Link0demons Posted March 21, 2023 Share Posted March 21, 2023 (edited) Hello, Long time no post! So, I've got a '96 legacy that lives by the sea. Poor thing is pretty rotten with a bunch of issues overall; come summertime I think it'll be time to take it to the graveyard. My local disposal site wants all fluids drained before the vehicle is accepted, which is realistically no problem! I can even pay to have it towed. However after some beers it's got me thinking... what if I DROVE it there?! What if I filled the machine with various non toxic fluids to strictly get it to the disposal yard? The machine has to be able to make it about 15 miles on an unregulated road, nothing crazy. Engine is EJ22, Transmission is the automatic 4 speed. I know I can get away with running water for coolant, and an emptied rear diff will make it the distance with or without the AWD fuse. Power steering I can empty and go without, easy. The A/C hasn't worked in years anyway... As far as the engine goes, I bet it would do OK if I pulled the pan to clean it up and otherwise filled it with a quart of vegetable oil. I am curious and pretty speculative about the brake fluid and ATF substitutes. As far as brake fluid goes, I am wondering whether water would work. After all brake fluid is water soluble and I dont expect to stop hard enough to boil it, I just need an airless system to get enough pedal to stop like 3 times, right!? Canola oil is nearly as thin but I'm unsure if it would swell the brake system seals like a petroleum oil does? Im also curious if water would wreck the master cylinder piston seals, the caliper pistons can eat it as far as I'm concerned. Heck maybe I should cut the brake lines, take it slow- and use the parking brake handle? (That isn't nearly as interesting) I am absolutely stumped on an alternative for ATF though. I believe the system calls for DEX3, I'm leaning towards laundry detergent to align the viscosity closer to ATF. It's not meant to foam up and is nearly as thick but I'm unsure it would hold up fluid pressures for very long since its water based, the car is nearly 30 so it might wash what's left of the clutch packs away(the transmission is doing fine right now, had a fluid/filter done in November). Perhaps I should go with vegetable oil there as well, but that's awfully thin! Crazy? I know. Stupid?! Absolutely. But this is how we learn things... This is something that's inconsequential overall and the only real risk is to myself and this junk car, which are both pretty low all things considered. Heck I might not even make it a mile on these various concoctions and may have to call tow Joe anyway, which I'm ok with! But i'm curious if anyone here also wonders if it'd be worth it to try? in any case, thank you for reading my beer ramble. The car will probably be scrapped sometime in June regardless if I get time to be stupid with the fluids or not. Take your bets! Suggestions and ideas encouraged! Updates will follow sometime in spring, probably starting in May. Edited March 21, 2023 by Link0demons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 21, 2023 Share Posted March 21, 2023 Are you sure you need all fluids drained, maybe that's a CYA list that they only loosely follow when someone is being asinine? I've seen "gas tanks drained, hole punched in tank, and title necessary" and scrapped cars for full price with neither of those "requirements" being met. 15 miles I'd pull it in the middle of the night with a long chain/tow strap. Emergency brakes are mechanical so no brake fluid needed at all, just make sure they're working well and practice first, they do not work to stop QUICKLY so if you're being towed go slow, slow starts, slow deceleration, consistent, with someone who's done that before and coast down steep mountains and reattach at the bottom. If you still want to go the original plan - I would drain the ATF/diff/engine 100 yards from the place, tow it into the parking lot, or push it with another vehicle or if there's any grade - use those to coast into the parking lot. Removing all the fluid is impossible since the rack, torque converter, valve body and more all have fluid that can't come out with a typical drain. Even changing the fluid will still leave all those significant amounts of fluid in it. So their "requirement" to drain all fluids is a bit suspicious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link0demons Posted March 21, 2023 Author Share Posted March 21, 2023 I agree, and I think it's a CYA thing on their end, as far as I understand the cars are just crushed and left to die in a pile. I was curious when I read the disposal sheet considering what you mentioned with the steering rack and the transmission. My location is pretty remote, there is no way to get rid of the dead soldiers here. Perhaps it's an effort to reduce pollution? But I speculate. The process is that I'm supposed to have these fluids removed and have the vehicle inspected by a city official before I'm given a voucher saying it's ok to dump. I planned to get that inspection sheet and fill it with crap to see how far I can get it to go towards the grave. I'll probably end up calling the local tow service anyway. It's not much of an issue to re drain everything on the side of the road, especially if its water and laundry sauce.... I'm pretty dang sure I can make it the distance on a dry diff/engine, and I'd otherwise LOVE to try. Heck I haven't even tried to