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ccrinc

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Posts posted by ccrinc

  1. On 3/27/2022 at 8:54 PM, idosubaru said:


    Subaru parts:  headgaskets, PCV valve, radiator hoses, radiator cap. Timing kit - pulleys, tensioner and belt.  AISIN is a suitable supplier of OEM Subaru timing components.

    Absolutely resurface the heads.Don’t check for flatness it’s an archaic waste of time.

    2 valve cover gaskets, 6(?) valve cover bolt grommets, 2 cam seals, (1 or 2) cam cap orings, oil pan gasket, crank seal, oil pump oring. 2 Exhaust manifold gaskets, 2 intake manifold gaskets, rear main seal. I’d get all subaru usually but many of these have good aftermarket alternatives.

    Tighten the oil pump backing plate screws. One or three are always loose. Use a quality driver.

    Reseal the rear separator plate - a 93 shouldnt be plastic but replace with metal if it is  

    Install a new knock sensor. By far the single most common sensor to fail. New radiator and Subaru hoses and cap. 

    Crank pulley - install a newer hood condition used one or buy new. 

    Ive never seen Subaru valve issues in EJs so I usually leave valves and stem seals untouched.

    Splitting engines isn’t my speciality (if anything even is haha) so take this lightly but I wouldn’t recommend splitting the block.  

    I'd definitely go with Subaru Genuine on the oil seals. I've never seen any aftermarket brands that fit and last like the OEM ones do.

     

  2. I have a 2009 Forester. EVERY time it is driven under a load (like going up hill, over 42-4500rpm for over 2 minutes), this condition manifests itself. EVERY time. Cruise light flashing and cruise disabled, check engine light on, traction control light on (if  you have that).
    When I put my scanner on it, it always comes up with the PO420 code. Always. But the car runs fine. Both O2 sensors have been checked, cat's ok, no other issues. I have come to the conclusion that there is something about that that thinks the car is being overstressed so I simply don't drive it like that. (My grandson, however,...<_<)

    So, I clear the code and go on my way. And it will run fine for months, or until grandson drives it again.

  3. On 1/19/2020 at 4:03 PM, Zip Tie said:

    Any idea what these mean? I know LKQ is a auto dismantler, but does this mean there's a warranty on this engine? The sticker is on top of the block and the coin thing is on the back of the passenger side head.

    KIMG0397~2.JPG

    KIMG0399~2.JPG

    The "coin thing" is a heat tab. If the engine reaches a certain temperature (~280F I think), the center falls out. We used these on our engines for years. Hell, it may even be one of our old rebuilds.

  4. Thanks everyone! (Didn't mean to start any arguments! :D )

    My daughter and I are taking a road trip next month: Rapid City, SD to Monterey, CA.  Through SD, WY, UT and NV there's a lot of empty highway...well, empty except for all those damn deer.  I keep my headlight lenses "serviced" so that's not an issue. I'm just not impressed with the stock bulbs in my Forester.  My last trip to Denver just confirmed that.  I'm only doing the high beams.  I don't like being blasted by those new HID lights either. But when it's the issue of me vs. the deer, bright is what I want.

    I also have to say that I'm sorry I don't check in here more often.  Since we closed our shop in 2016 and I'm retired, I just don't get around like I used to. I also fault the 2 spine surgeries I had for that! But y'all are always in my thoughts.  Best group of people ever! :wub: 
     

  5. If you check out Google, you will see thousands of posts for this same problem, most of them starting in 2009.

    My 09 Forester has the same thing on a reman'd. engine with less than 3,000 miles on it.  I did replace the exhaust manifold and the upstream O2 sensor, but it needed those anyway.  If you have a code reader, you can clear/turn the code off.  It will stay off until you drive the car fairly hard, like 2nd gear uphill for about a mile.  Nobody (especially  not the dealers) really know what's going on.  The engine runs great, the mileage is about 24mpg (pretty standard) and it's great except that I think the exhaust smells too strong. 

    Note that during the rebuild it got new plugs, wires, etc. and the injectors are good.  Meh. Every Subaru "generation" seems to have its own idiosyncrasy.  It's part of their charm.

     

    Emily

    • Like 1
  6. Agree with everything GD said.  Frankly, the Justy was a POS.  They were fun and economical while they lasted, but they didn't last very long.  They had an annoying habit of throwing the #3 rod due to people treating them like the cheapo car they were and not changing oil as they should have, or letting it get low.

     

    The last time we did a Justy engine (for someone who was a friend and colleague), we found the parts to be expensive and dealer-only availability IF they could even get them.  Nothing on this car changes over from any other model Subaru.

     

    Seriously, just walk away.  That $5-600 is going to become a few thousand real quick.

     

    Emily

  7. Sad to say, I have not gotten to the Pan, nor did I replace the valve stem seals.  

     

    I know I could do both with the engine in the car but might just be easier to pull it.  

     

    It will go to the sideline for a month or so, got 6 other ones that I'm working on and lots of travel for work.

     

    Thanks for the feedback!

