February 9, 20224 yr 1999 Legacy Outback, 2.5 liter engine, successfully replaced head gaskets. New water pump, thermostat, and knock sensor. Did the job without pulling engine. Used a floor jack to raise engine. The passenger side motor mount won't seat. Low-key high-pitch whining noise on test drive. What did I do wrong? Is it the cv joint not seating correctly?
February 9, 20224 yr Is the mount still not in the hole? Had something similar happen before. The bolts didnt line up with the crossmember holes. I think I removed the dogbone and put a ratchet strap on there to pull the entire engine back towards the firewall. Then slowly lower it while prying things into place scrap wood sticks. Like lower it so it barely presses the metal, then pry it until it slots in the hole. No ideas on the whining noises.
February 9, 20224 yr When you say won't seat, how far from the frame is it? Once the stud of the mount is in the frame slot the weight of the engine should bring the base of the mount to the frame. As said, loosen the pitch stop bolt at the engine bracket. Loosen the opposite mount nut and you should be able to rock the stud into the frame. It's possible the CV joint seperated when you jacked the engine. Give them a good look and shake to check for movement of the axle shaft.
February 10, 20224 yr Author Both studs are in the slots, but it seems like I have to use the nut on the passenger side to suck the engine down so the mount is flush with the crewmember. Unusual. Should drop right into place.
February 10, 20224 yr Yes, should drop to the frame. Something is holding it up! Did you loosen the pitch stop bolt and the other engine mount stud and rock the engine?
February 10, 20224 yr Author No, I don't know what that is. I drove it about 40 miles this morning. There's a fairly strong vibration upon deceleration at highway speed, and also the starter motor sounds much louder than before. Something is not right. I'm going to look up that bolt now.
February 10, 20224 yr This is a fancy aftermarket one. Yours will be black. The Fire Wall to the transmission bracket.
February 10, 20224 yr Author I tried to upload a photo of the pitch-stop but it wouldn't. Too big. Anyway, the pitch-stop link is very crooked. I'm assuming that's a problem.
February 10, 20224 yr Author Okay. This one is very crooked, and badly bent. It's not straight like the one in the picture above. I'll remove it and straighten it.
February 10, 20224 yr Author I remembered that years ago, for some reason I had removed the pitch stop link, and knowing nothing about what it was, thought it must be normal that it was sort of z-shaped. I had to loosen the motor mounts to get it back in. This has been a problem all along! So after I took it out, I simply jacked up the engine a smidge, and it fell into perfect alignment, the starter now sounds normal again, the engine purrs sweetly again, and the vibration is gone. All well! Thank you so much!
February 10, 20224 yr Author Additionally, I straightened the pitch stop link, and it fit into place easily.
February 11, 20224 yr Author Hi, guys. This car still has issues. It wants to overheat again. I just got finished replacing the head gaskets, and by the way, I have to climb about 2,500 feet elevation every time I drive home, in about six miles, so the grades are steep. It does fine down on the highway, but coming up just now, it began to get past normal operating temperature. The fans aren't coming on. I replaced the knock sensor, what else can it be?
February 11, 20224 yr Temp sensor. I'd put it in the diagnostic mode with the connectors under the dash and see if the fans cycle. The fan/s also come on with the AC.
February 11, 20224 yr Author I have used the A/C to make the fans come on, but it doesn't always work. I don't know how to put it in diagnostic mode. Nor do I know where the temp sensor is.
February 12, 20224 yr I'd have to look in the book for sure, but it's the single green connector under the dash, inboard drivers side. There is also a single black connector. The old OBDI use to have you plug in the black connector to get the codes and both to put it into diagonstic mode. It's in the service manual for sure. Temp sensor is on the back of the crossover pipe on top of the engine on the passenger side.
February 12, 20224 yr Since you just drained the coolant, you may still have an air pocket at the top of the engine.
February 12, 20224 yr If you’ve done several cruises I’d doubt it’s an air pocket in the coolant. Fans not coming on is an issue. Is this an auto? I’m guessing there’s an issue with load and heat generated. The heat exchanger for the auto is on the cold side of the radiator, so if it’s dumping loads of heat into the coolant there’s no way to cool it before the engine gets this coolant. Work out what the issue is and you might find your issue is fixed. Or worst case scenario is your HG job wasn’t performed correctly and you have issues there. Actually, it’s winter over there atm right? The engine isn’t being over cooked is it? When it runs hot what’s the feel of the temp difference at the top rad hose/end/top tank compared to the lower rad hose/end/bottom tank? Is there a significant difference or does it feel the same? Feel the auto fluid hoses too, if they’re piping hot that would point to the auto heating up. I hope this helps. A bit more investigating for more info could sort this one out. Cheers Bennie
February 12, 20224 yr Author Well, I bought a temp sensor, hopefully it will be in today, and I'll start with that. At the moment, it's idling, temperature normal, upper rad hose hot, lower rad hose cold. Tranny lines not hot. Coming up the hill yesterday, no issue.
February 12, 20224 yr Author Update: I idled it in the driveway, until it began to get too hot. The fans never came on. Turned it off, then back on, fans came on, immediately cooled down. CEL flashing, obd-2 says front oxygen sensor malf, speed sensor malf, and neutral position sensor malf. It also says neutral position sensor high input and speed sensor malf 2.
February 12, 20224 yr Sounds like a missed or dodgy earth somewhere near the transmission, it could be on the intake to as the ECU pulls many of its earth points from this area. The front O2 sensor would be one to look into. Cheers Bennie
February 13, 20224 yr Author By earth, you must mean ground. I'll look for that while I'm replacing the temperature sensor.
February 14, 20224 yr 18 hours ago, lichen said: By earth, you must mean ground. I'll look for that while I'm replacing the temperature sensor. Correct. Cheers Bennie
February 14, 20224 yr Author I didn't find and dodgy earths, but I did find that the lower oxygen sensor is visibly damaged, perhaps by a stone.
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