Hey – great start to the week….

I didn’t check the oil levels in the car (like a muppet) and on the way to work this a.m. the car died.

Garage have looked over it and I forget the details but basically I need a new engine.

The car is a Subaru Legacy 05 2.5 estate maybe 80k miles and apparently a replacement engine is likely to be about £1K and fitting it roughly the same.

The garage have said the book trade value is about 2.5K but I doubt I’d find one under 3k…

Before this it was generally okay – what do you think fix / chuck?

When I see the spares on e-bay they are not going for nothing so I’d think that there is value there but is there really without me having to break and store everything myself?

…if anyone wants to swap a bike frame for a car frame – let me know!

Thanks.

Ade

I’d do the engine swap, and make sure all the belts and the water pump were changed at the same time. Get on the owner’s forum and ask around for engines, may find one cheaper as well as someone willing to fit it for a better price than the garage.

Good tip. Ta. Will take a look. Don’t mind paying a bit more just to get it done quickly but if I can get a line on an engine then that would be helpful

The car is a Subaru Legacy 05 2.5 estate maybe 80k miles and apparently a replacement engine is likely to be about £1K and fitting it roughly the same.

Can you get a better car for less money? If not, and you like the car, then fix.

My mate has an 06 like yours, 225k now on the same engine. It did need some fettling a couple of years ago but he got that sorted easily (something to do with low idle speed, kept cutting out) he tried to PX it in last year and got offered £2200 for it, with that in mind I reckon yours is well worth getting the engine replaced and carry on driving it.

Obvz, that’s all based on the overall condition..

Thanks guys… yeah that’s what I’m thinking too. General condition is pretty decent.

I paid just under 4K about a year ago and this was not above market price but it was above the ‘book’ trade value but I think it was more an issue with the book than the value. I have put some miles on it maybe 20K but it still feels like it’s worth fixing.

Was it due a cam belt change? I think its fairly involved on that car so doing it while the engine is out might actually make a saving!

How long didn’t you check the oil for.

More so did they oil pressure light not come on when it got critically low ?

What’s actually happened to the engine has it siezed or have the ends just gone ?

For me. If the rest of the car was in good nick and I liked it. I’d change the engine however I don’t always take my own advice and I’ve scrapped a good golf with a banjoed engine just because I hated it.

This ^^^

Did the oil warning light really not come on?

Is is really screwed? I’d be tempted to get a second opinion if there was any doubt

Yeah really. No oil light – until after the event. Accelerating up to dual carriageway speed then unpleasant noises and engine cuts out. After letting it cool and topping up with oil it starts but makes a horrible clattering noise.

Apparently some cars just have an oil pressure light not a level light… so the garage told me earlier. My fault though, I’d figured this previously and read that these cars are quite heavy on oil.

Can’t remember exactly what it was something has rotated where it shouldn’t have and its now knackered.

Thanks guys.

In answer to the last check of oil… a few months max.

ade9933 – Member
Can’t remember exactly what it was something has rotated where it shouldn’t have and its now knackered.

That’ll be the bearing shells in the crank. May get away with a crank regrind & os bearings. Depends. A short motor is probably going tone quicker though. Desperate for it?

Short motor isn’t enough, the cam bearings in the heads will have also span, and there’s 4 of em…
So I’d say a crank regrind and shells, 4 con rods, and the heads/ cams line bored make the old engine an uneconomic prospect. There’s a day’s work for the machine shop once it’s out, there’s a day’s work bolting the engine back together and another day putting the engine back

Very few older cars have an oil level light despite many owners thinking that’s exactly what they do have! It’s usually only oil pressure and when it comes on damage has often already been done. The longer it stays on, the more damage.

My mate did exactly the same thing to his 2002 Impreza last week. Had just bought it, checked oil level, seemed okay then 250 miles later, the chattering began and it soon died. So full rebuild for him but fortunately for him, he can do most of it himself.

Best of luck with yours ade9933!

Thanks guys. That all makes sense. Good to know I’m not the only muppet out there.

If anyone has a line on cheaper engines – lemme know! 🙂

Where are you based? I can put you onto a couple of good machine shops

West Sussex Duncancallum