jonathan909

True dat.

Okay. Now that I'm thinking about it, the ABS was firing the brakes during these events. That's why I made a mental note of the road having been clean+dry - there didn't seem to be a legit reason for the brakes to be getting busy. [edit] - I didn't answer your other question. Pretty sure the road surface was smooth, as it's new - part of the enormous multi-billion-dollar ring road around Calgary that's been under construction here for more than a decade and still has a few years to go. On the shocks themselves, I seem to recall distant-passed threads strongly recommending KYB. Does that recommendation still hold? (Naturally my quick comparison is to others at Rock for 1/2 or 1/3 the price.) Incidentally, if the springs are cheap from the dealer, it could be another rare case of it being cheaper to buy locally rather than from Rock once the shipping is factored in (springs = big and heavy). For me, about the only other part like this has been brake rotors.

On a note related to the '01 OBW gas tank replacement discussed previously... Dropping the tank is apparently going to require unbolting a lot of stuff, including a driveshaft and the rear suspension, so I think I'll be doing the rear shocks at the same time. They just seem soft, but I also noticed some weird behaviour last summer. I was coming into a cloverleaf-style offramp at highway speed (or a little less) with a light boat+trailer (I'd have to check, but probably no more than 600 lb.) behind me. As I was beginning to turn there was some quick blinky activity on the dash indicating some kind of VDC or skid behaviour. It wasn't a hard corner (after all, the boat's behind me and I'm not looking for trouble) and the road was clean and dry. Would this be the VDC system reacting to soggy shocks?

Honestly, how would I know? I've never bought a new car in my life.

Well, I was - but it's pretty much back together now. This was a matter of necessity, because around here it's a real problem if a car won't move under its own steam. PO had really just started the job - rad, AC condenser, intake manifold, crank pulley out - before realizing what he was getting into. My guess is that he took one look at the timing cover and threw in the towel. I mean, he was trying to do this on his back lawn, not even on a concrete pad. So after I got it home I decided that until it made its way up the queue it should be able to start and run - which would also help me assess the leak, which is pretty bad. I've had a couple of good experiences with the coolant conditioner, but I think this is rather too severe for that, and the car and motor (not its first, as I recall) came with a really long story too complicated to commit to memory. So I'm making no (optimistic) assumptions about my initial state beyond "looks bad". Oh - and as for the timing cover bolts, between here and Texas (where this car apparently also spent time) it's pretty dry, so I don't expect rust to be a big problem.

Understood. I still plan to go ahead with this, but want to stress that I absolutely respect the rationales offered above. But where they are driven by necessary commercial/time considerations, I'm not so constrained; if I have the time available to invest so I can put my limited cash elsewhere (my eye's on a Supercat 20 in Texas at the moment), that's what I'm going to do. But the time/money equation isn't the only thing driving me, either. As the old Stiff Records slogan goes, "Try everything once, except incest and folk dancing". I haven't yet pulled apart an EZ30, I know that I'm going to learn some new stuff, and if that includes, "They were right, this is stupid, I wish I hadn't done it, and it's time to buy a JDM", I can accept that outcome too.

When PO started in on it, he'd only bought one gasket, so it's certain he only planned to do the bad side, which is obvious - it's a serious coolant leak to the great outdoors. I'd figured on doing both Just Because, but given what you gents are saying I may just do the one. On the other hand, the effort overhead, particularly in the timing cover alone, is significant. I'll have to think about it and see how it goes.

Sure, I get it. This is a pure cost-effectiveness argument rather than there being something reliably unrepairable about the EZ30.

What's the problem? Just too much time+effort to do the job, or is there a problem with the results?

What, you mean just replacing it? Sorry, man, I don't spend that kind of money on cars - I need it for boats. I'm sure I mentioned this here a while ago, but if not... Back around the beginning of last year I drove by one of those portable moveable-fluorescent-letters roadside signs, set up to promote a used-car dealer. Sign said "30 CARS UNDER $15,000". Doing the mental math, I drove on thinking, "yeah, that's about right".

