Are there any external differences between EJ20H and EJ20R??

[Guest boostin]

I have a 94 BG TT auto with a blown engine, big end going nugga nugga. The guy I bought it off reckons he had a 20R long block fitted a few years back, so its still running the 20H manifold, VF13 & 14, blue AFM etc. Are there any external differences on either the block or heads that will tell me what it is? Or do I need to start stripping it to see if it has the 20R forgies?? Are the rocker covers or RC gaskets different??

[gotasuby]

ej20h (94 model) has writing on the rocker covers. all ej20r is smooth.

[Guest boostin]

Ratshit. This has the grooves and writing at the top, smooth at the bottom. Looks like a 20H.

Cheers!!

[Joker]

ahahha helpful much!

bolt patterns/physical differences is more the aim of the game me thinks!

all I know is it will be the same as V4 vs V5 WRX/STI

edit - wait nope - seems #2 WAS helpful after all...

[DRFVDR]

that is if they didnt put a short block init

[gotasuby]

the short blocks look the same from the outside

[Guest boostin]

I doubt it. Its a pretty tidy wagon and if they had spent that much to put a short block in then I don't think I would have got it for $900.

[Joker]

why cant Subaryu just stamp the blocks! EJ20 is not very helpful.... (somewhere i assume there might be an engine #? or is that just on chassis/vin

[Shale]

So if you have, say, a 20G...that you pull stuff out of and slap 20K heads on...stamping 20G on the block is no longer helpful. Tis why it's on your chassis tag.

Far easier for Subaru to be able to recognise heads ;D

[Joker]

fairy muff

[Guest boostin]

Or here's an idea.... STAMP BOTH!! Goddamn Subaru's. You'd need rocks in your head to buy one. In saying that, I have 3.... :-X

[DRFVDR]

and work on them for a job so wot is that saying about U

I also have 3 but old skool

[Shale]

 boostin said:

Or here's an idea.... STAMP BOTH!! Goddamn Subaru's. You'd need rocks in your head to buy one. In saying that, I have 3.... :-X

Truer words never spoken, and +1 on f**kin' three of them.

[Treecrusher]

 JoKer said:

all I know is it will be the same as V4 vs V5 WRX/STI

I pretty sure the EJ20R is the same as a v3 sti EJ20K, not v4/5 sti which will have an EJ207 . Also I bought a an EJ20R a few years ago with the intention of salvaging the forged pistons I assumed it would have. The motor didn't look as though it have every been opened and it didn't have forged pistons, which pissed me off.

From what I have been able to find out about the EJ20R and EJ20K, although most parts are completely interchangeable, have very few identical parts (the good stuff anyway). An EJ20R will not have forged pistons, will not have the shim under bucket heads or fancy valves.

So even if you car does have an EJ20R short block it probably isn't that different from an EJ20H. Although an EJ20R has an"open deck" block, does an EJ20H?

[Guest]

The version 4 sti - at least the early ones did have the ej20k. i have heard latter ones may have the rear crank so perhaps ej207

I have heard a similar story about the ej20r - it was opened up and no forged pistons.

"Forged pistons in GTB and B4 engines is a myth, they are cast. I have pulled several apart. The shithouse clearances of the EJ20R's is where the confusion comes from"

"I thought they were forged too, probably from reading the same shit on the internet. Pulling them down and looking at the pistons tells me different. They are the same pistons as every other non STi engine. It's pretty obvious looking at them that they are a plain cast piston."

Of course it could be it wasn't an ej20r but the ej20h.

And then there is the other story told of some odd manufactoring practises at Subaru over the years, of the wrong parts being installed....

The version 3 type R is susposed to have an open deck block but i know of one example that had a closed deck

block. Some late model STi's with the wrong heads installed

[Joker]

yea tru probably - them Imp things most likely got the newer motors before us Leggy's

[Treecrusher]

 Qwerty said:

The version 4 sti - at least the early ones did have the ej20k. i have heard latter ones may have the rear crank so perhaps ej207

I have heard a similar story about the ej20r - it was opened up and no forged pistons.

Of course it could be it wasn't an ej20r but the ej20h.

And then there is the other story told of some odd manufactoring practises at Subaru over the years, of the wrong parts being installed....

The version 3 type R is susposed to have an open deck block but i know of one example that had a closed deck

block. Some late model STi's with the wrong heads installed

From what I have been able to find out (through a lot of reading) EJ20R's didn't ever come with forged internals, and for that matter neither did a lot of sti's. The only information, I have found, to the contrary is anecdotal and not supported with proof.

the motor I stripped down was definitely an EJ20R, I witnessed the '98 GTB it came out of, it had smooth valve covers and "bucket" lifters. As opposed to hydraulic, which I assume EJ20Hs have. And as I said it didn't look like the engine had every been opened (you can usually see evidence such as after market gasket compound, head gaskets etc.).

the mistake I made was assuming the pistons that came out of it were forged. But clubsub experts pointed me in the right direction.

If someone has another unopened EJ20R we can have a look in that would be great.

[Joker]

[me=JoKer]has an unopend BG 98 GTB[/me]

pending radiator fix it may be on last legs.... (once there is air in I hear they no like)

196,000 and counting! must be some kind of record)

[ReubenH]

The lines on the rocker covers is, as far as i know, only a BG5A EJ20H thing. Later EJ20H's from the BG5B's and C's should look identical to a 20R, with the smooth covers. So if it has the lines, sweet, Ej20H, if not, you either have a 20R or 20H, but from a newer BG/BD. I might ring up strong for subaru and ask the guru there what he's seen.

And my EJ20R, that had cast pistons, i even have photo's. I used to think they were very very similar engines, and shared all parts, but it's only a few odd parts they share with the STi's. One of the things is the camshafts, they have the same part numbers as the STi's (this is a discussion for another topic, and has been covered before)

As for which match which:

BG5B = 96/97 = Ver.3

BG5C = 97/98 = Ver.4

This is backed up but the part numbers for various things in the engines.

Now, someone told me the other day that Ver. 3's are shim over, and Ver. 4's shim under (Is that right?) <-- No, it's not.

[funkytown]

i should ask rick what mine was - was a 97 v3 sti fully stripped and rebuilt. He'd be able to tell you what block it had and whether it was shim under or over

[Guest boostin]

Yup V3 is shim over, and the shim is about 25mm across.

V4 is shim under, and it is about 10mm across.

[gotasuby]

all the v3 STI motors i have pulled apart have been shim under

[gtb36]

 gotasuby said:

ej20h (94 model) has writing on the rocker covers. all ej20r is smooth.

come on ej20h are smooth rocker covers as well

[ReubenH]

Not all. BG5A H's have lines, BG5B and C's have smooth like the EJ20R's

[Joker]

front of my motor: