Results of the Valve Spring Recall Work

[CT86]

My dealer is in the process of going back and forth with Toyota Canada corporate to see if my extended comprehensive warranty will cover my engine that blew 2 weeks after doing the recall. Here's a picture of the inside of the timing chain cover that was sent to Corporate as part of their investigation.

Subaru techs, I have one question for you: How much sealant is too much sealant?

[ermax]

Originally Posted by WNDSRFR

When I finally got my car back after three weeks, my oil level was the same as this. Do you think they deliberately overfill the oil? I drained the oil and strained it looking for any sign of sealant. It was clean. So now I'm not quite as nervous every time I start the car. I only need half a xanax now.
It's amazing. For 145,000 miles I had total confidence in the car and after the recall I expect it to blow up every time I start it up. Having the recall done was one of the stupidest things I have ever done.
IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT.

Looking at that image of the dipstick it doesn't look over filled to me it just looks like it was checked right after running the car so the stick isn't reading correctly. You can see dry spots all the way down to the lower dot.

[ermax]

Originally Posted by CT86

My dealer is in the process of going back and forth with Toyota Canada corporate to see if my extended comprehensive warranty will cover my engine that blew 2 weeks after doing the recall. Here's a picture of the inside of the timing chain cover that was sent to Corporate as part of their investigation.

Subaru techs, I have one question for you: How much sealant is too much sealant?

It's kind of hard to say from that low resolution image. Did you happen to see the oil pickup screen?

Actually looking closer it looks like they put packing on one of the oil galleries that the instructions specifically say not to because an o-ring seals this surface. Maybe you have better images. Can you confirm if there is packing where I marked the photo?

[ermax]

Originally Posted by msaikhan

I haven't torn the engine apart yet. I was looking from under the car, where headers are connected. And i could see bunch of sealant sticking out from the bottom of the valve covers. But from my understanding on the manual it says don't put sealant on the bottom area of the covers. (I'm not familiar with the insides of the FA20, maybe you can confirm that i'm looking at the right part/location)

https://imgur.com/a/MFEmSu3

Manual is also very specific on where to put sealant and how much to put, and i have a feeling they were not followed. Also, exhaust gaskets are supposed to be replaced, but i can see the rust on the gasket, so i think they weren't replaced. Basically, seems to me that tech didn't follow the manual closely.

You are correct, the bottom and top of the valve cover is handled by the rubber gasket and no packing is required and is actually prohibited. Worst case this would create a leak but it just shows they weren't very detail oriented. Who knows where else they went wrong on the packing. It's kind of silly not to replace the gaskets on the exhaust because the gasket kit used for the recall includes new gaskets.

[msaikhan]

Originally Posted by CT86

My dealer is in the process of going back and forth with Toyota Canada corporate to see if my extended comprehensive warranty will cover my engine that blew 2 weeks after doing the recall. Here's a picture of the inside of the timing chain cover that was sent to Corporate as part of their investigation.

Subaru techs, I have one question for you: How much sealant is too much sealant?

Do you have pictures of the right and left cylinder head covers?

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by WNDSRFR

When I finally got my car back after three weeks, my oil level was the same as this. Do you think they deliberately overfill the oil? I drained the oil and strained it looking for any sign of sealant. It was clean. So now I'm not quite as nervous every time I start the car. I only need half a xanax now.
It's amazing. For 145,000 miles I had total confidence in the car and after the recall I expect it to blow up every time I start it up. Having the recall done was one of the stupidest things I have ever done.
IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT.

I hate to be the one to tell you, but the excess sealant in the bottom of the oil pan is not a problem - it's when it is stuck in the oil channels, it may become a problem. - So, now you may want to take the whole Xanax pill -

(jest ah messen wich ya)



humfrz

[ermax]

Originally Posted by humfrz

I hate to be the one to tell you, but the excess sealant in the bottom of the oil pan is not a problem - it's when it is stuck in the oil channels, it may become a problem. - So, now you may want to take the whole Xanax pill -

And pickup screen. Once it sucks it into the screen it gets trapped there and doesn't fall back down to the pan when you shut down the engine. Wouldn't it be great if you could drop the pan easily and take a look at the pickup? Not on this car.

