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JDMbeetle
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2018
Posts: 73
Location: NY
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 Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:52 pm Post subject: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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I have a 2009 Subaru Forester with 197,403 miles on it and the head gaskets, valve cover gaskets, front crank seal, and a few other seals I don't remember right now are starting to leak. I know the used car market is crazy currently so what do you think I should do?
I have basic tree shade mechanic skills from working on VW's. Replacement car suggestions are welcome.
Thanks.
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71 Super Beetle
74 Standerd Beetle |
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Erik G
Samba Member
Joined: October 16, 2002
Posts: 13263
Location: Tejas!
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Chickensoup
Samba Member
Joined: January 06, 2018
Posts: 5368
Location: Good Hope, GA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 4:15 pm Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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only 200k??? onna subaru? I would simply replace the seal and head gaskets. especially the head gasket. and soon. Or buy a TDI. or 5th gen camaro.
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sb001
Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2011
Posts: 10406
Location: NW Arkansas
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| Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 9:30 pm Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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Surprised the head gaskets went that long. The good ol' EJ25 is notorious for those failing around 120k or so. My advice would be to trade up for a newer FB series, that did not have the head gasket issue. If you like the Forester maybe look at a 2015-2018 XT turbo model (before Subaru discontinued them.)
On a side note, I keep hearing this stuff about used car market prices being nuts right now, but honestly I'm not really seeing it- I mean yeah they are up a bit, but not batsh^& crazy like people say.
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I'm the humblest guy on this board.
1969 autostick sedan, family owned since new
1600 SP engine
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[email protected]
Samba Member
Joined: February 12, 2003
Posts: 510
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| Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 9:58 pm Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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| Here in my neck of the woods, western Pa., prices seem to be bats$%# crazy, had to stop at dealer with my Accord the other day, walked thru the used lot, they had a 2016 CRV with 100,000 miles and were asking $17,888. They have very few new cars, and can't accurately predict when or what's coming in. Just gotta get on a waiting list. |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22633
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2021 10:51 pm Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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I would put a VW T3 WBX engine in it
Casey sells the conversion kit
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mark tucker
Samba Member
Joined: April 08, 2009
Posts: 23937
Location: SHALIMAR ,FLORIDA
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| Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 6:15 am Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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| thats up to your skils and pockets. used motor VS rebuild?? the motor has to come out any way..... |
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kingkarmann
Samba Member
Joined: November 05, 2003
Posts: 4111
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| Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 8:07 am Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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We keep our cars a very long time. Our current drivers were bought new. Hers in 2005, mine in 2012.
We always seem to keep them 12-15 year and keep up on the service & maintenance.
We keep them until reliability becomes an issue, then it's time to move on. I'm not against spending money on a big repair especially if it saves me from paying $40k on a new car. Coincidentally, I just had a whopper of a bill. The A/C evaporator rotted on my GTI with 170k miles. Dash has to be removed. That's a lot of labor and not something I was prepared to tackle. Other than that it's been a great car and have no reason to think it won't continue to be for at least the next few years. My wife's 2005 GMC with 110k miles is currently in the shop for basically a front end rebuild. It's pricey but way less than a new or even decent used vehicle. She loves her truck and other that an worn suspension it's in wonderful condition.
If you like what you have then I would bite the bullet and repair what you can and/or find a reliable shop. If you feel this is the tip of the repair iceberg then it's probably a good time to start car shopping.
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cdennisg
Samba Member
Joined: November 02, 2004
Posts: 20263
Location: Sandpoint, ID
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| Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 8:16 am Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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If you like the car and want to keep it going, this might be your best option. Subaru engine R&R isn't difficult.
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skills@eurocarsplus
Samba Peckerhead
Joined: January 01, 2007
Posts: 16849
Location: sticksville, ct.
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| Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 9:20 am Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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do no do the JDM bullshit. seriously....
if you want to save what you have an engine pull and reseal isn't horrible on those.
if you want to start over, a new short block from subaru is like 1800-2k. get your heads 100% rebuilt and there is another 800+/- for the pair. add another 5-7 for misc stuff from subaru and you will pretty much have a new engine.
or for about 1k or so reseal yours (have the heads done)
no way would i roll the dice on a JDM pile of crap.
