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Started a new DS course...and trashed my car

manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,212
17
Blindly running into cactus
my subaru loves to play in the dirt but i think she had enough today while we were building a new DS course at dark mountain. i'm not quite sure what happened but when i went to start spinning she just popped and the gears started grinding. the sound is definitely coming from the crankcase.
we were about an hour from home and my roadside assistance would only cover about $100 of the $250 bill to tow it back to my house so one of the trail workers, who is also a car salesman, offered to have it towed to his place in the morning so we can find out exactly what's wrong with her.
oh well, i bought a beater suby with a new engine for a reason :D

while im at it... a vid of lil manimal testing out the upper section of the new DS course. it's gonna be so friggin awesome when it's done. we also built a pump track in the same area.
http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a307/sempertubby2/dark mtn DS/?action=view&current=noahdarkmtnds.flv

the berm on the pump track

the start of the DS

the pump track so far...more to come


the lower half of the DS course is SICK! there are even some old wooden light poles strategically placed in a row to slow down the bmx crossovers that tend to dominate smooth DS courses on their rigids.
more info on the course/build day here:
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2840638#post2840638
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Well you wouldnt have any gears in the crank case, but maybe the transfer case since its AWD?

Pull-a-part on a car like that. The only way to go.
 

manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,212
17
Blindly running into cactus
yeah, you're right. i've never dealt with an AWD but my partner at work is a mechanic with his own shop. i'll find out tomorrow if it's a major deal or maybe just something minor that can be easily remedied. if it's major, i'll just pull the part from a junkyard and just help my partner fix it. i really can't complain though, i paid for that car in cash and it's got a new motor with only 60k miles so even if i have to fork out $800 or so for a new transmission it's still cheaper than having to make car payments.
the only thing i'm pissed about is that i never got into my flat spin on that slick clay ;)
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
I dont have any real experience with subarus, but dropping all that stuff out of my jeep cherokee when I had issues wasnt too big of a deal. If you're hearing "grinding gears" and the gears arent engaging when you put the car in gear...you probably have a serious issue. Like, you actually stripped some teeth off, and now there's probably metal chunks floating and spraying around in there.
If it was just, say, not doing anything, no grinding, you could have blown some fluid line or a seal (is it an automatic?) and lost pressure to engage the trans. Might have been simple.

There's your intarnet diagnosis from someone who doesnt work too much on cars.

Looked like fun doing it though. :)

Edit: if it's a stick, it could be as simple as the clutch having gone out.
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
From the sound of it, you did one of two things, Either you stripped your inputshaft, Or you broke the end of the counter shaft. Either way your gear no longer engage with each other, Either way, a good used transmission for that car isnt too terriblely priced.
 

manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,212
17
Blindly running into cactus
From the sound of it, you did one of two things, Either you stripped your inputshaft, Or you broke the end of the counter shaft. Either way your gear no longer engage with each other, Either way, a good used transmission for that car isnt too terriblely priced.
neither of those diagnosis is possible. the drivetrain parts on a subaru are forged in the fires of the great volcano, Montesorius, and are impervious to all natural forces. their only weakness, and the subaru site will back this up, is that barnacles from the rock of gibralter can weaken the volcanic alloy enough to break....but i haven't been to the rock of gibralter in over a month.
 

Dartman

Old Bastard Mike
Feb 26, 2003
3,911
0
Richmond, VA
Sorry about your car but jeebus that was funny!!! :rofl:

I also have this image of Noah wearing his helmet wherever you drive.
 

manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,212
17
Blindly running into cactus
i just spoke with my mechanic buddy and let him watch the vid. i told him that the grinding sound is coming from the right front wheel well and he said he's almost positive that i just busted the cv axle/joint. i sure hope that's what it is. makes sense too as i was able to get a little bit of power to the wheels last night and it would occasionally catch and drive but then pop out again.
i'll know for sure in a little while, waiting on a call from the shop that it's going to this morning.
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
Is it an AWD, or is it a 4wd. If its a 4wd an easy test to make sure it to try and drive it in 4x4, it will drive if its just a CV axle, but if its Awd then it wont, Difference is that in an Awd there is an extra differential between the front and rear, where as a 4wd just had the front and rear Diff. I listened to it again, now that I am not intoxicated, and its a tough call without being there, very possible its the axle, My question is, have you been hearing any clicking osunds when going around corners at all??? If so then it probably is a bad axle. I am more curious at this point and time than anything else.
 

manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,212
17
Blindly running into cactus
nope, no clicking noise when turning but it has always made a clicking/grinding noise if i gave it much gas while in reverse. the guy that picked it up just called me and he said it sounds like the cv axle but he said, from his initial inspection, that the axle looks fine and fairly new. the guy i bought the car from rebuilds suby's for a living and totally rebuilt the suspension/engine so it is likely that the cv axle only has about 50k miles or so.
i'll know more later when he puts it up on the lift to inspect the transfer case.

oh yeah, it is a manual 5 spd AWD, not 4WD.
 

manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,212
17
Blindly running into cactus
just got a call back from the mech.

$135 out the door for a new cv axle :thumb: :D not to bad for a day of playing in the dirt. i guess i'll have to take it easier on ruby sue from now on...either that or pony up and get a wrx :D