Subaru Makeover

Oops! Something is missing!

This is the Engine Compartment of a 2000 Subaru Outback after the engine had been removed. The All-Wheel-Drive Subaru is well adapted to the hilly Palouse terrain and is well loved by many for their handling in icy conditions and good fuel economy and quality design. However it is not unusual for the 2.5 liter Single Overhead Cam Engine to develop leaky cylinder head gaskets at around 100,000 or more miles. The external Coolant and Motor Oil leaks can get bad enough that the engine needs to come out for new head gaskets and resealing. Compared to many other vehicles this repair is not that expensive since the engine can be removed and reinstalled in good time. Typically the Timing Belt is replaced at the same time.

Subaru Makeover

This is the front of the Subaru 2.5 liter engine after having been removed from the 2000 Outback. In this picture the Cylinder Heads have already been removed and sent to the machine shop where they will be resurfaced. This process makes the gasket surfaces of the Cylinder Heads perfectly flat so that there is no leaking when they are reinstalled onto the Engine with new Head Gaskets.

Subaru Makeover

This is the side view of the same Subaru Engine. The Cylinders and the tops of the Pistons are visible because the Cylinder Heads have been removed for machining.



Subaru Makeover

Here the 2.5 liter Subaru Engine has been reinstalled into the 2000 Outback after a thorough check over and Test Drive. 

Subaru Makeover

Hey, is it just me or is this Subaru smiling?

Job well done technician Kelcey!

Saab Story

Technician Ryan inspects the Clutch Assemby of this 1988 Saab 900 Turbo with a leaking Clutch Slave Cylinder and Line. Yep, that's right, the Clutch is in the Front of the Engine Compartment! Saab likes to do things a little differently. For the other 99%+ cars and trucks on the road the engine "faces" forward with the drive belts toward the front (or to the side in the case of Transverse Engines). But Saab has the engine facing backwards -the drive belts are at the Rear of the Engine Compartment (near the Passengers) with the Clutch connecting to the Transmission at the Front of the Engine Compartment (near the Front Bumper.)

Saab Story #2

Here we zoom in and take a look at the Front of the Engine Compartment. The circular shape in the middle of the picture is the Clutch Pressure Plate Assembly.

Saab Story #3

Here's a close-up of the Clutch Assembly with the New Clutch Slave Cylinder installed. Finally!....a Happy Ending to a Saab Story!

Broken Spark Plug is Cause of Mystery Noise...

This spark plug was removed from a late model Toyota Corolla 4 cylinder engine. The customer was concerned about an extremely loud noise coming from the engine. As it turns out the noise was caused by the top half of this broken spark plug moving up and down as the the cylinder cycled between high and low pressure. Also there was a fair amount of noise caused by air rushing past the broken ceramic top of this spark plug.

Week-end Bronco Project (5)

The final product with lift kit installed. Lookin' good on Sunday!

Week-end Bronco Project (4)

Here's the 289 CID V-8 engine from the '66 Bronco's being installed onto the "new" frame...Hey it's dark outside. Time flies when your're having fun!

Week-end Bronco Project (3)

What next boss? TJ contemplates the next step while Ryan looks on.



Week-end Bronco Project (2)

In this picture the engine is being removed from the old, damaged frame so that it can installed on the "new" frame. (TJ and Bryant are in the background.)

Week-end Bronco Project (1)




Here's the 1966 Bronco pulled into the shop for a frame swap. The body has been removed from the old frame so that it can be installed on the "new" frame. (The original frame had been damaged by the previous owner in the process of installing the 289 CID V-8 engine.)

Scored Brake Rotor: 1





The Right Front Brake Rotor on this 1996 Ford Ranger has been damaged. The rotor has actually been cut by worn out Brake Pads. If you look closesly you can see the grooves that have been cut into the rotor . They look a little bit like concentric rings. A rotor in good condition will be smooth with no cuts or grooves. This brake rotor had to be replaced with a new part.

Exploding parts...

Electronic testing for a Check Engine Light reveals a mechanical failure... Disassembly and inspection found this Cooling System Thermostat broken up into several pieces causing the Engine to run too cold. The Electronic Temperature Sensor on this 2001 Plymouth Neon reported this lower than normal temperature to the vehicle's Computer which then alerted the driver of a potential problem by turning on the Check Engine Light. It's interesting how often high tech and low tech interplay with one another in the process of discovering and repairing problems with our modern cars and trucks.

                                                                     

I love a busy shop...

I love a busy shop.

Not all days can be busy. We deal with the local ebb and flow of spending and not spending. What makes the phone ring with people saying, "Yep go ahead and get it fixed"? Some people will tell you "it's all about marketing." But it's much more complicated than that. I've noticed that on sunny days people are generally in a better mood and much more likely to authorize services and repairs on their cars and trucks. My theory is that people enjoy driving when the weather is nicer. People will invest in what they enjoy. When weather is bad and the roads are covered with ice, snow, and gravel driving is less that a pleasureable experience. We don't want to deal with it. For a while we've fallen out of love with our trusty car or truck...until that Spring-like day returns.

the shop door is open....

I hope to engage with you this year in a conversation about your vehicle and your opinions about being a vehicle owner. This is going to be a new blog with an open forum where you can talk about your car or truck, the places you've driven and seen or your experiences on the road or in the shop -you name the topic!