54tphilluk300

Ok here we go....
I'm new to subarus & part of me wishes I hadn't of bothered buying one, I brought my uk300 last month, test drove it and it was insane speed, driving it home 300miles, it seemed fine until after me only managing 200miles and I'm broken down at the side of the road, smoke everwhere,
....... Eventually I got home after a complete nightmare
I got the car to a Subaru specialist who confirmed I was a distroyed piston,
Although a uk300ppp, the engine was changed 7years ago for a 2.5 with 2.0 heads used, car was running 321bhp for the few hours I drove it, it's got a full catless vortex exhaust, tdo5 18g turbo, rogerclark oil pump, 225walbro fuel pump, STI intercool and STI injectors,
I've since learnt that the 2.5 isn't a very good engine and is prone to melting Pistons.
My options
1. New built 2.0wrx engine £1700
2. Rebuild 2.5 Wrx engine £1800
3. New built ej207 semi closed STI version 9 engine with the uprated ConRods but with non forged Pistons and non forged crank £2200
4. Same as number 3 but with forged Pistons and forged crank £2800
5. Ej207 semi closed block STI with maule forged Pistons and forged 2.5 crank= the 2.1 stroker £2800
6. Wrx engine with forged crank £2000
7.wrx engine with forged crank and Pistons £2300

A few things to consider
I don't want to spend money if I don't need to,
I do want it to be strong and be safe power,
Which engine would make the car worth more?
I want the car to be quick like how it was 321bhp ish
I've been learning a a lot over the last few weeks and had many sleepless nights,
I've heard tuning a Wrx to 320bhp would make the car unreliable and that it won't last hence Subaru made the STI to handle more power?
I planned on keeping the car for 2-3years,
Your thoughts please
phill

banny sti

iTrader: (68)

I would go with option number 3 as it would be most cost effective and vfm at your power level, the standard newage crank and rods are decent and will handle your power no problem.

who mapped the car previously? I would get in touch with the mapper of your choice before the work is completed so they can check the map over and give you something safe to potter about in till the engine is run in.

54tphilluk300

The now broken engine was built by "engine tuner" down south
They mapped it aswel

So the car will get mapped probably by Ducan Graham who's soposed to be good

**jay**

iTrader: (1)

Engine tuner are one of the best engine builders and tuners in the country what fuel was used in it?

54tphilluk300

Bp ultimate
The guy I brought off said he always used shell vpower
The guy also said sometimes he'd put the odd £10 in of something else to get him to a shell petrol station, I happened to go in a bo and didn't think that'd be a problem? I Drove a 100miles on what ever was in the tank then 100 miles of bp ultimate,

**jay**

iTrader: (1)

There your answer, bp ultimate is crap would never put that anywhere near a subaru, vpower or momentum are the only decent fuel for that kinda spec of power

banny sti

iTrader: (68)

If it mapped for v power then use v power, bp ultimate is **** fuel I would not run it in my derv golf. Personally I would use Martyn to map the car again, guy is straight up no bs

54tphilluk300

Ok well fuel aside, ( I'll make sure I get the rest of it out the tank) but looking forward, which engine option is best , I'll have the car remapped to 320 ish again,
I honestly thought all the ultimate unleaded fuel were basically the same,

**jay**

iTrader: (1)

Bp ultimate has additives in it to up the ron, very unstable ones at that, and seems too go off easily would speak to the Guys at engine tuner and get it rebuilt and mapped with them again but run it on the fuel its mapped for, would never use bp fuel in a subaru.

54tphilluk300

Ok sounds although the fuel thing could have not helped, engine tuner fitted the engine n mapped the car 7years ago, the guy I brought it off had it done, I've only just brought the car and live in the Leicestershire so there's no way of the car going back there, the car now in with a Subaru guy a lot closer to me, the options I listed are for him to fit them engines personnally rebuilt by him, all options including acl race bearings and even a new oil cooler.
The 2.5 has been removed and taken apart , in his opinion it's a typical 2.5 piston failure, he recommends having a 2.0 fitted

**jay**

iTrader: (1)

Piston failure will happen with a 2l that was mapped for v power and ran with water(bp fuel) probably detted and melted the edge of the piston so wont matter if its a 2.5 or 2l its common practice to replace the modine(oil cooler) with a new one due to particles stuck in it, would never rebuild an engine not use a new modine.

