m sprank Posted December 13, 2017 Author Share Posted December 13, 2017 No, a different shop in San Diego area. It is disheartening sometimes. A Precision 6626 Gen 2 turbo that is leaking from the seals with less than 15k mile on it. This appears to be more normal for these turbos than we would like. So... off to Pure Turbos for new seals and when it returns a new Turbosmart OPT T40 inline turbo oil pressure regulator will be installed. No more oil line restrictors. Yay!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted December 14, 2017 Author Share Posted December 14, 2017 If your FA20 internals look like this, its time for a new engine. Run with ZERO oil until it seized. Not a good idea if you were wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabo Posted December 14, 2017 Share Posted December 14, 2017 If your FA20 internals look like this, its time for a new engine. Run with ZERO oil until it seized. Not a good idea if you were wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted December 15, 2017 Author Share Posted December 15, 2017 Another failed Gates timing belt tensioner. The non-oem one that Gates has been supplying for some time now. It is issues like this that caused us to pause and decide to discontinue using the Gates brand for timing belt components. We switched to OEM when this first started happening. On this one, the tensioner did not just fail (the norm for the Gates branded tensioner) but the bolt that holds it to the block also snapped. A $100 part taking out a $6000 engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabo Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 Another failed Gates timing belt tensioner. The non-oem one that Gates has been supplying for some time now. It is issues like this that caused us to pause and decide to discontinue using the Gates brand for timing belt components. We switched to OEM when this first started happening. On this one, the tensioner did not just fail (the norm for the Gates branded tensioner) but the bolt that holds it to the block also snapped. A $100 part taking out a $6000 engine. It looks like it wasn't on there for long either. This is horrible, a nightmare really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted December 16, 2017 Author Share Posted December 16, 2017 It was not. Maybe 3000 miles, maybe less. 2005 STi. Customer states the engine is running poorly with audible rod knock. Recently rebuilt by another San Diego area shop. Yes, that is rod knock you hear. Upon disassembly and inspection I find the cause of the rod knock. Low oil volume (pressure seemed good). You can see some of the damage caused and the root cause. Silicone is not always your friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted December 21, 2017 Author Share Posted December 21, 2017 Helping out another shop on this one. 1600 Porsche, original body, original paint, original glass, etc. Honestly, for the age, this is a piece of ART. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted December 22, 2017 Author Share Posted December 22, 2017 It is "snowing" BRZ's in the shop for Christmas. We have 3 here today for work. Have a Merry Christmas!!! We will be back working a full day schedule on Tuesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted December 27, 2017 Author Share Posted December 27, 2017 If your BRZ/FRS is having a misfire and you remove a plug to find it looking like this, you have found the cause of your misfire. Now the fun begins... what happened to the rest of the plug, where did it go and what did it damage on the way out? I suspect excessive EGT's melted the plug. The metal might have made it out of the head in liquid form, but not the porcelain. 2014 BRZ, Jackson Racing S/C kt, e85/FF tune, built engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted December 30, 2017 Author Share Posted December 30, 2017 For the second time this week, an FT86 showed up with a misfire and a melted plug. Similar scenario, car has a built motor is force inducted and is running e85 (flex fuel). Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. So, thinking cap on... time to hypothesize outside the box. I could be wrong, but if the direct injector seals were failing it would cause a misfire. As the cylinder heats it could exasperate the leak. As the piston drops into the cylinder it could draw air into the cylinder through the leaking seal, causing a lean condition and increasing cylinder temp. Then as the piston rises into the cylinder to build compression the leaking seal lets air out as well, dropping compression. Basically a cascading event (like a snow ball rolling down hill) that just gets worse. One thing leads to another, leads to another until we have a catastrophic failure. I am going to replace the seals on this car (the owner has authorized the work). If it works on this car, it could well work on the other too. If it works I will be stocking up on direct injector seals (currently I keep two full sets in stock) with the anticipation that many more will be failing. Have a happy new year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted January 2, 2018 Author Share Posted January 2, 2018 99% of the time the request is to go lower. Every now and then, I get the request to go up, not down. This 2011 WRX was in need of new struts. The rear was also sagging pretty bad after 100k miles of carrying a bike (hitch mount). So, today I replaced all four struts with new Pedders and added a Subtle Solutions 1" lift to the rear. Fender gap is more even now (and is even better with the added weight of the bike on the back) and the owner should not have to worry about "bottoming out" getting to the bike trail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted January 4, 2018 Author Share Posted January 4, 2018 Performed an oil change, installed a set of KW V1 coil overs and aligned this 2008 WRX today. Hope the customer likes the new "altitude". The ride with the KW's is amazingly good for a lowered car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 Started up this freshly rebuilt engine and began the break in process today. 