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AMileHighLGT's engine swap journal


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Got a fair bit done this past weekend with the 4 day break. Engine is nearly complete, still need to button up a few things and install the turbo.

 

Wednesday night after work, the head studs were installed, heads installed and torqued down.

 

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All Studded.

 

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Rechecked torque on thursday morning before the final assembly of the heads, all were still ok except one.

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By mid day turkey day, this is what i had

 

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Friday i was able to get the intake manifold settled down on the block, made all pcv repairs and connections, installed timing components and all cam shaft sprockets.

 

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**For those who read this during or before their own swap**

The intake camshaft seals do not seal against the camshaft, the seal will seal against the intake camshaft sprocket itself, my conti timing belt kit included 6 seals, i had 4 matching, looking exactly like the exhaust seals. I made the mistake of installing 2 of them on the intake side, this will not allow the camshaft sprockets to mate with the camshaft centering pin. pay attention to this, as this will **** your sprocket, possibly the camshaft. not sure what those intake sprockets go for.

 

Took most of the next two days cleaning up my intake manifold, all the seals, the 4 orings, the tbody oring, the pcv port gasket, etc. I want to make this as cclose to brand new as possible. Also, it is a good idea to at least tighten up the clamps on the fuel hoses under the intake manifold. I went ahead and replaced the fuel lines and clamps, so i have no worries about fuel leaks at this time. 3/8" fuel injection hose and a few fuel injection hose clamps is all that is needed..

 

After that was complete i reinstalled the exhaust manifold, and bolted on the new GS Up Pipe.

 

Theres not much left to do. I still need to time the engine and install the belt, install the oil cooler and coolant crossover, install turbo with oil and coolant lines, button up the timing cover and its ready to be dropped in.

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I would be willing to help if needed, I'm in Parker, so its not much of a haul for a small fee of cold bier.

 

Its been more than I expected. I'm a mechanic by day, and hauling tools home and back to work has been a pita. I opted to do it at home as opposed to at work because we rarely have any free time at work. That being said it has made it inherently more difficult than it should be.

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My compression results came back OK- but consensus is I should have had a leak down done at the same time- the shop I went to disagreed and so it didn't get done. Still cost me over $200 for the compression test.

 

Right now I might be looking at a tuning issue- will see where that will go.

 

By day I am a network security engineer- I would love to learn wrenching on my car- I just don't have time (14 hour work days), money (needed for part and tools), tools (money issues with wife and kids), or space (two car garage, so I could, but would need to boot the wife's Forester out into the cold for long term projects).

 

If I ever won the lottery, I would love to quit my job so I could build my own garage to resurrect Subies- love them to death.

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What were your compression results?

 

Spec is 142-171 psi at 350 cranking rpm with throttle plate wide open. Should be no more than 7 psi difference between cylinders.

 

How much oil are you consuming?

 

I had performed 2 compression checks. One right after I bought the car, which they were all around 155 except #4 which was 135. I didn't have any misfiring issues. Then I had a constant #4 misfire at idle. Compression was less than 50 psi, 60% leakage past the rings. I found a cracked #4 ringland (I have a picture somewhere in this thread with that crack) oil consumption then went through the roof. More than a quart a week which is about 350 miles.

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Todays progress, or lack of, is brought to you by valve cover breather cross over.

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MF! Had to pull the passenger side valve cover breather hoses to install the turbo coolant reservoir, thats when it snapped. i swear this ****** doesnt want to go back in... SO i helped wifey with her part of the project.

 

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All timed and belt installed.

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What were your compression results?

 

Spec is 142-171 psi at 350 cranking rpm with throttle plate wide open. Should be no more than 7 psi difference between cylinders.

 

How much oil are you consuming?

 

 

My results:

#1 = 112

#2 = 105

#3 = 112

#4 = 107

 

Which, according to serx7, adapted to altitude equates to:

#1: 133

#2: 125

#3: 133

#4: 127

 

I am currently burning about half a quart per 1k miles. Was on normal dino oil, but switched over to Rotella when I had the rest of the work done.

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I've only heard of it on forums. When I was in school years ago for this shit there was never any mention of it. Of all the compression tests I have done here at altitude few if any have not hit their specified numbers. And those that didn't were definitely dead motors. You also need to take into account that manufacturers try to take that added loss of compression for altitude and put that in as the lower end of the range for spec.

 

I can see the logic of it though. At sea level you would see around 18" of vacuum on a good engine iirc, up here I've never seen more than 15-16".

 

With less available oxygen to fill the cylinder on the intake stroke, your compression reading will change. The important part is that you want to see all cylinders within 5-10 psi of each other.

 

Here's the forum I referenced

http://www.coloradoevo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4683

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Way to go! Did it feel good?

It felt like a lightning bolt came down and touched the tip of my wenis. No check engine light, noises or engine oil and coolant leaks. Amazed.

 

Nice to feel the turbo wanting to spool, haven't seen more than 3000 rpm yet.

 

However. Power steering when it was laid over on the strut tower developed a leak.

 

I replaced the o ring on the plastic inlet port on the pump with some generic doorman pieces of shit I had laying around and that fixed the leak, but the pump is still drawing air in. Replaced the constant tension clamps on the inlet hose and bled the system, was fine at idle after, a short 5 mile drive and when i shut it off the fluid foamed up and overflowed out the reservoir. At that time I said **** it for today, I will acquire and new pump feed hose and OEM inlet oring tomorrow at work and hopefully start to drive her again. So over driving the truck at this point.

