Dyney

You know Mike will always sort you out

PS next Sat......Hmmmmm

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Yes, Mike will Thats Mike Rivett of Rivett Autos

Iain, how's the 6 speed? There's an evening RR session coming up soon if you fancy it, details on SurreyScoobies

Dyney

Think I looked at that session and I'm working
Besides I have found the real test of a car now ................ the drag strip!!!
What a buzz

6 speeds doing well. Must be strong as it got all our stuff and the old box and diff in the boot the 300 miles home in record time

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Update:

Mid November attended another trackday where I found out the head gaskets were on the way out

Luckily caught it early and they failed in the best possible way - pressurising the coolant. Easy to spot and fortunately didn't lose any coolant unless +ve boost or revs were over 4krpm.

So I limped around for a month and came across a 2nd hand EJ257 and some STI3 heads. For a very good price. Well, if the engine has to come out - why not stick another one in I say

It now has

RCMS oil pump
ARP head studs
New OE water pump
Group N engine mounts

Dropped it round TweenieRobs a few weeks ago, collected last Sunday. The car needs a remap but at the moment its fuelling is very safe and Rob pulled a bit of timing - even so its quick enough!

Boost is set at wastegate cracking pressure (0.7bar) but it creeps to 1.0 bar at just under 6k rpm. Havn't dared taken it higher but the knocklink looks good. The TD05 has its wastegate ported so this may become a problem, but I hope the 16g runs out of puff by 7krpm (should do on a 2.5) which I hope means it won't creep past 1.1 - which ultimately it'll be mapped to.

I had a nice surprise with the clutch - found it has an AP racing organic with hardly any wear, so one less thing to worry about.

I replaced the Megans with OE headers and a wrapped H&S uppipe, because I thought the Megans were leaking. At the time Rob could do the work the GruppeS headers hadn't arrived from the states - held up in customs and I had to pay a handling charge, but no VAT. Wierd.

Anyway on inspection the Megans havn't leaked, no sign of soot anywhere. I now have the GruppeS in my garage ready to be fitted before the remap, but I have noticed the ID on the flange is 57mm, wheras the flange ID on the H&S uppipe is 51mm. I have H&S making me a gasket and I am going to take the edge off the uppipe flange lip.

I also need to fit the 22mm adjustable front ARB to complete the whiteline collection under the car.

Finally made the cold air box and at last replaced the makeshift FMIC pipe joins with Samco items to stop it popping off at high boost.

I now have a slightly slappy MY97 engine in my garage that is a set of head gaskets away from a good 2nd hand budget replacement for a big end or snapped cambelt. It has never used a drop of oil whilst I've had it in various states of tune. So what is it worth?

16vmarc

So does this mean you now essentially have an sti engine ?

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Yes it does at long last, but its no 2.0CDB and won't be seeing 8krpm.

However I am wondering what the OE 257 can rev to safely over and above 7500 rpm, but judging by the 2.5 RR graphs I've seen there isn't much point, but I suppose its turbo and heads dependant.

Floyd

iTrader: (9)

In theory you have the right combination with the 257 and STi3 heads. The Cosworth heads would be better if you could afford them!

F

911

What would the benefit be in the Cosworth heads?
The Sti V3 cams are good but atn't there Kent cams that move the game on but crazy $$$?
Graham.

Floyd

iTrader: (9)

The cosworth heads actually look good value and are 2.5 heads IIRC rather than 2.0 heads, which have had head gasket problems at higher boost because of the incompatability. They have been ported and have the right bits.

F

Tim W

iTrader: (1)

The Cosworth modifications to the Subaru Impreza head have been designed from the outset with the EJ257 in mind, they have CNC porting, bigger valves, and more importantly their combustion chambers matched to the larger bore of the 257 block. If you look at the real cost of buying a set of heads, getting them ported and flowed, larger 1 piece valves, new titanium retainers and up-rated springs the 2.5k cost is actually pretty competative, especially when you consider that you will be starting with brand new castings! More info here if you haven't seen it before

Sti 3 cams are very similar in lift and duration to WRC98 spec cams (which have a little more of each) which IIRC the Kent DH22 profile is meant to be a copy of. My engine is fitted with a set of reprofiled Sti 4 cams that were machined for me by Piper on their CNC rig using a set of genuine WRC98 cams as a template. The re-profiling cost was certainly fairly reasonable when SMG arranged it for me

911

That's great Tim/F
P20 Steven had his V3 heads machines to match the chamber to the 2.5 block, so essentially the same effect as the Cos heads in that area?

Would a 2.5 and cosworth heads tolerate high boost levels which 'normally' rupture head gaskets with normal Sti v3 head castings?
Graham.

