Engine knock - Thinking aloud options

[Mattdogg]

Hey guys,

I\'ve got a BG5 legacy wagon, it\'s had an oil leak in the front mount seal.

I gave it to my mechanic to do cambelt, seals, etc etc (might as well do the lot right?) but he pointed out to me it has a knock. His best guess is a piston sleave without stripping it down too much.

So I\'m thinking options, obviously it\'s not worth doing the original work if the knock is going to be terminal right?

As it\'s my wife\'s car for getting the kids to school etc, it\'s been a real pain not having it as I work out of town. In saying that we will have to make do without until we can get the legacy sorted.

If the engine was fine, i\'d say it\'s only worth 3.5k to 4.5k, it is in pretty decent condition.

As most people with a young family saving the $1000 bucks for the original work took long enough, but I\'m really just stumped on what to do now. I hope this paints a picture.

Do I buy a 2nd hand motor? rebuild the current one? Any suggestions are appreciated guys.

[Guest]

DEFINITELY get a second and third opinion before you do anything. Id do as much as you can and offer bbq/beers to get the local boys in to swing a spanner cheap labour compared to $60plus an hour at a shop. Have the engine out in a saturday prob less then back in the next weekend. If I was closer I would help as can sympathise but Im 6 hours or so away.

[Guest hate-evoz]

sell it as is dude, buy a runner / quick sale between $1500-2k as is if poss, then buy something cheap on gas to do erands etc

[Mattdogg]

Thanks guys, really don\'t want to try and sell something that is undiagnosed I feel. Maybe because it could be somethings reasonably easy?

I wish I had learnt more about cars rather than computers in my younger years in times like this!

[gazzy2000]

yea def get a second opinion

if it comes down to it, consider getting a hand ful of club subers around to fit a new engine, a group of \'skilled\' spanner swingers can make VERY short work of removing and fitting engines. Sounds like you have a genuine case for that sort of clubsub assistance

but yea, get a second opinion first

[loner]

Definitely get a second or third opinion... you can\'t buy a run about for $1500 to $2000 anymore... those days are over.

I would trust a bunch of clubsubbers to fit a new engine... but not to rebuild one... unless they are also mechanics.

[Mattdogg]

Ok so finding out exactly what is wrong is definitely the first thing right? Whether my current mechanic will do that or someone else and how much?

I was thinking of giving Hamish a call from H&N in Tauranga and having a chat to him tomorrow.

The car is currently in Edgecumbe (I live in Rotorua).

Found on trade me a 2nd hand motor that\'s done 130k for $1200 pickup from Auckland, that\'s doable but again a risk on how long that will last before next issue.

How much roughly am I looking at to rebuild the current one? Who to do it? Not interested in power as it\'s not my car But after reliability. Or does anyone know of one I can buy that\'s already been done?

Rebuilt and reconditioned same thing?

[Joker]

GTB? could just be piston slap when cold? (i didnt read rest of long posts)

/normal not anything huge to worry about

[lachlan]

first question wtf does he mean by "piston sleeve "

as in the liner is moving inside the block ?

[Guest]

 lachlan said:

first question wtf does he mean by "piston sleeve "

as in the liner is moving inside the block ?

Think thats why I said get couple more opinions. Some people are just out to make money and Im not saying thats the case.

[Marky]

just drive it, save your pennies and pick up a spare good motor or have the money aside for one just in case

when you get a chance, then swap it, unless the mech hadnt mentioned it you wouldnt have done anything anyway i suppose

most gtbs of that era sound like theyve got a death rattle but still go for years

you could go to all the trouble of rebuilding it etc, realistically youre looking at close to the value of the car to do that - whether thats worth it is up to you. personally i wouldn\'t ever bother (with almost any car) unless youre planning on keeping it for the next 100000km or are planning on leaning on the motor in a performance sense

option b would be just sell the car as is, and just get something else - can pick up a stock bh for 4k ish in reasonable nick these days, rather than sinking cash into the older model which are getting harder to onsell - youll never ever get your money back on repairs, even with a full rebuild you wont add value to it

its all a gamble no matter what you do i guess

[Mattdogg]

Thanks guys,

Marky, I\'m tempted too but will still need to do cambelt, seals etc first though (leaking oil). If it did crap out you wouldn\'t reuse these again though right?

[Mattdogg]

Well thought I\'d thrown in an update.

Mechanic has made some calls and shown it to someone who does alot of subarus and they believe it\'s a BEB!

Question, if it was a BEB you couldn\'t drive it right? Because it was driving fine before the fuel pump failure.

I\'ve spoken to Hamish @ H&N and he warned as others did to get the 2nd opinion as he sees alot of misdiagnosed BEB as the simple piston slap. Just trying to find a way to have a day off and get it taken over to Tauranga for him to look at it.

Wife\'s feelings and mother in laws love of a local spare part company are now becoming part of the discussion, which just makes it all so much harder for me.

Thanks again for all the comments guys, I know it\'s just a mechanical problem posting here, and I can sometimes get to that in between all the other feelings and circumstances that have become apart of the conundrum.

[loner]

 Mattdogg said:

Question, if it was a BEB you couldn\'t drive it right? Because it was driving fine before the fuel pump failure.

yikes, fuel pump failure... if the fuel pump was causing a lean condition for any amount of time before it

failed... you could well have a BEB.

[gazzy2000]

 loner']

[quote name='Mattdogg said:

Question, if it was a BEB you couldn\'t drive it right? Because it was driving fine before the fuel pump failure.

/quote]

yikes, fuel pump failure... if the fuel pump was causing a lean condition for any amount of time before it

failed... you could well have a BEB.

just wondering... A lean condition means it can cause det right? so on-going det can cause a BEB to go sure yea.. i was wondering (for my own sakes) if one singular big det under boost can cause a BEB to go?

[gotasuby]

usually it will put a hole in the piston or break a rod if there is a one off uncontrolled explosion.

[gazzy2000]

 gotasuby said:

usually it will put a hole in the piston or break a rod if there is a one off uncontrolled explosion.

yea right, so any det beit either on-going or a \'one off\' will be evident on the piston(s) rods etc

just thinking of my BEB when it went, i was only doing 50kph when it happend, always run 98, had new walbro, split fuel rail mod.

With the heads off... there was no evidence what-so-ever of detonation!

So my offical diagnosis of that BEB failure was: ghey engine was ghey, then i was all like \'ghey engine, why u so ghey?", and ghey engine was all like "nugga nugga nugga nugga", and i was all like FFFFFUUUUUU little ghey engine, FFFFUUU!

[gotasuby]

if the motor goes so lean that it creates knock its usually aparent in the sump and exhaust. with little bits of pistons everywhere