MY99 major engine dramas
 

hey guys, having some major dramas with my 99 wagon. for those of you who dont know me and my car, it's a 99 wagon, vf34, power fc, FMIC, 3" TBE with standard pump and injectors. i was (stupidly i know) cutting up in my back paddock, was very sideways and well, pretty much didn't emerge from the dust. when i tried to start her up again, it was like i had run out of fuel, ran a few test over the phone with Zac (Cypher Industries), and as far as we could tell, it was fuel orientated (obviously) but without him actually looking at it, it was hard to tell. possibly pump, or ignition solinoid or something similar. the various test we did with the power FC controller all checked out ok... Anyway, cypher's pretty busy at the moment, and i work 4 and 1 rosters, so would be ages till i could get it in to them.

cut a long story short(ish), took it round to race torque this arvo, verdict is, i've got no compression at all on 3 cylinders and only 120psi on the 4th. apparantly i leaned out big time, and have melted pistons and all sorts of shit. (haven't opened her up yet, so dont really know)

pretty much chasing a 2nd hand ej20 (dont want anything else coz i wanna keep the power FC), or some advice on parts for rebuilding a bloody tough ej20. i know, i know, i should start by upgrading the fuel pump this time :)

thanks for your help guys.

Matt

since you have to replace the engine short block, you may as well buy a brand new bugeye STI ej207 block (apparantly the best of the ej207s) from Subaru. Its around $2750+gst brand new already built with forged pistons. Its probably the cheapest and most hassle free way of getting a strong motor with forged pistons.

All you need is a set of head gaskets + labour to install it. Unless you can do it yourself and save yourself a lot of money.

Also, once your done, Install a walbro gss342/341 500hp fuel pump. Id say that is the weak point and is probably the cause of the lean out. The only other cause may have been when going very very sideways, low fuel levels could have cause the fuel in the tank to flow away from the pump inlet and cause a lean out. Perhaps a surge tank setup may be a good idea if you like sideways action alot.

I would also suggest a dyno run to check AFRS and possibly a re-tune with slightly richer mixture to stay on the safe side since you like cutting it up in the back paddock. :D

Good luck with the re-build.

Have a read of this - [url]http://www.perth-wrx.com/vb/showthread.php?t=5978&highlight=ej20[/url]

EJ207 = strengthened not forged
Walbros eat dick

Everything else he said is worthy of note :)

[QUOTE=Mister Two]since you have to replace the engine short block, you may as well buy a brand new bugeye STI ej207 block (apparantly the best of the ej207s) from Subaru. Its around $2750+gst brand new
.[/QUOTE]

that seems abit cheap, what do you get with the block exactly??

[QUOTE=teejay]EJ207 = strengthened not forged
Walbros eat dick

Everything else he said is worthy of note :)[/QUOTE]

The MY02 STi EJ207 contains forged pistons with a semi-closed deck block.

[QUOTE=Adr3naL1N]that seems abit cheap, what do you get with the block exactly??[/QUOTE]

Short block so just the bottom end..

Regents sell them around that price, cheaper than going through Subaru dealers too...

[QUOTE=teejay]EJ207 = strengthened not forged
Walbros eat dick

Everything else he said is worthy of note :)[/QUOTE]

What clown told you it wasn't forged?

The 207 has forged internals. Always has.

I have a spare 99 block (8 bolt) in perfect cond if yours is shagged & you decide to re-build yours. $250
0422317000

ej207 prices is over $3000. Close to $3200 to be exact

yeah $3200 is how much i got quoted from regent subaru

word of advise, its better to purchase a brand new OEM block than rebuild it, unless you're looking at a custom internals (e.g Jun, cosworth, etc). Everything's done from factory

not happy
 

Hey guys, dont know if anyone here uses race torque, or knows people that work there, but my experience with them hasn't been particularly pleasant.

I dropped my car off to them with an unknown engine problem 2 months ago. i used them because my very competent and trusted mechanic (Cypher Industries) was too busy. They said, sounds to us like you've leaned out and and done valve and possibly piston damage. They gave me a few quotes, and i was happy with the price, so told them to go ahead with it and do the clutch and front rotors while they were at it. They were happy with that, and as far as i knew, my car was in safe hands...

I got a call from them yesterday saying, "Hi Matt, just calling to let you know that it is a valve issue with your car, and we'll send it away tomorrow to get sorted" I was a little confused by this, as they've had my car for 2 MONTHS now, not wanting to get angry with them i just asked them how they went with the clutch and brakes, and they said, oh um... we think there will be less labour involved with the clutch if we do it with the engine out, so haven't done that yet...

Basically, they've done absolutely bugger all in 2 Months... i asked them about what the hell they've been doing, and they reckon, oh we've been really busy building rally cars and guys have been on holidays and your car's been a little neglected... WTF. Not happy!

