My experience after spinning a bearing
 

Short version, spun bearing, decided to go used while rebuilding....been a long 3 weeks without my car but she is finally back on the road. Thought I would share the experience so others may learn from my mistakes


For the full version, see attached PDF.


Keep in mind there are 2 things I had never done before, swapped a motor in an FRS or rebuilt any motor.....I have now, twice for the swap, and will be twice for the rebuild


All questions or comments welcomed!!! Enjoy the read

Great write-up and documentation of your experience and thought process. Sucks it happened though.

Very nicely done! Both the work and the write up.
Refreshing to have somebody break something, fix it and carry on with no whining, complaining or blame seeking.


http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/f6/f69ba...a9aa7ef8b6.jpg

I have a feeling he's over 35

Don't burst my bubble!

Sucks to hear man, what the hell happened?

Kudos for taking on the motor swap/rebuild!

3: If you can’t afford to pay, don’t play (too hard)

this is a really good advice lol.

Great writeup, except for most people I would recommend a leakdown test instead of compression test as it helps to better diagnose source(s) of leaks in an engine, especially one that is out of a car.

Considering you've never been into an engine, your progress is nothing short of amazing. Congratulations and good wishes.

Yup, will be 48 in November....

It's all in the attachment, as for the reason for the spun bearing, see lesson learned #1 at the end....

What caused the loss of oil? Just too many track sessions without checking/topping off?

Hate to admit, but yeah, hadn't checked it in a while... Thought about it on the way but once I got there, just changed tires and hit the track. 4 laps in, noticed a loss of power then heard the dreaded rod knock. Wasn't sure of the source so took a cool down lap, 3/4 of the way around, stalled when downshifting......Had it pulled into the garage to cool down. Started once after cool down, heard the knock for sure and shut her down.....

Good job, young man ...... :thumbsup:

I like your lessons learned ...... :clap:

Some day, you will be able to tell that story as a back-in-the-day story.

However, since you already showed pictures of your garage, you won't be able to tell folks that you did that engine rebuild, in a drafty barn, during the winter, in subfreezing temperatures, working on a dirt floor, using only a monkey wrench and a screwdriver, working at night and seeing only with a coal oil lantern.

:D


humfrz

Wait so what was the main cause? just low oil level during track? :(

I do know our car consumes a good amount of oil if driven hard...

How much is a good amount? I track my car about once a month and really don't burn any oil at all. probably less than a 1/4 of a quart per 5,000 miles.

Manual in japan stats that it's possible to consume more then 0.5L every 1000km *620mile under extreme driving condition. *extreme elevation change,bad roads & touge :lol:

Page 1 on pdf *p350
https://www.subaru.jp/afterservice/tnst/pdf_brz/1/6.pdf

I enjoyed reading through your thought process during the swap, thanks for sharing.

No, actually it was done in a one car garage in San Antonio Texas in August averaging about 105 degrees on a cement floor with your basic mechanics tool set and a couple screwdrivers starting at 0400 (because it was only about 80) and well I think I can make it a bit better as the years roll on.....


I actually drank about a case of the wife's bottled water through the ordeal... Probably lost a few pounds as well but hey, it was a great experience and I look forward to fixing the spare motor in the next couple of months....

Yeah, when I checked it after towing to the garage it was about 1 1/2 qts low.....

Where did you buy the engine from?
Lesson here is that it's worth paying a premium to buy a motor from a reputable dismantler.

Yep, your story will need some work:

San Antonio, Texas, August, during the heat wave of 20XX, at least 112 degrees F.

One car, unventilated garage with uncured, rough concrete floor.

Wrenches were from K-Mart, with pieces missing; screwdrivers from Target, with broken handles.

Water was "gray" water, the wife had bottled up to use to water the plants.

There, that ought to keep your story moving along ....... :D


humfrz

Wow @TEWwild I wish I had your determination, knowledge and skill!

Starts with determination. Knowledge and skill come with practice and following the service manual.

Well done, OP. Noticed your use of military time notation. What branch?

I see, I think i barely make it once few month ago.


I went to subaru dealer for my throwout bearing replacement after touges for two days :burnrubber: + 300 mile drive home. They told me there was no oil on my dip stick...............................:confused0068:
I even did highway pull on the way home cuz my friend...../facepalm


:thanks: Jesus.



Best way to avoid this is actually just change oil before going to track/event, I got lazy that one time & it's sorta of a close call...

Air Force

Yup, could have spent twice the money but what would I have learned?

Thanks for serving our country ......... :clap:


humfrz

If you actually drink the water more than the story will be moving along ... and swiftly.

Ok, enough chit chat, ladies. Add yourself to the duty roster.

Ladies my ass, back in the day, this army soldier could whip, 4 sailors or 3 airman or 2 marines ...... :paddle:


humfrz

Cool story, really good doc and glad you pulled it off. Nothing like being able to fix something seemingly too hard by yourself.

By the way, for those asking about oil consumption, mine uses around 1qtz every 2 month more or less, which is usually 3 to 6 track days. And for those suggesting to change oil before/after track, what do you think my pockets are made of? I cant change oil twice a week :iono: cant I?

Regular army? Oh, please. :rolleyes:

Well the saga continues...went to the track as planned. Took it easy for the first session, came in reviewed data, saw no issues. Shot the shit for a couple hours, went back out, 3 laps in and something broke.... Consensus there is most likely a rod bolt let go, apparently you're not supposed to reuse them.... So here I sit back in the garage (this time they let me borrow a suburban and trailer). Pulling the motor tonight to see what broke, don't have to be at work until tomorrow night..... If I don't respond to comments, please understand I'm going to be busy for awhile....

Shiiiiiiiit! Too late but study the parts breakdowns carefully. The big black dot is the key.

https://demos.starbase7.net/t3Portal...00T4V07IX.html

https://demos.starbase7.net/t3Portal...A278726E01.png

Yep......Infantry :fighting0040:


humfrz

Well, that's too damn bad ..... :sigh:

However, it's all part of the learning process.

The first large engine I overhauled, at about age 14, was a gas, inline 6, Oliver tractor engine.

When I put the rod caps with new bearings back on, I tightened them down good-n-tight. The engine wouldn't turn over (hand cranked engine).

The fellow at the parts store made me aware of shims that are needed between the rod caps and the rods. Yep, gave me a handful of shims and a length of the red, plastic string stuff and a gauge to determine how much the rod bearing was being squished when tightened down.

OK, my father was not happy with me, because he thought it was going to be a simple, relatively inexpensive valve job ........ NOT a rebuild of the lower end .... so, I got carried away ...... :iono:

Well, TEWwild, at least the second tear down and rebuild should go faster.....;)


humfrz

here we go again




Found the culprit, no broken bolts.... #3 rod cap cooked

#3 Rod cap removed, 2 halves of the bearing seem to have overlapped

Crank Journal.... Now I have a question here. It is my understanding the bearing material is softer than the journal and will go before damaging the journal. Is it possible the ridges are all bearing material and can be removed to reveal an undamaged journal. I wiped some with a rag and there seems to be a nice polished surface beneath. I understand if the rod contacted the journal there may be damage but I did shut her down pretty quick this time... Any thoughts