1996 Legacy L Oil light

[SubiPilot]

Howdy,

 

I'm running a '96 Legacy L wagon with a used motor. All seals were done on the motor, water pump etc... and after I had an issue with the oil light coming on I replaced the oil pump and sensors and some of the rollers for the timing belt that weren't rolliing freely.

 

All seemed fine for a little bit, but now the oil light won't go out until the car is fully warmed up. Occasionally the oil light will flicker, or come on when I'm slowing down and push the clutch in.

 

At crusing rpm no light, just seems to come on when I depress the clutch and the engine speed drops. No strange noises and the car seems to be running fine other than the oil light. When the light comes on if I rev the motor it goes out... then back on as the rpm drops... then out again once it's idling.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks,

Mal

[nipper]

You need to get a mechanical oil pressure gauge put on the car to see what the pressures are. Several possabilities are the used engine has bad bearings, the oil is getting dilluted by gas or coolant. ALso check your charging system voltage.

 

You may also try a thinner oil. The light goes out because as the oil warms up, it thins out and flows better.

[SubiPilot]

Thanks nipper will do that.

 

I'm using Amsoil 5W30 so I don't think the oil viscosity is an issue, it's also got a new alternator... sorta suspect bad bearings myself.

 

I'll have my shop run the tests for me...thanks again.

 

Mal

[davebugs]

Gee - I thought for sure someone would ask miles?

 

If it did this before the recent work was done? In other words is this a sudden problem?

 

If the recent work TB, Idlers, etc included resealing the Oil pump (like maybe when doing a crank seal and it was apart anyways), Oring, etc.

[SubiPilot]

Howdy Dave,

 

The motor now has 134k on it, got it with 100k on the motor... seemed to occasionally flash the oil light when I first got the wagon (but rarely), which got progressively worse before I had the oil pump work done. When they tested it they found low oil pressure which led them to believe it was the oil pump.

 

It seemed fine for awhile after the work, but then started again...when I took it in for the last oil change the light wouldn't go out and there was a tapping...the light eventually went out. Next day fine, no issues, no light no tapping.

 

Now it's starting to become more frequent again...2k miles after the last oil change.

 

Mal

[ericem]

Did you check the oil level currently? Check it on level ground. You never know could be as simple as them not filling up the oil correctly.

[Rooster2]

Since this has been an on again, off again warning light problem, with the oil pump replaced, I would have to think that miles and miles of this has worn out the connecting rod bearings, thus the tapping noise.

 

A mechanic taught me to use heavier weight oil when a car has over 100K on the odo. Don't know how cold it is where you live, but if you live in the South where the weather is not that cold, I would recommend changing the oil to

20W -50W weight to see if that stops the rod knock sound and warning light. If it does, then that is a pretty good sign of worn rod bearings. For the cost of an oil change, it is worth a try.

[SubiPilot]

Thanks for all the replies... but it's a done matter now.

 

Subi 3's motor gave up the ghost Feb 5. Oil levels were fine, I'd added some Lucas to hopefully help with oil pressure, but at the beginning of the second day on a run from Warwick RI to PA after a painful grinding sound it died.

 

When I had purchased Subi 3 it had a used motor in it that supposedly only had 100k miles. Now it's dead at 140k. My mechanic is suspicious that it really only had 100k miles on it to begin with... oh well.

 

I find it interesting since Subi 2 was purchased with 140k miles on it and now over 2 years later has 287, 600 and aside from parts rusting apart (MA car and they love road salt) she's still running like a bear.

 

So now on to my next problem... replacing the motor.

 

Any advice is most appreciated.

Mal

pilotcar.tv

[idosubaru]

yep, sounds like you got a bad motor out of that deal. no way of knowing the history of that thing. it's not likely to be mileage based - but maintenance (poor maintenance) related. it was probably leaking oil and run low on oil at one point, damaging the bearings.

 

install a used EJ22, they're not usually too hard to find. if the prices are bad, like you're paying someone to do it, it might be easier to just keep your eyes out for another EJ vehicle. they're usually not hard to find for a good price, particularly if you can find something that needs some minor (or major) work.

[SubiPilot]

Thanks Gary,

 

for some reason after having a used motor die on me I'm shying away from used aka mystery motor, and was considering going with a remanufactured motor that has a warranty.

 

I can find another wagon for what the remanufactured motor would cost me...but then I have to repair and prepare it for pilot car duty...which is a pain in itself LOL

 

Subi 3 has a good body and chassis and is fully set up to work...she's got leather interior too which is hard to find.

 

I'll have to weigh costs/benefits and decide soon.

 

Thanks,

Mal

pilotcar.tv

[idosubaru]

Oh that's great, that makes it nicer since it's a nice car that you like.

 

Keep in mind there's still possible repairs - starter, alterantor, calipers, master cylinder, drive shaft ujoints, transmission, cv axles. shouldn't really amount to much, but a new engine does not make a new car. i'm sure you're aware of that.

 

Go with CCR for the rebuilt. There's no other option to consider really. They are a member here and have great customer service.

 

It sounds to me like you got intentionally hosed. This problem was probably known about or the person knew it was a suspect motor. You indicated the light was flashing when you got it. So the car essentially *came* to you because it had problems.

 

I wouldn't necessarily rule out a used motor again because of that. Sounds like you're ready to have a fully prepped motor though, so if you were still interested you could ask about fully prepping a used motor for the long haul. We can help you do that so you can price compare to a rebuilt.

 

It's usually fairly easy to find a known good (wrecked), low mileage EJ22 in good condition with a warranty. i've installed a used motor before and it's not normally a bad ending like yours. i've never had a problem and it's common practice.

 

Good luck!

[SubiPilot]

Thanks Gary,

 

I really appreciate your input. Having spent the past few days researching remanufactured motors I feel confident CCR is the best choice.

 

I also did some searching for used motors in my area and wasn't too impressed... seemed many were over 100k miles (some even NOT TESTED) or just way too expensive for a used motor ($1800). To top it all off, the used car dealer/subi graveyard where I bought Subi 3 has the most motors in my area. I even saw they have a wagon similar to mine advertised, 'new motor, new clutch'..making me wonder if it isn't the same thing all over again. LOL

 

Once I'm done with Subi 3 with the new CCR motor and components I feel confident I'll have something I can put to work.

 

My mechanic suggested I go with a fully prepped motor too, partly because I think it makes his job easier. LOL

 

I'll be chatting with the good folks at CCR Monday.

 

Thanks again,

Mal

pilotcar.tv

 

p.s. my philosopy with vehicle maintenance is, "Not fixing the small problems is the cause of big problems".

Subi 3 has already been gone thru and many of the additional things you've mentioned have already been repaired.

Edited February 9, 2009 by SubiPilot
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