Time for a rebuild (mms's turn)

i know there are a billion threads on this but I need some guidance from thoes who know. my budget is very tight and i realize a rebuild will cost about 4-5k

my car uses a quart of oil or more every 1000miles or so. i honestly do not notice it smoke that much, other than being catless and that normal black smoke. some times on start up it will blow blue smoke very badly for the first 45seconds maybe. it leaks oil onto the ground but i think that that is the pcv system. i recently had the intake off and inspected everything but did not find any broken hoses but a lot of oil coming from the pcv valve area all over the top of the block and down the side. i also replaced my intercooler with a like new used one due to the splitting end tank. i thought the oil was going through the intake, turbo and intercooler and leaking out of the intercooler when off, but that repair / inspection did not show any improvements. while i had the intake apart i checked the turbo from the cold side and it looked out and i tried pushing pulling and jiggleing it side to side. i felt no play but im no expert on shaft play. my next step is to perform a compression test and leakdown test. the engine runs strong and powerful. feels as good as day one with 170k miles on the clock.

the body is fairly rough shape and kbb says trade in value is 2k at best. so i dont see the car as worth selling but i can not fully justify 5k in engine work and then who knows in body work. i found that both rear quarters are $600+ from the dealer. and then all the other systems of the car like suspension that are wearing. im not sure what to do. i do not want to run it to the ground and let it blow up, that seams stupid but parking it and fixing it does not seam cost effective.

A couple of things I looked at when making the same decision that made it easy for me.

1. If I had taken the offer I had and put the rebuild money towards something I would have had a budget of 13k. There really was nothing out there for that money that I wanted. I needed AWD and cargo space, turbo and mt was a bonus.

If I had found something for that budget I would have been in the same position as when I bought my wagon - a used car with a rebuild/work soon around the corner.

2. Spending 8k to make my car new was a hell of a lot better than a car payment that I pay the bank to have.

There was also the other stuff, I have a rack and a nice set of snows. Granted the car isn't as comfortable on long drives as I would like but whatever. I also have a really nice work truck that I can use whenever I want which helped with the build.

After the compression test, fix the oil leaks, most likely the passenger side valve cover.

How is the oil return hose from the turbo ?

A couple of things I looked at when making the same decision that made it easy for me.

 

1. If I had taken the offer I had and put the rebuild money towards something I would have had a budget of 13k. There really was nothing out there for that money that I wanted. I needed AWD and cargo space, turbo and mt was a bonus.

 

If I had found something for that budget I would have been in the same position as when I bought my wagon - a used car with a rebuild/work soon around the corner.

 

2. Spending 8k to make my car new was a hell of a lot better than a car payment that I pay the bank to have.

 

There was also the other stuff, I have a rack and a nice set of snows. Granted the car isn't as comfortable on long drives as I would like but whatever. I also have a really nice work truck that I can use whenever I want which helped with the build.

The problem with this is most people don't have 8k just laying around to spend on a used car.. they need a loan or credit card which still after its said and done with interest you end up paying more then you spent. And if it's not done correctly then guess what you are in even more of a hole. His best bet is to get out from under it and get something reliable in my opinion

After the compression test, fix the oil leaks, most likely the passenger side valve cover.

 

How is the oil return hose from the turbo ?

good to see you here. been reading over your rebuild thread ive recently done the valve cover gaskets. the oil did not seem to leak with the engine running only after long or spirited drives does it appear one the engine block and leak down the right rear side. so i think the oil return line is fine. but i could have missed something.

The problem with this is most people don't have 8k just laying around to spend on a used car.. they need a loan or credit card which still after its said and done with interest you end up paying more then you spent. And if it's not done correctly then guess what you are in even more of a hole. His best bet is to get out from under it and get something reliable in my opinion

that is the problem. i do not have any extra as a down payment or a second vehicle. to use in the mean time. iv been looking at a outback 3.6r. the biggest turn off for me is the cvt even though it gets rather good reviews. i also can not justify spending 18-22k on some econo box that i can not see my self living with for the next 10 years. if i am going to get a new ride it will be something i can live with

PCV working? I remember someone saying that contributes to oil consumption to a point.

If you have a back up vehicle ship turbo off as well. JmP turn around was faster than I thought it would have been. If it wasn't for Fed Ex not delivering on Columbus day, it would totally been a 2 day turnaround from packaged making it to his front door.

yeah i figured i had a turbo issue but i felt no shaft play when i inspected it and pulled the intake up. those fuel lines are farking stupid!!! but having jmp play with my turbo would be in the list of things done with a rebuild.

i had a shopping cart full from the dealer for ALL the pcv and cranke case breather hoses

PCV working? I remember someone saying that contributes to oil consumption to a point.

 

If you have a back up vehicle ship turbo off as well. JmP turn around was faster than I thought it would have been. If it wasn't for Fed Ex not delivering on Columbus day, it would totally been a 2 day turnaround from packaged making it to his front door.