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| gprudenciop wrote: |
my reason for switching to subaru is my german car was turning chinese so i said fuck it and went japanese....... |
| Jake Raby wrote: |
| Thanks for the correction. I used to be a nice guy, then I ruined it by exposing myself to the public. |
| Brian wrote: |
| Also the fact that people are agreeing with Skills, it's a turn of events for samba history |
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sb001
Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2011
Posts: 10406
Location: NW Arkansas
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| Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 11:11 am Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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If you decide to go ahead and have the head gaskets replaced, DO NOT let Subaru use the same factory gaskets for the base EJ 2.5 (which they will try to do) or you'll run into the same problem again. have them use the gaskets from the turbo engine, which did not use a graphite coating that made these fail, if they refuse then take it somewhere that will use those gaskets.
Link
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I'm the humblest guy on this board.
1969 autostick sedan, family owned since new
1600 SP engine
Solex 30 PICT 3 carburetor
Bosch 113905205AE autostick distributor |
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cdennisg
Samba Member
Joined: November 02, 2004
Posts: 20263
Location: Sandpoint, ID
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| Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 3:12 pm Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
do no do the JDM bullshit. seriously....
if you want to save what you have an engine pull and reseal isn't horrible on those.
if you want to start over, a new short block from subaru is like 1800-2k. get your heads 100% rebuilt and there is another 800+/- for the pair. add another 5-7 for misc stuff from subaru and you will pretty much have a new engine.
or for about 1k or so reseal yours (have the heads done)
no way would i roll the dice on a JDM pile of crap. |
I know a handful of folks that have gone the JDM route with good results. They are all home gamers, so they aren't paying a shop to do the work. But, as you say, Soob stuff is not that difficult to work on, and all the good parts are readily available.
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Manfred58sc
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2009
Posts: 3382
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| Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 7:43 pm Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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They are less horrible than other new cars. make sure you still have a machine shop in your area. Many parts of the country no longer provide that service. I'd fix it if I was an owner of such machines.
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skills@eurocarsplus
Samba Peckerhead
Joined: January 01, 2007
Posts: 16849
Location: sticksville, ct.
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| Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2021 11:58 pm Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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| cdennisg wrote: |
I know a handful of folks that have gone the JDM route with good results. They are all home gamers, so they aren't paying a shop to do the work. But, as you say, Soob stuff is not that difficult to work on, and all the good parts are readily available. |
in 30+ years of auto repair i have never in my life had good luck with any used engines/transmissions. doesn't matter if the service advisor found one for me or i picked one myself.
i'll do 5 engine jobs no problem.... just not 5 on the same car.
lot's of odd differences on non usa spec stuff...from different reluctor wheels etc that if you're not careful you'll introduce issues.
just not for me. i realize some people luck out. i never do. it's in a junk yard for a reason and i look at that stuff (engines/transmissions) as core value only.
about 9 years ago i did 7 transmissions on 1 car when i was at the dealer. that was enough to ruin me for life.
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| gprudenciop wrote: |
my reason for switching to subaru is my german car was turning chinese so i said fuck it and went japanese....... |
| Jake Raby wrote: |
| Thanks for the correction. I used to be a nice guy, then I ruined it by exposing myself to the public. |
| Brian wrote: |
| Also the fact that people are agreeing with Skills, it's a turn of events for samba history |
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sb001
Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2011
Posts: 10406
Location: NW Arkansas
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| Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 7:44 am Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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Everything you need to know about trying a used engine from the salvage yard
Link
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I'm the humblest guy on this board.
1969 autostick sedan, family owned since new
1600 SP engine
Solex 30 PICT 3 carburetor
Bosch 113905205AE autostick distributor |
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JDMbeetle
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2018
Posts: 73
Location: NY
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| Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 11:43 am Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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WOW! Thanks for all the info guys! I'm gonna copy the quotes and reply to them one by one.
Thanks for the listing Eric, I've been looking at engines on eBay but that's one of the better prices I've seen.
| Chickensoup wrote: |
| only 200k??? onna subaru? I would simply replace the seal and head gaskets. especially the head gasket. and soon. Or buy a TDI. or 5th gen camaro. |
I'm not gonna lie a TDI would be cool, with the knowledge that you are pushing 300k on yours it's definitely going on the possible replacements list.
| sb001 wrote: |
Surprised the head gaskets went that long. The good ol' EJ25 is notorious for those failing around 120k or so. My advice would be to trade up for a newer FB series, that did not have the head gasket issue. If you like the Forester maybe look at a 2015-2018 XT turbo model (before Subaru discontinued them.)
