Managed to bust out part of the casting on the cam tower. Not sure whether to replace or repair.

[DeltaWye]

I'll give you the whole story in case you're interested.

 

It's a 1994 Loyale wagon, 5-speed, 4WD.  My mother bought it about 16 years ago.

 

The car started leaking oil like a sieve a few months ago and we
haven't been able to drive it.  The leak was between the right side
valve cover and the cam housing, which I guess is referred to here as
the cam tower.  I didn't even realize that these engines had a component
between the cylinder head and valve cover, I have never done anything
to an engine other than change oil and spark plugs.  With this car being
so old I have had to do more of the maintenance in order for it to make

financial sense to keep it.

 

I ordered the Fel-Pro gasket kit that comes with the new bushings and
figured it was within my abilities.  I was only going to do the one side for now.

I read a post on here from MilesFox that suggested taking the nut off the

engine mount on that side, which I did.  I loosened the nut on the other

side a couple of turns too and jacked up the engine an inch or two.  The old

gasket had split and there was about a 1/8" gap - leak explained.  Cleaned

the cover and put the new gasket in the groove on the cover and changed

the rubber bushings on the 4 bolts.

 

The book called for 3.6 to 4 ft lbs so I set the 1/4" torque wrench to 20 inch pounds

to start and began snugging them up.  After a while I realized that I must have gone

past that and stopped.  I put an adapter and 19mm socket on it and checked
the torque wrench on one of the wheel lug nuts.  It didn't click.   

 

The worst part is that I thought I stopped before I did any damage.  I
didn't feel any bolts strip the threads.  I took the torque wrench back to the store
and made them exchange it even though I bought it ages ago I didn't have
a receipt.  I'd only used it once.  I had planned to remove all the
bolts, take the cover back off, make sure the threads were all still good, make
sure the new torque wrench was working properly and tighten things back up. 

 

Anyway, three of them came out okay although they all had a tiny bit of aluminum
thread that came out on the end of the bolts, but the bottom left had cracked and
there were now two small pieces sitting there.  I was very surprised since none of

the bolts had spun.  I took some pictures of the carnage.

 

 

 

 

Needless to say I felt awful. I figured the best course of action is to find the replacement part and have our mechanic swap it out.  I assume it can be changed with the engine in the car but I don't think I want to try it myself.  It looks like I'd need to lift the engine up more.

 

I found a guy in Michigan (he says he's a member here actually) who is willing to sell me the part but he told me that the cam should stay with the cam tower.  Is that right and is that perhaps going to cause other issues?  Other than the common ticking sound some of the time after starting, the engine has run fine.  I'm wondering if I should find someone who is competent to tig? weld it but I would appreciate some advice whether that is likely to work. 

Edited October 18, 2016 by DeltaWye

[scoobiedubie]

You can pull a camtower off of a used vehicle at the pick n pull.  Then used the whole assembly as is.  Yes, it can be done with the engine in place.  You have to line up the belt pulleys a specific way, so you would have to do your homework prior to disassembling it, in order to position the flywheel in exactly the correct position.  It is also important to use genuine Subaru O-ring, at the bottom rear corner.  For quieter engine, you need a whisper of gasket maker on two contact surfaces in the interior of the camtower, in order to maximize the oil that makes it to the camshaft.

[TomRhere]

Way cheaper to replace cam carrier than to have someone weld/machine yours.

 

I have the parts here also. Yours for cost of shipping

 Contact me at tomrhere at yahoo dot com. Put cam tower in subject line.

[DeltaWye]

Thanks for your reply scoobiedubie.  All of the older Subarus are long gone from any wrecker in Ontario.  I haven't seen another Loyale on the road around here in years, cars rot out so fast here because of the ridiculous amount of salt they use.  I'm convinced it's a conspiracy to sell more cars.  However a few members have offerred to sell us the part but I want to know what's involved.  I'm hesistant to do the work myself now and the mechanic will probably not want to work with engine in the car. 

 

You're talking about the timing belt, right?  I do need to do some reasarch on what's involved in removing and reinstalling the part. 

[DeltaWye]

Way cheaper to replace cam carrier than to have someone weld/machine yours.

 

I have the parts here also. Yours for cost of shipping

 Contact me at tomrhere at yahoo dot com. Put cam tower in subject line.

 

This part has so many different names!   Thanks for your offer.  The other guy from Michigan (I found him through an ad on craigslist) hasn't got back to me so I will probably take you up on your offer.  Can you confirm that the camshaft should stay in the housing rather than be swapped out?  I assumed that this would cause a problem.  I guess maybe it's a good thing that Subaru didn't have the casting itself.

Edited October 18, 2016 by DeltaWye

[DeltaWye]

This is the O-ring you're talking about, right? 

[skishop69]

Yes, that's the one. It seals the oil passage to the cam.

[DeltaWye]

Yes, that's the one. It seals the oil passage to the cam.

 

Thanks.  In another thread someone said it is Subaru part # 13089AA010.  I assume it's the same part for both sides but I will check with the dealer.

 

Now I just have to get my hands on the housing.

