pcwerk
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Posts posted by pcwerk
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Nice!
What's a MIL?
Yes, its my mother-in-law ;-)
pc
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thanks guys. i'll check into all that, but the MIL loves to throw money
around and she already says she wants it ;-)
jimmy
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Thanks for the info! Maybe I'll go give it a test drive this weekend ;-)
jimmy
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Hi all,
Sorry to bring this back up but after searching over the forum I'm still not
sure if the 30th Anniversary Legacy Outback sport sedan came with a 2.2
or 2.5 engine? My MIL is about to buy one from craigslist that states its a
2.5 DOHC. It is MINT condition and only has 108,000 miles. I'm a little
concerned because its an automatic, and i read that they have slipping
problems. Plus he wants $6,200! It is a pretty car though...
jimmy
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Well the good news is that country mechanic figured it out! Turns out it
was one of the wires!! I can't believe this mechanic here in town couldn't
figure that out...I guess the Knock Sensor CIL through him off? Anywho,
I will replace the sensor when I get around to it. At least my engine isn't
totally shot ;-) I will continue to clean it out with frequent oil changes and
Seafoam/Kerosene treatment. Thanks for the help guys!
jimmy
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Just from my experience last weekend...I would ask if he is a good enough
mechanic to recognize if the calipers are bad. After a gruelling 10+ hour
job where I had to struggle with rusted bolts (no impact wrench) and
take a sledge to get the rotors off, then I had my front end smoking on the
way home! Turned out my calipers were stuck and so I had to take it into a
mechanic afterall ;-( Not a good weekend...
jimmy
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Rather than spending time and or $$$ tearing down the engine, why not measure the oil pressure with a gauge? If the backing plate on the oil pump is loose, it's got to make some measurable difference in the oil pressure. If oil pressure is to spec, look elsewhere for your problem.
Lifter noise is not that big a deal in and of itself. The car should run more or less fine even with a badly sticking lifter or two, and it should keep running a long time.
If the noise is bad enough for the knock sensor to be picking it up, it must be pretty bad indeed. You could replace the faulty knock sensor and relocate it to a different area on the engine (or trans) further away from the noisy lifters/rod/or whatever. It must be bolted to something metal for its ground.
(relocating it will reduce the functionality of the knock sensor, but it will keep the engine computer happy.) Subaru also had a TSB for reducing the sensitivity of the knock sensor using a pair of resistors...it doesn't apply to this car, but it would probably work.
Nathan
Thanks for the info Nathan!
As an update...I changed the oil (Castrol 5w-30, Subie filter) and didn't seem
to help. Also, changed the front rotors and pads (had a devil of a time getting the old rusted-out ones off ;-) On our way home from the farm my
wife kept smelling smoke, and it turns out the calipers were stuck and front
brakes were smoking like a chimney! Drove over to this little country mechanic named Otterness in Spring Grove, whom had done some work for
me in the past on an old truck I had. Well he knows a fella who owns a Subie
that he had to change the knock sensor on a few weeks back and it seemed
to do the trick. Asked him to check on that as well while he had my car.
Today I just got the news that he fixed my stuck calipers for only $75. and he says my car is "missing". Thinks he can fix it! Maybe a wire or plug bad?
I am VERY hopeful! Makes me think of what my momma would say--my
smoking brakes my turn out to be a blessing in disguise ;-) Keep your fingers
crossed!
jimmy
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I had a very similar situation and it turned out to be bad rod bearings. I had to swap out the motor. I'm willing to bet, with the spotty records, that the oil hasn't been changed regularly and you are looking at rod bearings too.
Thanks for the info...I'm starting to hate this car ;-)
jimmy
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I sure hope your code isn't a Knock Sensor code! Check out my thread on
"Diff between Piston Slap and Lifter Chatter". Good luck.
jimmy
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this has some god info. also, the process of pulling wires to help figure it out may help.
Yes, this was a good article. It had me listening a little closer, and it also
sounds like a metallic grinding noise in the background (low volume) kinda
makes me envision metal shavings grinding away ;-( I also looked up the
history of the vehicle, and if her records are complete, it hasn't had a timing
belt changed in 96,000 miles!
I also found a mechanic's note stating that he "found the engine has an internal lifter noise" and that the engine would have to be pulled in order to
be repaired. All in all, not very good news...