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It felt like a lightning bolt came down and touched the tip of my wenis. No check engine light, noises or engine oil and coolant leaks. Amazed.

 

Nice to feel the turbo wanting to spool, haven't seen more than 3000 rpm yet.

 

However. Power steering when it was laid over on the strut tower developed a leak.

 

I replaced the o ring on the plastic inlet port on the pump with some generic doorman pieces of shit I had laying around and that fixed the leak, but the pump is still drawing air in. Replaced the constant tension clamps on the inlet hose and bled the system, was fine at idle after, a short 5 mile drive and when i shut it off the fluid foamed up and overflowed out the reservoir. At that time I said **** it for today, I will acquire and new pump feed hose and OEM inlet oring tomorrow at work and hopefully start to drive her again. So over driving the truck at this point.

 

I'm confused. I might not be alone in this assumption, but, if a lightning bolt did indeed touch your wenis, does that mean you peed a little (or a lot)?

 

Either way, doesn't matter. Leather wipes clean, and pants can always be changed.

 

Proud of boxer? Nay, I'm super proud of YOU, dude! You persevered, you triumphed over difficulty, and you got to experience the sound of your creation come to life! You climbed a mountain, now turn around and see your reflection in the rear view mirror. Laugh with glee, you deserve it.

 

Take it slow and easy, but you can wrap it to 4500 if you like, just, y'know, don't beat on it yet. Is your tune set to wastegate boost? If not, do that soon. Try to stay under 10psi for the first K.

 

Also, hope the wife gave you congratulary Greek, or at least a beej while it was running. Nothing like a boxer soundtrack for some brown chicken brown cow.

 

:dm:

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also, hope the wife gave you congratulary greek, or at least a beej while it was running. Nothing like a boxer soundtrack for some brown chicken brown cow.

 

:dm:

 

lmfao

 

 

Haven't messed with the wgdc yet, I use my vagcom cable at work for vw and Audi's I also used it with ROM raider to log. I have not tried any pcm editing with it. And I'm sure I might be out of luck with it as my last vcds included a firmware upgrade for the cable.

 

I have a v2 ap any idea if I can change that with the ap?

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lmfao

 

 

Haven't messed with the wgdc yet, I use my vagcom cable at work for vw and Audi's I also used it with ROM raider to log. I have not tried any pcm editing with it. And I'm sure I might be out of luck with it as my last vcds included a firmware upgrade for the cable.

 

I have a v2 ap any idea if I can change that with the ap?

 

Sure can! You can have a low boost/no boost map made, or, download access tuner race and edit your current map by hand, if you're feeling ballsy.

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Update

 

New engine has 60 miles on it. Wife and I went for a nice drive this evening.

 

I installed the new o ring and pump feed hose, its not drawing any air in anymore. Steering is quiet, except at idle, stopped and you turn the wheel it chatters. I vacuum bled the power steering today and quite a bit of air came out of the system, however it did not remedy the chatter. The rack is not being supplied enough pressure or low volume. Or both under low engine speed high power steering pressure needed situations.

 

I suspect that as the power steering pump was removed as a unit with both lines still attached and laid over where the air filter housing sits for the better part of the project that the pressure line has a kink on the inside wall or something along those lines that would cause a disruption in flow causing lower volume and a build up of pressure before and a lower pressure after that obstruction.

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Go do some figure 8's in a parking lot, going lock to lock on the steering, that will get the air out. May take a few times but it worked for me.

305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD).  CHECK your oil, these cars use it.

 

Engine Build - Click Here

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Thanks max.

 

I ended up tiring the reservoir to the striker on the hood. I then put it under vacuum and left it over night. No more shudder.

 

Engine has 437 miles on it.

 

I flashed the low boost fuel economy map with target psi of 6. It automatically bumps the ignition timing up, which I took 4 degree out of in the global timing and idle adjustment. Most fine learn knock I had seen was -.3

 

Last night it changed. For whatever reason, at about 2700 rpm in any gear, even in park idle, I see -6.3 on fine learn knock.

 

I am concerned. Engine has normal noise from it, I don't hear any rattling that could come up as false knock. Its too damn cold in the garage last night and today.

Got a fresh tank of 91 yesterday

 

 

Car is parked until its figured out.

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Yesterday I reflashed the stock map, then the low boost map again, and left the timing adjustments alone. Saw no more than a -.3 correction.

 

It was super cold Friday night. I suspect over boost may have been causing the knock learn adjustments.

 

466 miles.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have as of this mornings drive into work 760 miles on the engine.

 

Still seeing low load, low rpm knock learn on the access port, with correction never going more negative than -2.5 more often then not its more like -1.0 or -1.4.

 

I don't like using this access port for monitoring and logging. When I first started logging I was using ROM raider and the vagcom cable I have for work. A recent firmware update for my vagcom took away that ability for me. I rolled back the drivers and it is still fuzored.

 

Ordered a tactrix cable.

 

From what I've read here, on nasioc, and on RR forums low load low rpm knock seems normal for these cars? This is with the stock ecm map.

 

Anyone know if the stage 1 ots from Cobb removes the 2* of advance on cylinders 2 and 4?

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Is there some reason why you haven't had "cryo" tune your car ?

 

Pay the man, get a great tune, and be happy.

 

I paid my Tuner for the street tune at 500 miles, now over 55,000 miles on the ej257. The wagon runs great.

305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD).  CHECK your oil, these cars use it.

 

Engine Build - Click Here

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