ccrinc

IMHO, that guy has found a non-problem to turn into a made up problem so he can scare people and sell his wares. Besides, everyone knows that NASIOC members flog their cars like red-headed stepchildren. In 17 years, I personally have never seen a Subaru cracked pickup tube unless somebody had been in there and beat on it. I HAVE seen pickup tube o-rings go bad, disintegrate and fall off which causes no oil to be returned from the oil pan. But even that's very uncommon. You can't always pinpoint the reason for a bearing failure: lack of oil changes, overheating, mixed fluids in the engine, age, all contribute. But sometimes you just got a crappy bearing. Or maybe didn't torque the rod caps properly. Oh, and if the car's running rich, like a failed 02 sensor, it can thin the oil and contribute to rod bearing failure. (Seen that.)

There are two very common things that cause this on older Legacy transmissions: Brake band. It probably needs replacing. Paper gasket on rear tail housing: these just plain wear out. New style is either fiber or metal (I forget which). You won't need to remove the transmission to do either of these fixes. However, if he's been revving it hard to try to get it to move in reverse, it's possible he's worn out the reverse clutches. We just had one in our shop for exactly the same issue as a favor to another Subaru shop.

I can't speak to what may have caused any of the above problems, but I do know that most of the companies who manufacture the bearings have outsourced their production to China, even NDC which makes many of the dealer bearings. We won't use these. They're garbage. They are a 2 metal bearing with absolutely no copper in them and they fail miserably. If we can't get Japanese made NDC bearings, we will use ACL Race bearings. In fact, that's what we're using on most of the newer engines. The problem is that it's hit or miss. Even from the dealer, it's nearly impossible to tell the provenance of any given set of bearings. It's hard enough for us to keep a stock of bearings at any given time, considering that Japan is a JIT country. I tell ya: it's enough to drive ya nuts!

I thought that's what I just said.

Actually, even though the engine is highly interferential, if it only ran for a second, you have a decent chance of little or no damage to the valves. BUT, that's only part of what you are dealing with. Had it not overheated, at this point, I would highly recommend you put a new timing belt on there with the proper timing marks. You have stressed the belt and if it's so old that the marks are gone, it's suspect anyway. I mean, you're in there, why would you NOT do the belt too? (and cam seals while you're at it). Watch the videos, read the info on this website, you could put a new belt on there (timed properly) and see what happens. If the engine only idles, the worst that should happen if the valves are bent is that will stay bent. It's the high revving (like highway speeds) that causes the severe damage. HOWEVER, if she overheated it severely, bent valves are only part of the damage. Sorry, but putting a water pump, belt and other parts on it are a waste of time. She FUBARED it by not pulling over immediately and not driving it again until it was properly repaired or replaced. Also, with 270,000 miles on it, a head job is only going to take out the bottom end. Sorry: she needs a new engine. Not your fault: hers for driving it like that. Emily

I believe SOA should cover this under warranty: getting them to do so is another matter. Yell, cajole, threaten, sweet talk: whatever gets them to do it, or go elsewhere. The prices they are quoting are outrageous. If the fan ate through the radiator, I believe it should be covered under the manufacturer's defect clause. That's not normal: something had to either come loose or be misaligned from the beginning to cause this. I'd look to the exhaust work they did before as causing the tweaking to the fans.

Actually, we have done some of those hybrid builds. Not too fond of them, but we have done them. I'd like to think we aren't "rigid", but I suppose you're right: stock engines are what our customers are looking for when they come to us.

I'm glad it works for you. But, if we tried a technique like that on any of our engines, our customers would refuse to do business with us, especially dealers. If I understand, one advantage is to get more oil around the piston, but that can also result in blow by and smoking. I'd be nervous about the integrity of the piston itself also: Subaru pistons crack enough on their own with compromising the strength of the metal!

