A New Rattle?

[pylon500]

The saga of the worn SVX (350klms) continues.
I'm still getting that intermitant rough running that we all seem to get from time to time.
It drops the front right plug, or injector, and sometimes the front left as well really rough!, if I leave it idling long enough, while it hunts up and down between cylinders, it will eventually quit, and when I restart it again the problem is usually gone? seems to be ECU induced
Now I've got a new problem;
Starting a couple of days ago, while idling, I could hear this odd rattling, clunking, knocking sound from the front of the engine.
At first I thought it was my newly replaced power steer pump going again, or maybe a pulley about to sieze, but I now notice it comes more from the bottom of the front of the engine like down in the sump
I had a look at some of the older posts dealing with oil pumps, as I seem to be using a little more oil than usual, and I am really asking "how difficult and expensive is it to change the oil pump?
There was a post from 'NOBODY' in Czech republic with a sound .wav attached, but it wouldn't run
Will the oil warning light give any real warning before the engine destroys itself? my oil light has not illuminated as yet
Wish SUBARU had put in an oil pressure guage like they did in the VORTEX!!
Arthur.

[dcarrb]

Originally posted by pylon500
Wish SUBARU had put in an oil pressure guage like they did in the VORTEX!!

Yes; even my lowly, 1986 Suby GL wagon had a full complement of instruments as standard equipment, including an oil pressure gauge.


dcb

[pylon500]

OK, I'm back again.
My mysterious rattle seemed to be getting just a little more regular, and just a little louder, as I drove around to various friends and workmates for their opinions.
I was initially going with the leaking or cavitating oil pump, but was then suggested that it may be the timing belt tensioner.
A garage mechanic (with SUBI experience) thought it might be the harmonic balancer coming loose.
After each deduced conclusion, I would hunt through the Technical Q & A pages dealing with that particular problem.
This morning I took the car back to that garage with an idea of getting them to dig into the problem for me, (last time I fixed it myself, it took 2 months!) When the young mechainc got me to start it up, my slightly annoying rattle suddenly sounded like a bag of 3 inch nails being dumped into a steel trash can!! it now has aquired a new BUZZ to add to the odd rattle.
"Sounds like your timing belt's f¥@?#d!" he says, to which I think,
'I should be able to do that', so I carefully drive back home with thoughts of those last threads of rubber flailing around up front, just keeping the engine going!
Now after jacking the car, draining the radiator and removing the radiator, I started to remove the timing belt covers, and a handfull of ball bearings fell out!!
I've yet to get the main pulley off to be able to remove the center cover, but I've managed to rotate the crankshaft and jump a few teeth, will have to do a total set up.
The belt itself looks to be in good condition? It may have been replaced just before I bought the car, although I have no log books
Got too cold to work, so will continue tomorrow.
Arthur.

[Earthworm]

yikes!!

Any evidence as to the source of the ball bearings?

[UberRoo]

Sounds like your lucky day to me. The only place there should be any ball bearings is on an idler pulley. That should be easy to replace, and way, way, way less expensive than anything that might suffer from low oil pressure. I think there's three idler pulleys in there. It's gotta be one of 'em.

[pylon500]

Got too cold to work, so will continue tomorrow.

Well, Wednesday anyway!
Was getting ready to mark out and make the front crank pulley holder part# 499977000 in the service manual, but found a few good raps with a large hammer got the nut loose.
I could then remove the center cover, all my covers are falling to bits and found that idler #2 had lost all it's balls (a twin race) and slipped forward to run metal on metal in the race grooves, and had started chewing a hole through the front plastic cover.
Only one of the other three idlers runs freely, so it looks like I'm up for three pulleys, the assorted gaskets on the covers, some replacement covers! and maybe a new timing belt.
This belt looks OK?, has anyone ever broken one?, how worn did it look?
I replaced the rocker cover gaskets recently chasing an oil leak which didn't go away, so will have to look at the main crank seal and cam seals once I clean up the mess on the front of the engine.
I see many posts suggesting to replace the water pump while I have the chance, but I'll have to keep a close watch on the dollars spent this time around.
Anyone got any spare front covers?
Arthur.

[UberRoo]

My 86 GL wagon used to eat it's timing belt idlers. (I don't think they take well to mud.) They're about $100 each at a parts house, so I always went to the wreckers for my replacements, at a whopping $5 for the set. A few sets later I was fed up with it, so I welded plates to the pulley faces, and installed grease fittings. I'm still using that set. I'm not impressed with the factory seals on those things.

My idlers always used to sieze. If it was an outside idler (tensioner,) I'd hear a squealing noise and see smoke - unless it was a wet day - then I could drive all day like that. If it was an inside idler, it'd buzz for about ten seconds and then derail the belt.

[pylon500]

so I welded plates to the pulley faces, and installed grease fittings

Yay, I'm mobile again! (you can tell I'm happy by my coloured font)
I don't know if it was after reading UberRoo's post, or just all the people I went to suggesting assorted expensive fixes for my rattles that I suddenly just said,
"This is just a bit of machinery, and I'm damn well gunna FIX IT!!"
I just wanted to be back on the road.
Problem; Stuffed bearing on idler.
Solution? $197.00AUD idler from Subaru Australia?..nope,
. $ 79.00USD idler from Subi-Parts.com?.....nup!
. $ 45.00AUD replacement bearing from CBC? nana,
. Two $ 5.00AUD sealed ball races from Bearing Traders?
Now we're talking!!!
Upon closer inspection, the idler is just an outer 'cog' ring with a double race bearing pressed into it's centre, then a 'plug' bush is pressed into the inner bore of the race and drilled to suit the 8m/m bolt that holds the idler to the block.
Having a machine shop at my displosal helps as I pressed the old bearing bits out and fitted the two new races.
There was a slight problem in that the bore of these new races is about 2m/m less thanthe original 'plug', so I machined it down and pressed it in!
Also, deciding that I don't go off road, I wouldn't worry about the centre cam-belt cover, which was some what chewed up by the belt and idler, so without further 'adu' I threw it all back together and, I'm mobile!!!
Not only that, but so far the engine has run perfectly, which I suspect may be due to cleaning all the dust and crap from around the 'Crank Angle Sensor' sprockets just behind the timimg belt drive 'cog'.
Now with any luck I can try to catch up on the months of progress I've lost on my aeroplane project.
Arthur.

[pylon500]

cleaning all the dust and crap from around the 'Crank Angle Sensor' sprockets

OK, just a quick note to anyone who read the above quote and wanted to start pulling the front off their engine, Don't Bother, my rough running came back a day ago, just like before.
I guess I'm just gunna live with it.
Arthur.