Engine Update - BEAV IS GOD!!!!

[EveryShadeofBlue]

The world is lifted off my shoulders. The guys at my Subaru dealer just called and apologized that they didn't check things out closer. I had faxed over exactly what Beav suspected might be wrong with the engine....an injector went bad and hydrolocked the cylinder. His diagnosis was 100% correct! It was EXACTLY what happened!!!!! I am so happy. I may not even need a new injector, they have to test it. That's the update. I am still going to sell the car however. I have to!

Jeff

P.S. THANK YOU SO MUCH BEAV! You don't know how much I appreciate all of you for helping me!!!!!

[1994SubaruSVX]

well there it is BEAV now has GOD status!!

good job beav, i hope you continue to disperse wonderful advice. it is nice to have a professional mechanic on board again.

(just kidding with the whole GOD status thingy.... )

[cocacola08]

Glad to hear things went better than expected.

Sad to hear that you still have to sell, find her a good home.

<You don't know how much I appreciate all of you for helping me!!!!!>

Show your appreciation by keeping the car and letting us help you more

[EveryShadeofBlue]

I'd prefer to sell it to someone on this board. I know a certain someone with a Green1995SVX that might be interested.

I don't want some disinterested or boring person owning it. They must be an SVX junkie. Also, I will refuse sale to any smokers (my car has never been smoked in) or anyone that has plans to add a 3 foot wing, racing stickers, or anything of the sort.

Thanks,
Jeff

[1994SubaruSVX]

do you have your eye on another svx or are you getting away all together.

Originally posted by EveryShadeofBlue
I'd prefer to sell it to someone on this board. I know a certain someone with a Green1995SVX that might be interested.

I don't want some disinterested or boring person owning it. They must be an SVX junkie. Also, I will refuse sale to any smokers (my car has never been smoked in) or anyone that has plans to add a 3 foot wing, racing stickers, or anything of the sort.

Thanks,
Jeff

SHHHHH Jeff!! It's a secret!!

-Mike

[Ron Mummert]

Way to go Jeff - I guess it's like the feeling you get when that white powder that spilled out of the envelope onto the Kleenex you subsequently blew your nose with turned out to be cocaine & not the "other" stuff. Not that I know anything about either stuff, mind you.
Oh, Beav - the question is, what exactly creates hydrolocking, & is it due to something that Jeff did just prior to his experience, or can this also happen geezers just cruisin' down the road at 80 mph?
Thanks & nice job. The check's in the mail. Ron.

[EveryShadeofBlue]

Well, what I did to cause all this mess is slam on the gas to pass someone. Power light comes on..... next thing I know I'm sitting in my brother's driveway with smoke coming out. So, I wasn't just cruising.

Jeff

[Beav]

Hopefully that is all it takes. I'll defer my new god status until the car is back on the road. Of course you realize that having god status bestowed upon you means more when it comes from the opposite sex (well, for most of us anyway...)

Anyway, I'm happy that you're happy. Sad to hear that you need to sell, but that's a decision only you can make.

Hydrolock is when a liquid enters the cylinder and won't allow the piston to travel its full stroke. The piston can't compress a liquid as much as it can a gas (air, not gasoline.) Sometimes people are lucky enough to break pistons, bend connecting rods, blow gaskets, etc. when they try to force the engine to turn over, either by hand or with the starter. Some are even smart enough to tow their vehicle and 'pop' the clutch.... "Well, at the time it seemed easier than pulling the spark plugs."

Obviously anything that allows liquids to build up in the cylinder can cause hydrolocking. A blown head gasket, really bad valve guides combined with plugged oil drains or in this case (still hopefully) a stuck open fuel injector. When the fuel pump shuts off there is a residual amount of fuel still under pressure in the system. Those of you that change your own fuel filters know this first-hand. If an injector is stuck open it allows this residual fuel to drain into the cylinder and create the hydrolock.