     

    Larry

     

    Ah, valve stem seals was what first came to mind.  I'd bet they're hard and worn out and possibly now crooked because you had to replace valves.

     

    Emily

  8. Why does nobody ever think about the torque converter? On the later 4EATs, that is their weakest point.  The earlier models were not as sturdy, but Subaru improved the internals a lot in the late '90s.  However, the torque converter can (and does) wear out.  As long as you're going to be getting the engine out (trust me: on this car you want to take it out to do headgaskets), get a rebuilt torque converter.  If the trans. fluid looks and smells good, it's quite possible that's your main issue there.

     

    Emily

  9. I live at 1200 feet above sea level. I've heard of 85 in Colorado. I read an article which says if you fuel up in Colorado then enter a lower altitude state while still running on 85 then top off with 87 , to unplug a relay or the battery cable for 30 minutes to let the computer reset. Otherwise the computer has a memory and the car won't run right. I don't know how true this is.

     

    That's another thing I did the other day. There are three 30 or 50 amp relays in the fuse box. Mine are all red. I can't remember which one you are supposed to pull but I pulled all three and let the car sit overnight. It won't erase the presets or time from the radio.

     

    Around here they sell 87, 89 and 93. For some reason Knoxville which is 100 miles south at 600 feet above sea level only sells 91 or 92 as the highest octane (best that I can recall) which seems contradictory. Lower altitude but lower octane for premium but still 87 and 89.

     

    I don't know why. Large metropolitan area perhaps?

     

    It's true about a car running poorly when leaving Denver for a lower altitude. About a 1500; drop and you can really feel it. 

     

    As for Knoxville, I'm thinking it's the mix of the fuel itself.  Probably less (or more) ethanol.

  10. We used to use all ACL rod and main bearings, but they began outsourcing their "regular" ones to Japan.  Bye-bye, ACL! We'll still get their race bearings "when they're available"., which isn't often.

    So, in looking around for another decent (and decently priced) alternative, we started using King race bearings instead.  Made in Israel.  The first time we tried them, we didn't like them.  Now, they're pretty much state of the art.

     

    These days when I see "made in China", I just go "so what else is new?"  Remember when people used to say that about Japan? :)

     

    ps: for timing belts on zero tolerance engines, it's Subaru Genuine all the way, IMO!

  11. Jseabolt: what is your altitude?  Something I've discovered many people don't take into account is how "high" they are, although the local gasoline companies do. (Like in Colorado, "regular" is 85, while mid-grade is 87, premium is 89 or 91.)

     

    What Subaru recommends as preferred octane is based on the car being at sea level.  Higher altitude requires lower octane. 

    In your case, it seems that you're experiencing the reverse however.  But, it made me curious about it.

    Just a thought, but you may be on to something.

     

    Emily

  12. I bought a 2012, 2.0L base model Impreza this past April. The car checked out great in pretty much every way, when I took it for two test drives and when I took it for an independent inspection. I was even able to contact the past owners and ask them questions about the car.

     

    About a month after bringing the car home the low oil light came on. As the car is still under warranty I took it to the dealership where they said they could do an oil consumption test on it. I'm in Canada so unfortunately they don't seen to honour the same warranty procedure as they do in the US since the class action lawsuit was settled. I had to pay for the oil change. Fast forward two and a half months and the oil light has come back on. Between the oil change and the light coming on I've driven 7297km (4534 US miles). Is this considered excessive oil consumption?

     

    The dealer said when the light came back on to bring it into the dealership....which is 50km (31 US miles) away. Should I do this given the low oil indicator? The dipstick doesn't look too bad...about 2/3 of the way down between the high and low oil indicators. 

     

    Thoughts?

     

    Thanks!!

    1) Do you not check  your oil regularly? All newer cars can/do use oil (and sometimes coolant).  At any rate, you need to get into the habit of checking your oil.

    2) That engine only holds a little over 4 qts. of oil.  You are down by about 3 qts.  DO NOT DRIVE IT without adding more oil.  In fact, I wouldn't drive it at all. Have it towed to the dealer.  You probably already have bearing damage.

    3) Knowing it had run low at least once before, why would you drive over 4500 miles without checking it?

     

    What kind of oil are you using? Dino, part synthetic, full synthetic?  Even with full syn, I never let my car go over 5,000 miles at the very most without an oil change.  Subaru's "7500 between changes" is BS. 

     

    Sorry, but the oil usage on this generation of Subarus is well documented. 

     

    Good luck with the dealer.

     

    Emily

    • Like 1
  13. but you CAN make it more fun to throw around corners - suspension and braking upgrades will do that.

     

    and shedding mass is good - lighter rims, lightweight crank pulley, lightweight flywheel - all helps it spin-up quicker and accelerate a little faster. take out the rear seat if you never have passengers, leave the spare tire and tools at home if you can always call for help.

     

    11lbs mass = ~1 hp

     

    4 pounds off rotating mass = ~ 1 hp,

     

    it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.

     

    I have a couple of stickers that will add at least 20hp for ya!  :bouncy:

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