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Showing results for tags 'lower mpg after head work'.
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I bought '02 Forester L in July(2013),off a close friends mother.Original owner.Garage kept for 9 years.Impecable service records.179k miles on it.All recommended interval maintenance performed as suggested.It was VERY well maintained.Had intermittent external Head Gasket leak.Took it to mechanic(@182K),which had been serciving vehicle for years and diagnosed leak prior to my acquiring car.Changed head gaskets,timing assembly,water pump and sent heads to be cleaned and spec'd.They refaced valves,repaired guides,installed new valve seals and cam seals.I was told two valves were dropping out of spec.The week I got it back,I noticed that it didn't seem to have the same 'zip' that it did.Especially under load.Going up hills.Calculated mpg week two at 16.7.Down from the 24 mpg it was getting before surgery.Due to circumstances with new job and harsh winter weather.Which the AWD was a must have for.I didn't bring it in right away.It never gave me any reason to be concerned about a major issue.No knocking,or tapping or surging.Just lower feul economy and what seemed to me as less pep.Well 1500 miles later.After racking up a whopping 41 miles a day commuting.It started losing power on a light incline,while in Cruise control at 68mph.Within a minute of noticing how the car wasn't maintaining Cruise speed.It shifted down twice and rev'd the rpm's up.That's when the tapping started.Then upon canceling Cruise and removing throttle input.The tapping became more like clattering.Pulled right over and called AAA.The same mechanic now tells me it threw a rod.???When he told me,after asking how the bottom end looked when he had it apart,that it was in great condition,That the cylinder heads were very clean.He could still see the cross hatch marks on the cylinder tops.He even said he inspected the Main Seal and it looked good.Sorry this post is a like a 'Short Story' but this is my first Subaru.Not the typical overhead cam that i've always owned.It seems a little odd to me that the bottom end,per say,went right after he told me how clean and good it looked.I pulled the dipstick after it shut off coming to a stop on the side of the highway.The oil appeared normal in color,but had a fuel like smell to it.Any one have any advice on this?He is taking the approach that this is the 'Luck of the draw' type thing.Said he was sorry that this happened to me and he'd make some calls to see what he could come up with for some options to replace/repair my motor.The bill came to $2,620.00! At 184K miles.Something doesn't add up to me.Any suggestions on what I should be asking this mechanic?What problems with the valves could cause the motor to blow a rod,if any??