1992 Legacy Wagon, L 170k

[Kmenex]

Greetings.

 

Bought 1992 legacy wagon with 150k miles on it last year (2016 march).

Was in good condition and timing belt had been changed at 140k. Minor exterior issues (driver door lock not working) and some electrical problem (brake light never turning off)..

Runs smooth, clutch a little loose at purchase (adjusted now & good)... Clutch had been replaced around 100k miles owner said.

I Replaced spark plugs and coil pack at 168k miles. New tires and rotors at 160k miles.

 

Now at 172k miles and it's time for repairs. Should have done this, of course, right after purchase...

 

Took into japanese mechanics shop with 30+ years family owned small business, japanese family, for a quick 100$ dollar diagnosis.

 

Engine: We are still running good aside from slight intermittent power stalls, especially when up hill at high speeds (low speed uphill fine). Head gasket appears to have oil leaking on both sides in small volumes, however i have read that often it can appear the HG is leaking but the source is elsewhere... and even if they do leak they still have a lot of integrity before they totally blow and fail... Idles low but perks up for 100-300 rpm jitters occasionally.

 

Timing: Tag on radiator says replaced at 140k miles, however it seems one or two of the idler pulleys are starting to squeak (has been doing this less than a month intermittent, last week starting to get constant).

 

Cooling system: Radiator good, fans running, however cooling needs a flush through and i have a hunch something in the cooling is hampered because car gets to halfway on the onboard temp display very quickly but never goes beyond that even after 5 hour drives in summer arid heat.

 

Exhaust: Pinhole has been found in the front end of the exhaust pipe

closer to the C. Converter than to the exhaust manifold section. Also hole near the muffler. Oil seepage on the intake manifold near where it attaches to engine.

 

Transmission: all clear sounds, seems good, no grinding or audible noises. Holds all gears well and shifts smoothly.

 

Axle / Suspension: Both front CV joints need replaced, they are both torn and creating noise. Driver side sway bar linkage broken in half.

 

Other: Windshield cracked and needs replacing. Headlights kind of dim and need adjustment and cleaning, front brake pads at 10%, ignition wires and air filter should be replaced.   

 

So now the time has come to replace the CV joints but my i am coming here to the forum to ask for opinions on what else might be recommended to be done on this car’s journey to 300k miles …  I have some good block of time right now to work on it and i'm willing to pull the engine regarding other people's opinion. Right now i'm leaning on pulling it if i do the HGs but since i'm not fully knowledgeable on subaru i am seeking some advice as to what other things should be done while motor is out (theoretically) and front axles are off. For example, any sensors that i should replace? Any pumps that i could inspect and perhaps replace. Since i am doing a repair and not a rebuild i am trying to only repair things that might fail in the next 30k miles, but if something is already going south due to mileage i'm willing to replace it now while subi is opened up (eg. sensors). Transmission lines, steering wheel fluids, hell of course if it comes out it’s getting all new fluids..

Just looking for some chat about suggested additional repairs consider. And of course if anyone is interested i can document the process ... Will post pics of course...

Edited June 7, 2017 by Kmenex

[Fairtax4me]

Cooling system: Radiator good, fans running, however cooling needs a flush through and i have a hunch something in the cooling is hampered because car gets to halfway on the onboard temp display very quickly but never goes beyond that even after 5 hour drives in summer arid heat.

That's working exactly as it's supposed to. A properly working Subaru cooling system will be at full operating temp in about 8 minutes and the temp needle will sit like a rock at halfway and never move.

Good idea to change the antifreeze if it's green. The green antifreeze needs to be changed every few years because it breaks down and deposits silts in the radiator and engine.

 

Don't worry about Head gaskets. They're not bad. Leave them alone. If anything is leaking oil it will be valve cover gaskets or the cam plug seals. Both relatively easy replacements.

 

If the cv axles have green paint on the joints, clean them and install new boots. Green paint is the marker of original Subaru axles and theyre the best axles you can have period. Even if they've been run dry and to the point of clicking, new grease and new boots and they'll be perfectly fine.

 

Low idle could be a few things but start with new plugs and wires since it needs those to fix the misfire anyway.

 

Find an exhaust shop (not a chain store) to have the exhaust welded to fix the leaks.

 

Not very common to have squeaks from the timing idlers. Best way to narrow that down is to remove the alternator and AC belts one at a time and start the engine and see if the noise continues with those belts removed. If the noise is still there it's probably a timing part.

[moosens]

Some great advice there but I'll offer some more.

 

Agreed - leave he headgaskets alone. If you can borrow or score a compression reader you'll feel more comfy , or know you do need to do them.

Most likely leave them alone.

