Cam's Eternally Broken LGT Oil Cannon

[cSlenker802]

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0116_zpsvpzxq1im.png

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0115_zpsj3tl3vns.png

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0117_zpskm1ib6nn.png

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0119_zpsknl79d24.png

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0111_zpstc59zr8f.png

 

So heres the pics I never uploaded from cutting the head off. Ill add the other ones of inside the rocker cover and taking the buckets off too tonight.

[cSlenker802]

With the buckets on-

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0122_zpsen5qgb3o.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0121_zpsi7zbq2kx.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0120_zps7u0qz0xr.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0125_zpsmgqnslpc.jpg

[cSlenker802]

Buckets off + The RTV Clogged Passages-

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0129_zps7b4gk0kk.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0130_zpsej7gnv85.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0131_zpsoph2vx79.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0132_zpsvj6r7nb8.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0133_zpsaqyegvow.jpg

[cSlenker802]

And lastly a couple with the Intake Cam out-

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0135_zpssngzcosm.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0136_zps2g7lpkfd.jpg

[cSlenker802]

One last thing, on a scale from 1 to sticking a fork into an outlet, how bad of an idea would it be to take apart one of these Cam gears to swap the front plate? Its only held on by like 6 bolts with some star/torx looking head. My reason being is the gear I destroyed is literally brand new and the one I have as an extra is a bit worn where it seats the seal. I have a hunch that they aren't designed to be f@cked with but part of me also says it cant be that hard to swap out. Ill link a pic below. Let me know with any thoughts or smart comments about how bad of idea it could be

 

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0111_2_zpszbxdzhud.jpg

[xt2005bonbon]

Not answering your question, but those passages are definetely clogged!

Also while you are at it, did you check and pull the banjo bolt filter next to the intake cam gear on the driver side?

[birkhoff]

One last thing, on a scale from 1 to sticking a fork into an outlet, how bad of an idea would it be to take apart one of these Cam gears to swap the front plate? Its only held on by like 6 bolts with some star/torx looking head. My reason being is the gear I destroyed is literally brand new and the one I have as an extra is a bit worn where it seats the seal. I have a hunch that they aren't designed to be f@cked with but part of me also says it cant be that hard to swap out. Ill link a pic below. Let me know with any thoughts or smart comments about how bad of idea it could be

 

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0111_2_zpszbxdzhud.jpg

 

I'd give it a five.

 

Easy enough to take apart if you have a set of 5-lobe tools. There is a special 0-ring seal between the back plate and the body that is not obtainable. Anywhere. If you fork that up when you take the gear apart, you get to buy a new gear.

 

Assuming you get that far, simple enough to clean up the parts, but putting it back together has an unexpected complication. The bore in the back plate is slightly larger than the cam nose and bore in the body. So to do this properly , you need some sort of fixture to get the two parts on centre. A couple of thou may not seem like much, but remember the back plate running surface is riding on the stationary seal, so if it is out a bit, over time . . .

 

I did it, and it worked out. Made a fixture. Cracked the o-ring half through on teardown, but had no option other to go forward. So far so good at 3000 miles. Some details in MY REBUILD THREAD HERE

 

If it is just the running surface for the seal you are worried about, you could locate the new seal so that you get a fresh 'bite' on the journal, rather than messing with the gear. There is quite a bit of slack in the seal location. Pretty standard stuff, really.

[StkmltS]

Take apart the junk one first. If it goes well take apart the good one and proceed with caution.

[cSlenker802]

I'd give it a five.

 

Easy enough to take apart if you have a set of 5-lobe tools. There is a special 0-ring seal between the back plate and the body that is not obtainable. Anywhere. If you fork that up when you take the gear apart, you get to buy a new gear.

 

Assuming you get that far, simple enough to clean up the parts, but putting it back together has an unexpected complication. The bore in the back plate is slightly larger than the cam nose and bore in the body. So to do this properly , you need some sort of fixture to get the two parts on centre. A couple of thou may not seem like much, but remember the back plate running surface is riding on the stationary seal, so if it is out a bit, over time . . .

 

I did it, and it worked out. Made a fixture. Cracked the o-ring half through on teardown, but had no option other to go forward. So far so good at 3000 miles. Some details in MY REBUILD THREAD HERE

 

If it is just the running surface for the seal you are worried about, you could locate the new seal so that you get a fresh 'bite' on the journal, rather than messing with the gear. There is quite a bit of slack in the seal location. Pretty standard stuff, really.

