jmickelct Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 This just keeps getting better.... May need a new engine (2.5) as well as tranny (clicking may be a rod bearing). Getting second opinion today.. Same place that had a 4EAT tranny ($250, local guy will swap for $450)) offering me an engine for $1k. Suggestions as to cost to swap engine (assuming doing the two may be a bit cheaper...) and if these look like reasonable figures? Not very happy to be looking at this order of repairs (bought it in June with 111k, $700 timing belt job in July) and wondering of folks take on worthwhileness of putting this much in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 If they are good, those are reasonable prices. Used Trans are $750 or so from the yards, same for engines. You may want to drop a 2.2 engine in or watch for a wreck that has a good engine and trans. You may be able to pick the complete car up for less than a $1000.00 In the end, look at the life you will get out of the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 (go easy on me nipper!)...don't buy a used 2.5 unless it has new headgaskets. particularly not for $1,000. click on the search button here, search the new generation forum (this one) for "headgasket" or "overheating" and see how many 2.5 engines come up. not worth the risk in my oppinion. you have a good vehicle, sounds like you have terrible luck but good decisions on the engine and trans now will give you many years and happy miles of use. i gotta go or i'd offer some more babbling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon38iowa Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 (go easy on me nipper!)...don't buy a used 2.5 unless it has new headgaskets. particularly not for $1,000. click on the search button here, search the new generation forum (this one) for "headgasket" or "overheating" and see how many 2.5 engines come up. not worth the risk in my oppinion. you have a good vehicle, sounds like you have terrible luck but good decisions on the engine and trans now will give you many years and happy miles of use. i gotta go or i'd offer some more babbling. I agree with Gary on the engine. This, having to have mine rebuilt recently. My mechanic and I did a search and it was shocking the lack of quality 2.5s available. One salvage yard wanted 3K for an unit with 60k miles, moreover the warranty was a joke- 30 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northguy Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 I think where Gary was headed was to look into swapping your engine for a 2.2. Do a search to reveal the reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmickelct Posted November 18, 2006 Author Share Posted November 18, 2006 Hi, Got a second and third opinion... pretty much unanimous for piston rod bearing.... And, yes, even though I havent had to do the heads, (yet!?!) feel like I've shared the collective pain, so immediately went to thoughts of a 2.2, except for... The 2.5 they've offered me for $1k, comes stripped of a bunch of stuff (starter, etc... seems what most chop shops do..) so theres the expectation that I'd need to scavenge these off of my current unit... skeptical (read:inexperienced) if a non-OHC will have the same\needed stuff.. To be honest, I'd love to end up with a 2.2 manual..., but, unless I end up shelling out even more of the buckaroos that are already way short to have someone do the "conversion", I'm already on the thin part of my knowledge ice... (which you no doubt already suspect..)... And yes, have searched For Sale sections (as well as off-site regions...), seems like a grand is a pretty fair price.... Have to say, for the $2k that it'll cost me to get this back on the road, I'm having some might sweet thoughts of my old Honda(s).... (go easy on me nipper!)...don't buy a used 2.5 unless it has new headgaskets. particularly not for $1,000. click on the search button here, search the new generation forum (this one) for "headgasket" or "overheating" and see how many 2.5 engines come up. not worth the risk in my oppinion. you have a good vehicle, sounds like you have terrible luck but good decisions on the engine and trans now will give you many years and happy miles of use. i gotta go or i'd offer some more babbling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Why are 2.5's so expensive? Here in canada, it cost 900 for a mint engine and tranny, with 3 month unlimited mileage, and 1400 installed, with 60,000KM on them. I am talking about a 2.2l with a automatic tranny 4wd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmickelct Posted November 18, 2006 Author Share Posted November 18, 2006 Sounds like I should be driving north... (though who knows what HLS would do with a car full of Sube parts... Why are 2.5's so expensive? Here in canada, it cost 900 for a mint engine and tranny, with 3 month unlimited mileage, and 1400 installed, with 60,000KM on them. I am talking about a 2.2l with a automatic tranny 4wd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimokalihi Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Used Trans are $750 or so from the yards, same for engines I'm not sure about engines at my local junkyard but I know from experience that a 4EAT will run me $175 with core, $200 without. I threw a 94 4EAT in my 90 wagon with 120,000 miles on it (280K on my car!) and it's running excellent ever since 9 months ago. I'm pretty sure a 2.2 would cost about 300 bucks at the junkyard where I got the tranny. But they do have the BEST prices I have ever heard of/seen from any junkyard before. Another one around here wants like 400 or more for a tranny. Which is not worth it to me at all because you don't even know if the damn thing works good until you put it in and installing/uninstalling 4EATs are a major pain in the rump roast and not something you want to keep doing over and over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmickelct Posted November 18, 2006 Author Share Posted November 18, 2006 Wow! That pretty astonishing... I fully admit to being a novice, but nearly 2months of search time turned up a $250 4EAT as being way far as the cheapest I could get (most online guys were looking for $1-1.5k! Have to assume that, if I were to find a 2.5, it's gotta be a lot easier to put in head gaskets outside of the car, and would obviously pull the new timing belt\water pump out of my current unit. Wouldnt mind geting some phone numbers for your local guys (even though youre quite a hike from here...). Any idea of what years EJ25 will go into mine (would very much like to get