2008 Evo X Had Ayc Pump Replaced Once Under Recall 5 Years Later Failed Again

The bad

By warrant of beingness here, I'm figuring that yous'll know that cars can be a source of groovy pleasance. They tin bring you joy, help you lot to meet new friends and offer up new experiences. They can serve to inspire, tantalise your senses and offer thrills and spills. They tin also be a purple pain in the arse.

In case the title hadn't given information technology away, my experience with my own car recently hasn't exactly been all positive. I'm now finally at the end of the whole saga, and so feel able to talk nigh it at present without wanting to nail/burn something, but information technology's not been pretty. Merely I'one thousand getting alee of myself, and then allow me offset at the outset…

At the time of the last update, everything was running great. I'd come back from my near successful Nürburgring trip however and then gone on to do some driver training. So far, so good. Merely later on a quick oil change, and an endeavour to track down an annoying squeak, a pocket-sized web-like crack was spotted where the rear sub-frame bolts to the chassis. With this being a notorious spot for rust to outset, it went straight off to the lovely guys at Dynotech to become information technology put directly.

A few days later, I had the call you actually don't want to get. "Um, your car…" Now there'southward never been a good outcome to whatsoever phone telephone call that begins with that judgement, so already I knew information technology was bad news. "Yep, the rust is worse than first idea." Equally that area is double-skinned, peeling back the upper layer had revealed a patch on both sides about three inches long. Ok, not great news but better to take hold of it now rather than later, right?

A few hours afterward, the phone rang over again. This was not a good sign. "We've constitute some more than rust." Besides as the two bits where the sub-frame bolts up, rubbing downwardly the underseal had revealed holes in my rear chassis legs and a spot in the sill nether the driver'southward door. This was mode worse than I expected. Merely there was zero to do except (wo)man up and get it all sorted.

Having popped downwards to inspect the problems, the fact that the entire rear sub-frame was coming off made me wonder if I could at least supplement the work with some nice additions. A quick call to SuperPro and a full poly bush kit was ready for the car, including caster aligning front bushes.

These neat little bushes enable the fulcrum bespeak to exist starting time to enable extra caster to be dialled in. The Evo's steering is quick and precise but I like something with a bit of weight, and being able to adjust the caster past its normal setting non only increases this, only also improves straight-line stability and helps to increase slant gain on turn-in – a definite plus on track.

My rear anti-roll bar wasn't looking likewise healthy either and information technology's an upgrade I've been because for some time. SuperPro doesn't have i for my model Evo, and then an uprated Whiteline equivalent was ordered. With a diameter of 24mm – a 3mm increment over the standard bar – I hoped to dial out a trivial of the Evo'southward characteristic AWD understeer.

There was another bit I wanted tackled besides – the fuel filler neck. This is another notorious identify for rust, and I'd noticed a few drops leaking when I'd fill up, so a quick chase effectually saw a brand new replacement being fitted. Even with the mild leak, I don't think anybody was prepared for the state of the thing when we took it off. Information technology looked like information technology had been recovered from the Titanic! It was presently joined in the bin by a host of other basics and bolts that only didn't desire to come off as intended.

A few weeks later, all of the work had been completed and I went to pick the motorcar up. With all the rust patches cutting out, new metal welded back in, new bushes and rear anti-roll bar fitted, and a fresh coat of underseal, plus freshly painted intermission arms, the end consequence was that much of the underside now looked ameliorate than it probably had done for the concluding 14 years! Offset things first, I needed to get the geometry set-upward done again though, so I popped into AmD and got a base gear up-up dialled back in.

The worse

And then, with my wallet feeling substantially lighter, I should take been happy, right? Well, no. Although the car instantly felt amend to drive, thanks to the poly bushes (more than on that shortly), there was one thing making me desire to cry: my rear unequal was being incredibly noisy again. I've pretty much had just well-nigh the worst luck with diffs always. The car came with the RS rear diff fitted (a mechanical LSD instead of the viscous AYC that so many people have issues with). They're supposed to be way more reliable, but I'd already had mine rebuilt twice thanks to it being actually loud on over-run. A brusque while earlier starting at Speedhunters, I thought I'd solved the issue when we realised my diff was using the wrong hangers and mounts, thus letting the prop autumn slightly out of alignment. It'd been near silent always since.

