Mad Scientist

Thats what mine was... I think my up pipe is leaking a bit anyway as it does make a bit of noise from cold.

But like you said mine is coming from that area too..

Oh, by the way what scientist are you..??? Im a scientist too, i work in a pathology lab in a hospital..

Dan

[Edited by dhorwich - 9/3/2003 7:10:09 PM]

 

Is it possible to get away with just new bearings if you catch it early enough? I have a very quiet rattle at 2500rpm when revved from idle and think it could be a big end packing up. If I stripped the engine and there was no damage to the conrod and crank, can I just chuck in a new set of bearings?

Also, is it possible to undergrind a scooby crank and get oversize bearings?

Last thing is how much is a full engine gasket set from Subaru? Does anyone else do them?

I've got 4 days off next week in which to do this, so all info. is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Pete

 

HELP!!!

 

It could also be a ring land, which is a sensitive area. Bearings are available from Subaru in various sizes. I would be surprised if there was no damage beyond the big end bearing if the bearing is stuffed - I would think there would be damage to the rod eye and the crank, as well as possible scoring of the bores from the imbalance, but I am no expert.

Think the full gasket set is about £250.

Yes you can grind the Scooby crank, however, some would suggest spark eroding and extensive cleaning afterwards - my crank went abroad to do this.

 

Thanks John. Could you mail me details of the company that did this for you if you have time?

May well be time, while the engine is in bits, to uprate the internals.

 

Got an engineering facility close to us that does regrinds.....

 

My crank was not reground, just spark eroded and cleaned. Was done through Lateral Performance.

If time is of the essence choose what you do carefully. Projects like this can get wildly out of hand very quickly because you want to just do that one other thing.

 

When I decide what i'm doing i'll have to stick to it. What I need to do first is get the engine out I think. There's not a great deal I can do until then!

I have asked Mark A about prices. Does anyone know who can supply Eagle rods?

Its going to have to be the cheapest good stuff I can get! (if you see what I mean!)

What's the deal with the crank needing to be "especially" clean. Every engine I have rebuilt has been spankingly cleaned before re-assembly? Are the oil ways tricky to clean effectively or something?

 

I would check it wasnt anything else first before you go stripping your engine down... I.e it could be a pully or something loose e.t.c...!

Dan

 

I have been doing just this for the last hour!

Not sure now, it could be a noisy injector or a lash adjuster...... I need someone who has seen it all before to have a listen really.

Just in case anyones got any idea, its coming from the back right cylinder as you look at the engine (cylinder 4?).

The noise just seems to be more toward the head than from the centre of the block. I'm confused (and perhaps a tad paranoid!).

 

I had the exact same problem (MY 95 WRX) and it was the heat shield near/around the downpipe and turbo... and like you said it only seemed to rattle at around 2000rpm..

Could it be a noisey tappett..???

If it was the big ends i would expect it to be coming from nearer the centre of the engine..???

Dan

 

OK. Latest. Just been to my mates garage. Unfortunately, he's an Evo specialist but we aren't all perfect! I now think the rattle at 2500rpm is the uppipe heat shield and the dull knock at idle is, I think, my FSE fuel regulator. Does this sound feasible.

Good news is the rebuild can wait a while!

 

Cool! I feel relaxed now. I'll have to spunk the cash on big brakes and wheels instead!

DH: I'm a microbiologist in a QA department!

Cheers for your input,

Pete

 

try disconnecting the fuel injector supply lead, see if the noise stops then, that will say if problem on that cylinder under load, if still there, then look elswhere.
If deep sounding knock from cold, suspect big end bearing, if problem comes back on acceleration, but sounds a bit higher pitched, suspect piston slap, and simply replace No 4 piston for revised type.

but if you do strip the engine unit, megga suggestion, when you remove the oil pump, lie it on its front, remove the countersunk screws that hold the backplate on, clean and refit "with threadlock" as these little "varmits" come loose and cause the oil pump to loose pressure.
Easy to do once stripped down, but ouch on the pocket if it goes later on....

 

John Banks, Just catching up here,

NEVER heard of spark eroding a crank in all my 39 years of engine work.

Lead me through the darkness, as I can't for the life of me see how it would work and why you would go that way. All spark eroding I've ever seen done leaves a finish like the surface of the moon.

If it's a good new trick here's an old dog looking to update.

David API Engines

 

I think John meant the ball bearing which is pressed into the oil gallery opening is spark erroded out. The gallery is then threaded and a grub screw replaces the bb after cleaning.

Correct me if i'm wrong.

Good news is, the rebuild is now on the back burner so it doesn't matter at the mo!

 

My understanding is as the Mad Scientist says, although I am not an engine builder. SMG wanted this to be done to reuse any crank.

 

MS & JB, NOW that makes sense, thanks for the enlightenment. Saves me buying a spark eroder to keep up with trends.......

Thanks guy's David API

PS,, However unless we are rebuilding a UK [up to] 215 hp engine we fit a new crank every time. Our and other experience shows that once the original surface hardening is ground through the crank is too soft to last any length of time. Remember we offer a decent warranty with our engines and risk taking is not part of the deal.

 

What can I say..............except i'm a tight wad!

 

MS I can do tight, LOL I don't do ill advised.

David

 

Fair enough!

 

can you do £500 or is that too tight

 

David, what if you are doing a planned rebuild of a healthy engine such as mine? Would you reuse a crank then?

 

Glad to hear it was not your big ends mad. I had not realised you were having problems. Did you take it to CPP then.
If you need any spark eroding doing we have one. When you do go for the big power option.
About brakes I am still working on them at the minute. I haven't had chance to speak to you recently.

PS Did you enjoy your maccy dees

 

John Banks, Sorry not clear in my answer. We mostly see destroyed units in here rather than rebuilds for improvement. So, no, we would not replace a genuinely good crank unless it was a swap for steel or stroker or whatever.

99% of units that we see have a ruined crank with the usual problem. We have NEVER put a ground crank in a 260 plus Hp engine and would be reluctant to do so unless the owner signed his life away to protect us. It's amazing how it is possible to comply with requests 'to keep it cheap, I'm selling the car' and then find selective memory a few weeks or months later when it has all gone wrong.

We do buy and use the reconditioned short motors from IM but we strip them anyway to see what has happened to the crank and if it has been ground then it gets used appropriately. Sometimes they have a standard crank in which case we win............

We VERY RARELY use a Subaru engine either supplied in the UK or from our import source in Japan that has not been to pieces here, there's too much risk. If you could pull the oil pan down and check the bearings we would, but as you know that's impossible, so a full strip it has to be.

David