BLSTIC

I don\'t think it has been sitting too long (it still gets started). What do you mean by cdb? And it\'s not a performance build, it\'s just to get a reliable car that I can pawn off at some later date if I tire of it. Realistically a secondhand running engine would be my best bet but I think only wreckers (which charge through the roof) are qualified to tell me whether their secondhand motors are any good... *edit: I meant the motors I can\'t see/test drive running. I don\'t want to pay more than $300 for a motor that\'s in some guys shed that he *says* was mint when it got pulled out

Yeah it\'s been a few years. I remember rebuilding a G13A Suzuki motor and it cost $1300 for everything including pistons/machining. But this is a different engine with two heads and a few more seals. Alternatively I\'m looking for a secondhand EJ20G in good order

I had a BF GT Wagon with a good O2 sensor and it ALWAYS got bad fuel economy (I got 10km/l ONCE on the highway) but mine did have 270,000km on it. However more related to this post I also had a missfire under boost. I replaced the plugs with copper core ones (no idea on the gap, was too long ago) and the miss almost disappeared (only happened at max load) for a while then got worse. Pull the coils and check under the rubber boots for fine cracks as the spark will go through that if it\'s easier than going through the plug (a wide gapped plug under boost is actually pretty hard to fire). They *can* be temporarily/partially sealed with a non-metallic nail polish if they aren\'t too bad (just use clear). Old school guys did this on distributor caps. But mine were actually cracked to the point of falling apart. So... I replaced mine with 4 VL commodore coils (some wiring required) and the leads from a DOHC engine with the wasted spark setup and never had a problem with spark ever again. Cost me $80 for the coils, leads were free from a mate and I cut up my collection of dead Subaru coils for the plugs. Incidentally the resistance of the VL coil primary circuit (across the + and - of the coil) was the same as the Subaru coils so the ignitor should be fine long term, but see my signature for my official stance on internet advice.

Ok this is technically not a technical thread, but I decided that here is a good enough spot for it. Hopefully in a few weeks I\'ll be the proud owner of a 95 wrx with dead head gaskets. So I\'ll naturally be either ripping it apart to fix it, or replacing the engine with a secondhand one, and slowly pull it apart to fix it for later (or to try a few dumb ideas I have). So the car has a few km on it, so while it\'s out, at a MINIMUM I\'ll have to do: Every gasket I take off Machine the heads Cam belt Water pump Cam seals And given that at that point I\'ll be staring at a high km short block, rings, bearings and hone the bore should be in order. So what are these parts and the bore hone / head surfacing going to set me back? I can\'t see myself getting out of the parts for less than $600, and I have no idea on the machining. Any ideas people? Oh and I\'m not yet in NZ, so going down to repco and pricing these parts isn\'t quite an option just yet. The actual engine assembly I can do myself... Thanks Ben

This thread is NOT about 10,000rpm EJ20's. It's about making open deck blocks stronger...

10,000rpm was the eventual plan on a 2 litre. I wouldn't push the 2.5 that hard. The plan was to build an indestructible engine, and top it with a TD05 to start with, and work up from there as the budget and tastes allow. I just didn't want to EVER have to pull the engine again, except maybe for some wilder cams when I start to want even more power than an oversized turbo alone can provide. But that isn't the point of this thread. If I was to run a 2.0, it would be with the closed deck block available in the EJ20G. Assuming it's legal to put old blocks in new cars in NZ...

From my last thread (which I deleted because it really wasn't helping anyone) people are getting 250awkw out of EJ257 short blocks. However I'm curious as to how strong the cheaper alternative can be. Especially as buying a whole shortblock is false economy when replacing the rods and pistons anyway. But there is a guy on NASIOC with an EJ25D (250T motor) with some 460awhp, with no bracing. But it has internals from 5 different vehicles and 28psi down it's throat, and he broke it soon after. So are you saying that the bracing in fact made things less reliable? Or just not up to the standards of sleeved blocks? And I take it the cracked sleeves don't cost you a piston? Still plotting...

I'm wondering what results people have got from strengthening the top of the block, in particular the EJ25 where no fully closed deck version is available. By strengthening I am referring do either running a slightly oversize drill down into the water gallery space and filling the hole with an aluminium rod, or resin filling the top of the block and drilling it to allow water flow. I have come across the former method on an EJ257 (see open vs semi-closed vs closed deck thread), and the latter method on various Honda engines, but no real information on what power level they got before they needed to and what they have now. Just plans to reach 400whp on a B18c... What have you heard? Thanks Ben

I would do if I was in NZ and still had a subaru. I'm just plotting at the moment. Turns out a high rpm 2.5 is cheaper than I thought...

So how much does that cost at a machine shop? I was thinking about doing this to the open deck EJ25 found in the 250t. Would make it stand more than a little bit of boost and stop it blowing head gaskets.

