Tommitchelldrum

My car was rattling at about 3500 rpm, so took it to Subaru to be told that thet are 99% sure that one of the bearings has gone due to a faulty pump and being starved of oil!

So, apparantly it needs a bottom end rebuild. I have the option of brand new or reconditioned.

Has anyone else had this problem and if so what did you do?

Ive already spent £900 on it and now this is going to cost at least another 2k and Ive only had the car for a month!! Ive also been told not to drive it so got to sort another car!

Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

David at API has a very good reputation on here for engine rebuilds at a realistic price. Its quite good to keep the same engine with the car - then all the paperwork still ties up. Also whilst the engine is apart you can get him to upgrade it.

API Engines

Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

https://www.scoobynet.com/scoobynet-...45247-api.html

Enough said

The Hoff

iTrader: (5)

Put a 2.5 bottom end in, you know it makes sense. It wont cost that much more than a rebuild anyway.

911

David can take any route you like, top guy and Company.
He has done over 1000 engines now since his start, so knows his way around them.

h4rry

iTrader: (3)

Exactly the same has happened to me mate and i am in the process of a rebuild but am going the whole hog too as it doesnt cost much more than a rebuild when you look at what you are getting.

Axisracing.com 2.5l stage 2 forged bottom end
APi organic clutch and lightened flywheel
Forced Perfoemance Green turbo

And loads more, will be updating my profile soon with the spec i will be running and it should be in excess of 400BHp. I was quoted just short of the £3K mark to rebuild to standard and its costing me around £4.5K for a pretty big spec, but i have sourced most of my bits from America becasue of the good exchange rate atm.

I would seriously recommmend sourcing your own parts if you have basic or better knowledge of Scoobys as it will save you a lot of money.

My car is in at AP Motors in Plymouth, give Kevin a ring for a chat, tell him Stu passed you his number, and he will talk you though it and advise you, even if you dont take the car to him.

Pm me if you want more info.

exvaux

iTrader: (1)

go to a specialist like API and get a second opinion before ripping it to bits,never trust someone who says they are 99% sure,all they will do is replace the whole short motor and there may be a cheaper/easier fix

cpk

Bummer, just out of interest, did you have an oil leak pre-rattle?

Steve Whitehorn

iTrader: (13)

YES second that.
I was told twice on my 2nd Impreza that I had a big end gone and would need an engine rebuild - It sounded bad,...but I wasnt convinced.
Took it someone that actualy knew what they were doing (Dave West) ...


....broken water punp.

So get a second opionon from a good specialist.

exvaux

iTrader: (1)

i did the same with mine,was told it was the tappets by the dealer,5 months later went to get them done at a local specialist and cyl 4 has 0 compression and there is major internal damage to piston crown,valves and ring land

rooferman

iTrader: (6)

Same happened to my sti ra last year....i chose the power of Zen...

Zen Performance - Performance upgrade solutions for Japanese cars

Andy Stocker

I used API and can't recomend them enough

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

API gets my vote (as I've said many times before) Not only do they know these cars inside out, but David et al. are a very decent bunch and can be trusted not to take you for a ride. Very important when you might be looking down the barrel of a big spend on the car!

Ns04

Tommitchelldrum

There was apparantly a very small leak from the rear seal I think they said?!?

I gave them the car for a full inspection when I bought it and they didn't spot this!! Its only because I took it in and mentioned it afterward that they've known anything about it!

Ok, so second opinion from another garage. Does it sound like a bottom end to you though? The fact its rattling and sounding really gritty at 3500 rpm wether under load or not?!

I don't know muchabout engines but do they really have to replace the whole bottom end? Cant they just replace the faulty part?

exvaux

iTrader: (1)

if the bottom ends gone it will knock like a double glazing salesman from idle all the way through the rev range not just at a certain engine speed,always worth a second opinion as most garages hear engin problem in a subaru they automatically think bottom end gone.

911

API would get my business as they have in the past.
A zero bullsh!t company.

You will have several options through David the Welcome to the API website and he will price the lot from start to finish.

They have done over 1100 Impreza engines since opening their doors...

I think they know about them.

I would be tempted to record the engine running or even let david listen to it via mob phone. Get a local garage to get the engine out and send it to Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, for API to strip it and advise you when in bits.

911

API would get my business as they have in the past.
A zero bullsh!t company.

You will have several options through David the Welcome to the API website and he will price the lot from start to finish.

