4 'L' wagon, but I've needed it too much!
Whoops, there I go again, half a page just to say I OK for now.
Arthur.
__________________
'80 DL 4x4 Wagon-White (gone)
'91 DL 4x4 Wagon-White (gone)
'92 SVX LSi Burgundy/Black with wing. (gone)
'04 Liberty B Spec 3.0R wagon-Silver
'02 Outback 2.5 wagon-White For Sale

I Don't Drive Fast, I Just Fly Low!!
I've moved to Taree , check out my progress at Picasaweb.

That's a 'V' in SVX dammit!
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