Oh man, the SUS is the coolest sedan made by Subaru! That said... The EZ30 engine is a very solid engine...IF you are religious about oil changes. The timing chain tensioners are inside that front cover and are lubricated by the engine oil. They will gum up and fail if you are lax about oil changes. Totally a zero-clearance engine, you can barely surface the heads without putting the whole timing chain setup out of tolerance. Your gas mileage is going to take a hit. I had a '97 Outback Limited with manual trans. before I got the '02 LL Bean Outback I drive currently. I got 29mpg average with the '97: I'm lucky to get 24mpg with the '02. (Part of that is due to the extra 3 lbs. of lead in my right foot ) Here in Denver, I can run mid-grade gas. If I got to your altitude, I would need premium. More oxygen = need to use higher octane fuel. Oh, and don't even think about working on the engine yourself unless you really know what you're doing. Doing the spark plugs is nearly as bad as the SVX. (I mean, have you actually looked under the hood of that car?!) IF the car has been properly maintained, the mileage isn't bad. If not, you're looking at a very expensive repair. Hope this helps. Emily

Just a thought...is he absolutely, positively sure that the transmission cooling line is routed properly? If it's ok until he puts in in gear, sounds like the transmission cooler is involved somehow. Emily

Shameless plug.

http://www.justsuspension.com/kyb I found this website recently. Less expensive than even our shop can get them from a supplier. It's where I'm going when my car needs them again! Emily

That is actually NOT a good idea. It's old school wisdom and still holds true: if you rebuild the heads and put them back on a used bottom end (now at least 18 years old), you raise the compression and it WILL take out the bottom end. Maybe not today, not tomorrow, but it WILL do it! You are better off just checking them out, repairing any issues (like the burnt valve) and put them back on without the rebuilds. Emily

In the case of timing belts, we always say to err on the side of caution. If the "recommended interval" is 105,000, do it at 90,000. A belt is a lot cheaper than a new engine. (Even if it is interferential.) Getting stranded due to a shredded belt sucks. And tows aren't cheap either! Here in Colorado, with our extremes of hot and cold, dryness, etc., rubber takes a beating a lot faster than, say, Vancouver. Emily

The correct torque is 128 ft. lbs. This has been common knowledge for about 15 years.

The '95 has an EGR, the '93 doesn't. Otherwise, they are identical for all intents and purposes. To use a '93 engine in your car, you will need to have the EGR drilled and tapped. (Same timing belt, incidentally.) Emily

Try a company called Transtar. They have an online store. Emily

No, there's no sensor. But, it's a fairly well known circumstance that the oil needs to get that low in order for the light to come on. I postulate that the extreme low level correlates to the low pressure due to obvious lack of fluid to lubricate.

If you can find a good used EJ22, how much depends heavily on where you are. I hear people on here claim they can get EJ22 engines all day long for $100-200. In Colorado, they're more expensive. If you can do the labor yourself, you'd probably spend a total of about $400 with new seals, etc. I'm sure more people will chime in. Incidentally, I don't agree with Ivan. Just use the entire 2.2 engine. Much more reliable.

The oil light in a Subaru doesn't come on until you are down to at least 2 quarts below full. That's half of the total capacity of the engine. That knocking noise is most likely a rod knock. And since you drove it until it died, the probability is that you spun a rod bearing. Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but it's most likely that your engine is toast. However, since you didn't seem to hear the noise constantly, I am hopeful for you. As a person new to Subarus, I will tell you what I tell everyone with their first Subaru: be fanatically religious about oil changes and levels, and NEVER, EVER, under any circumstances, let it overheat. A tow is a lot cheaper than a new engine. That said, your best bet is to swap in a '95 EJ22. Much more reliable, easier to work on, and less expensive overall. (Oh, and put a new, Subaru Genuine PCV valve on your new engine.) Emily

You are correct: "wobble" is NOT normal for a crank pulley (aka harmonic balancer). They should rotate smoothly.

It probably didn't get torqued enough last time. It needs to be torqued to at least 127 ft. lbs. Hopefully, the end of your crankshaft isn't already damaged.

It's nice to find a "stupid-simple" solution sometimes, isn't it? Emily

You call that a problem?! You only paid $50 and got 20 THOUSAND miles of service from it!! That was a bona fide Bargain. Here in Colorado, I can't buy an EJ22 core engine for $50. If I could, I'd be on it like white on rice!! Hell, I'd buy 10. Today. Emily

There are some things aftermarket that are fine on a Sube, and some things that just don't work right. PCV valves are one of them. THermostats, nearly anything electronic (except stereo), gaskets: all fit into the go Genuine or go home category. Maybe it's the quality of the part that makes the difference, but at that price vs. a new engine, I wouldn't take the chance. Emily