And at present the noise was back. I was shocked. There wasn't annihilation else to try. Obviously mounting it on poly bushes would make it noisier anyhow, but it was dorsum to sounding well-nigh broken again on over-run. Subsequently much ranting and swearing, I finally bit the bullet, took the rear diff associates off Once more and sent information technology to my motorcar club'south resident transmission expert, Clive West. He'due south worked on rally cars and fifty-fifty the Ross Sport Evo, then if anyone could help me, it was Clive.

Clive confirmed that pretty much all of the tolerances were out, which was allowing the crown cycle to twist under load and mesh with the pinion wrongly, causing the racket. So much for my last rebuild! Information technology was rebuilt to Clive'due south discerning tolerances and the unequal plates configured to Great britain lock-up settings instead of the U.s. ones it had been using, significant information technology should give amend traction until passing grip limit when it might testify a little more prone to oversteer.

And then dorsum it came and was fitted dorsum onto the motorcar. By at present, it had been weeks since the car had been right and I was desperate to go for a good drive. A quick call to my buddy with his R34 Skyline GT-R V-Spec Ii found me a driving partner to go out with, and we gear up out for the seaside. That'south not quite the glamorous proffer that it is in somewhere like LA. Still, with all the tweaks to the handling to exam out, I was anxious to get some seat time. And it was perfect weather for turbos, if non a stroll along the beach!

So, the SuperPro bushes. To be honest, I can't say I was expecting much departure from them. Perchance a bear upon more than directness and maybe some additional stiffness to the ride. Only I was wrong. The handling just felt that much sharper and more than precise – far more than like a new machine, than the 14 year-one-time she really is. I'd only had minimal caster dialled in so far, but the steering was too happily a touch heavier. And the boosted stiffness? Nowhere to exist institute. Admittedly, my automobile's pretty stiffly set up for the road anyway, but there was no extra harshness and no extra dissonance. If I hadn't known they'd been fitted, I would but accept wondered why the car felt better.

But that wasn't all. I've had a mild steering bike judder for a long time that would tend to surface when braking lightly from thruway speeds. I'd changed discs, re-surfaced the pads, been on a hard braking mission to try and clean up any pad deposits, experimented with different tyres and eventually, not having much luck with anything, learnt to simply ignore information technology. Now it was gone. 100%, completely disappeared.

Some very minor steering wheel wobble that I've had effectually 70mph for years was too gone (that I attributed to my road tyres beingness difficult to balance). By plumbing fixtures the bushes, I'd not just improved the general experience but solved ii pocket-sized annoyances I thought I just had to live with. Checks hadn't revealed any cracks or splits in any of the original bushes, so it was just general play. And then, some good news – finally.

The downright ridiculous

But that wouldn't concluding. Whilst driving effectually a few dissimilar locations, I occasionally thought I felt a knock from the front end under low speed, tight turns. Knowing that I tend to imagine the worst, I put the feeling out of my heed. When we returned from the drive out, I took a trip to my local empty auto park, set the car on full lock and cautiously pulled off. The front end started knocking. My heart sunk. I knew that audio all also well – front unequal bolts. Yous may recollect that I only had these replaced virtually six months agone.

Past at present, I was thoroughly pissed off. I'd understand the abiding problems if I was running huge horsepower, just it's just a lightly tuned phase one machine. I'd also understand if I'd been throwing information technology effectually a ton, but I didn't manage any runway days concluding year, nor sprints, and just i Nürburgring trip. The design of the Evo'south front LSD means that the torque tends to loosen the bolts, so it's a common effect suffered by a lot of owners, but I'd heard that CliveW might have a solution, and then at that place was only one thing for information technology.

Frustrated, I once again got in contact. He confirmed that he did have a more permanent solution. Only my run of bad luck wasn't over nonetheless. I casually mentioned another issue I'd been experiencing – a resonant frequency vibration that merely occurred between about 2,700rpm and 3,200rpm in fifth gear. In that location was no associated noise with it, just a shaking of the car. I'd assumed it might accept been tyre wear or I might demand new gearbox mounts, simply Clive had a very different diagnosis: gearbox input shaft spline wear…

Information technology's another common issue with the Evos (although one I was experiencing for the kickoff fourth dimension). The preload on the input shaft was fix incorrectly from the manufactory – this puts pressure on the bearings which can eventually neglect, just only some gearboxes are affected. Of grade, that would happen to be mine. So now I was looking at another front end diff rebuild and a gearbox rebuild. Deep breaths.