 

From reading other posts here, it seems that the oil pump is likely to be the major contributor to the ticking noise.  Is there any point in rebuilding the existing oil pump since the timing belts have to come off the car anyway?  I've been reading old threads here and it seems a new pump almost always gets rid of the noise but has anyone had success after just replacing the o-rings and seal?

Edited October 19, 2016 by DeltaWye

[DaveT]

I've rebuilt / resealed more oil pumps than I've replaced. It's the seals getting hard that cause the air to get in.

[DeltaWye]

I've rebuilt / resealed more oil pumps than I've replaced. It's the seals getting hard that cause the air to get in.

 

So does that usually fix it?  I just got back from the dealership having ordered the cam tower O-rings (I hope they're the same part for both sides because I ordered 4) and they said they might be able to get me a new oil pump, they're going to call me back.  My plan is to buy the pump since they're getting scarce but just rebuild the one on the car for now and see if it helps the ticking.  If and when the engine gets new head gaskets (never been done, the car has just over 200,000 km on it which is about 125,000 miles) or rebuilt, I'd put the new pump on then.

 

Is the Beck/Arnley 0396320 the kit you'd get?

 

http://www.rockauto.com/en/partsearch/?partnum=0396320

 

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=478288&jsn=237&jsn=237

Edited October 19, 2016 by DeltaWye

[DaveT]

The seals are one of the main causes of lifter tick of death. The 2 o rings Can also contribute. They are the same on both sides. They should have a metal reinforced ring around them. Oil pumps are *very* rare to fail. The seals I've used came with Fel Pro lower add on kit that goes along with thier head set, for when you do a full rebuild. But only use oem intake gaskets.

[DaveT]

The second link looks like the seals you need. I have not heard any reason not to use beck arnley.

[TomRhere]

I have opened many a Beck Arnley box to find the parts there in, contained in plastic bag with Subaru markings.

They seem to just repack items in their own boxes.

[subaru4Life2988]

Hi there, I'm the guy from Michigan you talked to.... you said you were going to e mail me pictures and such when we spoke on the phone last but I haven't received anything from you. Looks like plenty of people have you covered, sorry I couldn't help

[TomRhere]

I have him covered on the part needed, plus some others.

[DeltaWye]

Subaru here says the oil pump is no longer available so I ordered a couple of the seal kits from Rockauto.  Thanks all, and I agree, all the Beck/Arnley parts I've bought seem to be made in Japan and probably the same as OEM.

 

 

Hi there, I'm the guy from Michigan you talked to.... you said you were going to e mail me pictures and such when we spoke on the phone last but I haven't received anything from you. Looks like plenty of people have you covered, sorry I couldn't help

 

Hi, I did email you the pictures on Sunday right after we spoke on the phone but I had to email you through your Craigslist ad as I don't have your email address.  When I didn't hear from you I figured Craigslist deleted my message because of the attachment so I sent another reply to your ad on Monday without the pictures asking for your email address so I could send you the pictures directly.  Maybe Craigslist deletes everything that comes from a domain outside the US?   I hope there are no hard feelings but I've been trying to move quickly on this.  I do appreciate the advice you gave me.

Edited October 21, 2016 by DeltaWye

[TomRhere]

Chris, my email replies don't seem to be making it thru on our initial email string any more.

 

I've sent you another one under a new subject line.

[subaru4Life2988]

No hard feelings I just wanted you to know I wasn't trying to blow you off, hopefully everything works out

[DeltaWye]

Thanks all, the part from Tom arrived today.  He was nice enough to throw in some extras.

 

Still waiting on the O-rings because the first dealer didn't bother ordering them and said that they aren't available.  Ordered them yesterday from another dealer (Marino's) and they are supposed to be in tomorrow.  Just got a call while typing this and they're in.

 

At this point we are leaning towards having a mechanic do the work.  I could probably do it but it isn't my car and I've not had much luck with things going smoothly on this thing (I think the car hates me).  I'm guessing this is the sort of job they won't want to touch, going to talk to our regular mechanic tomorrow.  There is a dealership in the city that has a mechanic that's familiar with these cars but of course their rates are much higher.  I'm just wondering if a shop will insist on pulling the engine.

 

 

[DeltaWye]

An update in case anyone is interested.

 

Well against my better judgement I decided to attempt the job myself.  Mechanic didn't want to touch the job; dealership quoted 6.5 hours labor which seems fair but when you add parts it probably would have been nearly $1000.  Just can't justify it on a car that runs great but needs a new body.

 

No disasters so far, I've been working on it a bit at a time, keeping all the hardware organized.  I drained the coolant and took the radiator off to get the extra room as per a recommendation by Miles Fox, glad I did.  Also took all the air intake parts and charcoal filter and bracket off to get the extra room.  I took the opportunity to de-rust and paint the electric fan shroud, fan motor and bottom of the radiator.  Once I got the timing covers and belts off, I did the oil pump first and just took off the old cam tower today.  Got a new O-ring, engine assembly lube (thanks Napa) for the rocker arms and Anaerobic sealant (thanks Amazon) so I should be ready to go.  I see it's recommended to put a bit of sealant around the o-ring.

