What have you done to your SVX (or other Subaru) today?

[Noriyasu]

Today, I painted the rear section and door mirror of R1 which I bought recently.

This car had large dents, peeling clear coat, and many scratches. Fortunately, most parts can be removed and painted.

Small items such as the spoiler, bumper, door moldings, and door handles had to be repainted.

Today was a sunny, warm day with no wind, perfect for painting.

This car will be used by my younger brother after the refresh is completed.

Painting metallic color is very difficult and always makes me nervous.

[Mike621]

Last night, I repaired the ignition circuit where a previous owner spliced in for an alarm system of some sort.

Tonight, I'll remove the steering beam and repair two wires that were spliced coming off the ECU. I presume someone wired an alarm as an interrupt in the circuit.

[Noriyasu]

Today I tried to repair the rack for VIVIO, which I removed due to an oil leak. The genuine repair kit has already been discontinued, so I disassembled it and found an oil seal of the same size.

The bearing didn't seem to be damaged yet, but since it's cheap, I replaced it as a precaution.

Basically, the structure of the steering racks from this era is the same, so I think it's very similar for the SVX. I'm sure oil leaks can be repaired using the same method.

Unfortunately, I don't have a test bench to test with hydraulic pressure applied. I will think about the test method another day.

[Blacky]

Hi Noriyasu.
I just bought a 2006 Alfa Romeo Brera 3.2 which was imported from Nakayama, Japan. It's about 3 hours away from where you are. Small world.

[Noriyasu]

Originally Posted by Blacky

Hi Noriyasu.
I just bought a 2006 Alfa Romeo Brera 3.2 which was imported from Nakayama, Japan. It's about 3 hours away from where you are. Small world.

Oh! I also think the world is small.

There are relatively well-maintained used cars in Japan. However, this is limited to cars that have a certain taste.

There are many boring everyday cars, but often those used cars are not properly maintained. However, I don't think you would import such a car...
I get sad when I see cars that are not properly maintained though It's someone else's car, so I have no right to interfere...

I hope your Alfa Romeo is in good condition.

[Mike621]

I started my SVX today! Ran well on a bypassed heater core. Found a small PS leak which I will investigate. Hopefully just a hose loose after doing the rack. My car is still in the air on quickjacks.

Over the past 72h:
Replaced fuel hoses at the junction under the car, and at the top of the tank. All original fuel hoses on the car have now been replaced with multi-fuel hose. I had one hose that looked a little melted so this was good maintenance considering hoses were all original to the car.

Replaced the rear struts. Also original 1991 units. Both were blown. RH did not rebound at all.

More work to come. Heater core is still out at the radiator shop. I hope to take it on a test drive in a couple weeks around the neighborhood.

[Noriyasu]

Originally Posted by Mike621

I started my SVX today! Ran well on a bypassed heater core. Found a small PS leak which I will investigate. Hopefully just a hose loose after doing the rack. My car is still in the air on quickjacks.

Over the past 72h:
Replaced fuel hoses at the junction under the car, and at the top of the tank. All original fuel hoses on the car have now been replaced with multi-fuel hose. I had one hose that looked a little melted so this was good maintenance considering hoses were all original to the car.

Replaced the rear struts. Also original 1991 units. Both were blown. RH did not rebound at all.

More work to come. Heater core is still out at the radiator shop. I hope to take it on a test drive in a couple weeks around the neighborhood.

The area most likely to leak is around the high-pressure side hose, but if it's a small-scale leak, it might be around the low-pressure side. Have you replaced the 31260AG040 O-ring with a new one?

Anyway, the first thing to do is to check where the leak is coming from. I hope it's not a serious problem.

[Noriyasu]

Today I completely disassembled a spare engine for my wife's R1. There was no excessive wear on the crankshaft or cylinders, so I plan to reassemble it with new STD size metal and piston rings.

[LarryIII]

What is an R1? We are not familiar with this auto in the USA.

[Mike621]

Originally Posted by Noriyasu

The area most likely to leak is around the high-pressure side hose, but if it's a small-scale leak, it might be around the low-pressure side. Have you replaced the 31260AG040 O-ring with a new one?

Anyway, the first thing to do is to check where the leak is coming from. I hope it's not a serious problem.

Thanks Noriyasu.

I have rebuilt the pump, replaced the steering lines and replaced the steering rack with a used OE unit. Hopefully is just a connection that I need to tighten. We will see!

[Noriyasu]

Originally Posted by LarryIII

What is an R1? We are not familiar with this auto in the USA.

R1 is JDM only. The looks is similar to FIAT500. The displacement is 660cc, and there are three types of engines: SOHC NA, DOHC NA and Super Charged DOHC, and each comes in FF and AWD.

The seats are 2+2, so legally it can accommodate 4 people, but it's best to think of it as a 2-seater. The vehicle weight is only 800Kg, so the Super　Charged model in particular runs well.

We now own two R1s. One is AWD SC and the other is FF DOHC NA.
DOHC NA is a high-revving engine that produces a light sound from 5000rpm to 7500rpm.

This car was created as an homage to the SUBAR 360 which called ladybug, which was a big hit when SUBARU started its business. Production numbers are very low, and a used car in good condition can cost over JPY 2M ($13000).

My wife loves this car and wants to keep it for as long as possible, so we keep most of the spare parts for one car.

[Noriyasu]

Originally Posted by Mike621

I started my SVX today! Ran well on a bypassed heater core. Found a small PS leak which I will investigate. Hopefully just a hose loose after doing the rack. My car is still in the air on quickjacks.

Over the past 72h:
Replaced fuel hoses at the junction under the car, and at the top of the tank. All original fuel hoses on the car have now been replaced with multi-fuel hose. I had one hose that looked a little melted so this was good maintenance considering hoses were all original to the car.

Replaced the rear struts. Also original 1991 units. Both were blown. RH did not rebound at all.

More work to come. Heater core is still out at the radiator shop. I hope to take it on a test drive in a couple weeks around the neighborhood.

FYI, There is a company in Japan that rebuilds genuine shock absorbers. Technically speaking, it's not a rebuild, just an oil and gas change. They have patented oil and gas combinations of multiple viscosities that allow them to significantly alter ride quality and handling.

https://a--sanko-jp.translate.goog/n..._x_tr_pto=wapp

If the cylinder does not leak oil, it may still be usable by rebuild them it. I am keep one set of genuine shock absorbers that have lost a lot of gas, just in case.

The absorbers they make are excellent, providing a soft ride and significantly reducing front roll. Their specialty is rallying, and they usually build rally cars.

Maybe there are similar stores in U.S.