Like a Kitten in Cream

I'm pretty thrilled today.......... I've been working on a 2010 Subaru outback that I recently bought that had a spun rod bearing. The crank was a total loss as was one rod, so I had to do a complete teardown, and a bottom end overhaul........ I didn't mess with the heads at all except to take them off and reinstall them. It got about $1000 in parts...$560 for crank and 1 rod, and the rest for rings, bearings, and gaskets. I found the gaskets at about 1/10th the price Subaru wanted, but it was too new for most parts to be in the aftermarket.

It was a major pain in the butt to work on.......... You have to pull wrist pins through holes in the block to split the case, and there are numerous tricky aspects. I had to "kiss" the rod caps on 400 grit emery on a sheet of plate glass to get the bearing clearances where I wanted them, and the torque procedures were incredible! An interesting engine to work on to say the least. I invented a couple of new tools in the process.

Last evening I finally filled it with antifreeze and finished all the little details and fired it up............ It started like I'd just shut it off, and purred like a proverbial kitten in cream! The result was rewarding, but I have a few bugs to work out yet.

H.W.

I pulled a camshaft out of a Caprice Classic once, well, twice actually because I installed it backwards first time. (I called because car running amazingly rough, support tech was AMAZED the car was even turning over at all.)

So...put that crankshaft in the right way first time... LOL.

sablesurfer said:

I pulled a camshaft out of a Caprice Classic once, well, twice actually because I installed it backwards first time. (I called because car running amazingly rough, support tech was AMAZED the car was even turning over at all.)

So...put that crankshaft in the right way first time... LOL.

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How can you even do that??

sablesurfer said:

I pulled a camshaft out of a Caprice Classic once, well, twice actually because I installed it backwards first time. (I called because car running amazingly rough, support tech was AMAZED the car was even turning over at all.)

So...put that crankshaft in the right way first time... LOL.

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I can't imagine how you could put a cam in backward?? Most you can't put the sprocket on the other end.......... Many have different bearing sizes so you couldn't even install them backward if you could get the sprocket on. One of the challenges of the Subaru is that you put the crank in the case with the rods in place. You then slip the pistons in the holes.... everything better be right at that point.... none upside down for example, because you can't get them back out without tearing splitting the crank case again. You then try to get the eye in the rod and the eye in the piston lined up so you can slip a wrist pin all the way through, tap the wrist pin in, and reach in and put the keeper in position. It's all pretty finicky as you are working down through a small hole in the side of the block, in some cases pretty far down through the hole. It's a challenging project in a number of ways.

H.W.

Homercidal said:

How can you even do that??

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I was in college and thought I could do anything I set my mind to? Also, I had no money to go to a shop and I had two flat lobes so basically was running a six cylinder.

Should I tell you how I got the lifters out? Since I was doing this myself from just a Chiltons, and I had no way to pull the engine, I fashioned this little half tube tray out of window screen. Slid it into the opening of the camshaft and then beat those little F'rs out with a long rod. Caught them all in that little tray.

Wasn't until years later I wondered what would have happened if one of those had fallen down into the engine...lol.

That Caprice survived MANY things with me, including using up every spare front end in the nearby junk yards. It eventually ended up with an Impala front cowling and grill cause that was all that was left. Yep.

It was about 4years later when the transmission finally started to go out. That was a job way out of my scope.

Anyway, apologies for distracting from the Subaru. The GF has one, we may come to you for work as the dealer want's like a crazy $700 to replace a head light that you have to dismantle the car to install...or something weird like that.

I always thought it was "Like cats TO cream."

I was just curious how you could put a crank in backwards. In my experience they are designed so they only fit in one direction.

Never worked on a Subaru. Most people I know who own them never have to work on them. It's been years though.

Homercidal said:

I was just curious how you could put a crank in backwards. In my experience they are designed so they only fit in one direction.

Never worked on a Subaru. Most people I know who own them never have to work on them. It's been years though.

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Oh that, I was just joking. Never mind me. That is one tear down I leave to smart people like the OP.

Homercidal said:

I was just curious how you could put a crank in backwards. In my experience they are designed so they only fit in one direction.

Never worked on a Subaru. Most people I know who own them never have to work on them. It's been years though.

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Subaru developed the 2.5 engine in response to a problem............ Dealers had to keep mechanics, but like the legendary Matag repairman, they were idle. The put a few half shafts in, installed dealer options, and the occasional clutch job. They were kept alive mostly by those loyal customers who bring their car to the dealer for oil changes and checkups. The service departments weren't paying their way even at shop rates of $80 per hour. The same was true of the parts departments.
The 2.5 liter engine changed all that........... Instead of running 250,000 miles like my '94 without ANY significant service, the dealers can now look forward to seeing the car after 80k for a $2500 head gasket job!! Imagine $2500....... A skilled Subaru mechanic can pull an engine in about an hour, and it takes slightly longer to put it back. There are 8 bolts holding the intake manifold on, and 6 holding each head on. In the process they might put a water pump on and of course a timing belt.......... You are right there anyway, change the oil, and antifreeze. It wouldn't be much of a line mechanic that couldn't do that in an 8 hour shift. Let's say $640 for labor, the head gaskets retail for $200. Let's say Subaru charges $150 for a water pump which wouldn't surprise me, and $150 for fluids (oil and antifreeze) and filters (oil and air)........... that's about half what they bill the job out at!!
It's nothing short of a rip off........... By the time you hit the quarter million mile mark like my '94, instead of having had no significant repairs, you have $7500 in head gasket jobs. It's like having a license to print money!!

As a side note, the coolant is the number one culprit here......... well the engineer is actually. As coolant ages it becomes acidic and will support electrolysis. about every 3 years or so, the coolant should be replaced. Coolant PH test strips (litmus paper) are available at most any auto parts store. Your PH should be 7 or higher.... the closer to 7 the better. You need to use the expensive antifreeze that is specific to aluminum engines. I use Zerex Asian antifreeze. You can also test for potential for electrolysis by simply measuring the relative voltage between the coolant in the radiator and the battery negative and then battery positive..... 3/10's of a volt either positive or negative is the limit. Beyond that you need to do two things. One is check and make sure all battery connections and cables are in top shape, and the other is to replace the coolant.

I recently had to replace the aluminum radiator for a 70KVA Whisper Watt generator due to the coolant literally eating it up. (Isuzu Diesel)


H.W.
H.W.