Technical Service Manual aka FSM - I use the terms interchangeably (sorry - I'm always jumping between mfgrs). On page ME(H6)-22 it says: E: PROCEDURE S143001E45 It is possible to conduct the following service procedures with engine on the vehicle, however, the procedures described in this section are based on the condition that the engine is removed from the vehicle. Camshaft Cylinder Head I mean, if it's sorta reasonably possible I can dig in, and if it gets too miserable (e.g. tilting the motor as you describe) I can always say "screw it" and yank it.

Not to get all OT, but for something like that a wiki is the right way. I've built one from the ground up (for the boat in my avatar, the TriFoiler). It's some work, but easy and a lot of fun once you get going. Thing is, you really need a subject big enough to justify it, and just having, essentially, a group-editable FAQ (because there are already so many other Subaru fora out there) isn't excuse enough.

I have some minor crap to take care of first, but the next big job is going to be head gaskets in the '01 H6 OBW we picked up cheap last winter because the PO had started pulling it apart and quickly found himself out of his depth. I've been assuming that I'll be pulling the engine because everything looks just that much tighter in there (than the EJ25 OBWs and Foresters which I've done in situ) . But I'm just browsing the TSM now and it says the heads can be done without pulling the motor. Can anyone confirm/deny this and relate helpful experience?

My point is that googling returns essentially the same answer: Hundreds of people commenting who have never actually tried it either - specifically on a Subaru.

I took a look, particularly at jelly man's 2013 thread. Predictably, he got a lot of responses saying "don't do that and here's why". What he didn't get was what he specifically requested (as have I), which is: "I did it and here's what happened." Of course I know what's right, what we're supposed to do, and why. What I want to know is: What exactly happens if you ignore the advice and try anyway? Did it seal at power-up? If yes, how many miles did you put on it before it failed (if it failed)? That's all I want. Not good advice - thousands of those posts around already. Just actual experience.

Well, lazy me. Thanks - I'll dig a little further.

I'm really not looking for a vigorous debate on the relative merits, and I'm quite confident that nobody would ever recommend doing so. I'd just like to hear from someone who's actually tried it. If nobody puts their hand up I may look for an opportunity to experiment with the Mahle pair that just came out of this rebuild (with less than a year of service on them).

On the oil change: That's the plan, and as much because that'll help flush whatever bits of the old bearing metal remain in the passages. I tell ya, I had the block run through the washer at a local engine shop and I scrubbed the oil pan first in my cleaning tank, then in the kitchen sink with soap and water, and then ran it through the dishwasher - and there were still teeny little specks of metal in there that I could wipe off with my finger. It was exactly like the bad old days when strippers didn't get arrested for physical contact with the customers and though you could wash off the whipping cream you'd keep finding glitter in your beard no matter how many damn showers you took... at least, that's what I heard from other guys...

Now this is a man who has his priorities straight. I have no idea why someone would want a car without a hitch, and it's the first thing I do with a new ride too. There are, ladies and gentlemen, sailboats to be towed.

I remember this - in fact, it may have been from a thread that I started, since I came here after not getting what I thought were clear/consistent answers about honing on other fora. Fwiw, I'm not using Subaru rings, though Rock's invoice states Japan as COO for this set (and, curiously, Israel for the bearings). So in real terms, what does that translate to? Keep it under 3K for those first 50 miles, then back to normal?

What is best practice now that this thing is back together? EJ25S with new bearings and rings, everything else as it was.

You can start it by finishing up the install of a newly rebuilt motor and have it turn over first-crank, all the while listening to FZ's "One Size Fits All" cranked to the t!ts. I'd like to extend an offer for all-y'all to share my pleasure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFx0X3jTHeQ If it doesn't add true beauty to your day, I'll refund your 2:38 .

I understand the issue, but please tell me you got the joke.

Sorry, but I'm a little confused, because I've never tried this. If you suck all the air out of it, does it squish down so you can store it in a closet or something?

(Um, didn't mean to hijack the thread with my gas tank problem...)