What to do. Bad rod in Outback

[Sheldon]

Hi Sheldon!



A lot, if they are gonna do it right, 'cause the timing belt center
cover has to come off, This means removing the radiator, accessories
and associated belts, and the harmonic balance pulley. Halfway thru a
timing belt job at that point


One thing: valve noise or piston slap, you can generally drive the car
for a good while with little apparent change in the noise, and
probably little risk of catastrophic failure. Rod knock will get
rapidly worse (as in over a couple tanks of gas or less), and then
generally fail spectacularly.

_Bad_ rod knock sounds like someone hammering vigorously on the engine
block in time with the crank rotation, and is generally loudest while
the engine speed is falling. By that, I mean that when you rev the
engine the sound gets a bit quieter; when you let go of the throttle
it gets LOUD; clackety, clackety, clack!!! It's an alarming sound, and
you will not be tempted to continue driving your car once it gets to
this point.


They're out there, just 'pensive. Some places, such as Boulder are
much worse. Try the Colorado Springs or Pueblo craigslist.

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101

Thanks. Two mechanics have now told me it's "internal." One said its a
rod. Another mechanic said it might be the timing belt idler. I had a car
with a bad bottom end, and as you said the noise was alarming to say the
least. This just doesn't sound like that, yet. It's been getting worse
over time -- I remember last summer thinking I might have a problem with oil
pressure in the morning. Since then it's been getting worse, but very
slowly and, again, compared to that car I had with a bad bottom end -- I
junked it -- it doesn't sound bad at all.

The reason I keep asking questions is I remember having a Saab that I almost
junked because it kept stalling and not starting. One of my mechanics kept
replacing parts that never solved it, then I finally got it to a mechanic
who really knew those older Saabs. He immediately replaced a cheap part in
the fuel pump that solved the problem for good. Mechanics do make mistakes.
I just don't like paying for them.

Thanks again for the extended post.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

Thanks.  Two mechanics have now told me it's "internal."  One said its a
rod.  Another mechanic said it might be the timing belt idler.  I hada car
with a bad bottom end, and as you said the noise was alarming to say the
least.  This just doesn't sound like that, yet.  It's been getting worse
over time -- I remember last summer thinking I might have a problem with oil
pressure in the morning.  Since then it's been getting worse, but very
slowly and, again, compared to that car I had with a bad bottom end -- I
junked it -- it doesn't sound bad at all.

The reason I keep asking questions is I remember having a Saab that I almost
junked because it kept stalling and not starting.  One of my mechanics kept
replacing parts that never solved it, then I finally got it to a mechanic
who really knew those older Saabs.  He immediately replaced a cheap part in
the fuel pump that solved the problem for good.  Mechanics do make mistakes.
I just don't like paying for them.

Thanks again for the extended post.

I apologize if I missed it, but did you mention what city you're in?

Perhaps someone reading here could recommend a mechanic that is good
with soobs.

Carl

 

[Sheldon]

Thanks. Two mechanics have now told me it's "internal." One said its a
rod. Another mechanic said it might be the timing belt idler. I had a car
with a bad bottom end, and as you said the noise was alarming to say the
least. This just doesn't sound like that, yet. It's been getting worse
over time -- I remember last summer thinking I might have a problem with
oil
pressure in the morning. Since then it's been getting worse, but very
slowly and, again, compared to that car I had with a bad bottom end -- I
junked it -- it doesn't sound bad at all.

The reason I keep asking questions is I remember having a Saab that I
almost
junked because it kept stalling and not starting. One of my mechanics kept
replacing parts that never solved it, then I finally got it to a mechanic
who really knew those older Saabs. He immediately replaced a cheap part in
the fuel pump that solved the problem for good. Mechanics do make
mistakes.
I just don't like paying for them.

Thanks again for the extended post.

I apologize if I missed it, but did you mention what city you're in?

Perhaps someone reading here could recommend a mechanic that is good
with soobs.

Carl

Thanks, Carl. I'm up in Aspen and was just given the name of a new place
that might be better. Unfortunately, the mechanic I used to use quit and
now works for the fire dept. I'll bet I can get him to slide down the poll
and have a listen. My gut tells me it's not that serious, but then my
gut isn't always right.

 

[S]

On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:37:47 -0700, "Sheldon"

Hi again Sheldon, Carl, All!

Thanks, Carl. I'm up in Aspen and was just given the name of a new place
that might be better. Unfortunately, the mechanic I used to use quit and
now works for the fire dept. I'll bet I can get him to slide down the poll
and have a listen. My gut tells me it's not that serious, but then my
gut isn't always right.

Sheldon, I went thru your posts again. If I were to hazard a WAG based
on what you seem to be describing, I'd say your oil pump is getting
tired.

It'll cost a bit, because it is kind of a pain, but have your oil
pressure checked. I _think_ the number for a healthy engine is
something between 45 and 65 PSI at some mid-range RPM (2500 ?), but a
competent mechanic will know for sure, or know where to look it up.

Alas, replacing the oil pump involves getting behind the timing belt,
with all the work that implies. At 200K, you are about due a timing
belt anyway, so it might just make sense to give it a try if the
pressure tests low.

But then:

I do my own work, and so know exactly who gets the blame when things
don't work out as planned. It's one thing for me to spend a couple
weekends messin' around with a car on the off chance I might find a
cheap fix, but quite another to actually _pay_ someone to run the
experiment.

If you ultimately _do_ decide to keep the OB, I'd suggest that your
money would be better spent on a lo-milage used motor; labor costs
will probably be similar (I can probably do an engine swap _faster_
than a timing belt/oil pump/etc), with a significantly higher chance
for a happy ending.

Seems like I recall meeting a fellow from Carbondale a couple years
back,who was knowledgable regarding Subarus, but time has erased the
details. I can ask my buddy Bob (who remembers everything) if you
think it will help.

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101

 

[Bruce Hoult]

My rule of thumb is that when cost of repair exceeds the book value of
the car, get rid of it.
No matter how much money you put in a car, if it gets wrecked or
stolen, insurance company will only give you book value.

Why would you insure a car that was worth so little? If it gets nicked
you can just buy another in the same condition out of your pocket
money.

My rule of thumb is to do repairs on an old car as long as their
annual cost averages to less than the payments would be on a car in
near-new condition.

A new car is going to cost you the thick end of $5k *every* year.

 

[weelliott]

Why would you insure a car that was worth so little? If it gets nicked
you can just buy another in the same condition out of your pocket
money.

My rule of thumb is to do repairs on an old car as long as their
annual cost averages to less than the payments would be on a car in
near-new condition.

A new car is going to cost you the thick end of $5k *every* year.

I agree with this if it were to be amended to once the annual cost
exceeds the annual cost of a suitable replacement that provides the
same or better experience. That experience being defined by luxury,
comfort, performance, utility, etc... I guess the discerning thing
here is that I would include other used cars in the evaluation. I went
from a 245k mile car to a 120k mile car and am glad. It is definitely
not new or even near new, but is much more reliable and has better
performance even though it is the same model of car just three years
newer with less use. Oddly, once I bought the replacement for my 95
subaru things stopped breaking. I will keep driving it until it dies,
then the 98 becomes my daily driver.