an engine\tranny pair)... possibly a 2.2\4EAT.... On the tranny, how far back do I need to go (with a 2.2\4EAT) before I hit compatibility with my current 2.5\4EAT (the rear tranny\clutchpack part )? I'm not sure about engines at my local junkyard but I know from experience that a 4EAT will run me $175 with core, $200 without. I threw a 94 4EAT in my 90 wagon with 120,000 miles on it (280K on my car!) and it's running excellent ever since 9 months ago. I'm pretty sure a 2.2 would cost about 300 bucks at the junkyard where I got the tranny. But they do have the BEST prices I have ever heard of/seen from any junkyard before. Another one around here wants like 400 or more for a tranny. Which is not worth it to me at all because you don't even know if the damn thing works good until you put it in and installing/uninstalling 4EATs are a major pain in the rump roast and not something you want to keep doing over and over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve455 Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 i heard in 96 it was the only year the 2.5 had hydraulic lifters, so you will have to stay with a 96. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 i don't want to stael the thread or start a debate that can't be resolved without listening to the car in person, but ..... i'd be interested in how they determined it was a rod bering. as i understand it, you have a 96 2.5L outback a/t. apparently you went to more than 1 shgop, and they all said the same thing. i assume they know what they're talking about, but any chance it's piston slap?? i bought a 97 obw which was diagnosed as a bad wrist pin when it was / is piston slap. i got it cheap cause the seller's mechanic didn't know subarus. bad things do happen, b ut it seems to me that with subarus, it happens less often. even if it is a bearing, i think i'd drive it a while (unless you are absolutely sure). if it breaks down on you the price only goes up the amount of the tow, inconvenience, and desperate engine purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northguy Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Shoot a PM to moosens to see if he has a line on anything. You never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmickelct Posted November 18, 2006 Author Share Posted November 18, 2006 Is that a function of the cars computer? i heard in 96 it was the only year the 2.5 had hydraulic lifters, so you will have to stay with a 96. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmickelct Posted November 19, 2006 Author Share Posted November 19, 2006 Yeah, thats about where I am... Yes 96 OBW EJ25, 4EAT, (bought in June w111k, now @ 122k)... seemingly still so fresh....! Have been digging into more and more of the older posts.... Nipper had discussed the precise location (rear, passenger side, and why and described his diagnostics (pull a plug wire and listen to the change) and others have independantly described the rod knock sound ("card in the bike spokes").... which is dead on... I've been listening to it long and hard enough to be able to (he posits) seperate the more metallic, ticky kind of valve chatter with this deeper, lower (*louder*) more central engine body knocking.... really more like a hammer on metal though one of the shops today also mentioned wrist pins, so who the helll knows...... if its piston slap, its frighteningly loud (esp. when cold) and is getting louder and is staying much longer (at idle when warm)... really doesnt sound good (metal on metal.. kind of yikes! sound..). Walmart guys actually refused to change the oil today (after I ran Seafoam through for a couple of hours), it scared them that much... "we wont even tough it"! Jiffy Lube didnt blink... *Would* very much like to have a better understanding of what might have led to the rod knock\failure (assuming thats what it is...). if the oil pump has been wimping out (without throwing codes or low pressure lights), since I havent overheated at all (though again, just had it ~6mos), and have been very on top of oil maint. marvel mystery did not much, ditto for SeaFoam (though it was a bit quieter while it was washing around... but speculating that that the thinned oil may just have been dampening the sound. One post, (the poor guy who is on his second engine after a TB break), metioned that a shop *could* do a "partial" repair for $1100, which is something I'm going to check... Still trying to talk myself down off the ledge, of being hit (potentially) with both a bad tranny *and* engine... and the cost (still paying for it, having financed thru credit union)... and have taken Nippers advice and renewed AAA... So am dusting off the old 93 Impreza, and gearing my loins for what may come... Would be happy to record and post, have seen pics posted, not any audio files, is there a favored standard and size? .MP3, .WAV? i don't want to stael the thread or start a debate that can't be resolved without listening to the car in person, but ..... i'd be interested in how they determined it was a rod bering. as i understand it, you have a 96 2.5L outback a/t. apparently you went to more than 1 shgop, and they all said the same thing. i assume they know what they're talking about, but any chance it's piston slap?? i bought a 97 obw which was diagnosed as a bad wrist pin when it was / is piston slap. i got it cheap cause the seller's mechanic didn't know subarus. bad things do happen, b ut it seems to me that with subarus, it happens less often. even if it is a bearing, i think i'd drive it a while (unless you are absolutely sure). if it breaks down on you the price only goes up the amount of the tow, inconvenience, and desperate engine purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmickelct Posted November 19, 2006 Author Share Posted November 19, 2006 Point of protocol.. Being new to the list, I've be noticing a core group of folks (at least ones weighing in on issues my OBW has) who seem to have quality time in the trenches.. When I come upon an issue which involves time sensitivity (gotta do something soon!), temptation is to personal message them. But want to make sure I'm following protocol and not filling folks personal boxes with unwelcome yanks from newbies (versus just posting and hoping someone with the right "insight" will cruise though and post...). Are these kind of subtleties or expectations covered in any faqs? (have looked, couldnt find). Shoot a PM to moosens to see if he has a line on anything. You never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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