Speaking of broken spark plugs...

[Oren]

How would slipped timing cause the piston to hit anything? Never heard of such a thing.

[George]

Just consider basic mechanical engine timing. If the engine is an interference design (common on many higher performance and import vehicles) the pistons can definitely collide with the valves if basic mechanical timing is lost (eg, timing belt stretches and jumps a tooth).

[George]

And the person running such an operation might be called "former business owner" or even "bankrupt".

I have been to wrecking yards and have never observed employees hanging around waiting for something to do and I am sure someone paid for the buildings, tools supplies, maintenance and all of the other stuff that goes into operating a business and that someone also will pay for the new tools and supplies that are purchased. Add all of that up and apportion it and nothing in a business is "zero cost".

[Oren]

Them dang ferrin cars. I didn't think about them. Thanks. Learned something new.

[dpb]

Oren wrote: ...

Pretty high percentage of any current production engine will be same. Need the tolerances to meet emission and mileage requirements any more...

And you definitely don't want to break a timing belt in anything these days--pretty much guarantees new/rebuilt time...the one-cylinder thingie may be a "get-by" or top-end job, the other is they're all toast.

--

[Jim Elbrecht]

If by 'ferrin' you mean GM or Ford- then OK. Both have engines that can cause pistons and valves to collide if the timing belt slips.

Jim

[aemeijers]

If the shell is in good shape, and the miles that low, I'd price out an light-bulb-style engine swap with a guaranteed used engine. Value of the car is irrelevant, what matters is what it would cost to replace it with something as reliable.

-- aem sends...

[clare]

As a mechanic I HAVE seen plugs "just break" - poor weld on the ground electrode allows it to fall off. I've seen compression seals let go, allowing the insulator to move in the shell, and the insulator shatter (after making a LOT of noise for quite some time)

[aemeijers]

JoeSpareBedroom wrote: (snip)

No need to explain- I know lotsa one guys who have more contact and day-to-day involvement with their ex that when they were married. And half of them don't even have kids with the lady.

-- aem sends...

[Lp1331 1p1331]

If the engine is indeed shot, one thing you may do rather than buy an engine from a wrecking yard is to find another Subaru that has a bad tranny, or is wrecked in such a way that the engine is not harmed. If you are in or near a fairly large city, something may show up on Craigslist for a lot less that a wrecking yard would get for an engine. First, ask the mechanic what he would charge to pull the engine out and put it in yours, and the years and models of Subaru which would have the same engine. I see stuff like this all the time on CL, for $200-300, often with nearly new tires or other major parts that are nearly new. Besides the engine, keep whatever else is in good shape and you think you may use in the future, and sell the rest for scrap metal. Larry

[clare]

It happens a LOT on engines that are "interference" engines. The valve is opened by the cam when the piston comes up - the piston hits the valve and bends it. If it hits often enough, ot just the right way, the valve head can break off and bounce around in the cyl. The valve can also crack or break the piston.

[Steve Daniels]

On Tue, 8 Dec 2009 10:16:08 -0500, against all advice, something compelled "JoeSpareBedroom" , to say:

I guess if it was my car, I'd blow out the affected cylinder with compressed air to get any debris out, screw in the right plug, fire it up and see what happens. Worst thing that could happen is you'd ruin the motor further and it would need to be replaced, and just swapping it out for a known good unit would probably cost less than the diagnostic disassembly.

Best thing happens, it runs ok, and you get a couple more years out of it.

[Oren]

I knew I was in trouble the FIRST time I needed a metric wrench on a Ford. Those were the days :-/

[salty]

Feel free to remain ignorant, if that's what you prefer.

[salty]

My wife had the timing belt let go on her 1998 Toyota Rav4 while powering up a steep hill. The engine simply stopped. No big bang, or anything. The entire repair consisted of installation of a new belt and idler assembly. No collateral damage.

[salty]

The only problem with the custo9mer supplying the engine is that if it turns out that the engine has a knock or otherwise isn't as good as expected, the installer is not responsible to do anyting about it. Even if the person who sold you the engine gives you a second engine for free, you will be paying again for the labor. Buy the engine from the installer or you will be taking a very large risk.

[Nate Nagel]

Most higher performance engines are "interference" designs and do not suffer failures so gracefully. A high compression ratio and the ability to break a timing belt without crashing valves are mutually exclusive.

nate

[salty]

My point is that many cars that you would EXPECT to have issues, do not. I also had the fiber timing gear on my 1969 Pontiac Firebird 400 HO convertible fail under hard acceleration. It quietly coasted to a stop. No damage other than the gear. That was a a high compression, high performance engine from prehistoric times that seems to also defy your generalization.

[dpb]

[e-mail] wrote: ...

Depends entirely on what you're using to create the expectations from...compression and a specific definition of "high performance" that epitomized the muscle-car era aren't the appropriate ones. Those were not "interference" engine designs; in fact virtually all were very conventional old pushrod designs w/ simply beefed up compression and high cfm carb's that sucked gasoline at a prodigious rate to generate those hp. (Since had '69 Charger, know the symptoms well... :) )

[dpb]

[e-mail] wrote: ...

OTOH, the Honda CRX I mentioned earlier was the other end...no noise in self-destructing but beyond reasonable repair. The switchout was the logical choice...