Daniel-S

Cool thread nice car nice spec.

Tim W

iTrader: (1)

That's the idea, yep

Erm...probably not, the current feeling is that although squish area is an issue, it's not the main reason that the 257 doesn't like boost...that's more down to the relative lack of sealing area between block and head plus the thin walls of the liners moving under high boost...even if the heads were able to seal, the bore would probably split as they found on Adam's original 2.5 litre based engine (see 'Cracking Results' thread in projects over on 22b)

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

LOL the Cosworth heads are over double the price I paid for the engine and heads, which in turn are a lot more money than just a set of head gaskets

So has anyone taken a 257 past 7500 rpm with OE pistons?

911

iirc:
All the graphs i've remmbered show little point in revving further than 6500 ans it is all fading by 7000, but good question if you have Sti ratios in the box.
Graham.

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Slight update:

GruppeS on - went on surpisingly easily, helped that all the bolts had been undone a month or so earlier during the engine swap. Ported the uppipe in situ and threw the ARB on at the same time.

Now have lost the deep burble and back to the superbike / half burble soundtrack

But more hassle that needs to be sorted before the SIDC trackday at Brands Knocking rear suspension, thought it might be a topmount but looking around found the OSR damper from the AST's is leaking fluid.

So off to Powerstation Weds to see what they can do, the shocks were fine when the road springs were fitted last May

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

More news

Powerstation rebuilt the leaking damper FOC, it is the only example of a failed damper in the field they have seen. Whilst there I also got the bumpsteer mod done that we didn't have time to do last time I was there.

Discovered one of my injectors were leaking (again), fortunately out of the top of the rails rather than into the bore. Took it out to replace seals but it made no difference, but what it did do was throw loads of fuel into the bore upon taking the injector out since there was still a bit of pressure in the system. So I had to take out the spark plug, unplug the cam sensor and turn the engine over. Fuel everywhere - except the cylinder

Anyway a replacement injector was found thanks to Carl Davey on SN and finally the leak had gone. By now I was so good at changing injectors that as soon as the injector arrived on my desk at work, it was fitted that lunchtime

My plan to use the OE MAP sensor was scupperred when I found out the PFC of my vintage can only target boost to 1.0 bar, anything over that needs either the Apexi MAP sensor or another form of boost control. So the Dawes was put back on.

Last Sunday I finally got it mapped, I picked up Andy Forrest (complete with BRIGHT blue overalls )from Gatwick and a few hours later its all done But the mapping uncovered yet more potential expenditure, namely the alleged AP racing organic clutch slipping at about 1.25 bar in 5th. Not a problem if you could turn the boost down, but the dawes was set for about 1.1 at the time and the 16g was creeping from about 4700rpm to 5300 then would tail back down. Also the MAF was maxxing out too. The clutch started slipping on the 2nd WOT run in 5th so at least there is a safe map for 1.25 if not optimum. Due to lower load in 4th it only crept to 1.2 where the cluch held in, so we're fully mapped to that.

The next day I was at Brands hatch with the SIDC, so you can imagine my thoughts whilst mapping when the clutch started slipping. However Andy pointed out that it only slipped when accelerating through 4k8 in top, so if I changed near the redline in 4th, the revs would be well past 5k rpm in 5th and past peak torque. True to form the guru was correct, no slip through the gears into 5th Got to hang on to 4th for that little bit longer mind

Brands was awesome About 70 laps, less than 10 mpg and the car ran faultlessly all day. Only hiccup was a misfire when WOT in top on the main straight This happened just before lunch 2 laps in succession. Pulled in thinking it was yet again another abandond trackday, then thought about it and it could have been the legendry fuel surge. I was down to 1/3rd of a tank and Clearways is a huge right hander leading onto the curved main 'straight'. Went to the local Optimax site and brimmed it with 35 litres. Misfire disappeared so indeed I got fuel surge with 15 or so litres remaining.

So whats next? New clutch? Z32 MAF? AVCR? Nope, Nothing. Leaving it as is, apart from porting the inner wastgate as to Andy's instuctions to negate the creep. I have a new project now, unfortunately it is house related so no funds for the car I don't think I'll be able to fund the SSC06 as well as my planned trackdays.