2008 STi. 9.0:1 compression on this build. Dom 1.5XTR turbo. Added the new Radium fuel rails, dampeners, FPR and lines while building the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted January 6, 2018 Author Share Posted January 6, 2018 2010 STi. Just competed the 90k service (including new spark plugs), timing belt/water pump replacement and clutch replacement. All done and ready for the customer in 2 days time. Dropped off Wed, picked up this morning. Yes, we can resurface factory OEM flywheels for all Subies. Yes we can resurface the flywheel and have the complete clutch replacement done in the same day. Standard operating procedure here. Drop the car off at 830am and it will be ready by 530 pm the same day. Even if we are resurfacing an OEM flywheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted January 9, 2018 Author Share Posted January 9, 2018 Update: The two FT86 that rolled into the shop in the same week with misfires and melted spark plugs... One owner gave us the go ahead to explore our hypothesis and replace the direct injector seals. This was a 2014 FRS. In the cylinder with the worst compression, changing the seals gained 35psi of compression. The cylinder is now back in range. The car ran normally for 3 days of intermittent testing and we returned the car to the owner. The second owner gave us the go ahead based on the first owners positive results. This car is a 2014 BRZ. We were able to replace the seals today. Same scenario. We gained 35+psi of compression in the worst cylinder. Upon initial start up and testing we have no misfires. We still have some more testing to do prior to calling it "good". Delicious Tuning will be stopping by on Wed to verify some data for us and update the current tune (swapping from a 3BAR MAP sensor to a 4BAR MAP sensor so we need new scaling). Hoping for a clear bill of health on Wed afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabo Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 While performing an oil change on the shop Forester today (hard to believe we already have over 17k on the new engine) we added a Cusco Type 1 front power brace. A Type 2 brace will not fit until/unless we install a custom catless header. Bringing this back from the dead. Can you please PM me the cost to both purchase and have you install the same braces on my 07 Spec B. I'd also like to get control arms,rear diff, and swaybar (front/rear) bushings replaced with whiteline counterparts, including the roll center/bump steer. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted January 10, 2018 Author Share Posted January 10, 2018 Gabe, I will work on that. Going back to bikes again today... We received our order of rear shocks and a front fork kit for the Rebel 500 from Ohlins today. According to our rep, this is the first set delivered to the USA. We will be working to get these installed before the weekend, so testing can commence (yes, I am getting a bit giddy, lol). Rear shocks are preload, height, compression and rebound adjustable. Front fork kit is preload adjustable. This should be a HUGE upgrade from the OEM non-adjustable (and under damped) set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted January 11, 2018 Author Share Posted January 11, 2018 How not to install a rear trunk wing on your BRZ/FRS (or any car for that matter). Note the wing mounts are crooked on the trunk. Note the wing is mounted directly to the trunk lid with ZERO reinforcement. Note the wing is mounted with bolts an nuts, not even any washers. Note the bolt holes are leaking and water is entering the trunk through the drilled holes. Note the wing is tearing off the trunk, literally separating the steel that makes the trunk lid. Note the rust (it has been happening for some time). Keep in mind it is very possible for this wing to separate from the car at speed. It would be a lethal object to a car or person behind you. I dont shake my head at this type of work, it makes me want to scream. This is DANGEROUS to yourself and others. You could KILL an innocent person. Ridiculously poor judgement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabo Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 How not to install a rear trunk wing on your BRZ/FRS (or any car for that matter). Note the wing mounts are crooked on the trunk. Note the wing is mounted directly to the trunk lid with ZERO reinforcement. Note the wing is mounted with bolts an nuts, not even any washers. Note the bolt holes are leaking and water is entering the trunk through the drilled holes. Note the wing is tearing off the trunk, literally separating the steel that makes the trunk lid. Note the rust (it has been happening for some time). Keep in mind it is very possible for this wing to separate from the car at speed. It would be a lethal object to a car or person behind you. I dont shake my head at this type of work, it makes me want to scream. This is DANGEROUS to yourself and others. You could KILL an innocent person. Ridiculously poor judgement. Wow just wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 I was able to install the new Ohlins suspension on the Rebel 500 today. Initial low speed testing has been done. Now it is time to put some miles on the set up, get it dialed in and fully tested. You can already feel the vast improvement on the rough roads around the shop. Weather report says its going to be around 80deg this weekend. Who could resist riding in a t-shirt in January??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 An STi we built a while back. I dont think I ever posted any pix of it. The car made good power and pulled hard. A frequent visitor might remember the car as his own, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabo Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 An STi we built a while back. I dont think I ever posted any pix of it. The car made good power and pulled hard. A frequent visitor might remember the car as his own, lol. This is the STI you showed to me, convincing me to go Flex Fuel and with the ETS FMIC. Super clean car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted January 18, 2018 Author Share Posted January 18, 2018 Installed a set of Fortune Auto coils and Cusco rear lower control arms on this 2017 WRX today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 An FT86 (BRZ/FRS) came in with a timing issue. This one was different from the standard OCV failure, cam sensor spacing from camshaft, cam gear failure we have previously seen. Upon removal of timing components we found a small indent on the cam angle sensor pick up wheel. The small indent was enough to cause the cam sensor to pick up a second "TDC" causing absolute mayhem. I suspect the wheel was "damaged" during assembly of the engine, but I can not explain why it worked for some time prior to becoming an issue. Ponderous. Have a great weekend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted January 24, 2018 Author Share Posted January 24, 2018 Swapped out a 20g and went back to a VF-43 (thanks to Pure Turbos) on this 2007 STi today. VF-43 turbo, Perrin inlet tube and OEM bypass valve return hose all installed today. Car was up and running, tested and handed over prior to closing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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