 

Agreed on the axles too. I just did everything you are about to do on both an automatic and standard. Saved the originals to work on but did install store brand knowing how sucky they can be. Not much spare time here right now.

 

I have had pulleys explode. And they squeaked before it happened. Sold to me as a noisy clutch , it actually did get quiet when depressing the clutch pedal but that was deceiving. A couple weeks later that pulley exploded and took out some timing covers etc etc .....

 

With the engine out you want to make sure you put in a new rear main seal - Subaru brown if possible - and check that access plate which is also called an oil separator plate. If plastic , replace it. Someone here said the aluminum one is ok but not as good as the steel. Yes , three versions. They're around $28-34 new and I have one I don't need with the screws.

 

I think you are doing the right thing. Just yank that engine and do as much as you can and can afford.

For sure valve/rocker cover gaskets with the bolt grommets. Clean the grime off as best as you can BEFORE taking the covers off. Not lazy like me. Lol

 

You'll do fine - tear into it - we're all here to help if needed.

 

Cheers !

[moosens]

Also , when you put it back together be aware that it's best to fill the radiator as much as you can thru the big hole , but bleed the air out and top it off thru the small hole with the square head (black plastic) on the passenger side of the radiator as you run it of course.

[Kmenex]

Thank you all so much for the advice and input, very appreciated.

Currently up on jacks with axles out, waiting for new the ones to arrive.
- NOT OEM CV joints, alas.

I noticed that the boots to the rack and pinion are .... torn in half...
However i have had no issues with steering, but also i realize that eventually some grit will get into the shaft and start causing some seal drama. Half way tempted to pull the set, refinish the shaft and re-grease / re-seal / re-boot the component... However....

God awful amount of grimy grease coated all over the bottom half of engine and under body... REALLY Wanted to pressure blast all this spoob off and clean this mess before i even do any more work. Working on grimy parts is damn annoying.

Also anyone know a good method of reapplying that "rubbish" type layer on top of the body paint on the bottom sheet metal of the car?
 

[Kmenex]

I'm pulling the engine to do head gasket and other maintenance and clean up but I'm stuck here with this AC unit and what to do during engine clearing.

 

Any tips? See attached photos

[Kmenex]

I'm pulling the engine to do head gasket and other maintenance and clean up but I'm stuck here with this AC unit and what to do during engine clearing.

 

Any tips? See attached photos

[Kmenex]

I also have early signs of crank shaft pully wobble, no failures yet but wondering if anyone can suggest anything to correct this... Will check deeper once engine is out and timing is taken off and checked.

[Subaru Scott]

Tie your AC compressor up out of the way, it will kind of fold over and lay up against the fenderwell. 

 

Not sure what you mean by "early signs of crank pulley wobble." Do you mean it's loose? Or it wobbles while turning? Is the rubber between the center and outer ring coming apart?

 

Definitely replace all your timing idlers, it is time. OEM is best of course, but many people have good luck with aftermarket if they have Japanese bearings. I know, hard to tell if they do until you get them... The first gen tensioners are pretty durable, just make sure it has smooth, even resistance while you are compressing it, SLOWLY, and that it is not leaking. Use the biggest allen wrench you can fit through the holes to hold it in during assembly. 

I would do a water pump while you're there, OEM. 

[Kmenex]

Noted...

 

I will do a video once the motor is out.

[Kmenex]

got the engine out today. Here is a walk around  video.

interested in any comments for more repairs to be done.

Edited June 17, 2017 by Kmenex

[Kmenex]

Well after two weeks it's been quite the Journey...

This should have taken two days but after all the time waiting for parts and then finding out i needed new ones.... it has ended up taken this long!
So sad i could CRY...

However it has been highly educational and there are quite a few things i have learned.

Firstly: Chinese steel is NOT FORGIVING... whoever replaced the "timing belt" at 140000 miles on this only changed the belt.. and when they torqued down idler pulley #2 type they must have over torqued because when i took it out and then put it back it in just spun and spun and i pulled out a sheet of threads from the barrel. Now  i had to rush a new water pump to arrive Saturday. I know the water pump is new because it looks newer and the original owner told me they got a new water and oil pump. It's aftermarket Chinese steel and it's damn weak!

Secondly: When doing the timing check and cranking over the engine by hand you only need to line up the marks on the crankshaft sproket and the cam pullies as you rotate... The initial white marks on the belt will not return to the exact position until you turn the engine like 100 times. I spent 5 hours codswalloping with this as i logically looked at it after each full rotation thinking to my self how it seemed to be reasonable that the white marks would be off for a large number of turns... even still i struggled thinking i needed to check for those white marks on the belt to realign perfectly with the sproket and pulley marks... WRONG!
Sprockets and pulleys only.