fizzking

Subaru have been of no help. Their dealers seem to be geared up solely to service cars and lack the knowledge to venture beyond the computer. The car seemed to be a bit better to drive after oiling the UJs I took the Impreza to the local garage and they removed the steering knuckle in a few minutes. Accessed from the bonnet and no need for a ramp. They called me back to have a look. Both UJs were free in one direction and stiff in another. One end was worse than the other. Also the movement was not smooth and sounded like dry bearings.They thought this was the problem because the steering wheel turned freely and the knuckle is before the power is applied. The steering module would try to compensate for the jerky input by over correcting. By this time the knuckle had cooled down.To test further, that the problem started when the car was hot, they heated the worse end with a hot air gun. Sure enough the UJ tightened up. The UJs are sealed with rubber boots so they were carefully pulled back and Duck Oil applied. After a few minutes of working the UJs they improved considerably. Perhaps 80-90% of free movement. To add insult to injury the knuckle would cost about £260 and was not in stock here or in Japan. It would have to be manufactured in China. Maybe 5 to 6 weeks. However the car is driving much better now. I will have the tracking checked next. Does anybody have a steering knuckle or know of where I could buy one?

The car was put on a ramp lift. Nothing obvious. The garage has come across a similar problem on a Vauxhall, which turned out to be a tired UJ between steering column and rack. Have applied a penetrant on the outside, in case some works its way in and they will remove it next week for closer inspection

Any suggestions of what might be the matter. When I have driven about 12 miles the steering becomes vague, notchy and needs constant correction. When cold it is fine. The local dealer has come up blank on diagnostics but suspects it's the rack assembly. Expensive. It would require specialised equipment to prove it or not, which the dealer does not have. The rack is electric. Thanks in advance

I think there is a Beetle-powered 100E out there. Other strange ones include a convertible with a front wheel drive train. Frequently up for sale on eBay.

Thanks, I enjoyed it and got the pun. I have the article on the 100E but did not want to copy it in case of copyright. Basically the 100E is not vastly different from the Escort...btw there was a 100E Escort estate years before what Ford cheekily called the MK1 Escort. Corporate amnesia? The 100E was an 1172cc sidevalve with 3 speed box and a 3/4 floating rear axle. Then came the 105E Anglia, with 997cc OHV engine, 4 speed box and half floating back axle. Then the Escort added rack and pinion steering to the tried and tested drive train. I have dropped OHV engines/boxes into a few 100Es, which can be done in a weekend if you have the correct parts. In days gone by the accepted method of fitting disc brakes was to take them off a Ford Classic and fit directly but it also had a steering box. I never fitted rack and pinion steering because the 100E (and 105E) has long Track Control Arms and most racks have short Track Rods. They both have to be the same length to maintain steering geometry. I did experiment with a Mini rack but although the straight line was good cornering was vague and noisy. More recently 100E owners have fitted Escort steering, which entails cutting the front strut towers to match an Escort...not a job for the nervous. Then you need to modify the front crossmember to accept the short TCAs. Almost anything can go into a 100E, including modern Ford, Rover V8 and other US V8s. Personally I do not want to modify my 1956 Anglia. Here's a photo of my 1959 100E Popular, bought as a £2 bodyshell. It ran a 1500GT Cortina Engine/box, Corsair rear end, Rover 2000 leather seats, twin tanks, wide wheels and a sunroof, to name a few. It had a Cotina steering box.

Did anybody read the article about fitting an Impreza STi engine, transmission, steering and suspension into a Ford 100E Popular? It featured in Retro Ford Magazine May 2013. Soon afterwards it was sold for about £9000.

I bought my Impreza DRC (2lt Diesel) new from the nearest dealer to me. Unfortunately it was 40 miles away, so servicing was a day out for me to take it to Abergele and wait. The dealer lost the Subaru Franchise, last year, so I had to look around. The next nearest dealer was Mangoletsi, in Knutsford. Last year I enquired about the Service and MOT. I was pleasantly surprised when they offered to collect and return the car for £20 extra. Booked in again for 12th November.

This is the link for the sealant http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A3S1RGU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

I can't say because this is the first time I have used it. However the secret seems to be to apply the protective sealant afterwards, to protect against UV light.

I have just joined but hope to be able to add something. My MX-5 had rather cloudy front headlight lenses Before After I polished with Meguiars PlastX and sealed with Glass Polish Surface Sealant. The lenses are nearly like new now. I did a 2011 Nissan and they sparkle The Impreza was not really cloudy but I did the front and rear lenses anyway and they also sparkle

My other cars Ford Anglia Mazda MX-5 with the Impreza behind

Greetings, I have had my Impreza DRC, from new, since Nov 2009. It has been utterly reliable, which is perhaps not surprising becuase I have done around 7,000 miles in total. A godsend in snowy and icy weather. The only time she let me down was in March 2013, when we had about 2ft of snow overnight and it was too deep for the wheels to lift the floor above the snow. My other cars are firstly a 1956 Ford 100E Anglia...inherited in 2009 from her original owner. Still in pretty much standard condition with a few, reversible, mods to make driving easier and safer, such as seat belts, MGF front seats, electronic ignition and fuel pump and all lighting by LEDs (apart from Xenon headlights). Colour is Corfe Grey over Ford Imperial Maroon. The other car, acquired this year, is a Maxda MX-5 1.8. Special edition of Nevada in Strato Blue with grey leather interior.