mix and match?

[johnceggleston]

a while back swapped a 2.2L into an overheating 97 2.5L from a GT. i have just now bought a 98 outback with a busted cam sprocket / pulley, passenger side top cam, and of course bent valves. i do not know what caused the the cam sprocket to implode but i suspect it was an oil pressure? (seized cam) failure not a sprocket or belt failure.

 

so i have 2 engines, one bad head gaskets / over heated and one belt / cam pulley failure.

my idea for most economical rebuild is to ues the heads off of the over heated 97 with the short block off of the 98 bad belt. i do not have ant machine shop experience or pricing, but i assume non bent valves are cheaper than bent valves.

 

1. any good guess why a cam pulley would implode.?

2. any reason not to use the heads from one and the block from the other??

3. the leftover parts, scrap? or worth the risk of re- construction, especially the 97 overheated block? it was running when i got it , but the PO had been dealing with the head gaskets for several thousand miles.

 

thanks for any and all input.

 

this is my new purchase: http://norfolk.craigslist.org/pts/1464734510.html

Edited November 21, 2009 by johnceggleston

[idosubaru]

the plastic cam sprockets suck. i've known people to break, crack, and damage them and ask me for help. i'm sure it's not out of the question for someone to tweak them and try reusing them or not know they're bad after a timing belt/cam seal change.

 

then again it could be something more ominous, but i think chances are higher for the other and if the engine turns over fine that's what i would lean towards.