see if the handbrake works, poor thing has disks in the rear so there isn't much meat on the park brake shoes anyway... Hmm... any other ideas out there as far as stupid things I can try fluid wise on this car? Maybe i should just have fun with it until she blows up and go through the proper disposal process afterwards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted March 22, 2023 Share Posted March 22, 2023 To fully drain and swap the auto fluid there’s a trick that requires two people - disconnect the fluid in to cooler hose and face this at a bucket. Get another piece of hose on the rad to the vege oil/laundry detergent (I’ll refer to it as vege oil from here on). Have a mate start the engine and let the auto pump out all the auto fluid and hopefully suck up the vege oil. Once you see the auto fluid change to the vege oil colour get old mate to shut off the engine. Alternatively, do this as a two step part - drain fluid first, once it reduces flow shut the engine off. Drain pan, fill with vege oil, start engine and allow auto to suck vege oil with the other end of the hose still in the collection bucket. Once vege oil is present at the out pipe for the bucket shut the engine off. Vege oil in the engine, I doubt it would last long but there’s always one way to find out!! Water in the brake system should work fine for what you want to do - this is something we considered out bush when a rear slave cylinder gave out on one of the vehicles we were with out in remote Western Oz. We ended up clamping a flexible hose for the remainder of the trip home…. After all this work they still might not accept the vehicle with the fluids because they’ll still make a mess when the vehicle is crushed/munched. It’ll be a more environmentally friendly mess but it’ll still be one they won’t want to deal with… Cheers Bennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted March 22, 2023 Share Posted March 22, 2023 they ask you to do the fluid drains because they dont want to... you might have a small deduction made if you dont, big deal... they usually deduct for tires as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThosL Posted March 22, 2023 Share Posted March 22, 2023 I'd think with how little junkyards have been paying for vehicles you selll to them that they would be set up for that. The last ones I junked were around $250 in the fall of 2021 when prices were up, they towed it. The one before that in 2018 where I was paid around $80. They just do not give any financial incentive to the extent that a neighbor who had to get rid of a Forester because of parking issues, all it needed was a starter AFAIK, was also paid under $100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted March 23, 2023 Share Posted March 23, 2023 most are set up to deal with the fluids, but it costs them money to do so, both in labor costs and in disposal costs. They would much rather you drained the fluids so they dont have to deal with the costs involved. simple economics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steptoe's photos Posted March 26, 2023 Share Posted March 26, 2023 better still, sell it as a donor for a new heart for an old Subaru and let the next person deal with the issue ? Some scrappies in Australia introduced a A$40 deduction to account for the plastics in the cars ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link0demons Posted March 28, 2023 Author Share Posted March 28, 2023 That's also not a bad option, Steptoe. I've considered it! However I am the only auto tech for 500 miles and to be blunt I dont want to see this poor thing roll through my shop- like ever. I want it irreparably dead! It's honestly more hassle than it's worth, I dont want to be married to whoever buys this worn down turd. Perhaps I'll post photos of the poor thing the next time it's on the lift. I'm in a remote part of Alaska so I dont think the city is after cash or resale value, they all go to the same graveyard to rust in peace. Having a vehicle disposal service here is sort of a luxury. So far I'm hearing water in the brake system and vegetable oil in the motor will be fun to try. My replacement dirt bike should be here next week, so I'm still on track to ruin this thing in Mayish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 28, 2023 Share Posted March 28, 2023 2 hours ago, Link0demons said: However I am the only auto tech for 500 miles Wow. I’ve got no cable or internet and limited cell service via a self installed Singapore repeater antenna in the mountains. Hundreds of miles wow. So what year rust-free Subaru would be tradable up there for a camping spot, cabin or place to salmon fish or moose hunt?! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link0demons Posted August 3, 2023 Author Share Posted August 3, 2023 (edited) Well, the exciting conclusion to this machine is that it was given away to a coworker and subsequently ran back into my hands for repair. I repaired rear wheel bearings... And the owner parked it. Edited August 3, 2023 by Link0demons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted August 3, 2023 Share Posted August 3, 2023 On 3/29/2023 at 2:48 AM, Link0demons said: to be blunt I dont want to see this poor thing roll through my shop- like ever. Well I guess you stuffed that up! New owner going to continue to use it or will it rust in peace while parked up at yours?? Cheers Bennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.