Hi everyone,
This is my first post on the forums. I wish it was under better circumstances though as it looks like I will need a new engine...
I bought a 2001 VDC H6 a few years ago for $6k, which was a deal since there seemed to be no problems with the car and it was very clean. About 6 months after that when I had some more cash I took it to the mechanic and spent quite a bit to do a tuneup and change the oil filer, clean everything, and try to find the small oil leak that it had (was never found). The mechanic said that it looked like one of the spark plugs (the hard one to get at) had never been changed, and also there was quite a bit of metal in the tranny oil pan. The car drove even better after that.
Then one fateful day I was driving up a fairly steep hill (Cali HW 58 towards Tehachapi) when I noticed that the engine temperature was in the red, but not pegged. I stopped the car and let it cool down, and managed to get to town to get some water for it. To make it home to San Francisco took stopping a few times to refill with water after waiting for it to cool. After that point it would overheat when going up even a minor hill, or in traffic if stopped. I took it to the same mechanic and spent more that I would have liked to try diagnose it. He did all the usual tests and was unable to find the problem. There was exhaust in the coolant. Sounds like a head gasket problem no? I was told that it would be cheaper to get another engine that to have him rebuild it.
Lacking the funds (a poor student at UCSC now), I was driving it in that condition for a while since all I had to do was add coolant every drive, and I only ever went to school and back (~10 miles).
Then one day driving on the highway the engine lost power and I coasted to the side of the road. It would turn over fine but showed no signed of wanting to restart. I had it towed to the driveway where she sits still.
I love the car and would really like to keep it. I am a programmer, not a mechanic, but I have done a few things to it: normal maintenance, brake job, replaced both front oxygen sensors, and replaced the main cruise control module.
Thanks for reading this far, I need some advice now. How should I proceed? Should I try to diagnose the non-starting problem (fuel pump relay, fuel pump, other stuff?). I do have the Subaru repair manual and some simple tools. With the new problems I am thinking it may be better to just replace the whole engine with a rebuilt one. I have about $4k that I can spend now, but can borrow some from family and friends if it costs more that that. What things should I look for in a rebuilt engine / engine company? I found a price for an EZ30D for "$6200 plus new LOWER $1200 refundable core charge" but that seems really high. Another company lists one for $2895 plus $500 core charge, plus shipping, with a 2yr warranty. What is a fair price to have a mechanic swap it out (in Cali.. like $100/hr)?
Again thanks for reading and have a good day
Dave L.
This is my first post on the forums. I wish it was under better circumstances though as it looks like I will need a new engine...
I bought a 2001 VDC H6 a few years ago for $6k, which was a deal since there seemed to be no problems with the car and it was very clean. About 6 months after that when I had some more cash I took it to the mechanic and spent quite a bit to do a tuneup and change the oil filer, clean everything, and try to find the small oil leak that it had (was never found). The mechanic said that it looked like one of the spark plugs (the hard one to get at) had never been changed, and also there was quite a bit of metal in the tranny oil pan. The car drove even better after that.
Then one fateful day I was driving up a fairly steep hill (Cali HW 58 towards Tehachapi) when I noticed that the engine temperature was in the red, but not pegged. I stopped the car and let it cool down, and managed to get to town to get some water for it. To make it home to San Francisco took stopping a few times to refill with water after waiting for it to cool. After that point it would overheat when going up even a minor hill, or in traffic if stopped. I took it to the same mechanic and spent more that I would have liked to try diagnose it. He did all the usual tests and was unable to find the problem. There was exhaust in the coolant. Sounds like a head gasket problem no? I was told that it would be cheaper to get another engine that to have him rebuild it.
Lacking the funds (a poor student at UCSC now), I was driving it in that condition for a while since all I had to do was add coolant every drive, and I only ever went to school and back (~10 miles).
Then one day driving on the highway the engine lost power and I coasted to the side of the road. It would turn over fine but showed no signed of wanting to restart. I had it towed to the driveway where she sits still.
I love the car and would really like to keep it. I am a programmer, not a mechanic, but I have done a few things to it: normal maintenance, brake job, replaced both front oxygen sensors, and replaced the main cruise control module.
Thanks for reading this far, I need some advice now. How should I proceed? Should I try to diagnose the non-starting problem (fuel pump relay, fuel pump, other stuff?). I do have the Subaru repair manual and some simple tools. With the new problems I am thinking it may be better to just replace the whole engine with a rebuilt one. I have about $4k that I can spend now, but can borrow some from family and friends if it costs more that that. What things should I look for in a rebuilt engine / engine company? I found a price for an EZ30D for "$6200 plus new LOWER $1200 refundable core charge" but that seems really high. Another company lists one for $2895 plus $500 core charge, plus shipping, with a 2yr warranty. What is a fair price to have a mechanic swap it out (in Cali.. like $100/hr)?
Again thanks for reading and have a good day
Dave L.