54tphilluk300

Got told he always fits new oil coolers with every engine , I just mentioned it because some places quote for an engine build then add money on at the end for it,
Which engine??

legacy_gtb

iTrader: (3)

Dont believe the chocolate 2.5 pisfon bull**** and stick with the engine the car is supposed to have. Just this time make sure it gets the fuel its mapped for.

Tidgy

Why arn't engine tuner mapping it?

54tphilluk300

The engine its soposed to have is a 2.0, this is a uk300 2001
In June 2007 it had a td05 18g turbo fitted, a remap and STI injectors, in September 2007 the engine gave up so he had this 2.5 block fitted, Which has lasted 20,000miles,

54tphilluk300

Because there 350miles away from me mate, Ducan from race dynamics travels the country and actually visits Leicester , using roger Clarks rolling road

Tidgy

ah my bad, i thought you ment engine tuner were building the new engine

Tidgy

bp ult is 97 not 99 ron, thats what will have killed it

54tphilluk300

my engine going to be done by
Wilks Engines, Shipley near Bradford /Leeds, anyone heard of that guy? Seems fantastic, he's not not rushing me into making a decion and he really loves subarus,
But what engine ?

the shreksta

iTrader: (20)

Is this tattoosi's old car?

54tphilluk300

No mate I don't think so , he didn't even have a tattoo

the shreksta

iTrader: (20)

Haha that was his username, he had a wrx uk 300 with a 2.5 bottom end built by engine tuner, he swapped it a year or 2 ago for a saab I think. Has it got a funky gizmo on the dash?

the shreksta

iTrader: (20)

Where abouts in the midlands are you?

54tphilluk300

I only brought the car a few weeks ago , the guy had owned it nearly 10 years n was about 53 years old, I'm in Leicester dude, it's such a shame really, I planned on just respaying the bumpers n wheels n I should have had a awesome Scooby, now its a nightmare of money down the drain,

the shreksta

iTrader: (20)

If you look in the traders section there is a company on there called mb developments, matty who runs it breaks alot of subarus but he only breaks good solid examples, he has a black widetrack on there and im sure it has a rebuilt 2.0 in it and he only wants around 1600 for the engine.

Worth thinking about and them newage 2.0 engines will take 450bhp all day long. Buy it and have it mapped to suit

54tphilluk300

Maybe that engine tuner guy was building loads of these 2.5"s
, I'm ganna go bk to a 2.0 as with my experience and now knowing there far more likely to breakdown, fuel aside lol maybe my 2.5 was on it last legs because there a crap engine and the bp fuel just finished it off?

54tphilluk300

Cheers mate, ill have a look 😉

Tidgy

Engine could have been 100% and fuel would still have killed it. Untill it's stripped and assessed you won't know what what caused it.

a properly built 2.5 isn't a crap engine at all, you've been told a load of bull on that front. Built well they will run at 450bhp for a long time. If engine tuner built it originally then it is highly unlikely it will have the typical standard 2.5 issues that they came with from the factory. Which by the way doesn't mean they all fail, despite what some people claim.

The bad news is I expect you have destroyed the engine yourself running it on bp, assuming it was mapped for vpower.

Tidgy

As far as who to get to sort it out then I would look around for a specialist who know Subaru engines inside an out of you could be back to square one.

Scoobyclinic are up at chesterfield and well worth a visit to see what they can do for you and price up some options. It isn't something to get done on the cheap.

54tphilluk300

The engine had been taken out and split, piston number one is pretty nacked , I've got photos but don't know how to attach them to this post,
The car is now at a subaru specialist engine builder "Wilks engines" but I need to decide on which engine to have built, I want 321bhp ish again and I want the car reliable, "I promise I'll always run it on vpower 😳"