legacycentral bbs

Car: 1992 legacy turbo. I rebuilt the engine w/ new bearings & seals about 16k miles ago

So about 2 weeks ago I was driving through town and one of the hoses going into my coolant reservoir tank sprung a leak. I noticed it steaming a little and decided to head straight to my girlfriends house that was just a mile or two away. Like an idiot I didnt want to just pull over. So I just watched the temp closely and limped it towards the house. About half a mile out the temp started to rise so I pulled over immediately and shut the car off. The temp gauge maybe got to 3/4ths to full hot. I let it sit for a while then started it back up and got it to the house just in time for the temp to jump up to just before the hash marks denoting "really, really hot". Since there was nothing I could do to cool it down I shut it off.

The split was right where the hose attaches to the tank so I just snipped it off and reconnected it. Started it up and noticed coolant leaking from what appeared to be the weep hole on the back of the water pump.

I shut it off for the time being. Went back the next day and started it up. Car ran fine besides the coolant leak so I had it towed to my house. They dropped the car off at the hill below my house so I started it up and drove it to the front of my garage (about 200ft). The car ran fine, besides the fact that it was leaking coolant. No hesitation, no loss in responsiveness or power, it wasnt hard to start etc. etc. It ran just like it always has. So I tear the front apart and put a new Subaru water pump on. Put it all back together and it wont start. I didnt understand because I knew i didnt get the timing off and i had even double checked it before I re-assembled all the crap on the front of the motor.

Sooooo I tore it all back off and the timing was indeed correct. And really there is no way it could be 180 degrees off or anything anyways. So I checked compression in the #1 cyl, I got 20psi. #2 cyl was 50psi. I've even tried just using the hose that goes onto the compression gauge and holding my thumb over the hose as I rotate the engine (both with the timing belt on and with it off and the cam in a neutral position so none of the valves should be open) to see if i can even feel the piston compressing the air and i got nothing on cyl #1 and #2 was hardly anything.

Sooooo... wtf? I mean I understand the many ways the engine may have gotten hurt from it getting hot. But how could it run fine, afterwards (before I tore it apart) but now (after i took it apart and replaced the pump) its not starting.


any input would be appreciated. although it seems there is an internal issue and may require me to just yank the engine and pull it apart.

I bet you got the timing wrong,and you reinspected it with what you think is right which is actually wrong?

Whenever a car runs fine and then someone moves the timing belt and it no longer works,the problem is 99% of the time due to the work done.

On the crank gear, did you use the FRONT mark? (WRONG), or the REAR mark (RIGHT)!?!!?

douglas vincent wrote:On the crank gear, did you use the FRONT mark? (WRONG), or the REAR mark (RIGHT)!?!!?

Yeah, I believe the mark you want to use is on the back side of the crank sprocket, there is a tone wheel that the crank sensor reads off and there is mark on one of the teeth. I always just buy a high quality belt that has the lines drawn on the belt already, it is almost impossible to screw up the timing with one of these just make sure you put it on in the right direction and line the marks up to the lines. I use a Continental High Mileage even though I never get high mileage out of them

Honestly, if it ran fine before you put the water pump on then you probably messed something up when you replaced it.

I definitely needed more time to inspect the whole situation but I was outside and it started raining pretty hard.

I lined the cams up with the lines on the timing covers, and the crank i lined up with the line on the tooth.

The thing I can't figure out is even when i detached the timing belt and put the cam in a neutral position so the valves were closed i couldnt get any pressure out of the cylinder.

Are you sure youre doing a compression check correctly? It takes 4 to 5 revolutions to get accurate results.

The O-ring is sealing on the compression adapter right, the end that goes into the spark plug hole?

Yes, I know how to do a compression test. And yes the o-ring is sealing. I actually used two different hoses and they both sucked.

when I get the time i guess I'll just screw with it some more but idk what I could be missing.

check your other cylinders too, check your oil for metal

I only say that because being a mechanic, I see a lot of failed attempts at compression checks. Id say around 50%.

It is a possibility that you toasted the rings overheating it, but if it ran fine before you tore it apart, than it rules that out.

Which head gaskets are you running? Stock ej22's can pop very easily with heat.

Its either timing, a head gasket issue, or try putting a little oil down the cylinders (obviously dont put the plugs back in) crank the engine for a short bit, throw the plugs back in and try it. Hondas with miles on them tend to lose compression after sitting but that trick always works to free the rings from the piston and gain some compression back.

so it turns out the stupid manual i was reading had a mis print and i was using the wrong mark for timing. Good thing this car isnt an interference engine... Why the hell are there two marks on the crank sprocket anyway??

But it still wont start... Its getting spark, and good power to the coil. Injectors are getting power, and I know I could smell fuel on the plugs when I pulled them out. Timing has to be right. And for what its worth, it sounds right where as earlier it didn't.


Soooo idk wtf its problem is. Its getting compression (like 100psi) but i have a good feeling that the gauge im using is a POS and reading shitty. But even if it was 100psi it would be firing i would think...

idk