What's the part number for the ac comp bearing? I need one for mine, assuming it's the same on 99/00 wrx...

Medium strength loctite is your friend mate .
600 km a week over 3 yrs is 90000 odd km , A timing belt , waterpump , front main seal and cam seal service interval pretty much. 90% of the time when changing the idlers at this interval at least 1 or 2 are noisy. The water pump can last longer but its an inexpensive item so why would you not replace it when the timing belt is off , Hense why the OEM belt kit comes with a pump as do 90% of aftermarket kits.

Make sure you use a torque wrench for the idlers etc as they only require about 38 ft lbs to be tight not much past this will strip the thread be aware , the water pump and tensioner arnt a great deal of force either .

If I had a dollar for how many peoples Ive had to tap and helicoil due to them trying to just hand tighten or using a rattle gun Id be a happy man.

I usually do rocker cover gaskets at the same interval as well 65- 70 bucks a kit , better than leaks.

I've got a whole compressor that came out of a wreck I had so don't know unfortunately

It's done probably 15k kms since having the turbo swap, hasn't seen the road in about a year and even when it did it wasn't for daily duties. Had a major service kit fitted with the turbo conversion in 2012.
Will do rocker cover gaskets again seeing as they're coming off, though they only got done early last year. I do have a torque wrench and appropriate specs for everything so will be following that to put it back together, no rattle gunning or overtightnening.

The teardown continues...

Heads have been removed from the block, suspected head gasket issue is confirmed. Bores are clean but the head/block faces are in desperate need of a cleanup, will be sending the heads off shortly to be assessed and repaired if they check out. Surfaces aren't pitted but lots of gunk as can be seen. Block will be inspected and cleaned up as required. I have a plan for if this setup is deemed beyond repair but would like to avoid needing a new engine if it can be helped.








For the record the symptoms were a small amount of coolant out the overflow drain, white smoke out the exhaust on full throttle, a constant bougainvillea plant like smell throughout the car while driving, and the car feeling a little reluctant to accelerate.

Also found the backing for the timing cover was cracked, the coolant crossover pipe has corrosion, the block-to-pipe o-rings are caked in crap, and one head stud is corroded and had a bunch of sand surrounding it. So all of the above will be refreshed/replaced as required. Also found the 2 pot calipers I have have the bleeder both on the same side so they're both RHS calipers, will need to get the bleeder retapped or source another caliper. More fun and games...






Also picked up a Hitech 3" catback which I'll be replacing the Fujitsubo catback with, will be welding my old Magnaflow twin tip muffer onto this and installing a new Flowmaster cat converter and flex joint. Always liked the twin tip look the best!

Lots of progress being made. Will be good to see you out of your lunchbox and back into the GC.

Hey, nothing wrong with the wheely bin! That's next for some work, fresh coat of paint and maybe a 1.6L if i can ever justify the effort

One project at a time. Don't waste enthusiasm. You may need it to reach the finish line. I am just about out. If not for friends I would be quite overwhelmed.

Well, I've got the heads back. They had been weeping for some time but pressure tested fine once they were refaced, now to track down a couple more bits and pieces and start putting it all back together!

Neil Herbert sorted them for me at his shop in Canning Vale, they are shim under bucket heads as I'd expected from a '99 STI.

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Are you mating the heads back to the original block? Or do you have a new block, or something special in the works?

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Should have bought an STI

These heads will be fitted back to the original block and that setup will be going back into the car as it is. I've got parts for a much better long motor but the cost to buy the turbo, supporting fuel system, tune etc is a bit out of reach at the moment being a uni student, would rather build that one when I can afford to do it all properly the first time. That or the new motor will end up in another car, have always liked the idea of a custard wagon...