zstalker Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 Ok, boys and girls, here is why you change your oil. This is a story about a 2005 Legacy Outback XT with the turbo 2.5 Liter motor. About 3000 miles ago this car comes into our shop with a check engine light. The code was for the cam timing actuators not performing properly. A check of the dipstick reavealed the oil was almost empty, and the oil that it did have was pitch black and as thick as tar...hence, the cam timing didn't operate properly (being oil driven). We gave the motor a flush, changed the oil, ran it, then changed it again, cleared the codes, and sent them on their way. This was at more than 30,000 miles, and, I have to add, the filter that was on the car was the FACTORY, ASSEMBLY LINE filter; meaning the car had NEVER had an oil change. Fast-forward to recently. The same car shows up on our lot after being driven about 20 miles with a nasty clunking noise. We push it into the shop and try to start it, only to hear the same horrible clunking noise ourselves. It sounded like rolling a steel box full of pool balls down a hill. We turned it off, and then tried to restart it....nothing. Just a click, no movement at all. Looked around with a flashlight, and found the culprit: a connectig rod (well, part of it) was sticking out the top of the block. Being 600 miles outside the warranty, we called the Subaru representative and he said that he would gladly good-will warranty the whole engine if......wait for it...... IF they could provide oil change reciepts. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. A month and a half later, the owner returns with reciepts that I'm told look pretty blatantly faked...like prited at home faked. Anyways, the rep eventually agrees to warranty just the short block, and the owner pays fro the rest, which includes heads (not terribly cheap), cams, valves, oil and water pump, intercooler and turbo (more than $2,000 for the turbo alone). The owner is still whining and moaning about it, demanding full warranty, but I just thought you all would like to see what came of it. Also, the front tires are worn down past the steel belts with the rears looking almost new, so apparently this guy's idea of proper maintenance is filling the tank when the light tells him to...lol. The block: a closer shot of the block (everything inside is totally F-ed): part of a connecting rod that was loose inside the crankcase: a piston crown that was still sitting in the bore, held together by its rings: and on a totally seperate note, this is what heppens when your 2003 Dodge Dakota is overheating and you just keep driving 'till it actually stops running: warped both heads bad enougn to open both headgaskets, had 0 compression, the oil and coolant both looked like a frothy chocolate milk. This cylinder, the head got so hot and warped bad enough a valve seat fell out, got caught in the valve and cracked the top of the piston: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccrinc Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 We've got a couple rods in our shop that are twisted worse than that one! Also a block that came from a local dealer out of a new car that went 70,000 miles with no oil changes! You name it, we've seen it. Emily http://www.ccrengines.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zstalker Posted August 29, 2007 Author Share Posted August 29, 2007 yeah...my teacher at school (automotive technology degree) made a car for bonneville (only an hour and a half away here). it was running a 800HP chevy 502 engine. As it turns out, his oil sump was too small, and at about 170mph the engine had used all the oil, and had no time to return it to the pan. needless to say, that was his last run. Only the heads (amazingly) and the intake survived that, the rest was totally mangled. He's going back with a 20-Quart dry-sump system this year...hehe. ~Erik~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon38iowa Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 This kind of abuse to a car has always baffeled me! A person spends 20-30k on new car, but won't spend an hour and $ 30.00 to care for it,three times a year. Penny wise and pound stupid if ya ask me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 OH OH OH OH!!! Can I play? EA82T. Burned through all the oil on the way to Reno. Made it about 1/2 way before the block went. I know Brad (Subaru_styles) has some carnage pix of his own. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x_25 Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 How stupid can some people be? It makes you wonder how they actually keep driving their cars. Do they buy a new one every time it runs out of oil? (at the person who never changed their oil in the new car, not at thesubarujunkie) @ccrinc, Me and my dad sent you guys an engine with a sized cam shaft. The new one we put in has 15,000 miles now and purrs like a kitten. You guys rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 Well Dang ... Blu threw a rod at 191,000 miles with once a year oil changes from the previous owners. People are stupid. If i was subaru i would have told him to take a hike He will be back in 30,000 miles for another engine, or a tranny, or both. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdjdc Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 I have a friend that I built a wagon for. He was driving one night and heard a funny noise. Looked under the hood and saw the fan wobbling. He decided to cut the belt so he wouldn't damage the radiator. This in 90 degree weather. Needless to say he got about five miles down the road and the engine blew. I put a new one in for him and he overheated that one too. The third engine I put in leaked oil and he knew it. He locked that one up about three months later running with no oil. Now he starts driving his wifes subie. He's travelling down the highway at 65 or so (4000 rpm) and the engine comes apart. No oil agian. The hole in the block is big enough to put my hand inside the crank case. One rod broke at the crank and anothe bent into an S and that piston shattered. Now my best friend has that car and I am replacing the engine for him so he can sell it. Some people just never learn. four engines in 9 months. Can you say Stupid. If I can find my Wife's camera I'll post some pics of the blown block Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 Wow great pics. That is carnage! People think some wierd things, like maybe the owner heard other makes saying 'lifetime fill' on this and that fluid, and just assumed newer cars don't need engine oil changes? Can you say Stupid.Here's a nice smilie to go with it: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reveeen Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 I've had a few show up with brand new oil in the sump, totally seized, customer "didn't know what happened"? Years ago I was driving down the highway in a $50 Corvair van (are you getting an idea of my age?). It started knocking, and before I could get stopped it went "bang", blew a rod out the top clear of the crank. I stuffed a T shirt in the hole, topped up the oil, and got another 500 miles out of it. The latest I saw was a Massey tractor, that the guy smashed the oil filter off on a tree stump in the woods, wasn't happy it didn't make the road. People are idiots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rverdoold Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 Its a EJ25 turbo. I thought it would be 16 valves but guess its 8 cause i see only 2 per cyl/head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zstalker Posted August 29, 2007 Author Share Posted August 29, 2007 no, no...the pic of the inside of a combustion chamber is of a 4.7L SOHC in a Dodge Dakota. Totally different motor, just posted to show another instance. The EJ25 is indeed a DOHC with 4 valves per cylinder. ~Erik~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccrinc Posted August 31, 2007 Share Posted August 31, 2007 As Ron White says, "You can't fix stupid!" Emily http://www.ccrengines.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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