Engine building remorse

[RustyRuu]

I built the bottom half of my old ej251,

piston rings

rebuilt heads

engine and rod bearings

all the seals in the master gasket kit from subaru

all new timing components plus water pump

 

i've put it through about 2000 miles and i have a lot to deal with,

 

to start i have two CELs one P0852(neutral switch input circuit high), and P1507(idle control malfunction).

 

need to resistance test it (neutral switch) but i have no mulltimeter, i can only check the connections and wiring at this point. i did put a used one from an 09 forester on when the engine went in since the old one was causing some driving issues and it smoothed some things out but did end up giving me a code, eventually.

 

also my coolant has a blockage, i think its just my thermostat since the bottom hose is cold to touch after running, it does not overheat or come close, i have an OEM one ready to go in. how much coolant do you lose doing this and i imagine you have to burp the system agian?

 

my oil leak is the last problem, pressure valve on the oil pump is best case scenario, the actual seal on the oil pump is the worst case, but i have to open the timing cover to find out. how do you do this right? as in how do you clean that area properly to not contaminate your new seal during the 24 hour cure time? just clean it up real good then keep cleaning some more and then maybe a couple more times, should you drain the motor of oil to try and avoid getting any possible drips you might get if its full.

 

thanks for reading and any advise you might have.

[Darth SpecB]

Possibly all of your coolant will go since you are breaking the system at the lowest part causing it all to drain out. Yes you will have to burp it.

 

With the oil pump, you shouldn't have to drain it all as long as you let it sit for at least 45 min to let it all drain back down into sump. Might as well change oil at this point unless it is really fresh since you will be spraying brake clean around the mating surface of the pump to get rid of any residual oil. Oil should not be mixed with sealant so make sure it is very clean using like I said brake clean and possibly lint free rags. Clean left over sealant on mating surface with a razor blade but be careful not to scratch the aluminum. Also if the pump is leaking from pressure valve, that is not very common but you may be able to purchase a sealing washer from dealer. If not perhaps investing in a new pump may provide you with peace of mind.

 

And definitely get that thermostat changed.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[RustyRuu]

I would assume that the pressure valve wouldn't be a weak point for the leak I remember I wanted to use a new washer and there wasn't one in the master gasket kit so I used a crush washer for our drain plugs instead, after I cleaned it and checked all the clearances.

[StkmltS]

I've used these Scott shop towels (high-end paper towels) and they're almost as "lint free" as you can get.

 

Good luck, keep us updated.

[birkhoff]

I built the bottom half of my old ej251,

piston rings

rebuilt heads

engine and rod bearings

all the seals in the master gasket kit from subaru

all new timing components plus water pump

 

i've put it through about 2000 miles and i have a lot to deal with,

 

to start i have two CELs one P0852(neutral switch input circuit high), and P1507(idle control malfunction).

 

need to resistance test it (neutral switch) but i have no mulltimeter, i can only check the connections and wiring at this point. i did put a used one from an 09 forester on when the engine went in since the old one was causing some driving issues and it smoothed some things out but did end up giving me a code, eventually.

 

also my coolant has a blockage, i think its just my thermostat since the bottom hose is cold to touch after running, it does not overheat or come close, i have an OEM one ready to go in. how much coolant do you lose doing this and i imagine you have to burp the system agian?

 

my oil leak is the last problem, pressure valve on the oil pump is best case scenario, the actual seal on the oil pump is the worst case, but i have to open the timing cover to find out. how do you do this right? as in how do you clean that area properly to not contaminate your new seal during the 24 hour cure time? just clean it up real good then keep cleaning some more and then maybe a couple more times, should you drain the motor of oil to try and avoid getting any possible drips you might get if its full.

 

thanks for reading and any advise you might have.

 

For the coolant blockage, you will have to dump the full load to work on the t'stat. Make sure you have a new rubber gasket for the housing; you don't want to introduce a leak there. Before you take the t'stat out, check that the air bleed hole is in the up position. If not, that may be your problem. If you do think the t'stat is not working, you can check its opening temp in a pot of water -- see the FSM. Even if you plan to replace it, I would check it, just so you have some idea if it was the problem or not before you pack everything up.

 

For the oil leak, I wouldn't expect draining the pan would make much difference. Just let it sit a while. There will be lots of oil hung up in the pump anyway. The BEST case scenario is the crankshaft seal -- easy to get and to replace. If you are leaking from the pressure relief plug, then try to find the old aluminum ring and 'recondition' it on a piece of flat glass with sandpaper. I doubt you can find an easy replacement unless you look for a generic one by dimension. Don't forget about the specialized o-ring between the pump and block when resealing the pump. And, of course, make sure everything is oil free on the sealing surfaces as others have said.

[RustyRuu]

check that the air bleed hole is in the up position. If not, that may be your problem.

 

I don't know what you mean by this but I definitely checked the manual before installing it since I forgot which way it goes so i'm sure it was oriented correctly. I will have to check again since I forgot again but that's why i like to have the hard copy around.

 

as for the new washer on the pressure relief valve, i have the old one so i will try that ol' sandpaper on the glass thing, which i've seen used on motorcycle heads and decks and even some subaru's to clean up the surface while doing head gaskets.

 

thanks birkoff you're a smart guy and i appreciate all the help not just in my thread but everybody else too.

 

StkmltS i think people underestimate the importance of lint free cloth, i never will again.

 

still no update though, i'm cold, and i dont want to lay in the snow, neighbor will probably let me use his garage this week so its probably gonna happen. the tstat at least. Ice racing season starts this weekend so it would be nice to get some things figured out so i could have some fun.

[birkhoff]

There is a 'jiggle pin' on the t'stat flange. The pin sits loosely in a hole in the flange. The hole must go at the top of the housing to let air bleed past the thermostat. Otherwise, you can get a big air bubble against the t'stat and it won't open when the coolant warms up.

 

So there are always two things to watch when you install. Which side goes in, and getting the bleed hole at the top.

 

It would be great if that was your problem. Easy-peasy.

[StkmltS]

I didn't know that's what the little jiggly pin was for. It totally makes sense.