My hopes of stroking the engine and finally getting some more than power out of her were in tatters. When I posted the news on Facebook, I was flooded with comments telling me to go rid of information technology, to sell it and cut my losses and that my motorcar was cursed. I love my car dearly, but I'll acknowledge, for the kickoff fourth dimension in five years of buying, I put serious thought into selling upwards. But frustrated equally I was, the fact that I'd just poured a pretty big amount of money into sorting the underneath and the rear unequal meant that would have all been wasted if I did. Plus I knew I'd only purchase another about identical auto and would likely be confronted with yet bug that I've already solved.

In that location was only one thing for it – to put up and shut upwards. Dec was and then busy that I didn't get to speak to Clive again until early January. He then confirmed he could practise both jobs, just was fully booked until mid February. That would mean three months of the automobile not being right. Just there were no other options.

The car became an expensive driveway ornament. For 12 long weeks, I glared at it from backside my window. I forgot what it was like to drive and savour it, I refused to launder it or wait later information technology in any manner and resentment began to build. Friends were in the process of installing upgrades to their cars and all I was doing was throwing money at mine to keep it going.

We're non done yet

Our relationship started to exist rekindled in the calendar week of Valentine's Day, when I celebrated by returning the car to the garage, getting the gearbox and transfer box out and shipping them to Clive. I was taking no chances this time – the transfer box was the ONLY part of my drivetrain that hadn't caused me bug, then I was sending that to exist checked as well. If that went as well, I would truly burn the whole thing.

Even this part didn't go smoothly. The original couriers didn't turn up on time and the second courier visitor wanted a £350 surcharge to pick upward something that was on a palette. The package was somewhen picked upward, then didn't get delivered on the day information technology needed to – the but time Clive had an opening. Eventually, it arrived and the rebuild process started. The front unequal was stock-still in a more permanent fashion and the input shaft proved to be more than worn on the spline that fifth sits on, than whatsoever Clive had ever seen. I was Jack's consummate lack of surprise. So, a new input shaft was needed, fifth gear was replaced and a college load output shaft bearing was fitted. Well, at least I acquired a new desk ornament.

But the car still wasn't done with its torture (y'all seriously can't make this stuff upwardly). Whilst taking the gearbox out, it was noticed that the standard clutch was very worn. I might have known. Quite honestly, if the whole car had spontaneously combusted at this point, I really wouldn't have been surprised. Money was tight though, and I didn't think I could afford the replacement I wanted, but a nice surprise meant an Exedy twin-plate was shortly fitted. Fourth dimension to learn how to really launch this car!

My exhaust manifold gasket had been blowing, then that besides got replaced. To everyone's surprise, when the worn old one was removed, it was found to be a 2.5″ version. On a 3″ downpipe. I've no thought which idiot idea this would exist a expert idea, only the welcome news was that at least I'd get a complimentary power hike, admitting a very minor one. Even so, I'd take annihilation I could get at this phase! Whilst we were there, I as well binned the remains of the air-con system – it had not worked for a while and removing it non only saved me about 20kg in weight, but as well put less strain on the engine with the pulley removed.

At concluding, everything was finished. The machine's finally back and I can happily confirm, working perfectly. No judder, no knocks, no squeaks, no diff noise. It's been groovy to be able to drive her again, and with the weather finally starting to improve and a sprint upshot booked at Castle Combe at the end of the calendar month, I'chiliad cautiously optimistic that this will mark the turning point between the bad bits of W27 EVO ownership and the good bits. For now…

And so what practise you lot think? Can cars really be cursed? Is it just a bad patch that you need to push through or is it destined to echo itself, over and over once more? Has anyone else out there had bad luck to rival mine?

Suzy Wallace
Instagram: speedhunters_suzy
suzy@speedhunters.com

creekmoregreptol.blogspot.com

Source: http://www.speedhunters.com/2014/03/project-evo-can-cars-be-cursed/

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