They have done over 1100 Impreza engines since opening their doors...

I think they know about them.

I would be tempted to record the engine running or even let david listen to it via mob phone. Get a local garage to get the engine out and send it to Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, for API to strip it and advise you when in bits.

merlin24

iTrader: (1)

If the big end(s) have failed,then its a full on strip to seperate the crankcases to remove the crank.
Chances are you will be looking at a new crank,big end and main bearings and maybe a set of rods if they are damaged through the failure.
Also bear in mind the amount of bearing debris/swarf which will be in the sump/oilways/oil pump/modine and even finds it way up to the cylinder heads and sits behind the oil restrictor jet in the heads.
It all has to be cleaned out before assembly otherwise you will be looking at another rebuild soon after the first one.
Depending on the mileage,the bores/pistons or rings may be worn so a rebore may be also required.
Specialists like API will normally quote an "all in price" and stick to it,so there are no nasty hidden suprise's.

Just my 2 pence worth.

Tommitchelldrum

I have spoken to David at API. Top bloke! He really knows his stuff.

There are the options of lightened flywheel and port polishing. I'm not sure if these are worth doing and if they would affect insurance?

Any ideas?

The Chief

Listen i dont want to go against the grain here but i found API a little expensive when my big ends went, admittedley you'd be hard to find a more proffesional outfit, i ended up going to someone local who fitted an STI blockand saved myself a grand in the process - never had an issue with the engine again

Shop around mate, or if you can get a second hand engine.

R4LLY

iTrader: (1)

Same here, when I was getting quotes Api was on the tad pricey side, and I ended up going to Zen Performance - Performance upgrade solutions for Japanese cars
Good Price and the build quality was excellent.

911

You will find the flywheel and porting will add a nice bit of extra sparkle to the performance when all done and run-in.

***Jonesy***

Theres a lad up north here who quotes 1800 for a standard rebuild (about a grand in parts and and 800 in labour), and quotes 2100 with a sti block.

Top lad, done a lot of rebuilds, especially for the guys on tyne tees scoobies. A bit far for you to travel but give me a pm if you want his details; my point is dont forget about the smaller garages, you can save a packet and still get a top job done if you find a good one

scoobycraig

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APIDavid

iTrader: (4)

'scuse me !, a new engine [ 22,000 miles ] how does that work?

Oh I see a 'new to the car engine' but has been used before. Well most breakers have got ' NEW ENGINES ' some with over 100,000 miles

David

The Chief

Hmmm let me see, 1200 quid or 3 grand, I think i'd take the chance with it only having 14000 miles on it.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

By all means shope around, but I would STRONGLY discourage picking based solely on price. This WILL be an expensive job where ever you go. Saving even 1k will be of little benefit, if 6 moths down the line you only have to pay another 3k to get it sorted properly.

If you can find somewhere that has a proven extensive track record for less, then go for it, but make sure you're not getting reccomendations from a "mate of a mate".

With companies like API you know from over a thousand prev rebuilds that you'll pay once and get the job done properly the first time.

Ns04

The Chief

To a point i agree with your post, there are not many companies with a reputation of API, and you know (judging by the many posts on here) that you will get a proper job done all i'm saying is dont discount some of the smaller places that could save you money, as long as they come well recommended then why not.

I had a reccommendation when mine went, turned up at a pokey garage, however turns out the lad who owns it knows just about everything about Imprezas, recently came very high up in a recent Scoobyshootout and is currently building a 600bhp+ time attack car.

supplied and fitted an STI block 1600 quid all in. car ran like a dream after from then on.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

I agree: the key is finding someone who has a genuinely good reputation and genuinely knows what they are doing.

The only thing I'm trying to discourage is someone making a decision solely on price and ending up with a bodged job and having to pay twice.

I'm a big fan of API, as you know, but it would be ignorant of me to suggest that others out there won't be able to do a similarly good job, maybe for less dough.

It's a bit of a minefield though and the buyer must definately be very careful!

Ns04

The Chief

I suppose i was lucky, i knew the guy (vaguely) and i suppose he did me a favour, luckily (for me) he is s*** hot when it comes to Imprezas.

Like i said i personally found David more expensive than my buddy but if not for peoples reccommndations i would have had no choice and had to gone to API through having read peoples posts on here.

I'm not knocking the company in anyway, in fact i'd say if you want to be as close as possible to ensuring your rebuild is of the highest quality i'd say choose API.