I wouldn't put the blame on Jeff for it happening unless he's terribly remiss at changing fuel filters. If so this is probably what happened (if not just chalk it up to bad luck - sorry): The fuel systems in today's injected cars constantly circulate large amounts of fuel. The filters are pretty tight, some filtering impurities as small as 2-5 microns. That takes some pretty thin and fuzzy media which is easily damaged. When a series of rocks (guessing 20-25 microns or larger) hits the media at 35-65 psi (depending on mfg.) they're going to sand-blast a hole through and then eventually make their way to the injectors. When an injector tries to close and one of those rocks are in the way the pintle has little chance of sealing off the flow of gas. Another reason for keeping those filters changed is that if they don't blow a hole through they begin to plug-up and lose their ability to flow fuel. When that happens the fuel pump has to work harder, drawing more amps, possibly burning the harness and/or the relay and/or the pump itself. Most fuel pumps fall into the $350-$500 range, parts and labor.

One thing to remember, Jeff mashing the gas on the freeway probably didn't contribute to the problem - injectors always open the same distance. When the engine requires more gas they stay open longer. (duration, dwell, whatever - it depends on who's talking...)

The check's in the mail? Woohoo! It's time all these bumps on my noggin' started paying off....

Glad I could help,

Beav

[Ron Mummert]

So the moral of the story is to change the fuel filter? Uhh... how often? Also, would the use of an injector cleaner additive on some sort of regular basis help matters, or is there no relationship to using additives & those evil micron sized boulders smashing through the filter to ultimately bend a rod or two? I know that check book's around here somewhere. Hmmm.
Ron.

[Beav]

I'd try to change the filter every 20-25,000 miles, they don't cost that much. I don't normally recommend additives/cleaners unless there's a pressing need. Try to stick with a reputable gas station, don't worry about saving .08/gal. and getting a load of garbage in your tank.

Never believe that there is such a thing as a 100,000 mile tune-up. Tune-ups no longer exist. Most '100,000 mile tune-up cars should have plugs somewhere around 40-50,000 miles (I can give you details why, if interested.) Same goes for oil change intervals beyond 3000 miles. Even with synthetics contamination occurs.

Once again I've gone farther than I should...

Beav

[SSSVX]

Originally posted by 1994SubaruSVX
do you have your eye on another svx or are you getting away all together.

yeah, don't know what you think!
but is sad to know that why still want to sell her...
why don't you keep her....??
if sell, you must find someone who knows about S.V.X!!
of course, i love this site but i don't have much time to log in, your prob/thread is the issue currently i most concern you know before i've time to go for other threads..!!

congrats to beav's new status!
i know him because of this thread, who is his?

[EveryShadeofBlue]

Thanks for the education Beav. I think something very positive has come out of all of this: We have all learned something and that's the point of this club (besides socializing): To gain power by learning. I am still shocked that a guy posting over the Internet could figure out what is wrong with my car when my supposedly wonderful Subaru dealer (I'm having doubts now) had the car in front of them and were ready to put in a new engine. They basically were trying to chop off my hand because I had a paper cut. It was pure laziness that caused this, they didn't want to be bothered with taking out the spark plugs since it's such a "hard job." They'd rather just replace the whole engine. This dealership has become so consumed with modding out WRX's and RS's that I think they don't have a rat's butt about SVX's anymore. It's sad, because I used to constantly sing their praises and would recommend them to everyone. I still do, but now it's with a "But...."

I think we need to change Beav's status from "God" to "Engine Master" so it doesn't go to his head Maybe we should put him on the payroll.

I still don't have my car back or a price to fix it. That should hopefully come today.

Jeff

Hey Jeff,

Let me tell ya somthin' about Subaru dealerships regarding the SVX. In a nutshell, they are clueless.

I have had my tran replaced twice due to incompetence at two seperate dealerships and will need to take it back for leaks at least once more (I've had it in twice for leaks since the second replacement).

I have had my rear wheel bearings replaced by another dealership something like 5 times. In the process they have stripped my rear lugs and lug nuts and in the process of over torqueing the axle nuts, warped the rear spindles (likely the cause of subsequent bearing failures) to the point of needing replacement. During my questioning of the service people I came to realize that the first three sets of bearings were replaced without being greased!! Not until I threatened to invoice them for MY time (the service manager turned white when I told him my *minimum* shop rate) did they finally agree to replace the entire rotating assemblies, bearings, seals, etc.

Are you happy now? Got me all worked up again.