 

Plan for tomorrow is to install the new cam tower, then the valve cover, then the cam pulley and timing belts, fill the engine with oil and turn it over with the fuel pump disconnected to get the oil circulated and listen for any horrible noises.  Then fire it up for about 10 seconds just to see if there's anything majorly wrong.  Bad idea?  Thinking it may run rough with the MAF not installed, maybe I should install that back on first.  Anything else I'm forgetting?  I don't want to spend hours putting everything back and then having to tear it back down again.  Would appreciate any advice, suggestions or reminders.  Another thread here suggested putting some sealant along the bottom of the valve cover as well even though it already has the rubber gasket, good idea or not necessary?

 

I'll post some pictures tomorrow if all goes well.

Edited November 17, 2016 by DeltaWye

[DaveT]

I've done the oil prime by turning the oil pump with a drill, obviously before the timing belt is on that side.  If you do it by cranking, pull the plugs to remove the load of compression.

 

I wouldn't let it run long without the cooling system.  Not sure if it's worth doing, as iirc, you only had the carrier off.  Using even moderate care while reassembling, the biggest unknown is getting the timing set correctly, but this can be corrected with everything reassembled except the covers and the fan.

 

If you unplug the MAF wire, and leave the boot off the throttle body, the engine should run in limp mode.

 

Maybe obvious, but if you don't put the rocker cover on, oil will get everywhere.

 

It's good to see the end results post for threads.

[DeltaWye]

I've done the oil prime by turning the oil pump with a drill, obviously before the timing belt is on that side. 

 

Not sure how I'd do that.     Maybe I could use the old worn out A/C belt (that I bought a replacement for today) around the pump sprocket and the drill chuck?  Not even sure which way it rotates.

 

  If you do it by cranking, pull the plugs to remove the load of compression.

 

 

Okay, I wouldn't have known to do this.  I don't get why, but I'm inclined to go with the oil pump plan anyway.

 

I wouldn't let it run long without the cooling system.  Not sure if it's worth doing, as iirc, you only had the carrier off.  Using even moderate care while reassembling, the biggest unknown is getting the timing set correctly, but this can be corrected with everything reassembled except the covers and the fan.

 

If you unplug the MAF wire, and leave the boot off the throttle body, the engine should run in limp mode.

 

Maybe obvious, but if you don't put the rocker cover on, oil will get everywhere.

 

It's good to see the end results post for threads.

 

Okay, in that case maybe I'll put the radiator back on and put new coolant back in before I run it.  I'll probably put the air intake stuff back too.  Reinstalling the belts (they look great and so do the tensioners) isn't worrying me too much, I just need to make sure I get the tension right.  I have a FSM for the 90 Loyale but I haven't even read that far yet.  I'm probably crazy but I was going to put the outer covers back on, we get so much salty road spray here I think I'd rather have them on.

 

Thanks for all the advice you and others give here, and I know how frustrating it is to respond to someone's problem and never get a resolution.  One thing that's interesting is that the shape of the casting where the cover screws go in is different on the cam tower I got from Tom than the one that came off the car.  On the replacement one they're squared off and on the original one they are bullet shaped.  I'm sure it will work fine but I'm surprised there would be any difference.  I will take some pictures. 

 

Wish me luck!

Edited November 17, 2016 by DeltaWye

[DaveT]

There are adapters for power screwdriver / drills to squ are drive sockets. Get one of those, Chuck it in a drill. Snap a 12mm socket on it, turn clockwise.

 

I'm in ct. Been running without the front timing covers for a good while now, no problems. I was initially resistant to the idea. Advantages - eas to check condition of belts when checking oil or anything else. Saves a bunch if time if one fails. I suspect that they run cooler, and may last longer, both bearings and belts.

 

Good luck!

[DaveT]

There are adapters for power screwdriver / drills to squ are drive sockets. Get one of those, Chuck it in a drill. Snap a 12mm socket on it, turn clockwise.

 

I'm in ct. Been running without the front timing covers for a good while now, no problems. I was initially resistant to the idea. Advantages - eas to check condition of belts when checking oil or anything else. Saves a bunch if time if one fails. I suspect that they run cooler, and may last longer, both bearings and belts.

 

Good luck!

[DeltaWye]

There are adapters for power screwdriver / drills to squ are drive sockets. Get one of those, Chuck it in a drill. Snap a 12mm socket on it, turn clockwise.

 

I'm in ct. Been running without the front timing covers for a good while now, no problems. I was initially resistant to the idea. Advantages - eas to check condition of belts when checking oil or anything else. Saves a bunch if time if one fails. I suspect that they run cooler, and may last longer, both bearings and belts.

 

Good luck!

 

Okay, thanks.  I can't drive it directly because the engine is in the car and the condenser is in the way.  I will figure out a way to do it though.  I wish I had an air ratchet right now, I might buy one.

 

Maybe I'll leave the covers off for now.  I suppose I could hose off any salt spray.  That would save a lot of time and I want to get the car e-tested (smog) before the winter and tomorrow is supposed to be the last warm sunny day.  I won't get the car running today but it's probably not a bad idea to let the sealant cure overnight.