Andrew's DiySB Rebuild

[StkmltS]

There was zero oil under the car this morning. Not a single drop. I'm not hoping it fixed itself... well, maybe I am a little.

 

Sent from inner space.

[StkmltS]

1071.5 miles on the rebuild and all appears to be well. I'm still getting about 18 mpg.

 

I just did the 3rd oil change (conventional 5w-30) and there is no measurable oil consumption between now and the last change 500 miles ago. Also, the oil leak has either fixed itself, or significantly slowed down. I haven't seen any fresh oil on my driveway for about a week, and where it was dripping from under the motor only had a slight touch of oil on it.

 

I've really been enjoying the 8psi (wastegate minimum) boost and I can't wait to turn it back up to the stock level.

 

The valves aren't noisy, there aren't any odd motor sounds, and the hogzhaust sounds great.

 

Sent from inner space.

[StkmltS]

Oil change #3 at Andrew's Lube 'n Stuff.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161024/0f765f9632e73348893a9c8e53244d35.jpg

[xt2005bonbon]

Andrew's Lube 'n Stuff.

 

 

I am still curious as to why you're only getting 18mpg. Once she is ready for regular boost level, time to get her properly tuned or something.

[FJuan]

Looks like you trained your daughter to be part of the pit crew as she's walking over to the jack.

[StkmltS]

Looks like you trained your daughter to be part of the pit crew as she's walking over to the jack.

 

She was playing with her toy digital camera earlier and was supposed to be taking pictures of me under the car. As soon as she saw that I put the training wheels on her bike she left me high and dry. Now I'm going to make her learn how to polish headlights as payback. I let her use my impact wrench at 4-years old, so now that she's 5 I think she's probably ready to learn exterior detailing. I'm joking, but only sort of.

 

If my '92 Crapolla ever turns into a lemons car she'll be the first honorary member of my pit crew. I'm going to leave the back bench in-tact so that car seats still fit

[xt2005bonbon]

As soon as she saw that I put the training wheels on her bike she left me high and dry.

 

You should try what I've been doing with my 3 year old son: I bought him a walmart bike and took the crank arms, pedals, chain, and training wheels off! I essentially converted it to a balance bike. It took him maybe 1 hour of practice to learn how to ride it. He now loves it and rides on single track trails with me .

[StkmltS]

You should try what I've been doing with my 3 year old son: I bought him a walmart bike and took the crank arms, pedals, chain, and training wheels off! I essentially converted it to a balance bike. It took him maybe 1 hour of practice to learn how to ride it. He now loves it and rides on single track trails with me .

 

I helped a buddy pull/install the motor in his '02 Forester a few weeks ago, and on pull-day I noticed his neighbors were selling an old 12" spiderman bike at their yard sale. I walked over for the bike, and ended up going home with the bike, a 7' kitchen table, and 4 chairs. They kind of wanted to keep the table, so I went home and brought back my old one as a trade. The whole deal only cost me $40. That's a sweet price just for the monster kitchen table. Anywho... what you said is what I'm going to do with that bike. Cool story huh.

 

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161025/982485e0c6e65bb20af4316eb2204230.jpg

[Max Capacity]

Really, up pulled the engine on the grass ? Didn't the wheels on the hoist get stuck in the dirt ?

 

Great story about bike and table.

 

xt2005bonbon, also great that you have your son riding with you. I really enjoyed the day's doing Downhill mt. biking with my son back in the early 2000's. He's 29y/o and still rides. Has a number bikes for different rides. Be careful, like most hobbies, it can get expensive. LOL

[MTBwrench]

I helped a buddy pull/install the motor in his '02 Forester a few weeks ago, and on pull-day I noticed his neighbors were selling an old 12" spiderman bike at their yard sale. I walked over for the bike, and ended up going home with the bike, a 7' kitchen table, and 4 chairs. They kind of wanted to keep the table, so I went home and brought back my old one as a trade. The whole deal only cost me $40. That's a sweet price just for the monster kitchen table. Anywho... what you said is what I'm going to do with that bike. Cool story huh.

 

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161025/982485e0c6e65bb20af4316eb2204230.jpg

 

I swear we're living far too similar lives. I'll be doing the same on a '99 Forester this saturday. Headgaskets?

 

p.s.- Following your build thread makes me jelly I never made one.

[StkmltS]

Really, up pulled the engine on the grass ? Didn't the wheels on the hoist get stuck in the dirt ?

 

The car was too heavy and the brakes too rusted for the two of us to push it 5' to get the nose onto the driveway. The garage was only 10' away, but slightly up hill and parallel to the car. We put down a couple pieces of plywood for the hoist to roll on and it worked out. I would have done it differently, but it wasn't my house, my car, or my plan.

 

I swear we're living far too similar lives. I'll be doing the same on a '99 Forester this saturday. Headgaskets?

 

p.s.- Following your build thread makes me jelly I never made one.

 

The world is strange sometimes. If you looked like me I'd be freaked out... you don't, do you?

 

He bought the car for $600 thinking the gaskets were the problem, but it ended up having a few horribly bent valves. "Well, I guess that explains why that cylinder had zero compression." The head gaskets looked good but they got replaced with new MLS gaskets. He also replaced most of the other gaskets, the TB, water pump, radiator hoses, windshield, tires, and a few cosmetic things. I think he'll have about $2,300 into it when it's all said and done. For having 250k miles it runs pretty good.

[FJuan]

Pics of said Spider-Man bike?