[msaikhan]

Originally Posted by ermax

You are correct, the bottom and top of the valve cover is handled by the rubber gasket and no packing is required and is actually prohibited. Worst case this would create a leak but it just shows they weren't very detail oriented. Who knows where else they went wrong on the packing. It's kind of silly not to replace the gaskets on the exhaust because the gasket kit used for the recall includes new gaskets.

Yep. I had an oil leak and they replaced the passenger head gasket. No more leak but engine knocking sometimes. And high pitched screech when engine is cold, gets louder with RPM increase.
If they put some extra sealant certain areas, it could clog up the oil passage which probably going to cause spun bearings. And all this is stated in the Subaru manual but not Toyota. Dealership keep saying everything sounds normal and ignoring me and my noises. I'm just trying to make them fix it before i'm stuck on side of the road.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by ermax

And pickup screen. Once it sucks it into the screen it gets trapped there and doesn't fall back down to the pan when you shut down the engine. Wouldn't it be great if you could drop the pan easily and take a look at the pickup? Not on this car.

Good point. Yep, nothing seems easy on this car except changing the oil filter.-


humfrz

[MuseChaser]

Originally Posted by ermax

Looking at that image of the dipstick it doesn't look over filled to me it just looks like it was checked right after running the car so the stick isn't reading correctly. You can see dry spots all the way down to the lower dot.

@ermax If you're referencing the image I posted of the dipstick with the yellow and red arrows I added, the oil was checked at least five minutes after running the car, shutting if off, and letting it rest. It was REALLY tough to capture the oil on the dipstick w/ the tablet camera I was using, so you're going to have to take my word for it, but the indicated red arrow level was accurate.. absolutely nothing dry beneath there. There WAS some spotty oil above it, but the arrow indicates the top of complete and total coverage of the stick.

[ermax]

Originally Posted by MuseChaser

@ermax If you're referencing the image I posted of the dipstick with the yellow and red arrows I added, the oil was checked at least five minutes after running the car, shutting if off, and letting it rest. It was REALLY tough to capture the oil on the dipstick w/ the tablet camera I was using, so you're going to have to take my word for it, but the indicated red arrow level was accurate.. absolutely nothing dry beneath there. There WAS some spotty oil above it, but the arrow indicates the top of complete and total coverage of the stick.

Yeah I was referencing your image. It's hard to tell from the image. I will take your word for it.

[bcj]

Originally Posted by MuseChaser

... you're going to have to take my word for it, but the indicated red arrow level was accurate.. absolutely nothing dry beneath there. There WAS some spotty oil above it, but the arrow indicates the top of complete and total coverage of the stick.

The bottom (1qt low) hole has oil in it. The top (full) hole is is empty.

The oil on the side of the dip is scraped off the interior of the dip tube when inserting and removing it.

It looks exactly like mine when it's 1/2 qt low.

Unless camera limitations &etc. disclaimer.

[ermax]

Originally Posted by bcj

The bottom (1qt low) hole has oil in it. The top (full) hole is is empty.

The oil on the side of the dip is scraped off the interior of the dip tube when inserting and removing it.

It looks exactly like mine when it's 1/2 qt low.

Unless camera limitations &etc. disclaimer.

That is exactly what I am seeing. I only see legs up the sides of the stick and only solid across the whole stick just above the low level. But yeah maybe just the quality of the image is at fault.

[MuseChaser]

OK... I'll go check again. It's cold now, but hasn't been moved since I took that pic. Place your bets... ..


edit: OK, back with two pics, one of each side of the dipstick. Another thing I've noticed the past couple times I've checked the oil is that, when I check it cold, the color is MUCH different than it does when warm. When warm, the oil looks brand new, clear, and very hard to see, but cold it looks a lot darker, especially for oil that is only 630 miles and a few weeks old. Does that indicate anything, other than that dirt has had time to settle? Wouldn't the dirt settle below the dipstick anyway?



On the first pic, one of the arrows points to one little circular dry spot. BOTH the high and low level holes are completely full of oil, and the level is clearly above the high mark, more so on one side. Soo.. close enough, or drain some? Right now, it doesn't look any higher than it does when I get it back from a dealership oil change.