Hey all. I'm planning on doing a compression test tomorrow when I replace the plugs. I just had a few questions that I didn't get definitive answers on during my searches online. First things first. 2004 wrx wagon bone stock Do you pull the just the ignition fuse on the drivers side to keep it from fueling or the wire harness on the fuel rails? I've read to do one, the other, both. Wot as you crank for each cylinder? I know to do this step, just curious why. I guess I really only had one question Thanks in advance Stephen
Remove the one pin connector on the starter(signal), make a jumper wire with alligator clips on the end. Clamp one side to starter signal connector, touch other side to the battery positive terminal. This isolates the starter and no fuel/spark will happen.
Easier to do it the way I laid out, that is the proper way to do it. Also the you crank it over while standing near the gauge. I suppose there are multiple ways to get close to the same result, the way I said is the way I do it and is super easy, works perfectly, and gives you good results while not disconnecting a bunch of harnesses. Which ever way you do it, good luck!
Edit: Should read starter male signal pin, on the starter itself. Not the female harness pin. Sorry for any confusion
I've read that if you pull the ignition fuse, the car won't fuel because there is no spark. Also read to pull the fuel pump relay. Lol I should just stop reading and just go for it. Too much conflicting info on the interwebs.
Might I suggest the @ShortytheFirefighter fix, gallon of gas and road flare? Maybe try screwing the other part back into the adapter?
Which compression tester? How is it stuck? Did you overtighten it and now you cant loosen it or did you somehow manage to cross thread it? Try vice grips if thats the case. If its an angle/leverage issue, undo the motor mounts and lift the motor an inch or so.
I got it out. It was a 2 inch adapter that threads onto the end of the tester, and then you thread it into the cylinder. Supposedly it makes it easier to thread in, but taking it out is another story. Remembered that it was a 17mm, but i didn't have that in a deep socket. My neighbor saved my butt because he had one. Got my compression numbers, but by the time i tested the car was cold. Not sure how much that would throw them off by. At least they are pretty much the same. #1: 120 #2: 125 #3: 120 #4: 120 Also found the valve covers are leaking a little and had oil in the #3 sleeve to the spark plug. Not sure what that is actually called. All spark plugs looked like this. Normal wear?
Very good numbers, and about right for a cold engine. What did you end up disconnecting for the test? And although the pic is a bit grainy, that spark plug doesn't look bad. A touch white, but that could be the lighting and/or normal. Leaking valve cover gaskets are very common too. Not extremely urgent to my knowledge, but should be fixed. Even my gf's 11 outback has leaking valve gaskets at less than 60k.
I was going to remove the fuel pump wire harness behind the kick panel on the passenger side, but didn't have clear info on which clip it was, brown or green. So i decided to give the ignition fuse a try because i read that the fuel pump wont prime or fuel when that fuse is pulled. Turned the key and no sound from the pump, so i was satisfied with that. Had a couple idiotic moments. While ratcheting out the #4 plug, i got the ratchet wedged on the metal right there Couldn't reverse it either. That was about 30 min right there. Im glad i started with the hardest part first. The rest of the cylinders were a breeze. Yeah, the plugs had a little life left in them. I replaced them anyways just because.
Im glad i showed restraint and that my patients level was maxed out, otherwise it might have come down to the fuel and road flare fix.
Give in to the Dark Side, let the hatred flow through you... ...and do it in my district. We love car fires.
When I bought the car in June of 2013, they had just replaced the valve cover gaskets at 102,800. They had an invoice for it as well. Does this seem kind of soon for it to start leaking again? Now has 122,600.
If they screwed up the install or possibly they didn't install new valve cover seals around the spark plug wells.
Did they replace both, or just one? Otherwise as Curry said, they may have messed up the install. I'm not sure if there is separate gasket for the valve cover and spark plug hole...it would be kind of stupid to not replace both though lol. I've heard of dealers doing worse though...e.g., just replacing one bad piston and slapping it back together.
Most sell them in sets but if the person was lazy and didnt do the following; -Clean the surfaces -Replace the interior seals (spark plug wells) -Tighten the valve cover to spec Additionally, some people like to use rtv to help improve sealing.
It's a possibility that they didn't even do it. On the same invoice, it says they replaced the pwr steering pump. That went bad on me 3 months later.
Here's something. Notice the use of liquid gasket on the corners of the valve cover gasket.(scroll down a few pages) Don't forget that, if you're planning on doing this yourself. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B8Nawrcpwo37YjBSY1VoVXBzcVU/edit?usp=docslist_api Get the valve cover gaskets, spark plug seals, and valve cover grommets(those are notorious leakers)
It's been that way since I can remember, only on dohc motors though. I don't know if a Honda dealer replaced all those components, and possibly left the dabs of Fuji bond(liquid gasket Subaru uses) off the corners. It's a fairly cheap reseal to do it yourself, at a dealer you'd get hit with 2 hours of labor @$139/hr as well.
It might be covered under my extended warranty, which in that case i'll bring it to morries. Otherwise, it doesn't look like too terrible of a job besides the tight quarters. Since they're leaking already, I assume it's probably too late to just pull them off and oil the corners? How much engine oil will drain out usually when pulling the valve covers?
Not a lot of oil will come out, less than a pint. Probably just a few drops, unless the car was just running. If you take them off, just start fresh by replacing all that stuff.