On a side note, I keep hearing this stuff about used car market prices being nuts right now, but honestly I'm not really seeing it- I mean yeah they are up a bit, but not batsh^& crazy like people say. |
Step mom's gotta 2014 forester that's garage kept with 60k on the clock, I was driving it to work when the shop told me about the engine. overall it's a good car, I just dont know if I like that generation of forester.
| Abscate wrote: |
I would put a VW T3 WBX engine in it
Casey sells the conversion kit |
As much as I would like to do something totally insane (36hp twin turbo Okrasa setup) This is currently my daily driver and I want it to remain as reliable as possible.
| kingkarmann wrote: |
We keep our cars a very long time. Our current drivers were bought new. Hers in 2005, mine in 2012.
We always seem to keep them 12-15 year and keep up on the service & maintenance.
We keep them until reliability becomes an issue, then it's time to move on. I'm not against spending money on a big repair especially if it saves me from paying $40k on a new car. Coincidentally, I just had a whopper of a bill. The A/C evaporator rotted on my GTI with 170k miles. Dash has to be removed. That's a lot of labor and not something I was prepared to tackle. Other than that it's been a great car and have no reason to think it won't continue to be for at least the next few years. My wife's 2005 GMC with 110k miles is currently in the shop for basically a front end rebuild. It's pricey but way less than a new or even decent used vehicle. She loves her truck and other that an worn suspension it's in wonderful condition.
If you like what you have then I would bite the bullet and repair what you can and/or find a reliable shop. If you feel this is the tip of the repair iceberg then it's probably a good time to start car shopping. |
Thanks for the input kingkarmann, I looked up the Kelley Blue Book value of the car and it says the private sale value is $2,379. I really want to keep it because it's been in the family forever(I was in the back seat when it drove off the dealerships lot in 2009). Another thing I didn't mention is the A/C compressor needs to be replaced. The shop I brought it to quoted me $4,000 dollars for all the engine work. even if I do all the work myself like what skills@eurocarsplus says I still need to spend $1,500 on headwork and parts plus $200 on a engine crane so I don't know if it would be wise at this point.
| skills@eurocarsplus wrote: |
| do no do the JDM bullshit. seriously.... |
I dunno man its kinda in my name 
Thanks everyone for all the input, especially sb001 for all the input about engines and gaskets. I don't know what I'm going to do just yet but I will keep you guys updated on what I end up doing.
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71 Super Beetle
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skills@eurocarsplus
Samba Peckerhead
Joined: January 01, 2007
Posts: 16849
Location: sticksville, ct.
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| Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 12:03 pm Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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^^^
i get it. i run a shop that specializes in volvo's and subaru's.
if you came to me with all of these leaks it would be a choice of fix what you have or new from suabru.
i guess you have to decide what your budget is and what your expectations are. even if you shoveled 4-6k into this car you can't buy a decent car....let alone one you know the history of for that kind of money.
car prices are stupid here, and you're not too far away from CT. the dealer i left to open my place still sends me cars. old boss told me last week that he's paying for off lease/auction cars what he normally retails them for.
just do the math and if it makes sense run with it. when i hand over an estimate to someone for 3-5k and they go cross eyed i ask them what can you buy for that price? i also tell them if they don't want to fix what they have, trade it in and use the 3-5K as a down payment....dont run out and buy a 4k car, cuz that one will need 7k in work
_________________
| gprudenciop wrote: |
my reason for switching to subaru is my german car was turning chinese so i said fuck it and went japanese....... |
| Jake Raby wrote: |
| Thanks for the correction. I used to be a nice guy, then I ruined it by exposing myself to the public. |
| Brian wrote: |
| Also the fact that people are agreeing with Skills, it's a turn of events for samba history |
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finster
Samba Member
Joined: May 26, 2012
Posts: 7929
Location: north o' the border
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| Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 12:07 pm Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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What, nobody suggesting an electric motor!?
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22633
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 2:04 pm Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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| finster wrote: |
| What, nobody suggesting an electric motor!? |
Those are for Wankels.
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Manfred58sc
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2009
Posts: 3382
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| Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2021 5:44 pm Post subject: Re: The car's engine is on it's way out. What should I do? |
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Local new car dealer is painting 20 year old Hondas in house and putting them on the lot for $10K ,and getting it. You own the Suby and it's serviceable, case closed.
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