 

Good to know it can be done but i'n not to sure if ill be ballsy enough to try it. My extra gear should work fine as it is. Prolly just gonna clean it up a bit. Got the last Cam Bolt off this morning in class. Not as bad as the other but still ended up cutting the head off. May have time to reseal it this afternoon but we'll see.

 

Additonally, I came across a very interesting product on Facebook today. Many of you may already know about them but it was new to me. The TIC FU Cam Bolts? Higher quality (i believe) Cam Bolts with a true 17mm head . Got my attention. Too bad a just got in all my OEM bolts I just ordered. Back onto ebay that set goes cause I think these are wayyyy worth it for only 44 dollars a set. http://turninconcepts.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/800x800/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/1/0/1001-03-0034.jpg

 

Lastly, in cutting off my passenger side exhaust cam bolt I did kink up the gear a bit. It is only plastic and is rather removed from the actual sprocket so im considering re-using it. Good or bad idea? I can post pics later when I get a sec. And BTW are my images showing up for you guys? Im on a school computer now so the firewalls blocking them (i assume) but they seem to work fine for me at home... This the same for you guys?

[Sgt.Gator]

You can send your AVCS cam gears to Outfront to be rebuilt. Here's why, See this video:

[StkmltS]

The pic of the TIC FU cam bolts is showing up, but nothing (for me) in posts 51, 52, 53, 54. I assume that's because I'm at work and our firewall has the hosting site blocked.

 

Definitely go with the TIC FU bolts. I put them on during my recent rebuild and the peace-of-mind is worth every penny.

[Sgt.Gator]

And lastly a couple with the Intake Cam out-

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0135_zpssngzcosm.jpg

http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p469/cSlenker802/Legacy%20GT%20Photos/IMAG0136_zps2g7lpkfd.jpg

 

I can't see the pics in any of your posts....

[chhrisd]

photobucket is temporarily offline for maintenance. the pics should show up when they're finished.

[cSlenker802]

Quick update since i've been awol for a bit. No pictures but got it all correctly RTVd back together and leaked it down this week. Everything looked good and the highest cylinder was 10%. Got the specific numbers at the shop but all the others were around 5% and i'm thinking the higher one was not exactly tdc when I measured it since it was the first one I did...Had to get the hang of it. The cars completely reassembled and has oil in it but couldn't bring it home today got blocked in and ran out of time so couldn't get coolant and power steering in. Now it'll drive me crazy all weekend until I can start it and drive it on Monday

[BarManBean]

Word of advice. Don't put coolant in it quite yet if you can help it. Fill the system with water instead. Will let you check for leaks, start it, etc. Once you are sure everything is good to go, drain and add coolant. That way, *IF* something has to come back apart you won't be dealing with draining disgusting coolant.

[StkmltS]

Word of advice. Don't put coolant in it quite yet if you can help it. Fill the system with water instead. Will let you check for leaks, start it, etc. Once you are sure everything is good to go, drain and add coolant. That way, *IF* something has to come back apart you won't be dealing with draining disgusting coolant.

 

Totally a great idea everyone should be aware of.

 

But be careful once the engine reaches operating temp. Water boils at a lower temperature than coolant and can make hoses pop off that are otherwise good. Been there, done that. It was the most sphincter-puckering moment of my post-rebuild.

[cSlenker802]

Word of advice. Don't put coolant in it quite yet if you can help it. Fill the system with water instead. Will let you check for leaks, start it, etc. Once you are sure everything is good to go, drain and add coolant. That way, *IF* something has to come back apart you won't be dealing with draining disgusting coolant.

 

Great advice! Ill keep that in mind tomorrow for first start up...my plan is to throw in power steering first, burp it, then move to coolant. Using water first is a damn good idea though. I would have never thought of but it'll defiantly save me some money and mess if things don't go as planned. Ill check in tomorrow, hopefully with good news!

[cSlenker802]

Soo today did not go as planned. Got into the garage and filled power steering. No sooner did I finnish bleeding the system did I notice a puddle and atf dripping all down the pump. Pretty positive it's the top seal coming from the resivoir. Got one on its way. Next I added water and checked for leaks in the coolant system. Found nothing. Replaced with coolant and went to start the car. Then shit went south.