Can't find them for that price. Cheapest so far is $800Aud...

Just wondering if anyone has experience with these EJ20 rods you find on ebay. Two piece forged, good for 10,000rpm and 1000hp, but the rod bolts they come with are only good for 9000. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Subaru-Impreza-Legacy-Turbo-EJ20-WRX-STi-conrods-rods-/350033555089?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item517fa02e91 As seen here. I find their claims dubious (as no-one has a 1000hp engine they would trust with $400 rods), but they are definately stronger and lighter than factory components (we bought some for our H22A speedway car). They are also balanced to within a gram of eachother. It's cheaper than re-sizing new ones... What have you heard?

http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_1801/article.html so is this. The inspiration for this thread...

Well all of these useful things add up... I should be able to get a single wreck with most of the good bits in it, you would think. But then again, if I move back to dunedin I know a few people who do subies regularly, so I might not have to put up with two cars in my yard. That's enough plotting for tonight though. Proper research tomorrow, then I'll decide

I'm aware of electronically controlled gearboxes. Two solenoids control the shifting, a third controls the line pressure, a 4th controls the torque converter. Two others help with shifting smoothly, and the last does the 4wd system. Depending on how bad it slips I can modify the signal to the line pressure solenoid to make the shifts firmer, or I can have one switch that disables the auto computer and another two for shifting. If I use a later model gearbox (ie B4 era), don't they have constant 4wd, and the clutch just locks them? I know the early boxes are FWD with computer controlled rear drive though...

Not with any kind of reliability. I know manual wrx gearboxes really hate launching...

No, but I did imply using a standard gearbox before I get the cash for a big one. Meaning a standard torque converter as well. Anyway that's not the point. EG33? Too rare. EZ30R, now *THAT* would be awesome. But both are expensive. 6 cylinder noise FTW thoguh

Not with a standard torque converter you can't. It doesn't matter how long you stall it, if the turbo is too big it won't get on boost. Not without nitrous or anti-lag anyway. And how do you figure it would cost $60,000? I'm not aiming for a 7-flat down the quarter, I'm aiming for a fast car that can still be street driven. A fast street car is anything in the 12 second range. BTW, the problem with the 250T engine is the fact that the top of the bock isn't supported. That isn't a major engineering task to fix...

Hmm well I'm not too interested in corners. They come with their own compromises. You can still drive a drag car on the streets without a bone-jarring ride. Oh, and no-one in their right mind would expect something that appears to be a GX impreza leave a vapour trail off the start line. If I do go get another subaru, I'll have to start from the bottom though. A 1500 auto awd impreza should do as a base (basically because it has the right pedals already, and an automatic computer). I think a 250T engine can be made to handle the grunt (with secret block strengthening methods), and I'll see if I can adapt a BD/BG GT gearbox to suit. However all of those will set me back nearly $6000 for what is really a slightly quick wrx in a plain wrapper... It won't launch hard if I use a big turbo though. But if I build the engine right I can just turn up the wick when I get the cash for the gearbox.

After selling the car I thought about it more (Nice thread dig, by the way). The reason these things get blown so often is the fact that the open deck block (by definition) cannot support the cylinder. The open deck 2.0 does it too, just not as much. Block braces are available for the open deck honda engines, and these effectively hammer into the top of the block to make it almost as strong as a closed deck design. Something similar can be made for the subie 2.5 as well. I envisage four aluminium rods, 50mm long pressed into (machined to suit) areas between each cylinder and the block around it. This would brace the top of the cylinder and stop it from fexing and blowing so many head gaskets... However you would want to do that to an engine you were about to rebuild, as anything like this would distort the bore slightly.

Therin lies the joy of an electronically controlled auto... I know with commodores you can re-program them to suit just about anything. Has no-one done this to the subaru gearboxes yet?

Not nearly as much as a dog-box and button clutch. So why don't I see any auto wrx's on the street?

I'm talking strictly 1/4 mile stormer here. What do you guys do to make your automatics last under any kind of power? I'm guessing I should start with an SVX or TwinTurbo gearbox as a base (both are more powerful things that start with EJ bolt patterns), but that's about where my knowledge ends... Any contributions are welcome, just note that I have no interest in dog boxes or button clutches, the key to drag racing is consistancy...

The gripe is about not being taken seriously more than anything else. But you are right, that's enough moaning about that particular subject. And I did say I was putting it on just for laughs (whatever I was actually thinking, that's what I said).

Yeah pretty much. I feel ripped off with their 'effort'. I mean I was mainly putting it on there to try and get my mates to put their cars on, but they could have taken it seriously. The run was largely useless to me, with no tacho pickup, no air-fuel ratio pickup, and they didn't even tell me if my speedo was accurate. All I know is that I make my (doubtful) 97kw at 140km/h. I'm assuming that's 6000rpm...