'Budget' DIY Engine Rebuild
almost there fella, bet you will start to miss posting on here so often as you have been once it's all finished and run in with not much left to do
hope the start up will be ok and are you going to do a quick vid of it like matt578 did ?? forgot to say did you do the carb by pass mod ???
hope the start up will be ok and are you going to do a quick vid of it like matt578 did ?? forgot to say did you do the carb by pass mod ???
Last edited by The Stitcher; Jan 6, 2009 at 05:51 PM.
No, no, I tend to avoid things like that. I keep everything plumbed where it should be unless there's a very good reason for it not to be. Got enough to go wrong with my engine without adding extra potential problems!
Ive been running with this mod now since last April with no issues, even lately with the cold weather.
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From: in the woods...........555 Wagon Sqn
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From: S E London........ 555 Wagon Sqn
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From: in the woods...........555 Wagon Sqn
I've heard of people in the States have issue with the this but only in extreme weather conditions...I guess our weather coupled with the prodigious amount of heat these engines produce prevent it from freezing up.
Ok, that makes sense. And the benefit of disconnecting it? Less piping/more room under the TB?
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From: in the woods...........555 Wagon Sqn
Well I just want to get it running at the moment. I'll have a think about it...
Anyway, time for another update. Went out to work on it some more last night as the pulley and hose had been sitting around for a day or two ready for fitting. First order of business was to fit that top rad hose to the water crossover pipe on the block. Removed the MAF and filter again so I could move the inlet pipe, removed the p/s fluid hard pipe in the side of the p/s tank and this made enough room to get the rad hose on and tightened up. Reassembled everything and it looked like this:

I then took the a/c compressor back off because I'd forgotten to put the bottom bracket spacer on, so it was only held on to the main bracket by two bolts instead of four. So the compressor, alternator and bracket all came back off again, put them back together properly and refitted the lot. Also the new hard anodised idler pulley went on for the a/c belt. So here's the front view with all four new lightweight pulleys on and the front belts. Rad fitting was quite straightforward: connect the bottom and top hoses, connect the two fan plugs. If you're wondering, the big hose running across the middle of the picture is part of my rocker cover catch tank system.

The intercooler pipework was made much easier to tackle by removing the front bumper. Here it is indoors - it was getting too in the way out in the garage! The boss may have something to say about this when she gets home. It's a normal early WRX bumper with a P1 style splitter on the bottom, this protects the lowest part of the intercooler.
Anyway, time for another update. Went out to work on it some more last night as the pulley and hose had been sitting around for a day or two ready for fitting. First order of business was to fit that top rad hose to the water crossover pipe on the block. Removed the MAF and filter again so I could move the inlet pipe, removed the p/s fluid hard pipe in the side of the p/s tank and this made enough room to get the rad hose on and tightened up. Reassembled everything and it looked like this:

I then took the a/c compressor back off because I'd forgotten to put the bottom bracket spacer on, so it was only held on to the main bracket by two bolts instead of four. So the compressor, alternator and bracket all came back off again, put them back together properly and refitted the lot. Also the new hard anodised idler pulley went on for the a/c belt. So here's the front view with all four new lightweight pulleys on and the front belts. Rad fitting was quite straightforward: connect the bottom and top hoses, connect the two fan plugs. If you're wondering, the big hose running across the middle of the picture is part of my rocker cover catch tank system.

The intercooler pipework was made much easier to tackle by removing the front bumper. Here it is indoors - it was getting too in the way out in the garage! The boss may have something to say about this when she gets home. It's a normal early WRX bumper with a P1 style splitter on the bottom, this protects the lowest part of the intercooler.
Last edited by silent running; Jan 9, 2009 at 10:24 PM.
Top tip is shop around! Haven't done the sums yet, but as you probably worked out this is no longer a 'budget' rebuild - well it's cheap for what the final spec will be, but has easily cost the same as if I'd simply got someone like API to do a straight rebuild for me.
A minor disaster has struck. I fitted the battery and water tank and started filling it up with coolant and it started dripping from the most awkward spot imaginable, on the water pump take off that goes to the oil cooler. I can't get the car jacked high enough to get properly at it, the stupid spring clip was nowhere near tight enough, but even with a decent jubilee clip on there it just will not stop leaking. To be held up by something stupid like this right at the very last moment ..... AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!
A minor disaster has struck. I fitted the battery and water tank and started filling it up with coolant and it started dripping from the most awkward spot imaginable, on the water pump take off that goes to the oil cooler. I can't get the car jacked high enough to get properly at it, the stupid spring clip was nowhere near tight enough, but even with a decent jubilee clip on there it just will not stop leaking. To be held up by something stupid like this right at the very last moment ..... AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!
Well I just went out and tackled it again. Took the crossover pipe out of the headers which improved things no end and jacked the car well up on both sides. Got the little rubber elbow pipe off the side of the water pump, loads of coolant pissed everywhere, eventually it stopped and I cleaned out and refitted the pipe. No problem, dry as a bone. Put more coolant in the top and would you believe it, it started dripping again - but not from the same place!
Right above it, in what looks like the gap between the back of the water pump sealing face and the front edge of the sump, it's leaking out again. Someone tell me there's a quick easy way to access the water pump and seal it so it never ever leaks!!!?? I used a new gasket, cleaned the sealing faces, did the bolts up to whatever they were supposed to be...
Right above it, in what looks like the gap between the back of the water pump sealing face and the front edge of the sump, it's leaking out again. Someone tell me there's a quick easy way to access the water pump and seal it so it never ever leaks!!!?? I used a new gasket, cleaned the sealing faces, did the bolts up to whatever they were supposed to be...
sorry to hear that mate, i dont think there is any easy way, unless rads are out and u get full access looking at pump. maybe some gasket paste aswell as standard gasket will seal it if u can get in there.
yeh, thats what i was thinking, look on the brightside, it may not av leaked for a few days and then broke through when driving somewhere. half a day and ul have it all fixed, im sure of it. good luck with it.
Ah, well it was an old one? The clearance measured up OK but I guess if there's a shaft leak...
It's definitely leaking very slowly out of the rear of the pump in a sort of void that there is there on the bottom of the block. I guess the only way to find out is to go ahead and take it all off. May be worth replacing the pump anyway then?
I noticed that the pattern water pumps have a cruddy pressed metal impeller whereas the genuine Subaru have a proper cast item. Does it matter if I get a non-genuine pump?
It's definitely leaking very slowly out of the rear of the pump in a sort of void that there is there on the bottom of the block. I guess the only way to find out is to go ahead and take it all off. May be worth replacing the pump anyway then?
I noticed that the pattern water pumps have a cruddy pressed metal impeller whereas the genuine Subaru have a proper cast item. Does it matter if I get a non-genuine pump?
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great thread mate learning a lot from you. just one question, earlier on the thread you had mentioned Scholar Engines in stowmarket. did you eventually get your engine machined over there? i remember someone not beeing very fond of them also. are they reliable? i am loking for someone to hone the cylinders on my cdb. i am in norwich area.
thanx
matt
thanx
matt







