LittleDarren

Hi there first time poster, lurker til now,

Anyway long story, Have replaced my turbo thinking that was the reason for lots of smoke and loss of power, well it hasn't helped, low compression on piston number 2 is now looking like the problem. So here's the question(s)

1)How much will I pay for a short engine?
2)As above but 2nd hand?
3)Can the blocks be 'rebored' or sleeved or whatever?
4)What sort of price is a new piston(s) gonna cost me and is it worth getting better ones?
5)What sort of price could I just pick up a 2nd hand motor for?

Told you lots of questions but won't actually know what's wrong til the engine is out next week?

It's a standard Uk MY99 by the way

Thanks in anticipation

LD

ScoobyDuck

iTrader: (1)

before you worry yourself with that lot - I would get the engine out & look first! I would think, from what you explain, that you're not gona need anywhere near as much of an engine as you are thinking ! I susspect just a piston in no2. depends on any bore damage, but probably nothing a quick bit of machining wont fix.

could just be a head gasket!

more importantly tho, as many ppl will tell you, is the need to investigate WHY it went. if it's a piston/rings, then could you be running lean? failing MAF is a fav. on that MY !

hope it's not too bad !

Steve

LittleDarren

Thanks scooby duck, told you it's a long story but here goes, basically I know why it has gone and here's why, 12 months ago I blew piston two (holed it) the car was 2 months out of warranty but Subaru did it for free (short engine) because it transpired that I had a faulty ECU which they replaced at the same time. After the replacement short engine the car never ran correctly and I was told it was my MAF, then the crankshaft sensor so all these were replaced and it still didn't seem to have the get up and go that it had had previously. Before the engine blew it wasn't running that great but I put this down to the engine about to let go. So I put up with the performance being off song as I had been told that the new ECU would feel slower anyway!

Slowly but surely the car got worse and worse until about 4 months ago I couldn't put up with it any longer, I put it in for it's 60,000 service early and asked them to see what they thought...... (different garage than the one that had done the work) They laughed and said it was awful, in fact the 1.6 GL they loaned me was quicker! It took them two goes and a lot of hours to finally narrow it down to a duff Lambda sensor, they only found it by taking out the plug and noticing it was white, the select monitor had told them that all was ok whereas in fact the car had been running lean for around 6 months. the sensor was replaced and I had my faithful scooby back, what a relief BUT I fear the period of running lean has knackered the piston again. The original garage have said that because I had the previous work done for free that I have no warranty on the 'new' short motor but' if I let them take it out they 'might' be able to see what they can get? This in itself is a big risk for me as it costs around £400 for a subaru dealer to take the engine out! Once out there's no guarantee that I'll get anywhere with them and I'll be left with a scooby, engineless and stranded at a very pricey garage. It's really looking like it will actually be cheaper for me to try and sort the problem myself. As I said long story ....... Thanks for listening ;o)

easyrider

Just a thought----

Wouldnt it be worth trying to put the argument across that it was the lambda that was causing the prob in the first place(when under warranty)and that its down to the original dealers fault for not spotting it.

Butty

iTrader: (2)

Is the engine being pulled out by the second garage? It may help your case as they already know how badly the car was running.

I hope some of the above problems can be written down by the second garage as you'll need their diagnosis as a base for claiming poor workmanship by the first.
I think that letting the problem go on for such a long time may count against you in getting a large payout. You may have to pay for a lot of labour.
Even if there was a warranty on the short block, now that 12 months have gone then you'd be outside the claim period.

LittleDarren

The engine is being pulled by an independant garage as I have lost faith in the subaru chaps to be honest, I'm not interested in the strife of trying to get any claim because I don't really want them to do the work. Hence my post on what it's gonna cost me. The smoking started before the 12 month period was up (not that you get ANY warranty on an item that they have replaced at no cost) and the garage that did the work were informed, it's just not worth the risk of having a 'subaru' job done because I'm fairly convinced that it will work out more expensive in the long run than getting it 'sorted' myself

[Edited by LittleDarren - 10/18/2003 2:49:44 PM]

T-uk

you will have to get a ecu teccy person to check this but I am fairly sure a failed lambda will make a car run richer on cruise and idle but should just run the same under power as the ecu looks up it's maps.

what where the other plugs like? as you only mention plug, if the maf was changed and checked and there was only one lean cylinder , I would suspect a failed injector.

LittleDarren

T-Uk,

Thanks for the reply I'm certainly no techie but the car was ok when it was cold but as the temperature rose it became worse, wouldn't this point to lack of fuel as it got warmer and the ECU reduced the fueling? As I say I've no idea, the select monitor didn't pick it up either, but once changed the car was almost back to normal. The 2nd garage told me they'd removed a plug, which one I don't know but I presume that I'd be unlucky if they 'happened' to stumble on the only one that was running lean? The cylinder that now has low compression has a very oily plug now not looking good, ho hum!

[Edited by LittleDarren - 10/18/2003 3:32:37 PM]