There is absolutely no excuse for this kind of service from a reputable mechanic, i mean if i had the time and space, i could have rebuilt it myslef in 2 bloody months! Sorry Race torque, but i think i'll be sticking with Cypher Industries in the future, Zac has been nothing but supportive and helpful with building my car. Whether it's tuning it in his own time on a Saturday morning, or hanging around the workshop till 7 at night so i can get there after work, or taking phone calls on his mobile a sunday morning because some readings on my Power FC were concerning me.

Maybe Race torque are happy building their beloved "rally cars" and aren't particularly fussed about customer service... They're lucky they've finally pulled the engine out of the thing, because right now i feel like going in, giving them $1000 for garaging my car for 2 months, and taking it to someone that's actually going to bother fixing it.

thanks for listening to me venting.

Peace
Matt

Did you give them a call every week or so just to check for updates, etc?

I'm not affliated with RT, and while they have the responsibility to keep you updated with progress, you should have rang them up at the very least, 1 month when not hearing back from them. The issue with them is that, they don't hear back from you, they'll take it for granted that you want the car back.

you should tell them you are quite unhappy about this and make it clear. don't just pay $1000 for it. I'm sure some sort of compromise can be reached. At the end of the day, give them the chance to rectify it. Otherwise, fair enough, walk away and not deal with them again.

been told numerous times under 3k for a 207 $2750 roundabouts, different people firsthand experience. labour is the real killer

good luck getting one under 3k.
i sure like to know your source and when that price was quoted

[QUOTE=dan.r.s]been told numerous times under 3k for a 207 $2750 roundabouts, different people firsthand experience. labour is the real killer[/QUOTE]

That's the cost of the short block alone - no gaskets, no fluids, no labour costs taking the old motor out, labour putting it back in, etc, etc - go and get a real quote from the workshops & find out what the true cost will be.

[QUOTE=mattmy99]They gave me a few quotes, and i was happy with the price, so told them to go ahead with it and do the clutch and front rotors while they were at it. They were happy with that, and as far as i knew, my car was in safe hands...
[/QUOTE]

I'm not taking sides or batting for anyone here - but, at this point did you ask them how long it would take them to do the work? And did they give you an estimated completion date? (taking into account you started the post on 31 January = 6 weeks, not 2 months).

Also, doing the clutch when the motor's out is easier & hence cheaper, so it makes sense all-round.

that was no labour obviously. emails and private messages which are gone now. however one workshop quoted me that.

[QUOTE=REXLLENT]yeah $3200 is how much i got quoted from regent subaru[/QUOTE]


What's the number for regents, as I'm in the need for one????? :(

Cheers,

[url]www.whitepages.com.au[/url]

Just for info the $3200ish inc GST price for the EJ207 short block includes head gaskets and an STi oil pump.

Thats straight from John's mouth at Regents.
He's out of short blocks at the moment but another 8 or so will be in by mid April.

J

HAHA .... Racetorque installed the wrong 6 speed in my car. 5 minutes to check the gearbox code and the diff code would have prevented 3 months of problems for me. It is the only thing I asked them to check. The person who supplied me should have checked but RT should have checked also as I was paying them to install it.

They also managed to service the car 3 times without spotting that my LINK was getting its boost signal off a T piece off a T piece off a T piece. Hence my boost signal looked like a heartbeat when it was run up on the speedworks dyno.

They are WAY too rally orientated. EG if it lasts 300km of a race then its a non issue.

I would go to Tenagah as Abdus's service is spot on, you get what you ask for and theres no bullshitting. Revlimit are also good if you want complex things fixed although they are quite expensive. Allstar seems to have good reviews also.

Rule 1: get a detailed quote insisting and outlining in detail parts to be checked BEFORE installing anything in you pride and joy. Ask for a time frame for mods/repairs/re-build to be completed. Especially important if your paying in the thousands of dollars.

Rule 2: the follow up. Ring at least once a week asking for a progress report. If your not getting the correct feedback from the workshop, go a see them personally. Don't let this drag on with excuses and delays as eventually your time is money as well. Your paying them hard earned folding stuff for their trust and experience to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible without major delays.

I would think with the number of mature experienced workshops around Perth a degree of professionalism would be evident. Sadly some shops really don't care as the're so busy that the small jobs are just not worth it.

If thats the case walk away and let us all know here on the forums, feedback is invaluable.

J

okay just got of the phone from John (Regents Subaru) they have 6 ej207 short blocks in stock at the moment and is selling them for $3600. Labour wil cost $2500 which will include head gaskets and sti oil pump

hope this helps

Welcome to my world!!! :mad:

Give Hi Flow Engines in Balcatta a call and ask for Woody. Tell them Scott from the RAC sent you. They know their shit. Will cost around $2.5k to get it rebuilt with forged internals....

93448139

ej207's in all aus delivered sti's from 02-05 = Forged conrods + pistons, semi closed deck....
[QUOTE=teejay]EJ207 = strengthened not forged
Walbros eat dick

Everything else he said is worthy of note :)[/QUOTE]

sti short ej207
 

also try maximum motorsport i got a ej207 short block for $2950 plus gst great guys to deal with very professional there in Malaga