 

Car cranks over like a champ but won't combust. Sounds like it wants to and sometimes you can hear combustion on the last crank but won't go. So the rest of the day I went through checking everything. Tested injectors and they are getting power. Checked timing over again. Reset ecu. Pulled plugs. Got spark. Correctly gapped. Double checked my intake to make sure I was getting air. Got plenty of compression. My instructor was insisting I timed it wrong but he doesn't have a clue about timing a Subaru. I triple checked it multiple times before assembling everything. Proved that to him and he said to try carb cleaner in the intake. Cranked over with him spraying directly into the inlet and it essentially ran off the cleaner but would not run. I've concluded it's fuel issues. Pulled the fuel pump and disassembled it at the end of the day and I'm going to try again tomorrow. Convienent issue since I was having fuel cut problems when I was getting my tune dialed in anyway. So had to come out either way. I'll report back tomorrow, hopefully with good news. In the meantime anything I missed?

[xt2005bonbon]

Did you make sure the white connectors for the coil packs are at the front of the engine (cyl 1 and 2) and the black connectors in the back (cyl 3 and 4)?

[cSlenker802]

Did you make sure the white connectors for the coil packs are at the front of the engine (cyl 1 and 2) and the black connectors in the back (cyl 3 and 4)?

 

Yezzir sure did

[xt2005bonbon]

ok. When you turn the ignition on right before you crank, do you hear the fuel pump working?

[BarManBean]

And you have fuel lines hooked up correctly, i.e. "in" is in and "out" is out?

 

And you are timing it using timing mark on the crank and not the other mark on the crank right? NOT the arrow, use the hash.

[xt2005bonbon]

Also, pretty stupid question but I still ask...

 

Are you making sure you are depressing the clutch while you are cranking? Asking cause I did that mistake after my valve clearance job. I was so stressed that I was forgetting to depress the clutch

 

Can't remember if you have an AT though.

[cSlenker802]

Today's update- Took another loss lol. Reassembled my fuel pump and found a few mistakes I made the last time. Shouldn't be getting any fuel cut now but still can't get the car even started. At this point im thinking my instructor may be correct with saying the timing is the issue. Engine still cranks over strong as ever and will occasionally make a firing noise but no sucess.

 

So I've now verified I have fuel pressure (also tested after pump was reinstalled), my injectors are indeed firing, and my coil packs are firing. I have yet to actually hold the plug outside of the block to watch it fire but I'm assuming they are since I'm getting backfires.

 

With all that said all I can think of now is either a timing issue (not enough compression to combust) or an issue with a sensor keeping it from firing. I have researched and found that a crank / cam sensor will keep it from igniteing and I have double checked to make sure all connections from the wiring harness are good and in the correct spot. Since it had no issues starting prior to me resealing the buckets I can only imagine it is something I did to cause this.

 

Now unfortunately (or fortunately for my own sanity) I am on Thanksgiving break the rest of this week and will not be able to make any progress. I am ordering a new set of oem heat range plugs to knock that out of the picture (although I double checked all mine before installation and they all looked fine and we're gapped to 0.035. I am also going to order another new timing belt and exhaust cam gear (the side "lip" of mine chipped from using a pair of vice grips while timing) in anticipation that I will be taking the current belt off to re-time. Now obvously Im not gonna jump the gun and rip the belt off for no real reason. I'm going to first take the crank pulley off so my instructor can take a look (he insists there's timing marks im overlooking but all I know of are the tdc straight up and the arrow on the crank gear but I honestly have no idea what that's for) and I am also gonna count teeth to see what the final timing verdict is. Now if that all checks out and looks good I'm stumped. I have a couple friends who sorta know scoobies who I could have take a look but I honestly don't trust that anyone around here short of the Subaru dealer has a clue about these cars. Again any input is appreciated and I'll check back all this week to share anything I may come across. Guess I can just never win with this car hahaha

[cSlenker802]

ok. When you turn the ignition on right before you crank, do you hear the fuel pump working?

 

Yep I can hear the fuel pump prime. Had the backseat out today and could physically feel it pumping fuel with my hand after I reassembled the pump.