Jimmy
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96 outback, manual.. it should have the 2.2L engine. youjust got lucky if the timing belt jumped!!
did you check the oil. ? as niper said, low oil level will cause it to make a lot of noise, and eventualy hurt the engine. and since yours is leaking...........
Yes sir...it has plenty of oil. It leaks around valve cover gasket, oil sending
unit, etc. but not enough to drip on the ground. It probably uses a quarter
of a quart every month or so. Since there is no oil pressure gauge on the
car, I was just wondering if the leaks could cause the oil pressure to be low
which may make the lifters chatter?
Nipper, I wish I could get all of that stuff done! Unfortunately, my DW is
currently unemployed so I'm doing things on a shoestring budget ;-)
Thanks again ya'll!
Jimmy
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Well disconnect the sensor and see what happens. you wont hurt anything.
Rod knock will be a hollow deep sound. It will vary in intensity if you remove one pllug wire at a time, when you get to the cylinder(s) with the bad rods. Soobys dont have especially noisey valve trains.
Another possability is a bad timing belt idler.
nipper
Already disconnected it and drove around a few days and it didn't seem
to make any difference...still hesitated and chugged as before. The other
thing is I have several oil leaks (valve covers, for one). I was wondering if
lack of pressure in the system due to the leaks could possibly cause the oil
to not get up to where its needed? Maybe that could be causing the lifters
to make such a racket? Anyway, thanks for the help. Must go to work
now ;-(
Jimmy
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Piston slap goes away after a few minutes. Rod knock never goes away Lifter noise is a clatter and will change with RPM (btw subarus in this generation dont normally have a lot of lifter noise).
A noise will not cause a knock sensor code. A bad knock sensor will cause a knock sensor code.
nipper
Hi Nipper!
It never goes away and it does change with increase/decrease RPM.
I will happily change my sensor out, but my mechanic (whom isn't a
Subie expert--I'm still looking ;-) claimed it would just pick-up the noise
again and start the whole chugging/missing process again? Would rod
knock vary with RPM? Thanks for the info!
Jimmy
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Welcome aboard Jimmy!
More details would help. Is it automatic or manual? How many miles on it? Did you buy it from a dealership, used car lot or private party? Any service history provided?
Not trying to get personal or anything--but the more you can tell about the car, the more help can be offered.
Aloha!
Hi,
It is manual with 196,000 miles on it. Got it from a lady who had bought a
new Forester, and didn't need it. Service record is spotty but it does seem
like she "periodically" changed the oil ;-) I'm upset at myself for not giving
more detailed look at time of purchase! The check engine light was on but
it didn't chug and all on the test drive? Started that about a month or so
after purchase (got it in Feb. of this year). Thanks!
Jimmy
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Hello all,
I am the proud owner of a 1996 Legacy Outback (tongue in cheek;-).
Apparently, the previous owner dogged this car or something 'cause it
has a terrible rattle that I thought was the lifters. The noise is causing
it to throw a Knock sensor code, which makes it run like crap (chug,
hesitate,etc). Finally took it down to Dealership where the Advisor God
said (without hearing it) that it was most likely Piston Slap rather than the
lifters. How can you tell the difference?
I am desperate to try and find a fix (even got a new Subie oil filter which I
will put in this weekend) since I can't afford to get a new engine ;-( Any of
you folks have any ideas? Thanks in advance,
Jimmy in Rochester, MN
2.2 or 2.5 in 30th Anniv. Legacy Outback?
in 1990 to Present Legacy, Impreza, Outback, Forester, Baja, WRX&WrxSTI, SVX
Posted
Yes, I'm still a little wary of the car. It had a Reman Tranny put in by
the dealership around 50,000 miles ago (it currently has 108,000) and a
host of various oil leaks fixed, and a recent brake job but I see no
evidence of HG repair. When I asked the fellow on the phone he said it
had no problems with the HG. [Now that I think about it, the coolant was
a little low and I had to top it off! However, I looked under the car and it
had been sitting overnight, but I saw no sign of a leak?]
The main thing was I discovered it was a quart low of oil!! I called the guy
and he said maybe he "forgot" and only put three quarts in at the last oil
change (he did most of the work himself). He again assured me all was ok
with the car. Thankfully, the MIL hadn't driven a lot and I'm hopeful all is
well. Anyway, I told her she should have it checked by a shop and she
didn't want to take the time or spend the money ;-( Not my problem...
pc