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  #1  
Old 12-27-2003, 11:24 AM
Nitro94
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Rear suspension problems...

My SVX has been in my family for all of its life. My father bought it brand new back in 1994 and I bought it off of him. I have been there through every oil change and seen or done every maintence on it. It has been an unbelievably reliable car. I had a new transmission put in it at 80k and that has been IT!. But, last summer, turning over 120k I thought it was time for some suspension work. So, I had all new OE struts put on and new links and bushings put in. Since then I have gone through 4 struts on the drivers side rear. The car has never been wrecked / no heavy potholes. Every time I get a new strut put on that corner, about 500 to 1000 miles later, it is klunking and rattling like crazy. There are no visible signs of damage in suspension and I have had the car aligned everytime I get a new strut. The alignment shop mechanic does not understand why this is happening. I take the wheel off to find that all the fluid in the strut has leaked out....EVERY TIME!! Does anyone have any opinions? Can anyone out there help me??!!!
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  #2  
Old 01-03-2004, 04:16 PM
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Interesting problem. I doubt that a sticking brake caliper or worn bearing could cause that.

Does it operate normally when the strut is replaced?
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  #3  
Old 01-03-2004, 09:33 PM
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That's a very odd problem. If the wheels are properly aligned, then it seems there is something that is putting some sort of stress on the struts to cause them to start leaking.
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  #4  
Old 01-04-2004, 02:49 PM
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Yeah, the car handles like new when I have a new strut installed. But then gradually the fluid starts leaking and you can hear the thud of the strut when you go over a bump within only about a thousand miles. I'm calling my local Subaru dealer tomorrow to set up another appointment. The head mechanic there is starting to pull his hair out on this one, along with me.
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  #5  
Old 01-04-2004, 03:30 PM
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Strutting out.

Hi Chris, for 4 factory struts to fail, in the seal area. You would have to have something that is bent, or out of line, to apply a bowing effect to the strut, as it works. This would load the top bush in the strut, wearing it to allow the seal to move and leak.

May be the lower trailing link is twisted, or the lateral links are twisted. Has to be in this area somewhere.

Harvey.
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  #6  
Old 01-04-2004, 04:21 PM
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Re: Strutting out.

Quote:
Originally posted by oab_au
...
May be the lower trailing link is twisted, or the lateral links are twisted. Has to be in this area somewhere.

Harvey.
I'm in agreement with Harvey. Something has to be putting a bowing force on the strut.

Or one other possibility is that somehow, the exposed chrome plated rod on the strut is getting scratched very badly. Have you observed any scratches on the rods on failed struts?
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SVX Mods: ND iridium spark plugs, Impreza RS fpr, afr tuned to 13.2:1 using a custom MAF bypass, custom exhaust, WRX 5MT w/ STi RA 1st-4th gear & stock WRX 5th gear, Exedy 13 lb flywheel & Sport Clutch, STi Group N tranny & engine mounts, urethane spacers in rear subframe, rear diff mounts, and pitch stopper, SVX Sport Strut Springs (185f/150r), custom 19 mm rear swaybar, urethane swaybar mounts, Rota Torque 17x8", 225/45-17 Proxes 4 tires, Axxis Deluxe Plus organic brake pads.
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  #7  
Old 01-05-2004, 10:55 AM
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No, the strut rods are nice and clean, no scratches. It is so strange, something must be out of line by just enough to screw things up because it is impossible to see anything bent or out of place. Thanks for your input, maybe I should take it to another alignment shop and see if they can tell if everything is straight??
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  #8  
Old 01-05-2004, 12:03 PM
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My suggestion would be to mount up a strut without the spring installed on it. You can then move the suspension knuckle through its wheel travel by hand to see what's happening. Its a bit of work, but it ought to show you what's gone wrong.
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  #9  
Old 01-06-2004, 12:20 PM
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Good idea....I will def do that the next time I take it apart for another strut. Thank God these are covered by warranty
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  #10  
Old 03-29-2004, 02:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by Nitro94
Good idea....I will def do that the next time I take it apart for another strut. Thank God these are covered by warranty
Did this ever get resolved?
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:: 2006 Silver Mitsubishi Evolution 9, E85, 34 psi peak, 425wtq/505whp DJ ::
1995 Laguna Blue SVX L AWD 5MT (sold)

Visit my locker

SVX Mods: ND iridium spark plugs, Impreza RS fpr, afr tuned to 13.2:1 using a custom MAF bypass, custom exhaust, WRX 5MT w/ STi RA 1st-4th gear & stock WRX 5th gear, Exedy 13 lb flywheel & Sport Clutch, STi Group N tranny & engine mounts, urethane spacers in rear subframe, rear diff mounts, and pitch stopper, SVX Sport Strut Springs (185f/150r), custom 19 mm rear swaybar, urethane swaybar mounts, Rota Torque 17x8", 225/45-17 Proxes 4 tires, Axxis Deluxe Plus organic brake pads.
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  #11  
Old 03-29-2004, 03:16 PM
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Actually, I just had the car back in the shop at the beginning of March and they replaced the strut. The mechanic pointed out that there was a small indentation on the shaft of the strut like someone gripped it with a pair of pliers or something and he thinks that is what blew the seal. He said maybe the alignment shop did it or something?? I don't know. So, I have about 500 miles on the new strut and so far so good! I hope the problem is solved. Now I have to start thinking about tightening the suspension up some. I noticed the control arm bushings are pretty mushy as well as ALL the other bushings. So, this spring time I'm gonna rip into that to try to tighten it up.
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  #12  
Old 03-29-2004, 03:26 PM
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That would account for the most recently failed strut, but what about the previous three?
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Mychailo
:: 2006 Silver Mitsubishi Evolution 9, E85, 34 psi peak, 425wtq/505whp DJ ::
1995 Laguna Blue SVX L AWD 5MT (sold)

Visit my locker

SVX Mods: ND iridium spark plugs, Impreza RS fpr, afr tuned to 13.2:1 using a custom MAF bypass, custom exhaust, WRX 5MT w/ STi RA 1st-4th gear & stock WRX 5th gear, Exedy 13 lb flywheel & Sport Clutch, STi Group N tranny & engine mounts, urethane spacers in rear subframe, rear diff mounts, and pitch stopper, SVX Sport Strut Springs (185f/150r), custom 19 mm rear swaybar, urethane swaybar mounts, Rota Torque 17x8", 225/45-17 Proxes 4 tires, Axxis Deluxe Plus organic brake pads.
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  #13  
Old 03-29-2004, 04:07 PM
Nitro94
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Who knows.... The one good thing is that they said that if anything goes wrong, they will fix it under warranty no charge, so now it's just a waiting game to see how long it lasts, if it does at all.
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