I thought he said he just had the intake off and the PCV and hoses were fine.

There is a oil plug on top of the block, may be that is leaking ?

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x40/92Si/DSCN4717.jpg

One word, Labor.

My buddies machine shop who built our Honda race motors, told me it was cheaper to buy a new short block and have all new pieces then pay him to rebuild mine.

If you think your good enough to assemble the short block you can save money. I chose to go for reliability for the long haul.

over 60,000 trouble free miles and still runs awesome. The other week in a rain storm the wagon spun all 4 tires in second gear climbing a long hill when full boost hit.

http://parts.autobarnsubaruofcountryside.com/p/Subaru_2005_Legacy25L-TURBO-5MT-4WDGT-Wagon/SHORT-BLOCK-ENGINE-ASSEMBLY/49500356/10103AC030.html

short block. brand new

http://parts.autobarnsubaruofcountryside.com/p/Subaru_2005_Legacy25L-TURBO-5MT-4WDGT-Wagon/HEAD-ASSEMBLY-CYLINDER/49223331/11039AB650.html

right head

http://parts.autobarnsubaruofcountryside.com/p/Subaru_2005_Legacy25L-TURBO-5MT-4WDGT-Wagon/HEAD-ASSEMBLY-CYLINDER-LEFT/49223471/11063AB120.html

left head

thats 3 grand for all new parts, now its a mater of gaskets and assembly. the only question is are those actually head assembly or just the body of the cyl head. edit, well a google image search of the part number shows a head body

Yep, my local dealer gives me the same discount on all my parts there.

Even got a great deal on the 2016 Outback 3.6R we ordered because the parts guys told the sales manager I was a good customer.

tell me about leak down testers. i dont own one and i have a love hate relationship with harbor freight. their leak down tester is 39.99 and the same one under other names is about 80. and other more fancy looking are in the $100 range, but they are all the same no? the important part would be the size of the orifice between the 2 gauges right? i figure a build your own would probably cost me $40 and take a bunch of time and not have a blow molded case.

i guess my question is, do you trust a hf leak down tester?

holly cock-n-balls

https://store.snapon.com/Cylinder-Leakage-Tester-Tester-Cylinder-Leakage-P650761.aspx

i love me some snap-on but, ouch.

tell me about leak down testers. i dont own one and i have a love hate relationship with harbor freight. their leak down tester is 39.99 and the same one under other names is about 80. and other more fancy looking are in the $100 range, but they are all the same no? the important part would be the size of the orifice between the 2 gauges right? i figure a build your own would probably cost me $40 and take a bunch of time and not have a blow molded case.

 

i guess my question is, do you trust a hf leak down tester?

 

 

holly cock-n-balls

https://store.snapon.com/Cylinder-Leakage-Tester-Tester-Cylinder-Leakage-P650761.aspx

 

i love me some snap-on but, ouch.

All you need is a compression tester and some fittings and another gauge and shut off valve. You can make your own. Do you have a air compressor ?

Something like this, made about 10 years ago. I think that's a tire pressure gauge.

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x40/92Si/Picture041.jpg

so i did my compression test 130-135psi across the board. it looked like about 8 times around and needle was only slightly moving.

now for the leakdown test.... i am going to start by saying harbor freight.

i picked up a leak down tester because i did not own one, ass i was checking compression i checked each cyl while at tdc. if i had anything more than 12psi on the gauge the leak down % gauge would peg the other end of the stop pin. so on all cyl at about 12psi i had less than 10% cyl leakage. which makes no sense to me. even a brand new engine is going to have some leakage. now i could hear an ever so slight hiss through the oil filler cap, but nothing crazy. even as i doubted my readings and cranked the pressure to 50psi was there only a very slight his via oil fill cap.

my engine looks to have a clean bill of health. no re build needed at 160k+ miles. looks like i will be getting a steering rack and the pcv hoses and see if the leaks stop

oh and while i was at it i attached my vacuum gauge and it pullled a nice 20psi once the idle came down after starting

now i could hear an ever so slight hiss through the oil filler cap, but nothing crazy. even as i doubted my readings and cranked the pressure to 50psi was there only a very slight his via oil fill cap.

 

my engine looks to have a clean bill of health. no re build needed at 160k+ miles. looks like i will be getting a steering rack and the pcv hoses and see if the leaks stop

If you're hearing hissing from the oil filler tube/dipstick, that means air is getting by the rings. Totally normal, and expected; no 160k mile turbo motor is going to seal up 100%. Obviously not good if you're losing a lot. From what you've explained, it sounds good to go

If you're hearing hissing from the oil filler tube/dipstick, that means air is getting by the rings. Totally normal, and expected; no 160k mile turbo motor is going to seal up 100%. Obviously not good if you're losing a lot. From what you've explained, it sounds good to go

I agree with him ^

Back to post #1, if it runs good. If the leaks, I wouldn't worry much about the valve seals leaking, keep an eye on the oil level and drive it until you have the money for a new short block or some other car.