[StkmltS]

It got transported home in the wagon, therefore its somewhat relevant to the rebuild. Also visible in the pic: the new training wheels that ended my oil change photo shoot, my DIY sand blasting cabinet, an empty garbage bag similar to the ones I used during the rebuild, and an arm of the chair I sat in while inspecting my old pistons at my old kitchen table. The new table rode home on top of the wagon, so its relevant too. Also, the four new chairs.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161027/19649d2050088495628a36ec0cf631a0.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161027/193caa17c93dcd2d8504f57b047a6291.jpg

Edited October 27, 2016 by StkmltS

[xt2005bonbon]

nice! My son has essentially the same bike as that small one in the pic minus crankarms, pedals and chain.

 

I don't know if this link will work but that is him back inJune when he started riding his bike. I was not riding yet, just walking/running so I could catch him if he was going the wrong way

 

https://youtu.be/Rgnor9hWcLY

 

Now he is a pro

Edited October 27, 2016 by xt2005bonbon

[Max Capacity]

Ok, plywood help's explain it. You should have seen how I used my engine hoist to lift the Generac 14K generator off the shipping skid, then onto the old snowmobile trailer, then lift it off the trailer, drive the trailer out from under it, and set the generator in place. All by myself. I was pretty proud of that "yankee engineering".

 

Nice looking table and chairs.

[StkmltS]

18.514 mpg on my last tank of gas. I think my general 'problem' is that I tend to up-shift too early, which means I'm usually accelerating in a gear one higher than optimal (below peak power/efficiency). For this tank of gas I'm going to try to be more conscious of not shifting until at/above 4k, and I'm going to try to keep the motor above 3k as often as it makes sense.

 

The motor has about 1,300 miles on it and it's running the same. The oil leak isn't gone, it's just slow and seems inconstant. I rarely see any oil spots under my car at work (a freshly paved lot), but my driveway looks like somebody shot 1000 oil-filled paintballs into the sky and they landed all over the place. Is it bad that my gutters have been in desperate need of a good cleaning for several months, and I'm only just now considering cleaning them so that I have a reasonable excuse to get on the roof and take a picture of my driveway? "They" say that you can easily figure out a person's real priorities based solely on their actions... I think I'm proving that to be true.

Edited October 28, 2016 by StkmltS

[Max Capacity]

Park the car over a clean piece of cardboard and check it in the AM, then look up and see where the oil leak is coming from.

[StkmltS]

Park the car over a clean piece of cardboard and check it in the AM, then look up and see where the oil leak is coming from.

 

I've done that, and it's dripping from the rear side of the engine crossmember. The funny thing is, sometimes there's oil on the cardboard and sometimes there isn't. It's difficult to tell where it's coming from above the crossmember. Could be the steering rack, could be the rear main seal. Even as I'm typing this I'm thinking "can't you just look?" Next time I'm under there I'll try to take a few pics.

[StkmltS]

I was going to go full-hogzhaust tonight but 10-years of corrosion will be enough for now.

 

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161028/860bbf89f81b425bd3d38a091e037472.jpg

[heiche]

Were you one-sided hogzhaust previously?

[StkmltS]

Only recently and for a couple of weeks, and all I did was take out one of the bolts. Both sides are corroded about the same.

[Max Capacity]

I was going to go full-hogzhaust tonight but 10-years of corrosion will be enough for now.

 

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161028/860bbf89f81b425bd3d38a091e037472.jpg

 

 

Seen that before...

 

The steering racks on these have been known to leak too. I had mine replaced. But that's a pink fluid like ATF.

[StkmltS]

1,489 on the rebuild, 110,641 on the car.

 

I just gassed up and on my last tank I got 18.56 mpg. I tried pretty hard to take it easy, but my heavy foot got the better of me quite a few times. Keeping the motor in higher a RPM than I've been used to only made my tendency to stomp worse.

 

No measurable oil consumption (the small drip is still present) and the car feels great. I changed the front rotors and pads last weekend and I'm happy with the results. I've been driving on toasted pads and a grooved rotor for so long that all I can really say about the new stuff is that it "feels good".

 

Sent from inner space.

Edited November 6, 2016 by StkmltS

[Tehnation]

has the car been tuned, if you're running on the cars original tune then I wouldn't be surprised with the sh*tty gas mileage? what are your current fuel trims? Rear side of the crossmember and at random probably means your rear main seal! From my understanding if your leaking oil from anything including and north of the combustion chamber then it would effect your fuel trims, if it does not affect your fuel trims then I would inspect your rear main seal. My main seal was so bad it blew out my clutch prematurely, which is why it's better to deal with it sooner than later!! Edited November 7, 2016 by Tehnation

[StkmltS]

has the car been tuned, if you're running on the cars original tune then I wouldn't be surprised with the sh*tty gas mileage? what are your current fuel trims? Rear side of the crossmember and at random probably means your rear main seal! From my understanding if your leaking oil from anything including and north of the combustion chamber then it would effect your fuel trims, if it does not affect your fuel trims then I would inspect your rear main seal. My main seal was so bad it blew out my clutch prematurely, which is why it's better to deal with it sooner than later!!

 

It's sort of on the original tune. CL to OL delay table is set to zero, target boost is set at zero, the MAF table is rescaled, the idle is set a little higher than stock, and quite a few DTC's are disabled (misfire, TGV, and EGT codes). Until this past weekend those are the only non-stock changes I've made to the ROM.

 

This weekend I started playing around with the CL Fueling Target Compensation (Load) table to mess with my AFR @ idle. That has nothing to do with the rebuild, it's just an experiment to see if I can affect misfires. There's plenty of discussion about that can of worms in my misfire thread (see link in sig).

 

I'm really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really hoping it's not the rear main seal. I have zero desire to ever disconnect the transmission from the motor ever again. Maybe I'll feel differently in the spring when it warms up.

Edited November 7, 2016 by StkmltS