Since there are many requests from people wanting to know the status of my setup, id thought id share some of the sad story with the rest of you.

As some of you know I bought a built 2.5ltr sti engine from one of the forum members on this site. The engine was never checked out personally due to my blind trust of the seller, but I was going to get the customary compression and leakdown test performed when we found we couldn’t get the brant code working. In my desperation to get the car finished (scheduled leave off work) we opted to transplant the engine into my car in belief that the engine was fine.

The transformation into my car took a lot longer than expected due to myself wanting to create a custom turbo and manifold setup, a week turned into a couple of months, but alas these problems always happen when you’re the guinea pig.

The day had come to pick the car up, from where I noticed on start up there was smoke billowing out of my catch can. I was told by the workshop that this didn’t seem right and frustrated that I didn’t know about this sooner. I was told by the seller that this hadn’t happened in their vehicle and previously told that the engine was in perfect condition as it had only done a couple of thousand kms. I got a few opinions from some of the gurus and came to the conclusion that 2.5ltr engines breath more than their 2.0ltr variants.

We then proceeded onto the tune and found that the car was not capable of making any power above 5000rpm or any power at all (less than 220kw atw). The turbo that I have fitted is a rotated garret GT35R, which makes most of its power around this rpm level. This was unusual as very similar setups over east made in the order of 315kw atw on 5psi less boost. Whilst at the tuning centre we had a look at the sellers map, and with a smaller turbo found that the power severely dropped off at these higher rpms, virtually identical to my map.

I was starting to get worried but was told by others that flow was the problem. I proceeded to take it back to the workshop that had completed the engine transplant and they did a compression and leakdown test. Low and behold the numbers were BAD compression (110, 95, 115, 120), suggesting that the rings were stuffed (i.e air bellowing out from the oil filter) with a leakdown of 70%. What this meant: A rebuild on an engine I thought was in perfect condition.

I spoke to the seller whom contacted the original workshop that built the engine. They wanted to see the engine for themselves and conducted their own compression test, and suggested to me that the engine was fine with a compression of (130, 130, 135, 135). The smoke from the catch can was also normal on a 2.5 engine, and again it was suggested to me that flow was the problem.

I then opted to get another test done independently at a third workshop and these results were very similar to the original workshop suggesting that the rings were stuffed and a rebuild was in order. Other information about the condition of the engine was also presented which I never knew about..

So where does this leave me now? A car that has A LOT of money invested in it which makes less useable power than a 2.0ltr with a VF34, a ticking time bomb which can blow at any moment and an engine bill that’s going to be in excess of $5000 if I ever want to get the full potential out of my setup. I’m sure theres a lesson or two to one of more of you.

FARKN HELL! That is terrible news mate! I hope all works out for you.. And remember CARMA IS A BITCH!

That story makes me cringe, sorry to hear.

So with the independent tests surely the workshop that built it will offer some type of warranty. I would expect most workshops would offer a year if not lifetime warrantee's on their labor.

I can't see how an engine so new could 'ware out' so quickly without some type of assembly fault.

Man.. that’s a bad story.

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Sorry to hear Tino , hope you can get scoobydooo back on the road but i guess i speak for everyone you have been a good insperation for everyone and this is sure a lesson for everyone we all await the return of the beast

Michael

Chris, so true but very hard to prove when the shop putting in the newly acquired engine didn't perform a compression test prior to fitting. From there on, its more a finger pointing exercise between the 3 shops - at one stage it was a 2 on 1 affair which is futile to elaborate about here.

T, we've been closely in contact from day 1 even prior to any problems surfacing and I know you'll agree we were both fed the same information/explanations from the the shops in questions and we've handled this as best we can. I've tried to help you out as best I can, considering my physical remoteness to the situation, and I do apologize that the efforts cannot materialize into something more. Goodluck with the road to recovery and we'll still be in touch I'm sure.

My 2.5 spent a minute idling in silence..... for its fallen brother.

If I was you tino I would ship the block to perfourmance in QLD and ask them to open it up and fix whatever is broken. I think your worst case is rings and pistons, rods should be fine. So budget for forgies, rings, and while the engine is out... you might as well bite the bullet and sleeve it. Then you can run stupid boost and your only issue will be the heads lifting at pressures beyond 27psi.

As you have the block and rods I think for $5k you could have all of that work done and sent back to you.

I think the saddest part to this whole thing is that your car was a total weapon before all this..... one wonders how it would have gone with a GT35R 2L and just more boost..... sniff.

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Sorry to hear Tino. Hope you get it all sorted out.

Simon - you think the 2.5's are some chastity belt that only PerFOURmance have the key to?

well... all I know is that no workshop here sells crate subaru motors around the world. Perfourmance sell heaps of em. so I'd go with the people who have the experience at building hi-po motors myself. Not the workshops that do it once every year.

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As your thread topic suggests, beware of anything second hand, let alone something as consumable and infinitely destructive as a high performance engine.

In your rush, you are to blame for not double or triple checking details, that now after the fact, are so obvious.

Having said that and eventhough this engine has changed ownership, I still believe you are just in your right to demand reparations.

The original engine builder should be held accountable. I would pay for parts, but make them absorb all the labour costs or at least come to some sort of compromise where both parties are satisfied, without having to resort to legal intervention.

What is truely disturbing and upsetting is the web of lies people weve in order to handball blame.

If I was you, I would at least re-edit this post and insert the handball players names. Actually, don't, because it creates nothing more pathetic workshop chest beating loyalty spam of posts.

Best of luck T.

hey pappi, as another thread pointed out, its about time you trade up to that jeep wrangler.