Sunday, April 7, 2013

Finally finishing up the Outback - up soon - back to the diesel

Well, it's been a longer road than I would have originally thought, but I'm just about done with the Outback now. Although the car ran well when I bought it, I needed to catch it up on a lot of maintenance and tune-up items, most of which I detailed in this blog.

Recently, I finally installed the new steering rack boot. As the passenger side boot was still intact, and it's still cold here, I opted to only replace the torn boot.




I also finally replaced the missing exhaust manifold stud. I was going to replace 2, but one hole had apparently been drilled and tapped to a larger size. So, that bolt had to stay in place, for at least the time being.


Next, I replaced the cooling system hoses, which looked original to the car, and then washed the car and cleaned the engine compartment.




Then, yesterday, I got the fog lights working. The factory ones didn't work. I put a new bulb in the driver's side, and it worked for a few minutes, but the passenger side light was corroded on the inside past the point of no repair. Given how hard these lights are to find, I opted to install a pair of aftermarket lights which also use H3 bulbs. I'm pleased with the new lights. They work well and don't look too out of place.




So the next time you drop in for a read... I'll try and have some Mercedes stuff for you. I'm glad to be getting back to that project, and that the Outback is now solid.




4 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks. That was just the result of a quick wash. A proper detailing is yet to come.

      Delete
    2. Are you gonna get inside with a carpet cleaner like u have in the past?

      Delete
    3. Unlikely, at least not in the near future. My previous daily driver had been smoked in and my wife's car had been subjected to numerous coffee spills. This one had been kept cleaner, overall.

      Delete