mancscooby

hi all

yesterday got back from being brought home from Hull on the back of an AA truck.

everything was fine with the car yesterday, had the car booked in for monday to resolve the issues with the ICV and possible lambda, driving on friday night the car started making a horrendous knocking noise, over 1500revs, then screeching

decided to come home yesterday, doing 50mph on the motorway, the car gave up and cut out, rolled to the hard shoulder

the guys from AA were brilliant, however after checking the cam belts, they said its more than likely the bottom ends gone

so can anyone assist with this:

1. do i try and get it rebuilt
2. do i buy a replacement engine

costs of either or a round about figure would be helpful

other than this, if it isn't worth saving a 97 imported wrx 345bhp, i'll end up breaking for bits as on limited budget

thanks

prodriverules

iTrader: (52)

arebuild can cost whatever u want it to mate,if you want it back standard then 1/1500 but aforge build is more like 3/3500,on the other hand an engine can be had for around 800/1000,theres achap selling 1 on here at the moment[bottem end only] for 550 hes moley wrx i think.

mancscooby

thank you mate

not sure which way I am going yet, appreciate your reply and suggestions

will check out moley wrx

cheers

scoobygaz1

iTrader: (3)

If you are going to run same bhp the bottom end will go again. So if you are going to keep it i would go forged exactly the same happened to me last year engine tuner done mine very happy with it with new organic clutch approx £4000 and that was tow in drive out.

mancscooby

thanks mate

previous owner must have done the mods to the car, it looks standard when you look at it, think its been remapped or chipped possibly but no details when I got the car

thanks for the information, probably going to go with what you suggest but need to find a decent workshop, reliable and good price

realistically, not going to pay for repairs which are worth more than the car

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

There is just one simple rule on these cars, dont take short cuts.
Dont do the above and take short cuts and your going to be seriously out of pocket, so whichever way you go, do it right the first time (a full rebuild on standard parts will be about 2.5k).

Tony

dazdavies

iTrader: (22)

Utter nonsense. BHP hasnt caused this. Just good old fashioned oil starvation most likely caused by the pressure relief valve in the oil pump sticking.

As for rebuild costs, I would suggest to stay away from buying a standard second hand engine unless as you'll more than likely be in the same boat again at some point.

If you like the car get it rebuilt but use forged internals. I would always advovate doing it properly and getting some oversized pistons and get the block bored and honed to suit. You'll need a new crank some big ends and main bearings. An RCM Modified oil pump and a new modine are a must.

You're looking at around £3k-£4K for a drive in drive out solution at most places

prodriverules

iTrader: (52)

i wasnt sugesting to take short cuts just telling the costs involved,and astandard rebuild 2.5k only with amain dealer or some were charging daft money fella but id go forge aswell if its running 345 but it wouldnt be that on a remap only

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

If you can get a full rebuild for less than 2.5 inc vat then go for it wouldnt like to use them though Agree on the forged, but then you have the gearbox, clutch etc to worry about, you can only go so far before it starts costing silly money to keep the car reliable, personally I would stick with 320bhp and leave it at that.

OP, new/refurbished bottom end here for sale from scoobytechnik up near preston (The Lancs and district subaru boys have several places to go, this is one of them).

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Subaru-Impreza...item43a0145373

Tony

a16pse

I would just buy another car mate, no way would i spend that kind of money on a 13 year old car, there are STIs out there for for the price of a good re-build, thats just me though.

midnight

iTrader: (10)

As above ,if it was me would just buy another car(later classic 99 onwards),and strip your old car down ,should clear 2k+ for all your bits which would go nicely to buying some modest upgrades to see your new motor hit 300 - 330 bhp imho

mancscooby

thanks for the information guys

I am steering towards oil starvation, as the previous owner x2 spent a small fortune on the car (P1 bilstein coilovers full suspension system, etc etc) so someone spending that much cash would if they'd thought the bhp would be an issue, would have sorted it

I am hoping a mate of mine, who rebuilds scoobies, will take it under his wing and give me a full and frank answer as to whats wrong and whats required to get it back on the road

from there I can make a decision

thanks for all the information though, fantastic site and for a relative 'idiot' when it comes to scoobies, you've all been great

will let you know what I find out

mancscooby

update: scoobs at the garage, had it taken on truck

mechanic recons that because of the screeching as the engine was dying, says going to be oil starvation due to oil pump issues

said subaru knew of this fault and did bugger all in terms of recall, so its either going to be a faulty replacement pump or the genuine pumps failed, resulting it lack of oil to the engine

thanks dazdavies, much appreciated for that advice

i'll find out tomorrow whats exactly wrong, will update when i know more

mancscooby

UPDATE:

well I feared the worse and it's been confirmed

the mechanic has discovered a few things today but mainly the blow is that the engine is kapput

As a result of oil starvation the crankshaft has broken into pieces and the journals and rods are all shattered

a minor point, battery was tested on the car also as it wouldn’t turn over this morning identified that your starter motor is faulty

been advised theres nothing further I can do with this engine in its present state, have been advised to replace with another engine as this would be the cheaper alternative

thanks guys for reading and offering the advice and support

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

The option of dropping a new engine in (well used 2nd hand one) is the cheapest option, to start with, can end up as the most expensive option by the time you finish.
You will be buying an engine you now nothing about, it could have no service history and 200k on the clock, owner can say "yup 50k, fsh" and show you a book from something else, but thats your option, your other option is for a full rebuild, do a search for wms? or autotechnica in buxton, get quotes off them if your on a budget, and I would try to go forged, or atleast get some STI pistions and later new age rods.

Tony

TheVoices

iTrader: (5)

PM me if you want a chat about bottom end failure (and the aftermath !)

I have travelled a bit down this road over the last 12 months !

mancscooby

thanks tony

the mechanic whos looked at it today, is a scooby lover, has a project car at the moment and is willing to put the engine he has for that into mine
engines mint condition and just been reconditioned – is prepared to drop it in and not in his project to help you out and obviously a fast turnaround for your repairs

He will also replace all belts etc and service the car, all for 1500

hes told me that mine car is in very good condition and will be a long time around yet with obviously general maintenance and would really be the wrong thing to do as in breaking

so a hard decision to make

mancscooby

thanks tony

the mechanic whos looked at it today, is a scooby lover, has a project car at the moment and is willing to put the engine he has for that into mine
engines mint condition and just been reconditioned – is prepared to drop it in and not in his project to help you out and obviously a fast turnaround for your repairs

He will also replace all belts etc and service the car, all for 1500

hes told me that mine car is in very good condition and will be a long time around yet with obviously general maintenance and would really be the wrong thing to do as in breaking

so a hard decision to make

mancscooby

hi thevoices

have sent you PM

cheers

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Well if he is going to do that for you, take the offer but get the car mapped/retuned a little if the engine is still on standard internals as it will probably do the same thing again

Tony

mancscooby

thanks tony

well havent decided what to do to be honest

1500 is a hell of a lot of cash when you dont have it

cheers