One point though is that I will have to learn not to cruise at 3500ish rpm in top and floor it, since I'll slip that clutch. So when sometime next year I get the the 20G, PPG gearset etc - the PPG runs a OE 5th, so I am now in training to hoon it 1-4 and don't mash it in top All for my 400/400 part II escapades

I'll finish with a pic of my engine bay as it will look for quite a while, I'm particularly proud of the home made cold air shield - works a treat

rigga

iTrader: (4)

yet another excellent project....soooooo much information off you guys

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Well so much for leaving it alone

Clutch started slipping in 4th as well as 5th, so I've had to bite the bullet and go for a clutch change. 2nd gear has become notchy and I had one incident where I couldn't get any gears after the clutch slipped during a WOT 4th gear blast.

So its now at API for an Exedy uprated clutch and a gearbox inspection, TBH it was a choice between API and Zen, who both independantly gave identical diagnosis to my gearbox symptoms, travel logistics favoured API - my brother living 2 stops down the line in Kidlington with a car I can borrow

Oh and the FSE fuel pressure gauge dial decided to come loose and rotate with the needle, rendering it useless It less than a year old, so its been sent back to Alyn at AS performance - lets see what FSE have to say about it

911

Get an SX off Alyn..buy quality once.
Good guy though so he will give them death.
Graham

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Update:

David at API called yesterday to explain the situation with the gearbox, I'm not that clued up about the mechanics within the box, but I understood it as.. the nut that on the end of 5th had come loose, breaking a woodruff (sp) key. Also 1 and 2 selector rings (I think) had jammed together and damage has occoured to 1st gearset.

Thing is all this has happenned recently, yet I could still drive it fine on the daily rush hour grind, it was difficult to select 2nd though. It drove fine along the motorway to API too, however I hadn't given it any boost since I lost all gears a fortnight ago.

Seems like I got it to them just in time

Anyway the good news is that its all repairable, and I'm collecting it on Thursday, with new clutch and flywheel Thats the CC fully loaded

It also transpired that the clutch wasn't an AP racing organic, but a bog std jobbie. No wonder it started slipping.

Also Alyn replaced the gauge, I also grabbed a set of plugs since postage was free

911

A good day then!
Graham

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Well hopefully I can call it a reassuringly expensive day

Having said that, considering the work and new components going onto the box, its good value.

But thats it, touch wood the car is staying as is for 6 months or so - I've got plugs, pads, oil and tyres sitting in the garage so no expenditure required, all funds are going towards the house move, which needs a new bathroom, kitchen, some carpets etc. Need to sell the Westfield to fund landscaping the front garden (as in driveway for 2 cars) and to build a double garage / workshop (with pit ).

Then, and only then comes the 20g, AVCR, PPG etc

In the meantime all thats left to do to the car is to port the wastegate, so I can turn boost down.

911

See you next year then...

That is a lot going on.
If I can't weld it then I'm not really interested.

Graham

iamevilhomer

On the lookout myself for a sti ra, and was unaware of the benefits of the earlier engine. What do i need to look out for to ensure I get one with the higher rev set up?

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Don't ask me, I obviously didn't know

Looking for the hatching on the block is a good sign but what I've read on here its no guarantee.

Car is back, went well on the way home

I'm now getting some engine vibration into the cockpit now, around 1500 - 2000rpm, like a resonance that wasn't there before. I've got the uprated engine mounts but they've been on the car a while now and it didn't happen before the new clutch/flywheel went on. Not sure whether you have to loosen the engine mounts when taking a box out, but I've spoke to David, firstly I'm going to try loosening the engine mounts, jacking the engine up a bit, then lowering and re-tightening to see if it cures it, if not then David says he'll have a look at the flywheel.

millwrx

iTrader: (1)

hi,had the same thing happen on mine after fitting uprated engine mounts and gearbox mount,tried loosening the mounts and re-tightening but did not make any difference,suppose its the price you have to pay for stiffer mounts,but in your case you say you did not have it before,

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Small update:

Checked the engine mounts, vibration still there so phoned David at API. True to his word David swapped out the clutch and flywheel for another set - vibration gone Its was good to meet David and the gang at last (previously I'd dropped off and collected the car after work hours) and the infamous bacon butties were enjoyed. Shame David couldn't fix the Palace v Watford result the same day

Project now focussed on the new bathroom and driveway, so thats it until next year, I have the Ring and Spa trackday booked for August, other than that its the suburbia daily grind to work and back!

Couple of latest pics now that I managed to clean it

wrxtankie

Nice write up matey, anyway UP THE HORNETS.
Im going to have to check this STI 2 to see if the engines genuine. Hope all goes well and you get this sorted.

Aston

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Update:

Looks like 1.2 bar / 05-16g / 2.5 litre is enough to chip a tooth Thats the opinion of a gearbox specialist that had a very short drive of my car yesterday.

My car sounds like it has a machine gun strapped underneath, its on ramps in a garage this lunchtime to see if its from the rear diff or the gearbox...